Powermat Technologies

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Powermat Technologies Ltd. is a developer of wireless power solutions[ buzzword ]. The company licenses intellectual property (IP), selling charging spots to public venues along with the software to support their maintenance, management, and consumer interaction. The company's inductive charging technology has been adopted by the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and is the platform adopted by Duracell, General Motors, Starbucks and AT&T. [1]

Contents

Products

Powermat manufactures both receivers and transmitters for the mobile industry, consumers, and public venues. It licenses its technology, which enables compliance with the AirFuel (formally PMA) and the Qi standard. Furthermore, Powermat operates a software service system to allow venue owners to control and manage their installed wireless power networks, each of which consists of charging spots and a gateway.

Charging spots in a work surface Power 2.0 Ecosystem illustration - Powermat charging spots on counter in a coffee shop.jpg
Charging spots in a work surface

Technology

Illustration of an inductive wireless charging system Powermat Technologies Wireless Charging System Diagram - High level overview.jpg
Illustration of an inductive wireless charging system

The company's technology is based upon Inductively Coupled Power Transfer. As the block diagram shows, varying the current in the primary induction coil within a transmitter generates an alternating magnetic field from within a charging spot. The receiver is a second induction coil in the handheld device that takes power from the magnetic field and converts it back into electric current to charge the device battery. An additional part of the technology is the System Control Communication: Data over Coil (DoC) – the Rx sends feedback to Tx by changing the load seen by the Tx coil. The protocol is frequency-based signaling, which enables fast response by the transmitter. Each receiver is equipped with a unique ID (RxID), enabling the system, when installed in public venues, to recognize users and communicate with them. The RxID is communicated as part of the data over coil to the Tx.

History

The company was founded in 2006 by Ran Poliakine. Its first products were launched in 2009. In 2011, General Motors announced that it would integrate Powermat's wireless charging technology into certain vehicles in its 2013 Chevrolet Volt line and would also invest in the private company. [2] In the same year, Powermat also partnered with Leyden Energy, manufacturer of advanced lithium-imide (Li-imide) batteries, in order to develop wireless chargeable batteries, [3] and with Arconas, provider of public seating, to incorporate wireless charging directly into airport seating and lounge areas. Among the first integrations with airports were those at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Aspen–Pitkin Airport, Eppley Airfield in Omaha, and Toronto Pearson International Airport. [4] Powermat and Procter & Gamble created a joint venture under the Duracell Powermat brand [5] that began operations in January 2012. The entertainer Jay-Z signed on as the "face and voice" of the venture and took an equity stake in the company. As part of a partnership with Madison Square Garden begun in mid-2012, the arena features Duracell Powermat charging surfaces in a number of suites and other areas. [6] In addition, Duracell Powermat charging spots were embedded in Jay-Z's 40/40 Club NYC club tables. [7] A year later, Powermat Technologies, along with Procter & Gamble, founded the Power Matters Alliance, an alliance of semiconductor and consumer electronics industries as well as governmental organizations. The alliance is dedicated to advancing smart and environmental wireless power. AT&T and Starbucks are board members, and among the Alliance's members are Samsung, LG, HTC, BlackBerry, Huawei, ZTE, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, Broadcom, Fairchild Semiconductor, Freescale, IDT, Otterbox, Incipio and Skech.

In October 2012, Powermat and Starbucks announced a pilot program to install Powermat charging surfaces in store tabletops in 17 Boston-area locations. The technology is consistent with Starbucks' environmentally friendly guidelines. [8] As the pilot ended in July 2013, Starbucks decided to bring the Powermat's wireless charging technology to additional locations in Silicon Valley. [9] Powermat announced it had acquired Powerkiss, a provider of integrated wireless charging solutions.[ buzzword ] Powerkiss, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, had deployed wireless charging hot spots across Europe since its founding in 2008. In November 2013, the company announced a deployment at some Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf locations. Additional Powermat systems were installed at McDonald's restaurants in New York City and in select locations in Europe. [10] In January 2014, the company, together with Flextronics, agreed to collaborate on embedding wireless power in electronic mobile devices. [11] In March 2015, Samsung included wireless charging in its Galaxy S6 mobile phone series. [12] In June 2015, Powermat and Dupont launched the Dupont Corian charging surface, bringing innovation into the surfacing solutions[ buzzword ] world. [13] In January 2016, Powermat rolled out and installed at 150 Starbucks Chicago stores. [14] In December 2016, Elad Dubzinski was appointed the company's chief executive officer.

