Communications system for providing broadband communications using a medium voltage cable of a power system

• US 6,885,674 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2003
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amperion Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Amperion Incorporated
• Inventors: Riley, Paul M., Kopp, Lowell E., Hunt, Philip G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sam, Phirin
• Application Number:
  US10/447,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20030224784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 370/420, 370/338, 370/340, 370/315, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/389, 370/392, 370/400, 370/401, 370/402, 370/421, 370/422
• US Class Current: 370/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5466 using three phases conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5479 using repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/58 Repeater circuits
• 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

A broadband service communication system using an MV cable for conveying RF signals in a network segment, which includes a distribution center (PLT controller) and a plurality of power line telecommunication (PLT) stations. The PLT controller has a distribution modem for conveying downstream and upstream RF signals to and from the PLT stations through the MV cable via couplers. Each PLT station has a modem for conveying the downstream and upstream RF signals via couplers and for conveying media signals to one or more customer premises equipment (CPE) via, e.g. wireless links. The PLT controller controls each PLT station regarding upstream communications transfer of all downstream communications and also controls. The PLT controller can be connected via a router to a WAN to convey media signals to and from the WAN. Repeaters and interlinks are used to join multiple network segments.

Claims

1. A communications system for providing broadband communications between a distribution center and at least one remote location, together defining a network segment, where a medium voltage (MV) cable of an electrical power distribution system serves as a communication channel (medium) for the network segment, the communication system comprising:

a power line telecommunications (PLT) controller having;

a distribution modem (62) for receiving a first (downstream) media signal so as to generate a first (downstream) RF signal that is modulated by said first media signal and for demodulating a second (upstream) RF signal so as to extract a second (upstream) media signal, the distribution modem including means (64, 66), in cooperative engagement with the MV cable, for exciting the MV cable with the first (downstream) RF signal for receiving the second (upstream) RF signal on the MV cable,

a power line telecommunications (PLT) controller module (23) operatively communicating with the distribution modem, having means for controlling the generation of the first (downstream) media signal so as to cause at least one of the at least one remote location to extract the first (downstream) media signal, the PLT controller module further having means for controlling the generation of a second (upstream) media signal at the at least one remote location; and

at least one power line telecommunications (PLT) station (30), each station having;

a second modem (32) for demodulating the first (downstream) RF signal so as to extract the first (downstream) media signal, the second modem having means (34, 36), in cooperative engagement with the MV cable for receiving the first (downstream) RF signal and for exciting said MV cable with the second (upstream) RF signal, and

a PLT station module (31) operatively communicating with the second modem (32), having means for accepting the extracted first (downstream) media signal if the signal is intended for the PLT station; and

further having means for generating the second (upstream) media signal for presentation to the second modem for modulation thereof to form the second (upstream) RF signal;

whereby the PLT controller controls generation of all first (downstream) RF signals for distribution to the at least one PLT station and further controls the generation of second (upstream) RF signals to the PLT controller from the at least one PLT station.

2. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein time division multiplexing (TDM) is used by the PLT controller module to control generation of the first (downstream) media signal and as the means for controlling the generation of the second (upstream) media signal.

3. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the PLT controller further comprises a wireless transceiver module (27) for receipt and transfer of first and second media signals without use of the medium voltage cable.

4. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising customer premises equipment (CPE) in said at least one (70) remote location and wherein the second modem of said at least one PLT station in the network segment further comprises a wireless transceiver module (27) for receipt and transfer of the first and the second media signals to or from said customer premises equipment by a radio frequency link.

5. A communications system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the radio frequency link of said wireless transceiver has a radio frequency footprint commensurate with the network segment.

6. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a ground station in communication with the PLT controller for receipt and transfer of first and second media signals with the PLT controller.

7. A communication system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the ground station in communication with the PLT controller further communicates with a router and wherein the router further communicates with a wide area network (WAN).

8. A communication system as claimed in claim 7, further wherein at least one of the at least one PLT station further communicates with customer premises equipment (CPE).

9. A communication system as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one of the at least one PLT station communicates with a second ground station that in turn communicates with customer premises equipment (CPE).

10. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications system comprises:

a plurality of further network segments (10a, 10b, 10c . . . ), and

one or more repeaters (50, 51), each repeater spanning two network segments and having means for receipt of the first (downstream) RF signals for transfer from one network segment to another network segment and further having means for receipt of the second (upstream) RF signals for transfer from the another network segment to the one network segment.

