Modeling of in-house CENELEC A-band PLC channel using Fritchman model and Baum-Welch algorithm

Abstract

One of the many challenges which power line communication (PLC) has to overcome is noise and disturbances. Amidst the four frequency bands classified by the European CENELEC standard, the A-band is the most noise susceptible characterized by noise sources consisting of various electrical appliances. This paper aims at modeling the noise and disturbances present on the in-house CENELEC A-band based on experimental measurement. The outputs are the channel models of the three major types of noise present on the PLC. These models are achieved through the use of Fritchman model, to depict the power line channel and evaluate the noise impairment caused by the different types of noise. The Baum-Welch algorithm is implemented for the Fritchman model parameter estimation through likelihood evaluation by computing the probabilities of three different noise observation sequences obtained from the experimental measurement. These channel models can then be used to evaluate and optimize coding and modulation schemes for PLC.