Data transmission over an inverter-fed induction machine

The use of electrical power supply networks as a communication medium is currently under development. For example, Power Line Communication (PLC) allows nowadays interconnecting high-speed multimedia equipments while using the electrical mains supply. This paper revolves around this theme, but is purely dedicated to the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) electrical network. The PWM power supplies are used in industrial applications such as motor drive application. The work in progress is at the boundary of two distinct fields: communication and high currents. Firstly, we underline the limits of functioning of the PLC modems on a PWM power supply. Subsequently, a filtering solution employing passive filters is discussed. Finally, the development of a new modem dedicated to PWM power supply is presented and inserted in a motor drive application. Experimental results show the ability of the modem to transmit high-speed information in such power supplies. The Bit Error Rate (BER) is measured for different power of the transmitted signal.