HF Litz Wires for Automated Guided Vehicles
Miniaturization of Passive Components
PACK LitzWire supported a manufacturer of automated guided vehicles in developing high-frequency optimized transmission coils to fully exploit the advantages of SiC and GaN inverters – despite large air gaps and high power densities.
The Application
In a joint project with a manufacturer of automated guided vehicles (AGV), PACK LitzWire helped optimize the passive power electronics for inductive charging. The goal was to design the coils compactly despite the system-inherent large air gaps, to transmit high currents efficiently, and at the same time to control the thermal load in the underbody area of the vehicles.
The Challenge
The challenge lay in the drastic increase in switching frequencies through the use of wide-bandgap semiconductors (SiC/GaN). Conventional copper windings generated significant skin and proximity losses at these frequencies. At the same time, the miniaturization of the coils concentrated the heat loss in a small space, so that standard windings would quickly have reached their limits. In addition, the coils had to cope with the high magnetic fields at large air gaps and remain mechanically and electrically robust.
The inductive transmission coil was designed for high switching frequencies of modern SiC and GaN inverters and enables a compact design with high power density and controlled thermal load despite large air gaps.
The HF-optimized litz wire construction with extremely fine individual wires specifically reduces skin and proximity losses and supports uniform current distribution with high efficiency and mechanical robustness in AGV use.
Support from PACK LitzWire
PACK LitzWire specifically contributed its HF expertise. Using its own LiWiCalc® tool, extremely fine single wires were defined that optimally conducted the current over the entire cross-section and minimized AC losses. Together with the customer, the litz wire construction was designed to achieve a high copper fill factor with sufficient flexibility – ideal for integration into compact floor panels. Simulations and loss analyses helped to find the optimal balance between space reduction, thermal stability, and efficiency.
Result
Thanks to the high-frequency optimized HF litz wire, the customer was able to significantly reduce the size of the passive components without exceeding the thermal limits. The high switching frequencies of the wide-bandgap inverters were efficiently converted into magnetic power, making inductive charging more reliable, more compact, and more energy-efficient. The result was a lighter, more powerful AGV system with seamless integration into modern intralogistics.
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