Wi-Charge infrared laser will charge your smartphone, laptop and IoT elements from a distance
Welcome to the pages of the blog iCover ! Imagine that the need to charge a huge number of stationary and mobile devices in your smart home using familiar methods is a thing of the past. Your smartphone is always in touch, the tablet is always ready to provide you with the necessary information, and the universal control panel can give the necessary command to any of the devices 24 hours a day. The need for a myriad of wires has disappeared, there are no more dead devices and there is no need to wait any longer when one of the available sockets is free. An Israeli Wi-Charge startup, which we will describe in our today's publication, offered its solution to the problem of wireless charging.
IoT is the emerging trend of our day, combining in a single network a lot of connected wireless devices - smart sensors, IP cameras, speakers, etc. The number of power distribution points required for systematically recharging this mass of smart electronics can amount to many dozens and cables . Add to this the need for forced and constant monitoring of the level of charge. Israeli startup Wi-Charge offered a system of automatic wireless charging of compatible home, office or industrial devices 24/7/365.
It is likely that the promise of development stimulates manufacturers of a wide range of equipment requiring wireless charging in retrofitting devices and equipment with built-in receivers supporting Wi-Charge technology. As a temporary alternative, the developers propose to use as a receiving device separate external units that are switched with charging devices in a convenient way. In the future, and in accordance with the ultimate goal of the development team, devices will be charged fully automatically and invisibly to users of the “smart infrastructure”, and the signal receiver is built into the charging device at the hardware level.
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All existing wireless power technologies today, one way or another, fall into one of two categories: charging at the near or at the far field level. In the first case, the method of magnetic induction is used. The base station consists of an induction coil that generates an electromagnetic field when an alternating current enters. In the device that needs to be charged, there is a receiving coil, which converts the energy of the magnetic field into direct current, charging the battery.
Charging technologies at the far field level are still in their infancy, although startups such as uBeam and Energous offer hope for a change in the situation in the future. In the overwhelming majority of cases, an insufficient distance or a small output power becomes a stumbling block. The founders of the project are confident that Wi-Charge technology is fundamentally different from the previously proposed ideas and removes many restrictions, since it will be able to provide highly efficient charging of mobile devices and IoT elements at distances up to 50m or more.
“Wi-Charge is the only“ long-range ”wireless charging system that allows you to efficiently and automatically charge your mobile phone, smart home devices, and wearable electronics. Using and installing a Wi-Charge system is as easy as replacing a light bulb; it is as effective as a regular power outlet. Any device placed within the range of the Wi-Charge transmitter will automatically and continuously charge, even when you use them. We make mobile devices truly mobile, 24/7 ”, the project website says.
Ortal Alpert, chief developer of Wi-Charge, has been conceptualizing the concept for many years. Using the tremendous experience of an optical engineer, he was able to offer innovative wireless charging technology using the energy of light in the infrared part of the spectrum. The first results of the work on the Wi-Charge project were announced back in December 2013. But at that time it was about the first fairly raw prototypes with a limited radius of action. The basis of the improved technology was based on two ideas patented somewhat later.
As we have already mentioned, infrared radiation invisible to users will be used for charging with Wi-Charge. Special infrared transmitter mounted on the ceiling. The directional beams of an infrared laser can be captured by photovoltaic cells that generate electricity at a considerable distance.
The previously proposed wireless charging technologies using a laser in the space elevator NASA and the UAV were not viable in urban environments for a number of reasons:
1. Insecurity. The beam must be directed precisely at the remote receiver, which entails a substantial increase in the cost and complication of the scheme against the background of growing insecurity. According to the principles used in the Wi-Charge technology, a special type of beam is generated, which, effectively charging a remote device, does not require the fulfillment of a higher condition.
The figure above shows the standard blocks (mirror - amplifier - mirror) of the block diagram of a laser resonator, but arranged in a special way. Mirrors-reflectors are used to direct the radiation back to the source and further enhance it. Due to such features of the circuit, two mirrors located in direct line of sight from each other form a resonator. The first mirror + gain medium “A” is adopted as a transmitter, and the combination of the second mirror with a photovoltaic cell as a receiver.
"Long range" - the advantage of using light with a short wavelength allows wireless charging over relatively large distances. Light in the absence of obstacles is able to move over long distances with minimal deviation and easily gets to remote devices.
The transmitter and receiver find each other without the need for additional technical measures and tracking organization. The user experience in this case is similar to Wi-Fi - charging will occur in the room where Wi-Charge will be located. For charging (if the receiver is integrated at the level of the charging device), no special actions are required from the user, unlike the existing connection methods, where a number of actions are required from the user.
The technology is intrinsically safe. The beam providing charging of the receiver is not able to cause harm to the equipment, to the person or animals. No additional software and technology complicating the implementation of the process of charging circuit solutions technology assumes that eliminates the likelihood of provoking a dangerous situation in the future due to failures. At the moment of intersection of the beam path from the receiver to the source, the effect disappears, any impact on the person becomes impossible in principle.
