A wireless power transfer system for an autonomous underwater vehicle based on lightweight universal variable ring‐shaped magnetic coupling

Abstract

The existing wireless power transfer systems for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have problems due to long transmission distances and the unstable attitudes of AUVs, which result in poor system performance. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a lightweight universal variable ring-shaped magnetic coupler for the shape characteristics of AUVs and the charging platform environment. In particular, the size of the magnetic coupler transmitter can be varied according to the size of the AUV, resulting in a close fit between the magnetic coupler transmitter and receiver, reducing the transmission distance and fixing the AUV attitude. To achieve a lightweight receiver and reduce the burden on the AUV, the design is optimized in terms of both the system topology and the magnetic coupler structure. First, the LCC-S topology is used to reduce the number of components on the secondary side. Second, the use of a nanocrystalline ribbon as the core material effectively reduces the weight of the magnetic coupler receiver. Finally, a 300-W experimental platform is built to verify the functionality of the designed magnetic coupler.The experimental results show that the system has a DC-DC transfer efficiency of 86%. With the variable ring-shaped magnetic coupler, the charging power can be increased by 7.2% when the transmission efficiency remains unchanged.autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), nanocrystalline ribbon, variable magnetic coupler, wireless power transfer (WPT) | INTRODUCTIONIn recent years, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have become a hot research topic in the field of marine engineering due to their significant applications. [1][2][3] Although AUVs have excellent maneuverability and flexibility, the limited energy of the batteries they carry does not allow them to perform continuous work over a long period of time and over a large area. [4][5][6] Wireless power transfer (WPT) is a new energy supply method that can compensate for these drawbacks and give AUVs a new level of performance. [7][8][9] WPT was first applied in the air medium, mainly for wireless charging of electric vehicles, 10 wireless charging of medical electronic pacemakers, 11 and wireless charging of smart tailless homes. 12 As the technology progresses and the

Strategies for managing models regarding environmental confidence and complexity involved in intelligent control of energy systems - A review

“…Regarding applications using wireless battery charging for static, on road and underwater cases, see e.g. [83][84][85][86][87] and health safety control related to these technologies, see e.g. [88,89].…”

Design of Magnetic Coupler for AUV Wireless Charging and Its Electromagnetic Field Simulation

“…Magnetic couplers are a crucial component of underwater wireless charging systems, and conducting research on their design is beneficial not only for enhancing energy transfer efficiency under seawater conditions but also for minimizing the interference caused by charging-induced magnetic fields on AUV control systems [1][2][3][4]. In general, the design of magnetic couplers encompasses two aspects: the structural design of the coupler and the determination of structural parameters.…”

“…In general, the design of magnetic couplers encompasses two aspects: the structural design of the coupler and the determination of structural parameters. The former dictates the mechanical coupling between the wireless charging system's transmitting and receiving sides, while the latter directly affects the magnetic coupling coefficient between the two sides and the overall charging efficiency of the system [5][6].…”