low frequency narrowband plc for neighborhood area networks shakti prasad shenoy, ph. d architect,...

Low Frequency Narrowband PLC for Neighborhood Area Networks

Shakti Prasad Shenoy, Ph. D

Architect, Smart Home and Energy

NXP Semiconductors India, Bangalore

ISGF Technology Session, June 1st 2012 2

Presentation Outline

Communication and Networking Requirements for Automatic Metering Networks (AMN)

Narrowband Power Line Communications (NB-PLC) for AMN

NXPs PLC solution NPC1100


Communication Challenges Unique to AMN

Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and load patterns significantly different from typical mobile voice/data network

Network planning and optimization important. – Need for Self Organizing Network supporting communications route

discovery, connection establishment and maintenance to provide the performance guarantees required by metering applications.

Protection of metered data against unauthorized access a key requirement for both consumers and utilities

– Non-repudiation: Provides proof of the integrity and origin of data. An authentication that can be asserted as genuine with high degree of certainty

– Comprehensive specification of AMI security requirements in “AMI System Security Requirements. Technical Report, AMI-SEC TF, OpenSG, December 2008”


Network Requirements for AMN

Related concept: Types of data– Various data-time combinations– Device need not send all data that it has logged. Utilities will require

additional data only from time to time for forecasting and/or analysis• Data logged and its (large) size useful only for analysis. Outage, failure chain,

event timings etc• Aperiodic, highly useful, bulk data transfer. Need to account this

– Do you want ACKS for all your messages

Emerging security standards require security level that adds to data traffic on network

– Standards like ZigBee have message traffic which is more than 75% security overhead

Network reuse– Reuse network for DR or Direct Load Control ?


Approach to set up AMN

Clear objectives. Decide on what do you want to achieve with the AMN– Set measurement metrics pre/post deployment

Use case driven analysis– Identify/Research use cases– Derive quantifiable technical requirements like network capacity, reliability

and coverage– Account for future requirements

Objective evaluation of communication technologies

Phased rollout– Business reasons– You will never get it first time right. Live with it!– Interoperability is a time consuming/iterative process even when

meticulously planned. Know it and account for it


Typical Smart Metering Use Cases

Multi-interval reading: Meter reading frequency configured by utility– Each interval data consists of sub-units of finer time readings– Downstream: Command approx 25 bytes– Upstream: Periodic reports approx 2.5k bytes

On demand reading: Meter expected to send reading in < 5 sec on command from utility

– Downstream: Command approx 25 bytes– Upstream: Meter data approx 100 bytes

Firmware upgrade– More during initial network setup and then 1 or 2 updates a year– Downstream: Upgrade anywhere between 0.5K to 2M bytes– Upstream: ACK and associated data upto 100 bytes

Data source: SG Network Requirement Specifications V5.1, Open SG


Requirements Based on Example Use Cases

Multi-interval reading– Measurement Interval: approx 5 per day– Message Latency: max 4hrs– Reliability: min 98%

On-demand reading– Measurement Interval: 25 per 1000 meters per day– Message Latency: max 5 sec– Reliability: min 98%

Real time pricing– Measurement Interval: 60 per 1000 meters per day each for Real-time

pricing, Critical Peak Pricing and Time of Use– Message Latency: max 5 sec– Reliability: min 98%

Data source: SG Network Requirement Specifications V5.1, Open SG


Derived Network Requirements

Assuming urban device density of 2000 meters/km2 and rural device density of 10 meters/km2

Example data capacity requirement for metering around 7.2 Mb/hr per 1000 meters

The network should support message latency of 3 seconds for smart meter operations

Message delivery reliability as low as 98% should be supported

Security overheads and requirements extra


Power line communications (PLC)Key drivers for PLC

– Deployment costs comparable to wireless– High connectivity and extensive coverage– Scalability: Simply add another PLC transceiver– Reliability through redundant communication channel

Ultra-Narrow Band (UNB): 0.3-3 kHz – Very low data rate (about 100 bps)– Large operational range (150km or more)– Mature technology but usually proprietary

Narrow-Band (NB): 3-500kHz– Single carrier: Home and building automation (low data rate) – OFDM based: NAN and Home automation. Data rates close to 1 Mbps

Broadband (BB): 1.8-250MHz – Data rates of several Mbps

Source: S. Galli, A. Scaglione, and Z. Wang, “For the grid and through the grid: The role of power line communications in the smart grid,” Proc. IEEE, vol. 99, no. 6, pp. 998–1027, 2011


Worldwide NB-PLC Bands

EU: CENELEC [3-148.5 kHz] over LV in Europe– A band: 3-95 kHz, reserved to power utilities.– B band: 95-125 kHz, any application.– C band: 125-140 kHz, in home networking systems

• Regulated. Mandatory CSMA/CA protocol– D band: 140-148,5 kHz, alarm and security systems.

