A study on the integration of contactless energy transfer in the end teeth of a PM synchronous linear motor

Linear motors find their utilization in an increasing number of industrial applications. Permanent magnet linear synchronous motors (PMLSMs) are favorable in many applications due to their servo characteristics, robustness, and high force density. The major disadvantage of moving coil type PMLSMs is the cable slab that energizes the coils from the fixed world to the moving parts of the machine. These cable slabs introduce extra wear and dynamical distortions. Moreover, in precision application the cable slab is supported by additional linear drives. These disadvantages can be eliminated if the coils could be powered wirelessly. In this paper two topologies are proposed that are capable of transferring 1 kW of power at most. The transformer part of the CET is characterized by means of two dimensional finite element analysis, and the influence of using additional capacitors to boost the output power is examined. Furthermore, an analysis of the core losses is conducted. Conclusions are drawn from the results. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3074785]