EP3367203A1 - Appareil pourvu d'un dispositif de génération d'énergie électrique à partir de l'environnement et d'une électronique à faible consommation de puissance - Google Patents

Appareil pourvu d'un dispositif de génération d'énergie électrique à partir de l'environnement et d'une électronique à faible consommation de puissance Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3367203A1
EP3367203A1 EP18158399.8A EP18158399A EP3367203A1 EP 3367203 A1 EP3367203 A1 EP 3367203A1 EP 18158399 A EP18158399 A EP 18158399A EP 3367203 A1 EP3367203 A1 EP 3367203A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
voltage
circuit
voltage source
comparison device
activated
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP18158399.8A
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German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Holger Kaul
Francisco Mendoza Cervantes
Sosale Guruprasad
Jörg Gebhardt
Jörn KRUSE
Thomas Rodenbusch-Mohr
Ulf Ahrend
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ABB Schweiz AG
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ABB Schweiz AG
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by ABB Schweiz AG filed Critical ABB Schweiz AG
Publication of EP3367203A1 publication Critical patent/EP3367203A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05F—SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES
    • G05F1/00—Automatic systems in which deviations of an electric quantity from one or more predetermined values are detected at the output of the system and fed back to a device within the system to restore the detected quantity to its predetermined value or values, i.e. retroactive systems
    • G05F1/10—Regulating voltage or current
    • G05F1/46—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is dc
    • G05F1/613—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is dc using semiconductor devices in parallel with the load as final control devices

