JP2009510867A - Multiple broadband communications over power lines - Google Patents

Abstract

Systems and methods for communicating over power lines are configured to communicate substantially simultaneously over multiple broadband frequency ranges. Signals can be communicated simultaneously at two different frequencies from the communication node. These signals can be exchanged with a plurality of different nodes, and these signals can contain independent data. In some embodiments, some of the wideband frequency range is higher than 30 MHz.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

Field of Invention

  The present invention relates to systems and methods for power line communication, and more particularly to systems and methods for broadband power line communication.

Background of the Invention

  As the use of digital content (eg, MP3 audio, MPEG4 video, digital photographs) expands, the need to improve digital communication systems is widely recognized. Power line communication (PLC) is a technology that encodes data into a signal and transmits the signal through an existing power line in a frequency band that is not used to supply electricity. Accordingly, the PLC provides a wide network coverage by using an existing power distribution network that is widely spread. Furthermore, in PLC, since data can be accessed from a conventional electrical outlet, it is not necessary to lay new wiring in a building (or various parts in the building). Thus, PLC offers the further advantage of low installation costs.

  With reference to FIG. 1, a home 10 generally includes a trunk power distribution system, which is composed of one or more annular power distribution systems, several stubs, and a power distribution system that returns to the junction box 12. ing. As an example, now assume that the home 10 includes four rooms 14, 16, 18, and 20. Each of the rooms 14-20 can have a different number of outlets and other trunk connections. For example, the room 14 has only one connection 22, the room 16 has two connections 24, 26, the room 18 has three connections 28, 30, 32, and the room 20 has 6 There can be two connections 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44.

  Accordingly, there are various distances and paths between different electrical outlets in the home 10. Specifically, the outlets that are closest to each other are outlets in a multi-plug, and the outlets that are farthest away from each other are outlets at the ends of stubs in different circular distribution systems (eg, storage and attic outlets). is there. Communication between these outlets that are furthest from each other generally passes through the junction box 12. However, most outlets associated with a particular application (eg, home theater) are located relatively close to each other.

  Since the channel capacity of the power line and the connection is attenuated particularly according to the frequency of the transmission signal, the current generation PLC system has a suitable transmission distance by transmitting a signal at a relatively low frequency (that is, 30 MHz or less). It is built to be obtained. However, using such a low transmission frequency limits the maximum data throughput that can be achieved in a PLC system.

  The process of receiving an analog signal and the process of injecting a modulated signal are handled separately by different PLC standards. Current methods perform some analog conditioning on the signal path (eg, low-pass filtering for anti-aliasing or smoothing, or remove the mains low-frequency [<< 1 KHz] high-voltage component. AC coupling for). However, there are no analog systems that combine two or more broadband PLC technologies that can function simultaneously.

  A plurality of power line communication standards are defined. Specifically, “Homeplug 1.0 / 1.1” standard, “Homeplug AV” standard, CEPCA standard, and “Digital Home Standard” are listed.

  As with most communication systems, one of the main problems in prior art PLC systems is obtaining high throughput and wide coverage at reasonable implementation costs while maintaining compatibility with existing technologies. There are currently several commercially available PLC systems that provide a transmission rate of several hundred MBit / second, but these systems are implemented because they use modulation schemes with high bps / Hz (ie, about 10 bps / Hz). The cost is high and this modulation scheme requires a highly accurate data converter and extremely high linearity interface electronics, and the complexity of the modulation calculations increases the cost of digital implementation.

  Accordingly, there is a need for an improved PLC system that overcomes these and other problems.

Summary of the Invention

  Various embodiments include systems and methods for communicating over a power line by simultaneously transmitting and / or receiving data over multiple broadband frequency ranges. Various embodiments include a power line communication network comprising at least one power line communication device configured to use multiple broadband frequency ranges.

  Some embodiments are systems that communicate over a power line, devices that communicate over the power line, systems that connect to the power line, send data from the device to the appropriate application, or send data from the application to the device. A system comprising: a system for transmitting.

  In some embodiments, the power line communication device transmits data in multiple independent wideband frequency bands that can operate simultaneously, independently, or simultaneously and independently. Is designed to improve the trade-off between power line network throughput / coverage / cost performance compared to current generation PLC networks.

  Further, the power line communication device optionally promotes interoperability by facilitating communication with nodes using previous power line technology using one or more of the frequency bands. . In this way, the power line communication device provides a way to build a scalable embodiment of the network where the nodes of the previous technology work with the new generation of power line technology without compromising performance.

  More specifically, the power line communication apparatus can use a frequency exceeding 30 MHz while maintaining conformity with the current worldwide EMC regulations and EMC standards. This is because signal performance is reduced by using a signal at a frequency lower than 30 MHz (currently used in power line standards and / or regulations) and at least one other signal at a frequency higher than 30 MHz. Achievable without degradation due to interference.

  As a result, the new PLC system facilitates interoperability with existing power line communication technologies in the wideband (currently in the frequency range of 1 MHz to 30 MHz) and significantly higher new wideband (e.g., between 30 MHz and 1 GHz). System) can be extended to The resulting communication system increases the overall throughput, while simplifying one particular broadband embodiment.

  The power line communication apparatus includes a network interface using an analog signal separation device (for example, an analog filter), and the analog signal separation device routes a plurality of different broadband signals received from the power line to these signals. Are separated before being converted into their respective digital representations. In addition, the analog signal separation device separates (after being converted from the digital representation) a plurality of different broadband signal paths transmitted over the power line. Optionally, the network interface device may use TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) or FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access), or both, as a scheme to enable one or more of coexistence, synchronization, and bidirectional transmission. I use it.

  An analog signal separation device includes separate and / or integrated electronic components, and general characteristics of wiring and / or printed circuit board traces, or both, used to interconnect these components. It is made up of block elements.

  In some embodiments, the power line communication device can be expanded to provide a large total bandwidth (but with significantly different injected power levels in different frequency ranges) or in the same network Used in a system that is configured to coexist and / or both coexist with other existing technologies above.

  In various embodiments, each of the existing power line technology and the new generation of power line technology can be implemented in various modulation schemes (eg, OFDM, CDMA (code division multiple access), OWDM (orthogonal wavelet domain modulation). )) Is performed alone or in combination. The power line communication apparatus can transmit data through any or all of the broadband according to the channel state. Furthermore, the power line communication device distributes data from a single data source or repeats data from a single data source and data from another node on the network, depending on its network function. Can be combined.

  In various embodiments, each of the nodes on the power line communication network includes an analog signal separation device and a modem converter (eg, DFE (Digital Front End), MAC (Media Access Control), etc.) as part of the power line network interface device. ) And an application (for example, a computer, a mass storage device, a display device, a speaker, a DVD (digital versatile disc) player, a PVR (HDD recorder), etc.) or an application Interface (eg, digital audio interface, digital video interface, analog audio interface, analog video interface, Ethernet interface) Esu, IEEE1394 / Firewire / iLink interface, USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, etc.), or both, is.

  In some embodiments, the power line communication device transmits a signal at a frequency below about 30 MHz (based on current standards and injected power regulations) and at least one other signal at a frequency above 30 MHz. The signal performance is configured to be used without being degraded by interference. Due to this feature, the power line communication apparatus can increase the throughput, while enabling interoperability with the previous PLC technology. The advantage of using the lower frequency band is that the higher injected power allowed by regulation and the lower attenuation of the channel, the greater coverage (e.g., greater than is achievable when using the higher frequency band). Communication between distances). The advantage of using high bandwidth is that the achievable throughput is high due to the high available bandwidth.

