Energy harvester with multiple-input multiple-output switched-capacitor (MIMOSC) circuitry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10958079-B2
Application number	US-201815939120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2018
Priority date	Mar 28, 2018
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

In one embodiment, an energy harvesting system includes multiple-input-multiple-output switched-capacitor (MIMOSC) circuitry comprising a plurality of switched-capacitor circuit units to receive a plurality of direct current (DC) input voltages at respective input terminals of the switched-capacitor circuit unit, combine the received DC input voltages, and provide the combined DC input voltages at an output terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit unit. The energy harvesting system also includes maximum power point tracking (MPPT) circuitry coupled to switches of the switched-capacitor circuit units of the MIMOSC circuitry. The MPPT circuitry is to provide a plurality of switching signals to the switches of the switched-capacitor circuit units. The MIMOSC circuitry is to provide a plurality of DC output voltages to respective loads based on the switching signals from the MPPT circuitry.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy harvesting system, comprising:
multiple-input-multiple-output switched-capacitor (MIMOSC) circuitry comprising a plurality of switched-capacitor circuit units to:
receive a plurality of direct current (DC) input voltages at respective input terminals of the switched-capacitor circuit unit;
combine the received DC input voltages; and
provide the combined DC input voltages at an output terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit unit; and

maximum power point tracking (MPPT) circuitry coupled to switches of the switched-capacitor circuit units of the MIMOSC circuitry, the MPPT circuitry to provide a plurality of switching signals to the switches of the switched-capacitor circuit units;
wherein the MIMOSC circuitry does not include an inductor and is to provide a plurality of DC output voltages to respective loads based on the switching signals from the MPPT circuitry.

2. The energy harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein at least one switched-capacitor circuit unit of the plurality of switched-capacitor circuit units comprises:
a first capacitor;
a second capacitor;
a first switch between a first input terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit unit and a first terminal of the first capacitor;
a second switch between a second input terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit unit and a second terminal of the first capacitor;
a third switch between the second input terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit unit and a first terminal of the second capacitor;
a fourth switch between the first input terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit unit and a second terminal of the second capacitor;
a fifth switch between the first terminal of the first capacitor and ground;
a sixth switch between the second terminal of the second capacitor and ground;
a seventh switch between the second terminal of the first capacitor and an output terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit unit; and
an eighth switch between the first terminal of the second capacitor and the output terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit unit.

3. The energy harvesting system of claim 2 , wherein:
the first, third, sixth, and seventh switches are coupled to a first switching signal of the MPPT circuitry; and
the second, fourth, fifth, and eighth switch are coupled to a second switching signal of the MPPT circuitry.

4. The energy harvesting system of claim 3 , wherein MPPT circuitry is to provide the first and second switching signals at a common frequency.

5. The energy harvesting system of claim 3 , wherein MPPT circuitry is to provide the first and second switching signals at different frequencies.

6. The energy harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein a first switched-capacitor circuit unit is to operate at a first switching frequency, and a second switched-capacitor circuit unit is to operate at a second switching frequency.

7. The energy harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein the MIMOSC circuitry comprises cascaded switched-capacitor circuit units.

8. The energy harvesting system of claim 1 , further comprising regulation circuitry to regulate at least one of the DC output voltages.

9. The energy harvesting system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of energy sources to provide the DC input voltages, the energy sources comprising at least one of a solar energy source, a thermoelectric energy source, and a fuel cell source.

10. The energy harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein the MIMOSC circuitry is to provide different DC output voltages to the loads.

11. The energy harvesting system of claim 1 , further comprising loads coupled to the MIMOSC circuitry, each load to receive a respective DC output voltage of the MIMOSC circuitry, wherein the MPPT circuitry is the provide the switching signals based on impedances of the loads.

12. An energy harvesting circuit, comprising:
a first switched-capacitor circuit unit, the first switched-capacitor circuit unit comprising a set of first switched-capacitors to:
receive a first input direct current (DC) voltage at a first input terminal of the first switched-capacitor circuit unit;
receive a second input direct current (DC) voltage at a second input terminal of the first switched-capacitor circuit unit;
combine the first and second input DC voltages into a first DC output voltage based on a switching frequency of the first switched-capacitors; and
provide the first DC output voltage at an output terminal of the first switched-capacitor circuit unit; and

a second switched-capacitor circuit unit comprising a set of second switched-capacitors to:
receive a third input direct current (DC) voltage at a first input terminal of the second switched-capacitor circuit unit;
receive a fourth input direct current (DC) voltage at a second input terminal of the second switched-capacitor circuit unit;
combine the third and fourth input DC voltages into a second DC output voltage based on a switching frequency of the second switched-capacitors; and
provide the second DC output voltage at an output terminal of the second switched-capacitor circuit unit; and

maximum power point tracking (MPPT) circuitry coupled to switches of the first and second switched-capacitor circuit units, the MPPT circuitry to provide a plurality of switching signals to the switches of the first and second switched-capacitor circuit units.

13. The energy harvesting circuit of claim 12 , wherein the first switched-capacitor circuit unit comprises:
a first capacitor;
a second capacitor;
a first switch between the first input terminal of the first switched-capacitor circuit unit and a first terminal of the first capacitor;
a second switch between the second input terminal of the first switched-capacitor circuit unit and a second terminal of the first capacitor;
a third switch between the second input terminal of the first switched-capacitor circuit unit and a first terminal of the second capacitor;
a fourth switch between the first input terminal of the first switched-capacitor circuit unit and a second terminal of the second capacitor;
a fifth switch between the first terminal of the first capacitor and ground;
a sixth switch between the second terminal of the second capacitor and ground;
a seventh switch between the second terminal of the first capacitor and the output terminal of the first switched-capacitor circuit unit; and
an eighth switch between the second terminal of the first capacitor and the output terminal of the first switched-capacitor circuit unit.

14. The energy harvesting circuit of claim 13 , wherein:
the first, third, sixth, and seventh switch are to couple to a first switching signal; and
the second, fourth, fifth, and eighth switch are to couple to a second switching signal.

15. The energy harvesting circuit of claim 12 , further comprising a third switched-capacitor circuit unit comprising a set of third switched-capacitors to:
receive the first output DC voltage at a first input terminal of the third switched-capacitor circuit unit;
receive the second output DC voltage at a second input terminal of the third switched-capacitor circuit unit;
combine the first and second output DC voltages into a third output DC voltage based on a switching frequency of the third switched-capacitors; and
provide the third output DC voltage at an output terminal of the third switched-capacitor circuit unit.

16. The energy harvesting circuit of claim 12 , further comprising a third switched-capacitor circuit unit comprising a set of third switched-capacitors to:
receive a fifth input DC voltage at a first input terminal of the third sw

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Liu Xiaosen
• Ahmed Khondker Z
• De Vivek K
• Desai Nachiket V
• Kim Suhwan
• Krishnamurthy Harish K
• Majumder Turbo
• Ravichandran Krishnan
• Schaef Christopher
• Vaidya Vaibhav A
• Vangal Sriram R

Classifications

• H02J2101/30

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H02J2101/25

  involving maximum power point tracking control for photovoltaic sources · CPC title

• H02J3/38

  Arrangements for feeding a single network from two or more generators or sources in parallel; Arrangements for feeding already energised networks from additional generators or sources in parallel · CPC title

• G05F1/67 Primary

  to the maximum power available from a generator, e.g. from solar cell · CPC title

• H02J3/381

  Dispersed generators · CPC title