US20130121427A1 - Scaled power line based network - Google Patents
Scaled power line based network Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20130121427A1 US20130121427A1 US13/677,418 US201213677418A US2013121427A1 US 20130121427 A1 US20130121427 A1 US 20130121427A1 US 201213677418 A US201213677418 A US 201213677418A US 2013121427 A1 US2013121427 A1 US 2013121427A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- power line
- network
- line communication
- sub
- power
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B3/00—Line transmission systems
- H04B3/54—Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
- H04B3/56—Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B3/00—Line transmission systems
- H04B3/54—Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B3/00—Line transmission systems
- H04B3/54—Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
- H04B3/542—Systems for transmission via power distribution lines the information being in digital form
Definitions
- Power line networking also known as power line communication (PLC) employs the conductors of the electrical power distribution system as a medium for data communication.
- Power line networking is cost effective because wiring for power distribution is necessarily installed in both residential and commercial structures, providing a ready medium for data communication at little or no additional cost.
- standards e.g. PRIME, G3, IEEE 1901.2
- technologies for power line networking proliferate devices increasingly incorporate PLC transceivers for use in applications such as smart metering, smart building, and home/industry automation.
- a large number of devices, including various appliances, sensors and controllers, can be connected to the power line network of a building, and the number of devices connected to power line networks is increasing for applications such as home automation, health care, solar/thermal power management, electric vehicles, etc.
- a power line communication network includes a first power line communication sub-network, a second power line communication sub-network, and an isolation filter disposed between the first and second power line communication sub-networks.
- the isolation filter is configured to pass electrical power signals between the first and second power line communication sub-networks, and to block passage of data communication signals from the first power line communication sub-network to the second power line communication sub-network.
- a power line communication network includes a plurality of devices configured to communicate over conductors of an electrical power distribution system via a plurality of non-interfering channels. Different ones of the devices are configured to communicate via different ones of the non-interfering channels.
- a power line communication network includes a first device configured to communicate via conductors of an electrical power distribution system.
- the first device includes a transmitter power control system configured to determine transmission power needed to communicate with a second device of the power line communication network. The determined transmission power is insufficient to communicate with a third device of the power line communication network, and the transmitter power control system is configured to determine transmission power needed to communicate with the third device.
- FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an illustrative power line network in accordance with various embodiments
- FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a device configured to access a power line network in accordance with various embodiments
- FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a power line network including transmission power control to reduce contention in accordance with various embodiments
- FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a power line network that applies a plurality of channels to reduce contention in accordance with various embodiments
- FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a power line network that includes a filter that sub-divides the network into sub-networks in accordance with various embodiments.
- FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram for a method for scaling a power line network in accordance with various embodiments.
- the term “software” includes any executable code capable of running on a processor, regardless of the media used to store the software.
- code stored in memory e.g., non-volatile memory
- embedded firmware is included within the definition of software.
- the recitation “based on” is intended to mean “based at least in part on.” Therefore, if X is based on Y, X may be based on Y and any number of other factors.
- Performance degradation in power line networks can be even greater than that of wireless networks because in a power line network the signal is constrained in the power line instead of omnidirectionally dissipated in the air.
- a power line network transmitter tends to have better reachability than a RF transmitter with the same transmission power. With the same network device density, better reachability allows more devices in the network and in turn results in lower achievable network throughput.
- Embodiments of the present disclosure apply various novel techniques to reduce the contention level in a power line network and to increase network performance.
- Embodiments may physically and/or logically subdivide a power line network into smaller sections thereby reducing the contention level and improving the throughput of each section and the network as a whole. Furthermore, because devices on the network receive fewer irrelevant packets, embodiments also improve network power efficiency.
- FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an illustrative power line network 100 in accordance with various embodiments.
- the power line network 100 includes a power line 104 which serves as the medium for communication transfer.
- the power line 104 may include electrical power wiring that transfers electrical power within a residential or commercial structure, and/or power conductors used to transfer electrical power to or external to a structure.
- PLC devices 102 A-H are coupled to the power line 104 .
- the PLC devices 102 are configured to communicate with one another by transferring information via the power line 104 .
- Each of the PLC devices 102 may provide different functionality and communicate information related that functionality via the power line 104 .
- a PLC device 102 may be a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a light sensor, a motion sensor, an electrical power meter, a television, an air conditioning unit, a washer, a refrigerator, a controller, or any other device configured to communicate via the power line 104 .
- the PLC devices 102 are configured to reduce collisions on the power line 104 by reducing the number of transmissions detected by all the devices 102 connected to the power line 104 .
- FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a PLC device 102 .
- the PLC device 102 includes a PLC transceiver 202 that transmits and receives communication signals, such as data packets, via the power line 104 .
- Embodiments of the transceiver 202 include transmit power control logic 204 and/or channel control logic 206 .
- the transmit power control logic 204 determines how much transmission power should be applied to successfully transmit data to a destination PLC device 102 via the power line 104 .
- the transmit power control logic 204 may attempt to determine the minimum transmission power needed for the destination PLC device 102 to receive a data transmission. After determination of the minimum transmission power the transmit power control logic 204 202 may set the transmission power to the determined level for each transmission to the destination PLC device 102 .
- the transmit power control logic 204 202 may determine and apply a different power level for each destination PLC device 102 because a destination PLC device 102 farther from the transceiver 202 may require a higher transmission power than a destination PLC device 102 closer to the transceiver 202 .
