The proliferation of smart-grid technology requires a flexible power line communication (PLC) development platform to support multiple standards, allow optimization for environmental conditions, and simplify design. Texas Instrument’s PLC modem system solution consolidates a flexible platform onto a single hardware and software design, thereby resulting in reduced R&D and system costs.
PLC technology is a forerunner of smart-grid accessibility; by allowing the transfer and modulation of data over pre-existing power lines, the need for additional wiring is eliminated. This improves the communication efficiency between smart-grid-enabled devices, and reduces system cost to make networking possible in areas otherwise deemed too expensive.
Texas Instruments' full-bodied solution comprises a certified and tested PLC modem for worldwide standards, two fully integrated AFE031 analog front ends for PLC supports FSK, SFSK, OFDM(PRIME, G3 compliant) in CENELEC frequency, an optimized TMS320FPLC83 Piccolo microcontroller, and a TMDSPLCKIT-V3 C2000 Power Line Modem Developer’s Kit. It is the best-performing communication platform for smart-grid networks worldwide.
The smart grid
The smart grid constitutes the modern implementation of the power grid by use of computerized automation and control to produce a more energy efficient network. Using two-way digital communication technology such as PLC, devices on the network can be monitored and controlled through the same wires providing the energy, enabling consumers and power companies to resourcefully manage and automate energy consumption.
PLC: Intelligent Control Applications
PLC technology facilitates reliability and intelligent control over a broad range of smart-grid applications such as smart electrical meters, lighting, solar, electric car charging, home automations, intelligent building control and networking. Texas Instruments' PLC solution is a robust low frequency narrowband that maintains data integrity, lowers power consumption, and reduces market entry cost.
PLC has become the standard technology that bridges the gap between home area networks and smart-grid-enabled devices. It is predicted to lower peak energy demand as well as reduce the need for additional power plants. Original equipment manufacturers are turning to the technology as the primary method for integrating products into the smart grid, and TI's solution is the most flexible for reducing market entry time and costs.
Challenges
PLC is an umbrella term for any technology using power lines as communication channels, but it encompasses numerous standards centering on multiple performance factors and issues relating to specific operating environments and applications.
PLC standards are still evolving
There is no one international PLC standard; nations recognize different standards depending on their needs. For example; South Korea uses G3 because national power lines are underground and a narrowband implementation, such as G3, is the most efficient under these circumstances. Spain on the other hand, has chosen PRIME as its official PLC standard.
With the rapid growth of smart-grid-enabled devices being ushered in by utility meters, grid infrastructure, and home/building management, understanding channel and noise characteristics is imperative for designing global smart-metering networks. To quickly create a product and launch it onto the market, developers must be able to optimize designs to accommodate for global differences — flexibility through modulation is key.
Solution
A modular architecture allows complex PLC systems to be broken down into independent subsystems, enabling the modification of specific aspects of the design, such as protocol, without having to redesign the total system. In essence, developers will be to match the system's hardware capabilities to exact PLC modem specifications without affecting other aspects of the design.
Modulation scheme
Flexible hardware permits the implementation of the most efficient modulation scheme for each particular application, allowing developers to choose between the multiple options available. TI's PLC solution features two fully integrated AFE031 analog front ends that support FSK and SFSK, as well as OFDM, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, and modulation.
OFDM modulation techniques are ideal for modern PLC networks because they increase data throughput rates as well as reliability in noisy electric grids and TI is a longtime supporter and pioneer of the technology.
Communication protocols
A flexible platform makes it possible to design a device that is interoperable with all the popular PLC standards, including IEC 61334, PRIME, and G3, along with future standards. The process of migrating a design to a new application simplifies, removing the need to redesign the entire hardware or firmware.
Compliance to local regulations
Support for green electronics has established a slew of regulations such as CENELEC, FCC, and ARIB. As a developer sensitive to market timing, one must to not only meet these regulations but also speed compliance testing to launch products as quickly as possible.
Components: PLC SUITE + TMS320FPLC83 Piccolo MCU
Developers have the option of choosing the proper MCU for their corresponding PLC thanks to the PLC SUITE software library which is scalable across the entire C2000 microcontroller family. The C2000 MCU series is fully programmable and controllable in real time; TI has optimized this software based approach by integrating powerful VCU technology into the Piccolo F2806x MCU, a component in this family.
The VCU is an instruction-level dedicated coprocessor which performs compute-intensive calculations in hardware to significantly accelerate OFDM processing. This feature combines hardware processing efficiency with the flexibility of a software-based approach and allows the Piccolo F2806x to execute all of the PLC algorithms from the low-level physical layer through the networking layer.
C2000 power line modem developer's kit
The C2000 dev kit simplifies the actual software development for PLC modems. It includes two PLC modems based on the C2000 TMS320F28069 controlCARD, and the AFE031.
Components: AFE031
The inclusion of the AFE031 fully integrated PLC analog front end offers reliable and high-performance connectivity to all diverse PLC standards, and seamlessly connects to the MCU.
Due to possibility of an AFE consisting over 100 active and passive components, system designers are tasked with designing a robust transmitter that balances the delivery of the appropriate power level while meeting conducted emission regulatory requirements. A second issue to overcome is the receive signal path's low noise. TI's AFE031 resolves these challenges for both the transmit and receive paths and authorizes the development of a fully compliant PLC solution independently of the chosen standard or modulation type. This reduces the bill of material costs and the external component count by 10 times.
Buy the TMDSPLCKIT-V3 at Mouser Electronics Now
Advertisement
Learn more about Texas Instruments
