Hybrid power line wireless communication system

• US 20070054622A1
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Current Technologies LLC (Pattern Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Current Technologies LLC (Pattern Inc.)
• Inventors: Berkman, William
• Application Number:
  US11/217,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20070054622A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.110
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/382 for resource allocation, admission control or handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT

Abstract

In a hybrid communication system a wireless communication link is maintained between a power line communication medium and a non-power line communication medium. Wireless communication is established within an unlicensed frequency band and monitored for quality. If the quality falls below a threshold, a wireless communication link is established within a licensed frequency band. The wireless link may be maintained between a power line communication system (PLCS) backhaul point and an internet protocol (IP) network access point, and/or between a PLCS endpoint communication interface and a premises communication device.

Claims

1. A method of using a communications device, comprising:

establishing a first wireless communication link using an unlicensed frequency band;

assessing the quality of the first wireless communication link to determine whether the quality is below a threshold quality; and

if the assessed quality is determined to be below the threshold quality, establishing a second wireless communication link using a licensed frequency band.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a command over the first wireless communication link, and wherein said command is a command to communicate via the licensed frequency bad.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data over the first wireless communication link; and

transmitting said received data over a medium voltage power line.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating said assessing to monitor the quality of the first wireless communication link.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data over the second wireless communication link; and

transmitting said received data over a medium voltage power line.

6. A method of providing wireless communication, comprising:

establishing a first power line communication link;

establishing a first wireless communication link with a first frequency band;

communicating data over the first power line communication link and the first wireless communication link;

monitoring the quality of the wireless communication link to determine whether the quality is below a threshold quality; and

if the monitored quality is determined to be below the threshold quality, establishing a wireless communication within a second frequency band.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said first frequency band comprises an unlicensed frequency band and said second frequency band comprises a licensed frequency band.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising after establishing wireless communication within the second frequency band:

monitoring the first frequency band to determine whether the first frequency band satisfies a set of predetermined performance parameters; and

when the monitored first frequency band is determined to satisfy the set, establishing wireless communications within the monitored first frequency band.

9. A method of communication in a hybrid communication system having a backhaul point and an endpoint communication interface, comprising:

establishing a first power line communication link between a first and second medium voltage access device;

maintaining a first wireless communication link between the first medium voltage access device and a first wireless node;

wherein said maintaining comprises;

establishing the first wireless communication within an unlicensed frequency band;

monitoring the quality of the wireless communication;

determining whether the quality is below a threshold quality; and

establishing the first wireless communication link within a licensed frequency band if the quality is determined to be below the threshold quality.

10. The method of claim 9, in which said maintaining comprises:

wherein the between the first medium voltage access device comprises a backhaul point.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a first communication at the backhaul point over the first wireless communication link;

routing the first communication over the power line communication link to the second medium voltage access device; and

transmitting the first communication to a user device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said transmitting comprises:

receiving the first communication from the power line communication link; and

transmitting the first communication over a second wireless communication link to wireless modem communicatively coupled to the user device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said unlicensed frequency band is a first unlicensed frequency band, wherein the licensed frequency band is a first licensed frequency band, and further comprising:

establishing the second wireless communication link within a second unlicensed frequency band;

monitoring the quality of the second wireless communication link;

determining whether the monitored quality of the second wireless communication link is below a threshold quality; and

establishing the second wireless communication link within a second licensed frequency band when the monitored quality is determined to be below the threshold quality.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first unlicensed frequency band is the same as the second unlicensed frequency band.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the first licensed frequency band is the same as the second licensed frequency band.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the first medium voltage access device comprises a bypass device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a first communication from a user device at the bypass device over the wireless communication link;

sending the first communication over the first power line communication link to the second MV access device; and

transmitting the first communication to an uplink node from the second MV access device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said transmitting comprises:

receiving the first communication from the power line communication link; and

transmitting the first communication over a second wireless link to the uplink node.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the steps are performed by a bypass device.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the first MV access device comprises a bypass device communicatively coupled to a plurality of user devices.