Transcript Narrowband Powerline Communication - Renesas e

Narrowband Powerline Communication:
Applications and Challenges
Renesas Electronics America Inc.
© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.
Renesas Technology & Solution Portfolio
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© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.
Agenda
 Powerline Communication 101
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Modulation techniques
Channel characteristics
Applicable regulations
Transceiver requirements
 No New Wires: Where and How
 Existing and potential applications
 Implementation challenges and solutions
 Market Trends
– Smart grid
– Standards and technologies
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Powerline Communication 101
 Why Powerline Communication?
 How it works?
 What are the typical challenges?
 Are there any applicable regulations?
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
 No New Wires
 Send data on existing lines that transport electrical power
– High / Medium / Low Voltage AC/DC power lines
 Operate by superposing a modulated carrier signal on line
voltage
– Narrowband modulation systems
– Broadband modulation systems
 Challenging conditions
 Unpredictable and widely varying channel characteristics
 Electromagnetic compatibility restrictions
 Emerging technologies and applications
 Slow development of acceptable standards and regulations
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Once Upon a Time
 1838
First remote electricity supply metering
 1897
First patent on power line signaling
 1920s
First carrier frequency systems began to operate
over high-voltage lines
 1930s
Ripple carrier signalling was introduced on the
medium and low voltage distribution systems
 1940s
Emerge the expression Power Line Carriers (PLC)
 1974
Early directive for transmitted power and
frequencies
 1980s
Home-control PLC devices become available
1990s
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(X10, CEBus, LonWorks)
 1997
First International Symposium on PLC (ISPLC)
 2001
HomePlug 1.0 specification released
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Broad and Narrow
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Narrowband PLC
Broadband PLC
Data rate
Up to 200kbps
Over 1Mbps
Frequency
Up to 500kHz
Over 2MHz
Modulation
FSK, S-FSK, BPSK, SS,
OFDM
OFDM
Applications
Building Automation
Renewable Energy
Advanced Metering
Street Lighting
Electric Vehicle
Smart Grid
Internet
HDTV
Audio
Gaming
Providers
Renesas
Maxim
ST Microelectronics
Texas Instruments
Echelon
Yitran
Cypress
Ariane Controls
Atheros
Maxim
Sigma
Broadcom
Lantiq
Marvell
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Single-carrier PLC Technologies
 FSK, S-FSK, BPSK, ASK
 An analog carrier signal is
modulated by a discrete
signal
 Digital data is
represented by a finite
number of distinct signals
Frequency Shift Keying (FSK)
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 Proven performance
(ex: X10, Echelon, ST, Ariane)
 Low complexity, low power,
low cost
 Limited data rate (typically up
to 10kbps)
 Sensible to narrowband noise
(FSK) or phase distortion
(PSK)
Spread-Spectrum PLC Technologies
 DSSS, DCSK
 The original narrowband
information is spread over a
relatively wide band of
frequencies
 The band spread is achieved
by means of a higher data
rate bit sequence
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 Robust against narrowband
noise
 Low spectral efficiency
 Limited data rate
 Few implementations
(ex: Yitran)
Multi-carrier PLC Technologies
 OFDM
 A large number of closely
spaced orthogonal subcarrier signals are used to
carry data
 Each sub-carrier is
modulated with a
conventional modulation
scheme (such as BPSK,
QPSK or QAM)
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 Emerging implementations
(ex: PRIME, G3-PLC )
 Robust against narrowband
noise and multi-path
propagation
 Higher data rates
 Able to adapt to channel
conditions
 Increased complexity, cost,
power consumption
 Large frequency bandwidth
Architecture of PLC Transceivers
Signal Processing
MCU
Protocol
Networking
Application
Tx
Modem
PHY
MAC
DAC / ADC
Filtering
Amplification
Power Supply
Linear / Switched-mode / Capacitive
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Rx
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Coupling Circuit
Power Line
Capacitive / Inductive
Protection
Isolation
AC / DC
The Grid
Transmission Grid
High Voltage Lines
Substations
Medium Voltage Lines
Distribution
Grid
Substations
Low Voltage Lines
Solar
Farms
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Wind
Farms
Large
Industry
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Small Commercial
Industry Buildings
MDU
Homes
The Challenges
 Harsh medium for data communication
 Unpredictable and varying characteristics
 Time
 Frequency
 Location
 Limited and inaccurate theoretical models of power line
environment
 Main technical challenges:
 Signal attenuation
 Signal distortion
 Noise
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Signal Attenuation and Distortion
 Main causes:
 Impedance of connected loads
– Inductive, capacitive or resistive
– Can be as low as 1 Ohm
 Multiple phases
 Power transformers
 Wire impedance
 Reflection effects
 Highly varying with frequency
and time
 Attenuation ranges between
10dB and 60dB
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Noise
 Generated by loads connected to the power line
 Time, location and frequency dependent
 Main types:
 Continuous noise
– Time-invariant continuous noise (background noise)
• Ex: Thermal noise caused by internal circuitry
– Time-variant continuous noise
• Ex: inverter-driven fluorescent lamps
 Impulsive noise
– Synchronous to AC mains
• Ex: Thyristor-based light dimmers
– Asynchronous to AC mains
• Ex: Switching regulators
– Single-event impulses
• Ex: Switches, thermostats, capacitor banks
 Narrowband noise
• Ex: Interference from radio stations
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EMC Standards and Regulations
 Frequency band allocation
