充電器或難逃被淘汰命運 無線充電技術將成主流

Last month, it was revealed that Toyota had plans to release a plug-in electric Prius in 2016 that needed no plug at all to recharge, thanks to wireless technology from a U.S. company called WiTricity. The next day, Intel announced plans to release a completely wire-free personal computer by 2016—no power cord, no monitor cable, nothing. Nine days later, Starbucks announced that it would begin installing Duracell Powermat wireless charging pads in tables and counters in its stores across the United States.

據媒體7月報道，豐田公司（Toyota）計劃在2016年推出一款全新的混合動力版普銳斯（Prius）電動車，其特別之處在於，這款新車將完全不需要“插電”就能充電，這還要感謝一家名叫WiTricity的美國公司開發的無線充電技術。就在這條消息曝光後的次日，英特爾公司（Intel）也宣佈將在2016年以前推出一款完全不需要任何電線的個人電腦，也就是說既不需要電源線，也不需要顯示器連接線。9天后，星巴克（Starbucks）不甘落後地宣佈，該公司將在美國的所有星巴克門店桌子和櫃檯上安裝Duracell Powermat公司的無線充電平板。

For wireless charging technology, the news headlines in June were, well, rather electric. (This is the part where you groan.)

對於無線充電技術來說，今年六月發佈的種種消息，的確是讓人挺“來電”的。

Look more closely, though, and you’ll notice that wireless charging tech is poised to break through in the next few years, dramatically changing our relationship with our increasingly mobile, but still tethered, electronic devices. Thoratec, a healthcare company, is working with WiTricity on a wireless way to charge heart pumps and other medical equipment. Lockheed Martin, the aerospace and defense giant, is working on a laser-based system to recharge drones in mid-flight. The list goes on.

不過如果你對這個行業觀察得更深入的話，你會發現，我們今天的電子設備雖然移動化程度越來越高，但終究還是離不開一根電線。而無線充電技術卻將在未來幾年裏顯著地改變我們與各種電子設備的關係。醫療器械公司Thoratec目前正在與WiTricity公司合作研究給人工心臟和其他醫療設備無線充電的方法。國防航天巨頭洛克希德馬丁公司（Lockheed Martin）也正在開發一套鐳射系統，用來給飛行中的無人機充電。其他從事無線充電技術研究的公司還有很多。

The wireless power market is expected to explode from a $216 million in 2013 to $8.5 billion in 2018 globally, according to IHS Technology, a market research firm. Why, then, are most of us still wrestling with a pile of cords at home?

據市調機構IHS科技公司的數據預測，全球無線充電市場的規模有望從2013年的2.16億美元飆升至2018年的85億美元。那麼我們大多數人何必還要在家裏放一大堆充電器呢？

“The reality is that the overall wireless charging market for consumer electronics is in the very early stages,” says Kamil Grajski, vice president of engineering at Qualcomm and the founding president of the Alliance for Wireless Power, or A4WP for short, one of three groups working on the development of wireless charging technologies.

高通公司（Qualcomm）的工藝副總裁、無線電源聯盟（A4WP）的創始人兼總裁卡米爾o格拉吉斯基指出：“現實中，消費電子產品的無線充電市場總體上還處於非常初級的階段。”格拉吉斯基創立的無線電源聯盟是從事無線充電技術研發的三大組織之一。

Induction, the technology behind wireless charging, isn’t new—it’s been around for well over a hundred years. Here’s how it works: an induction coil creates an electromagnetic field (on a charging dock of some kind) that comes in contact with another induction coil (attached to the device to be charged), transferring electricity to it. It’s the same process used to juice up your electric toothbrush in its charging stand, Grajski says.

電磁感應作爲無線充電的基礎技術，早就不是什麼新鮮事物了，它已經存在了足有100多年，其原理如下：首先，充電座上的電磁感應線圈會形成一個電磁場，這個磁場與另外一個電磁感應線圈接觸後（這個線圈一般連接在需要充電的設備上），就會向其輸送電力。格拉吉斯基表示，它的工作原理跟用充電座給你的電動牙刷充電沒什麼不同。

But induction technology has limitations that have limited its mainstream appeal. It only allows for a single device to be charged per coil, making it clunky and relatively inefficient in today’s multi-device world, and it requires precise placement of the device to be charged so that the coils are aligned in order to initiate and sustain the charging process.

不過電磁感應技術也有缺點，使它難以成爲一種主流技術。首先，每個電磁感應線圈只能給一臺設備充電，因此在如今多設備並存的社會中不免顯得低效、不便。其次，它需要你把設備的位置放得很準確，才能讓線圈啓動和保持充電程序。

Proponents of inductive technology like Ran Poliakine, chief executive of Powermat, believe the key to increasing adoption of wireless charging lies not in figuring out the fastest or most efficient connection, but in making the technology available to people where they need it most. “The issue we are trying to address is how do we keep consumers charged throughout the day,” he says. “The barrier to entry was relevancy. Where do we put the charging spots?” He added: “The place you mostly need this service is outside your home and your office.”

