A novel fast-switching control for multiple pickup IPT systems

Multiple fast-switching pickup Inductive Power Transfer Systems are popular in clean rooms and other material handling applications. Currently these systems use power supplies rated at or above the sum of the total pickup rated power to prevent the system overloading. In consequence there is spare capacity which is unnecessary. This paper proposes a novel Dynamic Demand Control (DDC) method assuming the coupled loads are fast-switched and therefore continuously draw power when on. This enables power supplies with smaller capacity to be used without compromising system integrity and therefore saves system cost. The proposed control method requires minimal adjustments to the current system configuration and can therefore be easily implemented on existing systems. A design guide which helps predict the minimum power supply capacity that can be safely used for a given system is also proposed. Experimental results have shown that both the proposed control and the design guide are valid.