Magnetically Coupled Circuits as Dynamic

Systems
A. Delgado
National University of Colombia at Bogota
Email: adelgado@ieee.org
Abstract Magnetically coupled circuits can be formulated
in the language of dynamic systems for both time variant and
time invariant inductances. An ideal system, proposed here,
with zero resistance and zero self-inductance for each circuit
can be used to guide the design of a computing device that finds
the minima of an energy function.

properties such as, stability, step response, controllability,

observability, or for control purposes [4].

I. INTRODUCTION

ost electrical engineers learn the basics of

magnetically coupled circuits, with the two coils
example, using mesh equations in time and Laplace
domains [1-2]. The notation of dynamic systems can be also
applied to magnetically coupled circuits to study systems in
terms of state variables, transfer function, and input output
differential equation [3-4].
When inductances are time invariant, the mathematical
model of magnetically coupled circuits can be used to guide
the design of linear and ideal transformers with many
applications in engineering.
On the other hand, if inductances are time variant a new
device can be designed to find the minima of an energy
function [5-7]. This ideal model introduced here, zero
resistance and zero self-inductance, without quantum effects
is the first step to understand, from an engineering
perspective, the quantum computer of D-Wave [8].
The paper is organized as follows; section two presents the
two coils system with time invariant inductances using
dynamic systems notation. Section three explains the two
coils system when inductances are time variant. In section
four, an ideal magnetically coupled circuit with three coils is
discussed, a simulation illustrates the potential to find
minima of an energy function. Finally, section five is a
generalization of the ideal circuit to N coils that resembles
binary recurrent neural networks.
II. TWO COILS SYSTEM TI INDUCTANCES

Magnetically coupled circuits [1, 2] with TI (Time Invariant)

inductances are discussed here. These circuits can be
formulated within the dynamic systems framework [3] using
concepts such as: (i) state variables representation; (ii)
transfer function; (iii) input output differential equation.
Each one of these models is suitable to study some

Fig.1. Magnetically coupled circuits with two coils (inductance L, resistance

R, current x). When the current enters a dot, the induced voltage is
positive at the other dot. Inductances are time invariant.

Figure 1 shows a magnetically coupled circuit with two

coils, the mesh equations are,

d
[L11 x1 L12 x 2 ] = V
dt
d
R2 x 2 + [ L21 x1 + L22 x 2 ] = 0
dt
R1 x1 +

In matrix notation,

dL
dL11
12 x
0 x1 dt
dt . 1
+

dL22 x 2
R2 x 2 dL21

dt
dt
L12 x1 V
L
+ 11
. =
L21 L22 x 2 0
R1
0

(1)

Inductances are time invariant, solving for the time

derivative of the state vector and writing the result in
compact form with the current x1 as the output,

x (t ) = A.x (t ) + B.u (t )
y (t ) = C . x (t )
Where the matrices are,

978-1-4673-5710-4/13/$31.00 2013 IEEE

7

(2a)

 L
A = 11
L21
L
B = 11
L21
C = [1 0]

L12 R1
L22 0

inductances and zero resistance are presented here. From (1)

solving for the time derivative of the state vector,

0
= L1 R

R2

L12 1
= L1b
L22 0

(2b)

L
+ 11
L21

State vector and input,

x (t )
x (t ) = 1 ; u (t ) = V (t )
x 2 (t )

dL11
1
L12 dt

L22 dL21
dt

x1
L11
x = L
2
21

L12 V
L22 0

(2c)

In compact notation,

Using Laplace transformation, with the operator s, for

system (1) with TI inductances and zero initial conditions
yields,

x = Lt 1

V ( s ) = [R1 + sL11 ]X 1 ( s ) sL12 X 2 ( s )

0 = sL 21 X 1 ( s ) + [R2 + sL 22 ]X 2 ( s )

b s + b0
Y (s)
= 2 1
U ( s ) s + a1 s + a 0

L (t ) L12 (t )
Lt = 11

L21 (t ) L22 (t )
1
= ; u (t ) = V (t )
0

(3)

(4)

x (t ) = A(t ) x (t ) + b (t )u (t )

(6b)

(7a)

Matrices are time variant,

(5a)

A(t ) = Lt 1 (t )

Where the coefficients are,

L
R
b1 = 22 ; b0 = 2

R L + R2 L11
RR
a1 = 1 22
; a0 = 1 2

= L11 L22 L12 L21

(6a)

In state variables notation,

From (4), the corresponding input output differential

equation,

d2y
dy
du
+ a1
+ a 0 y = b1
+ b0 u
2
dt
dt
dt

dL t
x + Lt 1 u
dt

Where the matrices and input are,

The transfer function can be derived from (3),

T ( s) =

dL12
dt x1
dL22 x 2

dt

dLt (t )
dt

(7b)

1
t

b(t ) = L (t )
The input can be related to an external field,

u (t ) = ht (t )

(5b)

Matrices A, B, and C in (2) are time invariant, these

determine the controllability and observability. Poles and
zeroes in (4) can explain the step response and stability.
Engineers use mathematical models (2, 4-5) to design and
build physical devices; transformers have applications in
many areas from power systems to electronic circuits.

