Operating in the lower 600 – 900 MHz frequency bands licensed by mobile carriers, the over-the-air RF charging platform enables carriers to monetize underused low-frequency bands and offer “Power as a Service” to charge low-power devices and smart home IoT sensors that eliminate disposable batteries
Las Vegas – Mobile World Congress – September 27, 2022 – Powercast Corporation, the leader in radio-frequency (RF)-based over-the-air wireless power technology, has created a unique cellular-based RF Power-Over-Distance Wireless Charging Platform, built around Sequans (NYSE: SQNS) Monarch cellular IoT connectivity technology. Powercast will demonstrate the solution at Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas, September 28 – 30, booth w2.1226.
Operating in the lower 600 – 900 MHz frequency bands licensed by mobile carriers, the Powercast cellular-based RF Wireless Charging Platform has unique benefits.
- Because cellular bands are licensed, or private, they have more flexibility on how much power they can transmit, antenna gain, and bandwidth which enables end devices to charge faster and at greater distances when compared to unlicensed, or public, bands.
- As cellular service moves increasingly to higher frequencies like 5G to increase data throughput, carriers can monetize their underused low frequency bands and offer “Power as a Service.”
- Ability to simultaneously charge at-a-distance many consumer devices, such as smart home security and automation IoT sensors, TV remotes, keyboards, ear buds, headphones, smart watches, fitness bands and hearing aids.
“Because many RF transmitting devices operate in unlicensed bands such as the 915MHz band, there are limits on transmit power, antenna gain, and other parameters so many devices can coexist and be interoperable,” said Charles Greene, PhD, COO and CTO of Powercast. “This innovative way to use licensed cellular frequencies to increase device charging power will allow manufacturers to create green, sustainable IoT devices that can charge more quickly and at longer distances from a cellular RF transmitter.”
The platform combines Sequans’ Monarch 2 GM02S module with a Powercast RF transmitting antenna to send RF over-the-air to a tiny Powercast PCC110 Powerharvester® receiver chip embedded in end devices. The Powerharvester harvests RF out of the air and converts it to DC (direct current) to either power a battery-free device, or charge a rechargeable battery, both of which keep disposable batteries out of landfills.
In the Mobile World Congress demo, a Sequans Monarch 2 cellular modem teams with Powercast’s 700MHz antenna to transmit a 700MHz RF cellular signal to Powercast’s PCC110 receiver and RF-to-DC converter chip, which then powers a battery-free sensor beacon to transmit temperature and humidity data to a gateway or phone.
“This collaborative effort to introduce cellular technology into the over-the-air RF wireless charging picture creates opportunities for more manufacturers to develop environmentally-friendly smart home IoT ecosystems that eliminate disposable batteries,” said Louis Chuang, EVP and GM of the Massive IoT Business Unit of Sequans. “With cellular everywhere, the opportunities are endless. Powercast is pioneering this field, and shares Sequans’ vision to make IoT more sustainable by integrating an increasing number of functionalities, and limiting the semiconductor carbon footprint.”
Multimedia assets are available: https://mwcamericas.vporoom.com/Powercast
About Powercast
Powercast is the established leader in RF wireless power-over-distance solutions. Since its founding in 2003, Powercast has led the industry in RF wireless power innovations that meet FCC and other global standards. Powercast’s technologies eliminate or reduce the need for wires and batteries, working at distances of 120 feet. The company’s collaborative approach and expertise in all aspects of product design, from vision through prototyping and commercialization, has resulted in dozens of applications, extensive commercial success in both industrial and consumer applications, and over 10 million units shipped. With more than 100 customers and partner companies globally, Powercast leads the RF wireless power market with 79 early and fundamental patents worldwide and 23 patents pending. www.powercastco.com
For further information: Powercast: Michelle Moody, michelle@moodypr.com , +1.214.363.3460
With both companies experts in power efficiency, Powercast sends power over an unprecedented 120 feet to power InPlay’s Bluetooth beacon which can communicate using only microwatts, together enabling battery-free, maintenance-free, long-range smart IoT sensor systems
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Sensors Converge – Powercast Corporation, the leader in radio-frequency (RF)-based over-the-air wireless power technology, and InPlay, inventor of the programming-free, ultra-low-cost and low-power Bluetooth sensor NanoBeacon system-on-chip (SoC) technology, have created a platform for designing battery-free, maintenance-free, long-range wireless IoT sensor systems that deploy easily for monitoring in the retail, medical, warehousing and industrial IoT markets.
Dr Charles Greene, Chief Operating & Technical Officer, Powercast Corporation sheds light on RF wireless power and factors contributing to its high demand. He also explains how RF energy harvesting is revolutionizing the wireless transmission consumer electronics market, its economic benefits and how it contributes toward clean and sustainable energy.
Industry leader in over-the-air wireless power over distance ramps production as global organizations increase demand for untethered devices that are freed from wires, batteries, and placement restrictions
PITTSBURGH, Pa., March 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Powercast Corporation, the leader in radio-frequency (RF)-based over-the-air wireless power-over-distance technology, announced that it has shipped 10 million wireless RF Powerharvester® PCC110 chips in the last two years alone. The company attributes this milestone to increased demand for wireless power-over-distance solutions which free devices from wires, batteries and placement restrictions such as the direct contact with a charging surface that the Qi wireless charging standard requires.