  In some embodiments, the power line communication device is configured to utilize a power line of a common topology in a home, in which the associated set of devices and sockets are generally Grouped close together (eg, a plasma display, DVD player, and speakers in a living room), and another set of devices and sockets grouped elsewhere (eg, a desktop printer in a home office, Scanner and ADSL router). In such home topologies, it is advantageous to use high-throughput, short-range coverage provided by high bandwidth (available simultaneously and independently within each of the groups), while Thus, most of the data communication between groups can be transmitted using a low bandwidth. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the use of communications in both high and low bands is advantageous for some communication nodes.

  In some embodiments, multiple broadbands are used in parallel, thereby using different injection power levels, receiver sensitivities, transmission times, symbol lengths, and modulation techniques to reduce the performance and cost of each broadband. Can be optimized, and even if it is necessary to provide multiple analog front ends and digital front ends, a better cost performance solution is obtained. One of the reasons why it is advantageous in implementation cost is that it can reduce bps / Hz in each of the widebands while still maintaining throughput performance because additional bandwidth is available. . The cost of implementing multiple broadband communication technologies is offset non-linearly by this effect. Furthermore, the reduction of the coverage of one or more high bands is offset by using low bands in parallel (higher injected power allowed). For example, in various embodiments, by using the present power line communication device, by using a modulation scheme of lower bps / Hz (ie, about 5 bps / Hz instead of 10 bps / Hz) through multiple broadbands, Gbit / s performance can be provided at a lower cost than current 200 Mbps systems.

  In various embodiments, the network interface device is configured to use analog signal separation and include multiple analog front ends. By using analog signal separation based on frequency, each of the wideband technologies can optionally be operated independently, and the network interface device can include one or more of the following features.

  (A) The network interface device is independent of the performance of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and a PGA or line driver used to process signals from a specific frequency band. And can be optimized. This optimization is performed to obtain the required bandwidth, linearity, and dynamic characteristics of the frequency band, and the power level required to comply with EMC regulations and / or frequency band coverage. Optimized for.

  (B) The network interface device uses one of the frequency bands in the power line communication device, but independently uses another frequency band for further communication (and prohibition from the other frequency band) Configured so that compatibility and interoperability with existing standards is maintained (eg, “Homeplug AV using frequencies in the range of 2 MHz to 28 MHz). "The standard can operate simultaneously with another standard that uses frequencies higher than 30 MHz).

  (C) The network interface device has an additional wideband (which need not use the same modulation technique, and can use a modulation technique that best matches the power line channel characteristics of the new frequency band). By being able to include, it is comprised so that the capacity | capacitance of a power line communication apparatus may increase.

  (D) The network interface device is configured such that a plurality of different broadbands can operate without being synchronized with or dependent on other broadbands.

  In various embodiments, the power line communication device is further configured so that, for example, one or more of the following other network technologies can be added independently.

  (A) combining data from multiple different bands at various different communication levels (such as digital front end, MAC layer, or application layer);

  (B) use notches in the modulation scheme to limit the emission of a particular frequency within one of the defined analog broadband frequencies;

  (C) using a repeater at the node to retransmit in the same frequency band or in a different frequency band;

  (D) using a series of modulation schemes (eg, one or more of OFDM, CDMA, ODWM); and / or

  (E) One or more communication patterns of point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and multipoint-to-multipoint are formed.

  In some embodiments, the network interface device combines and separates data communicated over multiple different paths to maximize performance, coexistence, and interoperability while minimizing system cost. can do.

  Various embodiments of the invention receive digital data from one or more applications and encode a first portion of the digital data into a first signal within a first wideband frequency range. And wherein at least a portion of the first wideband frequency range is less than 30 MHz and encoding the second portion of the digital data into a second signal within the second wideband frequency range. And at least a portion of the second wideband frequency range is greater than 30 MHz, combining the first signal and the second signal to generate a combined signal, and combining the combined signal with the power line And transmitting through the method.

  Various embodiments of the present invention include receiving a signal over a power line, receiving the received signal as a first signal component within a first wideband frequency range, and a second signal within a second wideband frequency range. Separating the first and second signal components separately, wherein the first wideband frequency range and the second wideband frequency range are each at least 10 MHz wide Processing to retrieve digital data and providing the digital data to one or more applications.

  Various embodiments of the present invention include a first communication node configured to communicate using a first wideband frequency range that is at least 10 MHz wide and a second wideband frequency range that is at least 5 MHz wide. And a second communication node configured to communicate with the first communication node through a power line by using both the first wideband frequency range and the second wideband frequency range simultaneously. Communication network.

  Various embodiments of the present invention are combiners configured to communicate data over a power line, wherein a first portion of data is communicated using a first wideband frequency range, The two parts are communicated using a second wideband frequency range independent of the first wideband frequency range, and the first part of the data is independent of the second part of the data And a first logic configured to process a first portion of data and a second logic configured to process a second portion of data. Device.

  Various embodiments of the present invention include a first communication node configured to communicate using a first wideband frequency range, and a second wideband frequency that is independent of the first wideband frequency range. A second communication node configured to communicate using a range; communication over a power line from the first communication node using a first wideband frequency range; and a second wideband frequency range A communication network comprising: a third communication node configured to simultaneously and independently receive communication over the power line from the second communication node using .

  Various embodiments of the present invention comprise communicating first data over a power line using a first broadband frequency range between a first communication node and a second communication node; Communicating second data over a power line between a communication node and a third communication node using a second wideband frequency range independent of the first wideband frequency range, comprising: And the second data is communicated simultaneously.

  Various embodiments of the present invention include transmitting a first communication over a power line using a first wideband frequency range from a first communication node, where the first communication is a first wideband frequency. Receiving a response from the second communication node, the step including data configured to identify a second communication node configured to communicate in the range, and a response to the first communication Transmitting a second communication over the power line using the second broadband frequency range from the first communication node, such that the second communication communicates in the second broadband frequency range. Data configured to identify a configured third communication node and receiving a response to the second communication from the third communication node Includes determining a communication mode based on the response to the response and the second communication to the first communication method that includes, a.

  Various embodiments of the present invention include receiving command and control signals over a power line in a first broadband frequency range, wherein at least a portion of the first broadband frequency range is lower than 30 MHz; Receiving or processing a data signal transmitted over a power line in a wideband frequency range using a received command and control signal, wherein at least a portion of the second wideband frequency range is greater than 30 MHz; and , Including methods.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Detailed description

  For the sake of clarity, the term “power line” as used in this document refers to the transmission of power to a low-voltage mains distribution cable for home use (generally 100-240 VAC power) or connected electrical equipment. Or any other installed conductive cable (ie AC or DC). In addition, the term “power line technology” as used in this document is a specification implemented as a series of network interface devices connected to a power line, where these devices are already present in the power distribution (power distribution). It means a specification that allows signals to be communicated bidirectionally using signals superimposed on (signal).

  As used in this document, the term “network interface device” refers to all or part of a communication technology (eg, power line technology) that allows communication with another device connected to the same network (eg, power line). (Whether or not the device is integrated with another device or function in one enclosure). For clarity of explanation, in this document, devices connected to a power line network are generally referred to as “nodes”.

  As used in this document, the term “coverage” means the maximum distance between nodes at which one node can detect data transmitted between two nodes. Further, the term “throughput” should be understood to represent the rate at which nodes transmit or receive data on the network.

