In accordance with one or more embodiments, an antenna system includes a dielectric antenna having a feed point, wherein the dielectric antenna is a single antenna. At least one cable having a plurality of conductorless dielectric cores is coupled to the feed point of the dielectric antenna, wherein electromagnetic waves that are guided by differing ones of the plurality of conductorless dielectric cores to the dielectric antenna result in differing ones of a plurality of antenna beam patterns.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a photovoltaic module including a photovoltaic solar cell, a converter to convert a level of a direct current power from the photovoltaic solar cell, an inverter to convert the direct current power from the converter into an alternating current power, a controller to control the converter and the inverter, and a communication unit to perform electric power line communication with a gateway and at least one nearby photovoltaic module, in which the communication unit periodically transmits communication state information to the gateway and the at least one nearby photovoltaic module using the electric power line communication, and receives a message transmitted by the gateway along a path determined according to the communication state information.

Embodiments of methods and systems for supporting coexistence of multiple technologies in a Power Line Communication (PLC) network are disclosed. A long coexistence preamble sequence may be transmitted by a device that has been forced to back off the PLC channel multiple times. The long coexistence sequence provides a way for the device to request channel access from devices on the channel using other technology. The device may transmit a data packet after transmitting the long coexistence preamble sequence. A network duty cycle time may also be defined as a maximum allowed duration for nodes of the same network to access the channel. When the network duty cycle time occurs, all nodes will back off the channel for a duty cycle extended inter frame space before transmitting again. The long coexistence preamble sequence and the network duty cycle time may be used together.

The present invention provides an FM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation process that enable high-speed data communications over any transmission media and networks. The process is implemented with a modem device modulator and demodulator that provides communication with several other modem devices along any communication media that uses an FM OFDM modulation technique, a physical transmission medium such as power lines, or wireless (air), or cable, or twisted pairs communication media.

Disclosed is a device for selectively receiving data broadcast in a network. The device includes first unit for receiving configuration data transmitted in point-to-point mode, second unit for receiving data broadcast by at least one transmitter, by radio and/or by power-line communication, a digital processing sub-assembly, at least one memory for storing at least one datum determining the selectivity of the broadcast, a low-voltage power supply sub-assembly supplied by an energy source and at least one program for determining whether data received by the second unit should be used or ignored by the device, as a function of previously stored data. Also disclosed is a system for allowing devices to selectively receive data broadcast in a network. Additionally disclosed is a method for allowing a device to selectively receive data broadcast in a network.

A battery monitoring network is provided that includes a battery. The battery monitoring network also includes a battery monitoring system integrated within the battery. The battery monitoring system includes a diagnostic system configured to monitor or to store one or more battery parameters of the battery. Additionally, the battery monitoring system includes a transmitter configured to transmit data indicative of the one or more battery parameters of the battery. Furthermore, battery monitoring network includes a cloud-based computing network having a remote server configured to receive the data indicative of the one or more battery parameters of the battery. Moreover, the cloud-based computing network is configured to interface with a plurality of battery monitoring systems, and includes an internet connection.

A method in a power inverter system (100) is disclosed, wherein the power inverter system comprises a central unit (130) and a plurality of switching units (110) operable in an inverter mode in which they are individually switched so as to produce a combined output voltage waveform and AC (V.sub.OUT) transmitted in a common line (120), and operable in a communication mode in which the switching units are switched so as to produce a communication signal, the communication signal being transmitted in the common line to the central unit. The method comprises operating at least some of the switching units in the inverter mode such that they are switched in response to switching commands of a command signal produced by the central unit, and between two consecutive switching commands of the command signal, operating at least one of the switching units in the communication mode.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, a receiver that operates by: receiving via a first launcher first received guided electromagnetic waves that propagate on an outer surface of a first transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the first transmission medium has a first type of a plurality of types of transmission media; converting the received first guided electromagnetic waves to a first signal; launching, via a second launcher and based on the first signal, transmitted second guided electromagnetic waves that propagate on an outer surface of a second transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the second transmission medium has a second type of the plurality of types of transmission media that differs from the first type.

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 usedone 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.

A method of managing communications between communication devices within a digital intercom system includes providing input and output tables for each communication device. The tables for each device are made up of cells formed from linear arrays corresponding to communication channels and the other devices. When two devices communicate on a given channel, a cell in the appropriate input and output table is identified based on the channel and the devices communicating. The cells provide volume control information which can be relied upon to determine if or to what degree audio signals should be transferred between the devices.