Connectors: Simplifying the Manufacturing and Modification of Electrical Systems

And, these connectors possess an array of LEDs surrounding circularly and are positioned on the connector flange.

Miniaturized connectors & high-density contacts
Trends that are favoring portability, mobility as well as wearable devices are going to influence all the markets & connector suppliers are providing miniaturized form factors with higher contact densities in order to make these compact designs possible.

The latest generation of connectivity products uses space & decreases weight without making any compromises in functionality & this trend has bolstered a boom in wearable devices. This has led to higher flexibility & user-friendly designs to several markets such as medical, consumer etc.

One such company that is into the designing and manufacturing of both standard, custom as well as application-specific micro as well as nano connectors & cable assemblies for devices where miniaturization is needed is Omnetics Connector Corporation.

How wireless charging headwinds create adoption tailwinds

While wireless power transfer - the transmission of electrical energy without any traditional plug-&-play connectors are designed for increasing the mobility, convenience as well as safety of electronic devices, wireless charging has emerged as a popular feature for smartphones, fitness bands, handheld computers & several other devices.

Now, this is also emerging for electric vehicles, while in its early stage the designers were drawn to the convenience as well as interoperability that wireless charging can render to users. However, at present engineers inspect this technology with an eye towards removing a few conventional mechanical connectors.

The potential of Near-field communication or NFC - the newest entrant for wireless power standards is massive, which has an installed base of billions of devices. Although Near-Field Communication has been conventionally implemented as a communications platform, the NFC Forum standards body changed on a minimum amount of power transfer as part of its protocol.

This helps in creating newer opportunities for wireless power transfer, which comprises Galaxy Fit from Samsung and Gentle Monster smart glasses from Huawei. And, in order for this technology to pull off, the amount of power that has been received should be increased while keeping Near-field Communication data transfer rates in the range of 108 to 848 Kilobyte per second.

“We’re seeing a number of applications where connectors are being eliminated as a result of adding wireless charging,” said Rob Diebold, global director of sales at NuCurrent.

Increasing adoption of EV connectivity solutions

The adoption of wireless charging technologies is all set to continue as there is a shift towards greener energy. The way energy is captured, stored, consumed as well as delivered is of huge importance to consumers & this trend continues to bring in more and more opportunities for power charging connectors as well as emerging wireless charging technologies. Although wireless charging will disrupt the Electric Vehicle charging connector market, it will also drive EV adoption.

The road ahead

While wireless charging technologies would be disruptive for plug-&-play charging stations, these will create other power connector & cable opportunities. Also, the convenience of wireless charging could likely act as a catalyst for widespread for Electric Vehicle adoption since the already-densely connected technologies continue to evolve, creative engineers will continue to build innovative connectivity products which effectively as well as reliably overcome new challenges and as a consequence inspire new design opportunities.