- the transmit power control logic 204 reduces the number of collisions on the power line 104 by reducing the number of transmissions detected by all PLC devices 102 connected to the power line 104 .
- FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the power line network 100 illustrating the use of transmission power control to reduce contention in accordance with various embodiments.
- PLC device 102 -A includes transmission power control logic 204 .
- the transmission power control logic 204 has determined a first transmission power level (POWER A) for communicating with PLC device 102 -B, and a second transmission power level (POWER B) for communicating with PLC device 102 -C.
- POWER B may be greater that POWER A if communication with PLC device 102 -C requires higher transmission power than communication with PLC device 102 -B (e.g., PLC device 102 -C is more distant from PLC device 102 -A than is PLC device 102 -B).
- POWER A is tailored to minimize the power used to communicate with PLC device 102 -B
- transmissions from PLC device 102 -A to PLC device 102 -B may not be detected by at least some of PLC devices 102 C-H.
- POWER B is tailored to minimize the power used to communicate with PLC device 102 -C
- transmissions from PLC device 102 -A to PLC device 102 -C may not be detected by at least some of PLC devices 102 D-H.
- Embodiments of the transmission power control logic 204 may determine a minimum level of power needed to communicate with a destination PLC device 102 by executing a training sequence.
- the training sequence may include a bi-directional exchange of information between the source PLC device 102 and the destination PLC device 102 .
- the transmission power control logic 204 may transmit to the destination PLC device 102 with successively reduced transmission power until the destination PLC device 102 no longer acknowledges receipt of the transmission, until the destination device acknowledges receipt with a predetermined minimum received signal power, etc.
- the destination PLC device 102 may provide other information that indicates the minimum level of power to be applied by the transmission power control logic 204 for communication with the destination PLC device 102 .
- the channel control logic 206 determines which of a plurality of channels is to be used to communicate with a destination PLC device 102 .
- Various PLC standards e.g., PRIME, G3, IEEE 1901.2 have defined different bands for power line network communication. In each band, multiple orthogonal sub-channels may be defined. Because transmissions over the orthogonal channels don't interfere with each other and not all of the PLC devices 102 need to communicate with each other, a first set of devices 102 that needs to communicate may be assigned to a first channel, and a second set of devices assigned to a second channel, etc.
- embodiments reduce the number of collisions on the power line 104 and increase the overall throughput of the power line network 100 .
- the channel control logic 206 may also be configured to allow the PLC device 102 to communicate via more than one channel. Such a PLC device 102 may serve as bridge and pass communication from a PLC device 102 utilizing a first channel to a PLC device 102 utilizing a second channel.
- FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a power line network 100 that applies a plurality of channels to reduce contention in accordance with various embodiments.
- the PLC devices 102 are configured to communicate via the power line 104 using channels A, B, and C.
- PLC devices 102 -B, E, and H are configured to communicate using channel A.
- PLC devices 102 -C and F are configured to communicate using channel B.
- PLC devices 102 -D and G are configured to communicate using channel C.
- PLC device 102 -A is configured to communicate using channels A, B, and C, and thus can serve as a bridge between the PLC devices 102 exclusively using one of channels A-C.
- FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a power line network 500 that includes a filter 502 that sub-divides the network 500 into sub-networks in accordance with various embodiments.
- the filter circuit 502 blocks the propagation of a PLC signals between the sub-networks. PLC signals have much higher frequency than the 50/60 Hz AC power. Accordingly, the filter 502 can include circuitry that filters or blocks the PLC signal without affecting AC power propagation. Some embodiments of the filter circuit 502 include one or more capacitors and/or other components, such as transformers, inductors, etc., that remove or largely attenuate the PLC signals from both sides of the filter circuit 502 while passing AC power signals.
- filter circuit 502 may include a transformer that electrically isolates the sub-networks. With the isolation provided by the filter 502 , transmissions originating on one side of the filter circuit 502 have little or no effect on transmissions originating on the other side of the filter circuit 502 , which reduces the network contention level and improves parallelism and throughput.
- the PLC devices 102 of power line sub-network A and the PLC devices 102 of the power line sub-network B can communicate concurrently with without interfering with one another.
- Some embodiments of the filter 502 are configured to pass PLC signals on some channels (e.g., some frequency bands), thereby enabling communication between selected devices in different sub-networks.
- Embodiments can also use out-of-band communication such as RF to communicate between sub-networks.
- devices 102 -A and 102 -H may include RF transceivers that allow communication between the sub-networks.
- the power line network scaling techniques disclosed herein also improve network energy efficiency. Packets blocked by the filter 502 , transmitted on one of a plurality of channels, or with reduced transmit power are not detected by all the devices 102 of the network. Consequently, not all the devices 102 consume energy to decode the irrelevant packets and can spend more time in a low power state.
- Embodiments additionally provide isolation (e.g., via channels or filtering) that improves network security. For example, the filter 502 limits the range of signal propagation, thereby avoiding undesired information leakage.
- Embodiments of the transmit power control logic 204 , the channel control logic 206 , and other portions of the PLC device 102 may include hardware resources, or hardware and software resources (i.e., instructions) to perform the functions disclosed herein.
- some embodiments may be implemented as one or more processors executing instructions retrieved from a computer-readable storage medium.
- processors suitable for implementing the PLC device 102 or portions thereof may include general-purpose microprocessors, digital signal processors, microcontrollers, or other devices capable of executing instructions retrieved from a computer-readable storage medium.
