System and method for a power line modem

• US 9,130,657 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Logvinov, Oleg
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US13/656,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20140114492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 700/22, 700/286, 700/291, 700/295
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/00 Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0009 AC switches, i.e. delivering AC power to a load
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0036 Means reducing energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/00 Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes gain control in transmitters or power amplifiers H03G3/3042
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/00 Network data management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/00 Interfaces specially adapted for wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment, a method of operating an electronic system includes detecting an incoming transmission on a power line, and modifying a switching behavior of a switched-mode power supply coupled to the power line upon detecting the incoming transmission. Modifying reduces the level of interference produced by the switched-mode power supply.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electronic system, the method comprising:

detecting an incoming data transmission on a conductive power line;

configured to provide power to the electronic system; and

modifying a switching behavior of a switched-mode power supply coupled to the conductive power line upon detecting the incoming data transmission, wherein the modifying reduces a level of interference produced by the switched-mode power supply.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the switching behavior Of the switched-mode power supply comprises disabling harmonic spreading of the switched-mode power supply.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving capabilities of the electronic system are improved as a result of modifying the switching behavior.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing a power output of the switched-mode power supply upon detecting the incoming data transmission.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein reducing the power output comprises reducing a power consumption of a load coupled to a DC output of the switched-mode power supply.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein reducing the power consumption of the load comprises reducing a power consumption of a backlight of a video display device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein reducing the power consumption of the backlight comprises:

reducing the power consumption of the backlight proportional a darkness of a currently displayed image; and

further reducing the power consumption of the backlight when the incoming data transmission occurs during a transition from a first image to a second image.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein reducing the power consumption of the load comprises reducing a power consumption of a media device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the media device comprises an audio device; and

reducing the power consumption of the audio device comprises reducing the power consumption of the audio device inversely proportional to an amplitude of an audio signal rendered by the audio device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising synchronizing data transmissions according to a media signal rendered by the media device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises determining a pattern of content intensity of the media signal, wherein synchronizing the data transmissions comprises synchronizing the transmissions according to the determined pattern.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an acknowledgement (ACK) signal in response to receiving the incoming data transmission.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

reducing a power output of the switched-mode power supply upon detecting the incoming data transmission;

increasing the power output of the switched-mode power supply after the incoming data transmission has been received; and

delaying transmitting the ACK signal until after increasing the power output.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive power line comprises an AC power line.

15. A system comprising a transmission detector configured to be coupled to a conductive power line, configured to provide power to an electronic system, wherein

the transmission detector is configured to detect a received data transmission on the power line;

the transmission detector comprises a first output configured to be coupled to a switched-mode power supply; and

the first output is configured to signal the switched-mode power supply to modify switching to reduce levels of interference of the power supply.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmission detector comprises a power line modem.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmission detector is configured to detect a preamble of an incoming data packet.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmission detector further comprises a second output configured to be coupled to a load coupled to the switched-mode power supply, wherein the second output is configured to signal the load to reduced power consumed from the switched-mode power supply.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the conductive power line comprises the AC power line.

20. A system comprising:

a transmission detector configured to be coupled to a conductive power line configured to provide power to the system, wherein the detector is configured to detect a received data transmission on the conductive power line and indicate via a first output signal that a data transmission is being received; and

a switched-mode power supply coupled to the first output signal and configured to be coupled to the conductive power line, wherein the switched-mode power supply modifies its switching behavior when the first signal indicates a data transmission is being received, wherein the switched-mode power supply modifies it switching behavior such that more channel resources are available for the data transmission being received.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the switched-mode power supply disables harmonic spreading of the switched-mode power supply when the first signal indicates that a data transmission is being received.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the transmission detector is configured to detect a received transmission by detecting a preamble of the received transmission before the received transmission has been completely received.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the conductive power line comprises an AC power line.

24. A method of operating an electronic system, the method comprising:

detecting a start of an incoming data transmission on a conductive power line using a first receiver, wherein the conductive power line is configured to provide power to the electronic system;

determining modulation densities associated with one or more carriers on which data is being received; and

setting a switching behavior of a switched-mode power supply coupled to the first receiver based on the determining.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising setting the switching frequency of the power supply, wherein harmonics produced by the power supply fall on frequencies associated with the carriers having lowest modulation densities.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein setting the switching frequency of the power supply comprises setting the switching frequency according to a hop sequence.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising transmitting an outgoing data transmission using a transmission frequency based on the hop sequence.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising determining the hop sequence, determining the hop sequence comprising:

measuring or extracting an already measured channel quality of a plurality of candidate frequency carriers;

ranking the candidate frequency carriers according to measured channel quality; and

selecting candidate frequency carriers having a low rank for the hop sequence.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein setting the switching behavior of the switched-mode power supply comprises adjusting a switching frequency of switched-mode power supply to avoid interference with the incoming data transmission.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the conductive power line comprises an AC power line.

31. A system comprising:

a receiver configured to be coupled to a conductive power line, receive an incoming data transmission on the conductive power line, and determine a reception frequency of the received data transmission;

wherein the conductive power line is configured to provide power to the system; and

a switched-mode power supply control module coupled to the receiver, wherein the switched-mode power supply control module is configured to modify a switching behavior of a switched mode power supply based on the determined reception frequency.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the receiver is configured to determine the reception frequency based on a predetermined hop sequence.

33. The system of claim 32, the predetermined hop sequence is determined according to a channel profile, wherein harmonics of switching frequencies of the switched mode power supply are configured to fall on frequencies associated with carriers having lowest modulation densities.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the system further comprises a transmitter configured to transmit an outgoing data transmission using a transmission frequency based on the predetermined hop sequence.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the switched-mode power supply control module is configured to modify the switching behavior by adjusting a switching frequency of the switched-mode power supply to avoid interference with the received data transmission.

36. The system of claim 31, further comprising the switched mode power supply.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the conductive power line comprises an AC power line.