Optimization of Passive Voltage Multipliers for Fast Start-up and Multi-voltage Power Supplies in Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting Systems

14th International Conference on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications

物理学;能源学

Yang, G.^1 ; Stark, B.H.^1 ; Burrow, S.G.^1 ; Hollis, S.J.^1

University of Bristol, Bristol

BS8 1TR, United Kingdom^1

关键词: Active converters;    Cascade structures;    Circuit optimization;    Component parameters;    Different voltages;    Multiplier design;    Switched-mode converters;    Voltage multipliers;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/557/1/012028/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1742-6596/557/1/012028

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

This paper demonstrates the use of passive voltage multipliers for rapid start-up of sub-milliwatt electromagnetic energy harvesting systems. The work describes circuit optimization to make as short as possible the transition from completely depleted energy storage to the first powering-up of an actively controlled switched-mode converter. The dependency of the start-up time on component parameters and topologies is derived by simulation and experimentation. The resulting optimized multiplier design reduces the start-up time from several minutes to 1 second. An additional improvement uses the inherent cascade structure of the voltage multiplier to power sub-systems at different voltages. This multi-rail start-up is shown to reduce the circuit losses of the active converter by 72% with respect to the optimized single-rail system. The experimental results provide insight into the multiplier's transient behaviour, including circuit interactions, in a complete harvesting system, and offer important information to optimize voltage multipliers for rapid start-up.