How It Works - UK (2020-02)

040 How It Works http://www.howitworksdaily.com

TECHNOLOGY

W

henwethinkaboutelectricit y,

manyofusautomaticallyenvisage

wires,whetherit’sfumblingaround

behindthetelev isiontoconnectthecorrect

cables,seeingelectriciansworka colourfulwire

mazeinanelectricbox– orsimplytakingout

yourphonechargerwhenyourbatterylevel

becomescritical.

Thesedaysthenumberofwiresweneedfor

ourelectricaldev icesisreducingallthetime,

andwirelesspowercannowbringlifebackto

electronicdev iceswithouttheneedfora

physicalconnection.Wirelesspower

technologyuseschargedparticlestopass

energybetweendevicesbeforeit’sconverted

backtoelectricalenergy.

ItwasNikolaTeslawhoshowedtheworldthat

wiresweren’tessentialinpowertransmissionin

1890.Usingtwocopperwires,a primar ycoil

couldw ithstandmassiveamountsofcharge.

Onceatmaximumcharge,thevoltagewassent

intothegapbet weencoils,reachingthe

secondar ycoil,whichwasthenabletoproduce

lightningbolts.His‘Teslacoil’wasfirstto

A breakthrough that took place over 100 years ago has led to

theconvenientnewchargingtechnologyoftoday

How wireless

charging works

Beaming power

through the roads

Electric cars are coming thick and fast,

transforming the way we use and view

vehicles. New power sources mean

reviewing the best method of charging

• and wireless could be the answer.
  Instead of plugging in your car to
  charge, all that is required is to drive over
  a panel on the floor. This panel acts as
  the transmitter, while the car’s battery
  acts as the receiver.
  In comparison to the phone charger,
  cars demonstrate this process on a
  bigger scale. This means that the
  technology currently in use needs
  development to ensure the system is not
  only easier for drivers, but faster as well.
  In the electric-driving future, the days
  of finding the nearest garage could be
  gone. Motorways may eventually be
  fitted with these power panels, charging
  your car while you drive over them.

A wirelesscarchargingdemonstration

inTokyo,Japan

Source: Wiki/NJo

Howenergyis transported through the air

The wireless process

Wirelesschargingtechnologyallows

chargetobesharedbetweendevices

© Getty

demonstrate this concept, and while the

breakthrough stood alone as an amazing

invention, it would be over a century before the

technology was used commercially.

Now wireless charging demonstrates a range

of purposes and possibilities, that varies

depending on how far the energ y needs to be

transported. Near-field applications use

magnetic fields, while further distances, such as

for in-space applications, require more complex

techniques involving microwaves. This is often

referred to as power beaming.

How can you charge your

mobile phone without a cable?

Phone charging

made easy

©I

ustrat

on

by
Ed

Crooks

Pluggingin

Thepowersourcesupplies

a directcurrent(DC).

Magneticfield

Inductiveenergymoves

acrossthegapthrough

a magneticfieldcreated

bytheACcurrent.

Transmittercoil

Thecurrentis convertedintoa

high-frequencyalternatingcurrent

(AC)bythespecialisedcoil.

Receivingcoil

Thereceivingdeviceuses

theelectromagnetic

energytoconvertbackto

DCorAC.

Device

Thepower,

backtothe

formofan

electriccurrent,

is usedtolight

thebulb.

Phonecon

Thephoneis pla

ornearthecharging

device.Thiswillworkat

distancesupto45mm.

Coilcommunication

Themagneticfieldcreated

betweenthephoneandthe

plateinducesa voltageusedto

chargethephone.

Keycomponents
Theplate’stransmittercoilandthecoilin the
phoneneedtobeclose.Thephoneneedstobe
ustrat©I fittedwiththiscoilforwirelesschargingtowork.

on

by
Ed

Cro
Magneticchargingplate
Thechargingplateis AC-powered.
Whenthephoneis placedontopthey
areconnectedmagnetically.