I-Corps: Smart Textile Charging Platform for Wearable and Portable Devices

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是在可穿戴设备市场。客户发现流程将提供关键数据，以确定医疗专业人员、患者、护士、急救员和其他可能使用可穿戴设备的用户的无线充电需求。预计到2022年，可穿戴设备市场规模将达到580亿美元。具体地说，这项技术将通过为患者的身体穿戴设备提供无线充电来影响患者和最边缘化的群体，如老年人和婴儿。它还将允许军事/国防人员在身体佩戴的通信设备和战术装备持续充电时继续值班。这个i-Corps项目将推进一种创新的可穿戴技术方法，将基于纺织品的射频(RF)模块和用于能量收集的天线结合在一起。智能充电平台的实施通过适合可穿戴式、医疗和物联网(IoT)设备充电需求的新型天线拓扑和电源管理电路提供电力传输。建议的锚形天线允许为车身可穿戴充电解决方案提供不对准弹性的功率传输。锚定天线和高效整流电路的组合提供了一种无缝的能量收集和传输方法，集成到表面(如椅子、沙发、床上用品)的内饰中。该系统将为小工具、医疗或军事设备充电，并在日常生活中充电的同时实现通信。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is in the wearable device market. The customer discovery process will provide critical data to determine the wireless charging needs for medical professionals, patients, nurses, first responders, and other users who may use wearable devices. The wearable market is expected to be $58B by 2022. Specifically, the technology will impact patients and the most marginalized groups such as the elderly and infants by providng wireless charging to their body-worn devices. It will also allow military/defense personnel to stay on duty while their body-worn communication devices and tactical gear are continuously charged. This I-Corps project will advance an innovative wearable technology approach combining textile-based radio-frequency (RF) modules and antennas for power harvesting. Implementation into a smart charging platform provides power transmission via novel antenna topology and power management circuitry suitable for the charging needs of wearable, medical, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The proposed anchor-shaped antenna allows misalignment-resilient power transfer for body wearable charging solutions. Combination of the anchor antenna and high efficiency rectifier circuit provides a seamless power collection and transmission method integrated into the upholstery of surfaces (e.g. chair, couch, bedding). This system will charge gadgets, medical, or military equipment and enable communication while charging through daily life activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.