What comes to mind when you hear the term "wireless charging?" Today, smartphones and mobile devices have become ubiquitous, and people are increasingly reliant upon 3C products. We often hear people say things like "My phone is running out of battery," or "I forgot to bring my charging cable," and even "Can you let me charge my phone for a few minutes?" in both public and private areas. Wireless charging technologies have been in development for over a decade, but why hasn't the industry experienced explosive growth such as that seen in the IoT or AR/VR industries?
There are currently two types of mainstream wireless charging technology: "magnetic induction" and "magnetic resonance." Magnetic induction is used for short distances and has higher efficiency. Although it has the advantage of low cost, it is also easily impacted by distance factors and it is difficult for it to support simultaneous charging of multiple devices. Magnetic resonance allows charging over farther distances and charging panels can be installed beneath tables, with charging operations being able to penetrate materials such as wood, plastic, and glass. In addition, multiple devices can be charged simultaneously.
In order for wireless charging to become widespread, a "unified standard" must be created and a "large amount of charging stations" must become available. Currently, most wireless charging products on the market use first-generation wireless charging technologies. Since power supply equipment must be tightly combined (and precisely aligned) with the end that power is supplied to, these technologies do not provide a good user experience. Also, there are currently two technical standard organizations: WPC and AFA. Equipment vendors and systems vendors have mainly taken a wait-and-see attitude toward determining which standard will become mainstream, which is why they have not built a large amount of charging resources in the market, resulting in the industry advancing at a slow pace and the number of users still being small.
JJPLUS Leads the Way in Building the Wireless Charging Ecosystem
However, the situation of the wireless charging industry may change this year. Taiwan's JJPlus has accumulated more than a decade of experience in development of RF technology, and is one of the few vendors in Taiwan that are engaging in the development of wireless charging system integration. After more than two years of development, working with well-known research institutions in the US, as well as licensing magnetic resonance charging technology from WiTricity, JJPLUS will launch a new line of products in October 2016.
According to Chung-He Shu, president of JJPLUS, JJPLUS has been developing its WiFancy wireless charging products for almost two years. It has not only obtained many patents for its technology, but also product certifications from the AirFuel alliance. JJPLUS Corporation has been investing in Taiwan's wireless charging industry for many years. It believes that in order for the industry to rapidly develop, someone must lead the way and be a pioneer. JJPLUS has also been actively connecting upstream, midstream, and downstream vendors from the industry supply chain. It has also been engaging in cooperation with other vendors, government organizations, as well as academics in order to jumpstart the wireless charging industry.
JJPLUS's WiFancy346 magnetic resonance wireless charging system has a beneath-the-table transmitter that is capable of penetrating materials including wood, granite, plastic, and glass. JJPLUS also provides wireless charging products for two different types of table thickness (2-3.5 centimeters and 3.5-5 centimeters). Two power receivers can be placed on the table at any given time, allowing devices such as smartphones or tablet computers to be charged simultaneously.
The biggest advantage of this cloud-based wireless charging system is that it integrates IoT technologies and big data applications. In the future, system integrators can build cloud-based wireless charging solutions by including internally-developed software. By choosing the WiFancy346, commercial service providers will be able to try out low-cost, diverse business models.
Developing the World's Thinnest Wireless Charger for Use with the iPhone7
In addition to the WiFancy346, which is a beneath-the-table infrastructure equipment, JJPLUS also provides two desktop dongles (WiFancy D1) which are respectively for use with iOS phones (Lightning interface) and Android phones (Micro USB interface), with different receiver-end interface designs (Micro USB and Lightning). These designs not only provide wireless charging receiver functionality, but also wireless charging signal detection. Flashing lights with signals are added, providing extra convenience in terms of searching for charging areas.
For the consumer market, JJPLUS is in line with the launch schedule for the iPhone7. It has introduced wireless charging phone cases that support the iPhone7/iPhone6/6s, as well as the WiFancy 203, which is a desktop wireless charging transmitter that is currently the world's thinnest (0.9 cm). Chung-He Shu points out that this wireless charging mobile phone case optimizes the user experience. The design of the mobile phone case connector has not only been given a patent, but also allows users to quickly switch between wire-based charging and the new Lightning earphones, eliminating the need to remove the protective case.
When placed in the user's home, the WiFancy 203 desktop wireless charger allows users to charge devices vertically, horizontally, or placed lying down, thereby overcoming the restriction of charging angles and allowing users to use their phones while charging. In addition, the WiFancy 203 comes in a glossy finish that uses the same materials as the new jet black iPhone7. This design targets business users and it is a beautiful device with advanced functionality.
Finally, Chung-He Shu emphasizes that they wish to form a wireless charging ecosystem in Taiwan, allowing equipment vendors, system integrators, software vendors, and cloud services providers to each play an important role in the industry. JJPLUS hopes to be able to make important contributions to Taiwan's wireless charging industry and welcomes other vendors to join it, cooperating in terms of technology and business models.
The iPhone case allows you to charge your phone simply by putting it on the table.
The under-table wireless charger supports table tops up to 5 cm thick and charging two phones at the same time.
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