This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal.

Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.

IEEE MICROWAVE AND WIRELESS COMPONENTS LETTERS 1

Design and Experiment of a Reconfigurable

Magnetic Resonance Coupling Wireless
Power Transmission System
Lei Shi, Nouman Rasool, Huacheng Zhu , Member, IEEE, Kama Huang , Senior Member, IEEE,
and Yang Yang , Member, IEEE

Abstract— Magnetic resonance coupling wireless power

transmission (WPT) provides a safe and efficient power supply
for small household appliances and implanted devices, but the
tolerance of the transmission distance is poor. To improve the
robustness of the transmission distance of the magnetic resonance
WPT system, a method of using a reconfigurable helical coil
array is proposed. Compared with the traditional four-coil
structure of the same volume, different source and load coils
are selected under distinct distance conditions. The coupling Fig. 1. Equivalent circuit of the proposed system.
coefficient between the coils is changed to increase the stability
of transmission efficiency and distance. To avoid the mechanical The geometrical handling of the coil based on variable cou-
movement, all source and load coils have been adjusted at fixed pling technology is also commonly used to improve the trans-
position. Moreover, a control method is introduced to achieve coil
switching. The experimental results show that the transmission mission efficiency. Hajiaghajani and Abdolali [7] improved the
distance of the proposed system is increased to 1.75 times of the intensity of the magnetic field on the target side by replacing
coil diameter, while the efficiency remains above 70%. traditional circular coils with an inspired 3-D coil scheme.
Lee et al. [8] used the technology of variable coupling which
Index Terms— Magnetic resonance coupling (MRC), recon-
figurable resonant coil array (RRCA), transmission efficiency, separated the source coil into different subcoils. They realized
wireless power transmission (WPT). high efficiency under variable distance conditions.
In practical terms, there are still problems that need to be
addressed urgently. As the chassis height is different among
I. I NTRODUCTION the electric vehicles, there will be a change in the charging
distance between transmission and reception. The changes in
W IRELESS power transmission (WPT) has been widely
used in various scenarios: medical implanted devices,
consumer electronics such as mobile phones, and vehicle
the charging distance will cause huge fluctuations in efficiency
for the same coil system and this may influence the power
charging [1]–[3]. Since Massachusetts Institute of Technology charging that does not meet the demand. In this case, it is
(MIT), Cambridge, introduced the magnetic resonance cou- necessary to adjust the coupling coefficient between the coils.
pling WPT (MRC-WPT) in 2007 [4], it has triggered a new Duong and Lee [9] used variable coupling technology for
round of research upsurge. Recent research has focused on mechanical structure to improve the efficiency. In medical
improving the transmission efficiency in different application implantable devices such as pacemaker and auditory chip,
scenarios and achieving good performance [5]–[9]. similar discrepancies are anticipated regarding the coil dis-
Conventionally, impedance matching method is often used tance and the mechanical structure is unacceptable. Therefore,
to improve the transmission efficiency. Liu et al. [5] proposed we need to design the efficient coil with high robustness to
a novel maximum efficiency tracking control method of WPT distance.
system with optimized T-type impedance. They have achieved In this letter, a method of reconfigurable helical coil array is
high efficiency under different loads. Seo et al. [6] used the proposed to overcome the shortcomings of mechanical motion
optimum load and source conditions using Z -parameters to to achieve high-efficiency transmission. Compared with the
maintain high efficiency. traditional four-coil structure of the same volume, different
source and load coils are selected under different distance con-
Manuscript received March 12, 2020; revised April 30, 2020; accepted ditions. Therefore, the coupling coefficient between the coils
May 14, 2020. This work was supported in part by the Sichuan Science and is changed to maintain the transmission efficiency. Moreover,
Technology Program under Grant 2019YFG0419 and in part by the National a control method is introduced to implement coil switching.
Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 61971295. (Corresponding
author: Yang Yang.) When the distance is changed, different source and load
The authors are with the Key Laboratory of Wireless Power Transmission coils can be selected by the switching circuit to maintain
Ministry of Education, School of Electronic Engineering, Sichuan University, the efficiency. The experimental results show that compared
Chengdu 611731, China (e-mail: yyang@scu.edu.cn). with the traditional four-coil transmission system, the proposed
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this letter are available
online at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org. system efficiency remains above 70%, while the distance is
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/LMWC.2020.2997068 increased to 1.75 times of the coil diameter.
1531-1309 © 2020 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission.
See https://www.ieee.org/publications/rights/index.html for more information.

