QuantumDrive, LLC has signed an exclusive license with Face International Corporation for the use of Face’s patented Evercell thermal energy harvesting devices in self-powered quartz watches. Evercell power cells provide continuous power to quartz watches for their entire lives, eliminating the need for batteries. This is the first license to Evercell technology that Face has granted.
Evercell-powered quartz watches could be on the market in 2020 or 2021.
Evercell is a passive-structure, semiconductor-based thermal energy harvester that exploits principles of quantum physics to produce a small, continuous flow of electric power (enough to power a quartz watch, for example) in virtually any environment. It consumes no fuel, has no moving parts, contains no toxic materials, and requires no exposure to other stimuli, including motion, pressure, RF, or electromagnetic energy.
Evercell power cells are extremely thin (a millimeter or less), lightweight, and have no need for a measurable thermal gradient, making them greatly superior to current energy-harvesting solutions.
An Evercell demonstrator built in October 2016 is still running with its output undiminished.
Face CTO Mr. Clark Boyd, the inventor of Evercell, recently reported the findings of sophisticated materials analyses of Evercell power cells. These studies established beyond any doubt that Evercell contains no materials that could possibly result in chemical reactions. In other words, Evercell cannot be a battery and its performance can only be explained by the designs and concepts disclosed in Face’s issued United States patents.
When considering currently available energy harvesters as power sources for watches, it comes down to choosing what to compromise on.
In contrast to Evercell, conventional thermal energy harvesters require both significant thermal gradients and a bulky heatsink for operation. If adequate thermal gradients are not available, that can interfere with the performance of the watch. Furthermore, for wearables such as watches, bulky solutions are sub-optimal because they limit the form factors of the consumer product.
Another technology currently in widespread use is photovoltaic harvesters, but light is not always available and without it, these watches only hold enough charge for several months.
Evercell, on the other hand, solves all the deficiencies of current solutions without compromise, either in size or energy availability, making it a superior solution for quartz watches of all shapes and sizes.
Resources
Evercell Page of FaceCompanies.com Evercell Can’t Be a Battery
@PowerElectrTips
EE World Online
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