Abstract: A method and a device for transmitting a message from a first node device to one or more node devices that are neighbours of the node device, the node devices belonging to an electrical supply network using powerline and radio communications. The first node device detects a disconnection of the electrical energy supply; the first node device checks in a routing table whether it is connected by a radio link to a neighbouring node device, if so, the first node device sends a unicast message by the radio link to the neighbouring node device indicating a disconnection of the electrical energy supply to the first node device, if not, the first node device sends a radio broadcast message indicating that a disconnection of the electrical energy supply is detected by the first node device.

Abstract: A method and a device for transmitting a message from a first node device to one or more node devices that are neighbours of the node device, the node devices belonging to an electrical supply network using powerline and radio communications. The first node device detects a disconnection of the electrical energy supply; the first node device checks in a routing table whether it is connected by a radio link to a neighbouring node device, if so, the first node device sends a unicast message by the radio link to the neighbouring node device indicating a disconnection of the electrical energy supply to the first node device, if not, the first node device sends a radio broadcast message indicating that a disconnection of the electrical energy supply is detected by the first node device.

Abstract: The invention relates in particular to a method executed by a control device, for a mesh communication network, allowing selection of an optimum frequency band, the method comprising the steps of determining network quality information, if the quality information is below a first threshold, then: sending, to each device in the network, a message comprising an instruction to perform a frequency band quality test, collecting, at the end of the quality test, for each device, quality data for each frequency band, determining, for each frequency band, a quality indicator, and selecting a so-called optimum frequency band as being the frequency band associated with the best indicator, when the so-called optimum frequency band is different from the frequency band used, then sending, to each device, an instruction to use the so-called optimum frequency band.

Abstract: A system that includes a powerline communication network with a reactive routing protocol and at least one gateway comprising a powerline communication interface and one radio-frequency communication interface. A smart electricity meter also includes a powerline communication interface and at least one radio-frequency communication interface: broadcasts an announcement request message on each of its communication interfaces; after reception of one or more announcement messages, selects a relay agent having the lowest route cost for joining a centralised management device; and making a registration request, using the selected relay agent as a proxy. After registration, the routing of messages coming from or going to said smart electricity meter takes place at the data link layer of the OSI model.

Abstract: The invention relates in particular to a method executed by a control device, for a mesh communication network, allowing selection of an optimum frequency band, the method comprising the steps of determining network quality information, if the quality information is below a first threshold, then: sending, to each device in the network, a message comprising an instruction to perform a frequency band quality test, collecting, at the end of the quality test, for each device, quality data for each frequency band, determining, for each frequency band, a quality indicator, and selecting a so-called optimum frequency band as being the frequency band associated with the best indicator, when the so-called optimum frequency band is different from the frequency band used, then sending, to each device, an instruction to use the so-called optimum frequency band.

Abstract: A system that includes a powerline communication network with a reactive routing protocol and at least one gateway comprising a powerline communication interface and one radio-frequency communication interface. A smart electricity meter also includes a powerline communication interface and at least one radio-frequency communication interface: broadcasts an announcement request message on each of its communication interfaces; after reception of one or more announcement messages, selects a relay agent having the lowest route cost for joining a centralised management device; and making a registration request, using the selected relay agent as a proxy. After registration, the routing of messages coming from or going to said smart electricity meter takes place at the data link layer of the OSI model.

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 receiver for a power line communication (PLC) device includes an analog front end configured to receive an input signal from a power line. The input signal includes symbols and wherein each of the symbols includes samples. A demodulator module is configured to demodulate the input signal to generate a demodulated signal. The demodulator module includes an impulse noise module configured to detect and remove impulse noise in the symbols of the input signal.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit comprises an encoding module, a modulation module and a spectral shaped module. The encoding module includes an interleaver that adapted to operate in a plurality of modes including a first mode and a second mode. The interleaver performs repetitive encoding when placed in the second mode. The modulation module is adapted to compensate for attenuations that are to be realized during propagation of a transmitted signal over the power line. The spectral shaped module is adapted to compensate for amplitude distortion and further compensates for attenuations that will be realized during propagation of the transmitted signal over the power line.