In September 2017, Apple announced at its annual Keynote event that the new iPhone line-up (iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X) would feature inductive wireless charging (Qi standard). [15] This announcement had a significant effect on the wireless charging market, and Powermat was quick to announce that all existing charging spots would be compatible with Qi in order to support iPhone users. [16] A few months later, during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January, Powermat announced its membership in the Wireless Power Consortium, developer of the Qi standard, [17] and announced its groundbreaking[ buzzword ] SmartInductive technology. [18] In September 2018, Powermat HQ moved to a new office in the city of Petah Tikva, Israel.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless power transfer</span> Transmission of electrical energy without wires as a physical link

Wireless power transfer (WPT), wireless power transmission, wireless energy transmission (WET), or electromagnetic power transfer is the transmission of electrical energy without wires as a physical link. In a wireless power transmission system, an electrically powered transmitter device generates a time-varying electromagnetic field that transmits power across space to a receiver device; the receiver device extracts power from the field and supplies it to an electrical load. The technology of wireless power transmission can eliminate the use of the wires and batteries, thereby increasing the mobility, convenience, and safety of an electronic device for all users. Wireless power transfer is useful to power electrical devices where interconnecting wires are inconvenient, hazardous, or are not possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duracell</span> Battery and smart power system manufacturer of the United States

Duracell Inc. is an American manufacturer of alkaline batteries, specialty cells, and rechargeables; it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. The company has its origins in the 1920s, through the work of Samuel Ruben and Philip Mallory, and the formation of the P. R. Mallory Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inductive charging</span> Type of wireless power transfer

Inductive charging is a type of wireless power transfer. It uses electromagnetic induction to provide electricity to portable devices. Inductive charging is also used in vehicles, power tools, electric toothbrushes, and medical devices. The portable equipment can be placed near a charging station or inductive pad without needing to be precisely aligned or make electrical contact with a dock or plug.

WiTricity Corporation is an American wireless charging technology company based in Watertown, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) spin-off was founded by professor Marin Soljačić in 2007. WiTricity technology allows wireless power transfer over distance via magnetic resonance and the company licenses technology and reference designs for wireless electrical vehicle (EV) charging as well as consumer products such as laptops, mobile phones and televisions.

eCoupled is a proprietary near-field wireless energy transfer technology developed by Fulton Innovation, a division of Alticor. It provides wireless power transfer via inductive coupling between a primary transmission coil and a secondary receiving coil. A single primary coil can provide power to multiple secondary coils at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WiPower</span>

The Alliance For Wireless Power is an industry standard group that uses the principles of magnetic resonance to develop a wireless energy transfer system over distance. The WiPower system uses directed and controlled magnetic fields to replace traditional power cords. To do this, the transmitter utilizes one or more primary windings in order to induce an even magnetic field above its surface. A receiver in the magnetic field uses a secondary winding which captures the magnetic energy and converts it back to electrical energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resonant inductive coupling</span> Phenomenon with inductive coupling

Resonant inductive coupling or magnetic phase synchronous coupling is a phenomenon with inductive coupling in which the coupling becomes stronger when the "secondary" (load-bearing) side of the loosely coupled coil resonates. A resonant transformer of this type is often used in analog circuitry as a bandpass filter. Resonant inductive coupling is also used in wireless power systems for portable computers, phones, and vehicles.

The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is a multinational technology consortium formed on December 17, 2008, and based in Piscataway, New Jersey. Its mission is to create and promote wide market adoption of its interface standards Qi, Ki Cordless Kitchen, and Qi Medium Power for inductive charging. It is an open membership of Asian, European, and American companies, working toward the global standardization of wireless charging technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qi (standard)</span> Open inductive charging interface standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium

Qi is an interface standard for wireless power transfer using inductive charging. The standard allows compatible devices, such as smartphones, to charge their batteries when placed on a Qi charging pad, which can be effective over distances up to 4 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokia Lumia 920</span> 2012 smartphone manufactured by Nokia

Nokia Lumia 920 is a smartphone developed by Nokia that runs the Windows Phone 8 operating system. It was announced on September 5, 2012, and was first released on November 2, 2012. It has a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Krait CPU and a 4.5" IPS TFT LCD display, as well as a high-sensitivity capacitive touchscreen that can be used with gloves and fingernails; the display is covered by curved Gorilla Glass and has a 9 ms response time. The phone features an 8.7-megapixel PureView camera with OIS; it was the first smartphone camera to implement that technology, as well as to support Qi inductive charging. The phone comes with 32 GB of internal storage, but has no expandable storage.

The Nokia Lumia 822 is a smartphone running Windows Phone 8 announced on 29 October 2012. It is exclusively available for Verizon customers. The device is a variant of Nokia Lumia 820. The Lumia 822 supports Qi standard induction charging and LTE connectivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Matters Alliance</span>

Power Matters Alliance (PMA) was a global, not-for-profit, industry organization whose mission was to advance a suite of standards and protocols for wireless power transfer for mobile electronic devices. The organization was merged with Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) in 2015 to form AirFuel Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rezence (wireless charging standard)</span>

Rezence was an interface standard developed by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) for wireless electrical power transfer based on the principles of magnetic resonance. The Rezence system consisted of a single power transmitter unit (PTU) and one or more power receiver units (PRUs). The interface standard supported power transfer up to 50 watts, at distances up to 5 centimeters. The power transmission frequency is 6.78 MHz, and up to eight devices could be powered from a single PTU depending on transmitter and receiver geometry and power levels. A Bluetooth Low Energy link was defined in the A4WP system intended for control of power levels, identification of valid loads and protection of non-compliant devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokia Lumia 830</span> Nokia Phone

The Nokia Lumia 830 is a smartphone developed by Microsoft Mobile and branded as "Nokia" that runs Microsoft's Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. It was announced on September 4, 2014 at Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin and released in October 2014. It is a successor to the 2012 Nokia Lumia 820 and marketed as an "affordable flagship".