- Processor architectures generally include execution units (e.g., fixed point, floating point, integer, etc.), storage (e.g., registers, memory, etc.), instruction decoding, peripherals (e.g., interrupt controllers, timers, direct memory access controllers, etc.), input/output systems (e.g., serial ports, parallel ports, etc.) and various other components and sub-systems.
- a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium suitable for storing instructions may include volatile storage such as random access memory, non-volatile storage (e.g., a hard drive, an optical storage device (e.g., CD or DVD), FLASH storage, read-only-memory), or combinations thereof.
- Some embodiments of the transmit power control logic 204 , the channel control logic 206 , and other portions of the PLC device 102 may be implemented as hardware circuitry configured to perform the functions disclosed herein. Selection of a hardware or processor/instruction implementation of embodiments is a design choice based on a variety of factors, such as cost, time to implement, and the ability to incorporate changed or additional functionality in the future.
- FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram for a method 600 for scaling a power line network in accordance with various embodiments. Though depicted sequentially as a matter of convenience, at least some of the actions shown can be performed in a different order and/or performed in parallel. Additionally, some embodiments may perform only some of the actions shown. In some embodiments, at least some of the operations of the method 600 , as well as other operations described herein, can be performed by a processor executing instructions stored in a computer readable medium.
- one or more filters 502 are inserted in the power line network 100 .
- the filter 502 is a band stop filter that blocks passage of transmissions in one or more frequency bands, thereby partitioning the network 100 into a plurality of sub-networks.
- a PLC device 102 in one sub-network transmits a packet and the filter 502 blocks the transmission so that the PLC devices 102 of another sub-network do not detect the transmission. As a result, the number of PLC devices 102 in the network 100 detecting a transmission and the number of collisions on the network 100 is reduced.
- each PLC device 102 determines a transmission power to apply when transmitting to each other PLC device 102 .
- the transmission power determined for transmitting to a given other PLC device 102 may be a minimum transmission power detectable by the given other PLC device 102 and undetectable by other PLC devices 102 .
- Each PLC device 102 may execute a training sequence, in conjunction with each other PLC device 102 , to determine the minimum transmission power to be applied by the PLC device 102 when transmitting to the other PLC device 102 .
- a transmitting PLC device 102 may successively transmit to a destination PLC device 102 , and the destination PLC device 102 may return acknowledgement and/or a power measurement value to the transmitting PLC device 102 until the minimum transmission power detectable by the destination PLC device 102 is determined.
- a PLC device 102 transmits to a destination PLC device 102 using the minimum determined power level for the destination PLC device 102 . Because the transmitting PLC device 102 applies the minimum determined power level for communicating with the destination PLC device 102 , other PLC devices 102 in the power line network 100 do not detect the transmission. Consequently, the number of collisions on the network 100 is reduced.
- each PLC device 102 in the power line network 102 determines or is assigned one or more channels (e.g., frequency bands) on which to communicate.
- the channels may be non-overlapping so that transmissions on different channels do not interfere with one another.
- Some PLC devices 102 may be assigned a single channel, and other PLC devices 102 may be assigned multiple channels.
- a PLC device 102 assigned to communicate via multiple channels may serve as a bridge for communication between devices 102 assigned to different channels.
- the PLC devices 102 transmit and receive via the assigned channels.
Abstract
A power line communication network includes a first power line communication sub-network, a second power line communication sub-network, and an isolation filter disposed between first and second power line communication sub-networks. The isolation filter is configured to pass electrical power signals between the first and second power line communication sub-networks, and to block passage of data communication signals from the first power line communication sub-network to the second power line communication sub-network.
Description
- The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/560,112, filed on Nov. 15, 2011 (Attorney Docket No. TI-71753PS) which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- Power line networking, also known as power line communication (PLC), employs the conductors of the electrical power distribution system as a medium for data communication. Power line networking is cost effective because wiring for power distribution is necessarily installed in both residential and commercial structures, providing a ready medium for data communication at little or no additional cost. As standards (e.g. PRIME, G3, IEEE 1901.2) and technologies for power line networking proliferate, devices increasingly incorporate PLC transceivers for use in applications such as smart metering, smart building, and home/industry automation. A large number of devices, including various appliances, sensors and controllers, can be connected to the power line network of a building, and the number of devices connected to power line networks is increasing for applications such as home automation, health care, solar/thermal power management, electric vehicles, etc.
- Systems and methods for scaling a power line communication network are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a power line communication network includes a first power line communication sub-network, a second power line communication sub-network, and an isolation filter disposed between the first and second power line communication sub-networks. The isolation filter is configured to pass electrical power signals between the first and second power line communication sub-networks, and to block passage of data communication signals from the first power line communication sub-network to the second power line communication sub-network.
- In another embodiment, a power line communication network includes a plurality of devices configured to communicate over conductors of an electrical power distribution system via a plurality of non-interfering channels. Different ones of the devices are configured to communicate via different ones of the non-interfering channels.
- In a further embodiment, a power line communication network includes a first device configured to communicate via conductors of an electrical power distribution system. The first device includes a transmitter power control system configured to determine transmission power needed to communicate with a second device of the power line communication network. The determined transmission power is insufficient to communicate with a third device of the power line communication network, and the transmitter power control system is configured to determine transmission power needed to communicate with the third device.
