Multifrequency Inductive Power Transfer

This paper presents a generalized analysis of an inductive power transfer system where multiple frequencies are used to transfer power through the magnetic link. Specifically, we consider a system that amplifies both the fundamental and the third harmonic generated by a full-bridge inverter in order to transfer power to a receiver at both frequencies. The system is analyzed in a generalized manner, by looking at the transconductance function at the transmitter and the receiver for each of the harmonics. Using this approach, the emitted field strength, inverter losses, combined transmitter and receiver coil conduction losses, and VA ratings are compared to a reference single-frequency system. The analysis shows that the dual-frequency system can outperform the single-frequency equivalent for all metrics considered; however, in practice, a tradeoff between the performance criteria is necessary, since the optimal operation points for each criterion cannot be attained with a single design.