Sony Patents Technology For Wireless Power Transfer Between Devices
Sony has patented tech to let you 'steal' battery power from nearby devices. Phones could search for power in a similar way to seeking out Wi-Fi hot spots. A chip with data transfer technology could enable power exchange wirelessly.
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| According to a patent application, Sony is looking to develop a new wireless charging technology for all types of consumer devices. |
Gone are the days when you needed to worry about charging your phone while on the move. It seems that Sony will finally make the process of charging phones wirelessly come true.
If a new patent application from the company is to be believed, to charge your phone, you will not have to carry power banks or charging cables. If your phone runs out of charge, all you need to do is charge it via any other handset!
Wireless charging is not a new concept and there have been several rumors of Apple developing wireless charging technology, which it may incorporate in its tenth anniversary iPhone 8.
However, according to a new patent filing that was published on USPTO, Sony for the first time will be using Near Field Communications (NFC) technology for wireless power exchange over a sizable distance between two devices.
According to the patent filing, this brilliant technology may not only be limited to phones. If the patent is to be believed, then Sony could apply this technology to things other electronic devices like microwaves, refrigerators, computers, television sets and any other consumer electronic (CE) appliances.
The patent under the title "Configuration of Data and Power Transfer in Near Field Communication" states that any CE device embedded with the NFC chip, will be able to search for other devices enabled with the similar technology. It will also be able to connect to it for power transfer, similar to the process in which a device searches for available Wi-Fi hotspots.
In its filing, Sony states that it has developed a method for wireless transferring of power and data between consumer devices. In layman terms, at first the wireless charging method identifies more than one antenna system. This includes at least a first antenna structure and a second antenna system.
Each of the antennas that have been recognized by the method need to be connected to individual CE devices. Each antenna structure connected to a CE device must include one or more communication antenna, as well as a power transfer antenna.
Through the graphical user interface (UI) of the CE devices, the user gets to know about these systems and in turn, gives instructions for configuration for a subsequent power transfer.
Although the patent states in detail how the technology will work between two devices, it does not detail the distance over which it may function smoothly.
"The distances over which the wireless communication can be achieved is typically consistent with distances used for wireless electrical power transfer through the power transfer antenna," stated Sony's patent filing.
Source : techtimes.com & dailymail.co.uk
