Metal Object Detection in a Wireless High-Power Transfer System Using Phase–Magnitude Variation

Recently, wireless charging technologies for large moving objects, such as electric vehicles and robots, have been actively researched. The power transmitting and receiving coils in most large moving objects are structurally separated by a given distance, which exposes a high output power to the outside world. If a foreign metal object enters the area between these two coils during wireless power transfer, fire hazards or equipment damage may occur. Therefore, we propose a method for detecting foreign metal objects in the gap between the transmitting and receiving coils in a wireless high-power transfer system. A resonant detection coil set is used to exploit the change induced in electrical characteristics when a foreign metal object is inserted. The mutual inductance of the foreign metal object changes the impedance of the detection coil set. We developed a simple circuit to detect both the magnitude and phase change of the voltage signal according to the altered impedance. Additionally, we implemented a prototype of a wireless power transfer system with a detection system to verify that even small foreign metal objects can be detected effectively.

Method for metal foreign object detection in wireless charging system of electric vehicle

Purpose This study aims to solve the problem of the existing metal foreign object (MFO) detecting systems, which are not sensitive to the small size MFO in wireless charging region of electric vehicle (EV) because of the extremely complex signal noise in the process of wireless charging of EV. Design/methodology/approach A method for MFO detection based on the principle that MFOs can cause mistuned resonance of detection coil resonant circuit is proposed. The general scheme of detecting system is proposed. The design method for detection coils which is effective to small MFOs detection in large-area region of wireless charging of EV is presented. The design of time-sharing driving circuit and amplifying circuit of high frequency exciting signal for detection coils is introduced. The design scheme of signal processing circuit (including filter and rectifier) of detection coil terminal voltage is also proposed. Findings The influence of exciting frequency of detection coils on detecting sensitivity and the anti-noise feature of system are analyzed according to the experiment results. Originality/value The experiment of MFO detection indicates that the proposed method can effectively detect the coin-sized small MFO in the process of wireless charging of EV.

Research on Absolute Positioning Sensor Based on Eddy Current Reflection for High-Speed Maglev Train

A novel absolute positioning sensor for high-speed maglev train based on eddy current effect is studied in this paper. The sensor is designed with photoelectric switch and four groups of unilateral coplanar code-reading detection coil combination. The photoelectric switch realizes the positioning of the marker plate, and the four groups of detection coils read the mileage code of the mileage sign plate to obtain the absolute mileage information of the vehicle, which effectively reduces the quality and volume of the sensor, and reduces the impact of ice and snow. At the same time, the code-reading reliability and speed adaptability index are proposed. The code-reading reliability of the sensor is analyzed and tested under the fluctuation of levitation guidance, and the positioning error under the speed range of 0–600 km/h is calculated and analyzed. The results show that the novel sensor has the advantages of simple and compact structure. It still satisfies the system’s requirements for absolute vehicle mileage information under the conditions of vehicle operating attitude fluctuations and changes in the full operating speed range.

A Metal Object Detection System with Multilayer Detection Coil Layouts for Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging

Non-radiative inductive power transfer is one of the most studied and commercially applied wireless charging technologies, where the magnetic field is employed as the medium for power transfer. In the wireless charging of electric vehicles, the strong magnetic field will heat up any metal items falling in the charging area due to eddy current induced in the metal objects, causing hazards like fire. Metal object detection (MOD) is necessary for the market penetration of inductive power transfer technology. This paper aims to improve the performance of systems that detect metal objects based on inductance variations. Two novel multi-layer detection coil layouts are proposed, which can not only cover the entire charging area without blind spots but can also be decoupled from the transmitter and receiver to minimize the influence of the magnetic field that is used for power transfer. Two mixed resonant circuits are proposed and proven to have better performance than parallel and series resonance. The impacts of the detection coil layer, trace width, and turn-number are investigated. The test results indicate that the MOD system can detect one-cent coins at various positions of the detection coil printed circuit board, and can also detect various inductance variations without blind spots in the processing circuit.

Flaw Detection in Aluminum Plates Using a Rotating Uniform Eddy Current Probe with Two Pairs of Excitation Coils

The use of eddy currents for detecting flaws in specimens is of considerable significance in the industrial sector. In this study, a new design of a rotating uniform eddy current (UEC) probe, termed the rotating butterfly probe, is presented. The probe consists of two pairs of excitation coils arranged perpendicular to each other, positioned in two layers, and in a detection coil. The excitation and detection coils were installed the pancake orientation, which provides larger induction and enhances the sensitivity of flaws detection. In addition, to generate a rotating UEC distribution with same amplitude in all directions, the number of turns between first and second layers of the excitation coils and the amplitude of excitation current were arranged. Finite element simulations were conducted to confirm that rotating UEC distribution has the same amplitude in all directions. The experiment with the rotating butterfly probe was then conducted. In the experiment, the measured results with the probe was indicated the self-differential and self-nulling properties. Moreover, the probe was successful in detecting flaws in all directions on an aluminum plate. This attribute can be used for the effective inspection of test pieces.