Luxating Inverter for Wide-band Wireless Power Transfer

Wireless power transfer is a function of frequency that can be theoretically enhanced by operating at higher switching speeds. Higher speed also tends to non-linearly reduce the size of the receiving structures. Designing an... [ view full abstract ]

Wireless power transfer is a function of frequency that can be theoretically enhanced by operating at higher switching speeds. Higher speed also tends to non-linearly reduce the size of the receiving structures. Designing an inverter to operate at high frequency, high power, and high efficiency is a challenging endeavor that typically involves a MOSFET bridge as the main switching component. Contemporary techniques apply passive components (inductors, capacitors) at the bridge output to boost voltage/current levels and achieve zero current/voltage switching that greatly reduces transistor stress. A major disadvantage with this approach is that the inverter cannot be made wide-band. Variable frequency operation, within the bandwidth of a wireless power frequency standard, may be beneficial when trying to adjust the wireless system for varying changes in coupling and load. Here, a wide-band, non‑resonant, inverter design is presented that is radically different from the contemporary half/full bridge MOSFET approaches. This inverter operates by taking charged capacitors that are broken or, “luxated,” between series and parallel connections to achieve a DC to AC inversion at frequencies from 1 Hz to beyond 13 MHz. A theoretical analysis of the system is presented based on charge conservation along with simulation results that support the theory.