Dynamic Medium Switch in Co-Located PLC and RF Networks

• US 20160028438A1
• Filed: 10/08/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Sun, Yanjun, Xu, Gang, Choi, Soon-Hyeok, Sandeep, Bhadra, Lu, Xiaolin, Xhafa, Ariton E., Fu, Minghua, Liang, Robert W., Yim, Susan
• Granted Patent: US 10,644,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/123 using adaptive balancing or compensation means adaptive filter circuits and algorithms H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5495 having measurements and testing channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/30 Reducing interference caused by unbalanced currents in a normally balanced line
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/36 Repeater circuits H04B3/58 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines

Abstract

A method for implementing a convergence layer. Data is received on a first communication medium by a first transceiver. Data is transmitted on the first communication medium by the first transceiver. A signal is received. Causing, through the convergence layer, by a control logic in response to the signal, the data received and transmitted on the first communication medium as part of a communication session to be received and transmitted instead by a second transceiver on a second communication medium, wherein the convergence layer is configured to conceal from a routing layer at least one of: information related to the first signal, and information related to the data being received and transmitted on the second communication medium.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method for implementing a convergence layer, said method comprising:

receiving data on a first communication medium by a first transceiver;

transmitting data on the first communication medium by the first transceiver;

receiving a signal; and

causing, through the convergence layer, by a control logic in response to the signal, the data received and transmitted on the first communication medium as part of a communication session to be received and transmitted instead by a second transceiver on a second communication medium, wherein the convergence layer is configured to conceal from a routing layer at least one of;

information related to the first signal, and

information related to the data being received and transmitted on the second communication medium.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving, by the control logic from the first transceiver or the second transceiver, a second signal; and

causing, by the control logic in response to the second signal, data received and transmitted by the second transceiver on the second communication medium to be received and transmitted instead by the first transceiver on the first communication medium.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the control logic is configured to cause, through the convergence layer, the data received and transmitted by the second transceiver on the second communication medium to be received and transmitted instead by the first transceiver on the first communication medium.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein

the first communication medium and the second communication medium are one of a radio frequency link and a power line communication link, and

the first communication medium and the second communication medium are not the same.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the first communication medium and the second communication medium are the same.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the first communication medium and the second communication medium are accessed in a single device.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the first signal is related to a plurality of transmission attempts in the first communication medium.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein the convergence layer is configured to operate between a media access control layer and the routing layer.

34. A method for electronic communication comprising:

receiving data on a first communication medium by a first transceiver;

transmitting data on the first communication medium by the first transceiver;

receiving a signal;

monitoring at least one quality of the first communication medium and at least one quality of a second communication medium, wherein the at least one quality of the first communication medium and the at least one quality of the second communication medium are each related to at least one of;

a received signal strength indication,

a noise level,

a medium occupation ratio,

a plurality of statistics on packet error rates with different modulation schemes, and

which packets have a valid preamble but an invalid payload cyclic redundancy check (CRC); and

causing, in response to the signal, data received and transmitted on the first communication medium as part of a communication session to be received and transmitted instead by a second transceiver on the second communication medium.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the control logic is configured to broadcast the at least one quality of the first communication medium and the at least one quality of the second communication medium.