Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Microwave and Wireless Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 71993

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Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University, Incheon 406-772, Republic of Korea
Interests: low-power analog/mixed-signal IC design for IoT and biomedical/healthcare applications; wireless power/data transfer, energy harvesting system design; power security in wireless power transfer system
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Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, wireless power/data and energy harvesting technologies have been developed to provide humans with more convenient, comfortable, and productive lives than any previous generations without the burden of physical cables. In the future, wireless power/data and energy harvesting technologies will be completely integrated into our daily lives, supplying power to our personal electronic devices, wearable/ implantable electronics, home appliances, and electric vehicles. This Special Issue will focus on emerging technologies in wireless power/data and energy harvesting applications from a few microwatts to kilowatts with transfer distances from a few millimeters to a few tens of meters.

The topics covered will include, but are not limited to, theories and techniques for short- or long-distance wireless/data transfer, RF energy harvesting, various applications of wireless power/data transfer for biomedical/wearable/mobile/IoT/electric vehicles, and system-level implementations. We invite researchers to submit high-quality manuscripts for publication in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Byunghun Lee
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Inductive/capacitive/magnetic resonance wireless power/data transfer
  • Microwave/mmwave based wireless power/data transfer and RF energy harvesting
  • Modeling and optimization of antenna, coils, resonators, and coil arrays
  • Circuits/systems related to wireless power/data, and energy harvesting
  • Applications of wireless power/data transfer for biomedical/healthcare/wearable devices
  • Applications of wireless power/data transfer for mobile/industry/IoT/electric vehicles
  • Other topics related to wireless power/data and energy harvesting (ultrasounds, devices, data modulation, applied electromagnetics, safety issues, EMC/EMI shielding, etc.)

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Published Papers (21 papers)

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15 pages, 3564 KiB  
Article
Duty-Cycled Wireless Power Transmission for Millimeter-Sized Biomedical Implants
by Muhammad Abrar Akram, Kai-Wen Yang and Sohmyung Ha
Electronics 2020, 9(12), 2130; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9122130 - 12 Dec 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4057
Abstract
Wireless power transmission (WPT) using an inductively coupled link is one of the most popular approaches to deliver power wirelessly to biomedical implants. As the electromagnetic wave travels through the tissue, it is attenuated and absorbed by the tissue, resulting in much weaker [...] Read more.
Wireless power transmission (WPT) using an inductively coupled link is one of the most popular approaches to deliver power wirelessly to biomedical implants. As the electromagnetic wave travels through the tissue, it is attenuated and absorbed by the tissue, resulting in much weaker electromagnetic coupling than in the air. As a result, the received input power on the implant is very weak, and so is the input voltage at the rectifier, which is the first block that receives the power on the implant. With such a small voltage amplitude, the rectifier inevitably has a very poor power conversion efficiency (PCE), leading to a poor power transfer efficiency (PTE) of the overall WPT system. To address this challenge, we propose a new system-level WPT method based on duty cycling of the power transmission for millimeter-scale implants. In the proposed method, the power transmitter (TX) transmits the wave with a duty cycle. It transmits only during a short period of time and pauses for a while instead of transmitting the wave continuously. In doing so, the TX power during the active period can be increased while preserving the average TX power and the specific absorption rate (SAR). Then, the incoming voltage becomes significantly larger at the rectifier, so the rectifier can rectify the input with a higher PCE, leading to improved PTE. To investigate the design challenges and applicability of the proposed duty-cycled WPT method, a case for powering a 1 × 1-mm2-sized neural implant through the skull is constructed. The implant, a TX, and the associated environment are modeled in High-Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS), and the circuit simulations are conducted in Cadence with circuit components in a 180-nm CMOS process. At a load resistor of 100 kΩ, an output capacitor of 4 nF, and a carrier frequency of 144 MHz, the rectifier’s DC output voltage and PCE are increased by 300% (from 1.5 V to 6 V) and by 50% (from 14% to 64%), respectively, when the duty cycle ratio of the proposed duty-cycled power transmission is varied from 100% to 5%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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15 pages, 8242 KiB  
Article
A Novel Metal Foreign Object Detection for Wireless High-Power Transfer Using a Two-Layer Balanced Coil Array with a Serial-Resonance Maxwell Bridge
by Sunhee Kim, Haeyong Jung, Youngjun Ju and Yongseok Lim
Electronics 2020, 9(12), 2070; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9122070 - 4 Dec 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2690
Abstract
In a wireless high-power transfer system with a distance of several tens of centimeters apart between the transmitter and receiver coils, one of the most challenging issues is to detect metallic foreign objects between the transmitter and receiver coils. The metallic foreign objects [...] Read more.