  For clarity of explanation, regarding the description of the operation of the power line communication device based on the current power line technology, of the broadband frequency bands used in the power line communication device, a band lower than about 30 MHz is referred to as “ This is referred to as “low bandwidth”. Similarly, a band having a frequency higher than about 30 MHz among wideband frequency bands used in the power line communication apparatus is referred to as “high band” in this document.

  For the sake of completeness and because the present invention relates to broadband communication, the term “wideband” as used in this document refers to the frequency band or frequency range used by power line technology signals. It means a frequency band or frequency range (whether or not a notch is present) whose bandwidth from the first (lowest) frequency to the last (highest) frequency is equal to or higher than 5 MHz. However, in various embodiments, the wideband can have a bandwidth of at least 7 MHz, 10 MHz, 12 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, or 250 MHz. Similarly, the term “narrowband” as used in this document refers to a frequency band whose bandwidth is lower than 5 MHz among the frequency bands used by power line technology signals. A wideband can include a number of different carrier channels used to convey data. For example, in various embodiments, the wideband includes more than 25, more than 50, more than 100, or more than 200 data channels.

  The term “transmission time” used in this document means the maximum length of time required to transmit one single co-existent message. The transmission time includes a transmission start marker time (when present), a synchronization time (when present), a channel access resolution time (when present), a negotiation time (when present), a message transmission time, and an ACK transmission time. (When present) and end-of-transmission marker time (when present).

  The term “notch” as used in this document deliberately reduces the energy level of the power line technology signal to prevent interference with another user of the spectrum (spectrum on power line or spectrum not on power line). Means the frequency band. Notches have a narrower bandwidth than the power line technology signal itself and are typically implemented by a digital signal separation device in one digital signal processing block or an analog signal separation device in an analog front end.

  For the sake of clarity, the term “sub-band” used in this document refers to the frequency band in which the power line technology signal characteristics differ from the power line technology signal characteristics in the rest of the signal bandwidth. To do. Such differences include the presence of optional or required subbands, the signal power level of the subbands, and the directionality of the subbands. The sub-band has a narrower bandwidth than the power line technology signal itself. In OFDM, notches can be formed by using overlapping sub-bands, in which case if the sub-band reception is significantly hindered or the sub-band can interfere with another service, that sub-band Is disabled. Furthermore, OWDM can simplify notch formation outside the carrier due to its lower lobe.

  For simplicity, the term “transmitter signal path” as used in this document refers to the path of the signal transmitted from the device to the power line. Similarly, the term “receiver signal path” as used in this document refers to the path of the signal received by the device from the power line. In this regard, it may not be necessary to perform separation in both the receiver signal path and the transmitter signal path (depending on the analog component used and the modulation technique specifications).

  In the present specification, for the sake of clarity, the power line communication device of the present invention may be referred to as an “improved power line communication device”. In this specification, the network interface device of the improved power line communication apparatus is referred to as “improved network interface device”. Further, in this specification, a power line communication network including a node that is an improved communication apparatus may be referred to as an “improved power line communication network”.

  The term “separately independent” as used in connection with broadband in this document means not using the same frequency broadband for communication data or commands (unless it is accidentally used). Broadbands can be independent but can be interleaved (eg, stacked).

  The term “simultaneously” as used in connection with the communication of data in this document means that at least a portion of the first data or command is communicated using the first broadband, while the second data or It means that at least part of the command is communicated using the second broadband. Concurrent transmission is in contrast to systems that use frequencies alternately or in an interleaved fashion, or one after another, or a frequency hopping system.

  In this document, the term “independent” as used in connection with transmitted data means that data transmitted using one wideband is transmitted in parallel using another wideband. This means that it does not depend on data. Independent data transmission includes, for example, data transmitted to different locations or data received from different locations. Data where alternating bits are transmitted using different frequencies is not independent because the bits depend on each other to form a byte. The data transmitted in the first wide band and including the communication setting information, the encryption key, the communication command, etc. uses the data in the first wide band even when receiving or processing the data transmitted in the second wide band. Even in this case, it is considered that the data transmitted in the second wide band is independent. This is because transmission of communication setting information, encryption key, communication command, and the like does not depend on data transmitted in the second broadband.

  It should be understood that the specific networks and other examples described in the following sections are used for illustrative purposes only. In particular, the examples described in the following sections shall not be construed to limit the improved power line communication device.

  Some embodiments of the improved power line communication network comprise a plurality of nodes, some of which are similar to a similar or conventional node corresponding to a plurality of broadband and simultaneously through two or more broadbands. In addition, a network interface device that enables independent communication is used. The first wideband optionally has a frequency lower than 30 MHz (referred to in this document as a lowband) based on current standards and injected power levels, and the other (one or more) widebands are 30 MHz. It has a higher frequency (referred to as high bandwidth in this document). Alternatively, both the first broadband and the second broadband can have a frequency higher than 30 MHz. This allows powerline technology to be optimized for each of the widebands, so the trade-off between cost, coverage, and throughput is better than that achieved by a pure single wideband method.

  Specifically, the modulation schemes in each of the technologies used in the improved power line communication network can be optimized for cost. For example, in the low band, it may not be necessary to increase the throughput using a particularly high modulation density (bps / Hz), because the low band and the high band with essentially high throughput are operated in parallel. Because it can.

  In an improved power line communication network, multiple broadband nodes and single broadband nodes (low band or one or more of the power line technologies supported in (one or more) high bands) It also supports interoperability with prior art power line technologies by supporting communications between one or more (communicating on frequencies in high bands).

  The improved network interface device can be part of an external modem device or embedded in another device (eg, computer, television). However, the improved network interface device remains physically connected to a conductive cable (carrying AC or DC power), regardless of how it is included in the node, and is low Digital data can be transmitted over a cable using some or all of the bandwidth and high bandwidth.

  According to current regulations and standards, low-band signals can be transmitted with power up to about −50 dBm / Hz, whereas high-band signals emit less than −80 dBm / Hz in that frequency band. It can be transmitted only by power. Thus, signals in the low band can be transmitted with about 1000 times greater power than signals in the high band. As a result, if signals in both high and low bands are transmitted simultaneously without using any form of analog frequency separation, the requirements for dynamic range and voltage compliance of high band signals are greatly increased.

  However, the possibility of low power signals interfering or saturating can be even more problematic. Specifically, a line-attenuated signal with a power level on the order of noise on the power line (ie, -150 dBm) is received using one band and at the same time using the other band. When transmitting a signal at the maximum allowable transmission power, separation of about 100 dB is required to prevent the signals in the two bands from interfering with each other. However, this number exceeds the current capability of the latest analog circuits and requires high implementation costs.

In summary, the separation required to effectively enable high-band and low-band simultaneous and independent communications can be broadly classified into the following three categories.
(1) Separation to prevent saturation of another broadband receiver due to the strength of the signal received through the network in one broadband;
(2) separation to prevent a transmitter in one band from interfering with reception in another band; and / or
(3) Separation to prevent the performance of one band transmitter from degrading when another band is being transmitted.

  In view of the above, an improved network interface device uses an analog signal separation device to separate the path from the power line connection to the device (data converter) for each broadband. One of the most efficient ways to provide this separation is to filter the high-band signal either high-pass or band-pass while (high linearity components and possibly analog low-pass smoothing or Minimizing out-of-band signals in the low band (using anti-aliasing).

