London, England: The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has launched the Qi 1.0 standard in support of interoperable wireless inductive charging devices. The Qi standard will ensure that Qi battery-powered devices from different companies can power and charge on any Qi charging station. The consortium views interoperability as a key growth driver for the wireless charging market.
According to the WPC, Qi allows mobile-phone manufacturers to integrate wireless power receivers into communications transceivers. In addition, semiconductor manufacturers can incorporate this functionality into their devices. For infrastructure providers, Qi provides an opportunity to incorporate wireless chargers in homes, offices, automobiles, hotels, and furniture.
"Wireless charging has great potential to make charging easier for consumers," says Petri Vuori, Director, Mobile Solutions R&D, Nokia. "For full user benefit, a standard ensuring cross compatibility between different manufacturers' products is required. Qi low-power standard specification release 1.0 is a significant milestone in this direction." Sanyo has already developed battery packs with wireless power systems and developed transmitters that are equipped with a free-positioning function. In addition, Texas Instruments has said that it will support the standard by offering solutions to OEMs.