Author(s): Zachary Butler, Kendall Rosenkrantz, Yoonji Yo
Mentor(s): Dustin Shipp, Dan James
Institution UVU
In this study, the research group set out to test the effects of coil shape and use of ferrite cores on Wireless Power Transfer (WPT). This study intended to design a non-linear WPT system that could produce better efficiency results than a linear system (currently used by industry) in distances ranging from 0 cm to 5 cm, and angles ranging from 0 degrees to 60 degrees. In initial testing it was found that from the different gauges of wire available to the group, when a thicker wire is used to transmit power and a thinner wire is used to receive that power, the greatest efficiency in WPT is produced. The chosen gauges to use for the remainder of the experiment were 18 AWG (transmitter) and 24 AWG (receiver). It was decided to measure and compare the input and output voltage of each unique WPT system in order to measure the efficiency. The chosen input voltage stayed consistent throughout the entirety of the experiment at 10 Vpp (volts peak-to-peak). The group found that when a 60-degree bend is introduced to the transmitter coil, a higher efficiency is achieved when the angle between the transmitter and receiver is greater than 30 degrees. Results of up to a 13.3% difference in efficiency were found when comparing this uniquely shaped transmitter coil (named “Saddle Coil”) to the flat transmitter coil. Introducing a ferrite core to the Saddle Coil resulted in even higher efficiency differences as large as 16.1% when compared to the flat transmitter coil.