In-Vehicle PLC: In-Car and In-Ship Channel Characterization

📝 Abstract

This paper deals with power line communication (PLC) in the context of in-vehicle data networks. This technology can provide high-speed data connectivity via the exploitation of the existing power network, with clear potential benefits in terms of cost and weight reduction. The focus is on two scenarios: an electric car and a cruise ship. An overview of the wiring infrastructure and the network topology in these two scenarios is provided. The main findings reported in the literature related to the channel characteristics are reported. Noise is also assessed with emphasis to the electric car context. Then, new results from the statistical analysis of measurements made in a compact electric car and in a large cruise ship are shown. The channel characteristics are analysed in terms of average channel gain, delay spread, coherence bandwidth and achievable transmission rate. Finally, an overall comparison is made, highlighting similarities and differences taking into account also the conventional (combustion engine) car and the largely investigated in-home scenario.

💡 Analysis

This paper deals with power line communication (PLC) in the context of in-vehicle data networks. This technology can provide high-speed data connectivity via the exploitation of the existing power network, with clear potential benefits in terms of cost and weight reduction. The focus is on two scenarios: an electric car and a cruise ship. An overview of the wiring infrastructure and the network topology in these two scenarios is provided. The main findings reported in the literature related to the channel characteristics are reported. Noise is also assessed with emphasis to the electric car context. Then, new results from the statistical analysis of measurements made in a compact electric car and in a large cruise ship are shown. The channel characteristics are analysed in terms of average channel gain, delay spread, coherence bandwidth and achievable transmission rate. Finally, an overall comparison is made, highlighting similarities and differences taking into account also the conventional (combustion engine) car and the largely investigated in-home scenario.

📄 Content

This paper deals with power line communication (PLC) in the context of in-vehicle data networks. This technology can provide high-speed data connectivity via the exploitation of the existing power network, with clear potential benefits in terms of cost and weight reduction. The focus is on two scenarios: an electric car and a cruise ship. An overview of the wiring infrastructure and the network topology in these two scenarios is provided. The main findings reported in the literature related to the channel characteristics are reported. Noise is also assessed with emphasis to the electric car context. Then, new results from the statistical analysis of measurements made in a compact electric car and in a large cruise ship are shown. The channel characteristics are analysed in terms of average channel gain, delay spread, coherence bandwidth and achievable transmission rate. Finally, an overall comparison is made, highlighting similarities and differences taking into account also the conventional (combustion engine) car and the largely investigated in-home scenario.

Introduction The transformation of the conventional vehicles into efficient and intelligent systems requires the deployment of smart electronic components and the establishment of high-speed reliable data links for their interconnectivity. This is typically achieved through dedicated wired data buses, e.g., LIN-bus, CAN-bus. Currently, the car wiring infrastructure is the third factor that contributes to the overall vehicle weight, immediately after the engine and the gearbox. Likewise, in the context of ships, more than 20% of the total weight is due to the electric cables. The increase of weight has a negative impact on the performance of vehicles and, ultimately, on the energy efficiency. It is therefore of great importance to develop communication technologies that can reduce the amount of wiring. Other than wireless, power line communication (PLC) promises to be a valuable candidate as it can provide robust and reliable communication links by exploiting the existent in-vehicle power delivery infrastructure to convey data. Thus, it can enable the delivery of advanced automotive control applications that need relatively high-speed, flexibility and scalability, or distribute high- speed data streams from internet access, as well as support video streaming from cameras and multimedia and entertainment services. PLC channels are characterized by multipath propagation generated by line discontinuities, due to multiple branches and unmatched loads [1]. This translates into severe frequency selectivity, although, differently from the wireless case, PLC channels are mostly static (no mobility). The most investigated areas of PLC have been so far related to home networking and communications for the (smart) power grid. Despite the intuitive feeling that PLC can be used for in-vehicle connectivity, no dedicated technology has been developed and not many research results have been published yet. In general, PLC is divided into two classes: narrowband (NB) and broadband (BB). NB PLC operates in the range of frequencies below 500 kHz, and it is used for low rate applications, as command-and-control, remote monitoring and automatic meter reading. BB PLC may signal up to 86 MHz, and it enables streaming high-speed multimedia content. The most recent standards, e.g. HomePlug AV2, are capable of up to 500 Mbps at the physical layer [1]. Such impressive performance is made possible by the adoption of state- of-the-art communication solutions as multi-carrier modulation, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission schemes that exploit multiple wires, and powerful turbo codes. A simplified low-power version of the BB HomePlug standard, called HomePlug GreenPHY, can also be used as a valuable alternative to narrowband PLC for low rate applications. In this respect, this standard has been adopted as a reference for communications between the electric vehicle and the charging station.
In-vehicle PLC refers to the set of applications devoted to establish data links inside any means of transportation, i.e., cars, ships, planes, or trains. The investigation of in-car PLC has been documented in [2]-[6]. The in-ship environment is less investigated. Some results are shown in [7]. Moreover, PLC can find application in more unconventional scenarios, such as in planes, in space crafts and in trains, as discussed in [8], [9] and [10], respectively. In this paper, the focus is on in-car and in-ship PLC. In-car PLC is challenged by the mixture of high channel attenuation, high levels of noise and by low values of the line impedance. The characterization of such quantities is of great importance for the design of optimal transmission techniques. In this respect, an online available database of 193 measurements, performed in a conventional car (CC), i.e. with combustion engine, was analysed in

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