WPC無線充電聯(lián)盟(Wireless Power Consortium)是一個非營利國際標(biāo)準(zhǔn)組織。無線充電聯(lián)盟全球的 600 多名成員致力于推動無線充電使用的安全性和全球兼容性。Qi 標(biāo)志和“Qi”名稱是無線充電聯(lián)盟的注冊商標(biāo)。Qi 認(rèn)證以及 Qi 標(biāo)志的使用均經(jīng)由無線充電聯(lián)盟授權(quán)。

Menno Treffers是WPC無線充電聯(lián)盟的主席,他也是IEEE-ISTO的理事會成員,ISTO是一家致力于促進(jìn)科技產(chǎn)業(yè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)制定的非營利性組織。Menno Treffers擁有Leiden University的物理學(xué)博士學(xué)位。

充電頭網(wǎng)很高興能夠獨(dú)家專訪WPC主席Menno Treffers,以下是此次專訪的完整內(nèi)容實(shí)錄:
1、
充電頭網(wǎng):Qi standard above 5W has the fragmentation problem, and various mobile phone manufacturers have launched their own proprietary extensions/agreements. Is this fragmentation problem currently unresolvable?
充電頭網(wǎng):5W以上Qi標(biāo)準(zhǔn)規(guī)范出現(xiàn)碎片化問題,各家手機(jī)廠商推出自家的私有協(xié)議。這一碎片化問題目前是否無法解決?
Menno:This ‘fragmentation’ situation as you refer to it, will likely resolve itself.??We believe there are 2 two trends work against fragmentation:
(1) Consumers expect that their phone will charge everywhere. They also expect that their phone will fast-charge everywhere. This drives phone manufacturers as well as charger-manufacturers to support standardized fast charging.
(2) Keeping wireless charging safe is more challenging when the power levels go up.??Above 5 Watt, it’s increasingly important to make sure that phones are charged by properly implemented (safe) chargers. That drives phone manufacturers to support standardized fast charging when they increase the power level to 10-15 W. The authentication feature that will be introduced by the Wireless Power Consortium in version 1.3 of the Qi Specification makes the standardized fast charging solution very attractive.
Menno:你所說的這種“碎片化”的情況很可能會自行解決。我們認(rèn)為有兩種趨勢可以對抗分裂:
(1)消費(fèi)者希望他們的手機(jī)在任何地方都能充電,他們還希望能在任何地方快速充電。這促使手機(jī)制造商和充電器制造商支持標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化快速充電。
(2)當(dāng)充電功率水平上升時,保證無線充電安全會更具挑戰(zhàn)性。超過5瓦,確保手機(jī)使用正確(安全)的充電器充電變得越來越重要。這促使手機(jī)制造商在將功率水平提高到10-15W時支持標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化快速充電。在Qi規(guī)范1.3版本中,WPC無線充電聯(lián)盟將引入身份認(rèn)證,使標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化的快速充電解決方案非常具有吸引力。
2、
充電頭網(wǎng):What will be the major feature updates for Qi?
充電頭網(wǎng):今后的Qi標(biāo)準(zhǔn)規(guī)范更新,主要側(cè)重點(diǎn)是哪些大的方面?
Menno:The future of wireless charging will include more power, and will add the additional safety features needed to keep products safe when charging wirelessly above 5 Watt.
Menno:無線充電的未來將包括更高的功率,并將增加額外的安全功能,以便在無線充電無線超過5瓦時保持產(chǎn)品安全。
3、
充電頭網(wǎng):Some companies give the feedback that WPC membership fee and EPP certification fee are expansive, will those be lowered in the future?
充電頭網(wǎng):有些企業(yè)反映WPC會員費(fèi)、EPP認(rèn)證費(fèi)偏高,未來會下調(diào)嗎?
Menno:The WPC doesn’t determine the fees charged by the test labs. The test labs compete and manufacturers are free to chose the lab they work with. We also have low-cost options. Products that use a
Qi Certified subsystem, for example, need not be tested at all.
In terms of membership fees, the WPC offers
a range of affordable options based on the size and stage of the organization.
