LONDON — Texas Instruments has started working with Fulton Innovation to accelerate the latter's development of wireless power technology that can charge portable devices without traditional power cords.
Fulton, a subsidiary of the giant Amway Corporation(Ada, Michigan), has been developing for several years its eCoupled technology for charging systems in low, medium and high-powered applications ranging from cell phones to notebook computers to power tools and other rechargeable applications.
The technology supplies power and communication through an inductively coupled power circuit that dynamically seeks resonance, allowing the primary supply circuit to adapt its operation to match the needs of the eCoupled-enabled devices it recognizes.
TI says it can design ICs that help minimize cost, board space, and accelerate time to market of the technology. The companies say the goal is to have end-equipment designs with a combination of TI chips and eCoupled technology available in the market in 2009.
The IC-based solutions would be used to create a universal power source that can charge multiple devices at the same time, including devices that require different charging voltages.
"We are excited to work with Texas Instruments to co-develop advanced, inventive power delivery solutions," said Dave Baarman, Fulton's director of advanced technologies. "This will enable commercialization of cost and power-efficient systems, benefitting both the makers and end-users of portable equipment."
Masoud Beheshti, director of battery charge solutions in TI's battery management solutions group, added: "We look forward to supporting eCoupled-based solutions using our extensive portfolio of charge and power management solutions for all types of portable applications."
Earlier this year, Fulton bought, for an undisclosed sum, wireless power specialist start-up Splashpower (Cambridge, England) to augment its efforts in wireless power.
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