Oct 29, 2014

Press Release

Panasonic to Commence Licensing Unified IP Core for HD-PLC

Panasonic will commence licensing of the unified IP core, which includes the analog circuit IP, as well as digital circuit IP, for HD-PLC. The unified IP core will accelerate the development of single chip system LSI for HD-PLC, which enables downsizing and energy-saving and therefore facilitates its use in a wide variety of products

Osaka, Japan - Panasonic Corporation today announced that from January 2015 it will commence licensing of the unified IP (intellectual property) core involving the provided digital circuit IP and analog circuit IP1, which is an indispensable component of one-chip system LSI for high-speed power line communication (HD-PLC)2.

HD-PLC uses power lines in the home not only for power transmission but also for communication, just like LAN cables. It allows users to enjoy stable wired network communication by simply plugging in HD-PLC equipment without the need to install a new LAN cable.

System LSI generally consists of a number of functional circuit blocks and the information of the circuit block is called "IP." HD-PLC uses power lines for digital communication, and requires analog circuit IP for power control and digital circuit IP for digital communication.

Regarding the digital circuit IP, Panasonic has licensed "HD-PLC Complete," which supports the LAN communication standard IEEE 19013, since 2010, and "HD-PLC Inside," which supports serial I/O interface, since 2013.

As a result, system LSIs for digital circuits and system LSIs for analog circuits are required separately. The licensing of the new unified IP core will accelerate the development of single chip system LSI for HD-PLC.

Compared with conventional system LSIs, single chip system LSI for HD-PLC enables downsizing, weight-saving and energy-saving, and therefore can be used in a wider variety of products. This will make it possible to connect a greater range of HD-PLC equipped product on a network, perform operations linking and coordinating these products, and provide more advanced services.

Panasonic will aim at licensing unified IP core for industrial equipment in response to demands for longer distance communications and connections between increasing numbers of equipment for wider business solutions.

Notes:

1. Intellectual property core, or IP core, refers to circuit information from functional circuits on a system LSI.

2. HD-PLC: The name of a high-speed power line communication system proposed by Panasonic Corporation. HD-PLC is a trademark or registered trademark in Japan and other countries

3. IEEE 1901: A communication standard standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

About Panasonic

Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and engineering of electronic technologies and solutions for customers in residential, non-residential, mobility and personal applications. Since its founding in 1918, the company has expanded globally and now operates over 500 consolidated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.74 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2014. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company strives to create a better life and a better world for its customers. For more information about Panasonic, please visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net/.

Media Contacts:

Public Relations Group
Panasonic Corporation
Tel:+81-(0)3-3574-5664 Fax:+81-(0)3-3574-5699
Panasonic News Bureau
Tel:+81-(0)3-3542-6205 Fax:+81-(0)3-3542-9018

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