Menno:測試實(shí)驗(yàn)室所收取的費(fèi)用并不由WPC決定。測試實(shí)驗(yàn)室相互競爭,制造商可以自由選擇決定使用哪個實(shí)驗(yàn)室進(jìn)行測試。同時,WPC也提供低成本的選擇:例如,包含
Qi認(rèn)證子系統(tǒng)的產(chǎn)品將不再需要進(jìn)行測試。
在會員費(fèi)方面,WPC根據(jù)組織的規(guī)模和發(fā)展階段
提供一系列相應(yīng)的選擇。
4、
充電頭網(wǎng):As a consumer, I would like to know when do you think Qi will be like Wi-Fi: available almost anywhere and anytime?
充電頭網(wǎng):像Wi-Fi一樣普及的無線充電技術(shù),我們廣大消費(fèi)者何時才能用上?
Menno:It’s hard to predict when Qi will reach the point of ubiquity that Wi-Fi has achieved. It depends in the percentage of people that have a Qi-capable phone. Today that percentage is still low.
Qi is still a feature seen mostly in high-end smart phones, but we expect to see this feature start to appear in mid-range phones. When the percentage of people that can use wireless chargers has grown, the business case for deploying wireless chargers will improve and we will see more places that offer wireless charging. Today, the home and office are the locations where Qi is used most, followed by in automobiles. There are almost a hundred different models of cars that have Qi-certified wireless chargers installed. It will be a natural shift to more charging locations, from office building, meeting rooms to public spaces such as hotels, restaurants and transportation depots.??We already see a strong indication of this trend throughout Europe where there are thousands of installations at locations in large urban areas.
Menno:很難預(yù)測Qi什么時候會達(dá)到像Wi-Fi一樣無處不在的程度。這取決于有多少人使用有Qi功能的手機(jī)(Qi手機(jī)使用百分比)。今天這個百分比仍然很低。
Qi現(xiàn)階段常常是高端智能手機(jī)配置一個的功能,我們預(yù)計(jì)Qi將開始出現(xiàn)在中端手機(jī)中。當(dāng)有可能使用無線充電器的人數(shù)增加,部署無線充電器的商業(yè)案例將會更有吸引力,我們將看到更多使用和提供無線充電的場所。今天,家庭和辦公室是Qi最常用的地方,其次是汽車。有近百種不同型號的汽車都安裝了Qi認(rèn)證的無線充電器。出現(xiàn)更多的無線充電地點(diǎn):從辦公樓會議室,到諸如酒店,餐館和交通站點(diǎn)等公共場所,將是一個非常自然的趨勢。我們已經(jīng)在整個歐洲看到了這種趨勢的強(qiáng)烈跡象,在大城市地區(qū)已經(jīng)有數(shù)千個安裝點(diǎn)。
5、
充電頭網(wǎng):For mobile phone to use wireless charging, charging distance and power are the two major bottlenecks of using Qi. When can this problem be solved?
充電頭網(wǎng):對于手機(jī)無線充電,充電距離和功率是Qi無線充電的兩大瓶頸,這個問題什么時候可以解決?
Menno:The power levels are increasing gradually. That is simply a matter of time. The first wireless chargers delivered 2.5W. Now all chargers deliver at least 5W, many deliver 7.5W, and some deliver up to 15W. The number of 15W chargers will grow and then the first 20W chargers will appear.
Power over distance or through the air is a completely different matter. It will never be possible to charge all phones in a house by installing a single charger that delivers power over many meters through the air, like one Wi-Fi base station delivering Internet for the whole house. The problem is that transmitting power through the air is very inefficient. You need to transmit huge amounts of power (hundreds of watts) to deliver 5W over just 1 meter! And that makes it unsafe as well as inefficient. Power through the air certainly is possible, but only at very low power levels (microwatts). It will never be enough to charge a phone and we will only continue to see this exist in token, one-time proof of concept live demos and not in commercial application because of the safety and energy inefficiencies I mentioned.
