Abstract
Switched-capacitor converters and their alternatives have been shown to provide high efficiency with high power densities on smaller volumes, and can thereby be a suitable choice for energy harvesting. This paper proposes a hybrid power architecture based on a switched-capacitor topology and a boost converter that can be used for such purposes. A switching capacitor circuit can achieve any voltage ratio, allowing a boost converter to increase the input voltage to higher voltage levels. The first stage is unregulated with high-efficiency voltage conversion. The boost stage provides a regulated voltage output on such a converter. Rather than cascading two converters, their operation is integrated for the output voltage regulation. One major problem of switched-capacitor converters is output voltage regulation, which is solved by the interconnection of the power stages. The simplicity and robustness of the solution provide the possibility to achieve higher voltage ratios than cascading boost converters and provide higher efficiency. The converter’s size and cost can be improved with the integration of switching capacitors in DC-DC converter structures. A converter prototype has been designed, modelled, and built for the input voltage level of 2 V and power level of 5 W.
Highlights
Switched-Capacitor Boost Converter.Renewable energy sources are abundant in our living environment and have been gaining more and more attention in recent years
The electrical energy generated from the sources can be utilised for many purposes, including driving small electronic devices, or even constructing an integrated system operated without bulky batteries or power cables
The power flow fluctuates according to the energy gained, so the power converters connected to such sources have to cope with the provided energy
Summary
Renewable energy sources are abundant in our living environment and have been gaining more and more attention in recent years. The electrical energy generated from the sources can be utilised for many purposes, including driving small electronic devices, or even constructing an integrated system operated without bulky batteries or power cables. The power flow fluctuates according to the energy gained, so the power converters connected to such sources have to cope with the provided energy. Energy harvesting on low-voltage energy sources demands the selection of converters that can optimise the power flow. A power converter based on switching capacitors has been chosen for the energy harvesting application. The topologies of converters consisting only of switches and capacitors have long been known and used, mainly in diode-capacitor voltage multipliers [1,2]
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