In a wireless high-power transfer system with a distance of several tens of centimeters apart between the transmitter and receiver coils, one of the most challenging issues is to detect metallic foreign objects between the transmitter and receiver coils. The metallic foreign objects must be detected and removed since these reduce the transmission efficiency and cause heat generation of the transmitter and receiver. This paper presents two-layer symmetric balanced coil array so that if there are metallic foreign objects, it can be detected through the change of the inductance of the balanced coils. Since the balanced coil is composed of coils that are in a symmetrical relationship in position, there is no need for a reference coil, and interference between coils is reduced by dividing the coil into two layers. In addition, a novel serial-resonance Maxwell bridge circuit to improve the inductance change detection performance is presented in this paper. The proposed metallic foreign object detection system is implemented using two-layer balanced coil array with a serial-resonance Maxwell bridge and the experimental results show that voltage changes of hundreds of mV to several V occur when a metallic foreign object is inserted, so that even small metals such as clips can be detected. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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10 pages, 2932 KiB  
Article
High-PSRR Wide-Range Supply-Independent CMOS Voltage Reference for Retinal Prosthetic Systems
by Ruhaifi Bin Abdullah Zawawi, Hojong Choi and Jungsuk Kim
Electronics 2020, 9(12), 2028; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9122028 - 30 Nov 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3510
Abstract
This paper presents a fully integrated voltage-reference circuit for implantable devices such as retinal implants. The recently developed retinal prostheses require a stable supply voltage to drive a high-density stimulator array. Accordingly, a voltage-reference circuit plays a critical role in generating a constant [...] Read more.
This paper presents a fully integrated voltage-reference circuit for implantable devices such as retinal implants. The recently developed retinal prostheses require a stable supply voltage to drive a high-density stimulator array. Accordingly, a voltage-reference circuit plays a critical role in generating a constant reference voltage, which is provided to a low-voltage-drop regulator (LDO), and filtering out the AC ripples in a power-supply rail after rectification. For this purpose, we use a beta-multiplier voltage-reference architecture to which a nonlinear current sink circuit is added, to improve the supply-independent performance drastically. The proposed reference circuit is fabricated using the standard 0.35 µm technology, along with an LDO that adopts an output ringing compensation circuit. The novel reference circuit generates a reference voltage of 1.37 V with a line regulation of 3.45 mV/V and maximum power-supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of −93 dB. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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16 pages, 10247 KiB  
Article
Study on Battery Charging Converter for MPPT Control of Laser Wireless Power Transmission System
by Seongjun Lee, Namgyu Lim, Wonseon Choi, Yongtak Lee, Jongbok Baek and Jungsoo Park
Electronics 2020, 9(10), 1745; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9101745 - 21 Oct 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3954
Abstract
Herein, the voltage and current output characteristics of a laser photovoltaic (PV) module applied to a wireless power transmission system using a laser beam are analyzed. First, an experiment is conducted to obtain the characteristic data of the voltage and current based on [...] Read more.
