If you're looking for an overview of CaPow Genesis - what it is and and how it works, click here; otherwise, please read on and let us know if you still have questions.
Table of Contents
General Questions
CaPow is short for "CApacitive POWer" - the key differentiator between CaPow Genesis and other industrial wireless chargers.
CaPow Genesis is the world's first perpetual power solution for industrial mobile robots. While there are many AMR/AGV fast chargers in the market today, only CaPow Genesis can charge industrial robots while they move, providing up to 100% uptime and zero downtime due to charging.
CaPowering your robot fleet is simple. First, install a CaPow Genesis receiver kit on each robot you want to CaPower. Then, deploy a CaPow Genesis power transmitter on the floor anywhere you need power to be delivered. That's it! Now your robots will charge themselves automatically whenever they roll over the power transmitter! To learn more, see here.
CaPow Genesis is completely vendor agnostic and can be installed on any make or model of AMR, AGV, AGV, or other mobile robot.
That's fine! We really are vendor agnostic. Currently we support any robot power system that runs on DC power ranging from 12V to 60V.
Even if your robot fleet is made up of several models of robot, they can all get optimized power delivery from the same set of CaPow Genesis power transmitters. You will not have to have dedicated charging areas for each vendor-specific charging dock/cable any more.
No. CaPow Genesis has no network connectivity requirements.
The easiest way to monitor the performance of your mobile robot fleet is by using its native fleet management software. You'll be able to see quite clearly that your CaPowered robots spends way more time working than the robots that have to stop and charge.
For example, here's the performance of five MiR robots as seen by MiR Fleet. Can you tell which robot has been CaPowered?
(Hint: It's the one whose charge never dips below 70%)
There is no "one size fits all" answer to this question, but CaPow has created a software package called the Floor Planner Tool to assist in sticker placement and design. This free tool helps you design your sticker layout for maximum uptime.
One for each robot you would like to CaPower.
Specifications
CaPow Genesis delivers 500 watts of power. If your application requires more than this, let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate.
If you're struggling to maximize your robot fleet's efficiency, our work to charge ratio article has lots of recommendations.
Yes! CaPow Genesis can handle up to 50% misalignment between transmitter and receiver. This makes wireless power transfer very easy to deploy, even if your mobile robots are not very accurate in their positioning.
It depends. The CaPow Transmitter and Receiver both need to be online before power transfer can begin. That means a mobile robot has to have at least enough charge remaining in order to power the Receiver. If that can't happen for any reason, then Genesis can't charge the battery and you'll have to find your robot's "jumper cables."
The length, width, and height of the Genesis Transmitters changes based on customer requirements. In this case, we made the transmitter wide enough for people, robots, and carts to easily pass over the top in any direction without tripping. It is several feet across but less than an inch tall. The minimum surface area required to deliver 500 Watts of power is typically about 60 square inches, but the more the better!
The receiver size varies but we optimize the receiver design for maximum power transfer and alignment flexibility.
CaPow Genesis transmitter design is highly customizable; however, as of June 2024, we are seeing transmitter tiles capable of withstanding pressure of 11 Megapascals or roughly 1600 pounds per square inch. AGV, forklift, and tugger traffic are no problem.
Installation of CaPow Genesis
Installation is extremely simple. Just lay the transmitter panel on the floor and plug it in to the power supply. That's it!
Genesis is completely vendor-agnostic so the specific instructions vary based on robot make and model. That said, installation typically involves mounting a receiver antenna somewhere on the exterior of the robot, receiver electronics inside the robot, and tying the receiver into the robot's main power rail.
Please work with your account team and/or use the CaPow Floor Planner Tool to determine optimal transmitter locations.
Remember, CaPow Genesis transmitters can easily be relocated after the initial deployment if required.
CaPow Genesis' maximum power delivery to your robot is 500W. Actual power draw at the outlet is closer to 550W or 600W.
No. CaPow Genesis runs on DC Power and cannot be plugged directly into a NEMA 5-15R wall outlet. If you can't provide 48VDC at each transmitter location, you may purchase one AC to DC power converter for each transmitter you plan to install.
Please work with your CaPow account team to select an appropriate AC/DC converter for your specific application.
No!
Our power transmitters are completely enclosed in a durable resin decking material with a gradual ramp on all sides so your robots can easily roll across them without having to cut holes in your floor.
Typically it takes 1-2 hours to install a receiver and 2-3 hours to install a transmitter. The process is well-documented and very straight-forward, so installation will speed up pretty quickly.
Not hard at all. Whether you're deploying Genesis temporarily for testing or simply migrating your equipment from one robot to another. removal is pretty quick - probably about twice as fast as installation (so 30-60 minutes).
Safety
Yes! The solution is designed for compliance with the ICNIRP 2020 standards. In addition to complying with their standards for occupational exposure within industrial facilities, the CaPow equipment also complies with the ICNIRP standard for general public exposure.
No, but the CaPow Genesis transmitter and receiver are both rated IP55, which means they are well-protected from ingress of dust and liquids.
If you're looking for an overview of CaPow Genesis - what it is and and how it works, click here; otherwise, please review the FAQ above and let us know if you still have questions.