Wireless piezoelectric acoustic-electric power feedthru

Abstract

There are numerous engineering applications where there is a need to transfer power and communication data thru the walls of a structure. A piezoelectric acoustic-electric power feedthru system was developed in this reported study allowing for wireless transfer of electric power through a metallic wall using elastic waves. The technology is applicable to the transfer of power for actuation, sensing and other tasks inside sealed containers and vacuum/pressure vessels. A network equivalent circuit including material damping loss was developed to analyze the performance of the devices. Experimental test devices were constructed and tested. The power transfer capability and the transfer efficiency were measured. A 100W feed though capability with 38 mm diameter device and 88% transmission efficiency were demonstrated. Both analytical and experimental results are presented and discussed in this paper.