RCEV team wins the Grand Award and Gold Medal at the 4th Asia Exhibition of Innovations and Inventions Hong Kong (AEII)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) received a total of 18 accolades at the 4th Asia Exhibition of Innovations and Inventions Hong Kong (AEII), including the Grand Prize, one Special Prize, seven Gold Medals, eight Silver Medals and one Bronze Medal. AEII is a prestigious annual exhibition and competition dedicated to innovations and inventions in Asia. It brings together scholars, experts, and inventors from around the world to showcase a diverse range of groundbreaking inventions and solutions.

Among these, the project “Highly integrated wireless ultrasonic motor system for fully enclosed environments”, led by Prof. CHAU Kwok-tong, Chair Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at PolyU, was awarded the Grand Prize and a Gold Medal. The wireless ultrasonic motor system designed by the team features a single integrated magnetic coupler connected to the motor, which can control motor systems in fully enclosed environments without power cables, batteries and controllers. The system is adaptable to various applications, facilitating seamless integration. Its streamlines are designed by operating without additional controllers or sensors, which is ideal for environments where traditional cabling is impractical, such as in robotic arms, enhancing mobility and flexibility. In enclosed environments like underground pipelines or underwater propellers, it avoids complications from perforated installation cables, preventing gas or liquid leaks. This innovation brings new solutions for advanced applications in robotics and industrial automation.

Highly integrated wireless ultrasonic motor system for fully enclosed environments

Principal Investigator:
Prof. CHAU Kwok-tong, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

How to control motor systems in fully enclosed environments without power cables, batteries and controllers? Here, we present a highly integrated wireless ultrasonic motor system designed to wirelessly power and control motors in such environments. This innovative system features a single integrated magnetic coupler connected to the motor, achieving remarkable simplicity and integration.

Key benefits include:

Battery and cable free: Completely eliminates the need for batteries and cables, reducing maintenance
Controller and sensor independence: Streamlines design by operating without additional controllers or sensors
Modular design: Easily adaptable to various applications, facilitating seamless integration
This system is ideal for environments where traditional cabling is impractical, such as in robotic arms, enhancing mobility and flexibility. In enclosed environments like underground pipelines or underwater propellers, it avoids complications from perforated installation cables, preventing gas or liquid leaks. This innovation brings new solutions for advanced applications in robotics and industrial automation.

High-efficiency GaN converter module for wireless power transfer facilities

Principal Investigator:
Prof. LIU Wei Lucian, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Award:
Silver Medal

This invention integrates gallium nitride (GaN) chips into the design of high-performance power converters with low gate driver stray inductance and low switching loss. An insulated metal substrate (IMS) printed circuit board (PCB) design is utilized to lower the thermal resistance while ensuring electrical isolation. The gate drive has small ringing and voltage overshoot, which ensures the realization of smooth switching characteristics of GaN switches. Compared with insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), silicon-based metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), or silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET converters, the invented GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) converter has higher efficiency, higher power density, and higher switching frequency. Compared with GaN converters at the same power level, the invention has better drive performance and lower cost to promote the commercialization of GaN-HEMT power converters. It can be applied in various wireless power transfer facilities, including wireless charging for electric vehicles and other high-frequency high-power-density wireless charging scenarios.

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