Herein, the voltage and current output characteristics of a laser photovoltaic (PV) module applied to a wireless power transmission system using a laser beam are analyzed. First, an experiment is conducted to obtain the characteristic data of the voltage and current based on the laser output power of the laser PV module, which generates the maximum power from the laser beam at a wavelength of 1080 nm; subsequently, the small-signal voltage and current characteristics of the laser PV module are analyzed. From the analysis results, it is confirmed that the laser PV module has a characteristic in which the maximum power generation point varies according to the power level of the laser beam. In addition, similar to the solar cell module, it is confirmed that the laser PV module has a current source and a voltage source region, and it shows a small signal resistance characteristic having a negative value as the operating point goes to the current source region. In addition, in this paper, by reflecting these electrical characteristics, a method for designing the controller of a power converter capable of charging a battery while generating maximum power from a PV module is proposed. Since the laser PV module corresponds to the input source of the boost converter used as the power conversion unit, the small-signal transfer function of the boost converter, including the PV module, is derived for the controller design. Therefore, by designing a controller that can stably control the voltage of the PV module in the current source, the maximum power point, and voltage source regions defined according to the output characteristics of the laser PV module, the maximum power is generated from the PV module. Herein, a systematic controller design method for a boost converter for laser wireless power transmission is presented, and the proposed method is validated based on the simulation and experimental results of a 25-W-class boost converter based on a microcontroller unit control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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29 pages, 14798 KiB  
Article
A Study on Precise Positioning for an Electric Vehicle Wireless Power Transfer System Using a Ferrite Antenna
by Jae Yong Seong and Sang-Sun Lee
Electronics 2020, 9(8), 1289; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9081289 - 11 Aug 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2900
Abstract
In the last decade, engineers from automotive manufacturers and charging infrastructure suppliers have widely studied the application of wireless power transfer (WPT) technology to electric vehicles. Since this time, engineers from automotive manufacturers have studied precise positioning methods suitable for WPT using methods [...] Read more.
In the last decade, engineers from automotive manufacturers and charging infrastructure suppliers have widely studied the application of wireless power transfer (WPT) technology to electric vehicles. Since this time, engineers from automotive manufacturers have studied precise positioning methods suitable for WPT using methods such as mechanical, communication-based or video-based. However, due to high costs, electromagnetic interference and environmental factors, the experts of the SAE J2954 was focused on the WPT’s precise positioning method by ferrite antennas and low power excitation. In this study, we present how to use the ferrite antennas to find a central alignment point between the primary and secondary units within the alignment tolerance area that requires the minimum power transfer efficiency of the EV WPT system. First, we analyze the ferrite antenna already applied in the automotive and verifies whether it is suitable for the precise positioning of the WPT system for EV. We use modeling and simulation to show that it is necessary to calculate all induced loop voltages in the relationship between incident magnetic field signal strength and induced loop voltage because of the short distance between the transmitter and receiver of the ferrite antenna in WPT. In addition, we also suggest a sequence to find the fitting location of the ferrite antenna, the number of antennas used and the center alignment point. After the simulation is performed on the suggestions, component-level and vehicle-level tests were conducted to verify the validity of the simulation results. As a result, it is shown that a ferrite antenna is suitable as a method for the secondary device to find the center alignment point of the primary device. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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11 pages, 7805 KiB  
Article
An Ultra-Low-Power Area-Efficient Non-Coherent Binary Phase-Shift Keying Demodulator for Implantable Biomedical Microsystems
by Milad Ghazi, Mohammad Hossein Maghami, Parviz Amiri and Sotoudeh Hamedi-Hagh
Electronics 2020, 9(7), 1123; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9071123 - 10 Jul 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4163
Abstract
A novel non-coherent, low-power, area-efficient binary phase-shift keying demodulator for wireless implantable biomedical microsystems is proposed. The received data and synchronized clock signal are detected using a delayed digitized format of the input signal. The proposed technique does not require any kind of [...] Read more.
A novel non-coherent, low-power, area-efficient binary phase-shift keying demodulator for wireless implantable biomedical microsystems is proposed. The received data and synchronized clock signal are detected using a delayed digitized format of the input signal. The proposed technique does not require any kind of oscillator circuit, and due to the synchronization of all circuit signals, the proposed demodulator can work in a wide range of biomedical data telemetry common frequencies in different process/temperature corners. The presented circuit has been designed and post-layout-simulated in a standard 0.18 μm CMOS technology and occupies 17 × 27 μm2 of active area. Post-layout simulation results indicate that with a 1.8 V power supply, power consumption of the designed circuit is 8.5 μW at a data rate of 20 Mbps. The presented demodulation scheme was also implemented on a proof-of-concept circuit board for verifying its functionality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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17 pages, 5440 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Substrate Size Changes on the Coil Resistance of the Wireless Power Transfer System
by Jiacheng Li, Linlin Tan, Xueliang Huang, Ruoyin Wang and Ming Zhang
Electronics 2020, 9(6), 1025; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9061025 - 21 Jun 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2620
Abstract
Wireless power transfer (WPT) technology has been widely used in many fields. Nevertheless, in the field of high power transmission, such as the WPT system of electric vehicles, the power transmission efficiency of WPT system lags behind that of wired charging due to [...] Read more.
