Laser-Based Dynamic Optical Wireless Power Transfer for Electrified Vehicles Covered with Solar Cells

Abstract

This research proposes and theoretically analyzes a dynamic optical wireless power transfer (OWPT) system for wireless charging of aerial and ground electric vehicles (EVs). In the proposed system, an overhead facility is utilized to host laser transmitters, while solar arrays are attached on EVs to be energy receivers. Moreover, laser transmitters are able to rotate, point upward and downward to wirelessly charge aerial and ground EVs. Owing to the movement of EVs, the wirelessly transmitted power and energy to EVs are varying with time and distance, hence are not as simple as in the case of static wireless charging, i.e. when EVs are stopped or hovering. This paper therefore proposes an analytical analysis for the dependence of wirelessly transmitted laser power and energy to moving EVs on the transmitting distance, utilizing the exponential integral function. The derived results reveal that there exist a unique maximum power point and a unique maximum energy point, due to the monotonic increase and decrease of the transmitted power and energy. These give rise to determining the optimal distances at which the wirelessly transmitted laser power and energy are maximum. Numerical simulations are then carried out to validate and illustrate theoretical results.