How does charging mat work

In , Starbucks announced it would roll out wireless charging based on the Powermat specification for its customers in the U. AirFuel has also announced wireless charging at some McDonald's restaurants.

That, according to Freas, is one way wireless charging could see wider adoption. AirFuel has focused on two charging technologies: electromagnetic resonant and radio frequency, which offers the ability to move around a space and still have your mobile device charge. Both technologies offer distinct advantages in terms of spatial freedom, ease of use, and ease of installation — big factors in creating market value and customer satisfaction," said AirFuel spokesperson Sharen Santoski.

As a result, Santoski said, a growing number of coffee shops, restaurants and airport have deployed resonant-based wireless charging stations. AirFuel recently announced a project with the Taoyuan Airport Metro, which is putting Resonant charging in its trains and stations. And furniture maker Order Furniture has created a new line of Resonant-enabled furniture. Most of these projects are still just pilot programs, Freas said, adding that consumers and businesses are less likely to want tightly coupled charging and more likely to opt for loosely coupled resonant charging That's because loosely coupled charging provides more spatial freedom — the ability to simply drop a phone, tablet or laptop on a desktop and have it charge.

The Dell wireless charger offers up to 30W of charging power, so a Latitude laptop will charge at the same rate as it were plugged into a wall outlet.

But WiTricity's main focus is the auto industry. The company, which is part of the AirFuel Alliance, expects a number of electric car manufacturers to announce wireless charging for their vehicles, according to WiTricity CEO Alex Gruzen.

The company's electromagnetic resonant technology allows power to transfer at distances of up to about nine inches away from a charging pad. That would allow electric cars to charge just by parking on top of a large charging pad. For example, Mercedes-Benz this year will roll out Se plug-in hybrid sedans with the ability to use WiTricity's technology; the Se can simply park over a pad and they begin charging even more efficiently than if it were plugged in.

The electric vehicle application is tailor-made for electromagnetic resonant charging, Kesler said. That's because a vehicle doesn't need a charging cable, and the wireless charging pad delivers electricity more efficiently than a cable. This month, Apple surprised some industry watchers by purchasing PowerByProxi , a New Zealand-based company developing loosely-coupled resonant charging technology that's also based on the Qi specification.

PowerbyProxi was founded in by entrepreneur Fady Mishriki as a spin-out from the University of Auckland. PowerByProxi has showcased charging boxes and bowls into which multiple devices can be placed and charged at the same time. So what exactly is wireless charging, how does it work and does your phone even support it? Allow us to answer all these questions and more.

Samsung has supported wireless charging since the Galaxy S6 and Huawei introduced it with the excellent Mate 20 Pro. An increasing number of phones also support reverse wireless charging where you can charge other devices from the phone - for more information on this, check out What is reverse wireless charging and which phones have it?

Wireless charging is the transfer of power from a power outlet to your device, without the need for a connecting cable. It involves a power transmitting pad and a receiver, sometimes in the form of a case attached to a mobile device or built into the phone itself.

When we said it was cable-free, it isn't quite, because the pad will have a cable going from the outlet into it. Wireless charging is based on inductive charging, whereby power is created by passing an electrical current through two coils to create an electromagnetic field. When the receiving magnetic plate on the mobile device comes into contact with the transmitter - or at least within the specified range - the magnetic field generates an electrical current within the device.

The research is trying to increase the efficiency of charging, or make our phones more energy efficient. While this makes wireless charging limited for phones that use a lot of power, it isn't as challenging for smaller devices like Radio-frequency identification RFID tags that use less power. The difference in energy between the two, if you thought about them in terms of mass, is like an African elephant versus an ant, Hester said. In other words, although wireless chargers are relatively weak now, they'll get better every year.

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Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. What is wireless phone charging? How does it work? Which smartphones are compatible with wireless charging? Can you use a wireless charger with any phone? Is wireless charging faster than wired charging? Is wireless charging bad for my phone battery? Inside your smartphone is a receiver induction coil made of copper.

The wireless charger contains a copper transmitter coil. When you place your phone on the charger, the transmitter coil generates an electromagnetic field that the receiver converts to electricity for the phone battery. This process is known as electromagnetic induction. Can I use a wireless charger with any phone?