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a device with a device for generating electrical energy from the environment according to the preamble of claim 1.
  • a device for generating electrical energy from the environment is also referred to as an "energy harvester". It is electrically a DC voltage source that generates a DC voltage.
  • the term DC source is understood here in the context of this invention, a source that generates a unipolar voltage in the general sense. This can be a pure DC voltage, or an AC voltage with downstream rectification, so that a pulsating DC voltage is generated.
  • a sensor comprises at least one sensor element for detecting a physical or chemical variable in its surroundings, for example temperature, air pressure, humidity, illuminance, gas composition, movement, etc.
  • a sensor comprises sensor electronics.
  • Various functions can be implemented in the sensor electronics, such as measurement signal preprocessing, such as filtering, amplification or the like, a diagnostic function for checking the functionality of the sensor, or also a communication interface for transmitting the measured data to a remote, higher-level unit or a user.
  • Intelligent sensors have a microprocessor with associated memory, on which a corresponding work program to meet the sensor functions and to handle the communication of the sensor runs.
  • such sensors are today often already equipped with wireless communication interfaces, so that they can exchange data and instructions wirelessly, via radio, for example, with a remote user.
  • sensors In order not to have to connect cables for electrical power supply, such sensors are already often equipped with batteries as electrical energy storage.
  • the sensor electronics are designed for very low power consumption during operation, for example in the range from 1 ⁇ W to 1 mW.
  • batteries must be replaced from time to time, which then results in a maintenance effort.
  • sensors with an energy harvester a device for generating energy from the environment.
  • Energy harvesters of various kinds have become known, which use different forms of energy available in the vicinity of the sensor for conversion into electrical energy, such as photovoltaic cells, thermoelectric converters, inductive converters, etc.
  • the sensor has a rechargeable energy source in addition to the energy harvester Battery that is supplied with excess energy from the Energy Harvester and, in times when the Energy Harvester is not providing energy, will power the sensor.
  • Such a sensor with energy harvester and rechargeable battery is then energy self-sufficient.
  • the sensor electronics of a sensor with energy harvester also includes power management functionality. Power management performs a number of individual functions, such as voltage conversion, impedance matching, energy storage control and regulation.
  • the voltage limiter circuit has a voltage reference and a comparison device which compares the DC voltage generated by the DC voltage source with the voltage reference, and the voltage limiter circuit has a lowering circuit which can be activated by the comparison device the output side of the DC voltage source pulls down to the reference potential, wherein the lowering circuit is activated by the comparator circuit as long as the DC voltage generated by the DC voltage source is greater than the voltage reference, and wherein the comparator circuit comprises a differential amplifier with low quiescent current.
  • a comparator circuit having a differential amplifier with a low quiescent current by a suitable choice of the components and dimensioning of series resistors has a significantly lower leakage current than the diodes or zener diodes used in the prior art for limiting the voltage. This achieves a higher efficiency. A much smaller portion of the energy generated by the energy harvester is lost through leakage currents. As a result, the Energy Harvester can be dimensioned for a lower energy production, a smaller Energy Harvester and a smaller rechargeable battery can be used. This will also lower the overall cost of the device.
  • the comparison device has a differential amplifier with bipolar transistors and at least one ohmic resistor with a resistance greater than 1 M ⁇ .
  • the lowering circuit comprises a Darlington circuit with at least two bipolar transistors.
  • a high-impedance voltage divider is provided for coupling the DC voltage source to the comparator circuit.
  • the voltage divider sets the ratio of the coupled part of the DC voltage to the total DC voltage.
  • an activation circuit for activating the comparison device which is connected to the DC voltage source and the comparison device and activates the comparison device only when a DC voltage is applied to the DC voltage source. This results in a further reduction of the leakage current, since during periods in which the energy harvester can not deliver energy, the comparison circuit is active and thus no leakage current can flow.
  • a further advantage is that the discharge of the battery providing the reference voltage V1 is reduced if the comparison device is not activated continuously.
  • the activation circuit is designed as a current mirror circuit with two bipolar transistors.
  • FIG. 1 shows schematically and by way of example in the block diagram, a device 1 with a device 2 for generating electrical energy from the environment, short Energy Harvester 2.
  • the device 2 is shown in the equivalent circuit diagram as a DC voltage source 3 with internal resistance 4.
  • the device 1 has a device electronics 5 with very low power consumption. Between the DC voltage source 3 and the device electronics 5 arysbe bayscnies 6 is arranged to protect the device electronics 5 against overvoltages.
  • the DC voltage source 3 and thehesbegrenzerscnies 5 have a common reference potential 7.
  • Thekasbegrenzerscnies includes a Zener diode circuit 8, it may also be a circuit with avalanche diodes or other series-connected diodes, depending on which breakdown voltage is selected.
  • FIG. 2 shows schematically and exemplarily a block diagram of a device according to a first embodiment of the invention.
  • the voltage limiter circuit 6 contains no Zener diode.
  • the voltage limiter circuit 6 has a voltage reference V1 and a comparison device 9, which compares the DC voltage V2 generated by the DC voltage source 3 with the voltage reference V1.
  • the voltage limiter circuit 6 has a lowering circuit 10, which can be activated by the comparison device 9 and which, when activated, pulls down the output side of the DC voltage source 3 to the reference potential 7.
  • the lowering circuit 10 is activated by the comparison device 9 as long as the DC voltage V2 generated by the DC voltage source 3 is greater than the voltage reference V1.
  • the DC voltage V2 generated by the DC voltage source 3 is supplied to the input of the comparison device 9 via a voltage divider R2, R3 here.
  • the comparison device 9 comprises a differential amplifier with a low quiescent current.
  • FIG. 4 schematically shows a first circuit for the realization of ae.be bayscrien 6.
  • the circuit shown is a voltage limiter with very low examfact.Er has two interfaces, The first interface is formed to the voltage source V2 of the energy harvester with the internal resistance R1. The second interface is formed to the device electronics via the connection point 12.
  • V1 is a reference voltage source. This may be either a discrete reference voltage source, such as a battery, a reference diode, or a reference voltage derived from a power management IC.
  • the two bipolar transistors Q1 and Q6 form a differential amplifier with a very low quiescent current, which is ensured by the resistor R4 with a very high resistance value, in this example 5 M ⁇ .
  • the resistors R2 and R3 with values, here only by way of example, 8.2 M ⁇ and 5 M ⁇ , form a high-impedance voltage divider, via which the voltage source V2 is coupled to the one input side c, at the base of Q1, of the differential amplifier Q1 / Q6.
  • the two bipolar transistors Q4, Q2 form a Darlington stage, a very high gain amplifier circuit.
  • a partial voltage proportional to the voltage V2 of the energy harvester voltage is applied to the one input side c, at the base of Q1, of the differential amplifier Q1 / Q6.
  • This acts as a comparator and compares the proportional partial voltage with the reference voltage V1. If the partial voltage proportional to V2 at the one input side c, at the base of Q1, becomes greater than the reference voltage V1, then Q1 turns on via R3, thereby also turning on the Darlington circuit Q4 / Q2.
  • the Darlington circuit Q4 / Q2 pulls the connection point a of the energy collector 2 to reference potential 7.
  • the input voltage drops at point c, at the base of Q1, of the differential amplifier Q1 / Q6, until the voltage at point c again becomes equal to or smaller than the reference voltage V1.
  • Q1 blocks again, and as a result the Darlington stage Q4 / Q2 also blocks so that the potential at point a of the Energy Harvester 2 rises again, and so on.
  • the circuit function described above ensures that the voltage applied to the connection point 12 to the device electronics voltage can not rise above a value corresponding to the reference voltage V1.
  • the resistors R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 used must have very high resistance values, preferably in the M ⁇ range, in any case greater than 1 M ⁇ . It is ensured by the selection of very high resistance values for the series resistors R3, R4, and R5 that the quiescent current of the differential amplifier Q1 / Q6 is very low, in any case, significantly lower than the leakage current of a zener diode or other diode circuit, as is known in the art for the voltage limiting alone. By way of example, resistance values of 5 M ⁇ for R3 and R4 and 10 M ⁇ for R5 are specified here.
  • the transistors of the Darlington stage Q4 / Q2 require a very high current gain in order to pass a sufficiently high current in the on-state to reduce the potential at point a of the Energy Harvester. Therefore, the transistors used for current amplification are of the bipolar transistor type.
  • a MOSFET amplifier circuit may also be used.
  • a corresponding circuit could also be constructed with operational amplifiers or integrated circuits.
  • the circuit principle always remains the same: First, the input voltage at the voltage limiter circuit is compared with a reference voltage. Then, when the relative input voltage is higher than the reference voltage, an additional circuit, generally referred to herein as a sinker circuit, lowers the current to the reference potential. In this way, the output voltage of the voltage limiter circuit always remains below a threshold value determined by the reference voltage.
  • FIG. 5 shows a variant of the circuit after FIG. 4 ,
  • the Darlington current reduction circuit includes three PNP transistors Q2, Q3, Q4.
  • FIG. 3 shows schematically and exemplarily a block diagram of a device according to another embodiment of the invention.
  • an activation circuit 11 for activating the comparison device 9 is additionally provided, which is connected to the DC voltage source 3 and the comparison device 9 and the comparison device 9 is activated only when a DC voltage applied to the DC voltage source 3.
  • FIG. 6 A possible circuit implementation for the activation circuit 11 shows FIG. 6 , Here is the resistor R4 off FIG. 4 replaced by a current mirror comprising the two transistors Q7, Q8.
  • the current mirror Q7 / Q8 acts as a switch and activates the differential amplifier Q1 / Q6 only when am Energy Harvester 2 ever a DC voltage is generated. If there is no voltage at the point a of the Energy Harvester 2, the switch Q7 / Q8 is switched off and there is no quiescent current in the differential amplifier Q1 / Q6. This further reduces the leakage current of the circuit as a whole.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Direct Current Feeding And Distribution (AREA)
EP18158399.8A 2017-02-23 2018-02-23 Appareil pourvu d'un dispositif de génération d'énergie électrique à partir de l'environnement et d'une électronique à faible consommation de puissance Withdrawn EP3367203A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE102017103690.3A DE102017103690A1 (de) 2017-02-23 2017-02-23 Gerät mit einer Vorrichtung zur Erzeugung elektrischer Energie aus der Umgebung und mit einer Geräteelektronik mit sehr niedriger Leistungsaufnahme

