An Mbps High-Bitrate Power Line Communication Based on Power-Signal Direct Superposition Method for AUVs

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are important tools for scientific research applications. The use of power line communication (PLC) in AUVs enables power and signals to be transmitted simultaneously over the power line, which can reduce the need for communication lines and simplify the charging connection to the supply vessel. However, most existing dc PLC methods perform limited bitrate that cannot meet AUVs’ requirements. This article proposes a novel high-bitrate PLC method using pulse position modulation. The transmitter superposes modulated signals directly on the dc bus through a half-bridge circuit and two coupled inductors while the receiver reads the data by detecting the level of voltage ripples. This allows for easy modulation and demodulation processes and eliminates the cost of a dedicated PLC chip and analog-to-digital converter. A two-module experimental platform with 1 Mbps communication rate was established and the feasibility of the proposed method has been verified.