  To facilitate co-existing or bi-directional communication, or co-existing and bi-directional communication, the same or different modulation schemes (eg, OFDM, CDMA, ODWM) One or more of them), or a time-sharing scheme. In one possible scenario, the low bandwidth can use a modulation scheme that is interoperable with one of the existing standards or recommendations for power line modems, while extending performance beyond previous standards. To use high bandwidth. Data signals and / or control signals can be transmitted simultaneously over one or both of the broadband through multiple nodes in the form of a network of repeaters (eg, repeaters).

There are many types of methods for implementing the improved power line communication device. For example, the improved power line communication device is combined with a series of passive components and interconnections on one or more integrated circuits (integrated circuits dedicated to modem functions, or integrated circuits as part of an application system on a chip). Can be implemented. However, in the embodiment of the analog signal separation device for separating the low band from the high band (one or more), components (passive or active integrated circuit components or separate independent components) in a plurality of different signal paths ) Combination. Specifically, the following (a), (b), or (b) and (c) are possible.
(A) share part of a broadband path (eg, through a coupling unit);
(B) connect the broadband only to the power line; and / or
(C) A wide band is placed at both ends of the device.

  It is also possible to extend the improved power line communication device to communicate in more than two wide bands. Similarly, it is possible to overlap the wide bands slightly if necessary, or to have a wide frequency range or bandwidth different from that described in the specific description.

  In some embodiments, multiple different types of signals are communicated over multiple different broadbands. For example, in one embodiment, one or more of communication configuration information, node discovery signal, path discovery signal, encryption key or decryption key, communication command, other types of command / control signals in the first broadband Communicate and communicate other types of data (eg, data other than command and control) in the second broadband. The first broadband may include a lower frequency broadband that has a lower data throughput rate than the second broadband. Other types of data communicated in the second wideband include one or more of video, audio, text, and so forth. With reference to FIG. 2A, a network 50 representing an improved power line communication network comprises a plurality of nodes 54-76. Some of these nodes are equipped with improved power line communication devices and thus implement multiple PLC technologies. Nodes that do not include an improved network interface device can only implement one PLC technology. For simplicity of explanation, in this document, a node that can only implement one PLC technology is referred to as a “single broadband node”. Similarly, in this document, a node capable of implementing a plurality of techniques is referred to as a “multiple broadband node”.

Three different PLC technologies are used for communication in the network, namely Tech _A , Tech _B , and Tech _C. Nodes 54 and 76 are equipped with improved network interface devices and can implement PLC technologies Tech _A and Tech _B. Nodes 58 and 66 are equipped with an improved network interface device and can implement PLC technologies Tech _B and Tech _C. Node 60 and node 68 are equipped with improved network interface devices and can optionally implement all three PLC technologies.

The remaining nodes (i.e., nodes 56, 62, 64, 72, 74) do not have an improved network interface device and are therefore only able to implement one of the PLC technologies. Specifically, node 62 and node 70 implement only PLC technology Tech _A , node 56 and node 72 implement only PLC technology Tech _B , and node 64 and node 74 implement only PLC technology Tech _C. As an option, all communication between nodes on the network 50 takes place through a common power line 52.

  In some embodiments, the improved power line communication network supports communication between nodes that implement different PLC technologies. In contrast, prior art PLC systems can only support communication between nodes implementing the same PLC technology (eg, node 56 and node 72), even if the subject node is The same applies to the case where a node that implements another PLC technology coexists on the network (for example, the node 64 and the node 74).

FIG. 2B shows two simultaneous two-way communication links without interference in the network 50 of FIG. 2A. The first communication link 80 is a point-to-point communication link between the node 54 and the node 68, and uses a high band and a low band simultaneously, so that a Tech _A message and a Tech _B between these two nodes. Both messages can be communicated simultaneously.

In this case, the node 68 may optionally implement all three technologies (ie, Tech _A , Tech _B , Tech _C ), but in the first communication link 80, the Node 68's Tech _A capability and Tech. _{Use B} ability only. In addition, the first communication link 80 can redistribute Tech _A technology and Tech _B technology data between high and low bandwidth according to current network characteristics (eg, channel failure).

The second communication link 82 connects the nodes 68, 58, 60, 74 and 64. Since the nodes 64 and 74 can only implement PLC technology Tech _C , the second communication link 82 only supports communication of Tech _C technology.

Due to the presence of the two communication links 80, 82, the node 68, 58, 60, 74, 64 (the first communication link 80) communicates with the node 56 (through the first communication link 80) at the same time. Communication can be established (through two communication links 82). In other words, in the network organization shown in FIG. 2B, two simultaneous and parallel communications can be performed, in which case the first communication link 80 uses Tech _A technology or Tech _B technology, or both. Dynamic data transmission and data reception are possible, and the second communication link 82 allows dynamic data transmission and data reception using Tech _C technology.

FIG. 2C shows three parallel and simultaneous communication links 84, 86, 88 in the network 50 of FIG. 2A. The first communication link 84 provides a bidirectional point-to-multipoint connection between the node 54 and the nodes 68, 70. Since node 70 can only implement technology Tech _A , the first communication link only supports communication of Tech _A technology. On the other hand, the second communication link 86 uses a coexistence scheme such as time division multiple access (TDMA) (ie, a multiple access scheme in which only one transmitter transmits on a particular channel at any given moment). Thus, communication between the node 56 and the node 72 of the technology Tech _B together with the technology Tech _A is enabled.

The third communication link 88 supports Tech _C communication, which is performed on a different broadband that does not interfere with other communication links.

Referring to FIG. 2D, it is assumed that a first communication link 90 exists between nodes 68, 58, 60 of the network 50 shown in FIG. 2A. The first communication link 50 is bidirectional and supports Tech _B and Tech _C communications. Furthermore, it is assumed that a second communication link 92 exists simultaneously between the node 70 and the node 62 of the same network 50. This second communication link 92 supports Tech _A communication.

For the purpose of example, assume that there is a message that originates from node 58 and is delivered to a node in network 50. Nodes that support Tech _B and Tech _C (eg, nodes 68, 60, 66) can demodulate and receive messages from node 58. However, the remaining nodes on the network 50 cannot receive this message. In order to solve this problem, the following two-stage communication process is performed.
(I) In the first stage, a message is transmitted from node 58 to node 68 using PLC technologies Tech _B and Tech _C.
(Ii) In the second stage, node 68 retransmits (eg, relays) this message using its technical capabilities, so that optionally all of the nodes on network 50 receive and demodulate this message. can do.

  In addition, repeaters can be used to increase the coverage of a particular technology (when a node can detect a node adjacent to itself but cannot detect a node further away).

  FIG. 2E is a block diagram of a second stage of the packet data transmission procedure shown in FIG. 2D. This second phase optionally includes broadcasts that occur simultaneously on two or more broadbands. Thus, this broadcast can include more than one communication standard.

Referring to FIG. 3, modem 80 in the improved network interface device includes N blocks 82A-82N corresponding to each of the PLC technologies supported by the node. In other words, block 82A corresponds to Tech _A technology, block 82B corresponds to Tech _B technology, and so on, and block 82N corresponds to Tech _N technology.

Each of the blocks 82A-82N comprises a first (physical) layer and a second (MAC) layer of OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) for each technology. For example, the block 82A includes a block PHY _A and a block MAC _A. Similarly, the block 82B includes a block PHY _B and a block MAC _B. The modem 80 further includes a data distribution block 84 that distributes data among the blocks 80A-80N according to the signaling technology and current network traffic characteristics.