Ran Poliakine was an Israeli businessman who was the founder and CEO of Powermat Technologies. Poliakine was an entrepreneur, inventor and industrial designer.

iPhone 8 Smartphones produced by Apple starting in 2017

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the eleventh generation of the iPhone. The iPhone 8 was released on September 22, 2017, succeeding the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AirPower (Apple)</span> Cancelled wireless charger produced by Apple, Inc.

AirPower is an unreleased wireless charging mat developed by Apple Inc. It was designed to charge up to three devices simultaneously, supporting two Qi devices, such as an iPhone and AirPods, and an Apple Watch. It was announced on September 12, 2017. Formerly scheduled to be released in early 2018, AirPower failed to materialize, leading to wide speculation over the product's future, until Apple announced on March 29, 2019 that it had canceled the release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samsung Galaxy Note 10</span> 2019 Android phablet by Samsung Electronics

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is a line of Android-based phablets designed, developed, produced, and marketed by Samsung Electronics as part of the Samsung Galaxy Note series. They were unveiled on 7 August 2019, as the successors to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Details about the phablets were widely leaked in the months leading up to the phablets' announcement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huawei Mate 30</span> High-end smartphone line by Huawei

Huawei Mate 30 is a line of Android-based phablets manufactured by Huawei as part of its Huawei Mate series, and the successor to the Mate 20. The Mate 30 comprises the Mate 30/5G, Mate 30 Pro/5G, and Mate 30 RS Porsche Design, which were unveiled on 19 September 2019 in Munich, Germany.

SAE J2954 is a standard for wireless power transfer (WPT) for electric vehicles led by SAE International. It defines three classes of charging speed, WPT 1, 2 and 3, at a maximum of 3.7 kW, 7.7 kW and 11 kW, respectively. This makes it comparable to medium-speed wired charging standards like the common SAE J1772 system. A much more powerful WPT9 is being defined in J2954/2 for 500 kW charging for heavy-duty vehicles which have the room necessary to mount the larger induction plate.

References

  1. ↑ Honig, Zach (May 21, 2013). "Powermat acquires PowerKiss, plans European wireless charging rollout". Engadget.com.
  2. ↑ Woodyard, Chris (January 6, 2011). "GM-Powermat deal turns cars into cordless chargers". USA Today. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Battery Maker Leyden Energy Announces Pact With Powermat". January 10, 2012.
  4. ↑ Belic, Dusan (January 9, 2011). "Arconas, Powermat team-up to bring wireless charging to airports". intomobile.com.
  5. ↑ "Duracell, wireless power company Powermat team up". Yahoo!. September 14, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Jay-Z is new face of wireless charging". USA Today. January 9, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Duracell Powermat wants to turn NYC into a wireless-charging hot spot". techhive.com. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Boston-area Starbucks testing wireless smartphone charging; Starbucks, Google and AT&T back PMA standard". Endgadget.com. October 29, 2012.
  9. ↑ Honig, Zach (July 26, 2013). "Starbucks and Powermat bring wireless charging to select Silicon Valley shops". Engadget.com. https://www.engadget.com/2013/07/26/powermat-starbucks-silicon-valley/♙
  10. ↑ Lidston, Rory (November 12, 2013). "Duracell Powermat Wireless Charging Comes to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf". The green Technology World.
  11. ↑ "New Hook-Up Aims to Boost Wireless Charging". The Wall Street Journal. January 16, 2014.
  12. ↑ Garzon, Juan (March 6, 2015). "Samsung to carry on with key wireless charging standard". CNET.
  13. ↑ Strietelmeier, Julie (June 15, 2015). "DuPont™ Corian® Charging Surface technology brings wireless charging to countertops". the gadgeteer.
  14. ↑ Marotti, Ally (January 8, 2016). "Starbucks rolls out wireless phone charging at 150 Chicago stores". Chicago Tribune.
  15. ↑ Ranj, Brandt (September 18, 2017). "Apple's latest iPhones all support wireless charging — here's how wireless charging works". Business Insider.
  16. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (September 14, 2017). "Starbucks is updating its wireless chargers to support the iPhone X and iPhone 8". The Verge.
  17. ↑ Adams, Matt (January 8, 2018). "Powermat joins WPC, no longer competing with Qi on wireless charging". Android Authority.
  18. ↑ Stoylar, Brenda (January 4, 2018). "Powermat's Charging Spot 4.0 is compatible with more devices, easier to install". Digital Trends.
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