Panasonic Corporation

Matushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Masato Ohura

Satoshi Ando

Akio Kurobe

Stefano Galli

Yuji Shimizu

Yuichi Kawaguchi

Masao Oomoto

A communication system includes communication protocols that allow a single network or multiple neighboring networks to increase resource sharing and reduce mutual interference and increase their overall throughput. Various protocols apply to homogenous networks in which all power line communication (PLC) devices of multiple networks are interoperable with respect to full power line communication in a common PHY and to heterogeneous networks having non-interoperable PLC networks which do not employ a common PHY. As to heterogeneous networks, a protocol herein enables coexistence via a special signaling scheme. In homogeneous networks, all nodes can communicate with each other using a common PHY, so that information about one PLC network can be transferred to another PLC network. In heterogeneous networks, not all PLC networks can exchange information using their own native PHY.

Master communication device in a power line communication system and slave communication device in a power line communication system

A communication system includes communication protocols that allow a single network or multiple neighboring networks to increase resource sharing and reduce mutual interference and increase their overall throughput. Various protocols apply to homogenous networks in which all power line communication (PLC) devices of multiple networks are interoperable with respect to full power line communication in a common PHY (specifications, signaling capabilities, modulation scheme, coding scheme, bandwidth, etc.) and to heterogeneous networks in which devices of some PLC networks are not interoperable with PLC devices of other PLC networks with respect to full power line communication given that the devices of the different networks do not employ a common PHY. With respect to heterogeneous networks, a protocol is provided to enable coexistence via a signaling scheme common to all of the devices of the network that allows resource sharing between the devices of the multiple heterogeneous networks. Homogeneous networks are those in which all nodes can communicate with each other using a common PHY, so that information about one PLC network can be transferred to another PLC network. Heterogeneous networks are those in which not all PLC networks can exchange information using their own native PHY, such as where users in different apartments or houses use different devices having different specifications, different signaling capabilities, modulation scheme, coding scheme, bandwidth and the like.

Method, system, integrated circuit, communication module, and computer-readable medium for achieving resource sharing including space and time reuse within a power line communication system

The present invention includes a repeater and a server for controlling access, from a terminal of an outside network, to the server of an inside network. The repeater and the server permit a packet transmission from the terminal to the server under limited conditions. When the server acknowledges a connection for the permitted packet, transmission conditions for packets to be sent to the server are loosened. Subsequently, packet transmission between the terminal and the server is controlled under the loosened transmission conditions. As for encrypted packets, the server decodes the encrypted packets and notifies the repeater of relevant information.

Access-controlling method, repeater, and server

A terminal comprises a packet receiving unit, a packet sending unit, a link-state detecting unit that detects a link-up to a switching device, a configuration-change notifying unit, and a resource reservation table. When the link-state detecting unit detects a link-up, the terminal notifies network configuration information and network resource reservation information to a management device. When a link state is changed, the management device can immediately manage the network based on the latest network configuration information and the latest network resource information.

Communication system and its terminal

The communication system supports reservation of network resources. The base stations relay packets among the terminals, and perform priority control based on the priority set to the packets. In the terminal, the communication-managing table stores communication information of own terminal and a partner thereof. The packet-transmitting unit, setting priority to the packets, transmits the packets. When link condition of own terminal change, the link-managing unit updates, in order to prevent from quality deterioration of the other terminals, the priority of each of the packets whose source terminal is the own terminal.

Growing community of inventors

Iizuka, Japan

Masato Ohura