Samsung has filed a patent for a wire-free TV concept that relies on an external magnetic-based transmitter for power. The patent was first spotted by LetsGoDigital.
Wire-free TV concept
Samsung’s high-end TVs currently come equipped with an external ‘One Connect’ box that supplies power, data, and video signals via an ultra-thin fiber optical cable. It is almost invisible but not quite. The next step could be to completely eliminate the wire from box to TV.
The Korean company has filed a patent for one such concept. The patent describes a TV that uses an external transmitter box to transmit power wirelessly to a receiver box hidden behind the screen. The system relies on magnetic principles with coils for power transmission.
The patent was filed with WIPO on March 5, 2018, and published on February 28, 2019.
Is it feasible? Perhaps not in the near term but research into wire-free TVs has been ongoing for many years. We recall seeing a functional prototype from China’s Haier way back in 2010 at the IFA show in Berlin. In the period leading up to the show, Sony had also been showing off a prototype behind closed doors.
That happened a decade ago – and Nikola Tesla proposed the concept way back in 1899 – but the world’s largest TV manufacturer is evidently still exploring the idea. One likely roadblock is the high power consumption of modern TVs combined with the fact that transferring power wirelessly currently results in significant losses during transmission. Samsung’s 75-inch 8K TV peaks at over 450W in HDR mode.
The patent application can be found here.
- Source: LetsGoDigital