- For a detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an illustrative power line network in accordance with various embodiments; -
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a device configured to access a power line network in accordance with various embodiments; -
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a power line network including transmission power control to reduce contention in accordance with various embodiments; -
FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a power line network that applies a plurality of channels to reduce contention in accordance with various embodiments; -
FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a power line network that includes a filter that sub-divides the network into sub-networks in accordance with various embodiments; and -
FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram for a method for scaling a power line network in accordance with various embodiments. - Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, companies may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . .” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct electrical connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections. Further, the term “software” includes any executable code capable of running on a processor, regardless of the media used to store the software. Thus, code stored in memory (e.g., non-volatile memory), and sometimes referred to as “embedded firmware,” is included within the definition of software. The recitation “based on” is intended to mean “based at least in part on.” Therefore, if X is based on Y, X may be based on Y and any number of other factors.
- The following discussion is directed to various embodiments of the invention. Although one or more of these embodiments may be preferred, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.
- Conventional power line networks lack scalability due to the characteristics of the power line medium and the applied Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols. The MAC protocols of the power line communication (PLC) standards (PRIME, G3, IEEE 1901.2) are similar to those of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard because of the similarities of signal propagation between a wireless medium and a power line. When a signal representing a packet is driven onto a power line, similar to packet transmission over the air, the signal strength decreases with distance. Consequently, power line networks face scalability issues similar to those of IEEE 802.15.4 based networks. As the number of devices in a power line network increases, the gap between achievable network throughput and network capacity quickly increases. For example, in a power line network including thirty devices, the achievable throughput may be only 10% of the network capacity. Such low throughput is caused in part by the medium time that is wasted to resolve contentions between multiple transmitting devices.
- Performance degradation in power line networks can be even greater than that of wireless networks because in a power line network the signal is constrained in the power line instead of omnidirectionally dissipated in the air. Thus, a power line network transmitter tends to have better reachability than a RF transmitter with the same transmission power. With the same network device density, better reachability allows more devices in the network and in turn results in lower achievable network throughput.
- Embodiments of the present disclosure apply various novel techniques to reduce the contention level in a power line network and to increase network performance. Embodiments may physically and/or logically subdivide a power line network into smaller sections thereby reducing the contention level and improving the throughput of each section and the network as a whole. Furthermore, because devices on the network receive fewer irrelevant packets, embodiments also improve network power efficiency.
-
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an illustrativepower line network 100 in accordance with various embodiments. Thepower line network 100 includes apower line 104 which serves as the medium for communication transfer. Thepower line 104 may include electrical power wiring that transfers electrical power within a residential or commercial structure, and/or power conductors used to transfer electrical power to or external to a structure. PLC devices 102A-H (collectively “devices 102”) are coupled to thepower line 104. ThePLC devices 102 are configured to communicate with one another by transferring information via thepower line 104. Each of thePLC devices 102 may provide different functionality and communicate information related that functionality via thepower line 104. For example, aPLC device 102 may be a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a light sensor, a motion sensor, an electrical power meter, a television, an air conditioning unit, a washer, a refrigerator, a controller, or any other device configured to communicate via thepower line 104. - The
PLC devices 102 are configured to reduce collisions on thepower line 104 by reducing the number of transmissions detected by all thedevices 102 connected to thepower line 104.FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of aPLC device 102. ThePLC device 102 includes aPLC transceiver 202 that transmits and receives communication signals, such as data packets, via thepower line 104. Embodiments of thetransceiver 202 include transmitpower control logic 204 and/orchannel control logic 206. - The transmit
power control logic 204 determines how much transmission power should be applied to successfully transmit data to adestination PLC device 102 via thepower line 104. The transmitpower control logic 204 may attempt to determine the minimum transmission power needed for thedestination PLC device 102 to receive a data transmission. After determination of the minimum transmission power the transmitpower control logic 204 202 may set the transmission power to the determined level for each transmission to thedestination PLC device 102. The transmitpower control logic 204 202 may determine and apply a different power level for eachdestination PLC device 102 because adestination PLC device 102 farther from thetransceiver 202 may require a higher transmission power than adestination PLC device 102 closer to thetransceiver 202. By minimizing transmission power for eachdestination PLC device 102, the transmitpower control logic 204 reduces the number of collisions on thepower line 104 by reducing the number of transmissions detected by allPLC devices 102 connected to thepower line 104. -
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of thepower line network 100 illustrating the use of transmission power control to reduce contention in accordance with various embodiments. InFIG. 3 , PLC device 102-A includes transmissionpower control logic 204. The transmissionpower control logic 204 has determined a first transmission power level (POWER A) for communicating with PLC device 102-B, and a second transmission power level (POWER B) for communicating with PLC device 102-C. POWER B may be greater that POWER A if communication with PLC device 102-C requires higher transmission power than communication with PLC device 102-B (e.g., PLC device 102-C is more distant from PLC device 102-A than is PLC device 102-B). Because POWER A is tailored to minimize the power used to communicate with PLC device 102-B, transmissions from PLC device 102-A to PLC device 102-B may not be detected by at least some ofPLC devices 102 C-H. Similarly, because POWER B is tailored to minimize the power used to communicate with PLC device 102-C, transmissions from PLC device 102-A to PLC device 102-C may not be detected by at least some ofPLC devices 102 D-H. - Embodiments of the transmission
