Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technology is gaining popularity in many technologies due to limited energy resources and high-power consumption. In this article, an overview of possible applications and some of the WPT techniques for powering the Internet of things (IoT) devices wirelessly will be presented.
Rather than using standard cables, WPT technique can transmit energy from the power supply to the target through the air. Because many IoT devices use small, rechargeable batteries, charging a wireless battery would be very beneficial for a variety of reasons and this makes IoT charging devices without wires an ideal future technology. The ability to power IoT devices wirelessly is the subject of much new research and development.
This remarkable technique has the potential to change how we use energy in a variety of applications, including low-power wide-area networks, portable electronic devices, implanted medical devices, integrated circuits, electric vehicles, and more. WPT technology, in particular, is excellent for providing electrical power to IoT devices in confined environments since it allows users to relocate their devices freely within the wireless range. Furthermore, it provides a sleek and simple installation because there are no cables. The WPT technique has been considered a suitable option for the near future, especially for smart home applications, to energize electrically driven devices in specific zones, due to its amazing properties such as mobility and flexibility.
WPT technologies are extremely important because of basic battery-powered device challenges that limit their popularity, such as short battery life and high initial cost. Rather than waiting for energy storage technology to evolve, the WPT technique is receiving increasing attention to overcome the current technical problems of batteries.
There are several methods to achieve wireless power transfer such as magnetic resonant coupling, inductive coupling, radio and microwave energy transfer, laser beam transfer, and electrical conduction method, to name a few. There are other methods like these and all of them have their advantages and disadvantages.
It is obvious that research on WPT technology yields significant results, but there are still a number of issues to be addressed, including a low energy conversion rate, a lack of unified charging standards, biological safety concerns, the contradiction between the cost and the wireless charging market, and so on. There is no doubt that with the deepening of the research, the wireless power transmission technology will be more effective in usage.