Investigation of energy harvesting for magnetic sensor arrays on Mars by wireless power transmission

This paper proposes the energy harvesting for magnetic sensor arrays on Mars, which can receive the power from Mars Rover by wireless power transmission (WPT). The schematic idea is presented with the energy receiver as the magnetic sensor and the energy transmitter as the transducer on Mars Rover. The key is to adopt the resonant inductive power transmission (IPT) topology between the magnetic sensor and Mars Rover. The basic topology and its operating principle are discussed. By using the magnetic frequency analysis with the finite element method, the output power and efficiency of the WPT system are calculated. The results show that Mars Rover could flexibly transmit its power to different types of small-size magnetic sensors based on their energy on demand using different resonant frequencies and distances. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.