Booster

• US 20060152200A1
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Nakayama, Satoshi, Matsumoto, Satoshi, Kanai, Yasuyuki, Akiyama, Kazuya, Mino, Masato, Ohwaki, Junichi, Katsura, Kousuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,345,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/222
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0006 Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/901 Starting circuits

Abstract

A booster circuit generates a boosted output by boosting a low voltage output supplied as a target to be boosted and feeds back a part of the boosted output, an output by the booster circuit itself, to the booster circuit as operation energy. An auxiliary booster circuit outputs start-up energy generated based on a low voltage output to the booster circuit as start-up energy that is necessary for starting up the booster circuit.

Claims

1-39. -39. (canceled)

40. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which start-up energy necessary for starting up the booster circuit and operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit are supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output obtained by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted; and

a power supply unit that supplies the start-up energy and the operation energy to the booster circuit.

41. The booster according to claim 40, wherein the low voltage output that is the target to be boosted is supplied from a solar cell.

42. The booster according to claim 40, wherein the low voltage output that is the target to be boosted is supplied from a fuel cell.

43. The booster according to claim 40, wherein the power supplying unit is a solar cell.

44. The booster according to claim 40, wherein the power supplying unit is a lithium storage cell.

45. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which either one of start-up energy necessary for starting up the booster circuit and operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit is supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output obtained by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted;

a power supply unit that supplies the start-up energy; and

a selector circuit that outputs either one of the start-up energy and the operation energy to the booster circuit, wherein

the booster circuit outputs all or a part of the boosted output to the selector circuit as the operation energy.

46. The booster according to claim 45, wherein the selector circuit comprises:

a first rectifier element connected between the power supply unit and the booster circuit; and

a second rectifier element that is normally connected in a direction in which all or a part of the boosted output is fed back to the booster circuit.

47. The booster according to claim 45, further comprising:

an output controller circuit that is provided in a stage subsequent to the booster circuit and performs output control to the boosted output obtained from the booster circuit.

48. The booster according to claim 47, wherein the booster circuit comprises:

a unit that controls an ability of boosting of the booster based on the output control by the output controller circuit.

49. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which start-up energy necessary for starting up the booster circuit and operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit are supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output obtained by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted; and

a power supply unit that supplies the start-up energy to the booster circuit, wherein

the booster circuit feeds back all or a part of the boosted output as the operation energy to the booster circuit.

50. The booster according to claim 49, wherein the booster circuit comprises an electric pathway between an output terminal of the booster circuit and the power supply unit.

51. The booster according to claim 50 further comprising:

a rectifier element connected between the output terminal of the booster circuit and the power supply unit in a forward direction.

52. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which either one of start-up energy necessary for starting up the booster circuit and operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit is supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output obtained by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted;

a power supply unit that supplies the start-up energy; and

a selector circuit that outputs either one of the start-up energy and the operation energy to the booster circuit, wherein

the booster circuit outputs all or a part of the boosted output to the selector circuit and the power supply unit.

53. The booster according to claim 52, further comprising:

a rectifier element connected between the booster circuit and the power supply unit in a forward direction.

54. The booster according to claim 53, wherein the selector circuit further comprises:

a rectifier element connected to the booster circuit in a forward direction and in a direction in which the boosted output is fed back to the booster circuit.

55. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which start-up energy necessary for starting up the booster circuit and operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit are supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted, and outputs the boosted output; and

a storage element that stores the boosted output and generates a constant voltage output, and feeds back the constant voltage output as the start-up energy and the operation energy to the booster circuit.

56. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which either start-up energy necessary for start starting up the booster circuit or operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit is supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted, and outputs the boosted output; and

a storage element that stores the boosted output input through a rectifier element connected in a forward direction between the booster circuit and the storage element and generates a constant voltage output, and outputs the start-up energy; and

a selector circuit that outputs either the start-up energy or the operation energy to the booster circuit.

57. The booster according to claim 56, wherein the selector circuit further comprises:

a rectifier element connected in a direction in which the boosted output is fed back to the booster circuit itself and in a forward direction.

58. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which start-up energy necessary for starting up the booster circuit and operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit are supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output obtained by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted;

a power supplying unit that supplies the start-up energy;

a switching unit that performs output control of the start-up energy, wherein

the booster circuit feeds back all or a part of the boosted output to the booster circuit as the operation energy and outputs the boosted output to the switching unit as a supply stop signal for the start-up energy, and

the switching unit performs control whether to output the start-up energy to the booster circuit based on a start-up signal based on power generation control of a low voltage output input as the target to be boosted and the supply stop signal.

