Nikola Tesla and Wireless Charging WIRED

2017-03-10 88

Wireless Power transfer was first demonstrated by Nikola Tesla in the 1890s, however it is only really in the last decade that the technology has been harnessed to the point where it offers real, tangible benefits to real world applications. In particular, the development of resonant wireless power technology for the Consumer Electronics market, has seen wireless charging deliver new levels of convenience for the charging of millions of everyday devices.

Wireless Power is commonly known by many terms, including Inductive Power Transfer (IPT), Inductive Coupling and Resonant Power Transfer. Each these terms essentially describe the same fundamental process – the transmission of energy from a power source to an electrical load, without connectors, across an air gap. The basis of a wireless power system involves essentially two coils – a transmitter and receiver coil. The transmitter coil is energized by alternating current to generate a magnetic field, which in turn induces a current in the receiver coil.