Resonant Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Research Articles

A Wearable All-Printed Textile-Based 6.78 MHz 15 W-Output Wireless Power Transfer System and Its Screen-Printed Joule Heater Application

While research in passive flexible circuits for Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) such as coils and resonators continues to advance, limitations in their power handling and low efficiency have hindered the realization of efficient all-printed high-power wearable WPT receivers. Here, we propose a screen-printed textile-based 6.78 MHz resonant inductive WPT system using planar inductors with concealed metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tuning capacitors. A printed voltage doubler rectifier based on Silicon Carbide (SiC) diodes is designed and integrated with the coils, showing a power conversion efficiency of 80-90% for 2-40 W inputs over a wide load range. Compared to prior wearable WPT receivers, it offers an order of magnitude improvement in power handling along with higher efficiency (approaching 60%), while using all-printed passives and a compact rectifier. The coils exhibit a simulated Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) under 0.4 W/kg for 25 W received power, and under 21 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula> C increase in the coils' temperature for a 15 W DC output. Additional fabric shielding is investigated, reducing harmonics emissions by up to 17 dB. We finally demonstrate a wirelessly-powered textile-based carbon-silver Joule heater, capable of reaching up to 60 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula> C at 2 cm separation from the transmitter, as a wearable application which can only be wireless-powered using the proposed system.

Simple Enhancement of Series–Series-Compensated Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Links Operating With Load-Independent Voltage Output at Fixed Frequency to Attain Zero Inverter Phase Angle

It is well-known that series-series compensated resonant inductive wireless power transfer links (SS-IWPTL) may be designed to attain load independent voltage output (LIVO) for given operating frequency and coupling coefficient. Unfortunately, corresponding inverter output impedance is either highly-inductive or highly-capacitive (inductive region is typically preferred due to natural zero-voltage switching (ZVS) of inverter transistors), significantly increasing inverter volt-ampere (VA) rating. The letter demonstrates that designing the SS-IWPTL for operation in the capacitive region and then adding a shunt inductor across AC-side terminals of either inverter or rectifier while allows attaining inverter zero phase angle (ZPA) thus minimizing its VA rating.

Spatial filtering magnetic metasurface for misalignment robustness enhancement in wireless power transfer applications

In this paper, we present the design of spatial filtering magnetic metasurfaces to overcome the efficiency decay arising in misaligned resonant inductive Wireless Power Transfer systems. At first, we describe the analytical framework for the control of currents flowing on a finite-size metasurface, avoiding classical truncation effects on the periphery and opportunely manipulating, at the same time, the spatial magnetic field distribution produced by the closely placed RF driving coil. In order to validate the theoretical approach, we conceive a numerical test case consisting of a WPT system operating at 12 MHz. By performing accurate full-wave simulations, we prove that inducing a uniform current in the metasurface results in a more robust WPT system in terms of misalignment with respect to conventional configurations, also including standard metasurfaces. Therefore, while the use of metasurfaces in WPT systems has been already demonstrated to be beneficial in terms of efficiency enhancement, we confirmed that a proper control of the metasurfaces field filtering response can be advantageous also for the misalignment issue. Notably, the free space wavelength at the operating frequency (12 MHz) is 25 m, whereas the proposed metasurface dimensions are only 0.0024λ × 0.0024λ. Despite the extremely reduced dimensions, the spatial magnetic field distribution produced by the closely placed RF driving coil can be nevertheless opportunely manipulated. Finally, experimental measurements conducted on fabricated prototypes validated the numerical results, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach. These achievements can be particularly helpful in WPT applications where the position of driving and receiving coils frequently changes, as in consumer devices and biomedical implants.