USA: FCC [10-490 kHz] for general supervision for an electric public utility

Japan: ARIB [10-450 kHz]

China: CEPRI [3-500 kHz]

India: [?] ISGF has a role to play


Major Drivers for OFDM based NB-PLC

Optimized for Smart Grid and home automation– Addresses both access (LV/MV lines) and in-home applications

More robust to channel impairments and noise

No antennas required

Communication possible in extremely hostile environment where other access technologies may fail

– Metal shielded cases– Underground installations

No requirement of GIS

Side steps the issue of health concerns that may be faced by wireless technologies


PLC Performance w.r.t Use Cases

Data rates supported– Tens to several 100 Kbps

Message delivery latency– < 1 s

Coverage– Order of kms– Data rate dependent on distance

• Can be solved using relays/repeaters

Reliability– Depends on the power line on which it is installed


Standardization of OFDM Based NB-PLC

Initial drive by industry alliances – G3-PLC Aliances (ERDF, Maxim et. al) – PRIME (Iberdrola et. al)

International Standardization bodies step in – ITU-T G.hnem– IEEE P1901.2 – Active participation by G3-PLC and PRIME Alliance

Coexistence between ITU-T and IEEE standards a key factor– Efforts are on towards coexistence – Details yet to be worked out


Data Rates of Various NB-PLC Standards

Parameter PRIME G3-PLC IEEE P1901.2 G.hnem

Frequency Range

CEN A (kHz)

42 - 89 35.9 - 90.6 35.9 - 90.6 35.9 - 90.6

FCC(kHz)

X 159.4 - 478.1 35.9 - 478.5 35.9 - 478.1

Max Data Rate

CEN A (kbps)

61.4/123 45 52.3 101.3

FCC(kbps)

X 207.6 203.2/207.6 821.1

Source: Local Utility Powerline Communications in the 3-500 kHz Band: Channel Impairments, Noise, and Standards. Marcel Nassar et. al, IEEE Sig. Proc. Magazine (to appear)


Need for multi-standard solution

Different standards operate under different assumptions on channels

– Different channel delay spread assumptions– Different assumptions on powerline noise– Different coding and modulation strategies– Different symbol/frame lengths

Utilities have their own requirements and constraints– Ground realities– Complexity– Cost– Features– Robustness

Different countries opting for different standards– Multi-standard solution retains the benefit of scale


NXP focus on Smart Home and Energy

NXP is a global leader in high performance mixed signal semiconductors with a very broad portfolio of product and solutions.

Smart Energy is one of the focus applications of NXP

NXP has a wide coverage of technologies used in smart grids and home/building energy management

NXP is combining technologies from different business units to create innovative solutions for the smart grid

By bringing various technologies to the same process node, NXP is enabling an integration roadmap to improve performance and lower system cost

NXP is a member of ITU-T , IEEE P1901.2, IEEE 802.15, G3 Alliance and PRIME and ZigBee Alliance

NXP Bangalore is a major R&D center for its Smart Home and Energy Product Line


NXP Smart Energy Capability

Communication

• OFDM Multi-standard PLC

• 802.15.4 (ZigBee, 6LowPAN, JenNet)

• Wireless M-bus

Smart Grid Security

• End-to-end security & authentication

Payment

• Contact card readers

• Contactless card readers

• NFC Payment

Billing Meters & Gateways

• ARM7/9, Cortex M0/M3/M4 MCU’s

• Analog Front-End

• RTC’s

• GreenChip SMPS solutions

• Display Drivers

• Standard IC’s

Non-Billing Metering

• Energy Metering IC’s

• One Chip Wireless Zigbee Meter

• Embedded power monitoring for appliance


NPC1100 (1/2)

