Table of Contents
1. What Is the Certification for the International Standard of Wireless Power Transfer "Qi"?
Qi certification is conducted by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), an industry group for the Qi wireless charging standard. If a product passes the certification, it has achieved compatibility with other Qi-supported products and has consistent quality.
Therefore, products must pass this certification in order to be labeled as Qi certified and to display the Qi mark on the products. Without Qi certification, there is a concern that the product may have potential power transfer issues.
Alternatively, there are also wireless power transfer systems that operate on proprietary systems without complying with Qi standards. In such cases, there is no need for mutual authentication or special applications. ABLIC's wireless power transfer is a good example of this. It has specifications different from the Qi system and operates on its own protocol for power transfer, making it independent of Qi certification. If your product does not need to connect with third-party products, then it is wise to consider ABLIC's products, which allows for easy wireless power transfer without the need for extensive Qi certification. This option offers significant benefits by reducing the designer's time and effort, and minimizing overall cost.
2. Radio Act
As wireless power transfer systems utilize high-frequency equipment, some may have concerns about compliance with the Radio Act.
ABLIC's wireless power transfer system does not require any special applications for radio station installation and is not required to meet the technical standards compliance under the Radio Act in Japan.
Japan has concluded a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in the field of telecommunications equipment related to the Radio Act with European Union, Singapore, and the United States. Basically, these countries are not expected to require special applications following the Radio Act. Please refer to the Radio Act of each country for more details.
Contactless chargers that use electromagnetic induction are categorized as "high-frequency equipment" under the Radio Act in Japan. High-frequency equipment requires "installation permission" because unwanted radiation called "emission" can cause interference and noise, potentially affecting other wireless communications. However, there is an exception, for devices operating at 50W or less, no application for "installation permission" is required. ABLIC's wireless power transfer system operates below 1W, so it easily falls under this exception.
3. EMC
EMC stands for electromagnetic compatibility and is classified into EMI (Electromagnetic interference) and EMS (Electromagnetic susceptibility). It is mandatory for products to comply with the Radio Act of the countries where they are sold. Therefore, in addition to the Qi certification and special applications related to the Radio Act mentioned above, the product needs to pass EMC testing.
EMI
EMI (Electromagnetic interference) refers to "the emission of unwanted electromagnetic noise by electrical equipment into the surrounding environment."
Electrical equipment emitting electromagnetic noise can affect surrounding electrical equipment, degrade its performance, and cause malfunctions. Therefore, EMI countermeasures are an utmost requirement for the product.
EMS
EMS (Electromagnetic susceptibility) refers to "the ability of electrical equipment to operate without performance degradation caused by various external factors (noise)."
Electrical equipment may be affected by various devices in its vicinity, preventing it from functioning properly. Therefore, EMS countermeasures are also absolutely necessary for the product.
Try ABLIC's Wireless Power ICs
| All S-8471/3/4 Series | Receiver control IC, Transmitter control IC | ― |     |
| S-8471 Series | Receiver control IC | | |
| S-8473 Series | Receiver control IC with charge function | | |
| S-8474 Series | Transmitter control IC | |