A critical review on inductive wireless power transfer charging system in electric vehicle

AbstractConsidering a prospect where a driverless electric vehicle (EV) requires an automatic charging system that does not need a person to do anything. In this case, there is a need for a fully automated, fast, safe, cost‐effective, and reliable charging infrastructure that can be used for EVs and other EVs. This infrastructure must also be profitable and allow for quick adoption in electric transportation systems. Wireless charging methods may allow you to understand these characteristics. Wireless power transfer (WPT) is a future technology that offers flexibility, convenience, safety, and the capacity to be automated. Due to its high efficiency and ease of maintenance, resonant inductive wireless charging should get more attention in WPT techniques than other WPT methods. This literature provides an overview of the status of Resonant Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Charging technology, as well as a look at the current and prospects of the wireless EV industry. First, the article provides a brief history of wireless charging technologies, outlining the benefits and drawbacks. Then, the research assists in a comparative analysis of various types of WPT methodologies, control strategies, and compensation networks that have been done so far. The static and dynamic charging procedures, as well as their features, are shown. To increase charging power, a novel approach to the usage of superconducting materials in coil designs is examined, and their potential influence on wireless charging is highlighted. The detailed role and importance of power electronics, as well as the many types of converters utilized in diverse applications, are highlighted. The batteries and their management systems, as well as numerous WPT difficulties, are also discussed. Different trades are investigated, including cyber security economic consequences, health and safety, foreign object identification, and the effect and influence on the distribution grid. This article also highlights the opportunities and challenges associated with wireless charging systems. We anticipate that our effort will contribute to the advancement of WPT system research and development.

An Improved Spread-Spectrum Technique for Reduction of Electromagnetic Emissions of Wireless Power Transfer Systems

The application of conventional spread spectrum techniques for conducted electromagnetic emission (EME) reduction in inductive-resonant wireless power transfer (WPT) systems may not reduce conducted EME enough due to specific frequency characteristics of the resonant systems and it can lead to some “adverse effects”, mainly in terms of decreased efficiency. Therefore, in this paper, an improved spread spectrum approach, multi-switching frequency and multi-duty cycle (MFMD) technique, is proposed. The proposed approach can give a considerably better conducted EME reduction along with a better efficiency than the conventional spread spectrum techniques based on a multi-switching frequency scheme. In the proposed approach, the inductive-resonant WPT system can operate at multiple switching frequencies (e.g., three different frequencies) and for a part of a control signal with a specific switching frequency, there is a specific duty cycle. The technique can be implemented in a simple way using an inexpensive 8-bit microcontroller. The effect of the MFMD scheme on the conducted EME and efficiency of the WPT system is studied in detail. The WPT system conducted EME and the efficiency are studied experimentally with a designed laboratory prototype. The performance characteristics of the WPT system with the MFMD scheme are compared to those with the multi-switching frequency scheme and without the spread spectrum. The WPT system with the proposed spread spectrum technique has a better performance than that with the conventional spread spectrum technique.

New Magnetic Coupling Pad with Circular Geometry for Wireless Power Transfer Applications

In Resonant Inductive wireless power transfer systems (RIPT), the magnetic coupler plays a fundamental role. That assists in passing of power without wires. In wireless power transfer systems (WPT), couplers are designed to achieve various parameters such as power transfer efficiency, high power density, transferrable distance, and tolerant towards misalignment. In addition, minimizing leakage flux, low weight, less cost, and space occupied. To achieve these parameters, researchers proposed different types of coils with different shapes. Those circular coils are more popular due to their unique features. Compared to other coils, these coils lack in power transfer distance. In this paper, a distinct magnetic coupler with circular geometry proposed to preserve some extent of its features. In proposed, a circular quadrature coil added with two circular coils shaped to the circular coil. Proposed topology analyzed using ANSYS Maxwell Finite Element Analysis 3D simulation and compared with different combinations chosen better performing combination.

Performance Evaluation of Silicon and GaN Switches for a Small Wireless Power Transfer System

In the last few years, the wide diffusion of rechargeable devices has fueled the research interest in wireless power transfer (WPT) technology that offers advantages such as safety, flexibility, and ease of use. Different standards have been developed over the years but a significant part of the global interest is focused on the inductive resonant wireless power transfer. By increasing the resonance frequency, an improvement in the transfer efficiency between transmit and receive coils is generally observed, at the expense, however, of an increase in losses in the switching devices that constitute the transmitting and receiving circuits. This study concerned the performance evaluation of a WPT transmitting circuit built using Gallium Nitride (GaN) or conventional silicon (Si) switching devices, to assess their specific contribution to the overall efficiency of the system. The overall performance of two circuits, respectively based on GaN HEMTs and Si MOSFETs, were compared at frequencies of the order of MHz under different operating conditions. The theory and design choices regarding the WPT circuit, the coils, and the resonant network are also discussed. The comparison shows that the GaN circuit typically performs better than the Si one, but a clear advantage of the GaN solution cannot be established under all operating conditions.

Multiple Input Multiple Output Resonant Inductive WPT Link: Optimal Terminations for Efficiency Maximization

In this paper a general-purpose procedure for optimizing a resonant inductive wireless power transfer link adopting a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) configuration is presented. The wireless link is described in a general–purpose way as a multi-port electrical network that can be the result of either analytical calculations, full–wave simulations, or measurements. An eigenvalue problem is then derived to determine the link optimal impedance terminations for efficiency maximization. A step-by-step procedure is proposed to solve the eigenvalue problem using a computer algebra system, it provides the configuration of the link, optimal sources, and loads for maximizing the efficiency. The main advantage of the proposed approach is that it is general: it is valid for any strictly–passive multi–port network and is therefore applicable to any wireless power transfer (WPT) link. To validate the presented theory, an example of application is illustrated for a link using three transmitters and two receivers whose impedance matrix was derived from full-wave simulations.

Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Charging for Electric Vehicles–A Review

Considering a future scenario in which a driverless Electric Vehicle (EV) needs an automatic charging system without human intervention. In this regard, there is a requirement for a fully automatable, fast, safe, cost-effective, and reliable charging infrastructure that provides a profitable business model and fast adoption in the electrified transportation systems. These qualities can be comprehended through wireless charging systems. Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) is a futuristic technology with the advantage of flexibility, convenience, safety, and the capability of becoming fully automated. In WPT methods resonant inductive wireless charging has to gain more attention compared to other wireless power transfer methods due to high efficiency and easy maintenance. This literature presents a review of the status of Resonant Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Charging technology also highlighting the present status and its future of the wireless EV market. First, the paper delivers a brief history throw lights on wireless charging methods, highlighting the pros and cons. Then, the paper aids a comparative review of different type’s inductive pads, rails, and compensations technologies done so far. The static and dynamic charging techniques and their characteristics are also illustrated. The role and importance of power electronics and converter types used in various applications are discussed. The batteries and their management systems as well as various problems involved in WPT are also addressed. Different trades like cyber security economic effects, health and safety, foreign object detection, and the effect and impact on the distribution grid are explored. Prospects and challenges involved in wireless charging systems are also highlighting in this work. We believe that this work could help further the research and development of WPT systems.

Optimal Terminations for a Single-Input Multiple-Output Resonant Inductive WPT Link

This paper analyzes a resonant inductive wireless power transfer link using a single transmitter and multiple receivers. The link is described as an (N+1)–port network and the problem of efficiency maximization is formulated as a generalized eigenvalue problem. It is shown that the desired solution can be derived through simple algebraic operations on the impedance matrix of the link. The analytical expressions of the loads and the generator impedances that maximize the efficiency are derived and discussed. It is demonstrated that the maximum realizable efficiency of the link does not depend on the coupling among the receivers that can be always compensated. Circuital simulation results validating the presented theory are reported and discussed.

Additional Two-Capacitor Basic Compensation Topologies for Resonant Inductive WPT Links

The letter reveals two additional basic compensation topologies for resonant inductive wireless power transfer links (supplementary to the existing four) created by placing both compensation capacitors either on primary or secondary side, leaving the opposite coil uncompensated. This produces parallel-series/none and none/series-parallel topologies, with the latter being more practical due to its suitability to operation with typically utilized voltage-source inverters.

A Spiral Resonators Passive Array for Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Applications With Low Exposure to Near Electric Field

In this article, we demonstrate the near electric field reduction ability of spiral resonators arrays (SRAs) in resonant inductive wireless power transfer (WPT) applications. In particular, we show that a suitably designed planar SRA, placed in the proximity of the driver loop, can significantly decrease the electric field level at the operative frequency, thus reducing the potentially dangerous radiation (i.e., the specific absorption rate) in the case of human exposure. In addition, due to the thin structure of the SRAs, the system is able to enhance the performance with respect to a conventional simple driver–receiver system for a fixed working distance. A systematic study has been performed through electromagnetic simulations to evaluate the optimum number of array unit cells to eventually achieve a compromise between efficiency enhancement and electric field shielding on a two-coil system, selected as a test case. Finally, the numerical results have been confirmed through measurements conducted on fabricated prototypes of the proposed WPT configurations. The introduced solution can be remarkably useful in all the WPT applications requiring a close interaction with human operators where exposure is a concern, such as automotive applications, biomedical implants, and rechargeable devices.

