A bidirectional dynamic wireless charging system for mobile robot application

Abstract

Wireless power transfer has been gaining interest in recent decades. It provides an alternative way of charging instead of using traditional cables. Due to automation and artificial intelligence, the application of robots has become more and more popular. Using the wireless charging method would significantly improve robots' working efficiency and continuous usage. There are many near-filed wireless power transfer methods, including inductive coupling, capacitive coupling, and magnetic resonance coupling. Magnetic resonance coupling is suitable for transferring mid-level power for robots. However, misalignment is the main problem that affects the efficiency of wireless power transfer systems. To solve this problem, applying a dynamic way with double LCC compensation networks can improve the misalignment tolerance and system efficiency. Furthermore, as the energy storage system, smart grid and energy router are becoming trendy in recent years, exchanging energy between the grid and robot in a bidirectional power flow is achievable. In this final year project, a bidirectional dynamic wireless power transfer system was demonstrated with a maximum power level of 103.26W and an efficiency of 84.51% for robot applications.