Wireless Power Transfer Using a Five-Phase Wound-Rotor Induction Machine for Speed-Controlled Rotary Platforms

The use of rotary assembly platforms is common in several automation applications, such as in bottle filling and capping systems. One of the problems that designers have to address is how to supply the electric actuators, sensors, and process controllers located on the rotating disk of the machine. The traditional solution is to use slip-ring contacts. However, they suffer from aging, and thus, a scheduled maintenance program is required. In this article, the motion of the platform and the contact-less energy transfer to the auxiliary loads located on the rotating disk is obtained through a direct drive wound-rotor five-phase induction motor. The experimental tests on a scaled prototype demonstrate the practical potential of the machine.