A Control Strategy to Avoid Drop and Inrush Currents during Transient Phases in a Multi-Transmitters DIPT System

Abstract

Electrical Vehicles (EVs) have gained popularity in recent years in the automotive field. They are seen as a way to reduce the CO2 footprint of vehicles. Although EVs have witnessed significant advancement in recent years, they still have two major setbacks: limited autonomy and long recharging time. Dynamic Inductive Power Transfer (DIPT) systems permit charging EVs while driving, provide unlimited autonomy, and eliminate stationary charging time and lower battery dependency. Multiple transmitters are required to achieve DIPT; thus, dealing with transient phases is essential because every time a receiver crosses over from one transmitter to another, it experiences a new transient phase. This article presents a novel control strategy for multi-transmitter DIPT systems that ensures a continuous and stable power transfer to a moving EV. The proposed control strategy eliminates drop and inrush currents during transient phases. The control integrates a soft start feature and a degraded operating mode at a predefined maximum current value. The studied structure is a symmetrical series–series compensation network. Each transmitter coil is driven by a variable frequency inverter (around 85 kHz) to ensure Zero Phase Angle mode. The control strategy was numerically validated using MATLAB Simulink and then tested experimentally. Results show a relatively low power disruption after applying the proposed control during transmitter sequencing.