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Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2017) | Viewed by 66823

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Aiguo Patrick Hu

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Guest Editor

Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
Interests: wireless power transfer; power electronics; renewable energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Xin Dai

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Guest Editor

Institute of power transfer technology, ChongQing University, ChongQing, China
Interests: wireless power transfer systems; modelling and control of power electronic circuits

Prof. Dr. Zhengming Zhao

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Guest Editor

Dept of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Interests: high-power and high voltage power electronic technology; wireless power transfer.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit your research findings to a Special Issue of Energies on the subject area of “Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Systems”. This Special Issue will reflect the most recent theoretical and practical developments of wireless power supplies for consumer electronics, industrial, biomedical, and transportation applications. Topics to be included in this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

Wireless charging of mobile phones, pads, smart watches, etc.
Wireless charging of AGVs (Automatic Guided Vehicles), materials handling and logistic systems
Wireless power supply of biomedical sensors and actuators, heart pumps
Static and dynamic EVs charging
Wireless power transfer mechanism
System modelling and power flow control
Soft switching converter topologies
Magnetic coupling design
Capacitive coupling design
New ferrites and dielectric materials
Ultrasonic transducers for wireless power transfer
Energy harvesting technologies
Energy harvesting from high voltage power transmission lines
Wireless energy network
Energy management of battery and supercapacitor systems
Bi-directional wireless interface for PV and wind energy integration.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aiguo Patrick Hu
Prof. Dr. Xin Dai
Prof. Dr. Zhengming Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Wireless power transfer (WPT)
Contactless power transfer
Inductive power transfer (IPT)
Capacitive power transfer (CPT)
Ultrasonic power transfer (UPT)
Batteries
Supercapacitors
Wireless charging
Transcutaneous energy transfer (TET)
Energy harvesting
Wireless integration of renewable energy

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2508 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design and Validation of a Control Algorithm for a SAE J2954-Compliant Wireless Charger to Guarantee the Operational Electrical Constraints

by José Manuel González-González, Alicia Triviño-Cabrera and José Antonio Aguado

Energies 2018, 11(3), 604; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11030604 - 09 Mar 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4628

Abstract

Wireless power transfer is foreseen as a suitable technology to provide charge without cables to electric vehicles. This technology is mainly supported by two coupled coils, whose mutual inductance is sensitive to their relative positions. Variations on this coefficient greatly impact the electrical magnitudes of the wireless charger. The aim of this paper is the design and validation of a control algorithm for an Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J2954-compliant wireless charger to guarantee some operational and electrical constraints. These constraints are designed to prevent some components from being damaged by excessive voltage or current. This paper also presents the details for the design and implementation of the bidirectional charger topology in which the proposed controller is incorporated. The controller is installed on the primary and on the secondary side, given that wireless communication is necessary with the other side. The input data of the controller helps it decide about the phase shift required to apply in the DC/AC converter. The experimental results demonstrate how the system regulates the output voltage of the DC/AC converter so that some electrical magnitudes do not exceed predefined thresholds. The regulation, which has been tested when coil misalignments occur, is proven to be effective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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23 pages, 8154 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insights into Dynamic Tuning of Magnetic-Resonant Wireless Power Transfer Receivers Based on Switch-Mode Gyrators

by Mohamed Saad and Eduard Alarcón

Energies 2018, 11(2), 453; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11020453 - 20 Feb 2018

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4937

Abstract

Magnetic-resonant wireless power transfer (WPT) has become a reliable contactless source of power for a wide range of applications. WPT spans different power levels ranging from low-power implantable devices up to high-power electric vehicles (EV) battery charging. The transmission range and efficiency of WPT have been reasonably enhanced by resonating the transmitter and receiver coils at a common frequency. Nevertheless, matching between resonance in the transmitter and receiver is quite cumbersome, particularly in single-transmitter multi-receiver systems. The resonance frequency in transmitter and receiver tank circuits has to be perfectly matched, otherwise power transfer capability is greatly degraded. This paper discusses the mistuning effect of parallel-compensated receivers, and thereof a novel dynamic frequency tuning method and related circuit topology and control is proposed and characterized in the system application. The proposed method is based on the concept of switch-mode gyrator emulating variable lossless inductors oriented to enable self-tunability in WPT receivers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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14 pages, 7734 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New ZVS Tuning Method for Double-Sided LCC Compensated Wireless Power Transfer System

by Sizhao Lu, Xiaoting Deng, Wenbin Shu, Xiaochao Wei and Siqi Li

Energies 2018, 11(2), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11020307 - 01 Feb 2018

