Method for communication utilizing multi-mode reception

Claim 1

A method, applicable to communicating schemes on electric powerlines wherein a single signaling event of at least one type is in principle capable of representing a binary bit, whereby one may simultaneously improve signal quality and increase data rate, the said method comprising the steps of: (i) representing every element of digital intelligence in terms of a pattern from a selected family of orthogonal patterns, where such selected family of patterns is comprised exclusively of signaling events of the same, at least one, type and where each pattern extends over an interval corresponding to the same integer multiple of four periods of the powerline frequency, and wherein the signaling events comprising each pattern are located in exactly half of the cycles contained in said pattern, each said pattern of signaling events being impressed upon the electric powerline at a transmitting site; (ii) for the recognition of a pattern from the selected family of orthogonal patterns, employing at the receiving site a multiplicity of simultaneous detection modes, in number equal to half the number of patterns in the selected orthogonal family, and operating in such fashion that for each detection mode samples from corresponding portions of successive cycles in the pattern are combined in an equal number of additive and subtractive operations so as to accumulate signal from, and distinguished between, the pair of patterns with which that detection mode is uniquely associated, yet fail to accumulate signal from any pre-existing periodic background or from any pattern of the selected orthogonal family other than the pair of patterns with which the detection mode is uniquely associated; (iii) processing the signals accumulated in the various detection modes so as to recognize the, at least one, transmitted pattern, which represents the element of digital intelligence and thereby to infer each element of digital intelligence conveyed within the interval corresponding to the same integer multiple of four periods of the powerline frequency.

Claim 2

A method, applicable to communicating schemes on electric powerlines wherein a single signaling event of at least one type is in principle capable of representing a binary bit, whereby one may simultaneously improve signal quality and increase data rate, the said method comprising the steps of: (i) representing every element of digital intelligence in terms of a pattern from a selected family of orthogonal patterns, where such selected family of patterns is comprised exclusively of signaling events of the same, at least one, type and where each pattern extends over an interval corresponding to the same integer multiple of four periods of the powerline frequency, and wherein the signaling events comprising each pattern are located in exactly half of the cycles contained in said pattern, each said pattern of signaling events being impressed upon the electric powerline at a transmitting site; (ii) for the recognition of a pattern from the selected family of orthogonal patterns, employing at the receiving site a multiplicity of simultaneous detection modes, in number equal to half the number of patterns in the selected orthogonal family, and operating in such fashion that for each detection mode samples from corresponding portions of successive cycles in the pattern are combined in an equal number of additive and subtractive operations so as to accumulate signal from, and distinguished between, the pair of patterns with which that detection mode is uniquely associated, yet fail to accumulate signal from any pre-existing periodic background or from any pattern of the selected orthogonal family other than the pair of patterns with which the detection mode is uniquely associated; (iii) processing the signals accumulated in the various detection modes so as to recognize the, at least one, transmitted pattern, which represents the element of digital intelligence and thereby to infer each element of digital intelligence conveyed within the interval corresponding to the same integer multiple of four periods of the powerline frequency.

Claim 5

The method of claims 1 or 2 wherein a multiplicity of transmitters operating in synchronism is employed at the same transmitting site for the simultaneous transmission of a plurality of digits.

Claim 6

The method of claims 3 wherein a preamble to the message proper is employed to establish the required synchronism between the receiving site and the transmitter.