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Some leaked data regarding the new iPhone 8 indicate that the phone might feature a wireless charging technology. Based on the data provided by a US Patent and Trademark filling, someday this technology might provide users the chance to charge their smartphone to a Wi-Fi router. The patent application of Apple contains more details about this charging technology.
The new patent application of Apple indicates that users will transfer power to electric devices over frequency used for data communications
The patent is called “Wireless, Charging and Communications Systems With Dual-Frequency Patch Antenna.” This represents a method which helps users transfer power to electronic gadgets over frequencies usually dedicated to data communications. The new technique pointed out the important of power transfer capabilities over any other appropriate wireless communications link that includes cellular between 700 MHz and 2700 MHz, and Wi-Fi which works at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
The claims in the Apple’s document will comply to wave 802.11 ad spectrum channels which are currently being used by the WiGig standard. The WiGig works with the 60 GHz frequency band. This new proposal targets the idea of developing wire-free charging coming from Wi-Fi routers to satellite signals and cellular nodes. The design of Apple asks for two devices, namely a receiver and a transmitter, to work with the conventional wireless charging method.
A similar charging technology is already in use with Apple’s AirPort routers
Each of these two devices has at least one antenna which is connected to wireless circuitry, being bound to deploy phase and magnitude modifications to received and transmitted signals. Hardware like this could be used in dynamic beam steering processes. Apple already uses this kind of technology in its AirPort routers. The latest model includes a beam-developing antenna array which directs the wireless signals towards a connected device, guaranteeing strong signals in any environment.
Current such iterations, just like Apple’s Watch’s inductive charging system, are designed for power transfer only, being limited to very short distances. Thus, Apple proposed many methods to extend the range. Besides the dual mode circuitry, the claims in the patent also include dual-frequency patch antennas that consist in beam developing layouts and dual polarization. Usually, patch antennas are made up of a rectangular and flat resonating item located over a massive metal ground plane structure.
Unfortunately, this patent application barely covers the theory regarding wireless charging using existing communications link frequencies. Do you think that more people would purchase an Apple smartphone if the wireless technology will soon be implemented for iPhones?
Image courtesy of: flickr