power control logic 204 may determine a minimum level of power needed to communicate with adestination PLC device 102 by executing a training sequence. The training sequence may include a bi-directional exchange of information between thesource PLC device 102 and thedestination PLC device 102. For example, the transmissionpower control logic 204 may transmit to thedestination PLC device 102 with successively reduced transmission power until thedestination PLC device 102 no longer acknowledges receipt of the transmission, until the destination device acknowledges receipt with a predetermined minimum received signal power, etc. Alternatively, thedestination PLC device 102 may provide other information that indicates the minimum level of power to be applied by the transmissionpower control logic 204 for communication with thedestination PLC device 102. - Returning now to
FIG. 2 , thechannel control logic 206 determines which of a plurality of channels is to be used to communicate with adestination PLC device 102. Various PLC standards (e.g., PRIME, G3, IEEE 1901.2) have defined different bands for power line network communication. In each band, multiple orthogonal sub-channels may be defined. Because transmissions over the orthogonal channels don't interfere with each other and not all of thePLC devices 102 need to communicate with each other, a first set ofdevices 102 that needs to communicate may be assigned to a first channel, and a second set of devices assigned to a second channel, etc. By reducing the number ofdevices 102 communicating on a common channel, embodiments reduce the number of collisions on thepower line 104 and increase the overall throughput of thepower line network 100. - The
channel control logic 206 may also be configured to allow thePLC device 102 to communicate via more than one channel. Such aPLC device 102 may serve as bridge and pass communication from aPLC device 102 utilizing a first channel to aPLC device 102 utilizing a second channel. -
FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of apower line network 100 that applies a plurality of channels to reduce contention in accordance with various embodiments. InFIG. 4 , thePLC devices 102 are configured to communicate via thepower line 104 using channels A, B, and C. PLC devices 102-B, E, and H are configured to communicate using channel A. PLC devices 102-C and F are configured to communicate using channel B. PLC devices 102-D and G are configured to communicate using channel C. PLC device 102-A is configured to communicate using channels A, B, and C, and thus can serve as a bridge between thePLC devices 102 exclusively using one of channels A-C. -
FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of apower line network 500 that includes afilter 502 that sub-divides thenetwork 500 into sub-networks in accordance with various embodiments. Thefilter circuit 502 blocks the propagation of a PLC signals between the sub-networks. PLC signals have much higher frequency than the 50/60 Hz AC power. Accordingly, thefilter 502 can include circuitry that filters or blocks the PLC signal without affecting AC power propagation. Some embodiments of thefilter circuit 502 include one or more capacitors and/or other components, such as transformers, inductors, etc., that remove or largely attenuate the PLC signals from both sides of thefilter circuit 502 while passing AC power signals. In some embodiments,filter circuit 502 may include a transformer that electrically isolates the sub-networks. With the isolation provided by thefilter 502, transmissions originating on one side of thefilter circuit 502 have little or no effect on transmissions originating on the other side of thefilter circuit 502, which reduces the network contention level and improves parallelism and throughput. For example, thePLC devices 102 of power line sub-network A and thePLC devices 102 of the power line sub-network B can communicate concurrently with without interfering with one another. - Some embodiments of the
filter 502 are configured to pass PLC signals on some channels (e.g., some frequency bands), thereby enabling communication between selected devices in different sub-networks. Embodiments can also use out-of-band communication such as RF to communicate between sub-networks. For example, devices 102-A and 102-H may include RF transceivers that allow communication between the sub-networks. - The power line network scaling techniques disclosed herein also improve network energy efficiency. Packets blocked by the
filter 502, transmitted on one of a plurality of channels, or with reduced transmit power are not detected by all thedevices 102 of the network. Consequently, not all thedevices 102 consume energy to decode the irrelevant packets and can spend more time in a low power state. Embodiments additionally provide isolation (e.g., via channels or filtering) that improves network security. For example, thefilter 502 limits the range of signal propagation, thereby avoiding undesired information leakage. - Embodiments of the transmit
power control logic 204, thechannel control logic 206, and other portions of thePLC device 102 may include hardware resources, or hardware and software resources (i.e., instructions) to perform the functions disclosed herein. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as one or more processors executing instructions retrieved from a computer-readable storage medium. Processors suitable for implementing thePLC device 102 or portions thereof may include general-purpose microprocessors, digital signal processors, microcontrollers, or other devices capable of executing instructions retrieved from a computer-readable storage medium. Processor architectures generally include execution units (e.g., fixed point, floating point, integer, etc.), storage (e.g., registers, memory, etc.), instruction decoding, peripherals (e.g., interrupt controllers, timers, direct memory access controllers, etc.), input/output systems (e.g., serial ports, parallel ports, etc.) and various other components and sub-systems. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium suitable for storing instructions may include volatile storage such as random access memory, non-volatile storage (e.g., a hard drive, an optical storage device (e.g., CD or DVD), FLASH storage, read-only-memory), or combinations thereof. - Some embodiments of the transmit
power control logic 204, thechannel control logic 206, and other portions of thePLC device 102 may be implemented as hardware circuitry configured to perform the functions disclosed herein. Selection of a hardware or processor/instruction implementation of embodiments is a design choice based on a variety of factors, such as cost, time to implement, and the ability to incorporate changed or additional functionality in the future. -
FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram for amethod 600 for scaling a power line network in accordance with various embodiments. Though depicted sequentially as a matter of convenience, at least some of the actions shown can be performed in a different order and/or performed in parallel. Additionally, some embodiments may perform only some of the actions shown. In some embodiments, at least some of the operations of themethod 600, as well as other operations described herein, can be performed by a processor executing instructions stored in a computer readable medium. - In
