Power line communication network security system

• US 7,701,330 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwamura, Ryuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US11/378,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20070222578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 340/538, 340/538.15, 340/310.11, 340/310.16, 340/825.36, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 340/538
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/04 using a single signalling line, e.g. in a closed loop
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/06 using power transmission lines
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/003 Signalling to neighbouring houses
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5437 Wired telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks

Abstract

The present embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for use in implementing security systems. Some embodiments provide methods that receive a remote alarm message broadcast across an external power line communication (PLC) network at a first internal PLC security system coupled with the external PLC network from a remote second internal PLC security system coupled with the external PLC network with the remote alarm message comprising an alarm identifier of a local alarm message from the remote second internal PLC security system, and trigger a local alert at the first internal PLC security system indicating that the remote alarm message has been received across the external PLC network.

Claims

1. A method for use in implementing a security system, comprising:

receiving a remote alarm message broadcast across an external power line communication (PLC) network at a first internal PLC security system coupled with the external PLC network from a remote second internal PLC security system coupled with the external PLC network with the remote alarm message comprising an alarm identifier of a local alarm message from the remote second internal PLC security system;

triggering a local alert at the first internal PLC security system indicating that the remote alarm message has been received across the external PLC network; and

rebroadcasting the remote alarm message from the first internal PLC security system over the external PLC network to a remote third internal PLC security system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rebroadcasting further comprises:

evaluating at the first internal PLC security system the remote alarm message;

determining at the first internal PLC security system whether the remote alarm message has been previously received at the first internal PLC security system prior to rebroadcasting; and

implementing the rebroadcasting the remote alarm message from the first internal PLC security system over the external PLC network when the remote alarm message has not previously been received.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the rebroadcasting further comprises:

evaluating at the first internal PLC security system the remote alarm message;

determining at the first internal PLC security system a rebroadcast count of the remote alarm message comprising a number of times that the remote alarm message has been previously rebroadcast; and

implementing the rebroadcasting the alarm message from the first internal PLC security system over the external PLC network when the rebroadcast count is less than a rebroadcast count threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rebroadcasting further comprises:

evaluating the remote alarm message at the first internal PLC security system;

determining at the first internal PLC security system a time elapsed since an initial broadcasting over the external PLC network of the remote alarm message; and

implementing the rebroadcasting of the remote alarm message from the first internal PLC security system over the external PLC network when the time elapsed since the initial broadcasting of the remote alarm message is less than a rebroadcast time limit.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the first internal PLC security system a voice communication broadcast over the external PLC network; and

transmitting a voice communication response from the first internal PLC security system over the external PLC network after receiving the voice communication.

6. A method for use in implementing a security system, comprising:

receiving a remote alarm message broadcast across an external power line communication (PLC) network at a first internal PLC security system coupled with the external PLC network from a remote second internal PLC security system coupled with the external PLC network with the remote alarm message comprising an alarm identifier of a local alarm message from the remote second internal PLC security system;

triggering a local alert at the first internal PLC security system indicating that the remote alarm message has been received across the external PLC network;

receiving, at a center unit, a voice communication communicated from a first internal communication device, wherein the first internal PLC security system comprises;

a first internal PLC network;

the center unit communicationally coupled with the first internal PLC network; and

the first internal communication device communicationally coupled with the first internal PLC network, wherein the receiving the voice communication comprises receiving, at the center unit, the voice communication communicated over the first internal PLC network from the first internal communication device;

encrypting the voice communication at the center unit within the first internal PLC security system generating an encrypted voice communication; and

transmitting from the first internal PLC security system a point-to-point voice communication over the external PLC network of the encrypted voice communication.

7. A power line security system comprising:

an alarm trigger coupled to an internal power line communication (PLC) network that communicates a first local alarm message across the internal PLC network;

a local alarm message receiver communicationally coupled to the internal PLC network that receives the first local alarm message communicated over the internal PLC network from the alarm trigger;

a remote alarm message transmitter communicationally coupled to the local alarm message receiver, the remote alarm message transmitter transmits a first remote alarm message over an external PLC network;

a remote alarm message receiver receives a second remote alarm message from over the external PLC network; and

a local alert device communicationally coupled to the remote alarm message receiver and produces a local alert signal when the remote alarm message receiver receives the second remote alarm message from over the external PLC network.