Wireless power transfer (WPT) technology has been widely used in many fields. Nevertheless, in the field of high power transmission, such as the WPT system of electric vehicles, the power transmission efficiency of WPT system lags behind that of wired charging due to losses brought by substrate shielding materials. In this regard, the conduction resistance of Litz-wire coils without substrate is analyzed first in this paper. Secondly, the induction resistance of the coil with single-layer and double-layer substrate materials is modeled. Then, through the establishment of a coil simulation and experimental platform with a single-layer substrate, a contrastive analysis of the variation trend of coil equivalent series resistance (coil ESR) at changing thickness and area and constant volume of the substrate is carried out in combination with the theory. The variation law of coil ESR at changing thickness and area and constant volume of double-layer substrate is also explored at the end of this paper. This is expected to contribute to the reduction of coil losses in the WPT system through a systematic study of the influence of substrate size changes on the coil resistance of the WPT system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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13 pages, 2590 KiB  
Article
Reduction of Human Interaction with Wireless Power Transfer System Using Shielded Loop Coil
by Akihiko Kumazawa, Yinliang Diao, Akimasa Hirata and Hiroshi Hirayama
Electronics 2020, 9(6), 953; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9060953 - 8 Jun 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3471
Abstract
The impedance variation of wireless power transfer (WPT) coils owing to the presence of the human body may result in mismatches, resulting in a decrease of the transmission efficiency. In addition, one of the decisive factors of the permissible transfer power in WPT [...] Read more.
The impedance variation of wireless power transfer (WPT) coils owing to the presence of the human body may result in mismatches, resulting in a decrease of the transmission efficiency. In addition, one of the decisive factors of the permissible transfer power in WPT systems is a compliance assessment with the guidelines/standards for human protection from electromagnetic fields. In our previous study, we reported that a shielded loop coil can potentially reduce human interaction with WPT coils. In this study, first, the rationale for this reduction is investigated with equivalent circuit models for a WPT system using a shielded loop coil operated in close proximity to the human body. We then conducted an equivalent circuit analysis considering the capacitance between the inner and outer conductors of the shielded loop coil, suggesting the stability of the impedance matching. From computational results, the mitigation capability of the shielded loop coil on impedance matching and transmission efficiency owing to the presence of the human body was verified for 6.78 MHz wireless power transfer. Additionally, the reduction of the specific absorption rate (SAR) with coils comprised of the shielded loop structure was confirmed in the presence of anatomically realistic human body models. The maximum transferable power was increased from 1.5 kW to 2.1 kW for the restrictions of the local SAR limit prescribed in the international safety guidelines/standard. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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12 pages, 499 KiB  
Article
In-Band Full-Duplex Relaying for SWIPT-Enabled Cognitive Radio Networks
by Hieu V. Nguyen, Van-Dinh Nguyen and Oh-Soon Shin
Electronics 2020, 9(5), 835; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9050835 - 20 May 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2320
Abstract
This paper studies sum rate maximization of a cognitive radio network, where a full-duplex relay (FDR) is considered to assist data transmission. An FDR equipped with multiple transmit/receive antennas is introduced to harvest energy from the radio frequency signal of the primary system [...] Read more.
