Wireless Power Electronics Network for Low Latency Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power electronics systems face challenges with communication latency and reliability due to the high cost and short lifespan of optical fiber links, and traditional acknowledgement processes are time-consuming, making it difficult to ensure integrity and efficiency in control command transmissions.
Innovation Solution
A communications network with a transmit/receive unit array that transmits signals in one time slot and receives concurrent responses in another, allowing for efficient evaluation of signal integrity and reducing bandwidth usage, while also enabling multi-hop communication for long distances with high reliability and low latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional sequential acknowledgement processes are used to ensure command integrity, then reliability is improved, but communication latency increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a periodic time-slot structure where even time slots are dedicated to upstream transmission (ACK/NACK signals) and odd time slots to downstream transmission (control commands). This periodic allocation allows simultaneous bidirectional communication without collision, reducing the total time required for acknowledgement processes while maintaining reliability through structured signal exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent requires power electronics elements to evaluate signal integrity and prepare ACK or NACK signals in advance within the same time slot in which they receive the control command. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for separate sequential acknowledgement steps, significantly reducing communication latency while ensuring that integrity verification is performed before command execution.
2Reliability
If multiple wireless packets are transmitted to ensure complete command delivery, then reliability is improved, but bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service mechanism where each power electronics element autonomously evaluates the integrity of received control commands using embedded check mechanisms (such as checksum verification or error detection codes). This self-evaluation allows the system to detect transmission errors without requiring additional verification packets, reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining reliability through local integrity assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback loop where power electronics elements immediately transmit ACK signals in even time slots to confirm successful command reception or NACK signals to indicate errors. This real-time feedback mechanism allows the control unit to verify command delivery completeness without requiring multiple redundant transmissions, optimizing bandwidth usage while ensuring reliable command delivery.
3Reliability
If optical fiber links are used for control signal transmission, then reliability is improved, but cost and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical optical fiber links with wireless communication channels for transmitting control commands between the control unit and power electronics elements. This substitution eliminates the need for complex fiber optic infrastructure installation and maintenance while achieving comparable reliability through implemented error detection, time-slot structuring, and automatic retransmission mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs cost-effective wireless communication hardware and standardized processing units at each power electronics element instead of expensive optical fiber infrastructure. The system compensates for the potentially shorter lifespan and higher error rate of wireless links through software-based error correction and redundancy mechanisms, achieving reliable communication at lower installation and maintenance costs.
Data Source
AI summary
A communications network for communication between at least one power electronics element and at least one control unit is disclosed. At least one transmit/receive unit of the communications network is configured to receive at least one signal from an upstream direction, and evaluate if the at least one signal is correctly received. In case the at least one signal is correctly received, the at least one transmit/receive unit is configured to forward, in an allocated first time slot, the at least one signal to a plurality of transmit/receive units in a downstream direction, and receive, in an allocated second time slot, a plurality of signals from the plurality of transmit/receive units as a response of the forwarded at least one signal.