Modeling and Experiments of a Wireless Power Transfer System Considering Scenarios from In-Wheel-Motor Applications

Abstract

This paper presents the design and modeling procedure of a wireless power transfer (WPT) system applied to In-wheel-motor (IWM). The system is designed to transmit over 10 kW of power following the physical constraints faced by the IWM applications. The issues of coil misalignment and load change are discussed as particular scenarios in IWM. The finite element model is built for circular, rectangular, and double-D coils, finding that the rectangular coil has the best performance considering the transmission interval and misalignment resistance. The circuit design procedure is presented, and the analysis of the influence of load and mutual inductance change on the WPT system is addressed. Finally, the performance of the design is verified with experiments on a full-scale prototype. It is proved that the WPT system successfully transmits 10 kW of power with a DC–DC efficiency of over 90% under a transmission interval of 140 mm. The output voltage is stable under 40 mm coil misalignment scenarios and over 50% load change.