Development of the optimization framework for wireless power transfer systems

Considering a high level of complexity of wireless power transfer (WPT) systems, the foremost concern in the field is the development of an efficient, systematic design framework which can improve an objective function (e.g. transfer efficiency and mass of a system) while satisfying constraint functions such as electromagnetic field (EMF), air-gap, and power capacity transferred. In this paper, an optimization framework for real-world WPT systems was developed by linking the commercial electromagnetic analysis software and an optimization module through in-house codes. The developed design framework was validated with both unconstrained and constrained cases and then applied to minimize the thickness of the secondary module in a wireless cell phone charger. By virtue of optimization, the thickness could be successfully and efficiently reduced while induced voltage and EMF were satisfied.