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High-efficiency energy harvesting interface and corresponding energy harvesting system

  • US 9,379,615 B2
  • Filed: 06/24/2015
  • Issued: 06/28/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2014
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An electrical-energy harvesting system, comprising:

  • a transducer to convert energy from an environmental energy source into a transduced signal;

    a harvesting interface to receive the transduced signal on an input terminal and to supply an electrical-energy harvesting signal on an output terminal;

    an energy storage element coupled to the output terminal of the harvesting interface to receive the electrical-energy harvesting signal;

    a voltage converter coupled to the output terminal to generate a regulated voltage, wherein the harvesting interface is configured to;

    sample an open-circuit voltage value of the transduced signal;

    generate an optimized voltage value starting from the open-circuit voltage value;

    generate an upper threshold voltage based on the optimized voltage value;

    generate a lower threshold voltage based on the optimized voltage value; and

    control the voltage converter in a switching mode to thereby maintain the electrical-energy harvesting signal between the upper and lower threshold voltages in a first operating condition;

    a first holding element to store said optimized voltage value;

    a second holding element to store said upper threshold voltage;

    a third holding element to store said lower threshold voltage during said first operating condition; and

    controllable decoupling-switching elements to selectively decouple said first, second, and third holding elements during a storage condition of each respective voltage value.

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