Menno:功率水平將會逐漸增加,只是個時間問題。首批無線充電器只提供2.5W的功率,現(xiàn)在所有的無線充電器都能提供至少5W的功率,其中許多可提供7.5W的功率,有些可提供高達(dá)15W的功率。15W充電器數(shù)量將持續(xù)增加,然后我們會看到20W的無線充電器的出現(xiàn)。
遠(yuǎn)距離充電或通過空中傳輸電力則是完全不同的事情。你永遠(yuǎn)都不可能像一個Wi-Fi基站為整個家庭提供互聯(lián)網(wǎng)一樣,僅通過安裝一個可以在空中傳輸數(shù)米電力的充電器就能實(shí)現(xiàn)給家中所有的手機(jī)充電。因?yàn)橥ㄟ^空中傳輸電力是非常低效的。你需要發(fā)射傳輸巨大的功率(數(shù)百瓦)才能在1米范圍內(nèi)提供5W功率!而且這使得它既不安全又效率低下。通過空中傳輸電力當(dāng)然是可能的,但只能在非常低的功率水平(微瓦)。它永遠(yuǎn)都不夠給手機(jī)充電,我們只會繼續(xù)看到這存在于象征性的、一次性的概念驗(yàn)證現(xiàn)場演示中,而不是在商業(yè)應(yīng)用中,原因在于我所提到的安全和能量效率低的問題。
6、
充電頭網(wǎng):WPC has made a lot of efforts in making the wireless charging safe. But for consumers they seem to care more about charging speed and distance. Each (WPC and consumer) focuses on a different aspect: safety and performance. The former is conservative, the latter is more aggressive. How to balance the two different needs?
充電頭網(wǎng):WPC在無線充電安全性方面做了很多努力,但普通消費(fèi)者似乎更關(guān)心充電速度以及充電距離,各自關(guān)注的重點(diǎn)分別對應(yīng)安全和性能,一個保守,一個激進(jìn),WPC怎么平衡這兩者之間的關(guān)系呢?
Menno:From the WPC standpoint, there is no conflict. Consumers also want safe products. Who wants to buy a product that can burn down your house?
Our priorities are:
(1) consumer safety (no burns or fire or electric shock)
(2) product safety (no damage to phones)
(3) compatibility (all phones must charge on all chargers)
All three of these are key elements to helping ensure quality. Manufacturers of products can focus their attention on differentiating their products with charging speed, product cost, and design. But, fundamentally, they have to make sure their products meet our three priorities.
Menno:從WPC的角度來看,并沒有任何沖突。 消費(fèi)者也想要安全的產(chǎn)品。 誰想購買可能會燒毀你房子的產(chǎn)品呢?
WPC的重點(diǎn)是:
(1)消費(fèi)者安全(避免燒傷、火災(zāi)、或觸電危險)
(2)產(chǎn)品安全(避免手機(jī)損壞)
(3)兼容性(所有手機(jī)可以在所有無線充電器上充電)
所有這三項(xiàng)都是幫助確保產(chǎn)品質(zhì)量的關(guān)鍵因素。產(chǎn)品制造商可以將注意力集中在充電速度、產(chǎn)品成本和產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)上來進(jìn)行差異化。但是,從根本上說,他們必須確保他們的產(chǎn)品符合我上面提到的三大重點(diǎn)。
7、
充電頭網(wǎng):People think AirFuel is a competitor of WPC. What’s your view of AirFuel? Is it possible that WPC and Air-Fuel, the two biggest wireless charging alliances, will merge some day?
充電頭網(wǎng):在一般人看來AirFuel是WPC的競爭對手,您怎么看待AirFuel無線充電聯(lián)盟?WPC和AirFuel兩大無線充電聯(lián)盟,將來有合并的可能嗎?
Menno:We – and the mobile device ecosystem -- don’t see Airfuel as a competitor any longer. Competition of standards has ended in the market, between these two approaches. It was the market that decided this early last year and essentially, the manufacturers chose which standard they implement in their products and they are free to include any standard they like – Qi prevailed. Therefore, the WPC doesn’t see the need to merge with the AirFuel alliance.
Menno:我們 - 以及移動設(shè)備生態(tài)系統(tǒng) - 不再將AirFuel視為競爭對手。在這兩者之間,市場上的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)之爭已經(jīng)結(jié)束。是市場在去年年初決定了這一點(diǎn),基本上,制造商選擇了他們在產(chǎn)品中實(shí)施的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)規(guī)范,他們可以自由地選擇他們喜歡的任何標(biāo)準(zhǔn)規(guī)范—Qi占了上風(fēng)。因此,WPC沒有看到有與AirFuel聯(lián)盟合并的必要性。
8、
充電頭網(wǎng):What are the technology trends for wireless charging in the next couple of years?
充電頭網(wǎng):能談?wù)劅o線充電技術(shù)未來幾年的發(fā)展方向么?
