First steps for electrical power without cables

First steps for electrical power without cables

South Korean researchers have shown a breakthrough in the distance that electric power can travel wirelessly, wirelessly, to power electronic devices

  South Korean researchers have demonstrated a breakthrough in the distance that electric power can travel wirelessly, wirelessly, to power electronic devices.

Chun T. Rim, Professor of Quantum and Nuclear Engineering at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) , and his team have developed a Dipole Coil Resonance System (DCRS) for a wide range of inductive energy transfer and with a range of up to 5 meters between the transmission and reception coils.

Up to 5 meters of reach

The maximum distance reached with technology of this type was 2.1 meters in 2007 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Unlike the large, thick, loop-shaped air coils that had been developed so far, the KAIST research team uses compact ferrite core bars with windings in their centers.

The high frequency alternating current of the primary coil generates a magnetic field, and then the linked magnetic flux induces the voltage in the secondary winding. With a size of 3 meters in length, 10 centimeters in width and 20 in height, the DCRS is significantly smaller than the previous model.

The team carried out several experiments and has achieved promising results: for example, in the framework of the operation of 20 kHz, the maximum output power was 1,403 Watts at a distance of 3 meters, 471 to 4 meters and 209 to 5 meters . For 100 watts of electric power transfer, the overall energy efficiency of the system was 36.9% at 3 meters, 18.7% at 4 meters, and 9.2% at 5 meters. "With the DCRS system," said Professor Rim, "a large LED TV and three 40-watt fans can be powered from a distance of 5 meters."

Wi-Fi areas with electricity

"Our technology has demonstrated the possibility of a new remote power supply mechanism that has never been attempted at such a large distance, although the long-range wireless energy transfer is still at an early stage of commercialization and very expensive to implement. , we believe that this is the correct direction for the electric power that is supplied in the future.

As we see Wi-Fi zones everywhere today, we are going to have many Wi-Power zones in places like restaurants and streets that provide wireless power to electronic devices, "they say.The result of the research was published in the March issue of IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.