Accurate Position Detection in Wireless Power Transfer Using Magnetoresistive Sensors for Implant Applications

This paper proposes and implements an accurate position detection method in wireless power transfer (WPT) for implant applications. Since the technique of WPT via magnetic resonant coupling makes it possible to non-invasively supply electricity for implants from an external transmitter, an accurate position detection of an invisible receiver from the external transmitter is highly desirable to enhance the transfer efficiency and reduce the magnetic leakage. The magnetoresistive (MR) sensor has been widely used to detect the magnetic field variation due to its low power consumption and high accuracy. In this paper, the compact-in-size MR sensor array in plane with the transmitter is developed to directly detect the magnetic field variation caused by the coil misalignment. Thus, definite advantages of efficient and compact position detection in WPT for implants can be achieved. Since the computation process is straightforward, the coil-misalignment position can be intuitively and easily determined by analyzing the output amplitude of MR sensors.