Unlike inductive technologies, which emit a significant portion of RF power into the room space, while charging a device lying on the charging panel, Wi-Charge technology using a class 1 infrared laser is not accompanied by RF radiation in principle. This moment is also important from the point of view of the 0th Wi-Charge effect on the electrical circuits working in the room.
One of the key benefits of Wi-Charge technology is the ability to scale. The amount of power delivered can vary from a few milliwatts for a power sensor to hundreds of watts used for industrial or even military purposes. For the consumer market of devices such as smartphones and wearable gadgets, Wi-Charge expects to start with a system capable of delivering 10 watts.
Unlike alternative technologies that allow directional energy transfer, the Wi-Charge mainboard has compact dimensions. As an element of the receiver, as indicated on the site of the technology developer, a smartphone camera module can be used.
Initially, the development was planned to be completed by mid-2015. According to the resource spectrum.ieee.org , whose employees were able to assess the degree of readiness of prototypes in direct communication with developers, the first commercial product implemented on the basis of Wi-Charge technology will be released at the end of 2016 and will be focused on IoT and smart home infrastructure. A year later, the company plans to release a mobile solution for charging smartphones.
Wi-Charge's direct competitor - the wireless charging system “Cota”, about which prototype Ossia announced the readiness of the prototype back in April 2015. Like the Wi-Charge system was first introduced in 2013. For charging, the system uses radio waves in the same range as the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards, which of course is very convenient, since it removes the question of developing a special design receiver. If the device has a Wi-Fi antenna and Bluetooth, energy will be received directly on it. In the absence of an antenna, a special chipset will need to be built into the device for interfacing with the signal.
Cota Chipset
The principle of operation of Cota is based on focusing the radio signal on a charged device. This allows you to transfer a 1 W signal to it - one third of the power that a USB port provides to a mobile phone.
The second advantage of the principle used in the “Cota” system is the possibility of charging outside the line of sight, including in the next room. At the same time, the range of the wireless memory of the Cell is 10 m, while the range of devices using Wi-Charge technology is not limited to 50 m. The second limitation is the power of the transmitted signal, which in the Cell is up to 1 W, t . e. third of the power generated by the standard charging method through the USB port. In comparison, the Wi-Charge starter product already, which the company plans to launch by the end of 2016, will be able to generate 10W of electricity.
Source 1
Source 2
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IoT is the emerging trend of our day, combining in a single network a lot of connected wireless devices - smart sensors, IP cameras, speakers, etc. The number of power distribution points required for systematically recharging this mass of smart electronics can amount to many dozens and cables . Add to this the need for forced and constant monitoring of the level of charge. Israeli startup Wi-Charge offered a system of automatic wireless charging of compatible home, office or industrial devices 24/7/365.
It is likely that the promise of development stimulates manufacturers of a wide range of equipment requiring wireless charging in retrofitting devices and equipment with built-in receivers supporting Wi-Charge technology. As a temporary alternative, the developers propose to use as a receiving device separate external units that are switched with charging devices in a convenient way. In the future, and in accordance with the ultimate goal of the development team, devices will be charged fully automatically and invisibly to users of the “smart infrastructure”, and the signal receiver is built into the charging device at the hardware level.
')
All existing wireless power technologies today, one way or another, fall into one of two categories: charging at the near or at the far field level. In the first case, the method of magnetic induction is used. The base station consists of an induction coil that generates an electromagnetic field when an alternating current enters. In the device that needs to be charged, there is a receiving coil, which converts the energy of the magnetic field into direct current, charging the battery.
Charging technologies at the far field level are still in their infancy, although startups such as uBeam and Energous offer hope for a change in the situation in the future. In the overwhelming majority of cases, an insufficient distance or a small output power becomes a stumbling block. The founders of the project are confident that Wi-Charge technology is fundamentally different from the previously proposed ideas and removes many restrictions, since it will be able to provide highly efficient charging of mobile devices and IoT elements at distances up to 50m or more.
“Wi-Charge is the only“ long-range ”wireless charging system that allows you to efficiently and automatically charge your mobile phone, smart home devices, and wearable electronics. Using and installing a Wi-Charge system is as easy as replacing a light bulb; it is as effective as a regular power outlet. Any device placed within the range of the Wi-Charge transmitter will automatically and continuously charge, even when you use them. We make mobile devices truly mobile, 24/7 ”, the project website says.
Ortal Alpert, chief developer of Wi-Charge, has been conceptualizing the concept for many years. Using the tremendous experience of an optical engineer, he was able to offer innovative wireless charging technology using the energy of light in the infrared part of the spectrum. The first results of the work on the Wi-Charge project were announced back in December 2013. But at that time it was about the first fairly raw prototypes with a limited radius of action. The basis of the improved technology was based on two ideas patented somewhat later.
