Challenges and Opportunities of Capacitive Power Transfer (CPT) Technologies
Prof. Aiguo Patrick Hu
Department of Electrical and Computer and Software Engineering at the University of Auckland, New Zealand
Abstract: As an emerging Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technology, Capacitive Power Transfer (CPT) starts to draw increasing attention from both academic researchers and design engineers. Compared to IPT (Inductive Power Transfer) based on magnetic field coupling, CPT based on electric field coupling has clear advantages such as simpler coupler design and less concern on foreign metal objects. However, it normally needs to operate at high voltages and frequencies due to low coupling capacitances that can be practically achieved. This talk will give a brief review of the historical development and current status of CPT first, then focus on discussing the key challenges we are facing now, and opportunities for future research and applications.
Speaker's Bio: Dr. Aiguo Patrick HU graduated from Xian JiaoTong University, China, with BE and ME degrees in 1985 and 1988 respectively. He received his Ph.D from the University of Auckland in 2001. He holds over 50 patents in wireless/contactless power transfer and microcomputer control technologies, published more than 300 peer reviewed journal and conference papers with about 7500 citations, authored the first monograph on wireless inductive power transfer technology, and contributed 4 book chapters on modelling and control of inductive and capacitive power transfer systems. He has been awarded The University of Auckland VC’s Funded Research and Commercialization Medal in April 2017. Patrick is now a full professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer and Software Engineering at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and his research interests include wireless power transfer, power electronics, and integration of renewable energies
Empowering Zero-Wiring Society
Dr. Yuji Tanabe
Co-founder and CTO of Aeterlink, Stanford University
Abstract: Aeterlink is a startup company from Stanford University that applies long-range wireless power transfer technology to realize a "digital world" without wires. We focus on "Factory Automation (FA)," "Building Management," and "Medical”. In the field of factory automation, we can realize "maintenance-free" operation by utilizing wireless power transfer (AirPlug) for all sensors in the factory. Particularly in moving parts, disconnection frequently occurs, causing the production line to stop and costing companies a large amount of opportunities loss. Our company addresses this issue by applying AirPlug to prevent wire breakage. In the field of building management, there is a need to introduce many sensors, but the digitalization of space is not progressing due to the high cost of replacing wiring and batteries. We can operate not only temperature and humidity sensors, but also all kinds of "digital signal processing devices" such as CMOS cameras and edge AI devices by AirPlug. These FA and building management businesses have a wide range of applications, and will enable wireless power transfer of various devices for the IoE society. In the next 30 years toward 2050, we aim to realize the ultimate digital society to a certain degree, and to create a world in which the information obtained is seamlessly connected to provide services beneficial to humans.
Speaker's Bio: Yuji Tanabe received Ph.D degree in Engineering from Waseda University in 2011. He joined Prof. Ada Poon’s group at Stanford University from 2011 to 2019 as a research scientist. His research interests include design, development of wireless powering system for IoE (Internt of Everything), Factory Automation and medical applications. He co-founded Aeterlink Corp, which is a startup that develops and provides long-range wireless power transfer technologies and solutions to realize a wire-free digital world, in 2020.
One-to-Many Wireless Power Transfer Systems Using Metasurface-Inspired Resonators
Dr. Polina Kapitanova
Assistant Professor at ITMO University, Russia
Abstract: This work is devoted to the study of one-to-many wireless power transfer systems with magnetic resonant coupling. We develop metasurface-inspired resonators with quasi-uniform near magnetic field distribution to use as a transmitter for simultaneous wireless charging of multiple receivers placed on it. Two different topologies of compact multi-mode resonators formed as an array of parallel wires with a capacitive load are proposed and studied. We perform circuit analysis and full-wave numerical simulations to study the electromagnetic characteristics of the resonators. The benefits of their application in one-to-many wireless power transfer systems are also discussed. For an experimental demonstration of the performance of the proposed resonators, we fabricate two one-to-many wireless power transfer systems based on them. The first one operates at 17 MHz, the second one operates at 200 kHz. Both systems are able to simultaneously charge several receives placed on it. The wireless power transfer system operating at 200 kHz was implemented as a chessboard. For the 5 W input power, the system can charge up to 32 receivers which are made as a chess pieces with inserted light-emitting diodes and illuminate during the play standing at the chessboard.
Speaker's Bio: Polina KAPITANOVA was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She received the bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and telecommunications from Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University, Russia, in 2004, 2006, and 2011, respectively. She is currently an Assistant Professor at ITMO University, Russia. Her scientific interests include design and development of metamaterials and metasurfaces, wireless power transfer technologies, and antenna engineering.
Backscatter communication without a carrier
Prof. Joshua R. Smith
Zeutschel Professor, Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Abstract: Backscatter communication enables low power data transmission by shifting the burden of radio signal production from the energy-constrained endpoint device to a powered interrogator. Ambient backscatter demonstrated the possibility of using pre-existing, information carrying broadcast radio waves as the carrier, eliminating the need for a dedicated signal generation source. I will describe a new communication method that allows an endpoint device, with a very similar design to a backscatter endpoint, to communicate without the need for any RF carrier, whether deliberately generated or ambient.
Speaker's Bio: Joshua R. Smith is the Milton and Delia Zeutschel Professor in the Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he leads the Sensor Systems research group. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a Fellow of the IEEE. He leads the Amazon UW Science Hub. He was named an Allen Distinguished Investigator by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and he was the thrust leader for Communications and Interface in the NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering. Before joining UW he was a Principal Engineer at Intel.
Wireless power transfer for electronic textile systems
Prof. Stephen Beeby
Director of the Centre for Flexible Electronics and E-Textiles, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton
Abstract: Research into electronic textiles (e-textiles) has led to ever-increasing levels of functionality and integration. This offers the potential for hidden electronic systems that are imperceptible to the user providing a new platform for wearable technologies. However, the supply of power has not kept pace with these developments and e-textile systems are typically powered by conventional rigid batteries. Wireless power transfer (WPT) offers the potential to supply significant amounts of energy that can be used to power e-textiles directly or can be used to recharge flexible textile energy storage devices. This talk presents examples of both RF and resonant inductive coupled wireless power transfer and explores the impact of the constraints that arise when working with a textile substrate on WPT performance. Both approaches will be illustrated with example scenarios and the typical energy transfer rates achieved in practice will be presented.
Speaker's Bio: Steve Beeby received a Ph.D. degree in MEMS resonant sensors from the University of Southampton, Southampton, U.K., in 1998. He is currently the Director of the Centre for Flexible Electronics and E-Textiles and leads the U.K.’s E-Textiles Network. He is currently leading three U.K. funded research projects and has received over £20 million in research funding. He is a co-founder of two University spinouts: Perpetuum Ltd. exploiting research in vibration energy harvesting formed in 2004 and Smart Fabric Inks Ltd. marketing inks for e-textiles. He has co-authored/edited five books, has given over 30 plenary/keynote/invited talks and has over 350 publications with an h-Index of 57. His current research interests focus on energy harvesting, e-textiles and the use of energy harvesting in wearable applications. Prof. Beeby is a Fellow of the IEEE and has been awarded a prestigious RAEng Chair in Emerging Technologies in E-Textile Engineering.