59. The booster according to claim 58, wherein the switching unit comprises:

a first switching element to which the start-up signal is input; and

a second switching element to which the supply stop signal is input and connected to the first switching element in series,

the switching unit causing the first switching element to be conducting when the start-up signal is ON while interrupts the first switching element when the start-up signal is OFF, and

the switching unit causing the second switching element to be conducting when the start-up signal is ON while interrupts the second switching element when the start-up signal is OFF.

60. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which either one of start-up energy necessary for starting up the booster circuit and operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit is supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output obtained by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted;

a power supplying unit that supplies the start-up energy;

a switching unit that performs output control of the start-up energy; and

a selector circuit that outputs either one of the start-up energy and the operation energy to the booster circuit, wherein

the booster circuit outputs all or a part of the boosted output to the selector circuit and the power supplying unit;

the switching unit performs control whether to output the start-up energy to the selector circuit based on a start-up signal based on power generation control of a low voltage output input as the target to be boosted.

61. The booster according to claim 60, further comprising:

a rectifier element connected between the booster circuit and the power supplying unit in a forward direction.

62. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which either one of start-up energy necessary for starting up the booster circuit and operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit is supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output obtained by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted;

a power supplying unit that supplies the start-up energy;

a switching unit that performs output control of the start-up energy;

a selector circuit that outputs either one of the start-up energy and the operation energy to the booster circuit; and

a signal delay circuit that generates a delay signal obtained by delaying a power generation request signal sent for power generation control of a low voltage output input as the target to be boosted by a predetermined time and outputs the delay signal, wherein

the booster circuit outputs all or a part of the boosted output to the selector circuit and the power supplying unit, and

the switching unit performs control whether to output the operation energy to the selector circuit based on the delay signal.

63. The booster according to claim 62, wherein the selector circuit comprises:

a first rectifier element connected between the storage element and the booster circuit; and

a second rectifier element that is connected in a direction in which all or a part of the boosted output is fed back to the booster circuit itself and in a forward direction.

64. A booster comprising:

a booster circuit to which either one of start-up energy necessary for starting up the booster circuit and operation energy necessary for continuing an operation of the booster circuit is supplied, wherein the booster circuit generates a boosted output obtained by boosting an input voltage as a target to be boosted; and

an auxiliary booster circuit that outputs the start-up energy generated based on the low voltage output to the booster circuit, wherein

the booster circuit feeds back all or a part of the boosted output to the booster circuit itself as the operation energy.

65. The booster according to claim 64, further comprising:

a unit that controls start-up of the auxiliary booster circuit based on the boosted output.

66. The booster according to claim 65, further comprising:

an output controller circuit provided around the booster circuit and performing output control to the boosted output obtained by the booster circuit.

67. The booster according to claim 66, wherein the output controller circuit includes a constant voltage element.

68. The booster according to claim 66, wherein the output controller circuit includes a constant voltage element and a constant current element.

69. The booster according to claim 66, wherein the output control circuit controls boosting capability of the booster circuit.

70. The booster according to claim 66, wherein the output control circuit performs time ratio modulation control to the booster circuit.

71. The booster according to claim 64, further comprising:

a power storing unit that stores all or a part of the boosted output, wherein

the booster circuit feeds back a part of the boosted output to the booster circuit itself as the operation energy and controls start-up of the auxiliary booster circuit and the power storing unit based on the boosted output, and

the selector circuit outputs to the booster circuit either one of the start-up energy output from the auxiliary booster circuit and the start-up energy output from the power storing unit.

72. The booster according to claim 71, wherein the selector circuit comprises:

a first rectifier element connected between the auxiliary booster circuit and the booster circuit in a forward direction; and

a second rectifier element that is connected in a direction in which all or a part of the boosted output is fed back to the booster circuit and in a forward direction.

73. The booster according to claim 71, wherein a rectifier element is connected between the booster circuit and the power storing unit in a forward direction.

74. The booster according to claim 64, further comprising:

a voltage judging unit that judges an output voltage of an auxiliary booster circuit output that is an output of the auxiliary booster circuit; and

a switching unit that switches supply/stop of the auxiliary booster circuit output to the booster circuit based on a result of judgment by the voltage judging unit.

75. The booster according to claim 74, wherein the voltage judging unit comprises:

a comparator that compares the auxiliary booster circuit output with a predetermined standard voltage, wherein

a switching element included in the switching unit is controlled based on a result of comparison by the comparator.

76. The booster according to claim 74, wherein the voltage judging unit includes Darlington-connected transistors that become conducting when the auxiliary booster circuit output reaches a predetermined voltage, wherein

a switching element included in the switching unit is controlled based on the auxiliary booster circuit output and a voltage drop that occurs between a base and an emitter of the Darlington-connected transistors.

77. The booster according to claim 64, wherein the auxiliary booster circuit includes a switched capacitor type circuit.

78. The booster according to claim 64, wherein the auxiliary booster circuit includes a charged pump type circuit.