Implementation of Variable Capacitance to Improve Efficiency for Asymmetric LCC-LCC Compensated Wireless Power Transfer Systems

Abstract

This paper proposes a variable-capacitance-based control strategy to improve efficiency for asymmetric LCC-LCC compensated wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. While the existing triple-phase-shift (TPS) method can achieve power regulation and wide-range zero-voltage-switching (ZVS), it results in significantly increased reactive power under asymmetric LCC-LCC compensation topology. To this end, this paper incorporates a switch-controlled-capacitor (SCC) on the primary side. The impact of variable capacitance on the system characteristics is first investigated. Furthermore, the optimal capacitor tuning factor is derived to achieve the inverter ZVS with minimal reactive power. Through the implementation of variable capacitance, the primary inductor current is notably reduced within a wide range of power. Moreover, the turn-off currents of power switches are minimized. These factors contribute to a reduction in inductor and inverter losses, thus improving the overall efficiency. Experimental results confirm that the proposed method improves the efficiency of an asymmetric LCC-LCC compensated WPT prototype, with a maximum efficiency improvement of up to 1.8%.