Xiaomi, a smartphone and smart home appliance company, has announced the Mi Air Charge Technology, a contactless remote charging technology.
While "wireless" charging such as Qi, which is used by many smartphones, does not have a cable or terminal, it must be placed on or attached to the charging pad, while the range of the Mi Air Charge is limited to transmission. A few meters from the electric machine.
If you have one in the room, you can always charge your smartphone no matter where it is, even when it is in use.
Companies have proposed standards for remote charging and remote power transmission that do not require contact, and technical demonstrations are often published.
For example, WattUp, which is owned by remote charging startup Energous, has developed a transmitter that transmits radio waves wirelessly for smartphones, as well as relatively low-power wearables and IoT sensors, and has received regulatory approval in the United States.
Remote charging WattUp is one step closer to practical use, and will be demonstrated at CES in January. Transmitter with a range of about 1m acquired FCC certification (2017)
The Mi Air Charge released by Xiaomi this time is a technology that uses millimeter waves to transmit power. The antennas installed on both the power transmission and reception sides accurately pinpoint the position of the power transmission destination, and the 144 antenna arrays built into the power transmitter are used for beamforming to pinpoint the power receiving side.
On the power receiving side, such as a smartphone, there is a beacon antenna to accurately transmit the position and a small power receiving antenna array consisting of 14 antennas, and it is a mechanism that converts radio waves into electric power.
According to Xiaomi, the ability of Mi AIr Charge is currently capable of transmitting 5W per unit in a "range of several meters". It's about as slow as the smallest charger that came with his old iPhone, or wireless charging on a pad.
It also supports simultaneous power transmission to multiple devices, in which case 5W can be sent to each device.
Even if the receiving side moves around, it is possible to continue supplying power even if there is a shield between the transmitter and the transmitter (of course, in principle, charging is not possible if it is covered with a material that does not transmit radio waves).
By embedding power transmitters in smart speakers, TVs, and other devices that are not carried around, in the future, not only smartphones but also the entire home can be made wireless and remotely power-supply compatible.
Xiaomi is currently in the technology demonstration stage of Mi AIr Charge, and has not announced plans to commercialize it or install it in its own products.
However, Xiaomi is a company that has actively adopted rapid charging technology such as ultra-fast Mi wireless charging of up to 80W and 120W wired charging for its products.
Not only is it the 4th largest smartphone brand in the world, but it is also a comprehensive manufacturer that handles a wide range of home appliances such as IoT devices and TVs. Remote charging, where you can leave it somewhere in the room so you don't have to worry about forgetting to charge it, may eventually be sold as a major differentiating factor for Xiaomi products.
Forget About Cables and Charging Stands With Revolutionary Mi Air Charge Technology – Mi Blog