Broadcom Corporation

Avago Technologies General IP (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Marvell Hispania, S.l.u.

Jose Abad Molina

Jonathan Ephraim David Hurwitz

Juan Carlos Riveiro Insua

Xavier Josep Reves Balleste

Gerard Reves Vilaplana

Jorge Vicente Blasco Claret

Salvador Iranzo Molinero

Nils Hakan Fouren

David Ruiz Lopez

Ildefonso Gomariz Abril

Antonio Mollfulleda San Julian

The present disclosure is directed to systems, apparatuses, and methods for monitoring the frequency spectrum of signals transmitted by a PLC device over a PLC network to detect and correct potential EMC regulation violations due to intermodulation (IMD) products created by the interaction of the transmitted signals with one or more non-linear devices on the PLC network. Once an IMD issue is detected, the systems, apparatuses, and methods can reduce the injected power of signals transmitted by the PLC device at the frequencies (or range of frequencies) that result in a EMC regulation violation. In addition, the systems, apparatuses, and methods can reduce the injected power of signals transmitted by the PLC device at all times or during times that the non-linear devices are interacting and generating IMD products.

Detection and prevention of intermodulation products above electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) levels for power line communication (PLC) devices

A system for providing power back-off includes a channel monitor to measure channel conditions associated with a communication channel between a receiver and a transmitter operating at multiple carrier frequencies. A system monitor retrieves one or more system characteristics associated with the receiver and the transmitter. A mapping module maps measured values of the channel conditions to a number of time slots. A power back off (PBO) module determines a value for an optimal PBO for each time slot based on the measured values of the channel conditions for that time slot and the system characteristics. The communication channel includes a cyclo-stationary channel, and the time slots correspond to a time period of the cyclo-stationary channel.

Determining an optimal power back-off value

A power-line communications (PLC) device communicates with a second PLC device via a PLC medium and includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter transmits a Request to Send (RTS) communication to the second PLC device at a first power level. The receiver receives a Clear to Send (CTS) communication from the second PLC device. The transmitter transmits data to the second PLC device at a second power level that is less than the first power level. The transmitter transmits a TDM frame to the second PLC device that includes a preamble and header transmitted at a first power level and at least one special data symbol and a payload transmitted at a second power level that is less than the first power level. The special data symbol resides between the preamble or header and the payload and is usable by the second PLC device for processing of the payload.

Power line communication device transmitting at differing power levels in same communication

A communications device includes a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit includes a wired medium interface circuit that is configured to, in use, communicate data over a wired medium. The second circuit includes a wireless medium interface circuit that is configured to, in use, communicate data over a wireless medium. A destination address controller is included in the first circuit and is operative to determine to which of a plurality of destination addresses at a communications device data is to be communicated from the second circuit. The communications device can have individual visibility of a plurality of destination addresses (e.g. for respective devices) when data is received or transmitted by the wireless medium interface circuit (second circuit).

Communications device

A Power Line Communications (PLC) device includes a PLC interface, a wireless interface, a processing module, and memory. The PLC device communicates with a second PLC device via the PLC interface to establish a wireless transmission timing base, communicates with the second PLC device via the power mains to coordinate simultaneous wireless data transmissions to a client device from the PLC device and the second PLC device, wirelessly transmits data to the client device based upon the wireless transmission timing base and the coordination with the second PLC device. In combination the PLC devices' simultaneous wireless data transmissions may be Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transmissions, diversity transmissions, and/or beam formed transmissions. In another operation, the PLC device characterizes its surroundings based upon concurrent directional transmission and receipt of wireless transmissions by the PLC device.

PLC/wireless device coordinated wireless transmissions

A network isolation system may include a network interface, a power level detector, and a processor. The network interface may be configured to receive signals over channels, where the signals include at least one local network signal, e.g. a signal originating on a local network, and at least one non-local network signal, e.g. a signal originating on a non-local network. The power level detector may be configured to determine attenuation values of the received signals. The signal processor may be configured to discard a first signal and reallocate the channel over which the first signal was received, without processing the first signal in a frequency domain, when the attenuation value of the first signal fails to satisfy a signal threshold. In one or more implementations, the signal threshold may differentiate the local network signal from the non-local network signal based at least in part on the determined attenuation values.

Network isolation system

An OFDM frame synchronisation method in which the symbols of the preamble carry a code. The detection of the code allows the frame synchronization in presence of low SNR.

OFDM frame synchronisation method and system

A Powerline Communications (PLC) device includes processing circuitry, memory coupled to the processing circuitry, and a PLC interface coupled to the processing circuitry. The PLC device transmits a plurality of PLC queries, two of the plurality of PLC queries complying with differing PLC communication standards, receives a plurality of responses from a plurality of other PLC devices, responses received from two PLC devices complying with differing PLC communication standards, directs the two PLC devices to transmit communications according to respective differing PLC communication standards in an attempt to avoid PLC communication conflicts. The differing PLC communication standards may include a HomePlug communication standard and an ITU home networking (G.hn) communication standard. The PLC device may convert communications between the differing PLC communication standards.

Powerline communication device

A transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter receives a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, and generates a first analog signal based on the first OFDM signal. The first OFDM signal has a first bandwidth, a first spectral position, and a first frequency spectrum. The first frequency spectrum of the first OFDM signal has a first set of frequencies with first amplitudes. The receiver receives a second analog signal, and generates a second OFDM signal based on the second analog signal. The second OFDM signal has a second bandwidth, a second spectral position, and a second frequency spectrum. The second frequency spectrum of the second OFDM signal has a second set of frequencies with second amplitudes. The transmitter varies the first bandwidth, the first spectral position, and the first amplitudes independent of the second bandwidth, the second spectral position, and the second amplitudes.

Method for the spectral configuration of signals modulated by means of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) for an electrical network

The present invention relates to a communication system comprising a transmitter and receiver in communication for transmitting signals through one or more communications channels, wherein at least one of the transmitter and the receiver each comprise a quality measure, which contributes to an overall quality measure for the system and wherein the or each communications channel comprises a plurality of sub-bands between at least two nodes, wherein the plurality of sub-bands each having a specific maximum power spectral densities (PSDs) and wherein one or more sub-bands between the transmitter and the receiver are identified as having a higher maximum PSD than other sub-bands and wherein the PSD of the one or more identified sub-bands is reduced in a predetermined manner to thereby increase the overall quality measure for the system.

Power line communication system

Power line communications device transmitting at differing power levels in same communication

A Powerline Communications (PLC) device includes a processing module, memory coupled to the processing module, and a PLC interface coupled to the processing module. The PLC device transmits a plurality of PLC queries, two of the plurality of PLC queries complying with differing and incompatible PLC communication standards. It then receives a plurality of responses from a plurality of other PLC devices, two responses received from respective PLC devices complying with two differing and incompatible PLC communication standards. The PLC device then directs each of the two PLC devices to transmit communications of the differing and incompatible PLC communication standards in an attempt to avoid PLC communication conflicts. The PLC device may establish non-PLC communications with a remote communications device. The PLC device may bridge communications between remote PLC devices and between a remote PLC device and a remote non-PLC device.

A system for performing adaptive multi-carrier code division multiple access (AMC-CDMA) is provided. The system determines a channel performance metric for each of a plurality of carriers and then determines at least one AMC-CDMA parameter for each of the carriers based on the channel performance metric. Modulator circuitry then modulates the signal on each carrier using the specified AMC-CDMA parameters for transmission over a wired connection.

Growing community of inventors

Rincón de la Victoria, Spain

Jose Abad Molina