Wide Area Contactless Power Transfer

Wide Area Contactless Power Transfer (WACPT) is a breakthrough in the dynamic charging of moving vehicles and introduces a concept that overcomes the main challenges of wireless power transfer schemes. A novel technology is introduced which enables efficient inductive power transfer to several ground or flying electric vehicles simultaneously regardless of their speed.

The transmitter only consists of two conductors carrying a constant and low magnitude high frequency current. With the special design of the receiver circuitry, even a small amount of transmitter current is enough to magnetize the receiver. Once the receiver is magnetized, it will form a larger magnetic field under the receiver area for power to be transferred. Since the WACPT transmitter current is low, the circuit is efficient and has low Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI).

The WACPT transmitter circuitry can easily be expanded by adding more energy feeds alongside a longer path. The electric power can be obtained from distribution feeders or from various-sized distributed clean energy sources.

Where the travel path of an EV is predefined (such as self-driving taxis), the battery storage can be eliminated altogether using WACPT, significantly decreasing the vehicle’s weight. In transportation, WACPT can electrify the fleet, and in industrial applications, WACPT can electrify warehouse robots, production lines, agricultural machines, or anything where a wired solution is not applicable or has fire hazards.

WACPT is a solution that can significantly reduce the environmental impact of transportation by using distributed clean energy resources and decreasing an EV’s dependency on batteries. WACPT is a transformational solution for both transportation and industrial electrification.

FAQ:

How many vehicles can be energized over one transmitter?

With the special design of the transmitter circuitry, several receivers can efficiently be energized at the same time over one transmitter circuit.

What is the frequency of operations?

The frequency of operations can be different depending to the design and the regulatory constraints.

How is the efficiency?

Efficiency is a function of many variables including the transmitter length, receiver size, and frequency of operations. WACPT will offer higher efficiency compared to other approaches due to our simple and low current transmitter and unique impedance matching circuitry.

What is the impact on foreign objects?

The WACPT scheme does not have any impact on nonconductive foreign objects and will have minimal impact on conductive foreign objects due to the low transmitter current and the absence of the unique receiver circuitry.

Does the transmitter need a ferrite core?

The transmitter circuit can work with or without a ferrite core. For outdoor applications or on the roads a design without a ferrite core is more practical.

How is it different from existing schemes?

Please refer to the below table: