STTR Phase I: Self-resonant Structures for Long-Range High-Efficiency Wireless Power Transfer

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes increased range, increased efficiency, and decreased size of wireless charging systems, which will provide value to consumer devices (e.g., mobile phones and tablets), transportation, and medical industries. In consumer devices, improved and widely adopted wireless power transfer can lead to more rugged designs of the devices by eliminating charging ports, which are a common mode of device failure. Widely adopted wireless charging can improve convenience for consumers, and, with a unified charging solution across a number of devices, eliminate the need for dedicated, device-specific chargers. Increased charging range will increase the number of use cases in all three industries, leading to greater commercial opportunities for this this technology and wireless power transfer in general. In transportation, high-efficiency wireless charging allows for fast charging that is adaptable to varying vehicle heights, which makes electric vehicles more convenient, increases their rate of adoption, and allows charging that is integrated into infrastructure. Increased efficiency reduces the energy costs associated with charging across all three industries. Furthermore, this project will enhance the scientific understanding of the power handling capabilities of the multilayer self-resonant structure, and the resonant frequencies achievable with various manufacturing techniques. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project addresses the technical challenges keeping a new wireless power transfer coil technology, called the multilayer self-resonant structure (MSRS), from the market. In order to commercialize the MSRS, the technology must advance beyond a proof-of-concept, and interface with commercial wireless power transfer systems, specifically those that adhere to existing device standards. The technical hurdles that need to be addressed include 1) reducing the resonant frequency to meet current standards, 2) understanding the power handling limits, and 3) developing electronic interfaces. These challenges will be overcome by, respectively, 1) building on existing manufacturing techniques used to handle thin layers of material in other industries and adapting them to develop a scalable manufacturing approach to construct MSRSs with resonant frequencies in the range needed. 2) Analyzing, measuring, and modeling the power handling capabilities of the MSRS. Finally, 3) Developing impedance matching circuitry required to interface the MSRS with commercial systems. Successful completion of these task will results in a low cost, high-Q wireless power transfer coil, which can be integrated into commercial systems to increase the capable range, efficiency, and power handling of wireless charging. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.