INTEGRATED CIRCUIT ENERGY HARVESTER

• US 20130264870A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sol Chip, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sol Chip, Ltd.
• Inventors: Keysar, Shani, Holzer, Reuven, Friedlander, Rami
• Granted Patent: US 9,379,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/24
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for energy harvesting comprises a first interface for receiving energy from at least one renewable energy source (ERS); a second interface coupled to at least one load circuit; a third interface coupled to an least one primary energy storage (PES); a DC-to-DC converter connected to one of a single inductor and a single capacitor; a switching circuitry connected to the first, second, and third interfaces and the DC-to-DC converter; a control unit connected to the DC-to-DC converter and the switching circuitry, the control unit controls the system to operate in an operation mode including any one of: provide energy from the ERS to the at least one load via the DC-to-DC converter, charge the least one PES from the at least one ERS via the DC-to-DC converter, and provide energy from the at least one PES to the at least one load circuit via the DC-to-DC converter.

Claims

1. A system for energy harvesting, comprising:

a first interface for receiving energy from at least one renewable energy source (ERS);

a second interface coupled to at least one load circuit;

a third interface coupled to an least one primary energy storage (PES);

a DC-to-DC converter connected to one of a single inductor and a single capacitor;

a switching circuitry connected to the first interface, the second interface, the third interface, and the DC-to-DC converter;

a control unit connected to the DC-to-DC converter and the switching circuitry, the control unit controls the system to operate in an operation mode including any one of;

provide energy from the at least one ERS to the at least one load via the DC-to-DC converter, charge the least one PES from the at least one ERS via the DC-to-DC converter, and provide energy from the at least one PES to the at least one load circuit via the DC-to-DC converter.

2. The system of claim 1, is embodied within a single integrated circuit (IC).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one load circuit is coupled to a secondary energy storage (SES) coupled to the load circuit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the SES is a coupling capacitor.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the SES is any one of:

an external capacitor and an on-chip capacitor.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the control unit determines the operation mode by sensing a voltage level of the SES.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the operation mode by sensing a current level at the DC-to-DC converter level, sensing a voltage level at the least one ERS, and sensing a voltage level at the at least one PES.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one PES is any one of a super capacitor and a rechargeable battery.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one ERS comprises photovoltaic (PV) cells.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one ERS is integrated in the integrated circuit (IC).

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the DC-to-DC converter is configured by the control unit to operate in a buck mode if the input voltage resulting from sensing at least the voltage level from the at least one ERS is larger than an output voltage resulting from sensing a voltage level of the at least one PES,

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the DC-to-DC converter is configured by the control unit to operate in a boost mode if the input voltage resulting from sensing at least a voltage level from the at least one more ERS is smaller than the output voltage resulting from sensing the voltage level of the at least one PES.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the DC-to-DC converter is configured by the control unit to operate in a buck-boost mode, if the buck mode and the boost mode are not operative.