This paper studies sum rate maximization of a cognitive radio network, where a full-duplex relay (FDR) is considered to assist data transmission. An FDR equipped with multiple transmit/receive antennas is introduced to harvest energy from the radio frequency signal of the primary system to reuse the energy for its own data transmission. By exploiting the time-switching relaying protocol, we first formulate an optimization problem for the sum rate of primary and secondary receivers and then propose a low-complexity algorithm to find the optimal solution. Numerical results verify the effectiveness of the proposed technique for wireless information and power transfer in cognitive radio systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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15 pages, 5712 KiB  
Article
Analysis of an Operating State of the Innovative Capacitive Power Transmission System with Sliding Receiver Supplied by the Class-E Inverter
by Wojciech Ludowicz, Wojciech Pietrowski and Rafal M. Wojciechowski
Electronics 2020, 9(5), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9050841 - 19 May 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2133
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in interest in applications of wireless power transmission (WPT). The development of electromobility and consumer electronics creates a need for newer and more effective systems for wireless charging. In spite of the unceasing progress [...] Read more.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in interest in applications of wireless power transmission (WPT). The development of electromobility and consumer electronics creates a need for newer and more effective systems for wireless charging. In spite of the unceasing progress in the research area of wireless energy transmission systems, the significant problem of the motion of the receiver has still not been solved. In this work, an innovative capacitive power transmission (CPT) system with a sliding receiver has been proposed, which enables efficient energy transmission regardless of the location of the receiver system relative to the transmitter system. The analysis of the operating states of the considered system has been conducted with the use of an in-house algorithm, in which the parameters of the equivalent circuit of the CPT system have been implemented. The parameters have been determined by the finite element method (FEM) using the electric scalar potential V. The system of capacitive power transmission was supplied from an E-class inverter. Selected results of calculations of the considered system have been presented and discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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12 pages, 6829 KiB  
Article
Compensation Parameters Optimization of Wireless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicles
by Feng Wen, Xiaohu Chu, Qiang Li and Wei Gu
Electronics 2020, 9(5), 789; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9050789 - 11 May 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4496
Abstract
For wireless charging of electric vehicles (EVs), increasing the output power level is particularly important. In this paper, the purpose of improving the output power while maintaining optimal transmission efficiency is achieved by optimizing the parameters of the compensation topology under the premise [...] Read more.
For wireless charging of electric vehicles (EVs), increasing the output power level is particularly important. In this paper, the purpose of improving the output power while maintaining optimal transmission efficiency is achieved by optimizing the parameters of the compensation topology under the premise that the coupled coils of the system does not need to be redesigned. The series-series (SS) and hybrid-series-parallel (LCC, composed by an inductor and two capacitors) compensation topology are studied. The influence factors of load resistance to achieve optimal efficiency, the influence of LCC compensation parameters on the power output level, and the influence of parameter changes on system safety are analyzed. Theorical results show that by rationally designing the LCC compensation parameters, larger output power and optimal transfer efficiency can be achieved under different load resistance by adjusting the inductances of the primary and secondary compensation circuits. The output power of the optimized system with adjusted LCC compensation topology is increased by 64.2% with 89.8% transfer efficiency under 50 ohms load in experiments. The correctness and feasibility of this parameter design method are verified by both theorical and experimental results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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13 pages, 11167 KiB  
Article
Design of a Cylindrical Winding Structure for Wireless Power Transfer Used in Rotatory Applications
by Mohamad Abou Houran, Xu Yang and Wenjie Chen
Electronics 2020, 9(3), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9030526 - 23 Mar 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3104
Abstract
A cylindrical joint structure for wireless power transfer (WPT) systems is proposed. The transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) coils were wound on hemicylindrical and cylindrical structures, respectively. The Rx coil rotates freely around the axial direction of the Tx coil. Different methods of [...] Read more.
A cylindrical joint structure for wireless power transfer (WPT) systems is proposed. The transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) coils were wound on hemicylindrical and cylindrical structures, respectively. The Rx coil rotates freely around the axial direction of the Tx coil. Different methods of winding the Tx and Rx coils are given and discussed. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) around the WPT windings should be lower than the limits set by WPT standards. Therefore, the WPT windings were designed to reduce EMF level and maintain constant power-transfer efficiency (PTE). The design procedures of the windings are discussed in detail. EMF analysis was done under different rotation angles (α). The selected design reduced the variation of the mutual inductance (M). As a result, it maintained a constant PTE while rotating the Rx coil between 0° and 85°. Moreover, leakage magnetic fields (LMFs) near the WPT coils of the chosen design were reduced by 63.6% compared with other winding methods that have the same efficiency. Finally, a prototype was built to validate the proposed idea. Experiment results were in good agreement with the simulation results. The WPT system maintained constant efficiency in spite of the rotation of Rx coil, where efficiency dropped by only 2.15% when the Rx coil rotated between 0° and 85°. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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14 pages, 5262 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Fundamental Differences between Capacitive and Inductive Impedance Matching for Inductive Wireless Power Transfer
by Yelzhas Zhaksylyk, Einar Halvorsen, Ulrik Hanke and Mehdi Azadmehr
Electronics 2020, 9(3), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9030476 - 13 Mar 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4066
Abstract
Inductive and capacitive impedance matching are two different techniques optimizing power transfer in magnetic resonance inductive wireless power transfer. Under ideal conditions, i.e., unrestricted parameter ranges and no loss, both approaches can provide the perfect match. Comparing these two techniques under non-ideal conditions, [...] Read more.
