\documentclass[conference,compsoc]{IEEEtran} \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} \usepackage[ backend=biber, style=numeric, natbib=true, url=false, doi=true, eprint=false ]{biblatex} \addbibresource{paper.bib} \usepackage{amssymb,amsmath} \usepackage{eurosym} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage[binary-units]{siunitx} \DeclareSIUnit{\baud}{Bd} \DeclareSIUnit{\year}{a} \usepackage{commath} \usepackage{graphicx,color} \usepackage{subcaption} \usepackage{array} \usepackage{censor} \usepackage{hyperref} \usepackage{makecell} \renewcommand{\floatpagefraction}{.8} \newcommand{\degree}{\ensuremath{^\circ}} \newcolumntype{P}[1]{>{\centering\arraybackslash}p{#1}} \newcommand{\partnum}[1]{\texttt{#1}} \begin{document} \date{} \title{Wireless Power Transfer with a Twist: Achieving Rotation-Invariant Coupling using Multi-Layer PCB Inductors} \maketitle \begin{abstract} % FIXME \end{abstract} \section{Introduction} Inductive wireless power transfer (WPT) is a widely used technology supported by a large corpus of research literature. % FIXME cite While working on a novel application of Inductive wireless power transfer in a Inertial Hardware Security Module (IHSM) as proposed by Götte and Scheuermann, % FIXME cite we found ourselves presented with an unusual set of constraints around inductive wireless power transfer through a rotating joint using a PCB inductor that does not yet seem to be addressed adequately in the existing literature on inductive wireless power transfer. Our application poses the challenge of transferring power between a stationary and a rotating part. To reduce manufacturing cost of both parts, and to reduce weight, and thereby inertia as well as susceptibility to vibration in the rotating part, we decided to use inductors that are directly patterned onto the IHSM's printed circuit boards. The primary constraint that results from this choice is a highly constrained turn count that is limited by the PCB manufacturing processes' pattern resolution and by ohmic heating. We found that the limited turn count of PCB inductors results in a \emph{slightly} asymmetric field, which means that the coupling coefficient of two such inductors oscillates at one oscillation per revolution when the inductors are rotated on-axis, even if both inductors are perfectly coaxially aligned. In other inductive wireless power transfer systems, this oscillation is mitigated by one of several factors: First, for this effect to matter in the first place, the two coils have to be rotating with respect to one another. In ferrite or iron-cored inductors, the core shapes the magnetic field and evens out any such imperfection. In wire-wound inductors, the (much) higher turn count and circular aspect ratio of the wires reduces this effect to almost nothing. Finally, the output ripple caused by this oscillation can be filtered through a voltage regulator or by using a large decoupling capacitor on the secondary side. While there exist a number of prior works focusing on efficient power transfer between two coils whose position relative to one another cannot be precisely controlled as is the case in wireless phone charging systems, it is generally assumed that the two coils remain (almost) stationary with respect to one another throughout the charging process. % FIXME cite There exists a small body of work on inductive power transfer through rotating joints, % FIXME cite but here the focus lies on higher power budgets than our application requires, which often requires ferrite or iron-core inductors. Our application is unique in that it requires power transfer through a joint that is constantly rotating at high speed, while we simultaneously want to avoid heavy components on the (rotating) receiver side. (Liquid) electrolytic capacitors cannot be used due to the large centrifugal acceleration that the rotating part experiences, and other heavy components such as large ceramic or polymer electrolytic capacitors or ferrite-core power inductors are inadvisable since they will exert large stresses onto the assembly due to the same centrifugal acceleration, and any imbalance caused by tolerances in the placement of heavy components will quickly cause a strong vibration. \subsection{Twisted inductors} Applying a principle inspired by rectangular or octagonal RFIC inductor design as well as by the polygonal basket-woven air coils used in early radio set, we propose a novel way of laying out circular PCB inductors that twists the inductor's windings around one another using a ring of vias each on the inside and outside of the inductor's windings. Applying some math, we show that we can layout a twisted inductor for any number of twists that is co-prime to the inductor's turn count. We observe that in high-frequency applications, a moderate number of twists increases the spacing between the beginning and end of the inductor's conductor, where the majority of the inductor's AC current flows. This decreases the parasitic capacitance of the inductor and raises its self-resonant frequency, raising its maximum possible operating frequency and improving its efficiency at lower operating frequencies. This is the same effect that is exploited in basket-woven air core inductors that were commonly used in old radio sets. % FIXME citation on this, citation on basket weaving -> It's hard to find reliable references on that. \section{Related Work} \subsection{Inductive Wireless Power Transfer in Practice} Inductive WPT has been proposed in a large number of scenarios, each of which comese with a set of unique constraints. When WPT is used to charge an electric toothbrush, the implementation cost of the system is critical, while efficiency and total power output are of little concern. Mechanically, in an electric toothbrush's charging system, the position and spacing of the transmitter and receiver coils can easily be controlled down to millimeter precision. In contrast to this, wireless smartphone charging is a much more demanding application. Here, the total cost of the system is only secondary, but the receiver's form factor is critical, and total power output as well as efficiency become major objectives. At the same time, in wireless smartphone charging, position tolerances are very coarse, and the two coils in the charging base and in the phone may be positioned more than a centimeter off-axis, with a gap of several millimeters and potentially not even in parallel planes. Power transfer across large distances is even more of a concern in implantable medical devices. Where a wireless phone charger must be able to bridge distances of a few millimeters, an implantable medical device might be situated underneath several centimeter of tissue and bones. At the same time, cost is of (almost) no concern in this medical application, which enables the use of complex manufacturing techniques, customized electronic components and exotic materials. While all of the aforementioned applications transfer somewhere between a few hundred milliwatts and several watts of power, at the other end of the spectrum there is a large body of research suggesting the use of inductive wireless power transfer for the charging of electric vehicles (EVs). In this application, the wireless power transfer system replaces the conventional wired charging connector, which improves the systems' user experience given the strong force required to seat or unseat these rather large connectors, as well as the heft of the required water-cooled cables. In this application, size is of (almost) no concern, but at several kilowatt up to dozens or even a hundred kilowatt, the transferred power is enormous and consequentially efficiency becomes of utmost importance. When charging an EV at a rate of 30 kW, an efficiency improvement of just $0.1\%$ corresponds to a reduction in power dissipation of 30 W. Besides the monetary cost of the power lost this way, each small improvement enables a reduction in size of heat sinks and other cooling components, which directly translates to a decrease in cost. \subsection{Twisted Inductors in RFIC Design} \subsection{Basket-Woven Air Coils} \subsection{Air-Core Inductors for Inductive Power Transfer} \subsection{Ferrite or Iron-Core Inductors for Inductive Power Transfer} \section{Twisted Inductor Design} \subsection{From Spiral to Twisted Inductor} \subsubsection{Ohmic Resistance} \subsubsection{Inductance} \subsection{CAD Integration} \section{FEM Simulation} \subsection{Ohmic Resistance} \subsection{Inductance} \subsection{Parasitic Capacitance and Self-Resonant Frequency} \subsection{Coupling} \section{Experimental Validation} \subsection{Inductance and Parasitic Capacitance} \subsection{Self-Resonant Frequency} \subsection{Coupling} \section{Conclusion} \section*{Availability} This is version \texttt{\input{version.tex}\unskip} of this paper, generated on \today. % The git repository with the % LaTeX source for this paper as well as our data analysis and demo code can be found at: % \center{\url{https://git.jaseg.de/nice-coils.git}} \printbibliography[heading=bibintoc] \end{document}