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EP3367203A1 true EP3367203A1 (fr) 2018-08-29

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EP18158399.8A Withdrawn EP3367203A1 (fr) 2017-02-23 2018-02-23 Appareil pourvu d'un dispositif de génération d'énergie électrique à partir de l'environnement et d'une électronique à faible consommation de puissance

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EP (1) EP3367203A1 (fr)
DE (1) DE102017103690A1 (fr)

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS60103423A (ja) * 1983-11-10 1985-06-07 Mitsubishi Electric Corp シヤント装置
WO1987001528A1 (fr) * 1985-08-30 1987-03-12 Hughes Aircraft Company Limiteur de commutation a shunt partiel pour un panneau solaire d'engin spatial ou autre reseau de source d'energie
GB2226664A (en) * 1988-11-26 1990-07-04 Motorola Inc Shunt voltage regulator

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS60103423A (ja) * 1983-11-10 1985-06-07 Mitsubishi Electric Corp シヤント装置
WO1987001528A1 (fr) * 1985-08-30 1987-03-12 Hughes Aircraft Company Limiteur de commutation a shunt partiel pour un panneau solaire d'engin spatial ou autre reseau de source d'energie
GB2226664A (en) * 1988-11-26 1990-07-04 Motorola Inc Shunt voltage regulator

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
HUSSAINI HABIBU ET AL: "Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks: Design and Modeling", INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WIRELESS & MOBILE NETWORKS, vol. 6, no. 5, 31 October 2014 (2014-10-31), pages 17 - 31, XP055486873, ISSN: 0975-4679, DOI: 10.5121/ijwmn.2014.6502 *

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