Powercast’s technology enables untethered devices powered remotely (up to 80 feet), eliminating or reducing the need for batteries and wires, increasing functionality and efficiency, and providing device placement freedom. As examples, IoT sensor networks can extend into remote locations where wiring and battery replacement are impossible, consumer devices can charge over the air without touching a charging mat, and environmentally-friendly devices can use either rechargeable batteries or no batteries at all, therefore eliminating disposable batteries.
Powercast is helping companies ranging from small to some of the largest in the world create feature-rich wireless devices. The company reports its 2022 bookings to date are already three times its 2021 bookings.
Powercast is teaming with robotics firm Badger Technologies to offer an electronic shelf label management system that stores can employ, leveraging an RFID reading robot to update pricing at the shelf level.
Feb 15, 2022Technology company Powercast has teamed up with Badger Technologies, a provider of retail automation solutions, to offer a robot-based electronic shelf edge label (ESL) management solution that updates product price labels via an RFID reader built into a robot. While interrogating the RFID tag in each label, the device provides the RF power required to change pricing information. The addition of robotic RFID readers to interrogate, write to and energize the ESLs provides a new benefit to stores, the company reports. Powercast was a finalist in last year’s RFID Journal Awards.
Following early testing of the robotic system with the robot, Powercast is now working with solution providers to schedule piloting of the technology at stores. Previously, the company’s UHF RFID ESLs had been tested via fixed and handheld RFID readers, both in-house and at a hardware store, according to Charles Greene, Powercast’s COO and CTO. Now, through the collaboration with Badger, Powercast has the ability to offer a third option, which includes the robotics functionality, in order to eliminate the need for a fixed infrastructure or for the manual labor needed to operate a handheld reader.
Powercast’s over-the-air RF wireless power recharges batteries or replaces them altogether
September 9, 2021 EP&T Magazine
Powercast Corp., an established leader in RF wireless power, has received recognition for its efforts in sustainability, when it comes to battery re-use.
Powercast aims to make one-time-use batteries obsolete by working with electronic manufacturers to recharge batteries or replace them altogether with its over-the-air RF (radio frequency) wireless power technology. Many of today’s small electronic devices can be designed so they’re environmentally friendly, either with rechargeable batteries that can accept an RF wireless charge, or with no batteries that can be directly powered by RF power. A Powerharvester chip is embedded in devices to receive RF energy sent over the air from either a dedicated Powercast transmitter, or from industry-standard RFID readers. The Powerharvester then converts the RF to direct current (DC) to top off the battery or power the device.
Powercast’s RF Wireless Power Technology Wins Global Sustainability Award for Reducing Battery Use, E-Waste
Powercast’s technology was recently awarded by the Business Intelligence Group with its Sustainability Initiative of the Year in the 2021 Sustainability Awards program. These awards honor those people, teams and organizations who have made sustainability an integral part of their business practice or overall mission.
Billed as the most influential tech event in the world, the annual Consumer Electronics Show is a showcase for visionary companies. Found amidst the 2,200 booths on the CES 2022 Las Vegas show floor this week is wireless power innovator Powercast. Ahead of the show, the company created a promotional video showing…
- 3D printed wearables that monitor biomedical signals for at-home diagnosis and athletic training, developed by University of Arizona researchers; and
- An all-in-one robotic retail price-changing system combining Powercast’s immortal battery-less electronic shelf label (ESL) and Badger Technologies‘ autonomous robots for retail.
Both of these are leading-edge cool, but what excited me most was the portion showing a wirelessly powered, illuminated packaging display that starts at the 48 second mark of the 3-minute video below. It’s a blinking logo on the box.
Power is in the air at CES 2022
Beginning a new year, CES 2022 has some headline grabbing and eye-catching exhibits. Caroline Hayes sought out the innovative technologies that mean power can be wireless and anywhere
There were different uses for wireless charging demonstrated by Powercast. The Pittsburgh company showed 3D wearable medical devices which use its over-the-air RF wireless power technology to conveniently charge while the wearer is able to continue everyday activities.
The monitor (Figure 1) was created by researchers at the University of Arizona. It is created using 3D printing and flexible circuits so it can be custom made for each wearer. The construction using flexible substrates means that it is comfortable to wear for hours and even days at a time, allowing wearers to gather long term data which can be analysed to assess a medical condition.
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Figure 1: The 3D printed, flexible monitor developed by researchers at the University of Arizona, based on Powercast RF wireless technology
Sensors incorporated into the flexible substrate include inertial measurement units (IMUs) and strain sensors. These can characterise the gait and performance of individual muscle groups. There are also temperature sensors.
Charging is via a Powercaster wireless charger which recharges the device over the air.
Firms perfecting hydrogen fuel cells, solar shingles, harvesting energy from radio waves
The way we juice up our devices, cars, even entire homes, runs the gamut, but one thing remains constant: our basic desire to charge things without having to fret about batteries that are about to peter out or wreck the environment.
For most of us, the less we think about charging or replacing batteries, the better. That’s especially true as people age.
“Your gadgets and things are there to take care of you, not you take care of your gadgets,” says Charlie Greene, chief operating and technical officer of Powercast Corp. The Pittsburgh-based “over-the-air” power company is exhibiting this week in Las Vegas at CES, formerly the Consumer Electronics Show, demonstrating how devices such as electric toothbrushes and 3D printed medical-based wearables developed by the University of Arizona can be charged wirelessly by being placed within a few feet of a transmitter.
