BUP68 - MEILO

MHz Power Transfer for Industrial and Logistics Applications

Wireless power transfer (WPT) is already being used on a large scale in industry today for automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Nevertheless, much of the potential of WPT technology for future manufacturing and mobility in general remains untapped.

One reason for this is the power density of today’s systems, which has reached a natural limit. The use of gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors opens up entirely new horizons in this area: operation in the megahertz (MHz) frequency range enables a substantial miniaturization of system components and thus a significant increase in power density.

Goal

The goal of this project is to develop a compact GaN-based WPT prototype operating in the megahertz frequency range and delivering kilowatt-level power. The expected increase in power density is intended to serve as an "enabler" for the technology's transfer to further applications in production.

Approach

Use of GaN semiconductors in an optimized converter topology: Operation in the MHz range enables significant miniaturization of the power electronics and magnetic components. In addition, the increased integration density of GaN integrated circuits (ICs) is utilized for driver and protection functions.
Innovative magnetic design: The coil windings are implemented directly as a printed circuit board (PCB), making the design cost-effective and reproducible.
Targeted flux guidance to minimize AC loss effects: This enables extremely high coil quality factors at frequencies > 1 MHz.
Improvement of thermal interface: Investigation of novel heat dissipation options (e.g., in combination with ceramics)

Benefit

As an "enabling technology" compact contactless power transfer systems offer significant potential for numerous companies and SMEs in the fields of robotics, intralogistics, and manufacturing. The added value stems in particular from the fact that, for example, WPT systems can be used in robotics applications to completely replace cable connections. This enables the development of products that require less maintenance and offer greater reliability.