Self-contained, renewable power supply and control system

• US 20040232878A1
• Filed: 05/19/2003
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PCS Ferguson Incorporated (ChampionX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: IHS Imonitoring, Inc.
• Inventors: Barry, Alexander M., Harman, Robert M., Couch, Philip R., Fleming, Jerry W.
• Granted Patent: US 6,914,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/101
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells

Abstract

A self-powered apparatus includes a solar power cell, a battery, and a load. The load may include one or more load functions performed using power provided by one or both of the solar power cell and the battery. The inclusion of a battery permits the solar power cell to be sized much smaller than if the solar power cell was the only supply of power. A programmable controller selectively regulates power provided to one or more load functions and also selectively regulates whether one or both of the power cell and battery supplies the power. Switching circuitry, controlled by the programmable controller, selectively couples one or both of the battery and the solar cell to supply energy for powering the load. In a preferred example embodiment, the controller couples the battery and/or solar cell to charge a super capacitor, which then is selectively controlled to power the load. The programmable controller determines and prioritizes load function power requirements, and based thereon, determines which load functions will be powered based the priority of the load function requirements and the amount of power that can be supplied by the solar power cell as supplemented by the battery.

Claims

1. Apparatus for supplying power to a load comprising:

a solar power cell;

a battery;

a load including plural load functions; and

a programmable controller programmed to selectively regulate energy obtained from one or more of the solar power cell and the battery and to selectively control energy obtained from one or both of the solar power cell and the battery supplied to power one or more of the load functions.

2. The apparatus in claim 1, further comprising:

switching circuitry, under the control of the programmable controller, for selectively coupling energy from one or both of the solar power cell and the battery to power one or more of the load functions.

3. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the battery is a lithium thionyl chloride battery.

4. The apparatus in claim 1, further comprising:

an energy storage device coupled to one or both of the solar power cell and the battery and to the load for storing energy supplied by one or both of the solar power cell and the battery under control of the programmable controller and for supplying energy to power one or more of the load functions under the control of the programmable controller.

5. The apparatus in claim 4, wherein the apparatus is operable in a temperature range of −

40°

to +60°

Centigrade.

6. The apparatus in claim 4, further comprising:

switching circuitry under the control of the programmable controller for selectively coupling energy from one or both of the solar power cell and the battery to charge the energy storage device.

7. The apparatus in claim 4, wherein the energy storage device is a capacitor or a super capacitor.

8. The apparatus in claim 4, wherein the energy storage device is a rechargeable battery.

9. The apparatus in claim 4, further comprising:

an energy storage device detector for detecting a current energy level,

wherein the programmable controller is programmed to obtain the detected energy level.

10. The apparatus in claim 9, wherein the programmable controller is programmed to:

determine load function power requirements,

prioritize those load function power requirements, and

determine one or both of the load functions to be powered by the energy storage device based on one or more of the detected energy amount and on the priority of the current load function requirements.

11. The apparatus in claim 9, wherein the programmable controller is programmed to determine an energy charging rate of the energy storage device using plural detected energy levels over a predetermined period of time.

12. The apparatus in claim 11, wherein the programmable controller is programmed to:

determine load function power requirements,

prioritize those load function power requirements, and

determine one or more of the load functions to be powered by the energy storage device based on one or both of the energy charging rate and on the priority of the load function requirements.

13. Apparatus for supplying power to a load comprising:

a solar power cell;

a battery;

an energy storage device coupled to the solar cell and to the battery;

a load including one or more load functions;

switching circuitry for selectively coupling the battery to the energy storage device and the solar cell to the energy storage device; and

a programmable controller programmed to selectively regulate power drawn from the energy storage device by the one or more load functions and controlling the switching circuitry to couple one or both of the solar power cell and battery to charge the energy storage device.

14. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein the energy storage device is a super capacitor and the battery is a lithium thionyl chloride battery and wherein the apparatus is operable in a temperature range of −

40°

to +60°

centigrade.

15. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein the programmable controller is programmed to control the switching circuitry so that the solar power cell is primarily used to charge the energy storage device and the battery is secondarily used to charge the energy storage device.

16. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein the programmable controller is programmed to control the switching circuitry so that the energy storage device stores sufficient energy to power a high current load.

17. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein the programmable controller is programmed to control the switching circuitry so that the battery supplies power to the energy storage device when the solar cell is not supplying sufficient charge to the energy storage device.

18. The apparatus in claim 17, wherein the programmable controller is programmed to de-activate non-essential load functions until the solar power cell can supply sufficient charge to the energy storage device.

19. The apparatus in claim 17, wherein the programmable controller is programmed to gradually degrade essential load functions when neither the solar power cell nor the battery can sufficiently charge the energy storage device to a level required to fully power the essential load functions.

20. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein battery is rechargeable and the programmable controller is programmed to control the switching circuitry to supply power from the solar power cell to recharge the rechargeable battery.

21. Apparatus in claim 13, further comprising one or more of the following:

a first voltage regulator coupled between the battery and the energy storage device;

a second voltage regulator coupled between the solar cell and the energy storage device; and

a third voltage regulator coupled between the energy storage device and the load.

22. A computer-implemented method for use in a power supply apparatus including a solar power cell, a battery, an energy storage device coupled to the solar cell, the battery, and a load including one or more load functions performed using power stored in the capacitor, comprising:

detecting a charge level of the energy storage device, and

selectively regulating power drawn from the energy storage device by the one or more load functions and whether one or both of the solar power cell and battery charges the energy storage device.

23. The method in claim 22, further comprising:

determining load function power requirements,

prioritizing those load function power requirements, and

determining one or more of the load functions to be powered by the energy storage device based on the detected charge level and the priority of the load function requirements.

24. The method in claim 22, further comprising:

determining current and future load function power requirements,

prioritizing those current and future load function power requirements, and

determining one or more of the current and future load functions to be powered by the energy storage device based on the detected charge level and the priority of the current and future load function requirements.

25. The method in claim 22, further comprising:

detecting an amount of charge stored in the battery.

26. The method in claim 25, further comprising:

determining load function power requirements,

prioritizing those load function power requirements, and

determining one or more of the load functions to be powered by the energy storage device based on the detected the detected charge level, the detected amount of charge in the battery, and the priority of the load function requirements.

27. The method in claim 22, further comprising:

determining a charging rate of the energy storage device by the solar power cell;

determining load function power requirements,

prioritizing those load function power requirements, and

determining one or more of the load functions to be powered by the capacitor based on the detected charge level, the charging rate, and the priority of the load function requirements.

28. The method in claim 22, further comprising:

selectively coupling the battery to the energy storage device and the solar cell to the energy storage device.

29. The method in claim 28, further comprising:

supplying power to the energy storage device from the battery to supply power when the solar cell is not supplying sufficient charge to the energy storage device.

30. The method in claim 29, further comprising:

ceasing supplying battery power to the energy storage device when the solar power cell can supply sufficient charge to the energy storage device.

31. The method in claim 22, further comprising:

de-activating non-essential load functions until the solar power cell can supply sufficient charge to the energy storage device.

32. The method in claim 31, further comprising:

gradually degrading essential load functions when neither the solar power cell nor the battery can sufficiently charge the capacitor to a level required to fully power the essential load functions.

33. The method in claim 22, further comprising:

supplying power from the solar power cell to recharge the battery.