Human Exposure to Close-Range Resonant Wireless Power Transfer Systems as a Function of Design Parameters

In this study, human exposure to close-range wireless power transfer (WPT) systems operating in the frequency range 0.1-10 MHz with coil diameters up to 150 mm are investigated. Approximation formulae, which include scaling factors derived from numerical simulations that take variations of complex human anatomies into consideration, are proposed to conservatively estimate human exposure with respect to the most authoritative exposure guidelines. The approximation has been verified for two precommercial prototype WPT systems, the first of which, a 5-W system operating at 100 kHz, has been evaluated in this study; the second system been verified was reported in a separate study and operates at 6.78 MHz with a nominal current of 5.4 A(rms). Based on the results obtained, the optimal operational frequency range for WPT with respect to compliance with exposure safety guidelines is revealed to be ca. 1-2.5 MHz. In summary, this study provides novel and insightful information for the design of an exposure-compliant close-range magnetic resonant WPT system.