Adaptive threshold based frequency exclusion algorithm for broadband PLC

Abstract

Unshielded electrical cables act as antennas during power line communication (PLC) causing unintentional interference for wireless communication. In order to mitigate this interference, PLC systems need to stay silent on frequencies used for wireless communication. In PLC standard CENELEC EN 50561-1, these frequency exclusion requirements are partly adaptive and depend on whether the frequencies are actually used for communication. For reliable detection of the presence of wireless communication signals, we use MED-FCME LAD ACC algorithm. The performance of this algorithm is tested with actual power line measurement data in the 50-52 MHz frequency range. This frequency range is reserved for radio amateur communication and is an especially difficult case for signal detection due to varying power levels with SSB-modulated voice communication. The results indicate that the studied method performs well, providing means for more intelligent spectrum utilization and reduction of interference levels in a broadband cognitive PLC-network.