Dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10790766-B2
Application number	US-201916506736-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2019
Priority date	Apr 25, 2018
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

A dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system is disclosed. A boost converter increases a motor voltage as a motor current associated with the motor voltage propagates through the boost converter thereby generating a boost voltage associated with the changing motor current. A power storage device stores energy harvested by the boost converter when the boost voltage exceeds an energy storage threshold. A controller dynamically adjusts a harvesting force applied by the motor so that the harvesting force is relative to the force applied to the motor. The controller also dynamically adjusts the harvested energy stored by the power storage device by adjusting the charging of the power storage device, ensuring that the boost voltage threshold is maintained. The boost voltage when maintained within the boost voltage threshold enables the power storage device to store the harvested energy without impacting the harvesting force applied by the motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system, comprising:
a motor configured to generate a motor voltage by a force applied to the motor;
a boost converter configured to adjust the motor voltage as a motor current associated with the motor voltage propagates through the boost converter;
a power storage device configured to store energy harvested by the boost converter when the boost voltage exceeds an energy storage threshold;
a controller configured to:
dynamically adjust a harvesting force applied by the motor so that the harvesting force is relative to the force applied to the motor; and
dynamically adjust the energy stored by the power storage device via adjustment in motor voltage.

2. The dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system of claim 1 , wherein the boost converter is further configured to increase the motor voltage as a motor current associated with the motor voltage propagates through the boost converter thereby generating the boost voltage associated with the increased motor current.

3. The dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
dynamically adjust the harvested energy stored by the power storage device by adjusting the boost voltage to be within a boost voltage threshold, and wherein the boost voltage when maintained within the boost voltage threshold enables the power storage device to store the harvested energy without impacting the harvesting force applied by the motor.

4. The dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
monitor the motor voltage triggered by the force applied to the motor;
apply a duty cycle to the boost converter based on the motor voltage, wherein a selected duty cycle corresponds to a magnitude of the harvesting force that is applied to the motor; and
dynamically adjust the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the magnitude of the harvesting force corresponds to the duty cycle applied to the boost converter that corresponds to the force applied to the motor based on the monitored motor voltage.

5. The dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
monitor the boost voltage generated by the boost converter as the motor current associated with the motor voltage propagates through the boost converter to determine when the boost voltage exceeds the energy storage threshold; and
activate the boost converter to allow the power storage device to store the energy harvested by the boost converter when the boost voltage exceeds the energy storage threshold.

6. The dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
decrease the boost voltage when the boost voltage is higher than the boost voltage threshold to increase the harvested energy stored by the power storage device; and
increase the boost voltage when the boost voltage is lower than the boost voltage threshold to decrease the harvested energy stored by the power storage device to prevent an increase in the harvesting force applied by the motor.

7. The dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
increase a duty cycle that is applied to a buck converter to decrease the boost voltage when the boost voltage is higher than the boost voltage threshold to increase the harvested energy stored by the power storage device; and
decrease the duty cycle that is applied to the buck converter to increase the boost voltage when the boost voltage is lower than the boost voltage threshold to decrease the harvested energy stored by the power storage device to prevent the increase in the harvesting force applied by the motor.

8. A method for dynamically adjusting harvesting of energy and dynamically varying a harvesting force applied to a motor, comprising:
generating a motor voltage by a force applied to the motor;
adjusting the motor voltage as a motor current associated with the motor voltage propagates through a boost converter;
storing energy harvested by the boost converter when the boost voltage exceeds an energy storage threshold;
dynamically adjusting the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the harvesting force is relative to the force applied to the motor; and
dynamically adjusting the harvested energy stored by the power storage device via adjustment in the motor voltage.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting of the motor voltage comprises:
increasing the motor voltage as a motor as the motor current associated with the motor voltage propagates through the boost converter thereby generating the boost voltage associated with the increased motor current.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the dynamic adjusting of the harvested energy comprises:
dynamically adjusting the harvested energy stored by the power storage device by adjusting the boost voltage to be within a boost voltage threshold, wherein the boost voltage when maintained within the boost voltage threshold enables the power storage device to store the harvested energy without impacting the harvesting force applied by the motor.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the dynamic adjusting of the harvesting force comprises:
monitoring the motor voltage triggered by the force applied to the motor;
applying a duty cycle to the boost converter based on the motor voltage, wherein a selected duty cycle corresponds to a magnitude of the harvesting force that is applied to the motor; and
dynamically adjusting the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the magnitude of the harvesting force corresponds to the duty cycle applied to the boost converter that corresponds to the force applied to the motor based on the monitored motor voltage.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the dynamic adjusting of the harvested energy further comprises:
monitoring the boost voltage generated by the boost converter as the motor current associated with the motor voltage propagates through the boost converter to determine when the boost voltage exceeds the energy storage threshold; and
activating the boost converter to allow the power storage device to store the energy harvested by the boost converter when the boost voltage exceeds the energy storage threshold.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the dynamically adjusting of the harvested energy further comprises:
decreasing the boost voltage when the boost voltage is higher than the boost voltage threshold to increase the harvested energy stored by the power storage device; and
increasing the boost voltage when the boost voltage is lower than the boost voltage threshold to decrease the harvested energy stored by the power storage device to prevent an increase in the harvesting force applied by the motor.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the dynamically adjusting of the harvested energy further comprises:
increasing a duty cycle that is applied to a buck converter to decrease the boost voltage when the boost voltage is higher than the boost voltage threshold to increase the harvested energy stored by the power storage device; and
decreasing the duty cycle that is applied to the buck converter to increase the boost voltage when the boost voltage is lower than the boost voltage threshold to decrease the harvested energy stored by the power storage device to prevent the increase in the harvesting force applied by the motor.

15. A s

Assignees

• Schlage Lock Co Llc

Inventors

• Wolfe John A
• Langenberg Daniel
• Stock Michael

Classifications

• H02J7/865

  Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02M1/007

  Plural converter units in cascade (push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826) · CPC title

• H02P7/29

  using pulse modulation · CPC title

• E05F15/611 Primary

  for swinging wings · CPC title

• E05Y2201/438

  Rotors · CPC title