Innovation abounds in device charging
Innovation abounds in device charging
设备充电领域的创新层出不穷
The changes may be less perceptible than in smartphones, tablets, or wearables, but chargers have also been quietly reinvented over the last decade. At one time a bulky mix of tangled cables and connectors, slow to perform and prone to overheating, they’re now smaller, safer, and faster, thanks to a slew of technological advances. 尽管这些变化可能不如智能手机、平板电脑或可穿戴设备那样显眼，但充电器在过去十年中也经历了悄然的重塑。曾经，充电器是笨重的线缆和连接器的混合体，充电缓慢且容易过热；而得益于一系列技术进步，如今的充电器变得更小、更安全、更快速。
These advances include a switch to gallium nitride (GaN), which has now usurped silicon as the preferred semiconductor, capable of handling higher voltages, faster switches, and more efficient conduction. Multi-port chargers, coupled with an industry-wide shift toward USB-C standardization, mean a single charger can handle multiple devices. And early smart chargers are also trickling onto the market, able to dynamically distribute power and carry out autonomous safety checks. 这些进步包括转向氮化镓（GaN）材料，它现已取代硅成为首选半导体，能够处理更高的电压、更快的开关速度以及更高效的导电性能。多口充电器加上行业向 USB-C 标准化的转变，意味着单个充电器即可应对多种设备。此外，早期的智能充电器也开始进入市场，能够动态分配电力并进行自主安全检查。
Combined, these have repositioned chargers as differentiated standalone devices, rather than peripheral accessories. But, manufacturers say there is much further to go if chargers are to accommodate the demands of a connected ecosystem now made up of an estimated 20 billion devices, according to IoT Analytics. 综合来看，这些变化已将充电器重新定位为差异化的独立设备，而非仅仅是外围配件。然而，制造商表示，根据 IoT Analytics 的数据，目前互联生态系统由约 200 亿台设备组成，若要满足这一生态的需求，充电器仍有很长的路要走。
“Charging products are undergoing a fundamental identity shift—from accessory to primary component,” says Mario Wu, general manager for North America at Anker Innovations. “This is not simply a functional upgrade; It is a repositioning of charging’s role within the broader digital lifestyle ecosystem. As charging becomes normalized, the charger is no longer an appendage to your devices—it is the infrastructure underlying every digital experience.” “充电产品正在经历根本性的身份转变——从配件变为核心组件，”安克创新（Anker Innovations）北美区总经理 Mario Wu 表示。“这不仅仅是功能上的升级，更是充电在更广泛的数字生活生态系统中角色的重新定位。随着充电变得常态化，充电器不再是你设备的附属品，而是支撑每一次数字体验的基础设施。”
Pillars of performance
性能的支柱
If this vision for the future of charging sounds ambitious, there are concrete advancements to back it up. Newly refined semiconductors are already bolstering power and performance, building on the gains delivered by GaN with some sweeping changes to systems architecture. 如果这一充电未来的愿景听起来雄心勃勃，那么已有具体的进展作为支撑。新改良的半导体正在增强功率和性能，在氮化镓带来的优势基础上，通过对系统架构进行全面变革来实现提升。
To take advantage of the fast-moving technology, Anker launched GaNPrime 2.0, which combines GaN materials with higher-frequency controllers and other power devices, achieving higher power output and lower heat generation, explains Wu. For example, the addition of a multi-level buck converter converts voltage from a binary on/off pattern, to multiple, smaller steps that create smoother transitions and reduce stress on components. Wu 解释说，为了利用这一快速发展的技术，Anker 推出了 GaNPrime 2.0，它将氮化镓材料与更高频率的控制器及其他功率器件相结合，实现了更高的功率输出和更低的发热量。例如，增加的多电平降压转换器将电压从二元开关模式转换为多个更小的阶梯，从而实现更平滑的转换并减少组件压力。
Combined with Anker’s proprietary control algorithm, this simultaneously achieves a more compact product design and reduced energy loss. Changes such as this mean secondary-stage power conversion now reaches over 99.5%, says Wu, and some products can maintain 140 watts on a single port without falling below optimal levels. 结合 Anker 专有的控制算法，这在实现更紧凑产品设计的同时，也降低了能量损耗。Wu 表示，此类改进意味着二级功率转换效率现已超过 99.5%，部分产品可以在单端口保持 140 瓦的功率输出，且不会低于最佳水平。
“In traditional setups, you might use three separate chargers—adding up to roughly 210 watts combined,” says Wu. “But Anker’s Prime 160W Charger with PowerIQ 5.0 can charge those same three devices in roughly the same time because it dynamically reallocates unused capacity instead of locking it in place.” “在传统设置中，你可能需要使用三个独立的充电器，总功率加起来约为 210 瓦，”Wu 说。“但搭载 PowerIQ 5.0 的 Anker Prime 160W 充电器可以在大致相同的时间内为这三台设备充电，因为它能动态重新分配未使用的容量，而不是将其固定在某个端口。”
