NFC-based Wireless Charging

What is NFC?

NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It is a set of standards that allow two electronic devices to communicate when they are in close proximity with each other. While this technology has been around for a while, it has been gaining popularity recently. You probably come in contact with it every single day, be it through your smartphone, earbuds , credit cards, keycards and key fobs, or even some cars. NFC has multiple applications such as, the NFC chip in your phone allows you to do things like make payments with your phone or even unlock doors by tapping it on the door handle.

NFC wireless charging is a technology that allows you to charge your device wirelessly. It is based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. NFC technology is well known feature on a smartphone or on smartcards for data transfer as used for payment, and now it can be used to wirelessly charge small IoT devices like fitness watches, earbuds, styluses and other small consumer electronics, with one of the most visible applications being USI (Universal Stylus Initiative) Stylus Pen.

How does it work?

The most common way of implementing this technology is by embedding an NFC chip a small IoT device like a sensor or in future even in a mobile phone, and placing a corresponding coil under the surface of a desk or in a charger. When the two devices are brought close to each other, they exchange data and power wirelessly.

As many small consumer & IoT devices already have NFC antenna inside, only additional fine-tuning of the existing antenna would be needed apart from adding an NFC chip for controlling the charging controller.

Benefits

The advantage of this wireless charging technology is that with some adjustments, an NFC-enabled device can use the same antenna for both, communication and charging. This means that NFC wireless charging operates at the 13.56 MHz band and currently supports power transfer up to 1 Watt. NFC Charging is ideal technology for low-powered devices without batteries or batteries <500 mAh.

NFC Wireless Charging targets coexistence to already existing wireless charging standards by addressing different product applications.