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5062

Abstract

This paper presents a new zero voltage switching (ZVS) tuning method for the double-sided inductor/capacitor/capacitor (LCC) compensated wireless power transfer (WPT) system. An additional capacitor is added in the secondary side of the double-sided LCC compensation network in order to tune the network to realize ZVS operation for the primary-side switches. With the proposed tuning method, the turn off current of the primary-side switches at the low input voltage range can be reduced compared with the previous ZVS tuning method. Consequently, the efficiency of the WPT at the low input voltage range is improved. Moreover, the relationship between the input voltage and the output power is more linear than that of the previous ZVS tuning method. In addition, the proposed method has a lower start-up voltage. The analysis and validity of the proposed tuning method are verified by simulation and experimental results. A WPT system with up to 3.5 kW output power is built, and 95.9% overall peak efficiency is achieved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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12 pages, 5563 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Three-Phase Dynamic Wireless Charging System with Constant Output Voltage

by Ruikun Mai, Hongchao Li, Yeran Liu, Kunzhuo Zhou, Ling Fu and Zhengyou He

Energies 2018, 11(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11010045 - 01 Jan 2018

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4339

Abstract

A dynamic wireless power transfer (WPT) system is an effective method, which can reduce charging time and extend the driving range of the electric vehicles. In the dynamic WPT systems, the output voltage may fluctuate when the receiver moves along the transmitter coils. This paper proposes a three-phase dynamic WPT charging system with overlapped three-phase transmitter coils. The overlap length is optimized to depress the fluctuation of the output voltage. These coils are powered by a three-phase inverter to generate an even magnetic field, and a unipolar coil is employed as a receiver to simplify the coil structure of the secondary side. Based on the proposed three-phase coil structure, the output voltage characteristics of the system are analyzed in detail. A 500 W dynamic charging prototype is established to validate the proposed dynamic charging system. Experimental results show that the output voltage fluctuation is within ±3.05%. The maximum system efficiency reaches 89.94%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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4993 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Influence of Compensation Capacitance Errors of a Wireless Power Transfer System with SS Topology

by Yi Wang, Fei Lin, Zhongping Yang and Zhiyuan Liu

Energies 2017, 10(12), 2177; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10122177 - 19 Dec 2017

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4328

Abstract

In this study, in order to determine the reasonable accuracy of the compensation capacitances satisfying the requirements on the output characteristics for a wireless power transfer (WPT) system, taking the series-series (SS) compensation structure as an example, the calculation formulas of the output characteristics, such as the power factor, output power, coil transfer efficiency, and capacitors’ voltage stress, are given under the condition of incomplete compensation according to circuit theory. The influence of compensation capacitance errors on the output characteristics of the system is then analyzed. The Taylor expansions of the theoretical formulas are carried out to simplify the formulas. The influence degrees of compensation capacitance errors on the output characteristics are calculated according to the simplified formulas. The reasonable error ranges of the compensation capacitances are then determined according to the requirements of the output characteristics of the system in the system design. Finally, the validity of the theoretical analysis and the simplified processing is verified through experiments. The proposed method has a certain guiding role for practical engineering design, especially in mass production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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5339 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combination of Compensations and Multi-Parameter Coil for Efficiency Optimization of Inductive Power Transfer System

by Guozhen Hu, Junkun Zhang, Junhua Wang, Zhijian Fang, Changsong Cai and Zhongzheng Lin

Energies 2017, 10(12), 2088; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10122088 - 08 Dec 2017