Authorized licensed use limited to: Murdoch University. Downloaded on June 14,2020 at 13:04:15 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.

2 IEEE MICROWAVE AND WIRELESS COMPONENTS LETTERS

TABLE I
S YSTEM PARAMETERS

it means that kTR will decrease, and the optimal kPT will also
decrease. In summary, different kTR correspond to different
kPT , and both of them have consistent change trend [11]

Fig. 2. Photographs of the prototypes and test setups.
d S21 
=0 (5)
dkPT ω=ω0
II. T HEORETICAL A NALYSIS 
1 + kTR
2
Q 2T
A simplified lumped element circuit model for the kPT = 4 . (6)
reconfigurable-MRC-WPT (R-MRC-WPT) system is shown Q 2T Q 2P
in Fig. 1 [10]. The system consists of a source coil array with The mutual inductance of the two helix coils is given by
n separate loops (L P1 –L Pn ), a transmit coil, a receive coil, and Zhang et al. [12]. Then we can get an efficiency calculation
a load coil array with n individual loops (L L1 –L Ln ). formula from Z 1n , Z 2 , mutual inductance, and self-inductance.
The adaptive R-MRC-WPT system achieves high transmis- The proposed system consists of a source/load coil array
sion efficiency at varying transmission distances by switching and a transmit/receive coil. In addition, the source/load coil
different source/load coils. array is composed of coils of different sizes.
According to the method in [9], all circuit model parameters To understand the performance of the MRC-WPT sys-
are simplified. The impedance of the source and transmit tem, a mentioned coil system model in Fig. 1 was built in
loops can be expressed as (1) and (2), where Z 1n and Z 4n the finite-element simulation software. Config-X (short for
are the impedances of L Pn and L Ln , respectively. Z 2 and Z 3 Configuration-X) means selecting different source and load
are the impedances of the transmitting and receiving coils, coils to the circuit. For example, Config-1 indicates that the
respectively. Under symmetrical conditions, Z 1n and Z 4n have system uses a source and load coil with a radius of 80 mm.
the same value and Z 2 is equal to Z 3 . Using Kirchhoff’s The specific parameter information is shown in Table I. The
voltage law, the current in each loop is given by a loop matrix. varied system performance which is caused by the distance
The voltage ratio VL /VS as a function of ω and kTR has been change is shown in Fig. 3(a). It is worth mentioning that
solved, where ω = 2π f . The voltage ratio is directly used when the distance is less than 400 mm (double of the coil
to calculate the equivalent S21 . It has been used in (3) to diameter), the efficiency remains constant (70% or more) but
evaluate the transmission efficiency (η) of the MRC-WPT the efficiency decreases as the distance increases. We can
system. In this analysis, R0 = RS = RL is fixed at 50 . observe the system efficiency of source and load coils of
In practice, we often encounter that RS is not equal to RL . different sizes. At a transmission distance of 10–21 cm, the
Certainly, we often add matching circuits to make them equal efficiency of Config-1 is the best. In addition, Config-2 works
Z 1n = Z 4n = R0 + RPn + j ωL Pn (1) most efficiently at 22–33 cm. Config-3 works best when
it is 33–45 cm.
Z 2 = Z 3 = RT + j ωL T + 1/( j ωCT ) (2)
In Fig. 4, a control algorithm can be obtained. According to
η = |S21 |2 ∗ 100% = 4|VL /VS |2 ∗ 100% (3) the simulation results, we can get different optimal solutions
2jω3 kPTn kTR
2
L Pn L 2T R0 under different distance conditions, which means different
S21 =  2 . (4) source and load coils can be selected. The distance can be
ω2 kPTn
2
L Pn L T + Z 1n Z T + (ωkTR L T Z 1n )2
obtained using the distance sensor and different Config-X can
For a WPT system, the frequency, self-inductance, and be selected using the switch circuit. At first, we can use
quality factors are all fixed values. As the distance increases, distance sensor to measure the distance (0–45 cm). Second,
kTR decreases. The only way to maintain the transmission measure kTR by the transmission distance and the size of the
efficiency is by changing the value of kPT . By optimizing kPT , coil and apply it into (6) to determine the best kPT . Third,
the transmission efficiency of the system can be optimized. take the calculated kPT into the stored simulation data for
It needs to satisfy (5) and (6). Q P and Q T are the quality comparison and select a simulation kPT that is close to the
factors of the source coil and transmitting coil. We can corresponding Config-X. Finally, decide whether the loop is
see from Fig. 2 that as the transmission distance increases, over.

