Design of a Sensor-Based Misalignment Detector for Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging Systems

Abstract

Wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging has emerged as a transformative approach in sustainable mobility. However, its widespread adoption is limited by one critical challenge, coil misalignment between the transmitter ( and receiver . This study presents the design, construction, and evaluation of a low-cost, sensor-based prototype for misalignment detection in static wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. The prototype is an autonomous parking and alignment automaton based on a wheeled robot. The study used three combined sensory modalities: ultrasonic, infrared (IR) and Hall-effect. Under controlled experimental conditions, the system reliably detected alignment. The Hall-effect sensors were used to verify that the terminal coil positioning, IR, and ultrasonic systems synchronised robot operations throughout the manoeuvre. The results of this study suggest that sensor-based detection can effectively support alignment accuracy and serve as a basis for future motorised and AI-assisted coil positioning in real-time EV charging systems.