Abstract: A sequence estimation circuit of a receiver may receive a sample of an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal corresponding to a time instant when phase and/or amplitude of the ISC signal is a result of correlation among a plurality of symbols of a transmitted symbol sequence. The sequence estimation circuit may calculate a residual signal value based on the sample of the ISC signal and based on a survivor sequence. The sequence estimation circuit may generate one or more branch vector hypotheses based on the residual signal value, where each of the hypotheses comprises a plurality of symbols. The sequence estimation circuit may generate an estimate of one or more of the plurality of transmitted symbols based on the one or more branch vector hypotheses.

Abstract: System, for transmitting and receiving signals over residential electrical cables includes at least one active wire, one neutral wire and one ground wire. The system includes at least two power line modems, each one of the two power line modems including a processor, transmitters and at least one receiver, transmitters and the receiver being coupled with the processor, for respectively transmitting and receiving the signals. At least two of the wires form at least one receive wire pair and at least two of the wires form at least one transmit wire pair. Each one of the transmitters defines a respective carrier wave range over the transmit wire pair, the processor determining a frequency carrier wave for the signals when the signals are transmitted. A given one of the transmitters transmits the signals if the frequency carrier wave is in the carrier wave range of the given one of the transmitters.

Abstract: A receiver may be operable to receive an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal, and generate a plurality of soft decisions as to information carried in the ISC signal. The soft decisions may be generated using a reduced-state sequence estimation (RSSE) process. The RSSE process may be such that the number of symbol survivors retained after each iteration of the RSSE process is less than the maximum likelihood state space. The plurality of soft decisions may comprise a plurality of log likelihood ratios (LLRs). Each of the plurality of LLRs may correspond to a respective one of a plurality of subwords of a forward error correction (FEC) codeword.

Abstract: A system may comprise a symbol mapper circuit that outputs C? quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) symbols per orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. The system may also comprise circuitry operable to process said C? QAM symbols using a circulant matrix to generate a particular OFDM symbol consisting of C+? subcarriers, where C? is a first integer, C is a second integer less than C?, and ? is an integer equal to the number of non-data-carrying subcarriers in the particular OFDM symbol. The circulant matrix may be a P×P matrix, where P is an integer less than C?. The system may comprise a nonlinear circuit that introduces nonlinear distortion to said particular OFDM symbol.

Abstract: An electronic receiver may comprise nonlinear distortion modeling circuitry, interference estimation circuitry, and sequence estimation circuitry. The receiver may receive an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the form of an electromagnetic signal. The nonlinear distortion modeling circuitry may generate a nonlinear distortion model that models nonlinear distortion introduced to the received electromagnetic signal en route to the sequence estimation circuitry. The interference estimation circuitry may estimate inter-subcarrier interference present in the received OFDM symbol based on the generated nonlinear distortion model. The estimating of the inter-subcarrier interference may comprise applying the nonlinear distortion model to one or more candidate vectors generated by the sequence estimation circuitry. The sequence estimation circuitry may sequentially process a plurality of received virtual subcarrier values of the OFDM symbol using the estimated inter-subcarrier interference.

Abstract: Method for communication channel coordination between nodes, each node including at least one of a transmitter and a receiver, for transmitting and receiving signals over residential electrical cables. The residential electrical cables include at least one active wire, one neutral wire and one ground wire, at least two of the wires forming wire pairs. The method includes the procedures of, for a given one of the receiver, examining the transmitter in each one of the nodes which communicates with the receiver, selecting one of the examined transmitters as a primary transmitter, determining an optimal receive wire pair for the receiver to receive the signals transmitted between the primary transmitter and the receiver, informing all the examined transmitters of the determined optimal receive wire pair, and tracking at least one communication characteristic over the determined optimal receive wire pair.

Abstract: Circuitry for use in a receiver may comprise: a front-end circuit operable to receive an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol on a first number of physical subcarriers. The circuitry may comprise a decoding circuit operable to decode the OFDM symbol using an inter-carrier interference (ICI) model, the decoding resulting in a determination of a sequence of symbols, comprising a second number of symbols, that most-likely correspond to the received OFDM symbol, where the second number is greater than the first number. The sequence of symbols may comprise N-QAM symbols, N being an integer. The ISCI model may be based, at least in part, on non-linearity experienced by the OFDM symbol during transmission by a transmitter, propagation over a channel, and/or reception by the receiver. The ISCI model may be based, at least in part, on phase-noise introduced to the OFDM symbol during transmission by a transmitter, propagation over a channel, and/or reception by the receiver.

