Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras
A Wireless Charging Pad Array System For Electric Personal Transporters
Technology Category/Market
Category- Energy, Energy Storage & Renewable Energy/ Automobile & Transportation
Industry Classification:
Electric Vehicle (EV); Wireless Charging; Consumer Electronics and Mobility Solutions; Smart Infrastructure Development; Energy and Power Electronics.
Applications:
Charging/ parking stations for Electric Personal Transporters (EPTs) such as skateboards, hover boards, kick scooters and self balancing vehicles.
Market report:
The global wireless charging market is valued at USD 12.22 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 83.8 billion in 2035 with a CAGR of 19.12%
Problem Statement
- Electric Personal Transporters (EPTs) such as skateboards, hover boards, kick scooters and self balancing vehicles are popular due to their small size, weight and maneuverability.
- Wireless charging enhances convenience, safety, and efficiency for EPTs, addressing range anxiety and battery optimization.
- Conventional systems target larger vehicles, using optical sensors, RFID, or magnetic sensing, often requiring vehicle-side modification with poor adaptability for EPTs’ size and structure, failing to handle multiple devices, while requiring rigid positioning.
- There is a need for smart charging pad that use existing coils for sensing while supporting multiple EPTs with reduced interference and higher sensitivity minimizing energy use
Technology
- A smart wireless charging pad array for Electric Personal Transporters (EPTs) with integrated position sensing, leveraging existing charging coils as sensors without requiring modifications to EPTs.
- Detects EPT presence, estimates coil alignment, distinguishes foreign objects, supports multiple EPTs, and ensures low interference with high sensitivity.
- Operates at 85.3 kHz sensing frequency, consumes <50 mW power, achieves less than 2 µA and 35 m° deviation in measurement of current and phase respectively.
- Identifies presence of EPTs using its unique signatures, distinguishes metal objects, reliably estimates receiver coil misalignment within ±2.5% error and is tolerant to angular misalignment up to ±20°.
- A 3×3 matrix charging pad was successfully tested with EPTs, demonstrating accurate detection, alignment, and charging initiation while maintaining interference immunity from adjacent charging pads.
Key Features/Value Proposition
- Compared to conventional systems that require vehicle-side excitation or additional sensors, this invention ensures seamless integration without altering EPT designs.
- Supports multiple EPTs on the same charging pad array, addressing limitations of rigid parking in competing technologies.
- Incorporates robust foreign object detection and precise alignment sensing, outperforming existing systems in safety and reliability.
- Consumes significantly less power for sensing and operation compared to methods relying on additional hardware or active components.
- Prototype tested under real-world conditions, showcases the readiness of the technology for commercialization
Questions about this Technology?
Contact for Licensing
Research Lab
Prof. Boby George
Department of Electrical Engineering
Intellectual Property
- IITM IDF Ref 2776
- IN 558858 Patent Granted
Technology Readiness Level
TRL 4
Technology Validated in Lab