Wireless Power Transfer: Enabling your innovation
As more communication is provided wirelessly, the applications and the devices they operate within are still not truly portable, primarily due to the limitations of power requirements involved and the ongoing need to regularly connect them typically to a wired, AC outlet to recharge them.
Wireless Power Transmission or WPT, is the transmission of electrical energy to the device without the need for wires. WPT is useful to power electrical devices where interconnecting wires are inconvenient, hazardous, or are even not possible, and as such can be used to eliminate the use of wires and batteries, thus increasing the mobility, convenience, and safety of any electronic device for all of its users.
WPT has been around for many years, but it is only recently that the technology has improved and miniaturized to the point where is can be embedded into the smallest of devices. With a global initiative to provide more electric vehicles, comes a need to provide more convenient ways of charging these vehicles – aka WPT.
Wireless power techniques mainly fall into two categories, near field and far field.
Near-field WPT technique
Inductive coupling is the most widely used wireless technology in near-field applications; its applications include charging handheld devices like phones and electric toothbrushes, RFID tags, induction cooking, and wirelessly charging or continuous wireless power transfer in implantable medical devices like artificial cardiac pacemakers or electric vehicles.
Far-field WPT technique
In far-field long distance or radiative techniques, power is transferred by beams of electromagnetic radiation, like microwaves or laser beams, its applications include solar power satellites and wireless powered drone aircraft.
Compliance requirements
An important issue associated with all wireless power techniques and their associated systems is limiting the exposure of people and other living things, to potentially injurious electromagnetic fields.
Stray RF energy is limited by regulation throughout the world and requires measurement and assessment of the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) and/or Power Density of the RF field to ensure the limits on such phenomena are not exceeded. These ISM frequencies are allocated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) which harmonizes the requirements globally, ensuring that a product designed for one market, will technically comply when used in another.
For more information on WPT use cases, regulatory challenges for WPT, and where this technology may lead us in the future download our free Wireless Power Transfer White Paper.
The Element advantage
All WPT products require detailed assessments of their EMC, to ensure that the devices and systems operate as intended and within the RF spectrum that is allocated to their use. And as one of the world’s leading experts in the field of RF exposure and SAR testing services, Element and its team of over 1,200 Connected technologies experts can support you through your testing and certification programs to ultimately make certain that your products and devices are always compliant, safe and fit for purpose.
To find out how Element can help you with your WPT challenges, engage with one of our experts today.
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RF Regulatory Compliance Testing
Element offers ISO 17025 testing services to European ETSI standards, FCC rules, ISED RSS standards and Japanese Radio Law.
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Element works with Chipset Vendors though to those integrating radio modules to enable them to deliver their wireless and radio products to market.
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Our team of Engaged Experts can help you understand the various regulatory requirements and reduce the test burden by comparing the various standards and producing compliance strategies that fulfill the brief of ‘test once, approve to many’.