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: According to one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit comprises an encoding module, a modulation module and a spectral shaped module. The encoding module includes an interleaver that adapted to operate in a plurality of modes including a first mode and a second mode. The interleaver performs repetitive encoding when placed in the second mode. The modulation module is adapted to compensate for attenuations that are to be realized during propagation of a transmitted signal over the power line. The spectral shaped module is adapted to compensate for amplitude distortion and further compensates for attenuations that will be realized during propagation of the transmitted signal over the power line.

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: An apparatus to process an input signal received via a power line in a power line communication system includes a jammer remover and a jammer detector. The jammer remover removes interference resulting from transmission of electricity and the input signal over the power line from the input signal. The jammer remover generates a jammer-canceled signal using an adaptive filtering procedure. The jammer detector is coupled to the jammer remover to detect the interference.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit comprises an encoding module, a modulation module and a spectral shaped module. The encoding module includes an interleaver that adapted to operate in a plurality of modes including a first mode and a second mode. The interleaver performs repetitive encoding when placed in the second mode. The modulation module is adapted to compensate for attenuations that are to be realized during propagation of a transmitted signal over the power line. The spectral shaped module is adapted to compensate for amplitude distortion and further compensates for attenuations that will be realized during propagation of the transmitted signal over the power line.

Abstract: An embodiment is a method and apparatus to decode a signal using channel information. A channel state estimator generates a tone value representing channel information. A quantizer quantizes the tone value. A combiner combines de-interleaved symbols weighed by the quantized tone value. A comparator compares the combined de-interleaved symbols with a threshold to generate a decoding decision. Another embodiment is a method and apparatus to decode a signal using averaging. A channel estimator provides a channel estimate. A multiplier multiplies a quantized output of a demodulator with the channel estimate to produce N symbols of a signal corresponding to a carrier. A de-interleaver de-interleaves the N symbols. An averager averages the N de-interleaved symbols to generate a channel response at a carrier.

Abstract: An apparatus to process an input signal received via a power line in a power line communication system includes a jammer remover and a jammer detector. The jammer remover removes interference resulting from transmission of electricity and the input signal over the power line from the input signal. The jammer remover generates a jammer-canceled signal using an adaptive filtering procedure. The jammer detector is coupled to the jammer remover to detect the interference.

Abstract: An apparatus to process an input signal received via a power line in a power line communication system includes a jammer remover and a jammer detector. The jammer remover removes interference resulting from transmission of electricity and the input signal over the power line from the input signal. The jammer remover generates a jammer-canceled signal using an adaptive filtering procedure. The jammer detector is coupled to the jammer remover to detect the interference.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit comprises an encoding module, a modulation module and a spectral shaped module. The encoding module includes an interleaver that adapted to operate in a plurality of modes including a first mode, a second mod and a third mode. The interleaver performs repetitive encoding when placed in the second mode and even greater repetitive encoding when placed in the third mode.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit comprises an encoding module, a modulation module and a spectral shaped module. The encoding module includes an interleaver that adapted to operate in a plurality of modes including a first mode and a second mode. The interleaver performs repetitive encoding when placed in the second mode. The modulation module is adapted to compensate for attenuations that are to be realized during propagation of a transmitted signal over the power line. The spectral shaped module is adapted to compensate for amplitude distortion and further compensates for attenuations that will be realized during propagation of the transmitted signal over the power line.

Abstract: An embodiment is a method and apparatus to decode a signal using channel information. A channel state estimator generates a tone value representing channel information. A quantizer quantizes the tone value. A combiner combines de-interleaved symbols weighed by the quantized tone value. A comparator compares the combined de-interleaved symbols with a threshold to generate a decoding decision. Another embodiment is a method and apparatus to decode a signal using averaging. A channel estimator provides a channel estimate. A multiplier multiplies a quantized output of a demodulator with the channel estimate to produce N symbols of a signal corresponding to a carrier. A de-interleaver de-interleaves the N symbols. An averager averages the N de-interleaved symbols to generate a channel response at a carrier.