Next Generation Narrowband(Under 500 kHz) Power Line Communications(PLC) Standards

In the past decade,several efforts around the world were started with the goal of introducing "smart metering" capabilities into the power grid.These efforts have spurred renewed interest in the design of next generation Narrowband Power Line Communications(NB-PLC) transceivers.In the past few years,ITU-T and IEEE have standardized a family of next generation OFDM-based NB-PLC transceivers some of which are today being considered for massive deployments in Europe and Asia.This paper addresses the important role that PLC has not only for smart metering but also for many other Smart Grid applications,and also gives an overview of the main differences between these next generation NB-PLC standards.

Performance Evaluation for Medium Voltage MIMO-OFDM Power Line Communication System

Power line communication(PLC)provides intelligent electrical functions such as power quality measurement,fault surveys,and remote control of electrical network.Most of research works have been done in low voltage(LV)scenario due to the fast development of in-home PLC.The aim of this paper is to evaluate the link-level performance of a medium voltage(MV)MIMO-OFDM communication system based on transmission link under underground power line channel.The MIMO channel is modeled as a modified multipath model in the presence of impulsive noise and background noise.We first perform a measurement on the practical MV MIMO channel parameters for a section of buried cable of 1 km long in Ganzhou city,Jiangxi province,China.Based on the measured channel,we design the frame structure based on an IEEE standard for broadband over power line networks[1]to support MV MIMO-OFDM transmission.According to designed frame structure,we design an encoder and a decoder for a dual binary tail-biting turbo code and optimize some key decoder parameters for low bit error rate performance.Finally,the link-level performance for both spatial multiplexing and spatial diversity are evaluated.Numeral results show that MV MIMO-OFDM is a promising approach to provide both high data rate and link reliability for PLC.

A FAST BIT-LOADING ALGORITHM FOR HIGH SPEED POWER LINE COMMUNICATIONS

Adaptive bit-loading is a key technology in high speed power line communications with the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation technology. According to the real situation of the transmitting power spectrum limited in high speed power line communications, this paper explored the adaptive bit loading algorithm to maximize transmission bit number when transmitting power spectral density and bit error rate are not exceed upper limit. With the characteristics of the power line channel, first of all, it obtains the optimal bit loading algorithm, and then provides the improved algorithm to reduce the computational complexity. Based on the analysis and simulation, it offers a non-iterative bit allocation algorithm, and finally the simulation shows that this new algorithm can greatly reduce the computational complexity, and the actual bit allocation results close to optimal.

Modeling of OFDM Based Transceiver for Broadband Powerline Communication

In the recent past power line communication has emerged as an attractive choice for high speed data transfer and is looked upon as inexpensive and reliable media suitable for broadband internet access, home and office automation, in-vehicle data communication etc. In this paper we present an architecture for the physical layer of a PLC transceiver based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and the impact on multipath distortion for PLC transmission in terms of bit error rate. Since there is no standard PLC channel model available, a widely accepted multipath channel model is used for simulation purpose. Simulation results as well as FPGA synthesis verify the effectiveness of the proposed architecture for PLC modem design at 110 Mbps data rate.

Modeling Transfer Function of Electrical Power Lines for Broadband Power Line Communication

The indoor access network is characterized by several branches that cause many reflections. In this paper, we present an approach to model the transfer function of electrical power lines for broadband power line communication. The assuming channel consists of three wires, which is widely used in many countries. As an application of the proposed method, the effect of line length from transmitter to receiver, branched line length and number of branched are also studied. From the frequency response of the transfer function (magnitude and phase), it is seen that the position of notches and peaks in the magnitude responses are largely affected in terms of attenuation by the electrical network which consists of 15 branches.

Low Complexity Discrete Bit-loading for OFDM Systems with Application in Power Line Communications

Adaptive bit-loading algorithms can improve the performance of OFDM systems significantly. The tradeoff between the performance of the algorithm and its computational complexity is essential for the implementation of loading algorithms. In this paper, we present a low complexity non-iterative discrete bit-loading algorithm to maximize the data rate subject to specified target BER and uniform power allocation. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the equal-BER loading and achieves similar rates to incremental allocation, yet with much lower complexity.

WAVELET-BASED OFDM-CDMA HIGH SPEED POWER LINE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

This letter derives the Equivalent M-band Discrete Wavelet(EMDW) transmission mode of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing(OFDM) transmission systems, and presents a new Quadrature M-band Discrete Wavelet(QMDW) based OFDM-CDMA(Code Division Multiple Access) communication systems for high speed Power Line Communication (PLC) channels.This system gives much better robustness to Inter-Channel Interference (ICI), Multi-User Interference (MUI) and noise interference, which is verified by simulation.