Inductive and capacitive impedance matching are two different techniques optimizing power transfer in magnetic resonance inductive wireless power transfer. Under ideal conditions, i.e., unrestricted parameter ranges and no loss, both approaches can provide the perfect match. Comparing these two techniques under non-ideal conditions, to explore fundamental differences in their performance, is a challenging task as the two techniques are fundamentally different in operation. In this paper, we accomplish such a comparison by determining matchable impedances achievable by these networks and visualizing them as regions of a Smith chart. The analysis is performed over realistic constraints on parameters of three different application cases both with and without loss accounted for. While the analysis confirms that it is possible to achieve unit power transfer efficiency with both approaches in the lossless case, we find that the impedance regions where this is possible, as visualized in the Smith chart, differ between the two approaches and between the applications. Furthermore, an analysis of the lossy case shows that the degradation of the power transfer efficiencies upon introduction of parasitic losses is similar for the two methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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11 pages, 5063 KiB  
Article
Inductive Power Transmission for Wearable Textile Heater using Series-None Topology
by Hyeokjin Kwon, Kang-Ho Lee and Byunghun Lee
Electronics 2020, 9(3), 431; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9030431 - 4 Mar 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2832
Abstract
In this paper, an inductive-power-transmission (IPT) system for a wearable textile heater is proposed to comfortably provide heating to a user’s body. The conductive thread, which has high electrical resistance, was sewn into a receiver (Rx) coil on clothing to generate high temperature [...] Read more.
In this paper, an inductive-power-transmission (IPT) system for a wearable textile heater is proposed to comfortably provide heating to a user’s body. The conductive thread, which has high electrical resistance, was sewn into a receiver (Rx) coil on clothing to generate high temperature with a low current. The proposed wearable heaters are completely washable thanks to their nonmetallic materials, other than conductive threads in the clothing. We introduced series-none (SN) topology to eliminate a resonant capacitor in the wearable textile heater. A single resonant capacitor in a transmitter (Tx) in SN mode was implemented to resonate both Tx and Rx, resulting in increased power delivered to the load (PDL) while maintaining high-power transfer efficiency (PTE), comparable with conventional series-series (SS) topology. When the supply voltage of the power amplifier was 7 V, while the PTE of the SS and SN modes was 85.2% and 75.8%, respectively, the PDL of the SS and SN modes was 2.74 and 4.6 W, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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12 pages, 4482 KiB  
Article
Unilateral Route Method to Estimate Practical Mutual Inductance for Multi-Coil WPT System
by Seon-Jae Jeon, Sang-Hoon Lee and Dong-Wook Seo
Electronics 2020, 9(2), 377; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9020377 - 24 Feb 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3674
Abstract
Multi-coil WPT systems require mutual inductance information between coils to increase the power transmission efficiency. However, in the high frequency (HF) bands such as 6.78 MHz and 13.56 MHz, the presence of surrounding coils changes the value of the mutual inductance between the [...] Read more.
Multi-coil WPT systems require mutual inductance information between coils to increase the power transmission efficiency. However, in the high frequency (HF) bands such as 6.78 MHz and 13.56 MHz, the presence of surrounding coils changes the value of the mutual inductance between the two coils due to the parasitic element effect of the coils. These parasitic effects make it harder to estimate the mutual inductance among three or more coils. In contrast to ideal mutual inductance, which has a constant value regardless of frequency and surrounding coils, we define the practical mutual inductance as the mutual inductance varied by parasitic elements. In this paper, a new method is presented to estimate the practical mutual inductance between multiple coils in the HF band. The proposed method simply configures the expression of practical mutual inductance formula because only one of two bilateral dependent voltage sources generated by mutual inductance is considered. For several coils placed along the same axis, the practical mutual inductances between coils were measured with respect to the distance between them to validate the proposed method. The practical mutual inductance obtained from the proposed method was consistent with the simulated and measured values in HF band. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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17 pages, 5362 KiB  
Article
Energy-Efficient Wireless Hopping Sensor Relocation Based on Prediction of Terrain Conditions
by Sooyeon Park, Moonseong Kim and Woochan Lee
Electronics 2020, 9(1), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9010049 - 28 Dec 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2552
Abstract
It is inevitable for data collection that IoT sensors are distributed to interested areas. However, not only the proper placement of sensors, but also the replacement of sensors that have run out of energy is very difficult. As a remedy, wireless charging systems [...] Read more.