  When used for transmission, the signal from each of the technologies supported by the node is processed by an analog filter bank (not shown). The operation of the analog filter bank will be described in detail later. The processed signal 86 is transferred to the data distribution block 84 and distributed among the blocks 82A-82N. The outputs from blocks 82A-82N are combined in coupling / separation stage 88 and injected from this stage 88 into power line 90.

  Upon receipt of a signal from power line 90, coupling / separation stage 88 separates each component signal of the supported PLC technology. The separated signals are processed by blocks 82A-82N and transferred via data distribution block 84 to the appropriate application running on the node.

Each of the physical blocks (PHY _{A to} PHY _N ) may have a feedback signal 92A to 92N that provides information regarding the respective usage status of the path of the technology signal. This information is used by the data distribution block 84 to redistribute the data flow among the N available blocks 82A-82N. Note that a part of the MAC blocks (MAC _{A to} MAC _N ) and the physical blocks (PHY _{A to} PHY _N ) can share resources.

  Referring to FIG. 4A, in a first form of prior art power line transmission system, power line 100 is connected to a single coupling unit 102, which does not pass the AC line frequency of power line 100. It has a high-pass transmission characteristic. The combining unit 102 is connected to a receiver path 104 and a transmitter path 106, which are separated using a receive / transmit switch 108 during half-duplex operation.

  The receiver path 104 generally includes an anti-aliasing filter 110 that limits the bandwidth, a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) 112, and an analog-to-digital converter 114. The digital signal 116 after the series of processing is demodulated (118). The anti-aliasing filter 110 can be of various orders and can be provided at least in part based on the bandwidth of the PGA.

  The transmitter path 106 generally comprises a line driver 120 (type that can operate in high impedance mode or not) and a smoothing filter 122 that limits the band. The band limiting smoothing filter 122 limits the output of harmonics (in the out-of-band range) in the analog signal (the harmonics are modulated (128) in the previous step and then the DAC 124 for the digital signal 126 received after receiving it. Caused by movement). It should be understood that some of the modulation 128 and demodulation 118 can also be performed in the analog domain.

  Referring to FIG. 4B, a slightly different form of the prior art single broadband system uses separate and independent transmitter combining unit 130 and receiver combining unit 132. In this form of power line transmission system of the prior art, no transmit / receive switch is required because the impedance of the line driver 120 does not result in an extra impedance load on the power line 100 or the line driver 120 itself is in a high impedance mode. This is because it can be migrated.

Referring to FIG. 4C, the improved network interface device includes two or more analog front ends, which are coupled by combining units 142, 148, 154, 160 to two low-band analog paths LB _1. And LB ₂ and two high bandwidth paths HB ₁ and HB ₂ .

  The analog filtering characteristics of multiple different paths (including combining units 140-146 and active components) are designed to pass signals in specific bands while not passing signals in other bands Yes. The modulation schemes 152 and 154 of the respective technologies can be the same as or different from the demodulation schemes 148 and 150.

  Referring to FIG. 4D, in the second embodiment of the improved network interface device, there are two combining units 166, 176, where the combining unit 166 is used for low-bandwidth communication, The coupling unit 176 is used for high-bandwidth communication. In addition to optimizing the low-band path (167-171 and 172-175) and the high-band path (177-181 and 182-185) for different PLC technology power, frequency, and modulation schemes The coupling units 166, 176 can be optimized to have different bandpass frequency characteristics.

  Referring to FIG. 4E, in the third embodiment of the improved network interface device, there are two combining units 186, 190, where the combining unit 186 is used for reception, 190 is used for transmission. However, each of the high-band paths (188-191 and 203-206) is passed through low-pass paths (192-195 and 197) by intentionally inserted filters 187, 202 having high-pass characteristics or band-pass characteristics. ~ 201).

  FIG. 4F shows a fourth embodiment of an improved network interface device that applies to two different broadband technologies, similar to FIG. 4E. There are many other possible combinations, but there is no need to have separate paths and converters as high and low bandwidth paths at the receiver or transmitter because communication in one direction is This is because the benefits from the improved network interface device are greater than communications in the other direction.

  The improved network interface device comprises one combining unit 218 for transmission and one combining unit 208 for reception. In the receiver path, the high band is separated from the low band by an intentionally inserted filter 209 having a high pass characteristic or a band pass characteristic. However, the transmitter modulation schemes, after being combined in the digital domain 222A, 222B, pass through a very high performance DAC (digital-to-analog converter) 221, a smoothing filter 220, and a line driver 219.

Referring to FIG. 5A, an exemplary integrated circuit 250 embodiment of an improved network interface device comprises two analog front ends AFE _A and AFE _B for two broadband of the improved power line communication device. . The exemplary integrated circuit 250 also includes a logic element 226, which is a device with the next stage application 228 to implement a plurality of different power line modem technologies (including DFE and MAC). An internal digital interface 228 is provided.

The high-band analog front end (AFE _B ) includes high-band converters 230, 232 and active interface electronics (ie, PGA 234 and line driver 236) and is connected to the power line through a coupling unit along path 238. ing. The low-band analog front end (AFE _A ) includes low-band converters 240, 242 and active interface electronics (ie, PGA 244 and line driver 246) and is connected to the power line through the coupling unit along path 248. ing.

Digital representations of the signals transmitted in the low and high bands are generated in logic element 226 and passed to interfaces 250 and 252 with analog front ends AFE _A and AFE _B.

Referring to FIG. 5B, in an alternative partition configuration 300 of the improved network interface device integrated circuit embodiment, there are two integrated circuits: a digital modem integrated circuit 302 and two analog front ends AFE _A , AFE. _There is an analog modem integrated circuit 304 containing _B. The analog modem integrated circuit 304 can be configured as several parts as shown in FIG. 5B or as a single component.

Referring to FIG. 5C, in an alternative partitioning configuration 400 of the improved network interface device integrated circuit embodiment, each wideband analog front end includes data converters Conv _A and Conv _B and an interface circuit I / Face. It is divided into _A and I / Face _B. In this case, the converters Conv _A and Conv _B are integrated in one integrated circuit 402 together with the digital logic 401 of the power line modem, and the high frequency current / voltage interface circuit is provided in another integrated circuit 404. Yes.

  It should be understood that other possible forms exist, such as embedding all or part of the active electronics in other devices of the system, or using separate independent blocks for the various blocks. .

  As described elsewhere herein, the coupling unit can have frequency characteristics. Referring to FIG. 6A, capacitive coupling unit 500 includes an X1-type capacitor 502 that is used to couple signal source 504 to power line 508 (via isolation transformer 506). In this case, the frequency response of the capacitive coupling unit 500 is determined by the impedances of the transformer 506, capacitor 502, signal source 504, and power line 508.

  Referring to FIG. 6B, the inductive coupling unit 520 includes a signal transformer 522 that inductively couples the signal 524 in cooperation with a Y1 type capacitor 526. Inductive coupling unit 520 is approximately equivalent to capacitive coupling unit 500 (shown in FIG. 6A), and the frequency response of inductive coupling unit 520 is determined by the impedances of transformer 522, capacitor 526, signal source 524, and power line 528. .

  Furthermore, in the improved network interface device, a low pass filter can be applied to the power lines 508 and 528 to provide a power source. Furthermore, the coupling unit can also incorporate higher order filters with additional passive components. However, it should be understood that many other types of coupling units can be used in a power line network interface device.

  FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate exemplary frequency spectra for a number of different power line technologies, using analog signal separation devices to separate specific technology signals (from other technology signals) to provide specific frequency spectra. It shows how to pass to the signal path.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the first technique Tech _A has a transmit power _{P A,} and a wide-band 540 to both ends frequency _{f A1} and _{f A2.} Broadband 540 has an inner notch 542 to comply with EMC regulations. The second technology Tech _B has a transmission power P _B and a broadband 544 having both ends of the frequencies f _B1 and f _B2 . The broadband 544 also has a notch 546 to meet EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) regulations. Note that f _B1 can be made higher than f _A2 in order to avoid band overlap. The third technology Tech _N has a transmission power P _N and a broadband 548 having both ends of frequencies f _N1 and f _N2 . The broadband 548 also has a notch 550 to meet the regulations.

Referring to FIG. 7B, the first, second, and third analog filters (ie, Fil _A , Fil _B , and Fil _N ) can receive signals from each of Tech _A , Tech _B , and Tech _N , respectively. Separated from the signal from the technology. This analog filter characteristic can be applied to each technology transmitter or receiver in the node, or both.

The first analog filter Fil _A is defined by a head frequency f _A3 and a terminal frequency f _A4 of the pass band. Similarly, the second analog filter “Filt _B” is defined by the head frequency f _B3 and the terminal frequency f _{B4 of the} passband. The third analog filter Fil _N is defined by the start frequency f _N3 and the termination frequency f _{N4 of the} passband.

  In one embodiment, the head of at least one passband of the analog signal separation device of the power line communication device is between 1 MHz and 30 MHz and has a width of at least 10 MHz. Optionally, at least one of the other broadband includes signals at frequencies higher than 30 MHz, 40 MHz, 50 MHz, 75 MHz, 100 MHz, 200 MHz, or 500 MHz and optionally lower than 1 GHz. For any of the elements of the analog signal separation device, the difference between the passband and stopband can be greater than 6 dB.

It is possible to make the analog filters overlap (for example, f _A4 > f _B3 ) or not (for example, f _B4 <f _N3 ). Also, the transmit power, attenuation function, or other characteristics of the passbands of all analog filters need not be the same. The separation effect of each analog filter is determined by the product of the characteristics of the analog filter and the modulation scheme of a particular PLC technology. The absolute transmit power in the filter passband is not as important as the ratio of the passband to stopband, because the difference in attenuation in these filters increases the injected power in the previous filter stage, or the receiver sensitivity. This is because the correction can often be made by increasing or both.

FIG. 7C shows an example of the separation provided by the second analog filter Filt _B corresponding to the Tech _B signal. In use, the second analog filter passes a signal Path _B that is the product of the transmission power (PF _B ) of the passband of the second analog filter and the transmission power (P _B ) of the Tech _B signal. The signals of other technologies (Tech _A and Tech _N ) are attenuated to the power level PF _N by the stop band of Fil _B , which level is sufficiently smaller than PF _B , and the signals of Tech _A and Tech _N are Path _B signals. There is no significant interference.

  In some embodiments, the improved power line communication network has the ability to increase throughput as the number of nodes in the network increases. In particular, such increased throughput is typically required when the number of nodes increases because more devices need to transmit more data when sharing the network. .

  FIG. 8A shows a situation where an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) delivered to a home 600 via a DSL connection 602 in this case is simply introduced as an initial stage. DSL modem 602 to the living room television 604 (using an improved power line communication network). Since the distance between the DSL modem 602 and the television 604 is relatively long, the connection C1 between them uses mainly a low band (because the coverage is essentially large).

  The bandwidth provided by the low band is sufficient for the television because only one television channel is transmitted.

  As improved power line communication networks grow (ie, additional nodes are added to the network), the average distance between nodes tends to decrease. When a very complex network such as that shown in FIG. 8B (showing a complex home multimedia network with multiple simultaneous video and audio streams) is introduced, connections C2-C7 at relatively short distances Is implemented mainly using high bandwidth (because of high throughput). Low bandwidth connections C8, C9 are still used when they are more efficient than using multiple hops of high bandwidth links. Furthermore, many connections (eg C10) are used by communications using both bands.

  In use, a node on the network typically discovers another node on the power line through some form of synchronization that is usually defined in the power line technology used in one of the bands. In addition, the node identifies the detected node's technical capabilities and virtual network membership and determines possible communication, allowed communication, or possible and allowed communication (eg, the detected node is identified). Even if they are physically equipped with these technical capabilities, they may be disabled or limited by interference during use). When the transmitting node identifies the communication that is physically possible and allowed, the optimal path for transmitting / receiving the data, the type of data to be communicated, the ranking of data in QoS (Quality of Service), and utilization Determine based on factors such as possible channel capacity.

  FIG. 9 illustrates a method for one communication node to discover another communication node on the network using a different wideband frequency range. In a transmission step 910, a first communication is transmitted from a first communication node over a power line using a first wideband frequency range so that the first communication communicates in a first wideband frequency range. Data configured to identify a configured second communication node. The first communication is configured to request a response from another communication node (eg, a second communication node) that is configured to communicate over the first broadband frequency.

  In a receiving step 920, a response to the first communication is received from the second communication node.

  In transmitting step 930, the first communication node transmits a second communication over the power line using the second wideband frequency range, the second communication being communicated in the second wideband frequency range. Data configured to identify a configured third communication node. This second communication is configured to request a response from another communication node (eg, a third communication node) configured to communicate over the second broadband frequency.

  In a receiving step 940, a response to the second communication is received from the third communication node. If the second communication node is further configured to communicate using the second broadband, receive step 940 receives communication from both the second communication node and the third communication node. Can be included.

  In a decision step 950, a communication method is determined based on the response to the first communication and the response to the second communication. This determination can include selecting a broadband or standard to use. This determination includes a method of communication between the third communication node and the second communication node (for example, whether communication should be performed directly or whether the first communication node should function as a repeater). Can do. In some embodiments, the transmitting steps 910, 930 include using a plurality of different standards in addition to or instead of using a plurality of different broadbands.

  In an optional further communication step, communication is performed according to the determined communication method.

  FIG. 10 illustrates a method in which the first communication node communicates with both the second communication node and the third communication node simultaneously. As an option, these communications are independent. The first communication node optionally operates as a relay between the second communication node and the third communication node.

  In a first communication step 1010, first data is communicated between the first communication node and the second communication node over a power line using a first wideband frequency range. In a second communication step 1020, the second data is used between the first communication node and the third communication node using a second wideband frequency range that is independent of the first wideband frequency range. In this case, the first data and the second data are communicated simultaneously.

  The method shown in FIG. 10 is a method used as an option, and the second communication node functions as both the second communication node and the third communication node. In these embodiments, a first portion of data can be transmitted using a first wideband frequency range and a second portion of data is transmitted using a second wideband frequency range. Can do. In these embodiments, the use of two different wideband frequencies is optionally configured to maximize the total data bandwidth.

  FIG. 11 shows how a communication node receives simultaneous signals using at least two different broadbands. The data encoded in these signals is optionally independent and can be received from a plurality of different communication nodes on the network. Furthermore, data can be transmitted and / or decoded using a plurality of different communication standards.

