A Q-Modulation Technique for Efficient Inductive Power Transmission

A fully integrated power management ASIC for efficient inductive power transmission has been presented capable of automatic load transformation using a method, called Q-modulation. Q-modulation is an adaptive scheme that offers load matching against a wide range of loading (RL) and coupling distance (d23) variations in inductive links to maintain high power transfer efficiency (PTE). It is suitable for inductive powering implantable microelectronic devices (IMDs), recharging mobile electronics, and electric vehicles. In Q-modulation, the zero-crossings of the induced current in the receiver (Rx) LC-tank are detected and a low-loss switch chops the Rx LC-tank for part of the power carrier cycle to form a high-Q LC-tank and store the maximum energy, which is then transferred to RL by opening the switch. By adjusting the duty cycle (D), the loaded-Q of the Rx LC-tank can be dynamically modulated to compensate for variations in RL. A Q-modulation power management (QMPM) prototype chip was fabricated in a 0.35 μm standard CMOS process, occupying 4.8 mm ². In a 1.45 W wireless power transfer setup, using a class-E power amplifier (PA) operating at 2 MHz, the QMPM successfully increased the inductive link PTE and the overall power efficiency by 98.5% and 120.7% at d23 = 8 cm, respectively, by compensating for 150 Ω variation in RL at D = 45%.