NuVolta Develops Power-Efficient Wireless Charging for Metal Case Smartphones

Power management startup NuVolta Technologies Inc. has developed what it claims is a faster wireless charging solution for smartphones through metal cases.

The company’s new IC, the NU1000, incorporates a controlled magnetic resonance architecture at 6.78MHz to deliver a fast-changing compatible power with a small receiver and transmitter coils while operating at a high transfer efficiency. In a typical setup with a 25mm transmitter coil and a 25mm receiver coil, more than 10W can be transferred at about 70% efficiency through an aluminum plate with an opening as small as 10mm, NuVolta says.

Using a controlled magnetic resonance architecture, more than 10W can be transferred at about $70 efficiency through an aluminum plate. Source: NuVolta The power management IC includes power MOSFETs, gate drivers, current sensing and a I2C interface, making it useful in wireless applications such as wearables, smartphones or laptops.

“Fast charging through metal cases has been a big challenge for the wireless power industry,” says Dr. Hengchun Mao, Chief Technology and Production Officer and co-founder of NuVolta. Through good magnetic coupling between RX and TX coils, NuVolta was able to “reduce power loss in systems with metal plates” and enable “efficient wireless charging through metal cases,” Mao adds. The technology will allow designers of wearable applications and mobile devices to have more options when it comes to offering wireless charging regardless of whether there is a metal case or back cover.

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