  In a first signal reception step 1110, a signal is received through the power line. This signal contains the encoded data. Encoding can include any of a variety of known methods for encoding data into a time-dependent signal. In a component separation step 1120, the first component of the signal in the first wideband frequency range is separated from the second component of the signal in the second wideband frequency range. In various embodiments, each of the first broadband frequency range and the second broadband frequency range is at least 5 MHz, 7 MHz, 10 MHz, 12 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, or 200 MHz wide. For example, in one embodiment, the first wideband frequency range is at least 10 MHz wide and the second wideband frequency range is at least 5 MHz wide. In one embodiment, the first wideband frequency range is at least 10 MHz wide and the second wideband frequency range is at least 200 MHz wide. In some embodiments, signal component separation is performed using analog bandpass filters. For example, one bandpass filter can be configured to separate a first wideband frequency range and another bandpass filter can be configured to separate a second wideband frequency range.

In the processing step 1130, each of the first signal component and the second signal component separated in the component separation step 1120 is individually processed. This process is generally performed in parallel. For example, one signal component can be processed using the low-band analog path LB ₁ and the other signal component can be processed using the high-band path HB ₁ . Low band analog path LB ₁ and high band path HB ₁ optionally share one or more components. As a result of processing step 1130, two sets of digital data are obtained.

  In providing step 1140, these two sets of digital data are provided to one or more applications. Two sets of digital data can be used independently.

  FIG. 12 illustrates how a communication node transmits signals simultaneously using at least two different broadbands. The data encoded in these signals is optionally independent and can be destined for multiple different communication nodes on the network. Data can be transmitted and / or encoded using a plurality of different communication standards.

In data reception step 1210, digital data is received from one or more applications. This data is optionally independent. In an encoding step 1220, a first portion of the digital data is encoded into a first signal within a first wideband frequency range, where at least a portion of the first wideband frequency range is optionally from 30 MHz. Low. This encoding can be performed, for example using the low band analog path LB _2.

In an encoding step 1230, a second portion of the digital data is encoded into a second signal within a second wideband frequency range, where at least a portion of the second wideband frequency range is optionally from 30 MHz. high. This encoding can be performed, for example, using a high bandwidth path HB _2. The encoding step 1230 and the encoding step 1220 can be performed in parallel.

  In a combining step 1240, the first signal and the second signal are combined to generate a combined signal. This step is optionally performed using a transmit combining unit 196 or using a high band transmit combining unit 154 and a low band transmit combining unit 160. For example, when using high band transmit coupling unit 154 and low band transmit coupling unit 160, a combination can be made when both signals are coupled to the power line.

  In transmit step 1250, the combined signal is transmitted over the power line. Multiple different parts of the combined signal can be transmitted simultaneously and can be at different destinations. Several embodiments have been specifically illustrated and described herein. However, it will be understood that modifications and variations are encompassed by the above disclosure and are within the scope of the claims without departing from the concept and intended scope of the present invention. For example, the techniques described herein can be used in household power systems, industrial power systems, or vehicle power systems. Various additional elements illustrated and described herein can be embodied in one or more of software, firmware, hardware (stored on a computer-readable medium). In this document, these element forms are generally referred to as “logic”.

  The embodiments described herein are intended to illustrate the present invention. These embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, and various modifications or adaptations of the described method and / or specific structure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All modifications, adaptations, or variations based on the disclosure of the present invention (the technical field advances through the disclosure of this document through these modifications, adaptations, or variations) are all within the concept and scope of the present invention. It is thought that there is. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the description and drawings herein are not to be construed as limiting the invention, and that the invention is not limited to only the described embodiments.

It is a block diagram of the conventional house. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary network comprising multiple nodes, according to various embodiments, some of the nodes having multiple broadband capabilities. FIG. 2B is a block diagram of the example network of FIG. 2A, showing two simultaneous bi-directional communication links, according to various embodiments. FIG. FIG. 2B is a block diagram of the example network of FIG. 2A, showing three simultaneous communication links, according to various embodiments. 2B is a block diagram of a first stage of a packet data transmission procedure implemented in the network of FIG. 2A, according to various embodiments. FIG. FIG. 2D is a block diagram of a second stage of the packet data transmission procedure shown in FIG. 2D, according to various embodiments. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a hardware architecture of a modem in a power line communication device, according to various embodiments. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of signal paths in one combining unit of a prior art power line transmission system, according to various embodiments. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of signal paths in two combining units of a prior art power line transmission system, according to various embodiments. It is a block diagram of the signal path | route in 1st Embodiment of a power line communication apparatus. It is a block diagram of the signal path | route in 2nd Embodiment of a power line communication apparatus. It is a block diagram of the signal path | route in 3rd Embodiment of a power line communication apparatus. It is a block diagram of the signal path | route in 4th Embodiment of a power line communication apparatus. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an integrated circuit of a power line communication device. FIG. It is a block diagram of 2nd Embodiment of the integrated circuit of a power line communication apparatus, Comprising: The division | segmentation structure of a component is changed. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of an integrated circuit of a power line communication device, in which the component division configuration is further changed. 1 is a circuit diagram of an exemplary capacitive coupling unit used in a power line communication device, according to various embodiments. FIG. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of an exemplary inductive coupling unit used in a power line communication device, according to various embodiments. 3 is an exemplary transmit power spectrum of three power line technologies, according to various embodiments. 7B illustrates the frequency characteristics of an exemplary series of analog filters used to isolate the wideband shown in FIG. 7A being used by three power line technologies, according to various embodiments. 7 illustrates a situation where a signal is separated into a Tech _B signal (shown in FIG. 7A) by a second analog filter Filt _B (shown in FIG. 7B) according to various embodiments. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a home in which the power line communication network of the third aspect of the present invention is simply introduced as an initial stage, according to various embodiments. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a home where a power line communication network is more complexly introduced, according to various embodiments. FIG. 6 illustrates a method for discovering another communication node on a network in which one communication node is using different wideband frequency ranges according to various embodiments. FIG. 6 illustrates a method in which a first communication node communicates simultaneously with both a second communication node and a third communication node according to various embodiments. FIG. 4 illustrates a method for a communication node to receive simultaneous signals using at least two different wide bands, according to various embodiments. FIG. FIG. 4 illustrates a method for a communication node to transmit simultaneous signals using at least two different wide bands, according to various embodiments. FIG.

Claims (48)

