Wi-Charge
Industry | Technology |
---|---|
Founded | 2012 |
Headquarters | Rehovot , Israel |
Services | Technology for long-range wireless power |
Website | http://wi-charge.com |
Wi-Charge is an Israeli company developing technology and products for far-field wireless power transfer using focused infrared beams.
History
Wi-Charge was founded in 2012 by Victor Vaisleib, Ori Mor and Ortal Alpert. The company is developing a unique far-field
Technology
Wi-Charge claims to deliver power using focused beams of invisible infrared light. The system consists of a transmitter and a receiver. Transmitter connects to a standard power outlet and converts electricity into infrared laser beam. Receivers use a miniature
Safety
Because
"Class 1: Lasers that are safe under reasonably foreseeable conditions of operation, including the use of optical instruments for intrabeam viewing."
In April 2019 the company announced that it has earned UL[5]
"Sending energy over a distance, a beam always diverges, which is a bad thing as too little power is going in the right direction, and too much power splits and goes elsewhere. With RF, only relatively humble distances can be achieved, with a power capacity about a fraction of a Watt, limited by the maximum level of exposure allowed for safety. Shorter wavelength beams maintain their integrity better. With an infrared laser, we have a practically non-diverging beam able to deliver its entire power content onto a small receiver"[3]
Advantages and Limitations
Some consider the necessity of a direct line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver to be a disadvantage of using laser to deliver power is. So, devices that are hidden (such as smartphone in your pocket or medical implant) cannot be charged using this technology.[6] However, some see line of sight as an advantage because when line of sight is not used, there is potential for greater leakage of undesired energy into the environment, and there is full control over where the energy is going.
Companies that integrate Wi-Charge usually embed a rechargeable battery or super-capacitor in their products. This allows to both overcome periods where new charge is not received, as well as to deliver momentary larger bursts of energy than the average charging rate.
Wi-Charge does claim that using infrared light for long-range wireless power has advantages over using radio frequency or ultrasound because of two main reasons:
- Physics. Because of their very short wavelength, infrared beams diverge (see Diffraction) much less than technologies with longer wavelengths. This means that the diameter of the beam can remain small at a distance from the power transmitter. Thus, a receiver of small physical size can still capture all or most of the light energy.
- Safety. The allowable Specific absorption rate imposes stronger limits on radio frequency and ultrasound energy transmission.
See also
References
- ^ "Charge all your devices at once, using infrared light (hands-on)". CNET. 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
- ^ Munford, Monty. "These Are The 5 Best CES Products That Will Be Hot in 2018". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
- ^ a b "Israeli startup turns luminaires into wireless power chargers". eeNews Europe. 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
- ^ "Startup Lights New Way to Wireless Charging". EETimes. 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
- ^ "Wi-Charge's Long-Range Wireless Power Products Earn UL Certification". Wi-Charge.com. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
- ^ "Wi-Charge Promises Phone Charging by Infrared Laser". IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. Retrieved 2018-04-01.