Abstract: A receiver may comprise a sequence estimation circuit and operate in at least two modes. In a first mode, the sequence estimation circuit may process OFDM symbols received on a first number of data-carrying subcarriers to recover a number of mapped symbols per OFDM symbol that is greater than the first number. In a second mode, the sequence estimation circuit may process OFDM symbols received on a second number of data-carrying subcarriers to recover a number of mapped symbols per OFDM symbol that is equal to the second number. The second number may be equal to or different from the first number. While the receiver operates in the first mode, the sequence estimation circuit may be operable to generate candidate vectors and process the candidate vectors using a controlled ISCI model to generate reconstructed physical subcarrier values.

Abstract: A method for a network device of a powerline communications network includes selecting between a default preamble signal and a network-specific preamble signal specific to the network but not to a neighboring network and transmitting at least user data in conjunction with the selected preamble signal. Another method for a network device of a powerline communications network includes tuning a sensor to detect network-specific preamble signals specific to the network but not to a neighboring network and receiving at least user data associated with the preamble signals.

Abstract: A transmitter may comprise a symbol mapper circuit and operate in at least two modes. In a first mode, the number of symbols output by the mapper circuit per orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol transmitted by said transmitter may be greater than the number of data-carrying subcarriers used to transmit the OFDM symbol. In a second mode, the number of symbols output by said mapper circuit per orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol transmitted by said transmitter is less than or equal to the number of data-carrying subcarriers used to transmit said OFDM symbol. The symbols output by the symbol mapper circuit may be N-QAM symbols. While the circuitry operates in the first mode, the symbols output by the mapper may be converted to physical subcarrier values via filtering and decimation prior to being input to an IFFT circuit.

Abstract: A receiver may be operable to receive an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal, and generate a plurality of soft decisions as to information carried in the ISC signal. The soft decisions may be generated using a reduced-state sequence estimation (RSSE) process. The RSSE process may be such that the number of symbol survivors retained after each iteration of the RSSE process is less than the maximum likelihood state space. The plurality of soft decisions may comprise a plurality of log likelihood ratios (LLRs). Each of the plurality of LLRs may correspond to a respective one of a plurality of subwords of a forward error correction (FEC) codeword.

Abstract: A sequence estimation circuit of a receiver may receive a sample of an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal corresponding to a time instant when phase and/or amplitude of the ISC signal is a result of correlation among a plurality of symbols of a transmitted symbol sequence. The sequence estimation circuit may calculate a residual signal value based on the sample of the ISC signal and based on a survivor sequence. The sequence estimation circuit may generate one or more branch vector hypotheses based on the residual signal value, where each of the hypotheses comprises a plurality of symbols. The sequence estimation circuit may generate an estimate of one or more of the plurality of transmitted symbols based on the one or more branch vector hypotheses.

Abstract: A receiver is configured to receive a sample of an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal, the sample corresponding to a time instant when phase and/or amplitude of the ISC signal is a result of correlation among a plurality of symbols of a transmitted symbol sequence. The receiver may linearize the sample of the ISC signal. The receiver may calculate a residual signal value based on the linearized sample of the ISC signal. The receiver may generate an estimate of one or more of said plurality of symbols based on the residual signal value. The linearization may comprise applying an estimate of an inverse of a non-linear model. The non-linear model may be a model of nonlinearity experienced by the ISC signal in a transmitter from which the ISC signal originated, in a channel through which the ISC signal passed en route to the receiver, and/or in a front-end of the receiver.

Abstract: A transmitter may map, using a selected modulation constellation, each of C? bit sequences to a respective one of C? symbols, where C? is a number greater than one. The transmitter may process the C? symbols to generate C? inter-carrier correlated virtual subcarrier values. The transmitter may decimate the C? virtual subcarrier values down to C physical subcarrier values, C being a number less than C?. The transmitter may transmit the C physical subcarrier values on C orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) subcarriers. The modulation constellation may be an N-QAM constellation, where N is an integer. The processing may comprise filtering the C? symbols using an array of C? filter tap coefficients. The filtering may comprise cyclic filtering. The filtering may comprise multiplication by a circulant matrix populated with the C? filter tap coefficients.

