Search Results (26)

Narrowband Power Line Communication (NB-PLC) involves transmitting data by overlaying a high frequency low amplitude signal (ranging from 9 kHz to 500 kHz) onto the low-frequency high amplitude signal (50 Hz to 60 Hz) of the power grid. While using the existing power grid for communication is convenient, it was not originally designed for this purpose, leading to challenges such as conducted emissions and infrastructure constraints. To overcome these technical obstacles, power line filters (PLFs) are a viable solution. The results of our research work, focusing on the optimization of PLFs for NB-PLC to ensure their design fits the needed use case while avoiding over-engineering, are presented in this article. Our study concentrates specifically on the filtering of PLC signal and conducted emissions up to 500 kHz. Building upon a PLC PLF extensively discussed in our previous work—which blocks the PLC signal in the CENELEC-A frequency band regardless of its placement within the electrical installation, sometimes leading to over-engineering—this research aims to adapt the filter order and components for a variety of real scenarios in CENELEC-A, FCC, and ARIB frequency bands. By characterizing different filters, our work provides tailored solutions for these scenarios and serves as a framework for future filter designs in PLC applications. Full article

In the neighborhood area network (NAN), the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) enables a bidirectional connection between the smart meter (SM) and the data concentrator (DC). Sensors, such as smart meter nodes or environmental sensor nodes, play a crucial role in measuring and transmitting data to central units for advanced monitoring, management, and analysis of energy consumption. Wired and wireless communication technologies are used to implement the AMI-NAN. This paper delves into a novel approach for optimizing the choice of communication medium, air for radio frequency (RF) or power lines for power line communication (PLC), between the SM and DC in the context of the AMI-NAN. The authors methodically select the specific technologies, RF and NB-PLC (narrowband power line communication), and meticulously characterize their attributes. Then, a comparative analysis spanning rural, urban, and industrial settings is conducted to evaluate the proposed method. The overall reliability performance of the AMI-NAN system requires a packet error rate (PER) lower than 10%. To this end, an efficient approach is introduced to assess and enhance the reliability of NB-PLC and RF for AMI-NAN applications. Simulation results demonstrate that wireless communication is the optimal choice for the rural scenario, especially for a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) lower than 25 dB. However, in urban environments characterized by higher SNR values and moderately dense networks, NB-PLC gains prominence. In denser networks, it outperforms wireless communication, exhibiting a remarkable 10 dB gain for a bit error rate (BER) of 10⁻³. Moreover, in industrial zones characterized by intricate network topologies and non-linear loads, the power line channel emerges as the optimal choice for data transmission. Full article

This article presents and discusses the structure, principle of operation, and operational properties of a newly developed interference level detector (ILD) designed to measure conducted supraharmonic disturbances (1–150 kHz) in the power grid and to assess the effectiveness of narrow-band Power Line Communication (PLC) transmission, especially in the PRIME technology. The usability assessment was made on the basis of the validation and the results of tests carried out in a low-voltage network with non-linear loads. Appropriate practical conclusions were then formulated. Full article

This paper is aimed at making new proposals for developing future Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) standards tailored to DC microgrids in a frequency range between 9 and 500 kHz. In particular, new EMC proposals are made to reduce Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) with arc hazard detection and narrowband power line communication (PLC). To achieve this, first, arc detection requirements, PLC standards and existing EMC standards are reviewed. Next, new proposals are made to specify EMC requirements for equipment in DC microgrids in terms of conducted emission, immunity (9–500 kHz) and minimum impedance requirement (>40 kHz). The minimum impedance requirement is a new type of requirement and the relevant compliance testing method is developed. The new EMC proposals also distribute frequency bands to support arc detection and narrowband PLC. Then, to show the feasibility and advantage of proposed EMC codes, this paper develops a new arc detection method, which relies on only measuring the arc noise voltage (40–100 kHz) in a single point of the grid and does not need one or more current measurements. A total of three test cases are presented to show the feasibility of the arc detection method and the significance of having an EMC minimum impedance requirement. The executed tests for this paper also show that new EMC proposals are feasible and promising for DC microgrids. This concept and approach are the major novelties of this paper. The specific EMC threshold levels for conducted noise, immunity, and impedance within a frequency range between 9 and 500 kHz will need to be further fine-tuned based on the microgrid application parameters and further gathering of experimental data. Full article

NB-PLC (narrowband power line communication) is a method of data communication that involves superimposing a relatively high-frequency signal (9 kHz to 500 kHz), which contains data, onto the power grid’s low frequency (50 to 60 Hz) signal. While using the existing power grid as a transmission medium is convenient, the power grid was not designed for this purpose, leading to challenges such as conducted emissions and infrastructure limitations. To overcome these technical challenges, passive filters are necessary. This article presents the design, simulation (using scattering parameters), and evaluation of an NB-PLC filter by comparing it to commercially available filters. Our proposed design and benchmarking methods enable the accurate prediction of the filter’s behavior in field conditions. After comparing our filter with commercially available filters, we observed that it exhibits superior characteristics. Specifically, our filter has the best insertion loss versus frequency, achieved three times higher attenuation at 50 kHz (−130 dB) compared to the best commercially available filter (−40 dB), and has a power consumption of 0.6 W, which is comparable to the most power-efficient commercial filter (0.5 W). Additionally, our filter has the second best input and output impedance of 3.6 Ω within the frequency range of 35–95 kHz. Full article