Flexible solution for smart metering– Multi-standard OFDM

• PRIME• G3-PLC• ITU-T G.hnem• IEEE P1901.2

– Security/Crypto primitives for Secure Services

Embedded application processor available for customer programming.– Cortex M3 at 128 MHz– M3 can run both the PLC stack as well as application program – External Flash for application program and firmware

IC will be delivered including PLC protocol stack


NPC1100 (2/2)

Flexible OFDM engine– Data rates up to 1 Mbps– Regulation compliant: CENELEC/FCC– Freely configurable bandplans

On-chip Analog Front End– 123 dB input dynamic range– 60-70 dB output dynamic range

Real Time Clock

Multiple standards via firmware

UART

MUX

UART

UART

UART

I2C

I2C

I2C

I2C

SPI

SPI

SPI

ARM© Cortex M3 128 MHZ

Ethernet MAC

GPIO

PLC PWM Output

External SDRAM

interface

GPIO Boot ROM 8 KB

PLC ADC

PLC DAC SPI Fast

Power Factor/ Ballast control

Measurement ADC

OFDM Engine

Lighting Control

AES OTP

Key Management

RTC DMA

Clock control

Power control

Watchdog Timer

MUX

MUX

Internal SDRAM 192 KB

PLC PWM Output

PLC ADC

PLC DAC

OFDM Engine


Functional Blocks of NPC1100

Security•AES•Key management

Designed for power efficiency

Interfacing•UART, I2C•External SDRAM•GPIO

128 MHz Cortex M3• ~50% for MAC layer


Meter ApplicationL1L2L3 N

MeterChip

EEPROM

LCD

NPC1100

400V

Metrologyfrontend


Low-Cost SE1.x IPD Reference Design

Standard Plastics and LCD

Custom PCB design

Daughter boardfor antenna and switches

Shows– Display kW, Cost, Time,

Temperature– kWh and CO2

Available


Load Control Device – Smart Plug

The Load Control Device uses the following Clusters to implement an Smart Plug: -

Key Establishment - Client & Server DR / Load Control - ClientPrice - ClientTime - Client

The Load Control and Demand Response device supports following features:

-Remote device turn-off to protect the grid from overload- On/Off based on pricing information from the utility- Load Control Opt-In / Opt-Out support- Energy consumption measurement

Available


ZigBee SE 1.x Load Control and Non-billing Metering

ZigBee SE1.xCommunication

ZigBee Smart Plug Application Note:EM773 Metrology S/W and H/W integrated to JN5148JN5148 Module replaced with JN5148 chip with 20dBm outputUSB transceiver with LPC1343 and JN5148

ZigBee SE1.x USB Adapter

Single Chip

Integration!

JN5148

Available


Contact NXP

For more information, please feel free to contact

Janakiram Annam ([email protected])

Director of Engineering

Product Line Smart Home & Energy

Stefan De Troch ([email protected])

Director, International Product Marketing Manager Smart Energy

Product Line Smart Home & Energy


Questions?


Backup slides


Network Requirements for AMN• Network topologies and architecture

– What aligns best with grid topology and requirements? Star, Tree, Hybrid, Mesh?

– Scalability

• Network entry and provisioning. (Has security implications as well) – Does device replacement lead to reconfiguration? Time required, effect on

AMN

• Communication functionalities of device types. – Meters/Leaf nodes, Routers, Concentrators, Aggregators

• Data latencies revisited. Questions to ask– What is the end-to-end data latency requirement from WAN to AMN? – How asymmetric are data latencies for downstream/upstream traffic?– Once you have data, then what? Act! Latency on these actions impacted

by traffic level on communications network. • Need to give operators timely data and time for them to act on it. Analyze

who needs what, when, and how much time to act/decide


Security/Crypto unit

AES 128/192/256 bits encoding/decoding

Key management system

OTP: 256 bits– MAC address– Unique keys (availability TBD)