Compensation Capacitors Sizing for Achieving Arbitrary Load-Independent Voltage Gain in Series-Series Inductive WPT Link Operating at Fixed Frequency

The letter reveals that for a given operating frequency, infinite amount of compensation capacitor pairs exists, yielding load independent voltage gain of a typical series-series compensated resonant inductive wireless power transfer link (WPTL). Closed-form analytical expression is derived, linking the values of compensating capacitors with the desired load independent voltage gain based on given coil inductances, coupling coefficient and operating frequency. Feasible range of achievable voltage gains is shown to be bounded by the value of coupling coefficient based on a novel 4-parameter generalized loosely coupled transformer model. Experimental results are given to validate the presented findings.

A Compact Magnetically Dispersive Surface for Low-Frequency Wireless Power Transfer Applications

We present a compact, magnetically dispersive engineered surface for resonant inductive wireless power transfer (WPT) that significantly enhances the performance of an inductive link, increasing the efficiency and/or working distance. The proposed metasurface measures 6 cm $\times 6$ cm $\times0.1$ cm, achieving a greatly reduced thickness over a 3-D metamaterial, especially relative to the long wavelength at the chosen operating frequency of 5.77 MHz, which is in the range of typical wireless biomedical implants. Such feature is obtained by virtue of an extremely compact connected double-spiral unit cell, which provides high inductance values despite the small size. We prove through numerical simulations that the proposed metasurface considerably lowers the electric field level with respect to traditional two- or three-coil WPT systems, while maintaining the same magnetic field level at the receiver. In addition, we conducted efficiency measurements on a fabricated prototype, confirming the performance of our design. The excellent efficiency enhancement, combined with the resulting low electric field, makes the proposed metasurface an attractive solution for a number of WPT applications, especially where the exposure in terms of specific absorption rate (SAR) is one of the major concerns, such as in biomedical implants and rechargeable devices.

An Accurate Equivalent Circuit Model of Metasurface-Based Wireless Power Transfer Systems

In this article, we introduce a general analytical procedure to unambiguously characterize a metasurface through its lumped circuital equivalent in resonant inductive Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) applications. The proposed model incorporates the finite extent of the slab, as well as the WPT near field operative regime and the presence of the particular driving/receiving coils arrangement, providing quantitative and easy-to-handle parameters which can be manipulated to achieve WPT performance enhancement. We first develop the theoretical background aimed at the lumped parameters extraction, which reveals, for WPT applications, more accurate and robust with respect to the conventional sub-wavelength homogenization theories based on infinite slab extent and impinging plane wave hypotheses. We provide some general guidelines for the design of metasurfaces for WPT performance enhancement based on the derived circuit model; afterwards, we numerically design a test-case consisting of two resonant coils (driver and receiver, respectively) with an interposed passive metasurface to verify the developed theory. Finally, we show some measurements performed on a fabricated prototype, that present an overall excellent agreement with both the lumped model and the numerical simulations.

Dual-Receiver Wearable 6.78 MHz Resonant Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Glove Using Embroidered Textile Coils

The design of dynamic wearable wireless power transfer systems (WPT) possesses multiple challenges that affect the WPT efficiency. The varying operation conditions, such as the coils' coupling, and operation in proximity or through the human body, can affect the impedance matching at the resonant frequency. This paper presents a high-efficiency wearable 6.78 MHz WPT system for smart cycling applications. Resonant inductive coupling using dual-receiver textile coils is proposed for separation-independent WPT, demonstrated in a smart cycling glove, for transferring energy from an on-bicycle generator to smart-textile sensors. The effects of over-coupling in a dynamic WPT system have been investigated analytically and experimentally. The embroidered coils efficiency is studied in space, on- and through-body. The measured results, in space, show around 90% agreement between the analytical and experimental results. To overcome frequency-splitting in the over-coupling region, an asymmetric dual-receiver architecture is proposed. Empirical tuning of the lumped capacitors is utilized to achieve resonance at 6.78 MHz between the fundamental frequency and the even mode split frequency. Two different coil sizes are utilized to achieve separation-independent efficiency in the tight coupling region on- and off-body, while maintaining a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) under 0.103 W/kg. The presented system achieves a peak efficiency of 90% and 82% in free space and on-hand respectively, with a minimum efficiency of 50% under loose and tight coupling, demonstrating more than 40% efficiency improvement over a 1:1 symmetric transmit and receive coil at the same separation.

