Daihen Licenses WiTricity Tech for Automatic Guided Vehicles

WiTricity announced that Osaka, Japan-based Daihen Corporation has licensed WiTricity's magnetic resonance technology for use in wireless charging systems developed by Daihen for the Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) and electrical forklift truck market. AGVs are used to transport parts and materials throughout factories and warehouses around the world, and Daihen's new wireless power transfer (WPT) system for AGVs, based on WiTricity intellectual property and technology, will deliver increased productivity and automation to these essential factory and industrial automation systems.

Daihen is a global leader in power electronics for industrial applications, including arc welding machine and robot, power conditioner system for mega solar power plant and RF power system for plasma etching. Leveraging its vast experience in power electronics and factory automation, Daihen has developed a wireless charging system for electrified AGVs and other mobile robotic systems based on WiTricity’s patented technology for wireless energy transfer over distance. Daihen will offer wireless charging systems to AGV and mobile robotics developers on an OEM basis, as well as directly to industrial end users for custom factory automation projects.

Based on WiTricity’s patented magnetic resonance technology, Daihen’s next generation WPT system will enable a revolution in factory automation. Charging wirelessly at 3kW with similar efficiencies as wired systems, the Daihen AGV WPT system enables fast, automatic charging at multiple locations along an AGV’s route through a factory. Conventional charging systems require an AGV to be taken out of service to be plugged in or have battery packs replaced. The Daihen WPT system can be retrofitted to existing AGVs, and can also be applied to other automatic systems, including mobile service robots and industrial and agricultural drones.

“Daihen sees wireless power transfer as a foundational technology for the factory of the future, and we expect wireless charging to be a growth engine for Daihen’s business,” said Yoshinori Tsuruda, Daihen general manager of WPT system development. “Working with WiTricity allows us to enter the market for AGV wireless charging, while providing Daihen with a technology platform to bring wireless charging to a broader range of industrial applications. We envision serving the growing market for wireless charging of electric cars eventually.”

“The industrial robotics market is primed to take advantage of wireless charging technology, and WiTricity is pleased to be working with a leader in the space like Daihen,” said David Schatz, WiTricity vice president of business development. “Companies across the industry will have access to WiTricity technology in turn-key products and systems delivered by Daihen, a respected name in industrial power electronics and factory automation.”