COMMUNICATION REPEATER AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20110235536A1
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: NISHIZAKA, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence

Abstract

A communication repeater comprises a transmitting and receiving that performs wireless communication with a communication device, a power-line carrier communication unit that performs power-line carrier communication with the communication device, and a control unit. The control unit selects either one of the wireless communication and the power-line carrier communication according to conditions.

Claims

1. A communication repeater, comprising:

a transmitting and receiving unit that transmits and receives a communication signal to/from a communication device and a base station with wireless communication;

a modem unit for modulating and demodulating the communication signal to a power line;

a power supply unit connected to a power line of a commercial power supply;

a power-line carrier communication unit that transmits and receives a communication signal superimposed on a carrier transmitted over the power line from/to the communication device; and

a control unit that controls wireless communication of the transmitting and receiving unit with the communication device and power-line carrier communication of the power-line carrier communication unit with the communication device.

2. The communication repeater according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the power-line carrier communication of the power-line carrier communication unit with the communication device having a preset identification number.

3. The communication repeater according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communication quality detection unit that detects communication quality of the wireless communication of the transmitting and receiving unit and communication quality of the power-line carrier communication of the power-line carrier communication unit with the communication device, wherein

the control unit performs communication with the communication device through either one of the wireless communication of the transmitting and receiving unit and the power-line carrier communication of the power-line carrier communication unit based on a detection result by the communication quality detection unit.

4. The communication repeater according to claim 3, wherein the control unit, when the communication quality of the power-line carrier communication is higher than the communication quality of the wireless communication, performs the power-line carrier communication of the power-line carrier communication unit.

5. The communication repeater according to claim 1, further comprising:

a traffic detection unit that detects an amount of traffic of the power-line carrier communication, wherein

the control unit, when the amount of traffic detected by the traffic detection unit exceeds a preset threshold, performs the wireless communication of the transmitting and receiving unit with the communication device.

6. The communication repeater according to claim 1, wherein the power-line carrier communication unit further performs power-line carrier communication with another communication repeater

7. A communication system for transmitting and receiving a communication signal between a base station and a mobile communication device, comprising:

a communication repeater that transmits and receives the communication signal from/to the base station with wireless communication; and

a power converter that transmits and receives the communication signal from/to the communication repeater with power-line carrier communication and transmits and receives the communication signal from/to the mobile communication device with power-line carrier communication.

8. The communication system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a second power converter that transmits and receives the communication signal from/to the communication repeater with power-line carrier communication and transmits and receives the communication signal from/to the mobile communication device with wireless communication.