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4458

Abstract

A loosely coupled inductive power transfer (IPT) system for industrial track applications has been researched in this paper. The IPT converter using primary Inductor-Capacitor-Inductor (LCL) network and secondary parallel-compensations is analyzed combined coil design for optimal operating efficiency. Accurate mathematical analytical model and expressions of self-inductance and mutual inductance are proposed to achieve coil parameters. Furthermore, the optimization process is performed combined with the proposed resonant compensations and coil parameters. The results are evaluated and discussed using finite element analysis (FEA). Finally, an experimental prototype is constructed to verify the proposed approach and the experimental results show that the optimization can be better applied to industrial track distributed IPT system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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813 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applicability of Compressive Sensing for Wireless Energy Harvesting Nodes

by Thu L. N. Nguyen, Yoan Shin, Jin Young Kim and Dong In Kim

Energies 2017, 10(11), 1776; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10111776 - 03 Nov 2017

Viewed by 2810

Abstract

This paper proposes an approach toward solving an issue pertaining to measuring compressible data in large-scale energy-harvesting wireless sensor networks with channel fading. We consider a scenario in which N sensors observe hidden phenomenon values, transmit their observations using amplify-and-forward protocol over fading channels to a fusion center (FC), and the FC needs to choose a number of sensors to collect data and recover them according to the desired approximation error using the compressive sensing. In order to reduce the communication cost, sparse random matrices are exploited in the pre-processing procedure. We first investigate the sparse representation for sensors with regard to recovery accuracy. Then, we present the construction of sparse random projection matrices based on the fact that the energy consumption can vary across the energy harvesting sensor nodes. The key ingredient is the sparsity level of the random projection, which can greatly reduce the communication costs. The corresponding number of measurements is chosen according to the desired approximation error. Analysis and simulation results validate the potential of the proposed approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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5149 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Impact-Based Frequency Up-Converting Hybrid Vibration Energy Harvester for Low Frequency Application

by Zhenlong Xu, Wen Wang, Jin Xie, Zhonggui Xu, Maoying Zhou and Hong Yang

Energies 2017, 10(11), 1761; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10111761 - 02 Nov 2017

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3950

Abstract

In this paper, a novel impact-based frequency up-converting hybrid energy harvester (FUCHEH) was proposed. It consisted of a piezoelectric cantilever beam and a driving beam with a magnetic tip mass. A solenoid coil was attached at the end of the piezoelectric beam. This innovative configuration amplified the relative motion velocity between magnet and coil, resulting in an enhancement of the induced electromotive force in the coil. An electromechanical coupling model was developed and a numerical simulation was performed to study the principle of impact-based frequency up-converting. A prototype was fabricated and experimentally tested. The time-domain and frequency-domain analyses were performed. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis verified that fundamental frequencies and coupled vibration frequency contributes most of the output voltage. The measured maximum output power was 769.13 µW at a frequency of 13 Hz and an acceleration amplitude of 1 m/s², which was 3249.4%- and 100.6%-times larger than that of the frequency up-converting piezoelectric energy harvesters (FUCPEH) and frequency up-converting electromagnetic energy harvester (FUCEMEH), respectively. The root mean square (RMS) voltage of the piezoelectric energy harvester subsystem (0.919 V) was more than 16 times of that of the stand-alone PEH (0.055 V). This paper provided a new scheme to improve generating performance of the vibration energy harvester with high resonant frequency working in the low-frequency vibration environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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3031 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Maximum Power Transfer Tracking Method for WPT Systems with Coupling Coefficient Identification Considering Two-Value Problem

by Xin Dai, Xiaofei Li, Yanling Li, Pengqi Deng and Chunsen Tang

Energies 2017, 10(10), 1665; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10101665 - 20 Oct 2017

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4065

Abstract

Maximum power transfer tracking (MPTT) is meant to track the maximum power point during the system operation of wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. Traditionally, MPTT is achieved by impedance matching at the secondary side when the load resistance is varied. However, due to a loosely coupling characteristic, the variation of coupling coefficient will certainly affect the performance of impedance matching, therefore MPTT will fail accordingly. This paper presents an identification method of coupling coefficient for MPTT in WPT systems. Especially, the two-value issue during the identification is considered. The identification approach is easy to implement because it does not require additional circuit. Furthermore, MPTT is easy to realize because only two easily measured DC parameters are needed. The detailed identification procedure corresponding to the two-value issue and the maximum power transfer tracking process are presented, and both the simulation analysis and experimental results verified the identification method and MPTT. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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957 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimal Analytical Solution for a Capacitive Wireless Power Transfer System with One Transmitter and Two Receivers

by Ben Minnaert and Nobby Stevens

Energies 2017, 10(9), 1444; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10091444 - 19 Sep 2017