UART

MUX

UART

UART

UART

I2C

I2C

I2C

I2C

SPI

SPI

SPI

ARM© Cortex M3 128 MHZ

Ethernet MAC

GPIO

PLC PWM Output

External SDRAM

interface

GPIO Boot ROM 8 KB

PLC ADC

PLC DAC SPI Fast

Power Factor/ Ballast control

Measurement ADC

OFDM Engine

Lighting Control

AES OTP

Key Management

RTC DMA

Clock control

Power control

Watchdog Timer

MUX

MUX

Internal SDRAM 192 KB


Software architecture NPC1100

MAC Layer

PHY Layer

Application Layer

Typical software architectureCommunication stack



MAC Layer

PHY Layer

Application Layer

Cortex M3 core:library

Closed DSP core:firmware



MAC Layer

PHY Layer

Application Layer

Cortex M3 core:library

Closed DSP core:firmware

Customer writes software on ARM cortex M3

using proven ARM development environment

Library and firmware are paired per PLC standard


Software deliveries

SDK– Microkernel: nuttX: 5.19

Delivered tools/libraries with reference kit:– Libraries for the PLC stack on the Arm Cortex M3– Firmware for download onto the NPC1100 hardware– Diagnostics application on top of the PLC stack– Example application to build a small PLC network in a lab

Other:– Documentation about API– Application notes, white paper, system guidelines


Reference kit

Dedicated application board with NPC1100

Functionality:– Example application to setup communication in a small electricity network– Single or three phase electricity connection– Two kind of nodes:

• Network management node (limited functionality)• Network leaf node (functionality with full PLC protocol)

– Communication to application board• UART• Ethernet


NXP’s Supported ZigBee Profiles Overview

ZigBee Smart Energy– Devices are directly connected to a Smart Grid– Networks are utility managed, but may be customer property– Ideal suitable for Smart metering solutions, Data Concentrators & any metering measurements

ZigBee Home Automation– Broad range of devices for consumer homes defined– Commissioning a bit complex for non-technical consumers– Ideal for Smart Homes controlling door locks, Security, HVAC, etc..

ZigBee Light Link– Profile defined to support lighting only – ease of use and installation has been the focus– It is not designed for professional installation throughout a building– Ideal for residential & industrial wireless lighting infrastructure solutions

ZigBee RF4CE– RF for Consumer Electronics– Small stack size and focussed on AV industry – it is all about low cost– Ideal for Setup-Box, RF based Universal remote controls & Virtual Remotes through iOS /

Andriod apps


Host

NXP’s ZigBee Solutions

Description Pros ConsSplit ARM + Transceiver • Stack supplied as libraries for

customer to link with

• Profiles a mixture of source and libraries

• Transceiver runs MAC only

• Cost effective flash and RAM • Enough RAM to run coordinator with

multiple open TLS connections • Lots of application space for customer

app. • ARM tool chain for development and

debugging facilities• Range of OSs and tools supported

• RAM/Flash extendable• Re-use existing ARM code

• Two chip solution, so higher BOM cost

Split Arm + 256kB Flash/32kBRAM CPU+Transceiver

• Arm processor running customer app. • NXP chip running stack

• Self contained binary means customer doesn't need to compile / port code to

their hardware. • Customers can get started easily and with minimum support whatever their

hardware platform.

• Difficult o run a full function coordinator in this way

(ESI-Meter)

System On Chip • Single chip solution with customer app running on our processor

• Lowest cost • Only suitable for the smallest applications as most flash /ram consumed by stack and profiles

JN5161

LPC17xx

JN6168

JN5168


Smart Energy Profile In Premise display application note. The Evaluation kit sensor board is the SE Metering Device, and the Controller Board is the IPD

Home Energy Application Note JN-AN-1135

The Application note uses thefollowing Clusters to implementthe Home Energy Monitor

Key EstablishmentSimple MeteringPriceTime

Available


Battery Level Indicator using JN5148 on-chip battery monitor

Signal Strength Indication

Time Cluster to synchronise time with meter

Power bar shows instant energy consumption

Mode button allows user to toggleBetween KwH, Price and CO2

Pricing Information

Configuration Info

Consumption History

Instant energy consumption and current tariff

Energy Monitoring Screen Available


Price ScreenPrice is unit price in the selected currency (Set Up Menu)Start Time and DurationH, M and L is the Pricing Tier High Medium and Low

History ScreenDisplays daily historical data Details energy consumed per pricing tier

Price & History Screens Available

low frequency narrowband plc for neighborhood area networks shakti prasad shenoy, ph. d architect,...

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