Powercast, the one-stop-shop for all things wireless power, and Nichicon, a world leader in manufacturing electronic components, are collaborating to add radio frequency (RF) charging capabilities to Nichicon’s new Small Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) Rechargeable Batteries (SLBs).
To demonstrate how to design small, sustainable, rechargeable-battery-based devices that can reduce both disposable battery e-waste and expensive battery maintenance, the companies paired Powercast’s over-the-air RF wireless charging technology with Nichicon’s SLB, which together can fit into small devices such styluses, wireless thermometers, medical devices and IoT sensors.
The companies created a stylus demo, which Nichicon will debut at the 2023 Arrow Technology Expo in Chicago on October 26th at the Stonegate Conference & Banquet Center.
In the slim stylus demo, Powercast’s tiny receiving antenna and Powerharvester PCC110 RF-to-DC converter chip embedded in the stylus harvests RF sent over the air from Powercast’s Ubiquity transmitter, converting it to DC to wirelessly recharge Nichicon’s embedded SLB04255L040 battery. The battery then powers the flashlight LED at the end of the stylus, with RF technology recharging the battery when it’s not in use.
“Wirelessly-powered, sustainable devices help solve the environmental problem of disposable batteries that litter landfills and release toxins, and the inconvenience and expense of battery replacement,” said Charles Greene, PhD, COO and CTO of Powercast. “We are teaming with Nichicon, whose long-life rechargeable batteries can store the energy generated by Powercast Technology and repeatedly discharge it over and over as needed.”
“This collaborative effort allows companies to develop environmentally-friendly, small consumer and IoT devices that eliminate disposable batteries,” said Craig Anderson, President of Nichicon America. “Our vision is to make IoT and consumer device ecosystems more sustainable now and into the future.”
About Powercast:
Powercast Corporation is the one-stop-shop for all things wireless power, short to long range and microwatts to kilowatts, with the industry’s broadest technology offering covered by over 300 patents worldwide. Since founding in 2003, Powercast has led the industry in RF wireless power innovations that meet FCC and other global standards, and recently added inductive/resonant solutions to its product portfolio after forging a partnership with Powermat. Powercast’s technologies eliminate or reduce the need for wires and batteries, curtailing waste in our landfills. Our collaborative approach and expertise in all wireless aspects, from concept and design through prototyping and mass production, has resulted in many applications, extensive commercial success in both industrial and consumer applications, and over 20 million units shipped.
About Nichicon:
Nichicon Corporation, established in 1950, is a prominent Japanese company specializing in electrical components. Since then, Nichicon has grown into one of the world’s leading capacitor manufacturers, renowned for its high-quality products and innovative technologies. The company’s extensive product portfolio encompasses various types of capacitors, including aluminum electrolytic capacitors, film capacitors, and electric double-layer capacitors. Recently, Nichicon introduced its first battery project, the new Nichicon SLB battery. One of Nichicon’s main goals is to promote the SLB in IoT ecosystems as a new and innovative alternative to traditional power sources. www.nichiconbattery.com
The companies’ combined wireless power technologies reduce emissions and battery and cable e-waste, and optimize water conservation and farming operations
Powercast and Powermat proudly announce that their wireless power partnership was awarded Sustainability Initiative of the Year in Business Intelligence Group’s 2023 Sustainability Awards program, for the companies’ joint efforts to promote sustainability through wireless power.
The two pioneers of wireless power — Powercast with long-range, over-the-air RF technology, and Powermat who brought short-range Inductive charging to smartphones, cars and coffee shops — recently partnered creating one team that can implement sustainable and environmentally-friendly designs across the entire spectrum of wireless power, short to long range and microwatts up to 600 watts.
The companies’ combined wireless power technologies improve sustainability in multiple ways. They:
or none at all.“This partnership saves customers from having to research which power solution is the best fit. Now, no matter the application, this cohesive entity can make sure the best solution is applied. In addition, this alliance provides full engineering and design support across the entire spectrum, from concept to prototyping, all the way to production and delivery of end product if needed. We are a wirelesspower one-stop-shop, regardless of application,” said Charles Goetz, CEO of Powercast. “This is a first-of-its kind convenience for our customers.”
“As partners, we believe wireless charging of otherwise gas-powered EVs is a key to reducing emissions and conserving energy,” said Kfir Abuhatzira, Powermat’s CEO. “Wireless charging can also make a huge environmental impact by reducing e-waste, saving hundreds of millions of batteries and cables from ending up in our landfills.”
Optimized for different applications, the companies’ technologies differ in strength/transfer distance, and together cover the entire spectrum of wireless power: Powercast’s RF transmitters and receivers can transfer power over distances up to 120 feet, but deliver low power levels. This technology is designed for one-to-many charging of low-power consumer and industrial devices in hard-to-reach locations where wiring/battery replacement is prohibitive, like IoT sensor networks. Additional devices include home-automation sensor networks, TV remotes, electric toothbrushes, headphones and more.
like telecom, robotics, micro-mobility, medical devices, and underwater charging.Powercast and Powermat share a vision of a 100% wireless future, where people and machines enjoy 100% freedom from traditional wall-tethered power transfer methods.
