Optimization of Wireless Power Transfer Systems with Multiple Transmitters

Hans-Dieter Lang

Sarris Group, EM

Abstract:

Wireless power transfer (WPT) continues to gain much attention, both in academic research as well as for commercial products. Besides many applications, particularly the fundamentals, most importantly the limits of the transfer efficiency and enhancements thereof are of central interest. Recently, WPT systems with multiple transmitters were proposed and investigated; multiple transmitters promise the possibility of enhanced transfer efficiency and other advantages as compared to single transmitter systems. However, setting all parameters correctly is difficult; straightforward maximization of the power transfer efficiency is not trivial. Reformulating the problem into a convex form leads to fast and accurate results and using Lagrangian duality theory, analytical results are found for the achievable maximum power transfer efficiency and all parameters involved. With these formulations at hand, WPT systems with multiple transmitters can be investigated thoroughly and efficiently.

This talk will introduce the basic ideas of convex optimization, it's application to WPT systems and discuss fundamental results of multi-transmitter WPT systems.

Biography:

Hans-Dieter Lang was born in Switzerland, in 1984. He received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Eastern Switzerland, Rapperswil (FHO/HSR), in 2008 and 2010, respectively. From 2010 to 2012 he was with the Institute for Communication Systems, ICOM, in Rapperswil, Switzerland, where he was working on various projects for industrial partners, focusing on development, integration and optimization of antennas as well as applied research and applications of wired and wireless communication systems. In fall 2012 he joined the Electromagnetics Group of the ECE Department at the University of Toronto, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree. His research interests include wireless power transfer, electromagnetic optimization and computational electromagnetics.