Echelon Corporation

International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Echelon Systems Corporation

Echleon Corporation

Philip H Sutterlin

Amy O Hurlbut

Walter J Downey

J Marcus Stewart

Mark Adrian Stubbs

Howard W Johnson

Luna Chen

Glen Meyers Riley

Chin-Chen Lee

Benjamin W Chui

Alex Chervet

Milton T Tormey

Martin H Graham

Charles R Hoffman

Robert A Dolin

Donald D Baumann

Michael Reid Tennefoss

Ronald L Coburn

Reza S Raji

G Michael Hey

Marie E Andrus

William R Bemiss

An exemplary communications receiver includes an error detector for determining whether a first and second received frame is corrupted, each frame comprising of a plurality of bits. The receiver includes a filter for determining whether the second received corrupted frame should be recovered. The receiver includes a frame generator for generating a recovered frame based on the plurality of bits of the first and second corrupted frame and frame information of the second corrupted frame, in response to the error detector determining that the first and second received frames are corrupted and the filter determining that the second received frame should be recovered.

Method and system for enhancing communication reliability when multiple corrupted frames are received

A method implemented in a device is disclosed for networking through signals transmitted across a shared medium network. The method starts with monitoring for a first signal on a shared medium of the shared medium network. The first signal is processed after it is received and while the first signal is being processed, a set of one or more signals is received on the shared medium. Then a set of one or more amplitude increases is determined, where each amplitude increase is from an earlier received signal to a later received signal. The set of one or more amplitude increases is compared to a threshold value and at least partially in response to the comparison, the device discards one or more signals from the first signal and the set of one or more signals.

Method and system of enhancing signal processing in a shared medium network

A Power Line Communication (PLC) device that is resilient to cross-band interference. The PLC device is configured to communicate on AC power wiring in the frequency range of 9 kilohertz to 500 kilohertz and does not use automatic gain control prior to analog-to-digital conversion. The PLC device includes an over-sampled analog-to-digital converter with a sample clock of at least 10 megahertz and includes a loop filter that maintains a noise power spectral density that does not exceed three decibels above a minimum noise floor, of the noise power spectral density, at 80 kilohertz or above, and a digital filter and decimator configured to remove quantization noise, where a decimation factor of the decimator is such that it provides an output decimation rate between 350 kilohertz and 1.6 megahertz.

Power line communication device that is resilient to cross-band interference

An improvement in a network is described where messages are communicated over different somewhat unconnected branches of a network. The invention is used where the messages cause radio frequency radiation from lines in the network which typically is unintended. The radiation from one branch is sensed and the signal representing the radiation is coupled into the other branch by a direct electrical connection to the other branch. A mechanism is provided to prevent undesirable rebroadcasting of messages.

Method and apparatus for using unintended radio frequency propagation in a network

An improvement in a buffer for driving a signal onto a power line is described. The buffer includes a second order filter. With the improvement, the collector-to-emitter potential of an emitter follower is maintained constant to substantially reduce the distortion associated with base-collector capacitance.

Input/output buffer incorporating filter for powerline communications line

A receiver for detecting spread spectrum binary data particularly on a power line in the presence of channel distortion. In one embodiment a standard pattern ideally suited for minimal distortion in the channel is used in conjunction with an alternate pattern which is developed to better detect carrier and data in the presence of certain channel distortion. The receiver switches between the standard and alternate pattern to provide improved detection. In another embodiment an adaptive pattern is used which is developed from the receive signal. For instance, the signal over several bit times is averaged to provide a pattern which is correlated with a receive signal.

Adaptive reference pattern for spread spectrum detection claims

A toroidal transformer for a communications application where a first winding is wound on the core. A separator comprising a pair of annular-shaped cups then encloses the core and first winding. A second winding is wound on the outer surface of the separator. The separator, fabricated from a low K material, provides substantial reduction in the capacitance between the first and second winding.

Electrical transformer for use with twisted pair

A method and apparatus for defining and generating a digital waveform such as used for the local oscillator for a down converter in a receiver is disclosed. The method and apparatus is particularly useful where the digital waveform is not an integer submultiple of a reference signal. A plurality of different digital waveforms meeting the timing criteria but having different combinations of segments needed to meet the timing criteria are generated. Each of the digital waveforms so generated are tested in, for instance, a receiver to enable the selection of the best combination of segments.

Method and apparatus for defining and generating local oscillator signals for down converter

Adaptive reference pattern for spread spectrum detection

A dual channel transceiver which operates at two different frequencies and which may be used in a network using older transceivers operating at a single frequency is disclosed. A pilot tone is transmitted by the transceiver when it is using the second channel to cause the older transfers to remain synchronized and thereby prevent them from transmitting data which would otherwise interfere with the data on the second channel. The relative magnitude of the signals on both channels is compared to prevent the detection of cross-talk on the second channel as data.

Transmission and detection of data in a dual channel transceiver

A &ldquo;hint&rdquo; signal is developed which points to suspected erroneous bits in received data by examining anomalies in the signal. More particularly, a delta phase pointer which quantifies one of the anomalies is used. The realigning of an IQ pointer provides an additional anomaly which is prioritized along with the delta phase pointer. The particular error correcting code used for the power line application provides seven check bits for a data byte and permits the correction of up to two errors. A third error is correctable through use of the hint signal and a parity bit.

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Philip H Sutterlin