The Design and Coupler Optimization of a Single-Transmitter Coupled Multireceiver Inductive Power Transfer System for Maglev Trains

Inductive power transfer (IPT) is an effective energy supply solution for maglev trains that depend on current collectors to obtain enough electricity. This article proposed a system optimization that combines the compensation parameter and coupler optimization. The Pareto theory is employed to optimize an IPT system with a single-transmitter coupled multireceiver for maglev trains. The circuit model of the multipickup system and the finite element model of the coupler are given. A scale-down 1-kW prototype is built as the benchmark for the optimization. Then, the proposed system optimization is presented. The efficiency, pickup power density, and system cost are selected as the design objectives, and an optimal solution is selected from the Pareto fronts. A further coupler optimization is presented, and the optimization result is discussed and compared with other Maglev IPT coupler designs. Finally, an 8.5-kW IPT prototype based on the final optimized solution is built, and it is compared with other two different solutions to validate the method.