physics

Power Matters Alliance

Power Matters Alliance is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Power Matters Alliance rather than just read about it. In short: Power Matters Alliance (PMA) was a global, not-for-profit, industry organization whose mission was to advance a suite of standards and protocols for wireless power transfer for mobile electronic devices (specifically a type of inductive charging that competes with the Qi standard). The organization was merged with Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) in 2015 to form AirFuel Alliance.

Key takeaways

Power Matters Alliance belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Power Matters Alliance to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Power Matters Alliance from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Power Matters Alliance (PMA) was a global, not-for-profit, industry organization whose mission was to advance a suite of standards and protocols for wireless power transfer for mobile electronic devices (specifically a type of inductive charging that competes with the Qi standard). The organization was merged with Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) in 2015 to form AirFuel Alliance. Founded by Procter & Gamble and Powermat Technologies in March 2012, PMA was networking technology companies in order to guarantee consumers interoperable devices which employed wireless power technology. Marked by the electron "P", PMA interface standard described analog power transfer (inductive and resonant), digital transceiver communication, cloud based power management, and environmental sustainability. The PMA board of directors included representatives from AT&T, Duracell, Starbucks, Powermat Technologies, Flextronics, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Energy Star. The membership of the PMA was made up of companies across the mobile device ecosystem, including handset providers, service providers, chipset suppliers, manufacturers, test labs and public establishments.

PMA standard and technology The PMA's stated mission was to formulate and advance a suite of interface standards for smart and energy-efficient transfer of wireless power. The PMA was actively publishing a suite of standards based on inductive coupling technology to provide advanced inductive and resonant power. In addition, the PMA sought to add a digital layer providing policy-setting, monitoring, and extensible APIs. The PMA managed interoperability, certification and logo programs according to these specifications. On February 11, 2014, the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and the PMA announced that they signed an agreement calling for the following immediate next steps:

PMA adopts the A4WP Rezence specification as the PMA magnetic resonance charging specification for both transmitters and receivers in both single and multi-mode configurations A4WP adopts the PMA inductive specification as a supported option for multi-mode inductive, magnetic resonance implementations A4WP to collaborate with PMA on their open network API for network services management This agreement was a move toward industry consolidation of wireless charging standards.

Acquisition and standards body formed In 2015 the organization was merged with The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) to form the AirFuel Alliance, a global coalition of companies working together to bring next-generation wireless power technologies to market.

Key Features Inductive Coupling Digital Transceiver Communication Cloud Based Power Management PRU Category 1-7. PTU Class 1-6 PRX Out Max from 3.5W to 50W (Cat. 1 TBD) PTX Input Max from 2W to 70W

Mark of Interoperability The 'Electron P' mark of interoperability was required to set compatibility standards across markets and industry, and across all links in the delivery chain of the alliance. It was used by industries and companies that adopt and implement the PMA standards. It was displayed at coffee shops, clubs, hair salons, airline terminals, entertainment venues, and on mobile phone accessories.

Semi-Annual Conferences and Quarterly PlugFests PMA conducted member conferences.

Working Groups

Adoption On June 11, 2014, Starbucks announced plans to provide wireless chargers at its coffeehouses in the United States and to test the wireless chargers in select European and Asian markets.

See also Qi, a competing wireless power standard promoted by Wireless Power Consortium Rezence, a cooperative wireless power standard promoted by the A4WP Open Dots, a competing wireless power standard promoted by Open Dots Alliance

References

External links "How wireless charging will make life simpler and greener". Forbes. July 24, 2012. "Revolution: 3 Big Changes Coming to Smartphones". Forbes. December 18, 2012. "Wireless charging blazes path toward mainstream". November 16, 2012. "Starbucks Adding Wireless Charging Stations in Boston". October 29, 2012. "National Rollout of Wireless Charging, by Duracell Powermat, Begins in Starbucks Stores". June 12, 2014. Rezence – official site of a wireless power standard promoted by the Alliance for Wireless Power Qi – official site of a wireless power standard promoted by the Wireless Power Consortium

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Power Matters Alliance

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Power Matters Alliance claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Power Matters Alliance before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Power Matters Alliance ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Power Matters Alliance

In research: Power Matters Alliance appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Power Matters Alliance in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Power Matters Alliance is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Networking standards, Wireless, Wireless energy transfer, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Power Matters Alliance outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Power Matters Alliance in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Power Matters Alliance means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Power Matters Alliance out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Power Matters Alliance in simple terms?

Why does Power Matters Alliance matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Power Matters Alliance?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Power Matters Alliance.