A Chirp Spread Spectrum Modulation Scheme for Robust Power Line Communication

This paper proposes the use of a LoRa like chirp spread spectrum physical layer as basis for new Power Line Communication modulation scheme suited low-bandwidth communication. It is shown that robust communication can be established even in channels exhibiting extreme multipath interference, impulsive noise and low SNR (−40 dB), with synchronisation requirements relaxed compared to conventional LoRa. ATP-EMTP simulations using frequency dependent line transformer models, artificial Rayleigh demonstrate effectiveness providing load data from LV feeders back MV primary substation. Our results error-free at SNRs −40 dB, further improved by trading-off rate. We present experimental based on Field Programmable Gate Array hardware implementation which match simulated performance.