A New Controller for Bidirectional Wireless Power Transfer Systems

Wireless power transfer (WPT) is a promising technology for supplying power to various applications with no physical contacts. Recently, bidirectional WPT (BD-WPT) systems are gaining popularity for grid-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid applications which essentially require power transfer in both directions. However, BD-WPT systems are complex in nature, and require sophisticated control strategies to provide synchronization as well as to regulate the power flow between two sides. This paper proposes a new controller that uses measured active power (P) and reactive power (Q) at the resonant network of BD-WPT systems to regulate the power flow in both directions while providing synchronization between two sides without a dedicated communication interface for controlling power transfer. The controller, located on the pickup side, is applicable to BD-WPT systems with either single or multiple loads and ensures that the volt-ampere rating of the pickup converter is at lowest for battery charging, by keeping the reactive power at the resonant tank intake by the load side minimum. Experimental results obtained from a 1-kW prototype system show good agreement with simulated results, validating that the proposed controller can be used to regulate the power flow in BD-WPT systems.