Wireless Charging (Inductive Charging)
The concept of wireless charging has been around for years with only the development just starting to become available for public consumers. Over the last couple of years, wireless chargers have become available for smartphones that allow users to simply place them on a pad and instantly start the charging process. As if by magic, within 3 hours your smartphone is fully charged ready to power your media consumption needs for the day. Little is known on how wireless charging works, as such this article is to broaden that knowledge and highlight the positives and negatives of the technology at this current time.
How does it work?
Wireless charging involves the transferring of energy from a charge to a receiver on the back of the phone. Your wireless charging pad has a wire coil, which is plugged into your main power. Electricity flows through the coil to generate an electromagnetic field. Due to the current in the mains being AC (Alternating Current) which means the current is back and forth many times a second that results in the magnetic field being periodically reversed. When you place your smartphone that contains a coil onto the charging mat, the electrons within the coil will go back and forth. This movement of electrons is converted in DC (Direct Current) which charges your smartphone’s battery.
Advantages
Wireless charging has a lot of advantages to businesses and consumers; one major advantage is a convenience where you can simply place your device on the charging mat to charge your device without having to find the right charging cable and insert the cable in the correct orientation. Wireless charging pads can be used in cars to provide that ease of charging on the go. Another advantage is that over time when using traditional charging methods, the charging cable or the charging connector over time breaks due to the repetitive strain of inserting and removing the charging cable.
Disadvantages
Not all electrical devices have the ability to charge wirelessly, this means you will still need to carry cables when on the go and the charging pads themselves are also expensive to have within your home or business. One major flaw for wireless charging is the inefficiency when compared to traditional methods, your phones become hot when wirelessly charging which means that electricity is being wasted due to current technological constraints. The power consumption from these devices isn’t efficient enough to sustain on the power grid. Another disadvantage is that the wireless charging is restricted to placing the device directly on top of the charging mat which limits your range and the ability to use your device freely while it charges.
Futuristic applications for wireless charging
Electric cars
Wireless charging will benefit electric cars now, the user has to remember to plug in the charging cable to charge their electric car. If they forget then the electric car may not have enough charge to do a daily commute. In comes wireless charging, a wireless charging pad can be placed on your parking spot so when you park your car it will instantly start charging. Another implementation of wireless charging is having charging mats all along a major route which allows cars to charge on the go. This method would benefit local transport such as buses which follow a determined route as they can be guaranteed constant charging as charging mats can be placed along the predetermined routes.
No more cables
As households buy more consumer electronics, they can withhold new cables which you have to install along with your existing electronics which makes that one corner where all your devices are plugged into look messy. The implementation of wireless technology could mean that it requires a few charging areas around the house where your device can receive constant electricity wirelessly. This could mean no more mess of cables around an electric outlet. Your device can now be powered wirelessly and your home now looks clean and uncluttered.
Is wireless charging technology the future?
Wireless charging offers a lot of benefits for consumers and electronics manufacturers as the technology eliminates the need for cables, however one major improvement is the energy efficiency of the technology as a large percentage of the energy used in wireless chargers is wasted. In today's climate where sustainability and energy efficiency are major targets to combat climate change, this is certainly one area that needs to improve within the wireless technology industry. Over the next few years, we may see increased implementations of wireless technology, at this moment many car and electronic manufacturers are experimenting with the technology to make their products constantly powered without any disruptions.