A communication system includes: a transmission device including a transmission data generator, a pattern generator, a transmitter, and a control signal receiver, the transmission data generator that is configured to generate transmission data, the pattern generator that is configured to generate an alternate pattern alternating at every lapse of a predetermined time, the transmitter that includes a first equalization circuit and is configured to transmit a transmission signal including the transmission data and the alternate pattern, the first equalization circuit that is configured to adjust equalization characteristics on the basis of first instruction information, and the control signal receiver that is configured to receive the first instruction information; and a reception device including a receiver, a first detector, and a control signal transmitter, the receiver that is configured to receive the transmission signal, the first detector that is configured to detect a frequency component corresponding to the predetermined time of the alternate pattern included in the transmission signal, and the control signal transmitter that is configured to generate the first instruction information on the basis of a result of detection by the first detector and is configured to transmit the first instruction information.

Systems and method of remote server management replace the traditional server network port associated network cabling with power line networking by using a server's power cables are used to carry both power and Ethernet traffic between the remote server and a network management switch. In this manner, the amount of network cabling in a server rack is reduced, and the need for a management port on a server is eliminated, freeing up ports on a top of rack switch that, otherwise, would have been used for management purposes only.

Selecting a communication route between a first and a second node device of a mesh electrical supply network using powerline and/or radio-frequency communications is described. A route cost is obtained for each possible communication route. A communication route of the lowest route cost is selected. For a given route, the route cost is the sum of the link costs between successive node devices on the route, the link cost between two successive node devices is a weighted sum between a maximum value from a link cost in a forward direction and a link cost in a backward direction and a ratio between a number of active routes and a maximum number of active routes. A link cost in a given direction depends on the cost of the link, in the given direction, calculated for each frequency band of frequency bands used by the two successive node devices for communicating.

A method for determining a mode of transmission between two nodes of a power line communication network, the method comprising transmitting a first message from the first node to the second node in at least two frequency bands, said first message comprising, in each of the at least two frequency bands, information according to which a channel estimate is requested; the first node receiving at least one second message transmitted from the second node and comprising information representative of a channel estimate of at least one of the frequency bands in response to the first message; and determining a transmission mode for transmitting a third message to be transmitted based on the information received from the second node in response to the first message. The invention also relates to a device configured so as to execute the method.

[Problem] As compared with the case where the apparent power in the electric line on the supply side is adjusted without supplying the current to the electric line closer to the power supply side than the distribution transformer, there is a reduction in the effect of the state in the electric line closer to the power reception side than the distribution transformer on the adjustment of the apparent power in the electric line closer to the power supply side than the distribution transformer.

[Solution] A power control system includes a device that receives power from an electric line of a distribution system via a distribution transformer, an acquisition unit that acquires electric line information on the electric line, and a control unit that causes the device to generate a current used for adjustment of apparent power in the electric line based on the electric line information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Methods, apparatus, and techniques for communication network operation, and particularly communications between network nodes having multi-modal communication capabilities.

A communication device and a communication signal generation method are provided that perform receiving input data; and processing the input data according to a determined channel to generate a communication frame. The determined channel corresponds to one of a plurality of channels including at least one first channel defined by a first mode and at least one second channel defined by a second mode. A frequency band of the first channel including subcarriers is different from a frequency band of the second channel including subcarriers. A frequency interval of the subcarriers in the first channel is different from a frequency interval of the subcarriers in the second channel. A number of the first channel(s) in the first mode is different from a number of the second channel(s) in the second mode.

A communication system includes a first communication apparatus communicating with a processing apparatus and a second communication apparatus performing an obtainment/transmission procedure of obtaining sensor information from a sensor unit and transmitting the sensor information to the first communication apparatus. The sensor unit includes at least one sensor. The first communication apparatus transmits the sensor information from the second communication apparatus to the processing apparatus, in response to an obtainment wish timing with which the processing apparatus wishes to obtain the sensor information. The second communication apparatus determines a start timing to start the obtainment/transmission procedure, based on a first time required to communicate between the first and second communication apparatuses when the second communication apparatus transmits the sensor information to the first communication apparatus.

Systems and methods for setting a carrier-sensing mechanism in a PLC node are disclosed. In a PLC standard, coexistence is achieved by having the nodes detect a common preamble and backing off by a Coexistence InterFrame Space (cEIFS) time period to help the node to avoid interfering with the other technologies. In one embodiment, a PHY primitive is sent from the PHY to the MAC know that there has been a preamble detection. A two-level indication may be used—one indication after receiving the preamble and other indication after decoding the entire frame. The MAC sets the carrier-sensing mechanism based on the preamble detection.

This application relates generally to the field of network communications and, more particularly, to transmitting data over power lines.