A Novel Pendulum-Type Magnetic Coupler With High Misalignment Tolerance for AUV Underwater Wireless Power Transfer Systems

Magnetic coupling resonance wireless power transfer technology is one of the effective ways to solve the energy supply problem of autonomous underwater vehicles. As the most critical component in an underwater wireless power transfer system, the magnetic coupler largely determines the energy transfer capability and marine environment adaptability. This article proposes a novel ID-shaped magnetic coupler with a pendulum-type receiver, which has characteristics of compact structure, lightweight, enough mis-alignment tolerance, and high receiver power density. The design and optimization flow of the magnetic is given in detail in this article, and an experimental prototype is constructed to verify the proposal. The receiver weighs only 746 g, yet it can deliver over 3 kW at 95.985% dc-dc efficiency when fully aligned. Especially the proposal achieves stable output in the range of rotational and axial misalignment of [-30 mm, 30 mm], with a system efficiency consistently above 95% and efficiency fluctuations below 1%.