This paper investigates the degradation caused by interference resulting from cyclic prefix violation and symbol timing offset in narrowband power line communication systems. In this sense, it presents a unified formulation from which Hermitian symmetric orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (HS-OFDM), orthogonal chirp division multiplexing (OCDM), single-carrier cyclic prefix (SCCP), and orthogonal time–frequency division multiplexing (OTFDM) can be easily derived. The paper then provides closed-form expressions for quantifying the aforementioned interference in the presence of a frequency domain equalizer. The numerical analyses exhibit the performances of these schemes under various data communication conditions, such as the availability of channel state information, the presence or absence of interference, modeling of additive noise as a white or colored Gaussian random process, frequency domain equalizer type, and the use of bit and power allocation techniques. The closed-form expressions and performance analyses regarding achievable data rate and bit error probability provide guidance for dealing with distinct constraints in narrowband power line communication (PLC) systems using the HS-OFDM, OCDM, SCCP, or OTFDM scheme. Lastly, the unified formulation and results obtained motivate the design of multi-scheme transceivers. Full article

Power line communication (PLC) is an important interconnection technology for the smart grid, but the robustness of PLC transmission is faced with a great challenge due to strong non-Gaussian noise and interference. In this paper, a narrowband interference (NBI) resistant preamble is designed, and an effective timing and frequency synchronization method is proposed for OFDM-based PLC systems in the smart grid, which is capable of simultaneously conveying some bits of transmission parameter signaling (TPS) as well. In the time domain, the cyclic extension of the training OFDM symbol is scrambled, which makes it feasible to combat against NBI contamination. More accurate timing detection and sharper correlation peak can be implemented under the power line channel and the AWGN channel in the presence of NBI, compared with the conventional Schmidl’s and Minn’s methods with the same preamble length. Furthermore, the TPS transmitted using the proposed method is also immune from the NBI. The proposed method is capable of improving the synchronization performance of the PLC transmission significantly, which is verified by theoretical analysis and computer simulations. Full article

This paper investigates the response and characteristics of the narrowband power line communication (NB-PLC) technique for the effective control of electric appliances such as smart air conditioners (SACs) for demand side management (DSM) services. The expression for temperature sensitivity by examining the influence of atmospheric temperature variations on power consumption profile of all possible types of loads, i.e., residential, commercial, and industrial loads is derived and analyzed. Comprehensive field measurements on these power consumers are carried out in Lahore, Pakistan. The responses of low voltage channels, medium voltage channels, and transformer bridge for a 3–500 kHz NB-PLC frequency range are presented for DSM services. The master control room transmits control commands for the thermostat settings of SACs over power lines, crossing the transformer bridge to reach the SACs of power consumers by using communication protocol smart energy profile 1.0. The comparison of hourly and daily power consumption profiles under evaluation loads, by analyzing typical and variable frequency air conditioners on setting thermostat temperature at 25 °C and 27 °C conventionally and then by using DSM control technique, is analyzed. A prominent reduction in power consumption is found with the implementation of the DSM control technique. Full article

Power line communication (PLC), which is often used in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), may be disturbed by adjacent high-power converters. Due to the inherent features of this type of communication, classic methods of improving communication reliability (filtration and circuit separation) cannot be fully applied. Information coding (modulation) methods are used in PLC to increase the data transfer rate and improve noise immunity. Random modulations (RanM) are used in converters to lower emission levels. Therefore, we investigate how the converters’ modulation parameters and coding methods may affect PLC communication reliability in the paper. To this end, we employ an experimental approach. In particular, the analysis of the influence of deterministic modulation (DetM) and (RanM) on the performance of narrowband G3-PLC is shown. We emulated an actual situation where EMI generated by the DC/DC converter disturbed the PLC transmission. The experimental results show the transmission error rates for different operating scenarios. The natural (experimental) system results, due to the complexity of the disturbing signals, differ from the literature data obtained by simulation for normalized signals. Full article

As electric vehicles are gaining increasing worldwide interest, advances in driving range and safety become critical. Modern automotive battery management systems (BMS) compete with challenging performance and safety requirements and need to monitor a large amount of battery parameters. In this paper, we propose power line communications (PLC) for high voltage (HV) traction batteries to reduce the BMS wiring effort. By modeling a small-scale battery pack for frequencies up to 300 MHz, we predict the PLC channel transfer characteristics and validate the results using a PLC hardware demonstrator employing a narrowband single-carrier modulation. The results demonstrate that battery PLC is a demanding task due to low access impedances and cell coupling effects, yet transfer characteristics can be improved by optimal impedance matching. PLC for HV BMS not only saves weight and cost, but also improves flexibility in BMS design. PLC enables single-cell monitoring techniques such as online electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) without additional wiring. Online EIS can be used for in-situ state and temperature estimation saving extra sensors. This work unveils possible coexistence issues between PLC and battery monitoring. In particular, we demonstrate that certain PLC data or packet rates have to be avoided not to interfere with EIS measurements. Full article

