Wireless Eco Charge Technology: How Does It Work?: Charging Technologies Articles: Eco20/20

Wireless Eco Charge Technology: How Does It Work?

Charging technology as we know it today has been around for quite some time now. Mobile phones, laptops, and popular gadgets are just some of the widely used devices that have a built-in Lithium-ion battery whose energy needs to be replenished every few days. But most people generally don't pay much attention to the batteries incorporated into their devices and the negative effects they have on the planet.

Environmental organizations and governments are actively struggling to address these concerns and while many manufacturers are becoming interested in offering greener products when it comes both to batteries and chargers, things are still moving slowly. Nonetheless, the Japan-based Fujitsu recently announced that it plans to release an Eco friendly wireless charger sometimes in 2012.

The Wireless Charger

Wireless technology is not a new thing: it has been used for networks and for peripherals for quite some years now. But a wireless charger is an innovative product that tries both to get rid of power cords and to encourage the development of Eco-friendly batteries.

Eliminating the need for power cords would make happy not only the people who are always on the road and for whom cables of any sort are a nightmare, but also for environmentalists because the process of manufacturing power cords is sometimes a dirty business that leads to pollution. Getting rid of power cords can also reduce waste materials considerably.

The concept of a wireless recharger is by no means a new one. Other big companies from the IT industry such as Intel have been intrigued by it and at times even ran dedicated projects to make it a viable commercial solution. But all attempts have more or less failed until recently when Fujitsu announced that it has managed to overcome all the major design difficulties that stood in the way.

The new technology, which is expected to be implemented in Fujitsu products starting with 2012, enables laptops and mobile phones to charge while placed on a table near a power source. The possibility to use the technology for charging electric cars is also considered, though it might take a long time until it becomes available.

How it Works

The wireless charger relies on an advanced technique known as magnetic resonance which uses a capacitor and a special coil of wire to form a power transmitter which generates a resonance that reaches the power receiver.

The technology is complex because it depends on the other components occurring in the charged laptop or phone. The size of the electronic device to be charged complicates things even further. However, at the moment, Fujitsu estimates that the wireless charger has a charging efficiency of at least 85% for all batteries located in its proximity.

Even though it is difficult to talk about the compatibility of the upcoming wireless charger with non-Fujitsu products, if the technology proves to be stable it is safe to assume that it will become sooner or later a standard in the charging industry.