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Toward Wireless Future, Next-generation High-frequency Power Electronics for Emerging Applications

Jungwon Choi

Abstract

Modern electronic systems have been rapidly transforming to realize automation, such as in factories or warehouses and autonomous vehicles. As demand for automation grows, enabling technologies such as artificial intelligence, control, and smart charging systems become beneficial. However, while other technologies have been considerably revolutionized, the effort to develop an innovative and efficient charging system for automation has yet to. Power electronics is a critical technology in the charging system to convert electric energy into a different level or type to deliver it to an electric load, such as batteries. Therefore, it must tackle the key challenges that prevent us from obtaining an intelligent, compact, and efficient charging system. 

This talk demonstrates how to enable compact and reliable power conversion systems for the electrification system such as battery-powered vehicles, biomedical devices, renewable energy systems, and other industrial applications and extend the system to provide wireless power transfer (WPT) technology. First, I will discuss high-frequency dc-dc resonant converters to improve the efficiency and power density of the systems. Then, I will introduce challenges and opportunities to design coupling coils for wireless power transfer systems at high frequencies for battery-powered vehicles and biosensors. In addition, I will present how to extend the design methods of the high-frequency converters with control strategy in energy storage systems. Finally, I will preview the direction of future works.

Bio

Jungwon Choi (GS’13-M’19) is an Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She received her Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in 2019, M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2013, and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Korea University in Seoul, Korea, in 2009. Her research interests include high-frequency power converters, wireless power transfer for battery-powered vehicles, industrial and biomedical applications, magnetic designs, controls at high-frequencies, energy storage, and wide bandgap devices. In 2017, she was selected to the Rising Stars in EECS. In addition, she received Unlock Idea awards from Lam Research in 2019 and 2020, and National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award in 2021. She is an Associate Editor of the IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Industrial Electronics. Also, she is an Organizing Committee and Vice Chair of the IEEE Energy Conversion & Expo (ECCE) 2023, Technical Program Committee, and Organizing Committee of the IEEE Workshop on Control and Modeling for Power Electronics (COMPEL) 2023 and 2024, respectively. 

 

Jungwon Choi Headshot
Jungwon Choi
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
ECE 125
28 Feb 2023, 10:30am until 11:30am