電磁感應技術的支持者，比如Powermat公司的CEO蘭o波利亞凱恩等，都認爲推廣無線充電技術的關鍵，並不在於怎樣實現最快速或最有效的連接，而在於如何讓人們在最需要的地方用上它。波利亞凱恩表示：“我們試圖解決的問題是，如何讓消費者整天都能充電。最大的阻礙就是關聯性，我們應該把充電點放在哪裏？”他補充道：“你最需要這項服務的地方，是在家或辦公室以外的地方。”

He has a point. Placing charging stations in Starbucks locations is one way to do that, saving customers from the inevitable outlet search that comes with a drawn-out session at the café. Placement in airports and hotels, also in the works at Powermat, are two more ways. (One thing people may not know about Powermat’s charging stations: when used in conjunction with a cloud-based management system the company provides, a retailer can monitor who is at which station and for how long. Which means Starbucks could either give you the boot for squatting for six hours or beam you a coupon for a free refill to keep you there.)

他說的很有道理。把充電點放在星巴克的門店裏不失爲一個好辦法，至少可以避免消費者在咖啡廳里長聊時不得不到處找電源插口。另外我們也可以把它放在機場、酒店或Powermat的充電站裏。（大家可能不知道Powermat充電站的一個功能，如果它與該公司提供的一套基於雲端的管理系統協同使用的話，那麼一家零售店就可以監測誰在哪個充電站待了多久。也就是說星巴克可以選擇讓你在那兒坐六個小時，或給你發送一張免費續杯的優惠券把你留引過來。）

Another reason for the technology’s slow adoption? A good old-fashioned standards war between industry groups. The Power Matters Alliance, or PMA, backs one type of induction standard and counts Duracell, Procter & Gamble, Qualcomm, and WiTricity as members. The Wireless Power Consortium, or WPC, backs an induction standard called Qi (pronounced chee) and counts Hitachi, IKEA and Verizon as members. Some companies, such as Microsoft and Samsung, are members of both groups.

電磁感應充電技術推廣較慢的另一個原因，則是兩大陣營之間爆發的標準之爭。其一是電力事業聯盟（PMA），代表成員包括金霸王（Duracell）、寶潔（Procter & Gamble）、高通和WiTricity等。其二是無線充電聯盟（WPC），該聯盟支持一套叫做“Qi”的標準，日立（Hitachi）、宜家（IKEA）、威瑞森（Verizon）等都是它的成員。但有些公司同時加入了兩大陣營，比如微軟（Microsoft）和三星（Samsung）等。

The two standards use what is essentially the same technology but apply it with different specifications, creating problems for the companies that must embed the technology in their products. According to John Perzow, vice president of market development for WPC, 63 phones on the market today support the Qi standard, including those from Nokia, Google, and Sony. Meanwhile, Google Nexus and LG phones, among others, will have Powermat compatibility built into them.

這兩大標準基本上使用的是相同的技術，但技術規格不同，導致企業在產品中嵌入無線充電技術時往往會因爲標準問題傷腦筋。據WPC的市場開發副總裁約翰o珀爾澤表示，當前市場上63款手機支持Qi標準，包括諾基亞（Nokia）、谷歌（Google）和索尼（Sony）旗下的部分機型。同時谷歌的Nexus和LG旗下的部分機型則兼容Powerbat的充電標準。

To up the ante, Powermat has plans to give away free “charging rings,” similar to those made by the Finnish firm PowerKiss it acquired last year, to Starbucks customers to encourage them to use in-store chargers. (It plans to sell them at retail for less than $10.) Meanwhile, the PMA struck a deal with A4WP in February to support its Rezence standard, which uses another kind of wireless charging technology called magnetic resonance.

Powermat公司還計劃向星巴克的顧客免費發放能連接店內充電器的“無線充電環”。這種充電環有點像Powermat去年收購的芬蘭公司PowerKiss的產品，目前的計劃零售價還不到10美元。另外PMA今年二月與A4WP達成了一項支持其Rezence標準的協議，Rezence標準使用了另一種叫做“磁共振”的技術。

Both industry groups look to magnetic resonance technology as the likely second-generation standard for wireless charging, thanks to its ability to transfer larger quantities of energy and therefore support larger devices such as kitchen appliances. (The WPC says it is working on its own version of the tech.) The wireless PC that Intel demonstrated at Computex last month—you can see it in a video here—uses the Rezence standard.

