Abstract
We derive closed-form upper bounds on the power deliverable by Electrodynamic Wireless Power Transfer (EWPT) receivers using the near-limit methodology, originally developed for kinetic energy harvesters. By identifying the optimal trajectory of the receiver mass that maximizes energy transfer, we obtain the upper power bounds for various types of EWPT receivers. The results cover translational and rotational EWPT receivers under unidirectional and rotating magnetic fields and yield a global power bound set by the magnetic-field frequency and amplitude and the magnet volume. The bounds reveal simple scaling laws: the power density ceiling grows linearly with frequency and with field amplitude. From these bounds, we define a physically grounded figure of merit (FoM) enabling fair comparisons across receiver types. Measured prototypes from the literature lie below the predicted ceilings, quantifying headroom for future EWPT designs.
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