Various technologies that will release from the act of "looking for an outlet for charging"

ByAlexandra Schwarz

Many mobile terminals are blending in everyday life, such as smart phones, tablets, notebook PCs, portable game machines and music players, but the battery level is always a worry for those who use them. There are many people who have experience of wandering around searching for outlets on the go, as the battery of the mobile terminal has run out. Make such a mobile terminal "Technology that can charge without an outletIT related news siteQuartzIt is summarized.

Mobile devices of the future will energy from everywhere except the wall socket - Quartz
http://qz.com/180484/mobile-devices-of-the-future-will-get-energy-from-everywhere-except-the-wall-socket/


◆Thermoelectric


When two kinds of metals are connected and two contacts are set to different temperatures, a potential difference occurs and current is generated. This phenomenon is called thermal electricity.

Utilizing this phenomenon, a major European wireless operatorOrange, Boots equipped with a thermoelectric panel on the sole part to charge the mobile phone "Power Wellies"Vodafone can apply smartphones by applying thermoelectric technology"Sleeping bag and hot pantsOr released it.

The nuance is slightly different, but the smartphone can be charged with the thermal energy of the drinkEpiphany on E PuckThere is also a device which changes the inert gas inside the device at the temperature of the drink and moves the internal piston to generate electric power. Although the principle is different from thermoelectricity, it is based on the idea that both the power generator applying thermoelectric and the Epiphany on E Puck convert the change of temperature into energy.


It is relatively easy to generate electricity from heat by applying thermal electricity. However, this is not an efficient power supply method at the present time, and at the present, even if materials optimal for thermoelectricity are used, it is the limit that electric power is used as 15 to 20% of the heat source. In the first place, it is impossible to extract more than 30% of the heat source as electric power with thermal electricity.

In thermoelectricity, the greater the temperature difference between the two contacts, the more electric power is obtained. Therefore, even if a charging device applying thermoelectric technology is incorporated in a smartphone, for example, if the temperature of the outside air is close to the body temperature, You can not get it. So, Epiphany on E Puck 's idea of ​​using hot coffee, which is much hotter than the human body temperature as a power source, is quite good internally, but it is a matter of being waiting in front of coffee until charging is complete, Given the necessity of maintaining coffee all the time hot, it seems that it is hard to say that this is also the best way to power mobile terminals.

In this way, since thermoelectricity has a weak point that energy recovery rate is low, it seems that it is not suitable as a charging method though it consumes a large amount of electricity. However, it seems to be an optimum power source for mobile terminals that can operate with low power, such as medical equipment to be implanted in the body and fitness equipment for measuring body temperature and heart rate. In addition, Quartz developed by Wake forest university as a promising technology among thermoelectric technologiesPower FeltAnd it is said that if it evolves it may be able to become a power source for something like a smartphone.


◆Piezoelectric phenomenon


Piezoelectric phenomenon is a phenomenon in which electric charge is generated when pressure is applied to a specific substance, which is particularly pronounced in quartz.

Keyboard that applied piezoelectric phenomenon in 1989PatentAlthough it is recognized, unless a method to amplify the electric power generated by this is devised,Just entering the keyboard can supply PC power, It is impossible to develop a device like a dream that is called.

ByNicolas Nova

Unlike thermal electricity piezoelectric phenomenon has no theoretical limit on energy recovery rate. And some ceramic materials are capable of generating electric charge from wider band vibration, but the disadvantage of this method seems to be the part "it is easy to break down and not flexible to incorporate in mobile terminals" is.

In this way, in the piezoelectric phenomenon, the strength of the material to which pressure is applied is a big problem, but there is a method to change the structure of the substance as a solution to that. Dr. Xudong Wang of the University of Wisconsin,Sponge-like piezoelectric materialIt is said that it will be able to be used as the power of a mobile phone by making an improvement to this. Dr. Wang said that if a mobile phone wrapped in a sponge-like piezoelectric material is placed in the dashboard of a car, it may become possible to supply a sufficient amount of electric power to operate the terminal I am talking.

◆ Biomechanical energy


A biomechanical device is a device that transforms the movement of the human body into electric power with a small electric generator and generates electric power from bending and stretching motion of the knee when walking. At the moment there are no power plants that apply biomechanics to the general market,Bionic PowerLike PowerWalk, there are also knee races that can generate electricity if you walk with it installed. According to Bionic Power's website, if we walk around roughly one hour with PowerWalk installed, we can generate enough power to charge four mobile phones. Also, although bicycle power generation is not strictly a biomechanical technique, this is also a technology to convert exercise into electricity, such as supplying power to lights and speedometers.


It is best to incorporate a biomechanical device into clothes usually worn, etc. It is best to generate electricity without causing any problems in everyday life, but to complicate matters, it is troublesome to get power with a biomechanical device Walking And some human movements such as riding a bicycle become necessary, so it seems that it is impossible for a person working in the office to work towards a desk to generate too much electric power. However, invented by Larry Rome of the University of PennsylvaniaBackpackQuartz points out that devices such as those mentioned above may become popular in the future.


◆ Solar panel


And it was the solar panel that came up as the final candidate for technology that might release mobile terminals from outlets. Can be charged with sunlight even in JapanSolar cell phoneWas sold in 2009, docomo andSoftBank mobileAs sold also from the mobile terminal, it is possible to incorporate the solar panel. Even without incorporating it in the terminalChangersThere are things like charging the rechargeable battery with a solar panel like the one like.

However, for power generation in solar panelsThe limit of Shockray · QuicerAccording to this, energy efficiency can not exceed 32.7% regardless of any semiconductor used for the panel. In addition, when incorporating a solar panel in a mobile terminal, be aware that various problems such as space problems, how long it takes time to generate electricity, the angle of the sun at power generation, etc. will be intertwined You can not.

ByGr33n 3g

There are some problems with solar panels but rumors are being rumored from AppleIWatch is equipped with a solar charging function, It may be thought that it is a future that is not so far that the solar charging function will be built into the mobile terminal.