Abstract: A power line communication (PLC) device includes a physical layer module including a transceiver configured to transmit and receive data over a power line. A medium access control (MAC) module is configured to send data to and process data from the physical layer module. The MAC module includes a channel access module configured to initiate a channel access attempt. The channel access module successively is configured to increase a random backoff period for a subsequent channel access attempt based on a random backoff function in response to a determination by the physical layer module that a PLC channel is busy during a preceding one of the channel access attempts. The channel access module successively is configured to selectively reset a variable in the random backoff function based on an output of a modulo function of a number of backoff attempts and a predetermined number.

Abstract: A power line communication (PLC) system includes a source node, a plurality of intermediate nodes and a destination node. Each of the source node, the plurality of intermediate nodes and the destination node comprise a PLC interface including a medium access control (MAC) module and a physical layer (PHY) module. A transformer is located between the source node and the destination node. Routing modules of the source node, one or more of the intermediate nodes, and the destination node establish a route from the source node to the destination node via one or more selected ones of the plurality of intermediate nodes. The route is selected using a route cost that is calculated based on link costs of a plurality of hops in the route from the source node to the destination node. The link costs are based on forward link costs and reverse link costs.

Abstract: A method to detect a phase connection of a receiver of a power line communication system includes providing a first connection between a transmitter and one phase of a multi-phase power line. A zero crossing of a first signal provided by the first connection is detected. A first timestamp is generated before a packet is transmitted by the transmitter and added to a header of the packet. A second connection is provided between the receiver and one phase of the multi-phase power line. A zero crossing of a second signal provided by the second connection is detected. A second timestamp is generated when the packet is received by the receiver. The value of the first timestamp is compared to the value of the second timestamp to determine whether the one phase of the first connection is the same as the one phase of the second connection.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an RF disturbance detection system is provided that includes: an RF interrogator configured to transmit an RF interrogation signal; and a plurality of RF transceiver modules configured to respond to the RF interrogation signal by transmitting unique RF response signals, wherein the RF interrogator is further configured to periodically interrogate the RF transceiver modules to detect the power of the corresponding response signals so as to detect any changes in the response signal powers over time.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an ultra wide band (UWB) radar includes: a substrate; a plurality of antennas adjacent the substrate, the plurality of antennas being arranged into a plurality of sub-arrays; an RF feed network adjacent the substrate, the RF feed network coupling to a distributed plurality of amplifiers integrated with the substrate, wherein the RF feed network and the distributed plurality of amplifiers are configured to form a resonant network such that if a timing signal is injected into an input port of the RF feed network, the resonant network oscillates to provide a globally-synchronized RF signal across the network; a plurality of pulse-shaping circuits corresponding to the plurality of sub-arrays, each pulse-shaping circuit being configured to receive the globally-synchronized RF signal from the network and process the globally-synchronized RF signal into pulses for transmission through the corresponding sub-array of antennas; and an actuator for mechanically scanning the UWB radar so that the pulse

Abstract: In one embodiment, an RF disturbance detection system is provided that includes: an RF interrogator configured to transmit an RF interrogation signal; and a plurality of RF transceiver modules configured to respond to the RF interrogation signal by transmitting unique RF response signals, wherein the RF interrogator is further configured to periodically interrogate the RF transceiver modules to detect the power of the corresponding response signals so as to detect any changes in the response signal powers over time.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a radar is provided that is configured to construct an image of a target within or adjacent to a substrate according to scan points associated with a surface of the substrate while the radar is scanned in a first direction.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a radar is provided that is configured to construct an image of a target within or adjacent to a substrate according to scan points associated with a surface of the substrate while the radar is scanned in a first direction.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an ultra wide band (UWB) radar includes: a substrate; a plurality of antennas adjacent the substrate, the plurality of antennas being arranged into a plurality of sub-arrays; an RF feed network adjacent the substrate, the RF feed network coupling to a distributed plurality of amplifiers integrated with the substrate, wherein the RF feed network and the distributed plurality of amplifiers are configured to form a resonant network such that if a timing signal is injected into an input port of the RF feed network, the resonant network oscillates to provide a globally-synchronized RF signal across the network; a plurality of pulse-shaping circuits corresponding to the plurality of sub-arrays, each pulse-shaping circuit being configured to receive the globally-synchronized RF signal from the network and process the globally-synchronized RF signal into pulses for transmission through the corresponding sub-array of antennas; and an actuator for mechanically scanning the UWB radar so that the pulse

Abstract: In one embodiment, a configurable device is provided for multiplying a plurality of digital words with a corresponding plurality of coefficients. The configurable digital filter includes: a plurality of lookup tables, each lookup table corresponding to at least one of the coefficients and operable to receive at least a portion of a corresponding at least one of the digital words, each lookup table configured multiples of the corresponding at least one coefficient such that the lookup table is operable to retrieve an entry to provide an output equaling a multiplication of the portion with the corresponding at least one coefficient.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for executing a Viterbi decoding routine, in which the routine is mapped to an array of interconnected reconfigurable processing elements. The processing elements function in parallel, and pass results to other processing elements to reduce the number of processing steps for executing the Viterbi decoding routine. Accordingly, the present invention may be used to perform the decoding routine with any number of constraint lengths and code rates, and be independent of a specific communication standard. Further, the present invention reduces power consumption and area in the use of circuits for performing the coding routine.