Parameters and input {Lt(t), ht(t)} evolve from random

initial conditions {t = 0, Lo, ho} to final values {t = T, L, h}
following the expressions [5],

L t (t ) = L

t
t

ht (t ) = h + h0 1
T
T

III. TWO COILS SYSTEM TV INDUCTANCES

Magnetically coupled circuits with TV (Time Variant)

t
t

+ L0 1
T
T

Replacing the derivative of Lt in (7),

(8)

1 1
Lt (t )[L L0 ]
T
b(t ) = Lt 1 (t )
A(t ) =

B. Simulation
(9)

IV. THREE COILS SYSTEM

Figure 2 shows a system with three circuits, each one with

zero resistance, zero self-inductance, and a voltage related to
an external field hi. These conditions could be approximated
experimentally by current loops magnetically coupled at low
temperature [6].

To illustrate the behavior of system (10), simulation results

are presented in figure 3 with parameters [6],

0.0 1.0 0.5

1.0

L = 1.0 0.0
0.3 ; h = 1.0
0.5 0.3
0.0
0.0

Final currents (t = T) are interpreted as binary values

following the convention,

A. Model

xi 0 xi = +1

The differential equation, in matrix format, with time

dependent inductances is the following,

x = Lt 1

(11)

dL t
x Lt 1 u
dt

xi < 0 xi = 1

(10a)

Where matrices and inputs are,

L12 (t ) L13 (t )
0

0
Lt = L21 (t )
L23 (t )
L31 (t ) L32 (t )
0
(10b)

= I 3x3

1 0 0
h1

= 0 1 0; u = h2
0 0 1
h3

Fig.3. Energy function when variables take binary values, sign(x); there are
eight states from {-1,-1,-1} to {1, 1, 1}. At the end of each
simulation {0, T} there is a steady state value for currents, the
frequency of each state is shown for 10000 samples.

An energy function can be defined for the circuit of figure 2

using matrices L and h (11),
Fig.2. Magnetically coupled circuits with zero resistance and zero selfinductance; another way to illustrate the mutual inductance
following the dot convention; the external field (red dot) induces
voltages at each loop.

W = hT x +

1 T
x Lx
2

Solving analytically for the minimum,

 0.20
1

x = L h = 0.33 1 ; W = 0.13
2.67
1
1

Figure 3 presents 10000 simulations from random initial

conditions, t = 0, for both currents {x} and parameters {Lo,
ho} (8). Notice the most frequent final states around the
analytical solution, i.e., state 2 {-1, -1, +1}.
V. GENERAL CASE

Now, consider N ideal magnetically coupled circuits, each

one with an externally induced voltage, see figure 4. The
state variables representation follows the expression,

x (t ) = A (t ) x (t ) + B (t )u (t )

(12a)

With time variant matrices and inputs,

h1 (t )
dLt (t )
h (t )
dt
2
1
u (t ) = .
B (t ) = Lt (t )

= I NxN
.
hN (t )

A(t ) = Lt 1 (t )

(12b)

1
T
1
B(t ) = Lt (t ) ; u (t ) = ht (t )

VI. CONCLUSIONS
Magnetically coupled circuits can be formulated using
dynamic systems theory. From mesh equations, well known
representations such as state variables, transfer function, and
input output differential equation can be developed.
In this work, an ideal system with magnetically coupled
current loops is studied; the system is ideal in the sense that
self inductances and resistances are zero. When mutual
inductances are time variant, the possibility of computing
appears by mapping the energy function of the magnetic
system to a desired mathematical function to minimize.
Parameters are changed slowly in a process close to
simulated annealing [10].
ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Expressions for Lt(t) and ht(t) change from random values

{L0, h0}, at the initial simulation time t = 0, until they reach
their final values {L, h} at the final time t = T. Replacing the
time derivative of Lt (8),

A(t ) = Lt 1 (t )[L L0 ]

The magnetically coupled system (12) has the structure of a

recurrent neural network without activation functions [7];
the parameters {A(t), B(t)} and the inputs u(t) are time
varying from random values when t = 0 to final values when
t = T.
This model is the first approximation to understand, from
an electrical engineering perspective, the quantum computer
developed by D-Wave [8] without considering the quantum
effects known as superposition and entanglement [9]. Figure
4 is a diagram of a recurrent neural network with current
loops as nodes, weights are mutual inductances; notice the
dot convention and the external field hi for each circuit.

(12c)

The author thanks the support of his employer, the

National University of Colombia at Bogota.
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Fig.4. Recurrent network structure for N magnetically coupled current loops

and the external field.

10