HOME NETWORK SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20080178229A1
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kliger, Avi, Shtern, Alon, Avishay, Nachum, Wasserman, Amir, Kopelman, Rami
• Granted Patent: US 8,724,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42607 for processing the incoming bitstream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/102 Circuits therefor, e.g. noise reducers, equalisers, amplifiers H04N7/108 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution

Abstract

A home network, in one embodiment including a home wiring system; a demarcation point unit in electrical communication with the home wiring system; and a home network module in electrical communication with the home wiring system. The home network module is adapted for connection to a home electronic device. The demarcation point unit passes data to and receives data from the home electronic device through the home network module.

Claims

1. A method of controlling power consumption in a home network, the home network including a plurality of network modules and a home-network reflector unit (HRU), each of said network modules and the HRU being connected to a coax backbone, the method comprising:

determining a predefined input power level at the HRU; and

adjusting the transmission power of each module to a selected power level wherein, when the transmitted signal of each module arrives at the HRU, the transmitted signal comprises the predefined power level.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining an HRU output signal at a constant power level.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of a plurality of the network modules comprises a different transmission power.

4. A home network comprising:

a plurality of network modules, each of the modules comprising a transmission power;

a home-network reflector unit (HRU) comprising a predefined input power level; and

a coax backbone that couples each of the plurality of network modules to the HRU, wherein when a transmitted signal of each module arrives at the HRU, the transmitted signal comprises the predefined input power level, and wherein the transmission power of each of the modules corresponds at least in part with a distance between the module and the HRU.

5. The network of claim 4, wherein the HRU further comprises a substantially constant power output signal.

6. The network of claim 4 wherein each of a plurality of the network modules comprises a different transmission power.

7. A method of controlling power consumption in a home network, the home network including a plurality of network modules and a home-network reflector unit (HRU), each of said network modules and the HRU being connected to a coax backbone, the method comprising:

determining a constant transmission power level of the HRU; and

transmitting a signal from the HRU to one of the plurality of network modules wherein, when the transmitted signal reaches the one network module, the power level of the transmitted signal is based on the constant transmission power level of the HRU and the attenuation from the HRU to the one network module.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising further adjusting the transmission power of each module to a selected power level wherein, when a transmitted signal from each module arrives at the HRU, the transmitted signal is operatively equivalent to a predefined HRU input power level.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein at least two of the network modules comprise different transmission powers.

10. A home network comprising:

a plurality of network modules;

a home-network reflector unit (HRU) comprising a constant output power level; and

a coax backbone that couples the HRU to each of the plurality of network modules, wherein when a signal is transmitted from the HRU, the transmitted signal comprises the constant output power level, and wherein the power level of each of the transmitted signals upon arrival at each of the network modules is based at least in part on a distance between the network module and the HRU.

11. The network of claim 10, wherein each of the modules further comprises a transmission power.

12. The network of claim 10 wherein each of a plurality of the network modules comprises a different transmission power.

13. A home-network reflector unit (HRU) for use in a home network, the home network comprising a plurality of network modules, a coax backbone that couples the HRU to each of the plurality of network modules, wherein when a signal is transmitted from the HRU, the transmitted signal comprises the constant output power level, and wherein the power level of each of the transmitted signals upon arrival at each of the network modules is based at least in part on a distance between the network module and the HRU, and wherein the HRU comprises a predetermined output power level.

14. The HRU of claim 13 further comprising a transmission signal having a power of about −

10 dBm.