block 602, one ormore filters 502 are inserted in thepower line network 100. Thefilter 502 is a band stop filter that blocks passage of transmissions in one or more frequency bands, thereby partitioning thenetwork 100 into a plurality of sub-networks. Inblock 604, aPLC device 102 in one sub-network transmits a packet and thefilter 502 blocks the transmission so that thePLC devices 102 of another sub-network do not detect the transmission. As a result, the number ofPLC devices 102 in thenetwork 100 detecting a transmission and the number of collisions on thenetwork 100 is reduced. - In
block 606, eachPLC device 102 determines a transmission power to apply when transmitting to eachother PLC device 102. The transmission power determined for transmitting to a givenother PLC device 102 may be a minimum transmission power detectable by the givenother PLC device 102 and undetectable byother PLC devices 102. EachPLC device 102 may execute a training sequence, in conjunction with eachother PLC device 102, to determine the minimum transmission power to be applied by thePLC device 102 when transmitting to theother PLC device 102. For example, a transmittingPLC device 102 may successively transmit to adestination PLC device 102, and thedestination PLC device 102 may return acknowledgement and/or a power measurement value to the transmittingPLC device 102 until the minimum transmission power detectable by thedestination PLC device 102 is determined. - In
block 608, aPLC device 102 transmits to adestination PLC device 102 using the minimum determined power level for thedestination PLC device 102. Because the transmittingPLC device 102 applies the minimum determined power level for communicating with thedestination PLC device 102,other PLC devices 102 in thepower line network 100 do not detect the transmission. Consequently, the number of collisions on thenetwork 100 is reduced. - In
block 610, eachPLC device 102 in thepower line network 102 determines or is assigned one or more channels (e.g., frequency bands) on which to communicate. The channels may be non-overlapping so that transmissions on different channels do not interfere with one another. SomePLC devices 102 may be assigned a single channel, andother PLC devices 102 may be assigned multiple channels. APLC device 102 assigned to communicate via multiple channels may serve as a bridge for communication betweendevices 102 assigned to different channels. Inblock 612, thePLC devices 102 transmit and receive via the assigned channels. - Fewer than all the
PLC devices 102 inpower line network 100 are assigned to the same channel. Consequently, the number ofPLC devices 102 detecting a transmission and the number of collisions on thenetwork 100 is reduced. - The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.
Claims (20)
1. A power line communication network, comprising:
a first power line communication sub-network;
a second power line communication sub-network; and
an isolation filter disposed between first and second power line communication sub-networks;
wherein the isolation filter is configured to:
pass electrical power signals between the first and second power line communication sub-networks; and
block passage of data communication signals from the first power line communication sub-network to the second power line communication sub-network.
2. The power line communication network of claim 1 , wherein the isolation filter is configured to:
pass data communication signals in a first frequency band; and
block data communication signals in a second frequency band.
3. The power line communication network of claim 1 , wherein:
the first power line communication sub-network comprises a plurality of devices configured to communicate via electrical power distribution conductors; and
the second power line communication sub-network comprises a plurality of devices configured to communicate via electrical power distribution conductors.
4. The power line communication network of claim 3 , wherein the devices of the first power line communication sub-network are configured to communicate via a plurality of non-interfering channels and different ones of the devices are configured to communicate via different channels.
5. The power line communication network of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the devices of the first power line communication sub-network is configured to communicate via more than one of the channels and to pass communication between devices configured to communicate on different channels.
6. The power line communication network of claim 3 , wherein a device of the first power line communication sub-network comprises:
a transmitter power control system configured to determine transmission power needed to communicate with a first different device of the first power line communication sub-network;
wherein the determined transmission power is insufficient to communicate with a second different device of the first power line communication sub-network.
7. A power line communication network, comprising:
a plurality of devices configured to:
communicate over conductors of an electrical power distribution system via a plurality of non-interfering channels;
wherein different ones of the devices are configured to communicate via different ones of the non-interfering channels.
8. The power line communication network of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the devices is configured to communicate via more than one of the non-interfering channels and to pass communication between devices configured to communicate on different non-interfering channels
9. The power line communication network of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the devices comprises:
a transmitter power control system configured to determine transmission power needed to communicate with a first different one of the devices;
wherein the determined transmission power is insufficient to communicate with a second different one of the devices.
10. The power line communication network of claim 9 , wherein the transmitter power control system is configured to exchange messages of a training sequence with the first different one of the devices to determine the transmission power.
11. The power line communication network of claim 7 , further comprising:
an isolation filter that divides the network into a first sub-network and a second sub-network, the isolation filter configured to:
pass electrical power signals between the first and second power line communication sub-networks; and
block passage of data communication signals from the first sub-network to the second sub-network.
12. The power line communication network of claim 11 , wherein the isolation filter is configured to:
pass data communication signals in a first frequency band; and
block data communication signals in a second frequency band.
13. The power line communication network of claim 11 , wherein:
the first sub-network comprises a first plurality of communicatively proximate devices of the power line communication network; and
the second sub-network comprises a second plurality of communicatively proximate devices of the power line communication network.
14. A power line communication system, comprising:
a first device configured to communicate via conductors of an electrical power distribution system, the first device comprising:
a transmitter power control system configured to determine transmission power needed to communicate with a second device of the power line communication network, and to apply the determined transmission power to communicate with the second device;
wherein the determined transmission power is insufficient to communicate with a third device of the power line communication network, and the transmitter power control system is configured to determine transmission power needed to communicate with the third device.
