PLC Channel: Impulsive Noise Modelling and Its Performance Evaluation Under Different Array Coding Schemes

Power-line communications (PLC) is a field that has raised a lot of research in the past years. In this paper, we introduce array codes into the PLC environment and we study the channel´s performance. In particular, generalized array codes (GAC), as well as row and column array codes (RAC) are applied. We examine their performance by obtaining three different code rates from each category. Therefore, the (8, 4, 4), (12, 7, 4) and (16, 11, 4) GAC codes as well as the (9, 4, 4), (12, 6, 4), and (15, 8, 4) RAC codes are used, meaning that we obtain code rates of (1/2), (7/12), (11/16), and (4/9), (6/12), (8/15) respectively. In addition, for reasons of completeness, convolutional codes are also being applied under the same channel conditions. Moreover, we suggest a hybrid coding technique, which combines the (8, 4, 4) GAC and the (15, 8, 4) RAC code in order to meet the requirements of the PLC time-varying channel and improve its performance. Concerning the system´s design, we take into consideration Zimmermann´s model for the PLC channel. We apply Middleton´s model for the channel´s background and impulsive noise, while we also introduce a novel way of estimating the system´s impulsive noise. Finally, the well-known transmission technique of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing is used. The channel´s performance is evaluated in terms of the bit-error rate for different E_b/N₀ values via computer simulations.