Rohde & Schwarz showcased a proof‑of‑concept for testing far‑field wireless power systems at the IEEE Wireless Power Technology Conference and Expo (WPTCE) in Kyoto, Japan.
The radio frequency (RF) wireless power tester (WPT) developed by the company uses the company’s test and measurement equipment and wireless charging development kits available on the market. It also includes test automation features and a user‑friendly web interface. With this setup, the prototype matches the AirFuel Alliance RF Standard.
“Today, we have over 15 billion connected IoT devices, yet we still power them manually. At the very least, low‑power IoT devices should be powered over‑the‑air and without human interaction,” said Dr.-Ing. Rania Morsi, Head of the WPT project at Rohde & Schwarz.
“We clearly see that wireless RF energy can meet this need, offering a maintenance‑free solution that provides power on demand to multiple devices – even when the devices are in use or in motion,” she added.
RF wireless powering is a contactless power transfer technology that enables multiple devices to be powered simultaneously within several meters of the power source. This eliminates the need for wires and the hassle of maintaining batteries.
The Rohde & Schwarz WPT system supports the AirFuel Alliance Conformance Test Specification for RF charging. The test setup comprises the R&S SMB100B RF and microwave signal generator, R&S FSV3000 signal and spectrum analyser and R&S NGU source measure unit (SMU) used as a battery emulator, along with two R&S HMC8012 digital multimeters. The entire system can be controlled and automated via a web interface.
“The WPT will enable companies to test and validate conformance to the AirFuel RF standard and accelerate the deployment of interoperable RF wireless power solutions,” concluded Dr. Sanjay Gupta, President and Chairman of AirFuel Alliance.
Featured image by Rohde & Schwarz
