Impact of System Components on an Automotive PLC Channel

Automotive Power Line Communication (PLC) is a promising technology that enables data transmission without the need of dedicated, heavy data communication lines. This way, it allows for reducing the weight and wiring complexity of a vehicle. This paper addresses the modelling of an in-vehicle PLC channel and gives a additional understanding of the impact single system components have on the specific automotive PLC transmission characteristic. It is shown that an automotive PLC channel is mainly characterized by the car battery, number of branch (tap) lines and the loads introduced by the various electrical control units. The heoretical results are compared with measurement data in order to validate the simulation model.