17/04/2015
Compliance Testing Methodology for Wireless Power Transfer Systems
Jagadish Nadakuduti, Mark Douglas, Lin Lu, Andreas Christ, Paul Guckian, and Niels Kuster, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Volume PP, Issue 99, online February 19, 2015
Wireless power transfer (WPT) systems have become popular, with applications in charging portable electronics via inductive coupling between a transmit and receive coil. Accurate estimation of the induced exposure is required as the incident magnetic fields near the coils often exceed the reference levels. Standardized procedures do not yet exist for the demonstration of compliance of these products with electromagnetic guidelines for human exposure. For this purpose, we propose a conservative methodology using simplified homogeneous phantoms. An approximation for the minimum compliance distance for user exposure is developed based on the theoretical evaluation of the induced fields and simulations of detailed anatomical models. The simulation results are experimentally validated for a practical WPT application at 6.78 MHz. Criteria for exclusion of WPT systems from compliance evaluation are presented as a function of coil dimensions, operating current and frequency.
The scientific and technical impact of the study can be summarized as:
- A new methodology for demonstrating compliance of WPT systems has been developed, using a combination of numerical dosimetry and experimental validation
- The induced fields were assessed with posable anatomical models in typical usage scenarios
- A method to conservatively estimate the exposure using simplified homogeneous body phantoms was derived. This was demonstrated for a real-world application for desk usage at 6.78 MHz
- Exclusion criteria were also developed based on coil dimensions, operating current, and frequency, using an estimation of the compliance distance.