Keith Newman

Priscilla Sneff
ENGL 202C
March 24, 2016

How Wireless Charging Works

Introduction
Wireless charging (also known as inductive charging) is the transferring of energy from
one device to another through electromagnetic fields. This is commonly done by putting a
wireless charging station within a certain proximity to the inductive coils in the device which
can then charge the battery.

Inside the Charging Station

These wireless chargers have an induction coil inside them
which creates an alternating electromagnetic field in the
surrounding atmosphere. An induction coil in this context is
essentially just a coil of wires in which current travels
through. The design of the induction coil is similar to the coil
in Figure 1, but much more compact.1 A common material
for the wire in the induction coil is Litz wire.

Figure 1. Induction Coil

When current flows through a wire it produces a magnetic

field concentric to the wire in the counter-clockwise direction.
This is due to the fact that electric fields and magnetic fields
are interdependent, as shown through Maxwells equations.
Therefore, when a wire is coiled, it will create a magnetic field
through the center of the coil, which then wraps around the
sides of the coil back to the other side in a shape similar to a
donut, as seen in Figure 2.2 Note that in Figure 2, the arrow
heads wrap back around to the arrow tails to form a complete
loop. The current in this case is AC, which means it acts as a
sinusoidal wave. This means that this magnetic field through the
center is also oscillating.

Figure 2. Direction of Magnetic Field

Figure 1 - Induction Coil. Digital image. MTI Corporation. MTI Corporation. Web. March 16, 2016.
Figure 2 Loosely Coupled Coils. Digital image. Wireless Power Consortium. Wireless Power Consortium. Web.
March 15, 2016.
2

Inside the Charging Device

The magnetic field produced by the charging device is then used to charge the battery of the
receiving device. This magnetic field is captured through a similar coil in the device, creating a
current that is converted to DC and charges its battery. The magnetic field creates a current in
the second coil in a very similar way that the current in the first coil creates a magnetic field.
When a coil has no current going through it and no magnetic field through it originally, it is said
to have no magnetic flux. Magnetic flux is a measurement that is defined as the magnitude of
the magnetic field multiplied by the area enclose by the coil. This coil, because it originally has
no magnetic flux, wants to stay at this state. The only way for it to accomplish this, while
exposed to a magnetic field through the center of the coil, would be to produce an equal but
opposite magnetic field so that the net magnetic field through the center of the coil is zero, and
therefore the net magnetic flux is also zero. To do this, the coil creates the appropriate AC
current through it, to properly compensate for the alternating magnetic field created by the
wireless charging station. The AC current then goes on to be converted in to DC current which is
applied to the battery in order to charge it.

Conclusion
The wireless charging process is laid
out in Figure 3.3 The AC current flows
through the coil in the charging station
from the AC current source provided
by a wall outlet. This AC current in the
coil creates a magnetic field which is
captured by the coil in the charging
device to create an AC current in the
coil in this device. The AC current is

then converted to DC current in

order to charge the battery of the
device.
This process is similar to the process
of wired charging. In wired
charging, the AC current is also
supplied by the wall outlet, which is
Figure 3. Charging Process
then converted to DC current in order
to charge the battery of the device. The main difference between this process and the wireless
process is the introduction of the coils and electromagnetic fields.

Figure 3 Wireless Charging. Digital image. Power by Proxi. PowerbyProxi. Web. March 16, 2016.