Power Line communication over feeder cables in an Industrial environment

Abstract

In an Industrial application, the motor is powered and controlled by an inverter. Control and diagnostic information are transmitted back from the motor to the inverter through an extra cable dedicated for data transmission. This signal information can be sent through the feeder cable that powers the motor using the Power Line communication technology ‘PLC’. The existing PLC modems developed for domestic applications may not be suitable for data transmission over feeder cables. We will propose a PLC modem with convenient characteristics that fit for the industry. It will help us to send control information such as rotor position and temperature back to the inverter through the feeder cable already polluted by the PWM signal. Therefore, some of the modem aspects will be revealed in this paper. Studies carried out on modulation's techniques and throughput in question will help us to define the frequencies to use. We will highlight the difficulties and limitations that obstruct transmission between the motor and the inverter. We will underline the real cause of non-functioning and the possible way to overcome it. Finally, we will define the coupling interface and the modem characteristics and the frequency's band that might be convenient. Simulations and experimental results will confirm the proposed analyses and will put in evidence the achievable performance of the proposed PLC modem.