- Comprion has released two new NFC charging test benches for companies to ensure that wireless charging is effective for users.
- The device and chip manufacturers can use the system in-house and receive support based on the test results.
Integration of wireless charging into devices—from smartphones to wearables and even cars—is growing as users seek relief from cords and wires. And with that trend, NFC-based wireless charging is helping smaller consumer devices receive power without needing those power cords, plugs and outlets.
For device manufacturers, offering a seamless and reliable charging experience requires significant testing, and that’s where companies like Comprion have a key role. Technology companies now have access to Comprion’s latest wireless charging test tools, which have received certification from the NFC Forum this month, said Matthias Donner, head of software development at Comprion.
In fact, the Germany-based testing technology firm has released two new tools for NFC wireless charging that have gained Certification Release 13, TR 13.1 approval from the NFC Forum following its own testing of the systems.
Two Versions for Testing
The company is offering the Comprion UT³ Platform with a Kawasaki industrial robot, and the Comprion CL Verify plus Dobot MG400. The first version offers conformance testing used by labs. The latter version is dedicated to pre-conformance entry solutions. Both enable testing with robotics.
With its certification from the NFC Forum, the company is marketing the testing kits for use by developers and wireless device manufacturers. Both are designed to track effectiveness of charging from both the transmission and receiving sides. The products analyze timing measurements as well as offering error identification and an integrated oscilloscope.
“The function of the tool is to verify the optimized operating volume, and the associated field strength and signal waveform timings,” Donner explained.
Foreign Object Detection
The Comprion tools also test for foreign object detection (FOD) to determine whether a wireless charging system can identify a foreign object like a paperclip within range. Such foreign objects can interfere with proper charging. To accomplish this, the tests simulate a foreign object in the operation volume and check the reaction to it.
In addition, said Donner, “at the digital level, the protocol is checked to ensure interoperability with various manufacturer implementations.”
NFC Forum Certification
Recent certification from the NFC Forum serves to validate the use of Comprion’s tools to measure interoperability and performance of the NFC-enabled wireless charging products. Comprion’s Device Test Center, test suite, measures the charging of specific products with NFC 13.56 MHz transmission under a variety of conditions.
Companies that leverage Comprion’s test suites are either chipset manufacturers that produce wireless charging units, but also handset or other device manufacturers that build these units into their products.
A wireless charging unit, for instance, may work well in one environment, but differently once built into a product.
Testing for Environmental Factors
Matching the expected environment in which NFC charging takes place is a key challenge for users. Donner pointed out that “device manufacturers are testing products to be sure if they embed the module in their product [the materials in the product] don’t influence the transmission of the signals.”
Already some of their customers have had access to beta versions of the tests, but now the company is releasing the NFC Forum certified products commercially.
Once they pass the testing internally, companies can seek approval at a certified test lab, allowing them to print that certification status on their label indicating it’s been approved to operate properly.
Bluetooth Testing and Other Technologies Ahead
Comprion offers testing solutions for a variety of wireless technologies including Bluetooth. “Testing is a really key part of the development of a new product but there aren’t a lot of testing solution companies,” Donner pointed out.
One of the testing solutions being offered focuses on wireless vehicle access systems for auto manufacturers. The company has received approval from the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and has helped to develop test specifications as an active member of both CCC and NFC Forum.
Testing can help identify changes in manufacturing that might impact wireless transmissions. Donner recalled a case in which automakers included chrome stripes near the door lock of their cars, which then was found to disrupt the wireless transmission.
Such changes in manufacturing can make NFC or other wireless transmission testing necessary throughout the process, not just when the wireless unit is built but when the finished vehicle or device is completed and put in the typical use environment.