It is inevitable for data collection that IoT sensors are distributed to interested areas. However, not only the proper placement of sensors, but also the replacement of sensors that have run out of energy is very difficult. As a remedy, wireless charging systems for IoT sensors have been researched recently, but it is apparent that the availability of charging system is limited especially for IoT sensors scattered in rugged terrain. Thus, it is important that the sensor relocation models to recover sensing holes employ energy-efficient scheme. While there are various methods in the mobile model of wireless sensors, well-known wheel-based movements in rough areas are hard to achieve. Thus, research is ongoing in various areas of the hopping mobile model in which wireless sensors jump. Many past studies about hopping sensor relocation assume that all sensor nodes are aware of entire network information throughout the network. These assumptions do not fit well to the actual environment, and they are nothing but classical theoretical research. In addition, the physical environment (sand, mud, etc.) of the area in which the sensor is deployed can change from time to time. In this paper, we overcome the theoretical-based problems of the past researches and propose a new realistic hopping sensor relocation protocol considering terrain conditions. Since the status of obstacles around the sensing hole is unknown, the success rate of the hopping sensor relocation is used to predict the condition of the surrounding environment. Also, we are confident that our team is uniquely implementing OMNeT++ (Objective Modular Network Testbed in C++) simulation in the hopping sensor relocation protocol to reflect the actual communication environment. Simulations have been performed on various obstacles for performance evaluation and analysis, and we are confident that better energy efficiency with later appearance of sensing holes can be achieved compared to well-known relocation protocols. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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16 pages, 2971 KiB  
Article
Energy Harvesting Maximizing for Millimeter-Wave Massive MIMO-NOMA
by Shufeng Li, Zelin Wan, Libiao Jin and Jianhe Du
Electronics 2020, 9(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9010032 - 26 Dec 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3550
Abstract
Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (MIMO-NOMA) is considered a promising multiple access technology in fifth generation (5G) networks, which can improve system capacity and spectral efficiency. In this paper, we proposed two methods of user grouping and proposed a dynamic power allocation solution [...] Read more.
Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (MIMO-NOMA) is considered a promising multiple access technology in fifth generation (5G) networks, which can improve system capacity and spectral efficiency. In this paper, we proposed two methods of user grouping and proposed a dynamic power allocation solution for MIMO-NOMA system. Then we proposed an algorithm to maximize energy harvest for MIMO-NOMA system by integrating Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT), known as maximizing energy harvesting. Specifically, we added a power splitter at the receiver and found the optimal power splitting factor for each user. The harvested power of the user is maximized under the premise of satisfying the minimum communication rate. The simulation results show that the proposed method is effective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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9 pages, 2578 KiB  
Article
Optimum Receiver-Side Tuning Capacitance for Capacitive Wireless Power Transfer
by Sungryul Huh and Dukju Ahn
Electronics 2019, 8(12), 1543; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8121543 - 13 Dec 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3275
Abstract
This paper reveals the optimum capacitance value of a receiver-side inductor-capacitor (LC) network to achieve the highest efficiency in a capacitive power-transfer system. These findings break the usual convention of a capacitance value having to be chosen such that complete LC resonance happens [...] Read more.
This paper reveals the optimum capacitance value of a receiver-side inductor-capacitor (LC) network to achieve the highest efficiency in a capacitive power-transfer system. These findings break the usual convention of a capacitance value having to be chosen such that complete LC resonance happens at the operating frequency. Rather, our findings in this paper indicate that the capacitance value should be smaller than the value that forms the exact LC resonance. These analytical derivations showed that as the ratio of inductor impedance divided by plate impedance increased, the optimum Rx capacitance decreased. This optimum capacitance maximized the TX-to-RX transfer efficiency of a given set of system conditions, such as matching inductors and coupling plates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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Review

Jump to: Research, Other

28 pages, 11674 KiB  
Review
Wirelessly-Powered Cage Designs for Supporting Long-Term Experiments on Small Freely Behaving Animals in a Large Experimental Arena
by Byunghun Lee and Yaoyao Jia
Electronics 2020, 9(12), 1999; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9121999 - 25 Nov 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3580
Abstract
In modern implantable medical devices (IMDs), wireless power transmission (WPT) between inside and outside of the animal body is essential to power the IMD. Unlike conventional WPT, which transmits the wireless power only between fixed Tx and Rx coils, the wirelessly-powered cage system [...] Read more.