But if GaNPrime 2.0 represents where the architecture stands today, it’s by no means the end point. Says Wu, “The next phase of GaN development focuses on higher frequency switching: When paired with breakthroughs in materials and control technology, higher switching frequency enables lower energy loss, improved conversion efficiency, and even more compact designs.” 如果说 GaNPrime 2.0 代表了当今架构的水平，那绝非终点。Wu 表示：“下一阶段的氮化镓开发重点在于更高频率的开关：当与材料和控制技术的突破相结合时，更高的开关频率能够实现更低的能量损耗、更高的转换效率以及更紧凑的设计。”
Other third-generation semiconductors like silicon carbide (SiC) will also have a role to play. Already deployed at scale in EV inverters and industrial power systems, Wu explains that SiC can deliver “exceptional, high-temperature stability and reliable support for high-voltage, high-power applications.” Improving circuit design using SiC to make it compact and cost-effective for smaller devices has proven a stumbling block until now, but Wu is hopeful that as manufacturing scales up, the material will become “an increasingly credible direction.” 其他第三代半导体，如碳化硅（SiC），也将发挥作用。Wu 解释说，SiC 已在电动汽车逆变器和工业电力系统中大规模应用，能够提供“卓越的高温稳定性和对高压、大功率应用的可靠支持”。尽管利用 SiC 改进电路设计以使其适用于小型设备且具备成本效益，目前仍是一个难点，但 Wu 乐观地认为，随着制造规模的扩大，这种材料将成为“一个越来越可靠的方向”。
Without constraints
无拘无束
Consumers also demand portability in their device charger. They want chargers without the spatial constraints of wires or surface-to-surface connection—or what’s known as imperceptible charging. Wireless charging innovations today go part of the way, but they’re based on the principle of magnetic coupling—i.e., only when transmitter and receiver coils are aligned is energy transfer efficient and stable. That means devices must be in contact with the charging pad surface. 消费者还要求设备充电器具备便携性。他们希望充电器摆脱线缆或表面接触的空间限制，即所谓的“无感充电”。目前的无线充电创新实现了一部分目标，但它们基于磁耦合原理，即只有当发射线圈和接收线圈对齐时，能量传输才高效且稳定。这意味着设备必须与充电板表面接触。
But research into technologies that use magnetic resonance and infrared are moving the dial. Best known for creating non-invasive imaging in health care via MRIs, magnetic resonance uses magnetic fields to allow energy transfer over greater distances by tuning transmitter and receiver coils to the same resonant frequency. Transmitters emit an oscillating magnetic field from which the receiver can extract energy even if coils are not perfectly aligned. This “significantly relaxes placement requirements for users, [but currently] the trade-off is reduced transmission efficiency,” says Wu. 然而，对磁共振和红外线技术的相关研究正在推动变革。磁共振技术因在医疗保健领域通过 MRI 实现无创成像而闻名，它通过将发射和接收线圈调谐到相同的谐振频率，利用磁场实现更远距离的能量传输。发射器发出振荡磁场，即使线圈没有完全对齐，接收器也能从中提取能量。Wu 表示，这“显著放宽了用户的放置要求，但目前的代价是传输效率有所降低。”
Infrared wireless charging also represents a meaningful area ripe for exploration, Wu adds. This sees infrared beams deliver energy to photovoltaic receivers on devices, with transmitters installable at any location so long as there is clear line-of-sight to the device. This enables wireless power delivery across meters rather than centimetres. He explains, “The core challenge it currently faces is further increasing power levels, and related research is ongoing.” Wu 补充说，红外无线充电也是一个值得探索的重要领域。它通过红外光束将能量传输到设备上的光伏接收器，只要与设备之间有清晰的视线，发射器可以安装在任何位置。这使得无线电力传输能够跨越米级而非厘米级距离。他解释道：“它目前面临的核心挑战是进一步提高功率水平，相关研究正在进行中。”
Wu says Anker is engaged in technical exchanges with both universities and industry associations to find workarounds for these trade-offs. “Our strategy is to remain at the forefront: continuously tracking, conducting in-depth evaluations, and delivering the next generation of wireless charging technology to users the moment it matures and becomes viable.” Wu 表示，Anker 正在与大学和行业协会进行技术交流，以寻找解决这些权衡问题的方案。“我们的策略是保持领先地位：持续跟踪、进行深入评估，并在下一代无线充电技术成熟且可行时，第一时间将其提供给用户。”
Levelling up intelligence
提升智能化水平
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