All about the Qi wireless charging standard

The Qi criterion (pronounced Chee / qi) is the origin of a word from the Chinese language meaning "flow of energy". Today, this word represents the global standard for wireless charging for battery-powered devices such as cell phones, MP3 media players, cameras, and more.

In this technique the transfer of energy from the charger occurs through electromagnetic induction, where the energy reaches the device to be charged not through a conventional charging cable, but is charged wirelessly through the use of electromagnetic fields. The principle is very simple, the charger (charging station) or the so-called Qi-Sender transmits the required power to the receiver (a mobile phone for example) the Qi-Receiver.

What is the purpose of wireless charging?

The most important feature of Qi wireless charging technology is that cell phones and chargers from various factories around the world are compatible with each other, where both parts (transmitter and receiver) meet Qi technical specifications.

Therefore, every Qi-enabled device must be compatible with Qi chargers of various types and shapes regardless of the manufacturer that produced these chargers.

Since the launch of the Qi standard for wireless charging, leading global companies have adopted this technology such as Nokia, Samsung, Sony, and Motorola, and later other companies with a well-known weight such as Apple and LG joined the list of companies falling under this standard continuously increasing, and this will be very easy for the average user. Charging the batteries of different electronic devices with one charging station.

How does Qi wireless charging technology work?

Wireless charging is not a new invention. Before the Qi standard, many devices were using the same Qi wireless charging technology for a long time, for example electronic toothbrushes.

The principle as mentioned above is very simple, and it is based on the principle of Inductive Charging.

Wireless charging between the charger and the mobile device is done by means of a Resonant Inductive Coupling. Qi.

Once compatibility is achieved, the power to be sent by the charger is calculated immediately according to the battery capacity and the amount of charge supported by the mobile device, and here the device begins charging through electromagnetic induction, after which the charge is automatically disconnected and it remains in standby mode when these calculations reach the maximum limit ( Which means that the phone battery has been fully charged).

Qi charger remains ineffective and does not transfer power when there is no device placed on the charger, and this is one of the great features of Qi wireless charging technology as no energy is wasted, and at the same time there is no radiation that could be harmful to the vicinity of the charger in the long term When not charging.

In addition, the electromagnetic coils used in Qi technology in both the charger and the mobile device are coated with special materials that reduce harmful electromagnetic radiation during the charging process.

Is wireless charging worth it?

There are many shapes and types of smartphones that cover all over the world now, and each model of these devices has its own charger, so when you buy or acquire a new device, you need a new compatible charger as well (especially as companies start the trend to produce and sell electronic devices without Chargers), not to mention that the battery operating times of these devices have also become shorter with the development of mobile phone networks and the increasing use of technology by almost all people.

In the end, you will find yourself surrounded by quite a few or perhaps piles of chargers and cables, and you may be like me tired of searching among these piles for an efficient charger and a good cable that can be relied upon to get fast charging when needed.

Imagine that you have one charger placed in a specific place in your home or office and it supports all your mobile devices, whether it is a phone, watch, camera ... etc., and you will not need various other forms of cables to charge them one by one, very beautiful ... is not it?

With wireless charging, this dream can be easily achieved, there are no more different chargers, no boring and boring cable noodles, and no more empty batteries in the devices, and this may be the most important feature of Qi wireless charging technology, especially with the increasing number of companies and devices supporting this global standard.

Also, imagine everywhere you are, cafes, banquet halls, train stations, airports and restaurants. Imagine the availability of Qi chargers seamlessly integrated into the furniture and walls of these places, here you will be able to charge your devices at any time regardless of the type of device, its model, or the manufacturer. Then we will say goodbye and in bold type the sentence "There is not enough charge in your device."

Does your phone support Qi wireless charging technology?

Almost everyone who reads this article here owns an iPhone, regardless of its model, but the Qi wireless charging technology was not adopted by Apple until 2017 with the release of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 10.