Menno:There will be a couple trends in the coming years -- a gradual increase in power and more sophisticated safety measures.
Menno:未來幾年將會有下面一些趨勢—逐步增加充電功率和更為復(fù)雜的安全措施。
9、
充電頭網(wǎng):For mobile phone charging, do you see the continuous improvement of wired fast charging technology has an impact (or any threat) on the wireless charging market?
充電頭網(wǎng):關(guān)于手機(jī)充電領(lǐng)域,有線快充技術(shù)的不斷完善對無線充電市場有影響嗎?或者威脅?
Menno:Wireless charging and wired charging are used in different circumstances. Wireless charging is about convenience. Using one hand to place the phone on the charger on your desk, in your car, or bedside. Pick it up, put it down again, without inserting a connector, is a better experience. On the other hand, if your battery is low, and you are in a hurry to charge your battery, a wired charger can be more convenient.??The concern that is being discussed by government entities is how to achieve a universal wired charger and it will be interesting to see how that is addressed.??The reality is with Qi wireless charging, we now have a universal wireless charging method already and the backward compatibility of the Qi standard guarantees this.
Up until now, we have not seen a threat nor do we expect one in the future.??Most people use and will continue to use both methods depending on the circumstances.
Menno:無線充電和有線充電在不同情況下使用。無線充電是為了方便。 只需一只手將手機(jī)放在桌面,車內(nèi)或床邊的充電器上。拿起它,放下它,不用用手插入連接線,是一種更好的體驗(yàn)。另一方面,如果您的電池電量不足,并且急于為電池充電,有線充電器會更方便。 政府機(jī)構(gòu)正在討論的問題是如何實(shí)現(xiàn)通用有線充電器,我們很有興趣看到這個問題是如何解決的。實(shí)際情況是Qi無線充電,我們現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有了通用的無線充電方法,Qi標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的向后兼容性保證了這一點(diǎn)。
到目前為止,我們不認(rèn)為有線充電有威脅,預(yù)計(jì)未來也不會有。大多數(shù)人會根據(jù)具體情況使用并將繼續(xù)使用這兩種方法。
10、
充電頭網(wǎng):At last year's Apple event, it was said that "the future is wireless". What’s your interpretation of this sentence? Do you think wireless charging will replace the wired charging some day?
充電頭網(wǎng):去年蘋果iPhone發(fā)布會上有一句經(jīng)典的slogon:The future is wireless. 您怎么理解這句話?未來無線充電會取代有線充電嗎?
Menno:Wireless really is the future and I believe that most would agree with that. But wires have advantages too, so wires will not disappear anytime soon quickly. It’s the same as with Wi-Fi. If you want really fast Internet, a wired connection is the solution. But most people now don’t bother any more. Wi-Fi is fast enough for most applications and more convenient.
Menno:無線真的是未來,我相信大多數(shù)人會同意這一點(diǎn)。但“有線”也有優(yōu)勢,因此它不會很快消失。和Wi-Fi的道理一樣,如果你想要真正快速的網(wǎng)絡(luò)上網(wǎng),有線連接就是解決方案。但現(xiàn)在大多數(shù)人都不再用了,因?yàn)閃i-Fi對于大多數(shù)情況來說就已足夠快并且更方便。
關(guān)于無線充電聯(lián)盟
WPC無線充電聯(lián)盟成立于2008年,是由600多家公司會員組成的開放性的合作性的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)制定組織。無線充電聯(lián)盟會員包括蘋果、華碩、貝爾金、博世、佳能、易沖無線、戴爾、德爾福、谷歌、海爾、華為、宜家、聯(lián)想、LG、聯(lián)發(fā)科、mophie、恩智浦、意法半導(dǎo)體、松下、皇家飛利浦、三星、索尼、TDK、威瑞森無線和小米等。
這些公司會員來自世界各地大大小小的生態(tài)系統(tǒng),有合作伙伴也有競爭對手。大家相互合作的目的只有一個:制定并不斷改進(jìn)世界上最有用、最安全和最高效的無線充電標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。使用Qi標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的產(chǎn)品必須經(jīng)過嚴(yán)格測試,以確保其安全性和互操作性。只有通過獨(dú)立實(shí)驗(yàn)室測試的產(chǎn)品才能使用Qi標(biāo)志,并被認(rèn)為是合格的Qi認(rèn)證產(chǎn)品。