SELF SUSTAINING ENERGY HARVESTING SYSTEM

• US 20160172868A1
• Filed: 12/15/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Sequeira, Melwyn F., Mohiuddin, Mohammad, Copeland, Richard L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,673,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/181 due to failing power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/30 using light, e.g. lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells

Abstract

Systems (100) and methods (400) for powering an electrical load (322) in an environment. The methods involve using a battery (310) to simultaneously supply electrical energy to control electronics (308, 316) and a Super Capacitor (“SC”) storage element (314) immediately after a system has been disposed in the environment and turned on. In effect, the control electronics are caused to perform intended functions thereof nearly instantaneously after turning on the system. The SC storage element is charged from a first charge state in which approximately zero volts exist across terminals thereof to a second charge state in which greater than zero volts exists across the terminals. The SC storage element is then used to supply electrical energy to the electrical load of the system so as to cause the electrical load to perform intended functions thereof.

Claims

1. A method for powering an electrical load in an environment, comprising:

using a battery to simultaneously supply electrical energy to control electronics and a Super Capacitor (“

SC”

) storage element of a system immediately after the system has been disposed in the environment and turned on, whereby the control electronics are caused to perform intended functions thereof nearly instantaneously after turning on the system and the SC storage element is charged from a first charge state in which approximately zero volts exists across terminals thereof to a second charge state in which greater than zero volts exists across said terminals;

using the SC storage element to supply electrical energy to the electrical load of the system so as to cause the electrical load to perform intended functions thereof;

continuously monitoring a first output voltage of the battery, a second output voltage of the SC storage element and a third output voltage of an energy harvesting circuit of the system;

terminating the supply of electrical energy from the battery to the SC storage element based on a level of at least the second output voltage;

using the energy harvesting circuit to recharge the battery; and

using the battery to recharge the SC storage element when the second output voltage falls below a first threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling a timer when the second output voltage reaches a desired level.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising making a determination that the SC storage element has reached a leakage current equilibrium upon an expiration of a pre-defined time period which was detected based on an output of said timer.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the battery'"'"'s supply of electrical energy to the SC storage element is terminated when said determination is made.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting when the second output voltage of the SC storage element reaches a pre-defined level.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the battery'"'"'s recharge of the SC storage element is terminated when the second output voltage of the SC storage element reaches the pre-defined threshold level.

7. A system, comprising:

control electronics;

a Super Capacitor (“

Sc”

) storage element electrically connected to the control electronics and used to supply electrical energy to an electrical load so as to cause the electrical load to perform intended functions thereof;

a battery electrically coupled to the control electronics and selectively couplable indirectly to the SC storage element, where the battery simultaneously supplies electrical energy to the control electronics and the SC storage element immediately after the system has been disposed in an environment and turned on, whereby the control electronics are caused to perform intended functions thereof nearly instantaneously after turning on the system and the SC storage element is charged from a first charge state in which approximately zero volts exists across terminals thereof to a second charge state in which greater than zero volts exists across the terminals; and

an energy harvesting circuit coupled to the control electronics and coupled to the battery;

wherein the control electronics continuously monitor a first output voltage of the battery, a second output voltage of the SC storage element and a third output voltage of an energy harvesting circuit; and

wherein the supply of electrical energy from the battery to the SC storage element is terminated based on a level of at least the second output voltage, the energy harvesting circuit recharges the battery when active, and the battery recharges the SC storage element when the second output voltage falls below a first threshold value.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the control electronics enable a timer when the second output voltage reaches a desired level.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the control electronics make a determination that the SC storage element has reached a leakage current equilibrium upon an expiration of a pre-defined time period which was detected based on an output of said timer.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the battery'"'"'s supply of electrical energy to the SC storage element is terminated when said determination is made.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the control electronics detect when the second output voltage of the SC storage element reaches a pre-defined level.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the battery'"'"'s recharging of the SC storage element is terminated when the second output voltage of the SC storage element reaches the pre-defined level.

13. A system, comprising:

control electronics;

a Super Capacitor (“

Sc”

) storage element electrically connected to the control electronics and used to supply electrical energy to an electrical load so as to cause the electrical load to perform intended functions thereof;

a battery electrically coupled to the control electronics and selectively couplable to the SC storage element, where the battery simultaneously supplies electrical energy to the control electronics and the SC storage element immediately after the system has been disposed in an environment and turned on, whereby the control electronics are caused to perform intended functions thereof nearly instantaneously after turning on the system and the SC storage element is charged from a first charge state in which approximately zero volts exists across terminals thereof to a second charge state in which greater than zero volts exists across the terminals; and

an energy harvesting circuit coupled to the control electronics and coupled to the battery such that the battery is rechargeable by the energy harvesting circuit.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the battery'"'"'s charge of the SC storage element is terminated based on a level of the output voltage of the SC storage element.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the battery recharges the SC storage element when the output voltage of the SC storage element falls below a first threshold value.