Authorized licensed use limited to: Murdoch University. Downloaded on June 14,2020 at 13:04:15 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.

SHI et al.: DESIGN AND EXPERIMENT OF AN R-MRC-WPT SYSTEM 3

Fig. 3. Efficiency versus distance. (a) Simulated efficiency in three configurations. (b) Measured efficiency in three configurations. (c) Measured and simulated
efficiency.
Config-2 comes out with the best efficiency (∼77.3%) in the
25–30 cm range, while Config-3 gives the optimal efficiency
(∼48.5%) in the 35–45 cm range. From 0 to 20 cm, since
Config-1 is still in the over-coupled region, the efficiency value
of 86.8% is maintained. From 25 to 45 cm, the transmission
efficiency of Config-1 drops from 75.8% to 2.7% because the
system is in the under-coupling region. It can be observed
that each configuration has the highest transmission efficiency
over a certain distance range. Therefore, by switching between
different coil configurations, the efficient transmission dis-
tance can be extended. Compared with the conventional four-
coil, taking Config-1 as an example, multiple coil arrays
can extend the transmission efficiency more than 70% from
25 to 35 cm, which greatly increases the effective transmission
Fig. 4. Control flowchart of the proposed system. area. In conclusion, the transmission distance is increased to
1.75 times of the coil diameter compared with the traditional
four-coil transmission system (less than 1.5 times of the coil
III. E XPERIMENTAL R ESULTS diameter) [13], while the efficiency remains above 70%.
A prototype has been designed and validated experimentally As for adaptive control in Fig. 4, different configurations
for the proposed R-MRC-WPT system as shown in Fig. 2. have been used under different distance conditions based
There are three source loops in the source coil array and on the data measured before. The distance sensor is used
three corresponding load loops in the load coil array. Each to measure the distance, and different Config-X have been
source loop and its corresponding load loop are the same size chosen according to the measurement results and stored sim-
(symmetric system). The source coil and the load coil arrays ulation data. In Fig. 3(b), Config-1 at 10–20 cm, Config-2 at
are connected with two crocodile clips. The crocodile clips 21–30 cm, and Config-3 at 31–45 cm have been obtained the
conduct one source loop and the corresponding load loop at best efficiency and kPT . Also, the measured efficiency diagram
the same time. The oscilloscope is used to measure the voltage is shown in Fig. 3(b).
of the load and source to calculate the transmission efficiency A good agreement between the simulated and the measured
of the R-MRC-WPT system at various distances. efficiency can be seen in Fig. 3(c). However, a small difference
In this section, the experimental measurements are per- has been observed between the simulated and the measured
formed for a range of distance (abbreviated as D23 ) from values which is due to the physical error or factors such as
10 to 45 cm in 5-cm steps. When a different configu- coil resonance frequency and quality factors.
ration is selected (from Config-1 to Config-3), the values
of |S21 | are measured by a vector network analyzer. The IV. C ONCLUSION
transmission efficiency of the R-MRC-WPT system is calcu- This letter proposed a method of the R-MRC-WPT system,
lated using (3). It can be clearly seen in Fig. 3(b) that the which is to improve the transmission efficiency under different
maximum transmission efficiency gradually decreases from transmission distances. By adaptively switching source coils
90.5% to 76.2% when the transmission distance is 10 cm and load coils of different sizes, we can achieve reconfigurable
(from Config-1 to Config-3). Therefore, Config-1 is most characteristics of the system. It avoids the disadvantages
efficient when compared with other configurations at 10 cm. of mechanical structures such as bulky structures and extra
When switching from Config-1 to -3, the transmission effi- circuits. The experimental results show that the R-MRC-WPT
ciency has been increasing at a transmission distance of system has better performance than the traditional four-coil
400 mm. The maximum efficiency of 400 mm is 63.4% when system in terms of transmission efficiency. The analysis shows
using Config-3. that when the system contains a large number of source and
The relationship between the transmission efficiency and load coil arrays that support to achieve higher efficiency at
the transmission distance is depicted in Fig. 3(b). It can be various distances. Future work includes, but is not limited
observed from Fig. 3(b) that Config-1 produces the highest to, implementing automatic control algorithm and high-power
efficiency (∼86.8%) for a short range of 0–20 cm. transmission.