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4468

Abstract

Wireless power transfer from one transmitter to multiple receivers through inductive coupling is slowly entering the market. However, for certain applications, capacitive wireless power transfer (CWPT) using electric coupling might be preferable. In this work, we determine closed-form expressions for a CWPT system with one transmitter and two receivers. We determine the optimal solution for two design requirements: (i) maximum power transfer, and (ii) maximum system efficiency. We derive the optimal loads and provide the analytical expressions for the efficiency and power. We show that the optimal load conductances for the maximum power configuration are always larger than for the maximum efficiency configuration. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that if the receivers are coupled, this can be compensated for by introducing susceptances that have the same value for both configurations. Finally, we numerically verify our results. We illustrate the similarities to the inductive wireless power transfer (IWPT) solution and find that the same, but dual, expressions apply. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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3165 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Insight of Maximum Transferred Power by Matching Capacitance of a Wireless Power Transfer System

by Chunyan Xiao, Yufeng Liu, Dingning Cheng and Kangzheng Wei

Energies 2017, 10(5), 688; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10050688 - 13 May 2017

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4259

Abstract

Most research on wireless power transfer (WPT) has been focused on how to achieve a high-efficiency power transfer. Our study found that under the impedance matching for achieving maximum WPT efficiency, the power transferred to the load cannot reach the maximum when a WPT system is supplied by an AC voltage source with constant amplitude. However, the load power or the voltage across the load is essential for a low-power electric device such as the implanted medical device where the transfer efficiency is not the priority to be considered. The paper presents a method for achieving maximum power on the load by matching capacitance in a WPT system with given two-coupled-coils. Three sets of matching capacitances for extreme load power were deduced based on the circuit model considering the coil's resistance, and all these three matching make the WPT system operate at the resonant state. Two sets can make the system achieve the global maximum of load power. One set can make the system achieve the local maximum of load power and reach the power transfer efficiency next to 1. Experimental results verified the theoretical calculations. The results can contribute to the compensation design of a practical WPT system for transferring the maximum power to the load. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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7592 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Short-Current Control Method for Constant Frequency Current-Fed Wireless Power Transfer Systems

by Yanling Li, Qichang Duan and Weiyi Li

Energies 2017, 10(5), 585; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10050585 - 25 Apr 2017

Viewed by 3661

Abstract

Frequency drift is a serious problem in Current-Fed Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems. When the operating frequency is drifting from the inherent Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) frequency of resonant network, large short currents will appear and damage the switches. In this paper, an inductance-dampening method is proposed to inhibit short currents and achieve constant-frequency operation. By adding a small auxiliary series inductance in the primary resonant network, short currents are greatly attenuated to a safe level. The operation principle and steady-state analysis of the system are provided. An overlapping time self-regulating circuit is designed to guarantee ZVS running. The range of auxiliary inductances is discussed and its critical value is calculated exactly. The design methodology is described and a design example is presented. Finally, a prototype is built and the experimental results verify the proposed method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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Review

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5618 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review on the Recent Development of Capacitive Wireless Power Transfer Technology

by Fei Lu, Hua Zhang and Chris Mi

Energies 2017, 10(11), 1752; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10111752 - 01 Nov 2017

Cited by 202 | Viewed by 14108

Abstract

Capacitive power transfer (CPT) technology is an effective and important alternative to the conventional inductive power transfer (IPT). It utilizes high-frequency electric fields to transfer electric power, which has three distinguishing advantages: negligible eddy-current loss, relatively low cost and weight, and excellent misalignment performance. In recent years, the power level and efficiency of CPT systems has been significantly improved and has reached the power level suitable for electric vehicle charging applications. This paper reviews the latest developments in CPT technology, focusing on two key technologies: the compensation circuit topology and the capacitive coupler structure. The comparison with the IPT system and some critical issues in practical applications are also discussed. Based on these analyses, the future research direction can be developed and the applications of the CPT technology can be promoted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Technologies)

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