ROBUST ELECTRONIC

SYSTEMS DESIGN

ELECTRIC POWER
THROUGH THE AIR
Murata Manufacturing developed a more-efficient method for wireless power transfer using simulation.

By Tatsuya Hosotani, Visiting Professor, Doshisha University, and Associate Chief Researcher,
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Nagaokakyo, Japan

T
he dramatic increase in the number of devices
in today’s intelligent networks and the influence resonator resonator
of the Internet of Things raise the question of switching Cr Crs
how all of the devices will be powered. In many
applications, the number and disperse locations
of these devices rule out wiring all of them to a Vi Rac
power supply. Using batteries for each device may create diffi-
cult maintenance challenges while also raising environmental
Lp Ls
issues regarding battery disposal. The ideal solution involves
a wireless transfer system to power to these devices, but Ri Ris
existing systems are not always up to this challenge. Murata
Manufacturing used ANSYS simulation to test a wireless power
transfer method called a direct-current-resonance power trans-
Direct-current-resonance power transfer circuit
fer system so that it can be commercialized.

WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER ALTERNATIVES

The best known wireless power transfer method in current
use is the Qi standard, which relies upon electromagnetic induc-
tion between planar coils. A base station connected to a power
source incorporates a transmitting coil that generates an oscillat-
ing magnetic field. The magnetic field induces an alternating cur-
rent in a receiving coil by Faraday’s law of induction. However,
Magnetic field vector Electric field vector
because electromagnetic induction requires that the transmitting
and receiving coils must be very close to each other, this approach Magnetic and electric field vectors generated by transmitter coil
does not provide a practical solution to the device proliferation
problem. In the case of the Qi standard, the charger is normally
physically connected to the device it is charging.
Another option, radio-frequency wireless power transfer, oper- these energy conversions consumes substantial amounts of power,
ates at much longer distances than electromagnetic induction but resulting in very low efficiency for the overall system. The result
is not very efficient. One reason for the lack of efficiency is the is that radio-frequency power transfer systems generally are large
many energy conversion steps that are required in these devices: and expensive, and consume relatively large amounts of power.
from alternating current line power to insulated direct current
power; to an intermediate radio-frequency power to operate the NEW DIRECT-CURRENT-RESONANCE METHOD
power amplifier; and then to radio-frequency power to drive the Murata Manufacturing creates innovative products and solu-
transmitting coil. Next, the radio frequency power is transferred tions to benefit society and the electronics industry. The com-
over the air to the receiving device; this power is finally converted pany has developed and is in the process of commercializing a
to direct current to operate the device on the receiving end. Each of new technique for wireless power transfer called a direct-current-

Simulation saves months of testing time and tens of thousands

of dollars in resources for each design project.

© 2015 ANSYS, INC. ANSYS ADVANTAGE Volume IX | Issue 2 | 2015 49

 ROBUST ELECTRONIC
SYSTEMS DESIGN

resonance power transfer system. This Power transmitting coil

method involves rapidly switching direct Power resonating coil

current on and off to drive a transmit-

ting coil that resides on a circuit turned
to the frequency at which the current is
switched. The transmitting coil produces
a resonance field that efficiently transmits
direct current through a receiving coil to a
circuit tuned to the same frequency.
This method is very efficient because
Power receiving coil
the transmitting coil operates on direct
current, the form used by nearly all elec- ANSYS HFSS model with one transmitter, one receiver, one resonator
tronic devices, so no additional energy
conversion step is required. And, because
direct current is generated on the receiv-
ing circuit, no energy conversion step is not provide a good solution because the a variety of concept designs to achieve the
required. The transfer system distance device is difficult to reach. Some examples required levels of power transfer to the tar-
provided by the direct-current-resonance include monitors, radio-controlled equip- get device while addressing other objec-
method is much higher than electromag- ment, computers and electronics, light- tives such as minimizing device weight,
netic inductance, and it can be further ing, and robots. size and cost.
extended through the use of unpowered The simulation sequence normally
resonator coils that relay power to distant COMMERCIALIZATION begins with modeling the transmit-
receivers. The direct-current-resonance CHALLENGE ting coil alone as a subsystem and view-
method can use a single power transmit- In developing its direct-current-res- ing the resulting electromagnetic field.
ter to drive multiple power receivers as onance power transfer method, Murata Next, a single receiving coil is added to
well as resonator coils. The result is an faces the challenge of optimizing the the simulation to evaluate power trans-
excellent mix of distance and efficiency. power efficiency, size, cost and other fea- fer performance. Most real-world appli-
This combination makes the direct power tures of its devices to produce a compet- cations involve many receiving coils
resonance method a good fit for power- itive commercial product. Optimizing the and resonator coils, so these elements
ing a wide range of devices that cannot be design of any wireless product requires are incrementally added to the simula-
wired together and for which batteries do evaluating many different design itera- tion. Finally, other electronic and struc-
tions. The number of iterations that need tural components are added to evaluate
to be considered is larger than normal their impact on power transfer perfor-
WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER with direct-current power transfer sys- mance. Simulation lets engineers explore
ansys.com/92wireless
tems because the concept is new, so there the power transfer device’s sensitivity
is very little experience to draw upon. to parameters such as coil topology, coil
It would be very expensive and time- diameter, number of windings, resonant
consuming to build and test a proto- frequency, number of receiving coils,
type for each of these iterations. The number of resonator coils, etc. Engineers
build-and-test method would progress can easily modify these and many other
relatively slowly toward an optimized design parameters to understand their
design because the amount of diagnos- impact on power transfer performance.
tic information it produces is limited. The growing proliferation of con-
For example, while the amount of power nected devices makes it essential to
transmitted to the receiving coil is easy improve on today’s wireless power trans-
to measure, it is usually possible to mea- fer technology. Simulation makes it pos-
sure electric and magnetic field parame- sible to consider the impact of various
Magnetic field analysis of model with one transmitter, ters only in a few locations. design alternatives and deployment strat-
one receiver, one resonator egies in the early stages of the design
SIMULATION SPEEDS process. Simulation saves months of test-
DESIGN OPTIMIZATION ing time and tens of thousands of dol-
Murata electronic engineers address lars in resources for each design project
these design challenges by using ANSYS by enabling engineers to refine options
HFSS to simulate a wide range of design through virtual prototypes rather than
alternatives that take into account the physical prototypes. Murata will continue
actual geometry and location of the power its research and development with the
transmitter, receiver and resonator coils, goal of contributing to the development
as well as the effects of other compo- of wireless power transfer system science
Magnetic field analysis of model with one transmitter,
one receiver, eight resonators nents in the area. Engineers can generate and technology.

© 2015 ANSYS, INC. ANSYS ADVANTAGE Volume IX | Issue 2 | 2015 50