The Wireless Charging Technology
Charge your smartphone or tablet by resting it on the charging station. Wireless charging is as simple and convenient as that. It is no longer essential to plug in and out , or carry wires. But how does wireless charging function in practise?
Technology around the globe is progressively becoming wireless. Phones and the internet were wireless in a short period of time, and now there are wireless charging stations as well. Users continue to be fascinated by wireless charging rechnology, which is rapidly becoming the new benchmark. It is most commonly found in smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches, that can be inductively charged, when the device is physically put on the wireless charging surface.
What’s The Principle Behind?
Magnetic Resonance (MR) , or Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) is the fundamental basis for Wireless Charging. Electromagnetic Induction is used to transfer energy from the charger to the gadget. To keep things simple, the wireless charger has one coil and the receiving device has another. The charger generates an alternating Electromagnetic field using an induction coil, which the receiver coil converts into electricity.
Contrary to its description, wireless charging doesn’t completely work without cables: charging stations are still connected with the socket via a power cable and remain connected constantly. But the smartphone charges wirelessly. It just needs to be placed on the charging station.
How Does it Work?
When you place a device that is compatible for wireless charging on the charging pad, the charger sends out a signal from its coil, which is picked up by the receiver coil in the device. When this happens, you’ll usually see an LED on the wireless charger illuminate, or change colour to indicate charging. For instance, following are the parts ofthe above given image:
1 — Transmitter coil
2 — Receiver coil
3 — Current in transmitter coil
4 — Electromagnetic field
5 — Current in the receiver coil
6 — Battery charging
A wireless charging pad has a coil that is usually made out of copper and is tightly wound- used as the medium to transfer power out of this wireless charger. When current is passed through the coil, it generates an alternating magnetic field.
Any device capable of charging wirelessly has a copper coil receiver. This picks up the alternating magnetic field and induces a current which is then passed on through a power rectifier on to the battery of the device to charge it.
Wireless charging requires two coils to be properly aligned for power transmission, hence the placement of the device on the charging pad is crucial.
Standard Wireless Charging Technologies
The WPC Charging Standard- Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is an open membership organization that maintains use of Qi Standard (pronounced “chi”), the most common standard in use today. Smartphone giants including Apple, Samsung, Nokia, and HTC have implemented this standard into their tech.
Gadgets charged through the Qi standard require a physical connection with the source. The technology, as of now permits wireless power transfer of up to 5 W, with an operating frequency of 100–200 kHz and over a distance of up to 5 mm. Continuous improvements will enable the technology to deliver up to 15 W, and subsequently 120 W over much larger distances.
The Power Matters Alliance (PMA) technology works identically on the principle of electromagnetic induction but operates at twice the frequency employed by the Qi standard. In its initial stages, the technology allowed a power transfer of 3.5 W and 6.5 W, which has recently been expanded to 50 W. Both the WPC and PMA standards work on inductive and resonant wireless charging technologies.
What Does The Future Look Like?
Looking towards the long run, what can we expect from wireless charging? As a beginning, more charging access in public spaces. Soon, wireless charging could be available in your hotel rooms, on flights and throughout lobbies
The rapid adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) globally because of low fuel consumption and performance benefits is the driving force behind the market demand of wireless charging. It offers extreme comfort to users and ensures safe charging in perilous environments where an electric spark could lead to an explosion.
As per the Global Market Insights, Wireless Charging Market size exceeded USD 11 billion in 2019 and is about to grow at 14.5% CAGR between 2020 and 2026 owing to the rise in global sales of wearable devices and high-end smartphones. This implies that the market size is estimated to be worth more than $30 billion by 2026. Such is the influence of wireless technology!!
Another recent advancement is the Reverse Wireless Charging. The thought is very resonating with that of wireless charging, but in this case, it is a smartphone, or any other device that uses its own battery power to charge another device wirelessly. The coil within the device is utilised as a transmitter, to charge smaller devices such as wireless earphones or an activity tracker.
Wireless charging promises to expand the range and increase mobility for the users. The first-generation of wireless chargers only allowed distance of a few centimetres between the device and the charger. For brands spanking new chargers, the distance has increased to about 10 centimeters. As the technology continues to advance rapidly, it could soon be possible to transmit power through the air across distances of several meters. Indeed technology is will take us on a breathtaking ride then!!
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