15. The power line communication network of claim 14 , wherein the transmitter power control system is configured to determine the transmission power by exchanging messages of a training sequence with the second device.
16. The power line communication network of claim 14 , wherein the first device is configured to communicate with the second device via a first channel, and the third device is configured to communicate with a fourth device via a second channel; wherein the first channel and the second channel do not interfere with one another.
17. The power line communication network of claim 16 , further comprising a bridge device configured to communicate via the first channel and the second channel and to pass communication between devices configured to communicate on only one of the first channel and the second channel.
18. The power line communication network of claim 14 , further comprising:
an isolation filter that divides the network into a first sub-network and a second sub-network, the isolation filter configured to:
pass electrical power signals between the first and second power line communication sub-networks; and
block passage of data communication signals from the first sub-network to the second sub-network.
19. The power line communication network of claim 18 , wherein the isolation filter is configured to:
pass data communication signals in a first frequency band; and
block data communication signals in a second frequency band.
20. The power line communication network of claim 18 , wherein:
the first sub-network comprises a first plurality of communicatively proximate devices of the power line communication network; and
the second sub-network comprises a second plurality of communicatively proximate devices of the power line communication network.
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/677,418 US20130121427A1 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2012-11-15 | Scaled power line based network |
US14/688,526 US9602161B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2015-04-16 | Scaled power line based network |
US14/688,559 US20150222328A1 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2015-04-16 | Scaled power line based network |
US15/421,147 US9998175B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2017-01-31 | Scaled power line based network |
US16/004,928 US10270492B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2018-06-11 | Scaled power line based network |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201161560112P | 2011-11-15 | 2011-11-15 | |
US13/677,418 US20130121427A1 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2012-11-15 | Scaled power line based network |
Related Child Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/688,559 Division US20150222328A1 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2015-04-16 | Scaled power line based network |
US14/688,526 Division US9602161B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2015-04-16 | Scaled power line based network |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20130121427A1 true US20130121427A1 (en) | 2013-05-16 |
Family
ID=48280634
Family Applications (5)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/677,418 Abandoned US20130121427A1 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2012-11-15 | Scaled power line based network |
US14/688,559 Abandoned US20150222328A1 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2015-04-16 | Scaled power line based network |
US14/688,526 Active US9602161B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2015-04-16 | Scaled power line based network |
US15/421,147 Active US9998175B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2017-01-31 | Scaled power line based network |
US16/004,928 Active US10270492B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2018-06-11 | Scaled power line based network |
Family Applications After (4)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/688,559 Abandoned US20150222328A1 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2015-04-16 | Scaled power line based network |
US14/688,526 Active US9602161B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2015-04-16 | Scaled power line based network |
US15/421,147 Active US9998175B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2017-01-31 | Scaled power line based network |
US16/004,928 Active US10270492B2 (en) | 2011-11-15 | 2018-06-11 | Scaled power line based network |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (5) | US20130121427A1 (en) |
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN104242991A (en) * | 2014-08-29 | 2014-12-24 | 戴葵 | Ultra-wide-band power line carrier communication blocker structure |
CN105471476A (en) * | 2015-11-25 | 2016-04-06 | 国网辽宁省电力有限公司大连供电公司 | Communication training method |
US9356655B2 (en) * | 2014-07-15 | 2016-05-31 | Stmicroelectronics S.R.L. | Method of operating communication networks, corresponding communication network and computer program product |
US10594365B1 (en) * | 2018-11-16 | 2020-03-17 | Wiwynn Corporation | Server device and power management method |
CN112236948A (en) * | 2018-04-04 | 2021-01-15 | 赛峰航空技术公司 | Device for transmitting data, device for receiving data and system for transmitting data |
CN112910506A (en) * | 2021-02-08 | 2021-06-04 | 青岛海信日立空调系统有限公司 | Gateway equipment of PLC network and PLC networking structure |
US11032819B2 (en) * | 2016-09-15 | 2021-06-08 | At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. | Method and apparatus for use with a radio distributed antenna system having a control channel reference signal |
US11057306B2 (en) * | 2019-03-14 | 2021-07-06 | Intel Corporation | Traffic overload protection of virtual network functions |
US11329693B2 (en) * | 2011-07-22 | 2022-05-10 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Dynamic medium switch in co-located PLC and RF networks |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR3109042A1 (en) * | 2020-04-01 | 2021-10-08 | Schneider Electric Industries Sas | Wireless communication system |
TWI737322B (en) * | 2020-05-29 | 2021-08-21 | 瑞軒科技股份有限公司 | Detection system and detection method |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4066912A (en) * | 1976-04-21 | 1978-01-03 | General Electric Company | Coupling arrangement for power line carrier systems |
