Design Considerations For An Active Rectifier Circuit for Bidirectional Wireless Power Transfer

The capability of bi-directional, underwater power transfer (both sending and receiving power) increases the functionality of underwater vehicles by allowing them to be charged and provide charge wirelessly to other systems without leaving the water. To minimize the footprint of the charging circuitry, a single transistor-based full-bridge circuit can be used to either send or receive power. This work focuses on the operation of the circuit in power receive mode, as an active rectifier. An algorithm common for active rectification is presented, and the effects of non-idealities on the timing control and efficiency is presented through experimental results.