The ultimate goal is to create true wireless freedom through an ecosystem of connected transmitters and receivers, both in the public and private domain, which provide people, products and machines the ability to move around freely with seamless access to power.
Leverages Powermat’s high-power, short-range SmartInductive technology and Powercast’s low-power, long-range RF technology and engineering/productization expertise to create one destination for all things wireless power
PITTSBURGH and TEL AVIV, Israel, June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Two of the world’s pioneers of wireless power technology, Powercast with its long-range over-the-air RF (radio-frequency) technology, and Powermat with its SmartInductive™ hybrid inductive/resonance technology, are partnering to create one team that can implement both short and long-range wireless power designs optimized for each customer’s application. Additionally, the partnership will leverage Powercast’s engineering and productization services to support customers as needed from proof of concept to prototyping to production.
Both companies’ wireless power technologies enable more convenient, sustainable, environmentally-friendly, untethered devices that cut the cords, and use rechargeable batteries or no batteries at all to eliminate battery e-waste and battery replacement hassles. The two companies share a vision of a world where power is ubiquitous, wire-free, and seamlessly accessible. Powercast (booth #840) and Powermat (booth #805) will discuss their partnership and the world of wireless power at Sensors Converge in Santa Clara, CA, June 20 – 22, 2023.
“The convenience of a one-stop-wireless-power-shop has not existed before,” said Charles Goetz, CEO of Powercast. “First, since our partnership covers the entire spectrum of wireless power, customers can ditch researching solutions themselves and relax knowing we’ll recommend the best fit for them. Second, whether you’re a start-up or Fortune 500, our productization team can help reduce costs and speed time to market.”
“Our IP licensing business model has been successful as our technology is embedded in 800 million smartphones and charging surfaces in 8 million cars, and in 40 million devices like robots, e-bikes, and IoT and medical devices,” said Kfir Abuhatzira, Powermat’s CEO. “But we are excited to be able to expand our services by partnering with Powercast whose dedicated design, engineering and manufacturing division can help customers wanting productization support.”
The Powermat and Powercast partnership covers entire spectrum of wireless power:
Both companies’ transmitters (Tx) send energy to receivers (Rx) that convert it into power, but they differ in strength and transfer distance so fit different applications. Powermat’s SmartInductive Tx and Rx must closely align (within 8 inches), but can transfer large amounts of power (5 to 600 Watts). Powercast’s RF Tx and Rx can transfer power over distance (up to 120 feet), but deliver lower power levels ranging from 100s of milliwatts to single digit microwatts depending on distance.
Powermat’s high-power SmartInductive hybrid inductive/resonance technology enables scalable wireless power applications capable of penetrating eight inches of wall and windows, and is offered in reference design platforms ranging from 5-Watt consumer grade applications to 600-Watt industrial grade applications like telecom, robotics, micro-mobility, medical devices, and more.
Powercast’s RF technology is designed for low-power consumer and industrial devices that need freedom of placement, and often operate in hard-to-reach places such as IoT sensor networks where wiring and battery replacement would be difficult. RF also enables one-to-many charging, meaning one Tx can charge many enabled devices in its charging zone. Additional device examples include home automation sensor networks, TV remotes, electric toothbrushes, headphones and smart watches.
Nichicon, a world leader in manufacturing electronic components, and Powercast Corporation, the leader in radio-frequency (RF)-based over-the-air wireless power technology, are collaborating to add RF charging capabilities to Nichicon’s new series of Small Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) Rechargeable Batteries (SLBs). The companies’ technologies combine to wirelessly power sustainable, maintenance-free, rechargeable-battery-based IoT devices and networks. Both Nichicon (booth #729) and Powercast (booth #840) will demonstrate the solution at Sensors Converge in Santa Clara, CA, June 20 – 22, 2023.
“The ability to power green, sustainable devices can solve the main problem IoT deployments face – battery replacement,” said Charles Greene, PhD, COO and CTO of Powercast. “We are teaming with Nichicon whose long-life rechargeable batteries can store the energy generated by Powercast Technology and repeatedly discharge it over and over as needed.”
“This collaborative effort allows companies to develop environmentally-friendly smart home IoT ecosystems that eliminate disposable batteries,” said Craig Anderson, President of Nichicon America. “Our vision is to make IoT more sustainable now and into the future.”
The result of Powercast’s initiative to slash RF transmitting technology costs, the Ubiquity transmitter ushers in homes of the future where convenient, contactless power can become ubiquitous
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Powercast Corporation, the leader in radio-frequency (RF)-based over-the-air wireless power technology, has unveiled its Ubiquity transmitter, an ultra-low-cost RF power transmitter which was selected as a CES 2023 Innovation Award Honoree in three categories:
Designed to be the industry’s most economical RF wireless transmitter, Powercast has lowered the barrier to entry where RF wireless power can actually become ubiquitous with multiple RF transmitters covering every home. Ubiquity will be on display in Powercast’s booth #52311 at the Venetian Expo in the Smart Home Marketplace during CES 2023 in Las Vegas, January 5 – 8, 2023.