US20130099938A1 (en) * | 2011-10-21 | 2013-04-25 | Itron, Inc. | Software-defined communication unit |
US8536985B1 (en) * | 2001-07-30 | 2013-09-17 | Imaging Systems Technology, Inc. | Data isolation |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7321291B2 (en) * | 2004-10-26 | 2008-01-22 | Current Technologies, Llc | Power line communications system and method of operating the same |
JP2006245802A (en) * | 2005-03-01 | 2006-09-14 | Mitsubishi Electric Corp | Power line carrier communication system and communication apparatus thereof, and buildup method of power line carrier communication system |
US20070201540A1 (en) * | 2006-02-14 | 2007-08-30 | Berkman William H | Hybrid power line wireless communication network |
-
2012
- 2012-11-15 US US13/677,418 patent/US20130121427A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2015
- 2015-04-16 US US14/688,559 patent/US20150222328A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2015-04-16 US US14/688,526 patent/US9602161B2/en active Active
-
2017
- 2017-01-31 US US15/421,147 patent/US9998175B2/en active Active
-
2018
- 2018-06-11 US US16/004,928 patent/US10270492B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4066912A (en) * | 1976-04-21 | 1978-01-03 | General Electric Company | Coupling arrangement for power line carrier systems |
US8536985B1 (en) * | 2001-07-30 | 2013-09-17 | Imaging Systems Technology, Inc. | Data isolation |
US20130099938A1 (en) * | 2011-10-21 | 2013-04-25 | Itron, Inc. | Software-defined communication unit |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
YAN et al. (The Design and Implementation of 128-bit AES encryption in PRIME, 9-11 July, 2010, IEEE, Volume 7, page(s) 345-348) * |
Cited By (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11329693B2 (en) * | 2011-07-22 | 2022-05-10 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Dynamic medium switch in co-located PLC and RF networks |
US9356655B2 (en) * | 2014-07-15 | 2016-05-31 | Stmicroelectronics S.R.L. | Method of operating communication networks, corresponding communication network and computer program product |
CN104242991A (en) * | 2014-08-29 | 2014-12-24 | 戴葵 | Ultra-wide-band power line carrier communication blocker structure |
CN105471476A (en) * | 2015-11-25 | 2016-04-06 | 国网辽宁省电力有限公司大连供电公司 | Communication training method |
CN105471476B (en) * | 2015-11-25 | 2018-04-24 | 国网辽宁省电力有限公司大连供电公司 | One kind communication training method |
US11032819B2 (en) * | 2016-09-15 | 2021-06-08 | At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. | Method and apparatus for use with a radio distributed antenna system having a control channel reference signal |
CN112236948A (en) * | 2018-04-04 | 2021-01-15 | 赛峰航空技术公司 | Device for transmitting data, device for receiving data and system for transmitting data |
US11444660B2 (en) * | 2018-04-04 | 2022-09-13 | Safran Aerotechnics | Data transmission device, data reception device and data transmission system |
US10594365B1 (en) * | 2018-11-16 | 2020-03-17 | Wiwynn Corporation | Server device and power management method |
CN111198604A (en) * | 2018-11-16 | 2020-05-26 | 纬颖科技服务股份有限公司 | Server apparatus and power management method for server apparatus |
US11057306B2 (en) * | 2019-03-14 | 2021-07-06 | Intel Corporation | Traffic overload protection of virtual network functions |
CN112910506A (en) * | 2021-02-08 | 2021-06-04 | 青岛海信日立空调系统有限公司 | Gateway equipment of PLC network and PLC networking structure |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20150222328A1 (en) | 2015-08-06 |
US10270492B2 (en) | 2019-04-23 |
US9602161B2 (en) | 2017-03-21 |
US9998175B2 (en) | 2018-06-12 |
US20170141815A1 (en) | 2017-05-18 |
US20180294842A1 (en) | 2018-10-11 |
US20150222327A1 (en) | 2015-08-06 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US10270492B2 (en) | Scaled power line based network | |
US9654302B2 (en) | Enhanced carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) protocols | |
JP5687771B2 (en) | Dynamic bandwidth control in the presence of interference | |
US8885505B2 (en) | Non-beacon network communications using frequency subbands | |
US11696364B2 (en) | Selective multiple-media access control | |
KR101589077B1 (en) | Idle measurement periods in a communication network | |
WO2017186014A1 (en) | Method and device for wireless communication-related ue unit and base station | |
AU2013219865B2 (en) | Wireless scan and advertisement in electronic devices background | |
US8670458B2 (en) | Slotted channel access techniques in network communications | |
KR101710428B1 (en) | Method for preventing priority inversion in power line communications, recording medium and device for performing the method | |
CN107070695B (en) | Bus type network load self-adaptive communication method | |
JP6254285B2 (en) | Backhaul device and backhaul device control method | |
US9130658B2 (en) | Selection diversity in a powerline communication system | |
US20180138946A1 (en) | Method for access to a shared communication medium | |
KR20170105781A (en) | Apparatus and method on the information exchange among the independent radio communication systems for frequency sharing in a same frequency band based on the interference temperature concept | |
WO2014156156A1 (en) | Electric power meter, electric power meter system | |
WO2020091949A1 (en) | Performance-guaranteed channel access control for security alarm and image sensors | |
CN219834163U (en) | Multi-core terminal architecture for power system | |
JP5964317B2 (en) | Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) protocol for power line communications (PLC) | |
Xiang et al. | A hybrid relay control mechanism for ribbon topology in low‐voltage power line communication networks | |
US9450708B2 (en) | System and method for avoiding hidden node collisions in a communication network | |
JP2018530252A (en) | Method and apparatus for transmitting channel state information reference signal CSI-RS | |
KR20180046349A (en) | Communication method and apparatus using high-speed data aggregation |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED, TEXAS Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SUN, YANJUN;FU, MINGHUA;LU, XIAOLIN;REEL/FRAME:029351/0068 Effective date: 20121114 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- AFTER EXAMINER'S ANSWER OR BOARD OF APPEALS DECISION |