Resonance-based wireless power delivery is an efficient technique to transfer power over a relatively long distance. This technique typically uses four coils as opposed to two coils used in conventional inductive links. In the four-coil system, the adverse effects of a low coupling coefficient between primary and secondary coils are compensated by using high-quality (Q) factor coils, and the efficiency of the system is improved. Unlike its two-coil counterpart, the efficiency profile of the power transfer is not a monotonically decreasing function of the operating distance and is less sensitive to changes in the distance between the primary and secondary coils. A four-coil energy transfer system can be optimized to provide maximum efficiency at a given operating distance. We have analyzed the four-coil energy transfer systems and outlined the effect of design parameters on power-transfer efficiency. Design steps to obtain the efficient power-transfer system are presented and a design example is provided. A proof-of-concept prototype system is implemented and confirms the validity of the proposed analysis and design techniques. In the prototype system, for a power-link frequency of 700 kHz and a coil distance range of 10 to 20 mm, using a 22-mm diameter implantable coil resonance-based system shows a power-transfer efficiency of more than 80% with an enhanced operating range compared to ~40% efficiency achieved by a conventional two-coil system.
Two-coil based inductive coupling is a commonly used technique for wireless power and data transfer for biomedical implants. Because the source and load resistances are finite, two-coil systems generally achieve a relatively low power transfer efficiency. A novel multi-coil technique (using more than two coils) for wireless power and data transfer is considered to help overcoming this limitation. The proposed multi-coil system is formulated using both network theory and a two-port model. Using three or four coils for the wireless link allows for the source and load resistances to be decoupled from the Q-factor of the coils, resulting in a higher Q -factor and a corresponding improved power transfer efficiency (PTE). Moreover, due to the strong coupling between the driver and the transmitter coil (and/or between the receiver and the load coil), the multi-coil system achieves higher tunable frequency bandwidth as compared to its same sized two-coil equivalent. Because of the wider range of reflected impedance in the multi-coil system case, it is easier to tune the output power to the load and achieve the maximum power transfer condition for given source voltage than in a configuration with two coils. Experimental results showing a three-coil system achieving twice the efficiency and higher gain-bandwidth product compared to its two-coil counterpart are presented. In addition, a figure of merit for telemetry systems is defined to quantify the overall telemetry system performance.
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