Abstract: Circuitry for use in a receiver may comprise: a front-end circuit operable to receive an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol on a first number of physical subcarriers. The circuitry may comprise a decoding circuit operable to decode the OFDM symbol using an inter-carrier interference (ICI) model, the decoding resulting in a determination of a sequence of symbols, comprising a second number of symbols, that most-likely correspond to the received OFDM symbol, where the second number is greater than the first number. The sequence of symbols may comprise N-QAM symbols, N being an integer. The ISCI model may be based, at least in part, on non-linearity experienced by the OFDM symbol during transmission by a transmitter, propagation over a channel, and/or reception by the receiver. The ISCI model may be based, at least in part, on phase-noise introduced to the OFDM symbol during transmission by a transmitter, propagation over a channel, and/or reception by the receiver.

Abstract: A sequence estimation circuit of a receiver may receive a sample of an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal corresponding to a time instant when phase and/or amplitude of the ISC signal is a result of correlation among a plurality of symbols of a transmitted symbol sequence. The sequence estimation circuit may calculate a residual signal value based on the sample of the ISC signal and based on a survivor sequence. The sequence estimation circuit may generate one or more branch vector hypotheses based on the residual signal value, where each of the hypotheses comprises a plurality of symbols. The sequence estimation circuit may generate an estimate of one or more of the plurality of transmitted symbols based on the one or more branch vector hypotheses.

Abstract: An Apparatus for transmitting and receiving signals over residential electrical cables includes a processor, at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, both coupled with the processor. The apparatus coupled with an electrical cable includes at least one active wire, one neutral wire and one ground wire, the transmitter and the receiver each including a coupling circuit for coupling the apparatus to the residential electrical cables. The coupling circuit has a first transformer and a second transformer, the first transformer including a center tap, receive wire pairs and transmit wire pairs each being formed from at least two of the active wire, the neutral wire, the ground wire and the midpoint. The processor dynamically switches a coupling of the receiver and the transmitter respectively between the receive wire pairs and the transmit wire pairs.

Abstract: A system for transmitting and receiving signals over residential electrical cables includes at least one active wire, neutral wire and ground wire, including at least two power line modems, each coupling an electrical device with an electrical socket, each one of the power line modems including a processor. The system has transmitters and at least one receiver, the transmitters and the receiver including a coupling circuit, the coupling circuit including a first transformer and a second transformer, the first transformer including a center tap. Receive and transmit wire pairs are respectively formed from two of the active, neutral and ground wires and the midpoint, the transmitters defining a carrier wave set over the transmit wire pair. The processor determines a frequency carrier wave for the signals and provides the signals to a respective one of the transmitters according to the carrier wave set the frequency carrier wave is in.

Abstract: A receiver may comprise a sequence estimation circuit and operate in at least two modes. In a first mode, the sequence estimation circuit may process OFDM symbols received on a first number of data-carrying subcarriers to recover a number of mapped symbols per OFDM symbol that is greater than the first number. In a second mode, the sequence estimation circuit may process OFDM symbols received on a second number of data-carrying subcarriers to recover a number of mapped symbols per OFDM symbol that is equal to the second number. The second number may be equal to or different from the first number. While the receiver operates in the first mode, the sequence estimation circuit may be operable to generate candidate vectors and process the candidate vectors using a controlled ISCI model to generate reconstructed physical subcarrier values.

Abstract: A receiver may be operable to receive an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal, and generate a plurality of soft decisions as to information carried in the ISC signal. The soft decisions may be generated using a reduced-state sequence estimation (RSSE) process. The RSSE process may be such that the number of symbol survivors retained after each iteration of the RSSE process is less than the maximum likelihood state space. The plurality of soft decisions may comprise a plurality of log likelihood ratios (LLRs). Each of the plurality of LLRs may correspond to a respective one of a plurality of subwords of a forward error correction (FEC) codeword.