A Hybrid Solenoid Coupler for Wireless Charging Applications

This paper introduces a primary pad for wireless charging applications, which is able to transfer high power over large air gaps and is tolerant to lateral displacements suitable for electric vehicle charging applications. The developed pad is an improved solenoid designed specifically to address issues such as flux leakage and loss while retaining good coupling. It is a hybrid structure that consists of a combination of rectangular- or square-shaped coils and a central solenoid, all connected in series. When energized, it produces a single-sided, polarized flux similar to the flux pattern of the solenoid and double D (DDP) pads. The power transfer capability of this pad is investigated through finite-element analysis simulations. The results are compared first to a similar sized solenoid from which it was derived, and also a DDP primary pad and are verified through measurements on prototype systems in the laboratory. The aim of this paper is to provide an improved hybrid solenoid pad showing higher coupling factors and lower stray field emissions with a performance (coupling and stray field emissions) similar to that of DDPs.