“Getting rid of wires doesn’t just mean no longer needing a cable supplier. Robots and industrial machines that were once limited to electrical outlets are beginning to truly experience freedom thanks to the development of wireless high-power transmission technology.

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Getting rid of wires doesn’t just mean no longer needing a cable supplier. Robots and industrial machines that were once limited to electrical outlets are beginning to truly experience freedom thanks to the development of wireless high-power transmission technology.

Signs of a cable-free future are starting to emerge in a wider market that point to the same fact: power cords that were once needed for industrial applications and charging electric vehicles are being obsoleted by history. They are being replaced by wireless power transmission, a technology that has grown rapidly due to heavy R&D investment and the advent of many electric machines that are poised for technological disruption.

Consumer goods have begun to adopt wireless power transmission technology on a large scale, such as smartphones, electric toothbrushes, etc., because this function is more popular than previous technologies. But until now, the development of industrial wireless power transmission has been hindered because transmitting more power in the kilowatt range than the tiny wattage required for small consumer electronics requires a consistent open-standard design with better management components Architecture and stronger materials.

With the development of industrial automation and autonomous systems, the push for high-power wireless power transmission technology has accelerated over the past few years. Wireless power will also have a place in the Industrial Internet of Things, which is rapidly expanding the range of connected machines, computers and sensors, making everything from healthcare to aircraft and energy production smarter and more efficient.

Wireless power transmission technology that eliminates the need for plugs and connectors will allow these devices to be more mobile and fully sealed, so they can operate reliably in a variety of challenging and changing environments. Imagine a manufacturing robot that will be able to move autonomously between workstations on demand and recharge at a convenient time and place.

“Wireless power transmission technology is the future,” said Manish, an engineer at TI who studies the fundamental components needed for wireless power transmission systems. In autonomous applications in factories, robotics, aerospace and automotive, when we get rid of power lines, each opportunities are possible.

A long-held dream becomes reality

Since the advent of power tools and other industrial electronics more than 100 years ago, we’ve been using wires to make connections, zigzagging through floors and countertops.

But those wires also created all sorts of problems, and they limited the mobility of the device. Even the best designs have weaknesses due to wires, as water, dirt, and air can get into the connector, while constant insertion and removal increases wear and tear on the device. Also on factory floors and elsewhere, electrical wiring is a major source of danger to people and machines passing around.

Since those first electric innovations, the idea of ​​wireless power has been an unattainable dream. The brilliant and eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla envisioned a radio network covering the world where machines could draw electricity simply by connecting wirelessly. But his experiment failed. Others stagnated in power transmission throughout the 20th century, and only in recent years have begun to see the possibility of wireless power transmission.

Coupling sends electricity through the air

Wireless power transmission systems work through a principle known as inductive charging. Simply put, based on this system, a coil in a transmitter can be coupled to a coil in a remote receiver several inches or feet away, and the two coils together form a virtual transformer. The transmitter releases electromagnetic energy that induces an electrical current in the receiver. This current can be used to charge the battery connected to the receiver coil.

Of course, the actual wireless power transmission system is much more complex and presents its own set of challenges to handle more power for applications at the center of manufacturing and automotive components. The current is converted several times, the antenna amplifies the electromagnetic wave, and the special diode controls the current for safe transmission and use.

operating brain

The key to making this complex system work is to put a digital brain at the center to control the frequency, amplitude and phase of electromagnetic waves, among other things. This becomes even more important in kilowatt-scale industrial production processes and electric vehicle charging.

TI’s C2000™ real-time microcontrollers (MCUs) are key components that many companies rely on. It is a small microcontroller that sits on the transmitter and receiver and communicates via Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi® to manage the current. The C2000 MCU can automatically adjust the system to adapt to changing power demands and supplies by sensing the transmitter’s input voltage, battery demand, and other factors.

Taiwan KNOWMAX Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the leaders in the wireless power transmission industry utilizing the built-in intelligent control functions of the C2000 MCU. The company holds multiple patents for incorporating cutting-edge wireless charging technology into electrical systems.

“TI’s C2000 MCU gives us the flexibility to adapt the system to different market needs,” said Tank Huang, KNOWMAX’s program manager. “The component enables really precise control of our power stage so that we can deliver power as efficiently as possible.”

Aiming to be the market leader in the critical equipment needed to enable high-power wireless power transmission, TI researchers are advancing components that can intelligently handle increasing transmission rates and increasing distances between transmitters and receivers increased requirements. Through these efforts to improve wireless power transmission engineering, we expect to deploy it in robotics, industrial facility and warehouse vehicles, electric vehicles, and larger fleets and construction vehicles.

Chris, Product Marketing Engineer for C2000 MCUs, said: “Not meant to say this, but now for us in the wireless power transmission space, the air is electrified. Engineers will soon no longer have to struggle to find high-voltage sockets for their solutions. The sweet spot. Consumers will drive electric vehicles that don’t need to be plugged in. Factory workers will work with wireless charging robots. As you think about this, TI is developing a technology that will eventually be accessible to every person and every industry on the planet. technology used.”