Self-Tuning <italic>LCC</italic> Inverter Using PWM-Controlled Switched Capacitor for Inductive Wireless Power Transfer

Abstract

Wireless power transfer with a self-tuning <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">LCC</i> inverter using pulsewidth modulation (PWM) controlled switched capacitor is proposed in this paper in order to compensate for the variations of Tx inductance. Usually, receivers contain magnetic and conductive materials for shielding and mechanical support. The inductance of the Tx coil is sensitive to the variation of Tx–Rx alignment because the interaction between the Tx coil and the Rx magnetic–conductive materials is also varied. It is shown that the detuning of the Tx inductance value exacerbates the losses in the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">LCC</i> inverter. In the proposed method, the PWM duty ratio of a single capacitor adjusts the effective output impedance of the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">LCC</i> inverter. The PWM feedback loop is designed such that the power factor and the real-part impedance of the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">LCC</i> inverter are maximized. The PWM switch is turned <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> at zero voltage and turned <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">off</small> with low <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">dv</i> / <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">dt</i> , minimizing switching losses. Such a soft-switching tunable capacitor can handle higher power compared to the traditional hard-switching capacitor, p-n junction capacitor, or an analog IC capacitor. Another advantage of the proposed technique is the continuity in achievable capacitance value using only one capacitor. The feedback can be fully implemented by analog components, obviating the necessity of digital samplings, ADC/DACs, and microcontrollers. The power of 54 W is transferred at 76.6% and 60.7% with and without the proposed method, respectively.