A Comprehensive Review on Wireless Power Transfer Systems for Charging Portable Electronics

Abstract

Wireless power transfer (WPT) for portable electronic applications has been gaining a lot of interest over the past few decades. This study provides a comprehensive review of the recent advancements in WPT technology, along with the challenges faced in its practical implementation. The modeling and design of WPT systems, including the effect of cross-coupling in multiple receivers, have been discussed and the techniques for efficiency improvement have been highlighted. The challenges of coil design, EMI shielding, and foreign object detection have been pointed out and various cutting-edge solutions have been presented. With improvements in wide bandgap technology, there is a push to operate WPT systems at mega-hertz frequencies. The reason for this is twofold: the miniaturization of the system and the ability to achieve a better magnetic link efficiency. However, with higher frequency comes the challenge of operating the power electronic components efficiently by using soft-switching techniques. Hence, an in-depth discussion on soft-switched topologies such as the Class D and Class E converters and their variations has been provided. Finally, the effects of magnetic field exposure on humans along with safety standards have been discussed.