Alternative approach to Power Line Communication (PLC) channel modelling and multipath characterization.
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Date
2016
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Abstract
Modelling and characterization of the Power Line Communication (PLC) channel is an
active research area. The research mainly focuses on ways of fully exploiting the existing
and massive power line network for communications. In order to exploit the PLC channel
for effective communication solutions, physical properties of the PLC channel need to be
studied, especially for high bandwidth signals. In this dissertation, extensive simulations
and measurement campaigns for the channel transfer characteristics are carried out at the
University of KwaZulu-Natal in selected offices, laboratories and workshops within the
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering.
Firstly, we employ the Parallel Resonant Circuit (PRC) approach to model the power
line channel in chapter 4, which is based on two-wire transmission line theory. The model
is developed, simulated and measurements done for validation in the PLC laboratory for
different network topologies in the frequency domain. From the results, it is found that
the PRC model produces similar results to the Series Resonant Circuit (SRC) model, and
hence the model is considered for PLC channel modelling and characterization.
Secondly, due to the time variant nature of the power line network, this study also
presents the multipath characteristics of the power line communication (PLC) channel in
chapter 5. We analyse the effects of the network characteristics on the received signal and
derive the multipath characteristics of the PLC channel from measured channel transfer
functions by evaluating the channel impulse responses (CIR). The results obtained are
compared with results from other parts of the world employing similar approach based on
the Root Mean Square (RMS) delay spread and are found to be comparable. Based on the
CIR and extracted multipath characteristics, further research in PLC and related topics
shall be inspired.
Description
Master of Science in Engineering. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2016.
Keywords
Electric power transmission., Electric measurements., Electronic measurements., Telecommunication systems., Theses--Electronic engineering., Power Line Communication (PLC)