PROCEDIMENTO DI STIMA DEL RUMORE, DISPOSITIVO E PRODOTTO INFORMATICO CORRISPONDENTI

Noise in a communication channel (PL) such as a power line communication channel affected by impulsive noise is estimated by checking (102) the communication channel (PL) for the presence of information packets, and- i) in the absence of information packets transmitted over the channel (PL), obtaining a plurality of sets of signal samples sampled over the channel (PL) in the absence of information packets, estimating (106) noise power levels associated with the sets of signal samples with the estimated noise power levels allotted (108) to respective noise power classes,- ii) in the presence of at least one information packet transmitted over the channel (PL), estimating (114) an information packet power level associated with the information packet.A set signal-to-noise ratios computed (116) between the information packet power level and the noise power levels in the respective noise power classes are compared (120) against a signal-to-noise threshold and partitioned into a first subset (122) and a second subset (124) of signal-to-noise ratios failing to exceed, resp. exceeding the signal-to-noise threshold. One or more resulting impulsive noise parameters are computed (126, 128) as a function of impulsive noise parameters indicative of noise power levels included in the signal-to-noise ratios in the first subset (122) while disregarding impulsive noise parameters indicative of noise power levels included in the signal-to-noise ratios in the second subset (124).