Wireless Power Consortium
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| Abbreviation | WPC |
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| Formation | December 17, 2008
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| Headquarters |
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| Members | Open |
| Website | www |
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is a multinational technology consortium formed on December 17, 2008, as an open standards development organization. WPC is a virtual corporation with administrative offices in Washington, DC. Its mission is to create and promote global adoption of its interface standards: Qi (pronounced “chee”) for wireless power transfer in small, mobile electronics such as phones and wearable devices like watches, and Ki (pronounced “kee”) for wireless power transfer in kitchen appliances like electric cooktops and kettles. It is an open membership organization comprising Asian, European, and American companies, advocating for and promoting a global standardization of wireless charging technology.
The founding of the Wireless Power Consortium can be traced to Fulton Innovation, a 100% subsidiary of Alticor, parent company of Amway. The original motivation was to power a portable water purifier, sold by Amway, called eSpring, for which the wireless power transfer technology called eCoupled was created. On November 26, 2008, Fulton Innovation released "The Base Spec: Low Power Specification Guide for Partnered Product Development, Revision 0.9". Buoyed by the acquired intellectual property of a bankrupt University of Cambridge spin-out called Splashpower, and in an attempt to replicate the success story of the 1999 Wi-Fi Alliance, Fulton Innovation and Philips led the establishment of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) in December 2008.
Introduction of Wireless Standards
The motivation behind a global wireless standard stems from electronics manufacturers' desire to enable interoperability across products, specifically between those that transmit power and those that receive it. A standard would provide interoperability, allowing all devices – from power transmitters to receivers – to work together seamlessly. Furthermore, a standard would remove the need for power cords to charge devices, offering convenience and reducing the clutter from multiple power cords.
The WPC has two active interface standards:
Qi is the global standard for wireless power transfer for a wide range of devices and applications, including smartphones and other portable mobile devices, such as watches. The standard regulates the receiving devices (e.g., smartphones) as well as the power-transmitting devices that power and recharge them. The Qi standard is being applied to wearable devices and is being installed throughout the healthcare/medical field and the transportation market, including airplanes and automobiles.
Ki is a new standard designed to provide wireless power to kitchen appliances. The Ki standard will enable safer, smarter, and more convenient cooking and food preparation in the kitchen while ensuring compatibility and safety for Ki-enabled cooktops and smart appliances. Ki-enabled appliances will operate without power cords or batteries yet will deliver up to 2200W of power. In so doing, appliances are no longer restricted to placement near wall outlets, enabling more space-efficient, sleek, modern-designed kitchens.