Power Line Communications Device and Method of Use

• US 20070076505A1
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Current Technologies LLC (Pattern Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Current Technologies LLC (Pattern Inc.)
• Inventors: Radtke, William, Barrett, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US11/608,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20070076505A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/58 Repeater circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0226 Fixed carrier allocation, e.g. according to service
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0232 for downstream transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0246 using one wavelength per ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0247 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/025 using one wavelength per ONU, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0252 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/028 WDM bus architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0282 WDM tree architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems

Abstract

A method of providing communications over a medium voltage power line having a plurality of segments is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of determining a first amplification for data signals, receiving a first data signal from a first segment of the power line, amplifying said first data signal via the first amplification, coupling the amplified first data signal to a second segment of the power line with a first amplification power, receiving user data; and transmitting the user data over the second segment of the power line with a transmission power substantially the same as the first amplification power. In addition, the step of determining may comprises receiving a signal from the first segment of the power line, determining a target amplification based on the received signal, determining a maximum amplification; and wherein said first amplification is substantially equal to the lesser of the target amplification and the maximum amplification.

Claims

1. A method of providing communications over a power line having a plurality of segments and carrying a power signal having a voltage greater than one thousand volts, comprising:

determining a first amplification for data signals;

receiving a first data signal from a first segment of the power line;

amplifying said first data signal via the first amplification;

coupling the amplified first data signal to a second segment of the power line with a first amplification power;

receiving user data; and

transmitting the user data over the second segment of the power line with a transmission power substantially the same as the first amplification power.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining comprises:

receiving a signal from the first segment of the power line;

determining a target amplification based on the received signal;

determining a maximum amplification; and

wherein said first amplification is substantially equal to the lesser of the target amplification and the maximum amplification.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising

determining a second amplification for data signals;

receiving a second data signal from the second segment of the power line;

amplifying said second data signal via the second amplification; and

coupling the amplified second data signal to the first segment of the power line.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

demodulating the second data signal to provide user data; and

transmitting the user data over a low voltage power line.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second data signal from the second segment of the power line;

demodulating the second data signal to provide second data; and

transmitting the second data over a low voltage power line.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising routing the second data prior to said transmitting the second data.

7. The method claim 6, further comprising receiving the second data at one or more of a plurality of user devices communicatively coupled to the low voltage power line.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving user data comprises receiving a plurality of user data packets from a plurality of customer premises.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising routing the user data packets prior to said transmitting.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining comprises setting the first amplification based, at least in part, on the power level of a received signal.

11. A method of providing communications over a power line having a plurality of segments and carrying a power signal having a voltage greater than one thousand volts, comprising:

receiving a signal via the first segment of the power line;

determining a target amplification for amplifying data signals based, at least in part, on the power of the received signal;

determining whether the target amplification exceeds a maximum amplification;

receiving first data signals via the first segment of the power line;

amplifying first data signals with the target amplification if said target amplification does not exceed the maximum amplification;

amplifying first data signals with the maximum amplification if said target amplification exceeds the maximum amplification; and

coupling the amplified first data signals to the second segment of the power line with a first amplification power.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting data signals over the second segment of the power line with a transmission power substantially the same as the first amplification power.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal comprises a multi-carrier signal.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising setting a transmission power for data signals over the second segment of the power line to be substantially the same power as the first amplification power.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the maximum amplification is based, at least in part, on the attenuation of data signals between the first and second segments of the power line.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising

determining a second amplification for data signals;

receiving a second data signal from the second segment of the power line;

amplifying said second data signal via the second amplification; and

coupling the amplified second data signal to the first segment of the power line.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

demodulating the second data signal to provide user data; and

transmitting the user data over a low voltage power line.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a second data signal from the second segment of the power line;

demodulating the second data signal to provide second data; and

transmitting the second data over a low voltage power line.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising routing the second data prior to said transmitting the second data.

20. The method claim 19, further comprising receiving the second data at one or more of a plurality of user devices communicatively coupled to the low voltage power line.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the maximum amplification corresponds to a maximum power.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the maximum power corresponds to the isolation between the first and second segments of the power line.

23. The method of claim 11, wherein the received signal comprises a training signal that does not comprise data communicated to or from data a user device.

24. A method of providing communications over a power line having a plurality of segments and carrying a power signal having a voltage greater than one thousand volts, comprising:

receiving a signal via the first segment of the power line;

determining a target amplification for amplifying data signals based on the power of the received signal;

determining a maximum amplification;

setting a first segment amplification substantially equal to the lesser of the maximum amplification and the target amplification;

receiving data signals from the first segment of the power line;

amplifying the data signals with the first segment amplification; and

coupling the data signals to the second segment of the power line with a first amplification power.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the maximum amplification is based, at least in part, on the attenuation of data signals between the first and second segments of the power line.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein determining the maximum amplification comprises retrieving data of the maximum amplification from memory.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving user data; and

transmitting the user data over the second segment of the power line with a transmission power substantially the same as the first amplification power.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising

determining a second amplification for data signals;

receiving a second data signal from the second segment of the power line;

amplifying said second data signal via the second amplification; and

coupling the amplified second data signal to the first segment of the power line.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

demodulating the second data signal to provide user data; and

transmitting the user data over a low voltage power line.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving a second data signal from the second segment of the power line;

demodulating the second data signal to provide second data; and

transmitting the second data over a low voltage power line.

31. The method claim 30, further comprising receiving the second data at one or more of a plurality of user devices communicatively coupled to the low voltage power line.

32. A method of providing communications over a power line having a plurality of segments and carrying a power signal having a voltage greater than one thousand volts, comprising:

determining a first amplification for data signals;

receiving a first data signal from a first segment of the power line;

amplifying said first data signal via the first amplification; and

coupling the amplified first data signal to a second segment of the power line with a first amplification power.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said determining comprises setting a first amplification based, at least in part, on the power of a received signal.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the received signal comprises a training signal that does not comprise data communicated to or from data a user device.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

receiving a second data signal from the second segment of the power line;

demodulating the second data signal to provide second data; and

transmitting the second data over a low voltage power line.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

receiving user data; and

transmitting the user data over the second segment of the power line with a transmission power substantially the same as the first amplification power.

37. A method of using a plurality of communication device to provide communications over a power line having a plurality of segments of differing lengths that cause differing attenuations at communication frequencies, the power line carrying a power signal having a voltage greater than one thousand volts and the plurality of communication devices each being coupled to two segments of the power line, the method comprising at each of the plurality of communication devices:

determining a first amplification for data signals;

receiving a first data signal from one of the two segments of the power line;

amplifying the first data signal via the first amplification;

coupling the amplified first data signal to the second of the two segments of the power line with a first amplification power; and

wherein the first amplification power is different for at least some of the plurality power line communication devices.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising at each of the plurality of communication devices:

receiving user data; and

transmitting the user data over the second of the two segments of the power line with a transmission power substantially the same as the first amplification power of that device.