Less wires — A novel approach on combined power and ethernet transmission on a single, unshielded twisted pair cable

Abstract

This paper discusses an alternative to common Powerline or Power-over-Ethernet applications, combining a 100BASE-TX-equivalent full duplex communication and simultaneous DC power transmission on one single twisted pair wire. The reduction of wires and connections can potentially ease the modularity and reconfigurability of industrial production installations, if the data communication offers a sufficiently high robustness against influences from the DC power transmission. This part of our research focuses on the necessary electrical adaptations between data and power circuitry and evaluates interference scenarios that are common for industrial fieldbus installations.