Advanced Transmitter Coil Optimization Framework for Maximizing Wireless Power Transfer Efficiency in Small Animal Experimental Platforms

In small animal experimental platforms, wireless power transfer (WPT) is challenged with low efficiency and unsteadiness due to the free-positioning of animals. In this work, a novel transmitter (Tx) coil optimization procedure is proposed, which can achieve maximum transmission efficiency at required uniformity levels. By decomposition of the Tx coil into basis current density modes, the optimal Tx coil design can be found without a pre-defined geometry. Three optimized coils (Coils X/Y/Z) produce uniform magnetic field (B-field) along three orthogonal axes respectively. Through linear superposition of the Tx coils, three-dimensional (3-D) omni-directional WPT for freely moving animal experiments can be achieved. The prototype system is measured to provide 5 % to 10 % transmission efficiency to a single Rx coil at the measurement points.