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t.alex
a heavy coil maybe :-)
WW Thinker
Perhaps, at 14nm and below, when the smartphones and mobile gadgets alike needss ...
Freescale pushes wireless recharge
R Colin Johnson
5/31/2012 12:55 AM EDT
PORTLAND, Ore—Wireless inductive battery rechargers already cut the cable to many devices such as electric toothbrushes, but because there were no standards in place until recently, they still require a proprietary recharge station. Now that the Wireless Power Consortium has over 100 members for its Qi standard, analysts predict the time is ripe for a global wireless charging market, which is expected to exceed 100 million units annually by 2015, according to IMS Research (Austin, Texas).
Japan's Docomo has already been test marketing Qi-compatible recharge stations in public places to support its deployment of power hungry LTE smartphones, and even automobile makers are getting on-board, with Dodge promising a Qi-compatible smartphone recharger built into its console. These and dozens of other commercial Qi-compatible rollouts promised over the next three years.
For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who want to quickly enter Qi-compatible wireless recharging station market, Freescale Semiconductor has crafted three reference designs enabling any tablet, smartphone or other mobile devices to be wirelessly recharged.
"We have reference designs for smartphones that can supply up to five watts, for tablets that supply up to 30 watts and for power tools, kitchen appliances, medical devices and even laptops that can supply over 100 watts in wireless recharge power," said Ron Lowman, industrial and multi-market marketing manager at Freescale.
Freescale recently began a partnership with Fulton Innovation (Ada, Mich.), which has over 186 granted patents and 496 pending in the wireless recharge area. By including the latest innovations in its reference designs, OEMs can achieve efficiencies of over 80 percent, support multiple coils so that devices do not have to be perfectly placed, and take advantage of safety features that keep foreign objects from heating up, all of which are built into Freescale's reference designs.
More information about Freescale's three wireless charging reference designs is available on the firm's website.
Wireless rechargers cut the last cord to tablets by recharging merely by lying then on a specially wired surface.
Japan's Docomo has already been test marketing Qi-compatible recharge stations in public places to support its deployment of power hungry LTE smartphones, and even automobile makers are getting on-board, with Dodge promising a Qi-compatible smartphone recharger built into its console. These and dozens of other commercial Qi-compatible rollouts promised over the next three years.
For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who want to quickly enter Qi-compatible wireless recharging station market, Freescale Semiconductor has crafted three reference designs enabling any tablet, smartphone or other mobile devices to be wirelessly recharged.
"We have reference designs for smartphones that can supply up to five watts, for tablets that supply up to 30 watts and for power tools, kitchen appliances, medical devices and even laptops that can supply over 100 watts in wireless recharge power," said Ron Lowman, industrial and multi-market marketing manager at Freescale.
Freescale recently began a partnership with Fulton Innovation (Ada, Mich.), which has over 186 granted patents and 496 pending in the wireless recharge area. By including the latest innovations in its reference designs, OEMs can achieve efficiencies of over 80 percent, support multiple coils so that devices do not have to be perfectly placed, and take advantage of safety features that keep foreign objects from heating up, all of which are built into Freescale's reference designs.
More information about Freescale's three wireless charging reference designs is available on the firm's website.
Wireless rechargers cut the last cord to tablets by recharging merely by lying then on a specially wired surface.
Source: Freescale Semiconductor
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palangga
5/31/2012 12:19 PM EDT
What is the advantage of this? If you still have to make contact or proximity to the docking station which is plugged in, what does wireless charging bring to the table?
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R_Colin_Johnson
5/31/2012 2:32 PM EDT
Instead of having to carry a different wall wart for each device you want to plug in and recharge, wireless rechargers all use a standard dock that you just lay the device atop.
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WW Thinker
6/3/2012 2:22 AM EDT
Three issues that are potential critical: 1) with 5W of EMI radiating, what is the implication to human health especially in confine area like inside a vehicle; 2) all smartphones except those from SJ/Apple use micro-USB for charging anyway, how can consumers (except those using Apple iXs) be benefited; the said efficiency of 70% does not include the AC/DC portion and the aggregate efficiency has to be much lower than whhatever the USB Wall Charger can achieve; so this run against the "green" principle, doesn't it?
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ChipBuilder
6/3/2012 3:09 AM EDT
its easier to standardize a wireless charging protocol than a plug and voltage polarity? what happens when i empty my pocket with a cell phone and Al foil gum wrapper and small length of rolled up wire, im a EE after all, and it bursts into flames?
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chanj
5/31/2012 12:50 PM EDT
Inductive charging has been a very hot topic these days. There is no doubt technology has improved substantially. The charging efficient wasn't very good in the old days. What's the charging efficient now?
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R_Colin_Johnson
5/31/2012 2:33 PM EDT
Efficiency is up to 80 percent, and with multiple coils that automatically switch on and off, you don't have to line up the device perfectly to get good wireless power transfers.
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Robotics Developer
5/31/2012 4:47 PM EDT
I can see a possible future for all desks and workstation areas having this wireless power recharger built in. I would love to have the freedom to run any application, anywhere, on my laptop/handheld without needing to watch the battery life. If it would be retrofitted onto plane drop down trays - that would be just wonderful. Imagine, flying coast to coast using your power hungry laptop on full brightness and not running out of power!
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R_Colin_Johnson
6/1/2012 1:32 PM EDT
Hopefully, countertops everywhere, even at Starbucks, will have built-in rechargers so you don't even have to remember to charge your gadgets.
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WW Thinker
6/3/2012 3:10 AM EDT
Well, can you or anyone show the EMI implication of a room in which multiple smartphones are being charged with 5W output from each of the wireless chargers?
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WW Thinker
6/3/2012 4:01 AM EDT
Perhaps, at 14nm and below, when the smartphones and mobile gadgets alike needss recharge current of much less than 500mA, the EMI issue becomes non issue. Or, if energy can be made directional with minute stray radiation, I can really enjoy coffee at Starbuck without any worry of having my brains being "fried".
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WW Thinker
6/3/2012 3:08 AM EDT
How was the 80% efficiency deduced? From the point of the AC outlet? Can you or anyone tell how is efficiency compared to the ubiquitous USB Charger with micro-USB connector?
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dylan.mcgrath
6/1/2012 10:48 AM EDT
This is definitely one of those things that I am eager to see implemented on a wide scale. The freedom to unplug and recharge without constantly looking for the right power cord will be very much welcomed at my house.
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t.alex
6/1/2012 11:40 AM EDT
I would prefer to have both wired and wireless charging.
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WW Thinker
6/3/2012 3:12 AM EDT
What are the price to pay: in terms of additional weight and z-height of the coils inside a smartphone. There could be more real estate in a tablet / notebook. My concern is what price to pay in a smartphone.
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t.alex
6/8/2012 9:57 PM EDT
a heavy coil maybe :-)
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