The Application of Wireless Power Transmission System in the Varying Gravity Rack (VGR) for the Chinese Space Station

This paper presents a wireless power transmission (WPT) based solution to address the technical challenges of power supply for the rotating centrifuge in the variable gravity rack (VGR) aboard the space station. The proposed approach effectively eliminates the wear and reliability issues associated with traditional conductive slip rings. The study focuses on three key aspects: (1) a constant peak current control strategy is introduced to improve transmission efficiency under varying load conditions, achieving up to 90.9% efficiency at full load and over 60% under light load; (2) nanocrystalline magnetic materials are employed in place of conventional ferrites to reduce electromagnetic interference and enhance mechanical properties and manufacturability; (3) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) technology, combined with a custom-designed coupling antenna, is adopted to ensure high-reliability data communication. Ground experiments and in-orbit tests demonstrate that the integrated WPT and data transmission system effectively meets the power and communication requirements of rotating space applications, providing a solid foundation for the wider adoption of WPT technology in future space missions.