Endpoint Device Channel Assignment in Power Line Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data communication between a command center and thousands of endpoint devices over power distribution lines is challenging due to the complexity of setup and configuration, particularly in distinguishing between different organization IDs and managing communication channels.
Innovation Solution
Endpoint devices are configured to listen for and respond to specific communication channels by detecting their unique endpoint ID and organization ID, allowing them to selectively process and respond to communications, thereby ignoring irrelevant data and ensuring accurate channel tuning and organization-specific responses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If endpoint devices monitor all communication channels to ensure they receive their communications, then communication reliability is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The endpoint device performs preliminary scanning of communication channels during setup to detect its assigned channel before normal operation begins. This preliminary action ensures the endpoint knows which channel to monitor, avoiding the need to continuously scan all channels during operation, thus maintaining reliability while reducing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The endpoint device extracts and stores its specific communication channel information from the setup communication, separating the relevant channel data from the overall communication stream. This allows the endpoint to focus monitoring resources only on its assigned channel rather than processing all channels, reducing processing overhead while maintaining reliable communication.
2Adaptability or versatility
If endpoint devices scan multiple channels to find their identifier, then channel assignment flexibility is improved, but setup time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The command center performs preliminary channel assignment and communicates the assigned channel to the endpoint device during setup. This preliminary action eliminates the need for the endpoint to scan multiple channels to find its assignment, reducing setup time while maintaining the flexibility of centralized channel assignment management.
Solution Approach 2:
The endpoint device receives feedback from the command center during setup communication that confirms its assigned channel and organization ID. This feedback mechanism allows the endpoint to quickly identify its operational parameters without extensive scanning, reducing setup time while maintaining flexible channel assignment capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If endpoint devices process all received communications to check for their identifier, then communication accuracy is improved, but processing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The endpoint device extracts its unique endpoint ID and assigned organization ID during setup, storing these identifiers for quick comparison. During operation, the endpoint only processes communications that match its stored identifiers, extracting relevant communications from the multi-channel environment without needing to deeply process all incoming data, thus maintaining accuracy while improving efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The endpoint device performs partial processing of communications by first checking identifier matches before full processing. This partial action filters out irrelevant communications early, reducing the total processing load while ensuring that all relevant communications are accurately identified and processed.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple organizations share the same power distribution lines, then infrastructure utilization is improved, but communication interference and error rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments communications by organizing them into distinct organization ID groups. Each endpoint device is assigned a specific organization ID and only processes communications bearing that identifier. This segmentation isolates communications from different organizations sharing the same power distribution lines, preventing interference while maximizing infrastructure utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
Each endpoint device is configured with local quality attributes including its specific organization ID and endpoint ID that distinguish its communications. This local quality allows the endpoint to selectively process only relevant communications from its own organization while ignoring communications from other organizations sharing the infrastructure, maintaining reliability through selective processing.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward a system that includes a plurality of endpoint devices. Each endpoint device can be configured and arranged to monitor a plurality of communication channels carried over power distribution lines for data communications. The endpoint can detect setup communications that contain an endpoint identifier (ID) matching the endpoint. The endpoint then stores or assigns the organization ID (obtained from the detected communications) to itself. The endpoint configures itself to respond to subsequent operational communications based upon the organization ID. A command center is configured and arranged to transmit setup communications to endpoint devices. The setup communications can include one or more endpoint identifiers and the organization ID. The command center can also transmit operational communications to the plurality endpoint devices, the operational communications including the organization ID.