The Powers of Induction

Overview

The goal of our project is to create a wireless charging apparatus for the iPad 4 that will include a charging stand and a 3D printed compatible case. The iPad case will house a USB charging wire connected to a receiver coil that will be inductively coupled to a transmitter coil in the charging stand to allow for power transfer. The encased iPad will balance in an angled position on the stand, allowing the user to watch videos or surf the web while charging. The charging stand will also be portable, so it could be used in situations where finding an outlet is difficult (such as in class). Thus, the charging station will house a lithium ion battery so that the iPad can be charged whether or not the charging stand is plugged into an outlet.

Objectives

The objective of this project is to create a working inductive charger for the iPad 4 as described above. We additionally aim to include capacitors in our transmission circuit in order to make the charging apparatus operate at resonance. By operating at resonance, power can be transferred from the charging stand to the iPad with minimal losses complex impedance. The inclusion of microcontrollers in a control feedback loop will allow for We also aim to create a usable iPad case that can latch onto the angled charging stand.

Challenges

In order to accomplish the above stated goals, we must learn:

• How to use PSpice or some other circuit simulation software to create a schematic of our design and simulate its behavior under different parameters.
• How to use SolidWorks or equivalent 3D design software to design our iPad case and the body of the charging stand.
• How to program microcontrollers
• About basic manufacturing standards for the iPad and other components that will be included in our design.

In addition, we will encounter the following challenges:

• To ensure user safety, we will need to figure out how to regulate temperature of the charging stand with our microcontrollers.