Communication apparatus enabling temporal coexistence of systems

A communication apparatus coexisting with other communication apparatuses on a single power line communication medium, the communication apparatus comprising:

• a controller to divide a communication band so as to allow a first time period in which a coexistence signal for designating a communication slot exclusively used on the power line communication medium by the communication system belonging to the communication apparatus is transmitted, and a second time period in which a first communication slot and a second communication slot are allocated, to be alternately repeated at a predetermined coexistence signal cycle;
• and
• a transmitter to transmit the coexistence signal at a predetermined cycle including the first time period and the second time period, wherein
• the controller
• allocates, during the second time period at a first cycle, the first communication slot and the second communication slot;
• sets, for the first communication slot during the second time period, a communication right for a single communication system, repeatedly at the first cycle;
• sets, for the second communication slot during the second time period, a communication right for the single communication system, repeatedly at a second cycle which is longer than the first cycle;
• and
• allocates the communication slot exclusively used, as a combination of the first communication slot and the second communication slot, by the communication system belonging to the communication apparatus,
• wherein the second cycle is a subset of the coexistence signal cycle, and
• wherein the first cycle is a subset of the second cycle.

A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions that, when executed by a computer included in a communication apparatus used for one communication system among a plurality of communication systems respectively coexisting with one another on a single power line communication medium, cause the computer to perform a method comprising steps of:

• dividing, by a controller, a communication band so as to allow a first time period in which a coexistence signal for designating a communication slot exclusively used on the power line communication medium by the communication system belonging to the communication apparatus is transmitted, and a second time period in which a first communication slot and a second communication slot are allocated, to be alternately repeated at a predetermined coexistence signal cycle;
• allocating, by the controller during the second time period at a first cycle, the first communication slot and the second communication slot;
• setting, by the controller, for the first communication slot during the second time period, a communication right for a single communication system, repeatedly at the first cycle;
• setting, by the controller, for the second communication slot during the second time period, a communication right for the single communication system, repeatedly at a second cycle which is longer than the first cycle;
• allocating, by the controller, the communication slot exclusively used, as a combination of the first communication slot and the second communication slot, by the communication system belonging to the communication apparatus;
• and
• transmitting, by a transmitter, the coexistence signal at the coexistence signal cycle,
• wherein the second cycle is a subset of the coexistence signal cycle, and
• wherein the first cycle is a subset of the second cycle.

An integrated circuit which is used in a communication apparatus used for one communication system among a plurality of communication systems respectively coexisting with one another on a single power line communication medium, the integrated circuit comprising circuits functioning as:

• a controller to divide a communication band so as to allow a first time period in which a coexistence signal for designating a communication slot exclusively used on the power line communication medium by the communication system belonging to the communication apparatus is transmitted, and a second time period in which a first communication slot and a second communication slot are allocated, to be alternately repeated at a predetermined coexistence signal cycle;
• and
• a transmitter to transmit the coexistence signal at the coexistence signal cycle, wherein
• the controller
• allocates, during the second time period at a first cycle, the first communication slot and the second communication slot;
• sets, for the first communication slot during the second time period, a communication right for a single communication system, repeatedly at the first cycle;
• sets, for the second communication slot during the second time period, a communication right for the single communication system, repeatedly at a second cycle which is longer than the first cycle;
• and
• allocates the communication slot exclusively used, as a combination of the first communication slot and the second communication slot, by the communication system belonging to the communication apparatus,
• wherein the second cycle is a subset of the coexistence signal cycle, and
• wherein the first cycle is a subset of the second cycle.