Starting from Tesla's principles of wireless power transfer a century ago, this critical review outlines recent magneto-inductive research activities on wireless power transfer with the transmission distance greater than the transmitter coil dimension. It summarizes the operating principles of a range of wireless power research into 1) the maximum power transfer and 2) the maximum energy efficiency principles. The differences and the implications of these two approaches are explained in terms of their energy efficiency and transmission distance capabilities. The differences between the system energy efficiency and the transmission efficiency are also highlighted. The review covers the two-coil systems, the four-coil systems, the systems with relay resonators and the wireless domino-resonator systems. Related issues including human exposure issues and reduction of winding resistance are also addressed. The review suggests that the use of the maximum energy efficiency principle in the two-coil systems is suitable for short-range rather than mid-range applications, the use of the maximum power transfer principle in the four-coil systems is good for maximizing the transmission distance, but is under a restricted system energy efficiency (<;50%); the use of the maximum energy efficiency principle in relay or domino systems may offer a good compromise for good system energy efficiency and transmission distance on the condition that relay resonators can be placed between the power source and the load.

A method for automatic “maximum energy efficiency tracking” operation for wireless power transfer (WPT) systems is presented in this paper. Using the switched-mode converter in the receiver module to emulate the optimal load value, the proposed method follows the maximum energy efficiency operating points of a WPT system by searching for the minimum input power operating point for a given output power. Because the searching process is carried out on the transmitter side, the proposal does not require any wireless communication feedback from the receiver side. The control scheme has been successfully demonstrated in a two-coil system under both weak and strong magnetic coupling conditions. Experimental results are included to confirm its feasibility.

In this paper, we present a brief overview of historical developments of wireless power and an analysis on the use of Tesla's resonators in domino forms for wireless power transfer. Relay resonators are spaced between the transmitter and receiver coils with the objectives of maximizing energy efficiency and increasing the overall transmission distance between the power source and the load. Analytical expressions for the optimal load and maximum efficiency at resonance frequency are derived. These equations are verified with practical measurements obtained from both coaxial and noncoaxial domino resonator systems. To avoid the use of high operating frequency for wireless power transfer in previous related research, the technique presented here can be used at submegahertz operation so as to minimize the power loss in both the power supply and the output stage. We demonstrated both theoretically and practically that unequal spacing for the coaxial straight domino systems has better efficiency performance than the equal-spacing method. Also, the flexibility of using resonators in various domino forms is demonstrated.

In this paper, the effects of the magnetic coupling of nonadjacent resonators on the optimal frequency of wireless power transfer are addressed. A power analysis has been carried out to identify the adjacent and nonadjacent power flow components. It is found that such cross-coupling effects of nonadjacent resonators would cause the maximum efficiency operation to slightly shift away from the resonance frequency of the resonators. Theoretical reasons for such phenomena are provided and experimentally confirmed with practical measurements in a wireless power transfer system comprising several magnetically coupled resonators arranged in a straight domino form.

The planar contactless battery charging system is an emerging technology that can be applied to a wide range of portable consumer electronic products. Beginning with a brief historical background, this paper presents a new single-layer winding array and receiver coil structure with cylindrical ferrite cores for planar contactless battery charging systems. Complying with the “Qi” standard, this design enables multiple devices to be placed and charged simultaneously on the wireless charging pad in a free-positioning manner. The charging flux is totally localized within the covered area between the selected primary winding and the secondary winding inside the load. The electromagnetic characteristics of such winding design are studied in finite-element analysis and confirmed by practical implementation.

A new methodology for ensuring that a three-coil wireless power transfer system is more energy efficient than a two-coil counterpart is presented in this paper. The theoretical proof and the conditions for meeting the objective are derived and practically verified in a practical prototype. The key features of the magnetic design are to: 1) shift the current stress from the primary driving circuit to the relay resonator; and 2) generate a large relay current for maximizing magnetic coupling with the receiver coil for efficient power transfer. Consequently, the current rating and cost of the driving circuit can be reduced and the overall quality factor and system energy efficiency are improved. This approach utilizes the combined advantages of the maximum efficiency principle and the use of relay resonator to overcome the energy efficiency problem for applications with extended energy transfer distances.