Development of a linear position independent Inductive Energy Transfer system

An inductively coupled contactless energy transfer system for translating motion that is able to transfer 1 kW of power is proposed in this paper. The system consists of a gapped transformer with multiple secondary coils and a single primary one. Using this approach a long stroke energy transfer system can be constructed. No active control for switching on the moving side of the transformer is required. The magnetic design of the transformer is such, that the position dependency of the transformer parameters is minimized. This allows a fixed capacitor value to be used to operate the system close to resonant mode. The magnetic design procedure of the core is described and analyzed. The design has been implemented and measurements on the prototype have been conducted.