But you can make any iPhone (or other) phone that does not support wireless charging using Qi technology for wireless charging through special phone covers that contain a (Qi-Receiver) as shown in the image below:

Qi as the global standard for wireless charging

Do you remember the first time you heard about Wi-Fi or Bluetooth?

Just as Wi-Fi has become the global standard for wireless Internet communications in buildings and public places, and Bluetooth as a standard for multimedia transmission by linking devices together, so Qi has become the global standard for wireless charging by electromagnetic induction (thank God they used only two letters to abbreviate the sentence with best Words) and Qi has truly become the future of cable-free wireless charging for battery-powered portable devices.

Qi and health and safety standards

Experts' opinions are divided about the safety of radiation emitted from Qi chargers, as many of them assert that the small amount of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the wireless charger is harmless, while others talk about a very harmful radiation that can have a negative effect on the human body.

So what is the amount of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Qi wireless charging system?

The Qi principle was first used in Oral-B electronic toothbrushes in the year 1990 and until now, after many years, there have been no cases of known side effects or physical negative effects on health at all, due to the low power range of Qi wireless charging technology. The value of the electromagnetic radiation used is very limited, so that this radiation is present only in the vicinity of the Qi wireless charger and when a portable device is placed on it only, in addition to reducing the release of harmful electromagnetic radiation by the presence of special protection layers for the transmitting and receiving coils in the Qi standard.

Qi development stages

Here is a simplified table showing the evolution of Qi technology releases over the past years:

You can click to enlarge the image

The goal is to establish an international standard for wireless charging

The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) was established in December 2008, and in 2009 Qi was adopted as a unified standard for electromagnetic charging, which made the manufacturers of electronic devices continue to join this union and obtain a license to use this standard. Today it has become the standard for any device capable of wireless charging.

Today, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which has more than 250 members, including major technology companies such as Apple, Samsung, Nokia, Microsoft, Sony, and furniture maker IKEA, is the largest consortium of manufacturers of electromagnetic chargers.

From our point of view, the introduction of the Qi standard is one of the most important technological developments for users of mobile devices such as phones, tablets and other devices that are now used daily in our work and private lives.

Is there an alternative or competitor to Qi?

Of course, there is competition, because had it not been for competition in various fields, we would not have reached this advanced level of technological progress. This is the instinct of a person at every time and place. Imagine that there is a car of one type and shape in all parts of the world and there is no alternative, or only one mobile phone from The production of one company, here we will lack creativity and the spirit of competition, the most important thing for the manufacturer in every product is to win customers and with the presence of competition, the ceiling of customer satisfaction will rise to stages that generate creativity and then break previous records, not to mention the different tastes of people in their choices, and as the saying goes: “Without the multiplicity of tastes. To Bart Commodity. ”

After the establishment of the Wireless Power Association (WPC) and the adoption of Qi as a global standard for wireless charging, a new (non-profit) alliance called the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) was established and took it upon itself to develop a new set of standards and protocols to wirelessly transmit power to portable electronic devices. It was to rival Qi.

PMA then merged with the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) to form a powerful new alliance called AirFuel Alliance and this alliance was backed by companies with buzz names such as Powermat Technology, Starbucks, Duracell, AT&T, FCC, and Star Energy.

After years of struggle over standards, there is only one major player left in the game and now owns 90 percent of all wireless charging products, and it is the (WPC) alliance that supports the Qi standard after its merger with (AirFuel and PMA) in January 2018 with this step. An end to the threats of market fragmentation with regard to wireless charging technology, which we hope will unify the ranks and make it easier for manufacturers to choose a common standard in the long term, which ultimately is in the interest of the users of these devices.

What is the meaning of the iPhone and Apple in all of this?

We note in everything that has been mentioned above that there is a long period of conflict between various companies and entities to acquire the largest market share for wireless charging products, but the decisive word was for Apple in the year 2017 after announcing the entry into the electromagnetic charging field after the release of the iPhone 8 in its versions and iPhones - IPhone 10 supports Qi wireless charging technology.

