10 kHz inductively coupled power transfer - concept and control

Abstract

Electric vehicles are used throughout the materials handling industry because they are low cost, reliable, inoffensive, and simple to control compared to alternative forms of motive power. But conventional methods of power transfer to the vehicle such as electrified tracks and batteries have remained less than ideal; that is until the recent development of a novel inductively coupled power transmission (IPT) system that is clean and spark-free, is robust to dust and water, and has very low maintenance. Load power in an IPT system is sourced at 10 kHz from tuned pick-up coils mounted adjacent to, but not touching, a sealed track conductor driven by a resonant power electronic converter. Power transfer of several kilowatts is possible from a single pick-up coil, and multiple pick-ups can be powered from the same track. The paper describes the IPT concept and presents practical control solutions to some important problems.