A first communication node configured to communicate using a first wideband frequency range;
A second communication node configured to communicate using a second wideband frequency range independent of the first wideband frequency range;
Communication over the power line from the first communication node using the first wideband frequency range and over the power line from the second communication node using the second wideband frequency range A communication network comprising a third communication node configured to receive communications simultaneously and independently.   The communication network of claim 1, wherein the third communication node is further configured to communicate with the first communication node using the second wideband frequency range.   The third communication node is further configured to communicate with the second communication node by using both the first wideband frequency range and the second wideband frequency range simultaneously. The communication network according to 1 or 2.   4. The communication network according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the first wideband frequency range is lower than 30 MHz and at least part of the second wideband frequency range is higher than 30 MHz.   Both the first communication node and the third communication node communicate using a third wideband frequency range that is independent of the first wideband frequency range and the second wideband frequency range. The communication network according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the communication network is configured as follows.   The first communication node is configured to communicate using a first standard, the second communication node is configured to communicate using a second standard, and The standard according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first standard and the second different standard is included in a group consisting of a Homeplug 1.0 / 1.1 standard, a Homeplug AV standard, a CEPCA standard, and a Digital Home Standard. The communication network according to any one of the above.   The third communication node is further configured to determine one or more wideband frequency ranges to use when communicating with the first communication node and the second communication node. 7. The communication network according to any one of 6.   Used when the third communication node communicates using the second wideband frequency range to determine a standard to use when communicating using the first wideband frequency range. The communication network of claim 7, configured to determine another standard.   The communication network according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the third communication node is configured to relay data from the first communication node to the second communication node. The third communication node is
10. An analog frequency filter configured to separate a signal in the first wideband frequency range from a signal in the second wideband frequency range according to any one of claims 1-9. The communication network described.   The analog frequency filter is configured to communicate a signal within the second wideband frequency to a second processing electronics to communicate a signal within the first wideband frequency to a first processing electronics. Item 11. The communication network according to Item 10. The first wideband frequency range includes a higher frequency than the second wideband frequency range;
The third communication node communicates with the second communication node by transmitting a signal through the connection box so that the third communication node communicates with the first communication node through the power line without transmitting a signal through the connection box. The communication network according to claim 1, further configured to:   The third communication node automatically moves the first communication node using the first wideband frequency range and the second communication node using the second wideband frequency range. 13. The communication network according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further configured to detect at any time.   The communication network according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein each of the first broadband frequency range and the second broadband frequency range is at least 5 MHz wide. Communicating first data over a power line between a first communication node and a second communication node using a first wideband frequency range;
Communicating second data over the power line between the first communication node and the third communication node using a second wideband frequency range independent of the first wideband frequency range. And wherein the first data and the second data are communicated simultaneously.   The communication between the first communication node and the second communication node uses a first communication standard, and the communication between the first communication node and the third communication node is The method according to claim 15, wherein two communication standards are used.   The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein at least part of the first wideband frequency range is lower than 30 MHz and at least part of the second wideband frequency range is higher than 30 MHz.   The step of communicating the first data and the step of communicating the second data relay information from the second communication node to the third communication node through the first communication node. 18. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 17 comprising steps. Transmitting a first communication over a power line from a first communication node using a first wideband frequency range, wherein the first communication is configured to communicate in the first wideband frequency range Data configured to identify a second communication node being configured, and
Receiving a response to the first communication from the second communication node;
Transmitting a second communication over the power line from the first communication node using a second wideband frequency range, wherein the second communication communicates in the second wideband frequency range. Including data configured to identify a third communication node configured to:
Receiving a response to the second communication from the third communication node;
Determining a communication scheme based on the response to the first communication and the response to the second communication.   The step of determining a communication scheme includes determining whether to relay communication between the second communication node and the third communication node through the first communication node. The method described in 1.   The step of determining a communication method includes a step of determining a communication protocol to be used for communication between the first communication node and the second communication node among a plurality of alternative communication protocols. The method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein:   23. The plurality of alternative communication protocols includes at least one protocol from the group consisting of Homeplug 1.0 / 1.1 standard, Homeplug AV standard, CEPCA standard, Digital Home Standard. the method of.   23. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein at least part of the first wideband frequency range is lower than 30 MHz and at least part of the second wideband frequency range is higher than 30 MHz.   Communicating between the first communication node and the second communication node using the first wideband frequency range and simultaneously between the first communication node and the third communication node 24. The method of any one of claims 19-23, further comprising communicating using the second wideband frequency range. A combiner configured to communicate data over a power line, wherein a first portion of the data is communicated using a first wideband frequency range, and a second portion of the data is the first portion; The combiner communicated using a second wideband frequency range that is independent of a wideband frequency range of one, wherein the first portion of the data is independent of the second portion of the data When,
First logic configured to process the first portion of the data;
Second logic configured to process the second portion of the data;
A communication device.   The communication is configured to communicate the second portion of the data using a second communication standard, such that the first portion of the data communicates using a first communication standard. The communication device according to claim 25.   27. At least one of the first communication standard and the second communication standard is included in a group consisting of a Homeplug 1.0 / 1.1 standard, a Homeplug AV standard, a CEPCA standard, and a Digital Home Standard. The communication apparatus as described in.   28. A communication device according to any one of claims 25 to 27, configured to simultaneously communicate the first portion of the data and the second portion of the data.   29. Any of the claims 25-28, configured to communicate simultaneously with the first portion of the data as a first destination and the second portion of the data as a second destination. Item 1. The communication device according to item 1.   30. The communication device according to any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein each of the first wideband frequency range and the second wideband frequency range is at least 5 MHz wide.   31. The communication device according to any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein at least a part of the first wideband frequency range is lower than 30 MHz and at least a part of the second wideband frequency range is higher than 30 MHz.   Logic further configured to automatically identify a broadband frequency range to be used when communicating with a particular network communication node among the first broadband frequency range and the second broadband frequency range. 32. The communication device according to any one of claims 25 to 31.   33. A communication device according to any one of claims 25 to 32, further comprising logic configured to automatically identify a communication standard being used by a communication node on the network. The coupler is
34. The analog frequency filter of any of claims 25-33, comprising an analog frequency filter configured to separate signals within the first wideband frequency range from signals within the second wideband frequency range. Communication equipment.   35. The method of any one of claims 25-34, further comprising logic configured to transmit information received using the second wideband frequency using the first wideband frequency. The communication device according to item.   36. The communication device according to any one of claims 25 to 35, wherein the first portion of the data is independent of the second portion of the data.   37. The communication device according to any one of claims 25 to 36, wherein the first wideband frequency range does not overlap the second wideband frequency range.   38. Any one of claims 25-37, further comprising logic configured to distribute the first portion of the data and the second portion of the data to one or more data applications. The communication device according to item. Further comprising third logic configured to process a third portion of the data;
39. The communication device of any one of claims 25-38, wherein the combiner is further configured to communicate the third portion of the data using a third broadband frequency. A first communication node configured to communicate using a first wideband frequency range at least 10 MHz wide and a second wideband frequency range at least 5 MHz wide;
A second communication node configured to communicate with the first communication node through a power line by simultaneously using both the first wideband frequency range and the second wideband frequency range. A communication network.   The first communication node is configured to use a different communication standard when communicating using the first wideband frequency range and when communicating using the second wideband frequency range. 41. The communication network of claim 40, wherein:   42. The communication network according to claim 40 or 41, wherein at least part of the first wideband frequency range is lower than 30 MHz and at least part of the second wideband frequency range is higher than 30 MHz. Receiving a signal through the power line;
Separating the received signal into a first signal component in a first wideband frequency range and a second signal component in a second wideband frequency range, the first wideband frequency range And each of the second wideband frequency ranges is at least 10 MHz wide;
Processing the first signal component and the second signal component individually to extract digital data;
Providing the digital data to one or more applications. Receiving digital data from one or more applications;
Encoding a first portion of the digital data into a first signal within a first wideband frequency range, wherein at least a portion of the first wideband frequency range is lower than 30 MHz;
Encoding the second portion of the digital data into a second signal within a second broadband frequency range, wherein at least a portion of the second broadband frequency range is greater than 30 MHz;
Combining the first signal and the second signal to generate a combined signal;
Transmitting the combined signal over a power line. Receiving a command and control signal over a power line in a first wideband frequency range, wherein at least a portion of the first wideband frequency range is lower than 30 MHz;
Receiving or processing a data signal transmitted over a power line in a second wideband frequency range using the received command and control signal, wherein at least a portion of the second wideband frequency range is from 30 MHz; High, step,
Including the way.   46. The method of claim 45, wherein the second wideband frequency range is at least 10 MHz wide.   47. A method according to claim 45 or 46, wherein the data signal transmitted over the power line comprises an audio signal or a video signal.   48. A method according to any one of claims 45 to 47, wherein the first wideband frequency range is distinct and independent of the second wideband frequency range.

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