Case 13310

Circuit and Method to Improve Energy Harvesting Efficiency in Piezoelectric Harvesters

Keywords:

Energy harvesting, energy processing circuit, piezoelectric harvester

Applications:

Various energy harvesting scenarios such as battery life-time enhancer, pressure sensors, wireless sensor nodes, etc.

Problem:

    Energy harvesting efficiency of piezoelectric harvesters

Technology:

This invention presents a circuit technology using a bias-flip rectifier technique which improves multi-fold, the power extraction capability as compared to conventional full-bridge rectifiers and voltage doublers. The bias-flip rectifier uses an inductor which can be shared with a multiplicity of DC-DC converters on the same energy processing circuit through an arbiter which controls access to the inductor. On-chip implementation of a gate-drive circuit can prevent the bias-flip switches from breaking down due to high voltage. The technology is not limited to piezoelectric harvesters and can be used in general with any input having similar electrical characteristics to a piezoelectric harvester.

Advantages:

    Improved efficiency in energy harvesting

Inventors:
  • Professor Anantha Chandrakasan (Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT)
  • Dr. Ramadass Yogesh (Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT)

Intellectual Property:

U.S. Patent Number 8,026,650, filed on September 27, 2011

Publications:

Related Cases:

13636: Circuit and Method to Startup from Very Low Voltages and Improve Energy Harvesting Efficiency in Thermoelectric Harvesters

Last revised: January 19, 2012

>>List of MIT Energy IP<<