Method and Apparatus for Energy Harvesting and/or Generation, Storage, and Delivery

• US 20100060231A1
• Filed: 07/20/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TPL Incorporated
• Original Assignee: TPL Incorporated
• Inventors: Lakeman, Charles D.E., Fleig, Patrick Franz, Trainor, John T.
• Application Number:
  US12/506,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060231A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/14 Arrangements or processes for adjusting or protecting hybrid or EDL capacitors emergency protective circuit arrangements specially adapted for capacitors, and effecting automatic switching in the event of an undesired change from normal working conditions H02H7/16; emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltages without disconnection H02H9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/465 with solar battery as charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/003 of fuel cells with other electrochemical devices, e.g. capacitors, electrolysers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/00 Fuel cells for particular applications; Specific features of fuel cell system
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/30 The power source being a fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/13 Energy storage using capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A device and method for harvesting, generating, storing, and delivering energy to a load, particularly for remote or inaccessible applications. The device preferably comprises one or more energy sources, at least one supercapacitor, at least one rechargeable battery, and a controller. The charging of the energy storage devices and the delivery of power to the load is preferably dynamically varied to maximize efficiency. A low power consumption charge pump circuit is preferably employed to collect power from low power energy sources while also enabling the delivery of higher voltage power to the load. The charging voltage is preferably programmable, enabling one device to be used for a wide range of specific applications. Also low power charge pump driver circuits for efficient scavenging of low voltage, high current energy sources.

Claims

1. A system for providing energy to a load, the system comprising:

at least one energy source;

one or more supercapacitors electrically connected to said energy source; and

a battery electrically connected to said supercapacitors such that said battery is charged by said supercapacitors and not directly by said energy source.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said battery comprises a volumetric rechargeable Li polymer battery.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said battery is not charged by low current charging above its damage voltage threshold.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein said battery is charged up to its maximum voltage.

5. The system of claim 1 comprising sufficient energy reserves to enable the load to remain in an “

on”

state during time periods when said energy source is expected not to be generating energy.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a first voltage step up stage comprising:

a low voltage oscillator and an AC charge pump stage for stepping up a voltage of charge from an energy source initially having a voltage less than approximately one volt; and

a second voltage step up stage for further stepping up a voltage of the higher voltage charge.

7. The system of claim 1 comprising a circuit system for automatically adjusting an input voltage for a high impedance energy source to half of an open circuit voltage of said energy source, independent of a frequency of said energy source.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said energy source comprises a piezoelectric generator.

9. The system of claim 1 comprising a battery charging circuit for pulse charging the battery.

10. A method of providing power to a load, the method comprising the steps of:

charging one or more supercapacitors with energy from an energy source; and

charging a battery from the supercapacitors and not the energy source.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of charging the battery comprises not low current charging the battery above a damage voltage threshold.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of charging a battery comprises charging a battery up to its maximum voltage.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of charging a battery comprises charging the battery using controlled pulses.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the pulsed charging is performed at fixed voltage with current limiting.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of recharging the supercapacitors with the battery when energy from the energy source is absent or insufficient for powering the load.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

stepping up the voltage of charge from an energy source initially having a voltage less than approximately one volt;

transferring the higher voltage charge to a second voltage step up stage; and

further stepping up the voltage of the charge.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of automatically adjusting an input voltage for a high impedance energy source to half of an open circuit voltage of said energy source, independent of a frequency of the energy source.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the energy source comprises a piezoelectric generator.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the load remains in an “

on”

state during time periods when the energy source is expected not to be generating energy.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the load enters a “

sleep”

state during time periods when the energy source does not generate energy for an unexpectedly long time.