In modern implantable medical devices (IMDs), wireless power transmission (WPT) between inside and outside of the animal body is essential to power the IMD. Unlike conventional WPT, which transmits the wireless power only between fixed Tx and Rx coils, the wirelessly-powered cage system can wirelessly power the IMD implanted in a small animal subject while the animal freely moves inside the cage during the experiment. A few wirelessly-powered cage systems have been developed to either directly power the IMD or recharge batteries during the experiment. Since these systems adapted different power carrier frequencies, coil configurations, subject tracking techniques, and wireless powered area, it is important for designers to select suitable wirelessly-powered cage designs, considering the practical limitations in wirelessly powering the IMD, such as power transfer efficiency (PTE), power delivered to load (PDL), closed-loop power control (CLPC), scalability, spatial/angular misalignment, near-field data telemetry, and safety issues against various perturbations during the longitudinal animal experiment. In this article, we review the trend of state-of-the-art wirelessly-powered cage designs and practical considerations of relevant technologies for various IMD applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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27 pages, 933 KiB  
Review
On-Site and External Energy Harvesting in Underground Wireless
by Usman Raza and Abdul Salam
Electronics 2020, 9(4), 681; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9040681 - 22 Apr 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4925
Abstract
Energy efficiency is vital for uninterrupted long-term operation of wireless underground communication nodes in the field of decision agriculture. In this paper, energy harvesting and wireless power transfer techniques are discussed with applications in underground wireless communications (UWC). Various external wireless power transfer [...] Read more.
Energy efficiency is vital for uninterrupted long-term operation of wireless underground communication nodes in the field of decision agriculture. In this paper, energy harvesting and wireless power transfer techniques are discussed with applications in underground wireless communications (UWC). Various external wireless power transfer techniques are explored. Moreover, key energy harvesting technologies are presented that utilize available energy sources in the field such as vibration, solar, and wind. In this regard, the Electromagnetic (EM)- and Magnetic Induction (MI)-based approaches are explained. Furthermore, the vibration-based energy harvesting models are reviewed as well. These energy harvesting approaches lead to design of an efficient wireless underground communication system to power underground nodes for prolonged field operation in decision agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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Other

Jump to: Research, Review

8 pages, 2660 KiB  
Letter
Wireless Power Transfer under Wide Distance Variation Using Dual Impedance Frequency
by Woochan Lee and Dukju Ahn
Electronics 2020, 9(1), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9010110 - 7 Jan 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3066
Abstract
A dual-impedance operation, where coil impedance is controlled by operating frequency selection, is proposed to maintain optimum reflected impedance across coupling variation. More specifically, this work focuses on how high coupling between coils presents excessively high reflected resistance to transmitter (Tx) inverters, degrading [...] Read more.
A dual-impedance operation, where coil impedance is controlled by operating frequency selection, is proposed to maintain optimum reflected impedance across coupling variation. More specifically, this work focuses on how high coupling between coils presents excessively high reflected resistance to transmitter (Tx) inverters, degrading the efficiency and output power of the inverter. To overcome this problem, the proposed system is equipped with dual-impedance coil and selects high- or low-impedance coil based on the ability to operate both at 200 kHz and 6.78 MHz frequencies. The reactive impedances of 6.78 MHz coils are designed to be higher than that of 200 kHz coils. Since the reflected resistance is proportional to the coil impedances and coupling squared, at close distance with high coupling coefficient, 200 kHz coils with low coil impedances are activated to prevent an excessive rise in reflected resistance. On the other hand, at large distance spacing with low coupling coefficient, 6.78 MHz coils with high coil impedances are activated so that sufficient reflected resistance is obtained even under the small coupling. The proposed system’s advantages are the high efficiency and the elimination of bulky mechanical relay switches. Measured efficiencies are 88.6–50% across 10 coupling variations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wireless Power/Data Transfer, Energy Harvesting System Design)
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