Research interview questions - advice on Wireless Charging

[researchstudent123]

Hello, I need to conduct interviews with experts in the relevant field for my university project. The topic and product that I’m developing a business plan for is a device that charges household appliances wirelessly – a Wireless Multi-Device Charging product. Could you provide me with your expertise in this field by answering a few questions about my idea?

I am looking for any experts in the electrical engineering field, as well as manufacturers, retailers and consumers to answer some of my questions so I can include them in my research.

If you are available to answer please can you include your expertise - name and job title and where you work or your qualifications and ideally your email address.

Is the production of a Wireless Multi-Device Charing product simple?

Is it cost-effective to manufacture?

Could its use be harmful to human health? If so, is it possible to use a conductor to send electricity only to necessary devices?

Would it be useful for people and is there consumer market demand?

Your thoughts and critiques.

If you can answer any of these questions or those you would like to answer, I would greatly appreciate it. Additionally, I would like to ask for your permission to use this information in my project and to include your contact details.

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[James]

Wireless power transfer is easy over a short distance, you can buy wireless chargers for your mobile phone.
over distances it becomes increasingly difficult
research Nikola Tesla if you want to learn about wireless power over distance.

 

[DPG]

Also look at the inductive charging they have trialled in bus lanes etc.

 

[researchstudent123]

Wireless power transfer is easy over a short distance, you can buy wireless chargers for your mobile phone.
over distances it becomes increasingly difficult
research Nikola Tesla if you want to learn about wireless power over distance.

Hi James, thanks so much for your response - would you be open to answering my interview questions? I'm aware of the wireles chargers for phones - and Tela technology - and want to explore the idea of a consumer wireless charging device for laptops/phones/ipads etc. that works to charge simultaneously. You wouldn't need to answer all of the questions but any that you feel you could share insight with me on.

 

[researchstudent123]

Also look at the inductive charging they have trialled in bus lanes etc.

Hi DPG, thank you for your input - would you be open to answering my interview questions so I can include it as part of my University report?

 

[researchstudent123]

Also look at the inductive charging they have trialled in bus lanes etc.

Hi DPG, thanks so much - would you be open to helping me with my research by answering some of my questions and letting me me include your name and job title in my research paper?

 

[James]

Hi James, thanks so much for your response - would you be open to answering my interview questions? I'm aware of the wireles chargers for phones - and Tela technology - and want to explore the idea of a consumer wireless charging device for laptops/phones/ipads etc. that works to charge simultaneously. You wouldn't need to answer all of the questions but any that you feel you could share insight with me on.

Unfortunately, although it is a lovely idea that you can have a device that charges all your stuff wirelessly, with today’s technology you either have to place it on a pad and have almost no gap between the charger and device or.

a. Use technology that is so inefficient that gretta thumberg and her mates will be camped on your lawn until you destroy it in an enviromentaly friendly way

b. Have an antenna attached to your devices that is so big that you could use it for drunken sword fights with your mates.

c. Use technology that exists already but has the drawback of damaging the tissue of any living thing that passes through its transmission beam.

 

[James]

Why don’t you post your questions on here, or even as a poll to get the hive mind working?

 

[researchstudent123]

Unfortunately, although it is a lovely idea that you can have a device that charges all your stuff wirelessly, with today’s technology you either have to place it on a pad and have almost no gap between the charger and device or.

a. Use technology that is so inefficient that gretta thumberg and her mates will be camped on your lawn until you destroy it in an enviromentaly friendly way

b. Have an antenna attached to your devices that is so big that you could use it for drunken sword fights with your mates.

c. Use technology that exists already but has the drawback of damaging the tissue of any living thing that passes through its transmission beam.

I love these points, well put and amusing to read, thank you! Is it possible though to create something like a wireless phone charger that charges your laptops/ipads/mobile phones without them all having to be the same brand? So it would be multi-device but you'd have to have the charger in the close vicinity of all of the devices?

 

[Mike Johnson]

If Apple, Garmin et all have not come up with that solution already I would think it's not viable.

 

[Avo Mk8]

Two major challenges (not to say they can't be overcome), and there are probably others!

