Optimization of loosely coupled inductive data transfer systems by non-Foster impedance matching

Abstract. Wireless energy transfer is often used in industrial applications to power actors or sensors, for example in rotating applications as replacement for mechanical slip rings. In addition to the energy transfer, we have developed inductively coupled data transfer systems to expand the range of possible applications. The data transfer is accomplished by using loosely coupled coils on both sides of the power transfer system. In pure energy transfer systems, resonant coupling is used, meaning that the power transfer coils are both tuned to a common frequency to compensate the relatively small coupling factor between power transmitter and receiver and to achieve an impedance matching between both sides by compensating the inductive component of the transfer coils. In this case, capacitors can be connected in series or in parallel to the coils, leading to a sharp, narrow band resonance peak in the transfer function. In inductively coupled data transfer systems, this approach is often not useful because not just a pure sine wave has to be transferred but more likely a signal of a certain bandwidth. In one of our applications, a 100 Mbit s−1 Ethernet stream is transferred with an occupied bandwidth of 62.5 MHz. The coil structures used so far in our data transfer applications were intrinsically unmatched to the data transfer systems. Additionally, due to the small coupling factor between the data transfer coils, transfer losses in the range of up to 15 dB or worth had to be accepted. This is especially critical regarding the high noise level in vicinity of the energy transfer system and the cross coupling between the two transfer channels. For passive, lossless circuits, Foster's theorem states that the reactance increases monotonically with frequency. Subsequently, the inductive part of a circuit can just be exactly compensated with a capacitance for one single frequency. In contrast, active circuits like a negative impedance converter (NIC) can be used to achieve a non-Foster behaviour, for example a negative inductance can be realized. In theory, an inductance in series or parallel to a negative inductance of the same magnitude would be cancelled out for every frequency applied. For low power level applications like active receiving antennas, this approach has already been successfully used in the past to achieve improved matching of simple antenna structures over a comparably large bandwidth. We make use of non-Foster circuits, namely negative impedance converters, to compensate the inductive part of two loosely coupled inductors to achieve smaller transfer losses and better impedance matching, which should lead to a decreased transfer signal loss and higher signal to noise ratio. The results of this paper serve as a basis for this development. So far, we achieved almost complete cancellation of the reactive part introduced by the loosely coupled data transfer inductors. Unfortunately, the circuits active device used to form the negative impedance converter introduced a highly resistive element, greatly increasing the signal transfer losses. Nevertheless, the theory of loosely coupled inductors is shown in a compact form and a strategy to cancel the reactive part is presented. Simulations and measurements of a transfer system are carried out, both showing good agreement regarding the reactance cancellation. Based on this, optimised implementations will be developed in the future.