11. A communications system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the repeater comprises a PLT station in a first network segment and a PLT controller in a second network segment, wherein first (downstream) RF signals from the first network segment intended for further downstream transfer have means for instructing the PLT station of the repeater to retrieve the first RF signal and to transfer it to the PLT controller of the repeater, and further wherein the second RF signals of the second network segment intended for further upstream transfer have means for instructing the transfer of the second RF signal from the PLT controller of the repeater to the PLT station of the repeater in such a manner that the PLT station of the repeater further transfers the second RF signal to the PLT controller of the first network segment.

12. A communications system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first network segment PLT station and second network segment PLT controller forming said repeater are housed in a computer and communicate with each other via the backplane of the computer.

13. A communications system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first network segment PLT station and second network segment PLT controller forming said repeater (interlink) each further have a wireless transceiver module (27), wherein the PLT station and the PLT controller communicate with each other via said wireless transceiver modules.

14. A communications system as claimed in claim 11, further having a fiber optic link, wherein the first network segment PLT station and second network segment PLT controller forming the repeater (interlink) communicate with each other via said fiber optic link.

15. A communications system as claimed in claim 11, further having a conductive link not in electrical contact with the MV cable, wherein the first network segment PLT station and second network segment PLT controller forming the repeater (interlink) communicate with each other via said conductive link.

16. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means, associated with the PLT controller, for permitting the communication system to communicate with a wide area network.

17. A communications system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said means for communicating with a wide area network is a router that operatively communicates with the PLT controller.

18. A communications system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said router is remote from said PLT controller.

19. A communications system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the PLT controller and the router communicate with each other by a wireless transceiver module.

20. A communications system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the PLT controller and the router communicate with each other by a wire link.

21. A communications system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the wire link is a fiber optic link.

22. A communications system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the network segments may physically overlap on at least a portion of the medium voltage cable.

23. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the PLT controller controls generation of upstream media signals by PLT stations within its network segment by a first command that controls assignment of time division multiple access time slots.

24. A communications system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each adjacent network segment uses a different region of a common physical layer encoding scheme for generation of said first and second RF signals and wherein the PLT station of a repeater communicates with the PLT controller of the repeater using the encoding scheme of the network segment of said PLT controller and wherein the PLT controller of the repeater communicates with the PLT station of the repeater using the encoding scheme of the network segment of said PLT station.

25. A communications system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the physical layer encoding scheme is a time division multiple access time slots for transfer of first and second RF signals between the PLT controller and the at least one PLT station.

26. A communications system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the encoding scheme within each network segment further uses frequency division multiple access scheme.

27. A communications system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the frequency division multiple access encoding scheme is Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing.

28. A communications system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the physical layer encoding scheme is Code Division Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance.

29. A communications system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the physical layer encoding scheme uses wavelets.

30. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical power distribution system comprises an underground distribution system.

31. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical power distribution system comprises an aboveground distribution system.

32. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical power distribution system comprises a combined underground and aboveground distribution system.

33. A method of providing broadband communications between a distribution center and at least one remote location, together defining a network segment, where a medium voltage (MV) cable of an electrical power distribution system serves as a communication channel (medium) for the network segment, the communication method comprising the steps of:

at the distribution center;

receiving a first (downstream) media signal so as to generate a first (downstream) RF signal that is modulated by said first media signal and demodulating a second (upstream) RF signal so as to extract a second (upstream) media signal,

exciting said MV cable with the first (downstream) RF signal,

receiving the second (upstream) RF signal on the MV cables,

controlling generation of the first (downstream) media signal so as to cause at least one of the at least one remote location to extract the first (downstream) media signal, and

controlling the generation of a second (upstream) media signal at the at least one remote location so as to instruct one remote location of said at least one remote location to generate the second (upstream) RF signal containing the second (upstream) media signal; and

at each remote location;

receiving the first (downstream) RF signal if it is intended for the remote location;

demodulating the first (downstream) RF signal so as to extract the first (downstream) media signal, and

generating the second (upstream) media signal, and

modulating an RF signal with said second media signal to form the second (upstream) RF signal, and exciting the MV cable with said second (upstream) RF signal.