Optimization of optical wireless power transfer using near-infrared laser diodes

We experimentally demonstrated optical wireless power transfer (OWPT) using a near-infrared laser diode (LD) as the optical power transmitter. We considered a photovoltaic (PV) cell and a photodiode (PD) as the optical power receivers. We investigated the characteristics of the LD, PD, and PV cell in order to determine the optimum operating condition from the viewpoint of transfer efficiency. We also experimentally demonstrated a whole system optimization process to maximize the DC-to-DC transfer efficiency of the OWPT. Our experimental results showed that the optimization process can improve the OWPT efficiency by up to 48%.