It wouldn’t be the first or the last time you wake up and remember that you forgot to put your phone on charge, right? Well, they have presented a technology that would alleviate all those times that we forget to put it on charge or place it on the charging base.
Imagine if you didn’t have to remember to charge your smartphone or tablet. This is the goal of a team of researchers from Sejong University in South Korea who have developed a new charging system that uses infrared (IR) light to transfer power to electronic devices up to 30 meters away.
The idea is that as soon as we enter a room, our devices are automatically charged. This would be very useful in public places such as train stations, subways or airports.
“The ability to power devices wirelessly could eliminate the need to carry power cords for our phones or tablets. It could also power various sensors, such as those in Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the sensors used to monitor objects. processes in manufacturing plants,” explains Jinyong Ha of Sejong University in South Korea.
The researchers optimized a method called distributed laser charging, which has recently gained more attention for this application because it provides safe, high-power illumination with less light loss to improve long-range wireless power transfer.
In the study, published in the journal Optics Express, they describe a ‘distributed laser charge’ system involving just two pieces of kit; a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter produces a beam of IR radiation from an optical amplifier and can be connected to a power source in a room. The light has a “safe” central wavelength of 1550nm and passes through a filter to create a beam that poses no danger to human eyes or skin at the power used. The 10 x 10mm receiver has a photovoltaic cell that can absorb this light and produce electricity, and can be installed in everyday electronic devices.
“While most approaches require the receiving device to be on a special charging cradle or to be stationary, distributed laser charging allows for self- alignment without tracking processes as long as the transmitter and receiver are in line of sight of each other. other”, clarifies the expert.
What if something obstructs the line of sight?
This technology automatically switches to “safe power transfer mode” and reduces the intensity of the beam. Realistically, at the moment the device would only be enough energy to power a small sensor, but the researchers hope to expand the technology in the future by improving the efficiency of the photovoltaic cell in the receiver, so that it can convert more energy from the beam into electricity.
“Using the laser charging system to replace power cables in factories could save on maintenance and replacement costs. This could be particularly useful in harsh environments where electrical connections can cause interference or pose a fire hazard,” the researchers conclude. experts.
Referencia: Long-range wireless optical power transfer system using an EDFA
Nadeem Javed, Ngoc-Luu Nguyen, Syed Farhan Ali Naqvi, and Jinyong Ha. Optics Express
Vol. 30,
Issue 19,
pp. 33767-33779
(2022)
•https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.468766
