Freescale Semiconductor unveil three designs for wireless charging

Freescale Semiconductor announced today they have unveiled three designs for wireless charging that could change the way consumers power their energy hungry devices. This step has been taken due to continuous pressure for higher performance mobile devices, meaning the company has had to consider alternative methods for battery charging.

Freescale is introducing a wireless charging reference design for high-capacity, single- and multi-cell battery packs. Target applications for the wireless device include power tools, handheld radios and various industrial applications.

IMS Research projects that shipments of devices with wireless power will surpass 100 million in 2015, and the wireless power market will grow to nearly $5 billion by 2016. Electronics manufacturers are studying ways to implement wireless charging technology and the associated infrastructure necessary in locations including automobiles, coffee houses, airports and other public areas.

"Wireless charging frequently tops the lists of 'hot' features for future smart phones," said Geoff Lees, Vice President and General Manager of Freescale's Industrial & Multi-Market MCU business.

"Our three new reference designs offer wireless charging solutions for a range of battery-powered devices. Once wireless charging is broadly deployed in the public infrastructure, charging could become an afterthought for users," he added.

The reference design charges four Li-Ion battery packs simultaneously to deliver a total of 120 watts of power. The reference design consists of two main components: a transmitter mat and a receiver embedded into the battery packs.

For more information on the wirless charging market, see the latest research: Wirless Charging Market

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