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Based on the unipolar-duty-cycle (UDC) modulation technique, this article presents a hybrid control strategy for a series–series compensated inductive power transfer (IPT) system. By adjusting the duty cycle and the operating frequency, zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and constant-current output (CCO) can be achieved with varying coupling coefficients and load. Furthermore, as the proposed strategy enables the IPT system to lower the frequency of operation, it provides higher efficiency in the overall output power range than the conventional variable-frequency control methods. The basic principle of the UDC control strategy and its characteristics are introduced, and the system performance under UDC is analyzed and compared with the performance achieved by conventional control methods. Based on this, the UDC closed-loop control scheme, which combines PI control and hysteresis control, is proposed for the dynamic tracking of the ZVS and the CCO under a wide range of coupling coefficients and load. To validate the practicability of the proposed control strategy, a 500-W experimental prototype is configured. The simulation and experimental results indicate that the proposed scheme can stably and accurately track the ZVS and the CCO under varying parameter conditions, and it significantly improves the system efficiency. Especially, the system efficiency is improved by approximately 1.75% under light-load conditions as compared with that of the conventional control method. In addition, since the proposed method employs only one control loop, the cost and complexity of the IPT system are reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of wireless power transfer technology in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems is rapidly improving in different application areas. The main limitations of electric-powered UAVs are their charging range and stability in dynamic conditions. To solve these, this article proposes a hybrid control method based on dc-link and switched capacitor control with a fixed operating frequency. The dc-link voltage is regulated by the boost power factor correction converter to smoothen the output voltage, and the switched capacitor is used to dynamically compensate for self-inductance variations under dynamic coupling conditions. The output voltage stabilization and near-unity power factor of the input impedance can be achieved by applying the hybrid control method. Therefore, efficiency improvement can be achieved. Furthermore, the proposed control method can also be applied to systems with large coupling variations. To verify the proposed control method, a 500-W prototype was set up in the laboratory, and the experimental results proved that the control method could ensure a stable output voltage with horizontal and vertical offsets of 200 and 62 mm. respectively. Additionally, the results show that the maximum efficiency of the proposed control method is 91.9%, demonstrating that the proposed method effectively improves the efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compensation topologies play an essential role in wireless power transfer systems for electric vehicles. Specifically, the double-sided LCC compensated (DS-LCC) topology has been widely adopted, owing to its inherent advantages, such as load-independent constant current (CC) output, low sensitivity to load variation, and high freedom in parameter design. However, large resonant devices in the DS-LCC topology lower the system efficiency and increase the complexity of optimal parameter tuning. Therefore, in this article, the parameters of the DS-LCC compensation topology are reconfigured by adjusting the ratios of its two compensation inductances without changing the specified system-level parameters, such as the loosely coupled transformer, operating frequency, and specified CC outputs. The system performance under each case is analyzed and compared in detail, based on which, an asymmetric parameter-design method is proposed to optimize the system efficiency. To verify the reasonability of the proposed tuning method, a 6.6-kW experimental prototype is configured, and comparative experiments are conducted. The experimental results indicate that, compared with the conventional method, the proposed parameter-tuning method improves the system efficiency under overall load conditions, especially under light loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compensation topologies of the inductive power transfer (IPT) converter for electric vehicles (EVs) have been researched in previous works. However, a methodology for designing a compensation topology based on the efficiency of the IPT converter has been barely discussed. This paper proposes an optimal design methodology for compensation parameters to achieve optimal efficiency of the IPT converter with LCC-S. The optimal output voltage is derived using the losses analysis of the IPT converter, and the IPT converter is designed for the optimal output voltage to achieve the optimal efficiency. Furthermore, the battery management (BM) converter on the receiving side is designed based on the output voltage of the IPT converter, the fluctuation range of the coupling coefficient, and the battery charging voltage. The validity of the proposed IPT converter design methodology is verified by designing different compensation parameters and BM converters. The power rating of the three design cases is 3.3 kW with the same magnetic pads satisfying the SAE J2954 WPT 1 class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]