Capacity Analysis of Cooperative Relaying Systems for Broadband Low-Voltage PLC Using Fountain Codes

Abstract

Low-Voltage powerline communications (LV PLC) is a promising technique for the last-mile broadband access networks and in-home multimedia applications. In this paper we focus on the broadband cooperative relaying systems over LV PLC channel using Fountain Codes. The closed-form expressions of capacity for Fountain Codes and Forward (FCF) cooperative relay system is derived. Numerical simulations reveal the performances in FCF mode in terms of the system capacity, which is complying with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) regulations in the United States, European Union and Germany respectively. It's shown that FCF cooperative relaying LV PLC systems can obtain significant capacity improvement compared with direct transmission (DT), AF and DF cooperative relaying transmission. In addition, the effect of the relay locations to the FCF cooperative relaying system capacity is analyzed in this paper.