Powercast & Nichicon seek to enable sustainable, maintenance-free devices
EP&T Magazine
Electronics Power Supply / Management Environmental battery environmental Nichicon power Powercast recyclableFirms integrate RF charging small Li-Ion battery in demo with small electronic devices
Powercast Corp., developers of wireless power innovations, and Nichicon, a global provider of rechargeable batteries, are collaborating to add radio frequency (RF) charging capabilities to Nichicon’s new Small Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) Rechargeable Batteries (SLBs).
To demonstrate how to design small, sustainable, rechargeable-battery-based devices that can reduce both disposable battery e-waste and expensive battery maintenance, the companies paired Powercast’s over-the-air RF wireless charging technology with Nichicon’s SLB, which together can fit into small devices such styluses, wireless thermometers, medical devices and IoT sensors.
Powercast’s over-the-air RF wireless charging technology pairs with Nichicon’s SLB in thin stylus demo. The combined technologies can fit into small, sustainable, rechargeable-battery-based devices. Source: Powercast
The companies created a stylus demo, which Nichicon will debut at the 2023 Arrow Technology Expo in Chicago on October 26th at the Stonegate Conference & Banquet Center.
Solve the environmental problem of disposable batteries
In the slim stylus demo, Powercast’s tiny receiving antenna and Powerharvester PCC110 RF-to-DC converter chip embedded in the stylus harvests RF sent over the air from Powercast’s Ubiquity transmitter, converting it to DC to wirelessly recharge Nichicon’s embedded SLB04255L040 battery. The battery then powers the flashlight LED at the end of the stylus, with RF technology recharging the battery when it’s not in use.
“Wirelessly-powered, sustainable devices help solve the environmental problem of disposable batteries that litter landfills and release toxins, and the inconvenience and expense of battery replacement,” said Charles Greene, PhD, COO and CTO of Powercast. “We are teaming with Nichicon, whose long-life rechargeable batteries can store the energy generated by Powercast Technology and repeatedly discharge it over and over as needed.”
“This collaborative effort allows companies to develop environmentally-friendly, small consumer and IoT devices that eliminate disposable batteries,” said Craig Anderson, president of Nichicon America. “Our vision is to make IoT and consumer device ecosystems more sustainable now and into the future.”
