Power Modulation based Device-Socket Association

Abstract

Smart metering can be entitled as a pivotal research area empowering the provision of enhanced energy conservation services. Academic research focuses mainly on upper context aspects such as smart grids or smart homes. Relatively lower interest is drawn to user awareness for reducing energy usage. Every individual can achieve a greener footprint when provided with detailed information about the appliances' consumption that he uses. To that extent, a direct association between the user/device, and the corresponding wall socket must be established, especially when the latter is publicly accessible. The objective of this thesis is to examine and present a novel Power Modulation Association protocol. The proposed protocol is deployable for the pair of a smart wall socket and a smart device. Information is exchanged over the AC power cable via modulating either the power demand of the device, or the power supply provided by the socket. Via this technique, when shareable sockets are present, individual pricing policies for domestic or vocational habitats may be introduced that can influence the building power consumption. Ultimately, a socket is paired with the attached device and thus, the latter is then granted with electrical power. The evaluation of the system is performed by extensive experimentation in actual running conditions. The aim was to select the optimal association modality and above all, confirm the feasibility of the developed communication schemes. Results demonstrate that the proposed system is capable of establishing a half-duplex serial communication mechanism that can effectively facilitate the pairing between a smart socket and a smart device.