Flexible on-body coils for inductive power transfer to IoT garments and wearables

Abstract

Inductive power transfer is a promising technology for ambient charging and powering of wearable devices without the need for direct user intervention. Existing systems typically use circular or rectangular coils built using inflexible wire and fixed into a rigid shape. This paper explores the design of receiver coils for wearable inductive power transfer. Our study demonstrates receive coil designs that visually embody patterns or logos do not significantly reduce receive voltage compared to a traditional wire loop of the same number of turns, giving designers flexibility over the appearance of wearable power transfer coils.