Electromagnetic compatibility issues of electrical and electronic devices

The PhD dissertation addresses EMC issues of electrical and electronic devices. In the first part of this work (Part_01), EMC fundamentals are briefly resumed and discussed, particularly focusing on EMC susceptibility and conducted/radiated emissions. Subsequently, attention is moved to both intentional and nonintentional EMI sources, particularly on RFID devices and power electronic converters respectively. These last are very widespread in several application fields, such as battery chargers, personal computers, electrical drives and grid interfaces. They consists of passive elements (inductors, capacitors, etc.), which are appropriately coupled by means of switching devices in order to guarantee appropriate voltage and/or current supply. The inherent switching nature of power electronic converters make them non-intentional EMI sources, may leading to high levels of conducted and/or radiated emissions. Particularly, conducted emissions are mainly due to unsuitable coupling among heat sinks, wires and printed circuits. Whereas radiated emissions are due to the switching devices, which behave as antenna when operate at high frequency value. Thus, the second part of this PhD dissertation (Part_02) deals with modelling and simulation of power electronic converters, whose switching frequencies generally lie within several hundred kilohertz. Then, several experimental results are presented regarding EMC tests performed in an RF anechoic chamber, highlighting the most critical EMC issues in terms of both conducted and radiated emission levels. The last part of this work (Part_03) is devoted to EMC susceptibility/immunity of implantable medical devices. At the present time these kinds of electrical and electronic devices are implanted even from a very young age, allowing more people to live a normal life. Consequently, EMC issues related to them are becoming increasingly relevant for both researcher and manufacturer, international standards being slightly outdated. In this context, an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) have been considered with the aim of determining an EMC characterization in terms of sensing performances. This goal is achieved by developing a suitable sensing test procedure, which allows the evaluation of the ICD susceptibility level at different patient state of health. The proposed testing procedure has been validated through several experimental tests, which have been performed in the RF anechoic chamber above-mentioned. It assures pre-compliance of the tests in accordance with international standards, shielding against uncontrolled EMI sources. Experimental results are finally reported and discussed, highlighting the effectiveness of the proposed procedure.