How Inductive Charging with Qi Works
Qi is the new universal standard for inductive charging. It’s a common language for inductive chargers and devices to talk to one another. So any device with a Qi-enabled accessory or with Qi built directly into it can charge on any Qi inductive charging pad.
Inductive charging is what happens when two devices—one designed to send power and the other designed to receive it—touch one another and energy is transferred between them. Until today, these two devices had to be designed specifically for each other. But Qi changes all that.
Think back to the first time you heard of Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi™. Just like those technologies set the standard for hands-free and Internet connections, Qi is how everyone will use inductive charging in the future. Established by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), Qi allows you to universally charge your Qi-enabled smartphones, cameras, mp3 players and anything else that uses up to 5W without directly plugging in those devices. We anticipate Qi will be widely adopted by consumer electronics device manufacturers and other members of the WPC, providing you with the freedom to charge all Qi-enabled devices on a single charging station without multiple cords and eventually without accessories.
Because Qi is the next generation of inductive charging.
Wireless Power Consortium
Qi was created by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), an international cooperation of companies that came together with the common belief that all portable electronic devices should have global compatibility.
Energizer® is an associate member of the WPC and is proud to have helped shape the future of worldwide inductive charging with Qi.
Chances are you’ve never heard of the WPC, but there’s an even greater chance that you do use its members' products every day. WPC members provide goods and services across many different fields, from companies that run wireless telephone services to those that manufacturer phones, smartphones, cameras, music players and other everyday electronics.
With the WPC more than doubling in size in 2010, we’re on the verge of a Qi charging revolution. As all current and future WPC members start adopting the global standard, it won’t be long before we see Qi—the next generation of inductive charging—built directly into many devices.
Read more about the WPC, its members and its mission at www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com.
A Deeper Understanding of Inductive Charging and Qi
If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t need all the details, you can skip ahead to see which devices already have Qi and what Qi can do for you in the future. Because we’re about to get technical.
Inductive charging is the next generation of intelligent charging. By using an electromagnetic field to transfer energy, charging pads are able to intelligently communicate back and forth with the devices they’re charging.
First, a transmitter awaits a signal from a receiver that it needs power. When it detects a receiver, the transmitter sends electricity through a transmitting coil, creating an electromagnetic field with a specific frequency. The receiving coil, designed to accept energy at that frequency, then turns that energy into something we all need, more battery life. When the receiver’s battery is full, the receiving coil tells the transmitter to stop sending energy, effectively telling the transmitter to standby. Devices talking intelligently to one another over beams of energy may not be flying cars, but it’s still pretty futuristic.
Just as inductive charging is the first generation of intelligent charging, Qi is the next generation. Before Qi, not all transmitters and receivers were designed to work together. They didn’t all speak the same language. This is why the Wireless Power Consortium came together and made Qi the universal standard for inductive charging. Now, with Qi Inductive Charging, all Qi-enabled devices that need up to 5 watts of power have coils that transmit and receive the same frequency. So now and in the future, any Qi-enabled device will work with any Qi charger.
That’s the power of Qi. That’s charging into the future.