Data Logging and Control of a Remote Inverter Using LoRa and Power Line Communication

For decades, the power system was highly centralized. With the growing integration of distributed generations into the system, there is a necessity for bi-directional communication methods to monitor and control the remote assets. The primary objective of this paper is to develop a communication link for monitoring and controlling a grid-connected inverter in a remote location. Furthermore, the paper presents developments that have been incorporated to improve the communication link. The literature survey indicates that LoRa is superior compared to other technologies, but has some security and reliability issues. This paper also presents an encryption algorithm to improve the security of the LoRa link. Local data storage added to the system before transmitting data increases the system reliability. A display at the transmission end is added to improve the user-friendliness of the communication link. A Powerline Communication link is parallelly added to the LoRa link to improve the reliability. Finally, tests are conducted with an actual inverter and the results are presented. The tests show that the developed communication link has improved security and reliability, while its open nature makes it highly scalable and adaptable for employment in other smart grid applications.

Traffic Modeling of a Finite-Source Power Line Communication Network

Power line communication (PLC) is a promising smart grid application for information transmission using existing power lines. We analytically model a finite-source PLC network subject to channel failure through a queueing theoretic framework. The proposed PLC network model consists of a base station (BS), which is located at a transformer station and connected to the backbone communication networks, and a number of subscriber stations that are interconnected with each other and with the BS via the power line transmission medium. An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing based technique is assumed for forming the transmission channels in a frequency spectrum. The channels are subject to failure during service due to noise. We determine the steady-state solution of the proposed model and derive a set of performance metrics of interest. Numerical and simulation results are presented to provide further insights into the analytical results. The proposed modeling method is expected to be used for evaluation and design of future PLC networks.

A Power Line-delivered and Lamp-based Broadband Mobile Communication System

A new mobile communications network architecture is proposed to solve four existing bottlenecks that restrict the rapid development of mobile communications,as well as to meet the development demands of future broadband mobile communications. The architecture introduces the Information Lamp (IL),a novel device carrying out transceiver function,as the access point,besides providing light. It fulfills information interaction between the access points and radio access network through the power line (or fiber). The new system,supported by core technologies such as multi-antenna based distributed space-time signal processing and distributed radio resource management,integrates the wired and wireless networks to provide high-speed and high-quality mobile communication services.

Design and Implementation of Power Line Communication Module for Network Household Appliance

This paper presents the basic principle of OFDM technology and some key technologies, and do the simulation of OFDM technology. Secondly, on the basis of the design of intelligent Home Furnishing system demand, this paper research and design low voltage power line carrier communication based on Intelligent Home Furnishing system for. The circuit takes ARM Cortex-M3 based on the ARM kernel as the central controller, and realize remote monitoring and control of equipment through the transplantation of uC/OS-II system and the design of Web Serve program. Using OFDM power line carrier communication modes as networking mode of the intelligent Home Furnishing system. Finally, the paper realize the intelligent node and relevant software that constitute a complete system of intelligent Home Furnishing.

Power Line Communications Networking Method Based on Hybrid Ant Colony and Genetic Algorithm

When solving the routing problem with traditional ant colony algorithm, there is scarce in initialize pheromone and a slow convergence and stagnation for the complex network topology and the time-varying characteristics of channel in power line carrier communication of low voltage distribution grid. The algorithm is easy to fall into premature and local optimization. Proposed an automatic network algorithm based on improved transmission delay and the load factor as the evaluation factors. With the requirements of QoS, a logical topology of power line communication network is established. By the experiment of MATLAB simulation, verify that the improved Dynamic hybrid ant colony genetic algorithm (DH_ACGA) algorithm has improved the communication performance, which solved the QoS routing problems of power communication to some extent.

Modelling of Impedance Matching Circuit with Digital Capacitor in Narrowband Power Line Communication

Power line communication technology is used in various applications, from high voltage network to the low voltage network, as it is the only wired communication technology that is comparable with wireless communication network. It works by injecting a modulated carrier wave into the electric cables from one transceiver to another. But still, the noise level and impedance mismatch are still the main concern of this technology, particularly in the low voltage network in residential area. Power line has additive non-white noise and extremely harsh environment for communication. At the same time, there is signal attenuation along the power line caused by the impedance mismatch in the power line network. Even though these problems can be controlled using a band-pass filter and an impedance matching circuit respectively, but the impedances in the power line are time and location variant and it is rather difficult to design a circuit that allows maximum power transfer in the system all the time. Thus in this paper, a new adaptive impedance matching circuits is proposed for narrowband power line communication. This methodology is derived based on the RLC band-pass filter circuit. This concept is designed to achieve simpler configuration and higher matching resolution.

Polar codes based OFDM-PLC systems in the presence of impulsive noise

Power line communication(PLC)has the potential to become the preferred technique for providing broadband communication to homes and offices with advantage of eliminating the need for new wiring infrastructure and reducing the cost.But it suffers from the impulsive noise because it introduces significant time variance into the power line channel.In this paper,a polar codes based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(OFDM)PLC system is proposed to deal with the impulsive noise and thereby improve the transmission performance.Firstly,the impulsive noise is modelled with a multi-damped sine function by analyzing the time behavior of impulse events.Then the polar codes are used to combat the impulsive noise of PLC channel,and a low complexity bit-flipping decoding method based on CRC-aided successive cancellation list(CA-SCL)decoding algorithm is proposed.Simulations evaluate the proposed decoding algorithm and the results validate the suggested polar codes based OFDM-PLC scheme which can improve the BER performance of PLC with impulsive interference.

