SBIR Phase I: In-Motion, Capacitive, Wireless Charging System for Material Handling Vehicles

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛的商业影响将消除材料搬运车辆(即移动机器人和叉车)通过动态电容式无线充电的电池充电停机时间，从而提高仓库的生产率和经济竞争力。在仓库和道路上实施动态电容式无线充电将使大多数电动汽车(EV)和MHV使用小得多的电池(最多小80%)，从而大幅降低成本，并使它们比汽油驱动的同类产品更便宜。这次大幅降价将加快从内燃机向电动汽车的过渡。大规模道路上部署动态电容式无线充电将显著减少空气污染和美国对石油的依赖，增强美国的国家安全。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将开发一种电容式无线充电系统，用于MHV的移动充电。该项目将开发一个强大、安全和全自动化的系统，能够按需对MHV进行无线充电，功率级别高达1千瓦。这项研究将解决三个技术挑战：1)在存在耦合器失调的情况下实现高功率传输；2)以无缝和安全的方式激活和停用充电设备；以及3)保持热稳定的连续运行，并使用商用电力半导体器件实现1 kW、6.78 MHz的高效整流。与传统的耦合器设计相比，增强型耦合器设计可确保在相当大的重叠区域内提供充分的功率传输，从而实现不对准容差。自动激活和去激活将由感测、控制和通信系统实现，该系统包括调制的光学致动方案和基于功率转移的决策。持续供电将由定制的热管理解决方案实现。高频下的高效整流将通过匹配网络设计的创新来实现，以减轻整流器寄生的影响。应对这些挑战将使这项技术能够商业化。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader and commercial impacts of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will eliminate the downtime for battery charging of material handling vehicles (MHVs) (i.e., mobile robots and forklifts) with in-motion capacitive wireless charging, thereby increasing the productivity and economic competitiveness of warehouses. Implementation of in-motion capacitive wireless charging in warehouses and roadways would enable the use of much smaller batteries (up to 80% smaller) for most electric vehicles (EVs) and MHVs, dramatically reducing costs and making them less expensive than their gasoline powered counterparts. This dramatic price reduction will speed up the transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles. Mass roadway deployment of in-motion capacitive wireless charging would significantly reduce air pollution and the US dependence on oil, increasing US national security. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a capacitive wireless charging system for in-motion charging of MHVs. The project will develop a robust, safe, and fully automated system capable of wirelessly charging an MHV on demand, at power levels up to 1 kW. The research will address three technical challenges: 1) achieving high power transfer in the presence of coupler misalignments; 2) activating and deactivating the charging apparatus in a seamless and safe manner; and 3) maintaining thermally stable continuous operation and achieving efficient rectification at 1 kW, 6.78 MHz with commercially available power semiconductor devices. The misalignment tolerance will be enabled through an enhanced coupler design that ensures full power delivery over a substantially enlarged area of overlap compared to conventional coupler designs. The automated activation and deactivation will be enabled by a sensing, control, and communication system comprising a modulated optical actuation scheme and power-transfer based decision making. The continuous power delivery will be enabled by a custom-designed thermal management solution. The efficient rectification at high frequency will be enabled by innovations in matching network design that mitigate the impact of the rectifier’s parasitics. Addressing these challenges will enable the technology to be commercializable.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.