 Maximum output power levels
 Electromagnetic emissions limits
 Conducted emissions
 Radiated emissions
US FCC Part 15 for Carrier Current Devices
535kHz
0kHz
Canada ICES-006
0kHz
535kHz
Japan ARIB STD-T84
450kHz
10kHz
Europe EN 50065-1
Band A
Utilities
3kHz
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B, C, D
Consumer
95kHz
148.5kHz
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PLC Transceiver Requirements
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High transmission power capability
Excellent receiving sensitivity
High noise immunity
Error detection and correction features
Medium access mechanism
Adjustable communication frequency
Compliance with EMC regulations
 CENELEC EN50065, FCC Part 15, ICES-006, ARIB
 Data rate adapted to application requirements
 Low power consumption
 Low cost
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No New Wires: Where and How
 Applications and benefits
 PLC implementations
 Specific challenges
 Typical solutions
 Market trends
 Smart grid
 Standards and technologies
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Power Lines are Everywhere
Homes & Buildings
Lighting Control
Energy Monitoring
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Smart Grid
Distributed Energy
Remote Metering
Demand-Response
PV Solar Panels
Wind Turbines
Dedicated Wires
Connected Cities
Electric Vehicles
Fireworks Systems
Street Lighting
Traffic Lights
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Home and Building Automation
 Automated environments in homes, hotels, offices, commercial
buildings
 Energy savings
 Greater comfort
 Safety
Remote
access
Smart
Thermostats
 PLC applications:
 Lighting control
 Load shedding
 Energy monitoring
Light
Control
Devices
Appliance
Control
Devices
 PLC challenges:
 High density of loads
 Three-phase or split-phase
 Solutions:
 Line filters
 Phase couplers
 Repeaters
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Remote
access
Wall
Keypad
Controllers
Phase
Coupling
Unit
Distributed Renewable Energy Generation
 Small-scale power generation provides an alternative and an
enhancement of the traditional electric power system
 Reduced distribution losses
 Increased security
 Low pollution
 PLC applications:
 Solar panel PV systems
 Wind turbine systems
 PLC challenges:
 DC line: High attenuation
from central inverter
 AC line: Three-phase or
split-phase power
 Solutions:
 Phase couplers
 Line filters
 Inductive coupling
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Connected Cities
 Cities are more and more concerned to
manage public lighting
 Energy savings
 Reduced maintenance costs
 Power measurement
 PLC applications:
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Street lighting
Tunnel lighting
Parking lot lighting
Traffic lights
 PLC challenges:
 Long distances
 Low line impedance
 Solutions:
 Increased Tx power
 Signal repeaters
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Advanced Metering Infrastructure
 Systems that collect, analyze and control energy usage
through communication with electricity/gas/water smart meters
 Increased network efficiency
 Reduced maintenance costs
 Improved customer service
 PLC applications:
 Remote metering
 Demand Response
 Fault/fraud detection
 PLC challenges:
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Long distances, transformers
High noise levels
Low line impedance
Split-phase and three-phase
 Solutions:
 Signal couplers and repeaters
 Increased Tx power
 Transformer bypass
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Charging of Plug-In Electric Vehicles
 Automotive solution for digital communication between charging
stations and electric vehicles
 Safe energy transfer
 Customer information
 Access to energy provider
 PLC applications:
 AC charging
 DC charging
 V2G / V2H demand
 PLC challenges:
 PWM Control Pilot signal
 Noise
 Cross-talk
 Solutions:
 Adapted coupling circuit
 Reduced Tx power
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Market Trends: Smart Grid
 Modernization of generation, distribution and utilization of
electrical energy based on bidirectional communication between
consumers, devices and utilities
 Improved network reliability, flexibility and efficiency
 Mix of wired and wireless communication technologies
 PLC, RS232/485, Ethernet, RF, ZigBee, GPRS, etc.
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Market Trends: Standards and Technologies
 The fundamental challenge in the Smart Grid is to ensure
balance of generation and demand while integrating a large
variety of technologies
 Co-existence
 Inter-operability
 Smart-Energy Profile 2.0 (SEP 2.0) provides a common
application layer enabling interoperability between
technologies for both wireless and wired communication
 Development of PLC standardization
 Formal international standards: IEEE 1901.2, ITU-T G.hn
 Industrial alliances specifications: PRIME, G3-PLC,
HomePlug Green PHY
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© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.
Summary
 Powerline Communication = No New Wires
 Narrowband vs. Broadband technologies
 Challenging conditions
 Power line environment: noise, attenuation, distortion
 EMC regulations: frequency bands, output power, emissions
 Power lines are everywhere
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Homes and Buildings: Lighting control, Energy monitoring
Distributed Renewable Energy Sources: Solar Panels, Wind Turbines
Connected Cities: Street/Tunnel/Parking Lot lighting systems
Utilities: Remote metering, Demand-Response, AMI
Dedicated Wires: Plug-in Electric Cars, RS485/RS232 replacement
 Market trends
 Smart Grid: application of digital processing and communications to the
power grid
 Coexistence of various communication solutions
– Wired and Wireless
– Narrowband and Broadband
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Questions?
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© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.
Renesas Electronics America Inc.
© 2012 Renesas Electronics America Inc. All rights reserved.