The coming 18 - 24 months could potentially see big changes effecting the consumer electronics market globally. The advances in and around the concept of wireless charging and powering of devices through the likes of the "charging pad" means that there is potential for global uptake in the near future.
Wireless power authorities and communities, like the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and The Power Matters Allianc (PMA) continue to introduce their wireless power standards and specifications for common electronics appliances. With this activity, it is safe to bet that we are heading for a time where we can expect some serious changes to the way we use some of the more common of electronic devices today.
'Cutting the Cord'..
Electricity is the last of all transmissions which has yet to enable 'wireless freedom' in the consumer world, however, although the time is certainly coming near, we still need a governing body of standards to help with a scalable uptake..
An acceptable standard governing the way in which wireless power systems are to be designed and developed will need to take place to ensure that there is a normalization to the process of development for both wireless power transmitters and receivers.
This will ensure that devices are inter-operable with each other. The obvious adoption of this technology would sit with the following:
- Smart Phones
- Tablets
- Remote controls
- Gaming Console Controllers
- Mp3 players and more.
For this to happen though, each power receiving device needs to have a receiver coil to in order allow for inductive power transmission. Many of these devices today do not have these built in, so the adoption process will take time.The adoption of wireless power gets even more interesting when looked at beyond consumer electronics and when we look at the potential elimination of the need for power points for common house hold appliances or implanted medical devices which would otherwise require a wired power solution.
Wireless Charging: Taking a look behind the scenes
Wireless charging (aka inductive charging), works by using an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two bodies.
Typically, a charging station is required. Power is transferred through inductive coupling to a device such as a plate on the back of or integrated into a mobile device.
Wireless chargers create an electromagnetic field by using an induction coil. The induction coil sits within the electronic device and sends power from the electromagnetic field. This power is then converted back to an DC voltage on the receiving device and it used to charge the battery.
PowerbyProxi have a good example of how the wireless power technology works.
Although conceptually 'wireless electricity' has been available for some time, the research and development of wireless power transfer has only recently been further developed to cater for better power efficiency. The power transfer model is at a point where we can expect less loss of energy and time required to be of significant benefit compared with the standard wired charging systems. Of course this now means that we are heading for the day where this technology will be readily available to the average individual in the way that the technology can help with charging our every day electronic devices.
Credit to www.brianb.org
Furthermore..
Some of the biggest issues in this industry today are:
- What standards core R&D sectors are going to work with and
- The adoption rate of the technology and where to start
Wireless charging becomes increasingly appealing when you are able to travel, throw your phone down on the coffee table and leave your device charging while you eat your lunch in a cafe, however the incentives for this integration can only be feasible when common devices have the technology required, embedded within.
The delay in adoption due to this is of course a common hold back with many technological advances.