Data Recovery in Power Line Communication via Signal Energy Combining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital communication over noisy channels, such as power lines and wireless mediums, often results in data errors due to noise interference, and existing methods like retransmission are ineffective if the channel remains noisy, failing to ensure error-free data transfer.
Innovation Solution
A system and method where data is transmitted over multiple communication channels, with signals aligned using a common reference point to combine energy and discern correct data values, and retransmissions are managed based on noise levels and channel conditions to improve signal-to-noise ratio and ensure error-free communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is transmitted over noisy channels using conventional retransmission methods, then data reliability is improved through error correction, but communication efficiency deteriorates due to repeated transmissions during noisy conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The data block is segmented into multiple data symbols that are transmitted simultaneously over multiple different communication channels. This segmentation allows the system to diversify transmission paths and reduce the impact of noise on any single channel, thereby improving reliability without requiring repeated transmissions.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple data symbols representing the same data block are merged/combined at the receiver through energy combining. The receiver combines the energy from multiple received symbols to reconstruct the original data block, achieving error-free reception even when individual channels are noisy, thus maintaining both reliability and efficiency.
2Reliability
If multiple communication channels are used to transmit data symbols, then data integrity is improved through diversity transmission, but system complexity increases due to channel management and signal alignment
Solution Approach 1:
Phase alignment is performed as a preliminary action before energy combining. The receiver aligns the phases of multiple received data symbols to a common reference point prior to combining their energy. This preliminary alignment simplifies the subsequent combining operation and reduces the overall processing complexity while maintaining data integrity.
3Reliability
If retransmission is requested for erroneous data symbols, then communication reliability is improved through error correction, but transmission time increases due to retransmission delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary transmission of multiple data symbols over diverse channels before any error correction is needed. By pre-distributing the data block across multiple channels with different noise characteristics, the system reduces the likelihood of errors and minimizes the need for time-consuming retransmissions, thus reducing transmission time while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
In one or more embodiments, a plurality of PLC endpoints and a data processing circuit are configured to share information, in the form of data blocks over power lines in a power line communication (PLC) network. A first signal representing a transmitted one of the data blocks is received over a first one of the plurality of different communication channels. A second signal representing the transmitted one of the data blocks is received over a second one of the plurality of different communication channels. Information carried by said one of the data blocks is discerned, as a function of a signal versus noise measure associated with the first signal and the second signal, by combining energy from the first and second signals, and converting the combined energy for generating output data.