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) filters are one of the main solutions for dealing with the disturbances generated by power inverters. However, they show series/parallel resonances that introduce variations in the impedance seen from the grid. Consequently, in some cases, these filters have low impedances at resonance frequencies, which can affect Narrowband Power Line Communications (NB-PLC) due to notching effects. For that reason, the potential effects of four EMC filters on NB-PLC have been studied. Laboratory trials in a controlled environment have been carried out, in which the attenuation and the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) thresholds that define the communication’s quality have been studied. The results presented in this paper show that, although the variations of the channel frequency response are not selective enough to degrade the communication thresholds, the attenuation measured when the filter is connected near the receiver might be sufficiently high to be critical for the communications in some situations. Therefore, EMC filters might have a negative impact on NB-PLC that had not been previously considered. Full article

Powerline communication (PLC) is a versatile method that uses existing infrastructure such as power cables for data transmission. This makes PLC an alternative and cost-effective technology for the transmission of sensor and actuator data by making dual use of the power line and avoiding the need for other communication solutions; such as wireless radio frequency communication. A PLC modem using DSSS (direct sequence spread spectrum) for reliable LIN-bus based data transmission has been developed for automotive applications. Due to the almost complete system implementation in a low power microcontroller; the component cost could be radically reduced which is a necessary requirement for automotive applications. For performance evaluation the DSSS modem was compared to two commercial PLC systems. The DSSS and one of the commercial PLC systems were designed as a direct conversion receiver; the other commercial module uses a superheterodyne architecture. The performance of the systems was tested under the influence of narrowband interference and additive Gaussian noise added to the transmission channel. It was found that the performance of the DSSS modem against singleton interference is better than that of commercial PLC transceivers by at least the processing gain. The performance of the DSSS modem was at least 6 dB better than the other modules tested under the influence of the additive white Gaussian noise on the transmission channel at data rates of 19.2 kB/s. Full article

The aim of this paper is to formulate the physical layer of the broadband and narrowband power line communication (PLC) systems described in standards IEEE 1901 and IEEE 1901.2, which address new communication technologies over electrical networks for Smart Grid and Internet of Things applications. Specifically, this paper presents a mathematical formulation by means of matrices of a transmitter and receiver system based on windowed OFDM. The proposed formulation is essential for obtaining the input–output relation, as well as an analysis of the interference present in the system. It is very useful for simulating PLC systems using software designed to operate primarily on whole matrices and arrays, such as Matlab. In addition, it eases the analysis and design of different receiver configurations, simply by modifying or adding a matrix. Since the relevant standards only describe the blocks corresponding to the transmitter, and leave the set-up of the receiver open to the manufacturer, we analysed four different possible schemes that include window functions in different configurations. In simulations, the behaviour of each of these schemes is analysed in terms of bit error and achievable data rates using artificial and real noises. Full article

This paper is focused on the channel modeling techniques for implementation of narrowband power line communication (NB-PLC) over medium voltage (MV) network for the purpose of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). Three different types of models, based on deterministic method, statistical method, and network parameters based method are investigated in detail. Transmission line (TL) theory model is used to express the MV network as a two-port network to examine characteristics of sending and receiving NB-PLC signals. Multipath signal propagation model is used to incorporate the effect of multipath signals to determine the NB-PLC transfer function. A Simulink model is proposed which considers the values of MV network to examine the characteristics of NB-PLC signals. Frequency selectivity is also introduced in the impedances to compare variations and characteristics with constant impedances based MV network. A state-of-the-art mechanism for the modeling of capacitive coupling device, and impedances of low voltage (LV) and MV networks is developed. Moreover, a comparative analysis of TL theory and multipath signal propagation models with the proposed Simulink model is presented to validate the performance and accuracy of proposed model. This research work will pave the way to improve the efficiency of next-generation NB-PLC technologies. Full article

Cyclostationary impulsive noise (CSIN) is the dominant source of additive noise in narrowband powerline communication (NB-PLC) systems. Frequency-shift (FRESH) filters have been applied to NB-PLC systems based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) to mitigate CSIN and enhance the OFDM signals by leveraging the difference in cyclic frequency associated with CSIN and OFDM data symbols. Note that under the effects of frequency fluctuation in the mains voltage, the cyclic frequency offset associated with CSIN can degrade the performance of FRESH-filter receivers. To alleviate such an impact on the FRESH-filter receivers, this paper presents a method for the estimation of the cyclic frequency offset by observing phase variations in the coefficients of the FRESH filter. Computer simulations based on IEEE 1901.2 specifications demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in suppressing the cyclic frequency relative error by at least 15.45 dB. Following compensation for the cyclic frequency offset, the proposed scheme achieved a bit error rate of ${10}^{-4}$ with an $E_b/N_0$ loss of only 0.7 dB, compared with the ideal case. Compared to the case without the cyclic frequency offset compensation, the proposed scheme achieved an $E_b/N_0$ gain of 2.7 dB. Full article