# US 12,764,791 B2 · Physical layer collision avoidance (PLCA) coordinator redundancy

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- Number: US 12,764,791 B2
- Document ID: US12764791B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/670,096
- Filed: 2024-05-21
- Published: 2025-11-27
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2024-05-21
- Assignees: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
- Applicants: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
- Inventors: Arndt Schuebel; Piergiorgio Beruto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12764791B2

## CPC

- H04W 74/0816: with collision avoidance
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

Methods and network interfaces are provided to equip network nodes with PLCA (Physical Layer Collision Avoidance) coordinator redundancy. One illustrative network interface includes: a transceiver configured to send and receive network data packets via a communications medium; and a PLCA controller configured to provide redundancy by causing the transceiver to transmit a beacon signal when detecting a transmit opportunity for a node ID that exceeds a total node count by an amount equal to a local node ID even when the local node ID is greater than zero. An illustrative network interface method includes: sending and receiving network data packets via a communications medium; and providing PLCA coordinator redundancy by sending a beacon signal when detecting a transmit opportunity for a node ID that exceeds a total node count by an amount equal to a local node ID even when the local node ID is greater than zero.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A network interface that comprises:
a transceiver configured to send and receive network data packets via a communications medium; and
a PLCA (Physical Layer Collision Avoidance) controller configured to provide redundancy by causing the transceiver to transmit a beacon signal when detecting a transmit opportunity for a node ID that exceeds a total node count by an amount equal to a local node ID, the local node ID being greater than zero.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The network interface of claim 1, wherein the PLCA controller is configured to determine the node count by timing beacon signals sent by a remote node.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The network interface of claim 1, wherein the PLCA controller is configured to use a default value as the total node count unless a programmed value is provided with allocation of the local node ID.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The network interface of claim 1, wherein the PLCA controller is configured to detect transmit opportunities by counting symbol intervals after each beacon signal with pauses during any packets sent by remote nodes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The network interface of claim 1, wherein the communications medium is a single wire pair.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The network interface of claim 5, further comprising a PCS (physical coding sublayer) module, a PMA (physical media attachment) module, and a physical medium dependent (PMD) sublayer module, that are collectively configured to implement an IEEE 802.3cg-2019 10BASE-T1S standard protocol.

### Claim 7

A network interface method that comprises:
sending and receiving network data packets via a communications medium; and
providing PLCA coordinator redundancy by sending a beacon signal when detecting a transmit opportunity for a node ID that exceeds a total node count by an amount equal to a local node ID, the local node ID being greater than zero.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The network interface method of claim 7, further comprising: using the timing of beacon signals from a remote node to determine the total node count.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The network interface method of claim 7, further comprising: using a default value as the total node count unless a programmed value is provided with allocation of the local node ID.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The network interface method of claim 7, wherein as part of detecting the transmit opportunity, the method includes counting symbol intervals after each beacon signal with pauses during any packets sent by remote nodes.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The network interface method of claim 7, wherein the communications medium is a single wire pair.