8. The PLC security system of claim 7, wherein the remote alarm message transmitter rebroadcasts over the external PLC network the second remote alarm message received by the remote alarm message receiver.

9. The PLC security system of claim 7, further comprising:

a wireless alarm trigger comprising a wireless transmitter that wirelessly transmits a second local alarm message to the local alarm message receiver when the wireless alarm trigger is activated.

10. The PLC security system of claim 7, further comprising:

a voice communications transmitter communicationally coupled to the internal PLC network and external PLC network where the voice communications transmitter transmits first voice communications over the internal PLC network and over the external PLC network; and

a voice communications receiver communicationally coupled to the internal PLC network and to the external PLC network where the voice communications receiver receives second voice communications over the internal PLC network and over the external PLC network.

11. The PLC security system of claim 10, wherein the voice communications transmitter further comprises:

an address determination system that determines a destination address of a remote voice communications receiver communicationally coupled to the external PLC network; and

an encryption system communicationally coupled with the voice communications transmitter, the encryption system encrypts based upon the determined destination address at least one of the first voice communications generating an encrypted point-to-point transmission message.

12. The PLC security system of claim 7, further comprising:

a PLC network button unit communicationally coupled to the internal PLC network that transmits a second local alarm message through the internal PLC network when the PLC network button unit is activated.

13. The PLC security system of claim 7, wherein the voice communications transmitter further comprises:

a variable power transmitter that adjusts a transmission power level for transmissions over the internal PLC network such that a signal-to-noise ratio has first a predetermined relationship with a first threshold value and a second predetermined relationship with a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, and adjusts the transmission power level to substantially a maximum power level for transmissions over the external PLC network.

14. A power line communication security system, comprising:

a power line communication (PLC) network interface communicationally coupled to an external PLC network, and the PLC network interface receives a remote alarm message broadcast over the external PLC network;

a local alert device that generates a local warning; and

a processor communicationally coupled with the PLC network interface and the local alert device, the processor receives the remote alarm message from the PLC network interface and activates the local alert device to generate the local warning as a notification that the remote alarm message has been received;

wherein the processor generates a rebroadcast remote alarm message and forwards the rebroadcast remote alarm message to the PLC network interface to be rebroadcasted over the external PLC network.

15. The PLC security system of claim 14, further comprising:

a local PLC network, where in the local alert device and the processor are communicationally coupled with the local PLC network such that the processor activates the local alert device by transmitting a communication over the local PLC network to the local alert device.

16. A power line communication security system, comprising:

a power line communication (PLC) network interface communicationally coupled to an external PLC network, and the PLC network interface receives a remote alarm message broadcast over the external PLC network;

a local alert device that generates a local warning; and

a processor communicationally coupled with the PLC network interface and the local alert device, the processor receives the remote alarm message from the PLC network interface and activates the local alert device to generate the local warning as a notification that the remote alarm message has been received;

wherein the PLC security system is built into a consumer electronic device communicationally coupled to an internal PLC network and the external PLC network; and

wherein the PLC network interface further comprises;

a variable power transmitter that adjusts a transmission power level for transmissions over the internal PLC network such that a signal-to-noise ratio is greater than or equal to a first threshold value and less than or equal to a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, and adjusts the transmission to substantially a maximum power level for transmissions over the external PLC network.

17. A method for use in implementing a security system, comprising:

receiving a remote alarm message broadcast across an external power line communication (PLC) network at a first internal PLC security system coupled with the external PLC network from a remote second internal PLC security system coupled with the external PLC network with the remote alarm message comprising an alarm identifier of a local alarm message from the remote second internal PLC security system;

triggering a local alert at the first internal PLC security system indicating that the remote alarm message has been received across the external PLC network;

receiving, over a first internal PLC network of the first internal PLC security system, a local alarm message communicated over the first internal PLC network from an alarm unit coupled with the first internal PLC network;

generating, in response to receiving the local alarm message an additional remote alarm message; and

broadcasting, from the first internal PLC security system, the additional remote alarm message over the external PLC network to a remote third internal PLC security system.