Output Voltage Range of a Power-Loaded Series–Series Compensated Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Link Operating in Load-Independent Regime

The article proposes an in-depth analysis of a series-series compensated resonant inductive wireless power transfer (WPT) link, operating at load-independent frequency while feeding a power load. It is shown that due to the presence of equivalent series resistances in practical systems, a load-independent operation point is only an approximation. The output voltage is still affected by the load, obtaining minimum and maximum values under rated load and no-load operation, respectively. While the output voltage value under rated load is typically well predicted by the commonly used first-harmonic-approximation-based equivalent circuit, the latter is unsuitable for obtaining the output voltage value under light loading due to nonlinearity caused by the discontinuous conduction mode of the secondary. Time-domain analysis is, therefore, used to accurately predict the WPT output voltage value under zero-load operation and accurately derive the expected WPT output voltage range in the load-independent regime. Simulations and experiments based on a 400-V 1-kW WPT link demonstrate excellent matching, validating the proposed analysis.

Receiving‐coil structure reducing stray AC resistance for resonant coupling wireless power transfer

Resonant inductive coupling wireless power transfer is widely known to be a possible convenient power supply method for the small mobile apparatus. However, the limited receiving-coil size tends to lower the efficiency and limit the output power owing to the small mutual inductance and comparatively large stray alternating current (AC) resistance of the receiving-coil. This study mitigates this issue by proposing a novel receiving-coil structure. This proposed structure comprises a coil and a drum core with a thin axis. The coil is wound on the axis to form a single winding layer. The proposed structure can reduce stray AC resistance by suppressing the proximity effect and reducing the wire length without deteriorating the mutual inductance significantly. Therefore, better efficiency and larger output power can be achieved. Simulations and experiments were performed to verify the proposed structure. Consequently, both simulations and experiments supported the reduction in AC resistance compared to the conventional structure. Furthermore, the experiment revealed improvements by the proposed structure in both efficiency and output power. These results support the effectiveness of the proposed structure for wireless power transfer to small mobile apparatus.

Efficiency optimization of a three-coil resonant energy link

AbstractThis paper presents an effective and time saving procedure for designing a three-coil resonant inductive wireless power transfer (WPT) link. The proposed approach aims at optimizing the power transfer efficiency of the link for given constraints imposed by the specific application of interest. The WPT link is described as a two-port network with equivalent lumped elements analytically expressed as function of the geometrical parameters. This allows obtaining a closed-form expression of the efficiency that can be maximized by acting on the geometrical parameters of the link by using a general purpose optimization algorithm. The proposed design procedure allows rapidly finding the desired optimal solution while minimizing the computational efforts. Referring to the case of an application constraining the dimensions of the receiver, analytical data are validated through full-wave simulations and measurements.

Gain expressions for resonant inductive wireless power transfer links with one relay element

In this paper, a resonant inductive wireless power transfer link using a relay element is analyzed. Different problems of practical interest are considered and solved by modeling the link as a lossy two-port network. According to the two-port network formalism, the standard gain definition (i.e. the power, the available, and the transducer gains) are used for describing the network behavior. Firstly, the case of a link with given parameters is considered and the analytical expressions of the optimal terminating impedances for maximizing the link gains are derived. Later on, the case of a link with given source and load is analyzed and the possibility of maximizing the performance by acting either on the transmitting or on the receiving side is investigated. It is shown that by using a single relay element, it is not always possible to maximize all the figures of merit that could be of interest in the WPT context. Theoretical data are validated by comparisons with circuital simulation results.