1) To encourage industry across the world to use a common standard for 'wireless' (eg inductive) charging. There is a (Chinese) standard - Qi, but not everyone uses it! See:

Evolution of Qi Wireless Charging Standard & What’s New With Qi2

How does the new Qi2 wireless charging standard work? Learn about Magnetic Power Profile (MPP) and how it differs from previous standards, BPP and EPP.

www.graniteriverlabs.com

Proliferation of a common standard requires the cooperation of standards bodies and governments, as has been achieved with the USB C standard for battery charging by wire:

A common charger for electronic devices: Revision of the Radio Equipment Directive | Think Tank | European Parliament

A common charger for electronic devices: Revision of the Radio Equipment Directive

www.europarl.europa.eu

2) Increase the maximum power that be handled by this technology, currently as suggested in the blurb above about 15 Watts with Qi. That limits the scope of what devices can be charged in an acceptable timescale.

 

[Avo Mk8]

Is it possible though to create something like a wireless phone charger that charges your laptops/ipads/mobile phones without them all having to be the same brand?

See my post about Qi

So it would be multi-device but you'd have to have the charger in the close vicinity of all of the devices?

The current (pun intended) technology requires a device to physically sit on the charging mat (coil). Not 'close vicinity' but actually physically on it. I'm not aware of any 'safe' ways of increasing the distance, as alluded to in the previous posts.

 

[DPG]

OP - just to clarify, are you meaning a system that can charge appliances that are some distance from the charging point? ie more than a few millimeters /centimeters.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I know who would have come up with some really interesting and intelligent ideas, explained in an eloquent manner. Most of which I wouldn't have understood :-(

 

[mainline]

Power transmission over long distance already exists and has for years.

Toyota had inductive electric car charging in 2011.

Power mat phone/laptop charging has been around for years.

Japans bullet train used induction.

But as already said bigger the distance bigger the losses.

 

[researchstudent123]

Power transmission over long distance already exists and has for years.

Toyota had inductive electric car charging in 2011.

Power mat phone/laptop charging has been around for years.

Japans bullet train used induction.

But as already said bigger the distance bigger the losses.

Hi Mainline,

Do you know why there isn't a consumer friendly wireless charger available on the market for multiple devices of different brand s then? For example, I'd like to charge my android phone at the same time as my macbook air without cables - but have the charger plugged in close by wireless charging

 

[James]

Ultimate Wireless Charging Station - Smartwatch for Less

The Ultimate Wireless Charging Station for your iPhone, Android phone (only USB-C port), AirPods, and Apple Watch. The ultimate solution.

www.smartwatchforless.com

 

[narkedatninety]

Power transmission over long distance already exists and has for years.

Toyota had inductive electric car charging in 2011.

Power mat phone/laptop charging has been around for years.

Japans bullet train used induction.

But as already said bigger the distance bigger the losses.

Inductive relies on very short distances. Maybe you were thinking of resonant?

e.g Inductive Versus Resonant Wireless Charging: A Truce May Be a Designer’s Best Choice - https://www.digikey.co.uk/en/articles/inductive-versus-resonant-wireless-charging

 

[mainline]

Inductive relies on very short distances. Maybe you were thinking of resonant?

e.g Inductive Versus Resonant Wireless Charging: A Truce May Be a Designer’s Best Choice - https://www.digikey.co.uk/en/articles/inductive-versus-resonant-wireless-charging

The technique is still “inductive” in that the oscillating magnetic field generated by the primary coil induces a current in the secondary

 

[narkedatninety]

The technique is still “inductive” in that the oscillating magnetic field generated by the primary coil induces a current in the secondary

You said "power transmission over long distance already exists and has for years", then stated several examples of very short range inductive methods.

Long range WPT methods specifically utilise LASER, microwave, resonant-magnetism for e.g satellite applications.

An Efficiency Enhancement Technique for a Wireless Power Transmission System Based on a Multiple Coil Switching Technique

For magnetic-coupled resonator wireless power transmission (WPT) systems, higher power transfer efficiency can be achieved over a greater range in comparison to inductive-coupled WPT systems. However, as the distance between the two near-field resonators varies, the coupling between them...

www.mdpi.com