“Powercast’s vision is to see a low-cost RF transmitter in every room in every house,” said Charles Goetz, CEO at Powercast. “Much like Wi-Fi routers, a home will need multiple RF transmitters to provide enough RF coverage where convenient, contactless, ‘set it and forget it’ wireless charging becomes a reality. So, we slashed costs and are sharing our Ubiquity design via a reference design with a low $5 bill of material cost, or an embeddable module, that lets manufacturers easily incorporate RF transmitting capability into their own products to accelerate RF transmitter networks in homes.”
Powercast’s over-the-air wireless power architecture has two sides: 1) a transmitter sends RF over the air, and 2) a receiver embedded in end devices harvests that RF from the air and converts it into DC (direct current) to both communicate data, and power devices.
On the transmitter side, Powercast’s Ubiquity will come in several forms, all able to both charge RF-enabled devices and communicate data back and forth with them throughout a home:
On the receiving side, manufacturers can embed Powercast’s tiny Powerharvester® PCC110 receiver chip and a small antenna into their end devices for around $1 to enable them to work with an RF transmitter – either Powercast’s standalone Ubiquity, or RF-transmitting products created using the Ubiquity embeddable module or reference design.
This wireless power-over-distance architecture is perfect for charging low-power devices with continuous, reliable, background trickle charging. End device examples include TV remotes, electric toothbrushes, keyboards and mice, game controllers, earbuds, headphones, smart watches, fitness bands, hearing aids, clocks, electric shavers, home automation devices and many more devices.
Powercast’s Director of Research and Development Jason Gill explained, “The volumes are in the consumer electronics market, but it’s also price sensitive. In response to these manufacturers’ requests for a sustainable, ultra-low-cost wireless charging solution, our engineers perfected the highly-efficient, single-antenna Ubiquity design that can both transmit power and communicate data. Manufacturers can create environmentally-friendly, RF-powered ecosystems using either rechargeable batteries or no batteries, both of which eliminate disposable battery e-waste and battery replacement hassles.”
The Ubiquity transmitter can output up to 1W (3W EIRP) and automatically charges multiple RF-enabled devices that come into its charging zone – no charging mats needed. Power-hungry devices charge faster within several feet of the transmitter, while ultra-low-power devices like IoT sensors can charge up to 120 feet.
“The far-field wireless power transmitter semiconductor market will soon see a steep growth trajectory with most revenue coming from the consumer market,” said Phil Solis, research director at IDC. “On the receiver side, the consumer market will be the largest segment by 2024 and the vast majority of revenue by 2025. Low-cost solutions are necessary to enable the many devices in the home that can benefit from wireless power.”
The licensable Ubiquity reference design is expected in February 2023. The Ubiquity module and transmitter are expected in June 2023.
Powercast’s Booth #52311 Demonstrates the Home of the Future with RF Wireless Power Everywhere:
Representing the living room and bathroom of the future, Powercast will demo a distributed network of Ubiquity RF transmitters that keep RF-enabled devices working throughout the home. Devices include electric toothbrushes, TV remotes, game controllers, automatic faucets, smart home sensors (water leak, plant moister, thermostats), wall clocks and more.
“RF technology enables a fundamental change in the way our bathroom works,” said Charles Greene, Ph.D., COO and CTO of Powercast. “One transmitter charges all low-power devices like toothbrushes and shavers. RF-powered products eliminate cords around water and hence the chance for electric shock. RF also eliminates the inconveniences of the electric toothbrush – no more dock to accumulate grime, and no more need for batteries that often corrode from water seeping in.”
Episode 7 of the “Powered by Powercast” video series explains why the bathroom is ideal for RF-wirelessly-charged products.
To meet with Powercast, see this award-winning technology in action, and keep up with company news, visit https://www.powercastco.com/ces-2023/.
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 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.www.powercastco.com
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.
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.
Industry leader in RF wireless power sees record growth in 2021 as demand for wireless power and environmentally-friendly alternatives to disposable batteries gain momentum
Las Vegas, NV, CES – January 3, 2022 – Powercast announced it will showcase an array of new, batteryless products that are powered by the company’s signature radio-frequency (RF)-based long-range over-the-air wireless power technology at CES 2022, booth #52908. The company also announced a record year in customer and revenue growth driven by the demand for wireless power – a market expected to reach $25.9 billion by 2027 – and demand for sustainable product designs that keep disposable batteries out of landfills. Powercast helps its partners create environmentally-friendly electronic devices either with rechargeable batteries that can be recharged by RF, or with no batteries at all that can be directly powered by RF.
Wirelessly-powered partner products displayed at CES will include: 1) 3D printed wearables that monitor biomedical signals for at-home diagnosis and athletic training, developed by University of Arizona researchers, and 2) an all-in-one robotic retail price-changing system combining Powercast’s immortal batteryless electronic shelf label (ESL) and Badger Technologies’ autonomous robots, among others.
