Power line communication apparatus and data relay method

• US 7,729,375 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Eiji, Miyazaki, Tomiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Brian D
• Application Number:
  US11/582,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20070091925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 370/458, 370/401, 370/442, 370/466, 370/469, 370/229, 340/310.11
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/545 Audio/video application, e.g. interphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/58 Repeater circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling

Abstract

The PLC 20 adaptor corresponding to a power line communication apparatus has four PLC bridges 30A to 30D, each of which is correspondingly connected to Ethernet communication connectors 26A to 26D, operation mode setting switches 27A to 27D, display units 28A to 28D. Each PLC bridge 30A to 30D includes a PLC modem unit 301, a bridge unit 302, an Ethernet IF unit 303, and a communication control unit 304. The communication control unit 304 obtains data type information on the basis of setting conditions of switches 27A to 27D corresponding to each communication port. Since the time slot required for the communication link corresponding to the communication port of the PLC network can be obtained on the basis of the data type information, the reservation request can be transmitted to the control terminal.

Claims

1. A power line communication apparatus for communicating data, comprising:

a first communication unit for performing communication via a power line;

a second communication unit for performing communication via another communication line other than the power line;

a time slot setting unit for setting a time slot on the basis of a format of the data;

a relay unit for relaying the data within the time slot set by the time slot setting unit between the first communication unit and the second communication unit; and

a manipulation unit for setting the format of the data.

2. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time slot setting unit sets the time slot on the basis of a packet format of the data.

3. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time slot setting unit issues a time slot reservation request for requesting a time slot required to transmit the data to other power line communication apparatuses connected to the power line, and sets the time slot required to transmit the data when a time slot reservation response is received from other power line communication apparatuses.

4. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a quality of service (QoS) required on a network including the second communication unit is guaranteed by setting a priority on the communication line in the second communication unit.

5. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the data are transmitted via the power line on the basis of a time division multiple access (TDMA) method, and

wherein the time data slot setting unit sets the time slot required to transmit the data on the basis of a time period of the time slot for transmitting the data.

6. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying operation conditions including at least one of a communication condition and a setting condition of the data transmission via the communication line.

7. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power input unit connected to the first communication unit to input power from the power line;

a communication connector connected to a communication medium for transmitting data by connecting the second communication unit and an electronic device; and

a power socket connectable to a power cord of the electric device for allowing power input from the power input unit to be supplied to the electronic device,

wherein the power input unit is connected to the first communication unit.

8. A method of relaying data in a power line communication apparatus for transmitting data using a power line as a communication line, the method comprising steps of:

performing, with a first communication unit, a first communication via the power line;

performing, with a second communication unit, a second communication via at least one of communication lines other than the power line;

setting a time slot on the basis of a format of the data;

relaying the data within the time slot set on the basis of the format of the data between the first communication unit and the second communication unit;

receiving an input signal from a manipulation unit; and

setting the format of the data on the basis of the received signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, in the step of setting the time slot, the time slot is set on the basis of a packet format of the data.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, in the step of setting the time slot, a time slot reservation request for requesting a time slot required to transmit the data is issued to other power line communication apparatuses connected to the power line, and wherein the time slot required to transmit the data is set when a time slot reservation response is received from other power line communication apparatuses.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein a quality of service (QoS) required on a network including the second communication unit is obtained by setting a priority of the communication line in the second communication unit.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least a part of the data are transmitted via the power line on the basis of a time division multiple access (TDMA) method, and wherein, in the step of setting the time slot, the time slot required to transmit the data is set on the basis of a time period of a time slot for transmitting the data.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of displaying an operation condition including at least one of a setting condition and a communication condition of data transmission via the communication line.

14. A power line communication apparatus for communicating data, comprising:

a first communication unit for performing communication via a power line;

a second communication unit for performing communication via another communication line other than the power line;

a time slot setting unit for setting a time slot on the basis of a format of the data;

a relay unit for relaying the data within the time slot set by the time slot setting unit between the first communication unit and the second communication unit; and

a setting unit for setting the format of the data.

15. A method of relaying data in a power communication apparatus for transmitting data using a power line as a communication line, the method comprising the steps of:

performing, with a first communication unit, a first communication via the power line;

performing, with a second communication unit, a second communication via at least one of communication lines other than the power line;

setting a time slot on the basis of a format of the data;

relaying the data within the time slot set on the basis of the format of the data between the first communication unit and the second communication unit; and

receiving an input signal from a setting unit, and setting the format of the data on the basis of the received input signal.