Power supply device, and control method of power supply device

• US 9,843,227 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Noguchi, Koichiro, Nose, Koichi, Ikenaga, Yoshifumi, Yoshida, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Skibinski, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/690,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20150311706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 969 Days
• Field of Search: 307 52, 307104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence

Abstract

A power supply device according to an embodiment comprises a plurality of power sources 10 each including an antenna and an AC/DC conversion unit, a plurality of consolidating units 13_1 to 13_i, and a power supply unit 15. The consolidating units 13_1 to 13_i respectively include consolidating circuits 14_1 to 14_i that selectively consolidate a plurality of DC signals 21_1 to 21_n supplied by the plurality of power sources 10. The power supply unit 15 includes a consolidating circuit 16 that selectively consolidates the DC signals 21_1 to 21_i output from the plurality of consolidating units 13_1 to 13_i, and a voltage conversion circuit 17 that converts a DC signal 23 resulting from consolidation in the consolidating circuit 16, to a predetermined voltage.

Claims

1. A power supply device comprising:

a plurality of power sources each including an antenna and an AC/DC conversion unit that converts an AC signal received by the antenna to a DC signal;

a plurality of consolidating units each including a first consolidating circuit that selectively consolidates a plurality of DC signals supplied by the plurality of power sources; and

a power supply unit that includes a second consolidating circuit that selectively consolidates DC signals output from the plurality of consolidating units, and a first voltage conversion circuit that converts a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the second consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage.

2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the consolidating units includes:

a second voltage conversion circuit that converts a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the first consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage; and

a first control circuit, to which power is supplied from the second voltage conversion circuit, the first control circuit controlling the first consolidating circuit, and

the power supply unit includes a second control circuit, to which power is supplied from the first voltage conversion circuit, the second control circuit controlling the second consolidating circuit.

3. The power supply device according to claim 2, wherein quiescent power in the second voltage conversion circuit provided in each of the consolidating units is lower than quiescent power in the first voltage conversion circuit provided in the power supply unit.

4. The power supply device according to claim 2, wherein

each of the consolidating units includes a first monitoring circuit that monitors the plurality of DC signals supplied by the plurality of power sources, and

the first control circuit controls the first consolidating circuit in accordance with a monitoring result in the first monitoring circuit.

5. The power supply device according to claim 4, wherein

the first consolidating circuit includes a plurality of switches that switch connection between the plurality of power sources and an output node of the consolidating unit, and

in a case where voltage of the DC signal supplied by each of the power sources is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the first control circuit controls each of the switches in such a manner that the power source and the output node are connected.

6. The power supply device according to claim 2, wherein

the power supply unit includes a second monitoring circuit that monitors the plurality of DC signals output from the plurality of consolidating units, and

the second control circuit controls the second consolidating circuit in accordance with a monitoring result in the second monitoring circuit.

7. The power supply device according to claim 6, wherein

the second consolidating circuit includes a plurality of switches that switch connection between respective output nodes of the plurality of consolidating units and an output node of the second consolidating circuit, and

in a case where voltage of the DC signal supplied by the output node of each of the consolidating units is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the second control circuit controls each of the switches in such a manner that the output node of the consolidating unit and the output node of the second consolidating circuit are connected.

8. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the first consolidating circuits includes:

a first output node to which a DC signal having a voltage equal to or greater than a first threshold value, from among the plurality of DC signals supplied by the plurality of power sources, is selectively output; and

a second output ode to which a DC signal having a voltage smaller than the first threshold value, from among the plurality of DC signals supplied by the plurality of power sources, is selectively output.

9. The power supply device according to claim 8, wherein

the second consolidating circuit includes:

a third output node to which a DC signal having a voltage equal to or greater than a second threshold value, from among the plurality of DC signals that are respectively supplied by the first and second output nodes, is selectively output; and

a fourth output node to which a DC signal having a voltage smaller than the second threshold value, from among the plurality of DC signals that are respectively supplied by the first and second output nodes, is selectively output, and

the first voltage conversion circuit includes;

a high voltage-side voltage conversion circuit that converts a DC signal output from the third output node, to a predetermined voltage; and

a low voltage-side voltage conversion circuit that converts a DC signal output from the fourth output node, to a predetermined voltage.

10. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the consolidating unit further includes a third consolidating circuit that selectively consolidates a plurality of DC signals respectively resulting from consolidation in the plurality of first consolidating circuits, and that outputs the respective consolidated DC signals to the power supply unit.

11. The power supply device according to claim 10, wherein the consolidating unit includes M first consolidating circuits and N (N<

M) third consolidating circuits.

12. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of power sources is disposed on a substrate,

a plurality of consolidating chips that respectively make up the consolidating unit is disposed on the substrate, and

a power source chip that makes up the power supply unit is disposed on the substrate.

13. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the consolidating units includes:

a second voltage conversion circuit that converts a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the first consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage; and

a first control circuit, to which power is supplied from the second voltage conversion circuit, the first control circuit controlling the first consolidating circuit.

14. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the consolidating units includes:

a second voltage conversion circuit that converts a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the first consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage,

wherein the power supply unit includes a second control circuit, to which power is supplied from the first voltage conversion circuit, the second control circuit controlling the second consolidating circuit.

15. A control method of a power supply device, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of DC signals through AC/DC conversion of a plurality of AC signals received by a plurality of antennas;

selectively consolidating the plurality of DC signals using first consolidating circuits;

selectively consolidating, using a second consolidating circuit, a plurality of DC signals output from the first consolidating circuits; and

converting a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the second consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage.

16. The control method according to claim 15, wherein

each of the consolidating units includes:

converting, by a second voltage conversion circuit, a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the first consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage;

controlling the first consolidating circuit by a first control circuit, to which power is supplied from the second voltage conversion circuit; and

controlling the second consolidating circuit by a second control circuit included in the power supply unit, to which power is supplied from the first voltage conversion circuit, the second consolidating circuit.

17. The control method according to claim 15, wherein

each of the consolidating units includes:

converting, by a second voltage conversion circuit, a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the first consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage; and

controlling the first consolidating circuit by a first control circuit, to which power is supplied from the second voltage conversion circuit.

18. The control method according to claim 15, wherein

each of the consolidating units includes:

converting, by a second voltage conversion circuit, a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the first consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage; and

controlling the second consolidating circuit by a second control circuit included in the power supply unit, to which power is supplied from the first voltage conversion circuit, the second consolidating circuit.

19. A power supply device comprising:

a plurality of power sources each including a conversion unit that converts an AC signal received wirelessly to a DC signal;

a plurality of consolidating units each including a first consolidating circuit that selectively consolidates a plurality of DC signals supplied by the plurality of power sources; and

a power supply unit that includes a second consolidating circuit that selectively consolidates DC signals output from the plurality of consolidating units, and a first voltage conversion circuit that converts a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the second consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage.

20. The power supply device according to claim 19, wherein

each of the consolidating units includes:

a second voltage conversion circuit that converts a DC signal resulting from consolidation in the first consolidating circuit, to a predetermined voltage; and

a first control circuit, to which power is supplied from the second voltage conversion circuit, the first control circuit controlling the first consolidating circuit, and

the power supply unit includes a second control circuit, to which power is supplied from the first voltage conversion circuit, the second control circuit controlling the second consolidating circuit.