How it works
As we have already mentioned, infrared radiation invisible to users will be used for charging with Wi-Charge. Special infrared transmitter mounted on the ceiling. The directional beams of an infrared laser can be captured by photovoltaic cells that generate electricity at a considerable distance.
The previously proposed wireless charging technologies using a laser in the space elevator NASA and the UAV were not viable in urban environments for a number of reasons:
1. Insecurity. The beam must be directed precisely at the remote receiver, which entails a substantial increase in the cost and complication of the scheme against the background of growing insecurity. According to the principles used in the Wi-Charge technology, a special type of beam is generated, which, effectively charging a remote device, does not require the fulfillment of a higher condition.
The figure above shows the standard blocks (mirror - amplifier - mirror) of the block diagram of a laser resonator, but arranged in a special way. Mirrors-reflectors are used to direct the radiation back to the source and further enhance it. Due to such features of the circuit, two mirrors located in direct line of sight from each other form a resonator. The first mirror + gain medium “A” is adopted as a transmitter, and the combination of the second mirror with a photovoltaic cell as a receiver.
Advantages of technology
"Long range" - the advantage of using light with a short wavelength allows wireless charging over relatively large distances. Light in the absence of obstacles is able to move over long distances with minimal deviation and easily gets to remote devices.
Long range
The transmitter and receiver find each other without the need for additional technical measures and tracking organization. The user experience in this case is similar to Wi-Fi - charging will occur in the room where Wi-Charge will be located. For charging (if the receiver is integrated at the level of the charging device), no special actions are required from the user, unlike the existing connection methods, where a number of actions are required from the user.
Security Solution
The technology is intrinsically safe. The beam providing charging of the receiver is not able to cause harm to the equipment, to the person or animals. No additional software and technology complicating the implementation of the process of charging circuit solutions technology assumes that eliminates the likelihood of provoking a dangerous situation in the future due to failures. At the moment of intersection of the beam path from the receiver to the source, the effect disappears, any impact on the person becomes impossible in principle.
No harmful radiation
Unlike inductive technologies, which emit a significant portion of RF power into the room space, while charging a device lying on the charging panel, Wi-Charge technology using a class 1 infrared laser is not accompanied by RF radiation in principle. This moment is also important from the point of view of the 0th Wi-Charge effect on the electrical circuits working in the room.
Unlimited scaling
One of the key benefits of Wi-Charge technology is the ability to scale. The amount of power delivered can vary from a few milliwatts for a power sensor to hundreds of watts used for industrial or even military purposes. For the consumer market of devices such as smartphones and wearable gadgets, Wi-Charge expects to start with a system capable of delivering 10 watts.
Unlike alternative technologies that allow directional energy transfer, the Wi-Charge mainboard has compact dimensions. As an element of the receiver, as indicated on the site of the technology developer, a smartphone camera module can be used.
Initially, the development was planned to be completed by mid-2015. According to the resource spectrum.ieee.org , whose employees were able to assess the degree of readiness of prototypes in direct communication with developers, the first commercial product implemented on the basis of Wi-Charge technology will be released at the end of 2016 and will be focused on IoT and smart home infrastructure. A year later, the company plans to release a mobile solution for charging smartphones.
Competitor
Wi-Charge's direct competitor - the wireless charging system “Cota”, about which prototype Ossia announced the readiness of the prototype back in April 2015. Like the Wi-Charge system was first introduced in 2013. For charging, the system uses radio waves in the same range as the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards, which of course is very convenient, since it removes the question of developing a special design receiver. If the device has a Wi-Fi antenna and Bluetooth, energy will be received directly on it. In the absence of an antenna, a special chipset will need to be built into the device for interfacing with the signal.
Cota Chipset
The principle of operation of Cota is based on focusing the radio signal on a charged device. This allows you to transfer a 1 W signal to it - one third of the power that a USB port provides to a mobile phone.
The second advantage of the principle used in the “Cota” system is the possibility of charging outside the line of sight, including in the next room. At the same time, the range of the wireless memory of the Cell is 10 m, while the range of devices using Wi-Charge technology is not limited to 50 m. The second limitation is the power of the transmitted signal, which in the Cell is up to 1 W, t . e. third of the power generated by the standard charging method through the USB port. In comparison, the Wi-Charge starter product already, which the company plans to launch by the end of 2016, will be able to generate 10W of electricity.
Source 1
Source 2
Dear readers, we are always happy to meet and wait for you on the pages of our blog. We are ready to continue to share with you the latest news, review materials and other publications, and we will try to do everything possible so that the time spent with us will be useful for you. And, of course, do not forget to subscribe to our headings .
Our other articles and events
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/368285/
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