兩大行業組織PMA和A4WP都認爲，磁共振很有可能將成爲無線充電技術的第二代標準，因爲磁共振可以傳輸更多的電力，足以爲廚房用具等用電量更大的設備充電。（WPC則表示它也正在開發自己的磁共振技術。）英特爾上月在臺北國際電腦展上展示的無線PC也正是使用了Rezence的標準。

Magnetic resonance technology relies on resonant magnetic coupling, which creates a magnetic field around each coil that transfers power without having to align coils precisely. It can charge a device across small distances (about two inches) rather than requiring near-direct contact—a table can be retrofit with a charging pad attached underneath it instead of embedded in its surface.

磁共振技術主要依賴電磁共振耦合原理，它會在每個線圈周圍形成一個能夠傳輸電力的磁場，不需要對線圈進行精確排列。另外它還可以隔着一段較小的距離進行無線充電（大概兩英寸），不需要讓設備與充電器直接接觸。因此你可以把充電板鑲嵌在桌子底下，而不是放在桌面上。

Magnetic resonance also allows more than one device to be charged at the same time. The Rezence standard uses the Bluetooth connection already present in many mobile electronics to detect the presence of a compatible charger. The technology is not yet on the market, but Grajski anticipates products using Rezence could be seen in stores as soon as this year. “Some of the barriers are just getting the right players in industry to adopt the technology and make it available at a reasonable price,” he says.

磁共振技術的另一個優點，是可以同時支持一臺以上設備充電。Rezence標準就利用了很多手機都具備的藍牙功能，來搜索能夠與手機兼容的充電器。目前這項技術還沒上市，但格拉吉斯基認爲，使用Rezence標準的產品最早可能今年就會到店開售。他表示：“這項技術的障礙，只不過是如何讓行業里正確的選手採用這項技術，然後以一個合理的價格提供給消費者。”

Still, two inches is two inches. What about beaming power across a room? That’s where WiTricity comes in. Born out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2007, the company continues to develop what Kaynam Hedayat, vice president of product management and marketing, calls “highly resonant wireless power transfer” technology.

但是兩英寸的距離畢竟還是太短了。如果要是隔着一間屋子也能充電那該多好？這就是WiTricity公司正在努力的目標。WiTricity是2007年從麻省理工學院孵化出的一家公司，它一直致力於開發公司產品管理與營銷副總裁凱納姆o希達亞特所謂的“高振諧的無線電力傳輸”技術。

Imagine an opera singer who can break glass with her voice—that’s how the technology works, Hedayat says. “Objects have a certain frequency by which they start vibrating,” he says. Tune a receiver and a device to the same frequency and they begin communicating with each other. “The energy is only transferred to devices that are tuned to that frequency,” he says. This allows electricity to transfer over distances of up to four feet. “With that, a lot of possibilities open up,” he adds.

想象一下，一名歌劇演員可以用她的高音震破玻璃，這就是這項技術的原理。希達亞特表示：“任何物體都有一定的共振頻率。”將一臺設備和另一臺接收設備調到相同的頻率，它們就會形成共振。“電力只會傳輸到共振頻率相同的設備上。”這使得電力的輸送距離可以達到4英尺。希達亞特補充道：“憑藉這一點開啓了很多可能性。”

Such as charging vehicles or medical equipment wirelessly. “Wires in hospitals are a big issue because you have to sterilize every device,” Hedayat says.

比如我們可以藉此給車輛或者醫療設備進行無線充電。”希達亞特指出：“醫院裏的電線是個大問題，因爲你必須給每樣設備消毒。”

Or use in military applications, where robots in the field can be recharged while in position. Wireless charging tech could also help soldiers cut down on the nearly 40 pounds of battery that many soldiers carry on their backs, Hedayat says. And charging sensors on submarines would enable battery charging in deep-sea conditions, where it’s unsafe to run wires.

這項技術也可以應用於軍事用途，比如執行任務的機器人可以就地充電。另外它也可以使很多士兵不必再揹負重達40磅的電池。另外深海中的潛艇也可以利用這項技術向艇外的傳感器充電，因爲在深海中拉電線顯然是不安全的。

For now, the wireless charging standards war rages on, and the technology remains a novelty at best. But it can’t go on forever. Just as Wi-Fi became the standard protocol for wireless data exchange between computers, so shall one wireless charging standard emerge as the winner. Only then will we see what wireless charging is capable of.

目前，無線充電技術的標準大戰還在繼續，無線充電技術本身也仍然是個新鮮事物，但這種局面不會永遠持續下去。就像Wi-Fi已經成爲電腦之間交換數據的標準協議一樣，很快也將會有一種無線充電標準勝出，成爲通用標準。直到那時，我們纔將真正見證無線充電技術的潛力。

“In four or five years, there will be one standard for wirelessly charging devices,” Hedayat says. ” You will forget about different adapters and connecters. You will find a hotspot and it’s just going to work.”

希達亞特表示：“在四五年內，就將會有一種無線充電設備的通用標準。你將忘掉不同型號的充電器和連接線。你會找到一個無線充電熱點，而且它很好用。”