基于变步长匹配追踪的G3-PLC系统信道估计算法

为合理利用电力线信道的稀疏特性,提高G3-PLC系统通信的可靠性,基于压缩感知(compressed sensing,CS)理论,提出一种稀疏度自适应的变步长前向后向匹配追踪(sparsity adaptive variable step size forward-backward pursuit,SA-VSSFBP)算法。该算法在前向后向匹配追踪算法(forward-backward pursuit,FBP)的基础上引入变步长自适应的思想,于迭代初期选择大步长以减小迭代次数,迭代后期使用小步长获得精确估计。同时利用原子匹配度测试进行稀疏度预估计,确保逼近真实稀疏度的前提下,加快迭代速度,减少算法运行的时间。仿真实验结果表明,对比传统的信道估计方式,压缩感知信道估计方式具有更优越的性能,且相较于正交匹配追踪算法(orthogonal matching pursuit,OMP)与FBP的压缩感知信道估计算法,文章提出的算法能够在保证精度与步长为1的FBP相当的情况下算法效率分别能够提升24.14%和47.2%。

Side-Channel Attacks & Data Exfiltration Using Wall Outlet USB Power Adapters

The number and creativity of side channel attacks have increased dramatically in recent years. Of particular interest are attacks leveraging power line communication to 1) gather information on power consumption from the victim and 2) exfiltrate data from compromised machines. Attack strategies of this nature on the greater power grid and building infrastructure levels have been shown to be a serious threat. This project further explores this concept of a novel attack vector by creating a new type of penetration testing tool: an USB power adapter capable of remote monitoring of device power consumption and communicating through powerline communications.

Converged Communication Technology and Application in Intelligent Dual-Interactive Power System

Acknowledgments Thanks for assistance and support, which is provided by State Grid Corporation of China and State Grid Communication Information ＆ Telecommunication Company, for the project in the process of research and development. Fibrlink Communications Co., Ltd will keep exerting itself to innovating, which aims for making more contribution of the smart grid on energy reduction and environment protection.

基于PLC技术的回流缆防盗割动态监测系统设计

回流缆防盗割监测是输电线路运维的重要内容,针对现有监测方法实时性差、误报率高等问题,提出一种基于电力线通信(Power Line Communication,PLC)技术的回流缆防盗割动态监测系统。该系统利用电力线载波通信技术实现监测数据的实时传输,并利用光纤应变和振动传感器对回流缆状态进行多参数监测,通过多传感器数据融合提高盗割识别准确率。测试结果表明,该系统能够准确检测各类盗割行为,具有较高的实时性和可靠性。

基于门限判断机会调度的多用户PLC/RF系统性能分析

针对融入译码转发中继技术的混合电力线通信(Power Line Communication, PLC)与射频(Radio-Frequency, RF)传输系统,首先提出了一种基于门限判断的多用户机会调度方案。其次,在PLC和RF链路信道衰落分别服从对数正态分布和相关莱斯分布的条件下,推导出采用所提调度方案的PLC/RF系统中断概率和归一化平均反馈负载的闭合表达式。接着,还通过分析高信噪比条件下系统中断概率的渐进性能,得到系统分集度和阵列增益的简单闭合表达式。最后,计算机仿真不仅验证了理论分析的正确性,而且进一步揭示了所提方案能够在尽量减少反馈负载的同时获得较优的中断性能,从而为实际的系统设计提供参考和依据。

Outage Probability Analysis of Free Space Communication System Using Diversity Combining Techniques

Recently,free space optical(FSO)communication is gaining much attention towards the research community.The reason for this attention is the promises of high data-rate,license-free deployment,and non-interfering links.It can,however,give rise to major system difficulties concerning alignment and atmospheric turbulence.FSO is the degradation in the signal quality because of atmospheric channel impairments and conditions.The worst effect is due to fog particles.Though,Radio Frequency(RF)links are able to transmit the data in foggy conditions but not in rain.To overcome these issues related to both the FSO and RF links.A free space communication system(FSCS)is proposed,in which the hybrid technology is based on the individual FSO and RF channel.FSCS is a capable solution to overcome the difficulties of the existing systems(FSO and RF)as well as to enhance the overall link reliability and availability.In this paper,FSCS is investigated in terms of performance throughput(i.e.,outage probability and bit-error-rate(BER))by implementing the receive diversity combining techniques.An analysis of the outage probability of the proposed system along with the individual FSO and RF system is developed.Simulation results are presented to support the analysis.It is shown that the proposed system outperforms the individual FSO andRF system and gives a power gain of 3dB over a distinct number of receive antennas.