Authorized licensed use limited to: Murdoch University. Downloaded on June 14,2020 at 13:04:15 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.

4 IEEE MICROWAVE AND WIRELESS COMPONENTS LETTERS

R EFERENCES [7] A. Hajiaghajani and A. Abdolali, “Patterning of subwavelength magnetic

fields along a line by means of spatial spectrum: Design and implemen-
[1] A. Momeneh, M. Castilla, M. M. Ghahderijani, J. Miret, and tation,” IEEE Magn. Lett., vol. 8, pp. 1–4, 2017.
L. G. de Vicuña, “Analysis, design and implementation of a resi- [8] G. Lee, B. H. Waters, Y. G. Shin, J. R. Smith, and W. S. Park, “A recon-
dential inductive contactless energy transfer system with multiple figurable resonant coil for range adaptation wireless power transfer,”
mobile clamps,” IET Power Electron., vol. 10, no. 8, pp. 875–883, IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Techn., vol. 64, no. 2, pp. 624–632,
Jun. 2017. Feb. 2016.
[2] R. Wu, W. Li, H. Luo, J. K. O. Sin, and C. C. Yue, “Design and char- [9] T. P. Duong and J.-W. Lee, “Experimental results of high-efficiency reso-
acterization of wireless power links for brain–machine interface appli- nant coupling wireless power transfer using a variable coupling method,”
cations,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 29, no. 10, pp. 5462–5471, IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., vol. 21, no. 8, pp. 442–444,
Oct. 2014. Aug. 2011.
[3] G. Buja, C.-T. Rim, and C. C. Mi, “Dynamic charging of electric vehicles [10] M. Kiani and M. Ghovanloo, “The circuit theory behind coupled-mode
by wireless power transfer,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 63, no. 10, magnetic resonance-based wireless power transmission,” IEEE Trans.
pp. 6530–6532, Oct. 2016. Circuits Syst. I, Reg. Papers, vol. 59, no. 9, pp. 2065–2074, Sep. 2012.
[4] A. Kurs, A. Karalis, R. Moffatt, J. D. Joannopoulos, P. Fisher, and [11] A. P. Sample, D. A. Meyer, and J. R. Smith, “Analysis, experimental
M. Soljacic, “Wireless power transfer via strongly coupled magnetic results, and range adaptation of magnetically coupled resonators for
resonances,” Science, vol. 317, no. 5834, pp. 83–86, Jul. 2007. wireless power transfer,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 58, no. 2,
[5] Y. Liu and H. Feng, “Maximum efficiency tracking control method for pp. 544–554, Feb. 2011.
WPT system based on dynamic coupling coefficient identification and [12] X. Zhang, H. Meng, B. Wei, S. Wang, and Q. Yang, “Mutual inductance
impedance matching network,” IEEE J. Emerg. Sel. Topics Power Elec- calculation for coils with misalignment in wireless power transfer,”
tron., early access, Aug. 22, 2019, doi: 10.1109/JESTPE.2019.2935219. J. Eng., vol. 2019, no. 16, pp. 1041–1044, Mar. 2019.
[6] D.-W. Seo, J.-H. Lee, and H. Lee, “A study on two-coil and four-coil [13] Y.-F. Li and Q.-G. Guo, “Efficiency improvement of magnetic resonant
wireless power transfer system using Z-parameter approach,” ETRI J., wireless power transfer system based on ferrite reflector,” J. Sichuan
pp. 568–578, Feb. 2016. Univ., Natural Sci. Ed., vol. 54, no. 4, pp. 742–746, 2017.

Authorized licensed use limited to: Murdoch University. Downloaded on June 14,2020 at 13:04:15 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.