Power control system and method

• US 7,132,757 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amphenol Thermometrics, Inc. (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Steigerwald, Robert Louis, Anderson, Todd Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US11/061,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20060181083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 290/1.R, 290/1.A, 310/339, 310/319
• US Class Current: 290/1.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/32 for charging batteries from a charging set comprising a non-electric prime mover rotating at constant speed
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/181 Circuits; Control arrangements or methods

Abstract

A power system includes an energy harvesting device, a battery coupled to the energy harvesting device, and a circuit coupled to the energy harvesting device and the battery. The circuit is adapted to deliver power to a load by providing power generated by the energy harvesting device to the load without delivering excess power to the battery and to supplement the power generated by the energy harvesting device with power from the battery if the power generated by the energy harvesting device is insufficient to fully power the load. A method of operating the power system is also provided.

Claims

1. A power system, comprising:

a sensor;

an energy harvesting device operable to deliver power to the sensor;

a battery coupled to the energy harvesting device and the sensor; and

a circuit coupled to the energy harvesting device and the battery, the circuit adapted to control delivery of power to the sensor by providing power generated by the energy harvesting device to the sensor without delivering excess power to the battery and to supplement the power generated by the energy harvesting device with power from the battery if the power generated by the energy harvesting device is insufficient to fully power the sensor.

2. The power system as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a wireless sensor.

3. The power system as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor is coupled to a motor and is adapted to provide status data of the motor to a remote monitoring system.

4. The power system as recited in claim 3, wherein the energy harvesting device comprises a piezoelectric source disposed on the motor that converts vibrations of the motor into electrical power.

5. The power system as recited in claim 3, wherein the status data comprises data representative of a lifetime of the motor.