Resonance-Sensing Impedance Circuit for Power Line Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical inductor designs face a tradeoff between high inductance and high saturation current, often resulting in expensive and bulky circuits, and power-line communication systems require efficient signal transmission across varying frequencies and noise conditions, which can be costly and unreliable due to impedance mismatches and noise interference.
Innovation Solution
The development of active impedance circuits and adjustable capacitor/inductor combinations to emulate high inductance and saturation current values, along with power line communication devices that include coupling circuits with sensors and transceivers to adapt impedance and improve signal transmission efficiency across power lines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a passive inductor with high inductance and high saturation current is used, then the circuit achieves high inductance and high saturation current, but the circuit becomes expensive and physically large and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an active circuit to create a functional copy of a high-inductance, high-saturation-current inductor. The active impedance circuit emulates the electrical behavior of a passive HLHI inductor without requiring the physical inductor structure, thereby achieving the same electrical performance with reduced size and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the passive mechanical/electromagnetic inductor structure with an active electronic circuit implementation. By using operational amplifiers, resistors, and capacitors to synthesize the inductive impedance, the system eliminates the need for bulky magnetic cores and windings while maintaining the desired inductance characteristics.
2Adaptability or versatility
If PLC circuits are designed to operate across wide frequency ranges, then the system adapts to different operating conditions, but the circuit becomes expensive and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic impedance adjustment in the PLC circuit by using variable resistors and capacitors that can be controlled to change the circuit's frequency response. This allows a single circuit topology to adapt to different frequency ranges without requiring multiple fixed-frequency circuits, reducing overall complexity and size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the electrical parameters (resistance, capacitance) of the PLC circuit components based on the desired operating frequency. By adjusting these parameters, the circuit can be tuned to operate effectively across a wide frequency range while maintaining a compact and cost-effective design.
Data Source
AI summary
A power line communication device including a current path provided between a first terminal and a second terminal. A coupling circuit connected between the first and second terminals includes a first circuit of a first inductor connected in parallel with a first capacitor and a first resistor. A sensor is configured to sense a communication parameter of the coupling circuit. The communication parameter may be a resonance of the first circuit, the quality (Q) factor of the resonance, the bandwidth (BW) of the coupling circuit, the resistance of the first resistor, or the impedance of the first circuit. A transceiver is adapted to couple to the first and second terminal to transmit a signal onto the current path or receive a signal from the current path responsive to the parameter of the coupling circuit and a level of current in the current path sensed by the sensor.