Range-Adaptive Wireless Power Transfer Using Multiloop and Tunable Matching Techniques

In this paper, a range-adaptive wireless power transfer (WPT) system is proposed to achieve high efficiency over a wide range of distances by using tunable impedance matching techniques. A multiloop topology is employed to greatly reduce the variation in the input impedance of the WPT system with respect to the distance, where one of the four loops with a different size is selected, depending on the distance. It enables the design of a simple tunable matching circuit using a single variable capacitor. An algorithm is written to find the optimum loop and capacitance in the matching network, based on the measured input return loss using a directional coupler and rectifiers. The fabricated WPT system shows a range-adaptive operation with high efficiency over a wide range of distances. It attains 48% efficiency at a distance of 100 cm with a maximum efficiency of 92% at a distance of 10 cm.