Do you remember Apple's announcement of wireless charging technology and AirPower charger that didn't see the light?

An ancient and important company such as Apple tipped the alliance (WPC) and added great influence to the Qi standard, which basically forced the industry to move to this standard, despite the fact that Samsung (which is one of the largest manufacturers of smart phones in terms of global size) has adopted wireless charging Long before Apple, but Samsung is still producing phones that support both PMA and Qi.

By 2018, Apple's decision proved to have overlapping effects on the wireless charging industry, and it joined PMA as we said and was specifically influenced by Apple's use of the Qi standard as a critical factor.

Qi technology and MagSafe in iPhone 12

There are multiple ways now to charge the iPhone 12, in addition to the traditional charging by wire and wireless charging with Qi technology, Apple added a new and very distinctive wireless charging method called MagSafe which is based on the same technology basis. Qi may not be completely new, but Apple (as usual) has marketed it. It is a new innovation, and in my view… it really is.

Perhaps the oldest method of charging by wire is the fastest, but it is not the most convenient choice, as the wireless charging method is considered the easiest, especially when you have a Qi charger all the time in the home, office, or even in the car, as well as during sleep at night when the charging speed is not so important. .

Apple provided with the iPhone 12 a new charging method that added its components inside the back cover of the device. This method works by using a magnetic collar to attach the accessories and a magnetic piece for alignment, in addition to an electromagnetic coil like the user with Qi technology.

But Apple has improved the capacity and efficiency of charging, as the MagSafe charger can reach 15 watts of power and supply the iPhone 12 with it continuously. Since the magnet directs the phone to stick to the charging coil in the ideal position, no energy is lost during the charging process, and here, Apple has overcome a common problem in Qi chargers.

Apple has also made a beautiful and innovative technical move with the support of MagSafe for cases and other accessories, as an NFC sensor and magnetometer have been added to determine if a charger or any other type of accessory has been connected. With this smart move from Apple, the charging capacity can be transferred from the MagSafe charger to the phone via the iPhone-iPhone case that supports the new MagSafe technology without any loss of the original charging capacity.

Do not forget that the charging capacity through Qi accessories (for iPhone) is a maximum of 7.5 watts, while the charging capacity with MagSafe accessories reaches 15 watts, meaning twice the power and half the time to charge the iPhone 12, and Apple called the Turbo Charge on This new feature is exclusive to iPhone 12 and 12 Pro only, with MagSafe charging accessories only. Here, the price difference should be taken into account, as Apple accessories are not cheap compared to the Qi accessories available now in the market.

Wireless charging and the future

While WPC is now the largest alliance with a portfolio of products on the market, a number of smaller companies are also promoting entirely new ideas in wireless charging, and many of these companies are working with AirFuel to provide wireless charging in much longer ranges than before.

Unlike designs based on induction or resonance, new technologies rely on Near Field Radio Frequency Transmission. These companies search for short ranges similar to current wireless standards, but instead of large metal coils, they use a small integrated circuit to handle With the transfer of energy and its conversion from radio waves to electromagnetic waves for charging purposes, and with the development of some applications, we can see in the future, for example, charging pads placed in phones and dedicated to charging wireless headphones such as AirPods or Apple Watch (while wearing it).

Other companies use the same radio wave technologies, but at much longer ranges than the current wireless charging standard, up to 15 feet. Indeed, some companies have announced a transmitter center called WattUp Wireless Charger, an expensive one that works with Energous Technology that provides 5 and a half watt charging at 5 feet (about a meter and a half) and about 3 and a half watts from 10 feet (about 3 meters) and one watt 15 feet away (approx 4 and a half meters)

Because of this low capacity, these companies cannot really compete with what Qi technology provides at the moment, let alone the wasted energy and heat generated while using these emerging technologies. But ideas like this can be really promising in the near future and we could see entirely new products using innovative technologies that we haven't seen before.

Source:

screenrant | qinside