Misalignment Tolerance of Inductive Power Transfer Coupler with Low Loss and High Magnetic Induction Ferromagnetic Materials

In an inductive power transfer (IPT) system, various magnetic materials have difference characteristics in enhancing the degree of coupling and misalignment tolerance between the primary and secondary coils. However, the iron losses in ferromagnetic materials may decrease the transfer efficiency of the IPT system significantly. Therefore, in this study, performance and misalignment tolerance of IPT systems with four types of ferromagnetic materials are investigated. Firstly, an equivalent circuit model of the IPT system is established and the variations of system efficiency with different ferromagnetic materials are also revealed. Then, a 3-D finite element analysis (FEA) model of the magnetic coupler is established. In addition, loss test platform is established to obtain the accurate loss coefficients. Finally, the transfer efficiency and magnetic field distributions are both investigated. The results show that the high efficiency and magnetic flux density can be achieved when nanocrystalline core with vertical laminations is used.