ABSTRACT
In order to prove the concept of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) for power line communications (PLCs), a feasibility study was being implemented. The MIMO PLC system was designed at Sony EuTEC laboratories and its basic parameters are based on an existing single-input single-output (SISO) PLC system implementation [1]. The design focuses on the desired application of comparing SISO and MIMO and rapid development. Hence, the design is not based on any PLC standard. It is a proprietary system that serves to understand and investigate some implementation-specific issues related to current broadband PLC systems as introduced in Chapters 12 through 14. The implemented demonstrator system consists of two modems, a transmitter and a receiver. It does not include a full multi-node media access control (MAC) layer. As an application, the system allows high-definition (HD) video streaming and monitoring several system parameters such as 646measured maximum bitrate and bit error ratio (BER). First, an overview of the implemented system is provided (see Section 24.2). A detailed description of the implemented MIMO blocks is given in Sections 24.3 through 24.6. Section 24.7 discusses possible changes of the implemented system architecture. Finally, the verification of the system (Section 24.8) concludes the chapter.
