More Like this

1. Split-Capacitor Boost Converter Operating in Boundary Conduction Mode with Impedance Matching for Kinetic Energy Harvesting

   https://doi.org/10.1109/MWSCAS48704.2020.9184507  

   Jaquan Dancy, Alante; Li, Jiayu; Sam Ha, Dong (August 2020, 2020 IEEE 63rd International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems (MWSCAS))

   null (Ed.)

   The proposed circuit intends for an electromagnetic generator to harvest kinetic energy. A synchronous split-capacitor boost converter operating in boundary conduction mode (BCM) is proposed to efficiently convert the AC input to a DC output. BCM operation is uniquely achieved through zero current detection (ZCD) control of an AC input enabling impedance matching. The ZCD control offers simplicity over previously reported methodologies. To reduce power consumption and increase efficiency, the proposed circuit topology combines the rectifier and power stage while dynamically controlling the power stage. The proposed circuit is designed and laid out in 0.13 μm BiCMOS technology. Post layout simulations verify the operation of the proposed circuit. 

   more » « less
2. Development of a Half-Bridge Cell-Derived All-Inclusive Conducted Emission Noise Model for SiC-Based Single Phase Boost PFC Converter

   https://doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2024.3485035  

   Reece, Connor; Ishraq, Naveed; Mallik, Ayan (February 2025, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics)

   This work presents a novel all-inclusive power electronic converter noise model comprised of both differential-mode (DM) and common-mode (CM) parasitic circuit components. Furthermore, a thorough modeling method and novel experiment-driven methodology to analyze the impact of the DM and CM circuit components on the resultant conducted emission electromagnetic interference in a single-phase power factor correction boost converter rated for 1 kW 120 VAC/400 VDC utilizing silicon-carbide MOSFETs is presented. This is achieved by predicting DM and CM noise corner frequencies and observing DM/CM noise corner frequencies in a novel half-bridge noise cell-based, all-inclusive converter parasitic circuit model. Frequency spectrum results find that eight DM noise corner frequencies are estimated by the proposed all-inclusive noise model with low average error of 6.45%, and the model further successfully identifies lumped CM capacitances present in the power converter system. 

   more » « less
3. A Circuit for Simultaneous Reception of Data and Power using a Solar Cell

   https://doi.org/10.1109/TGCN.2021.3087008  

   Kadirvelu, Sindhubala; Leon-Salas, Walter D.; Fan, Xiaozhe; Kim, Jongseok; Peleato, Borja; Mohammadi, Saeed; Vijayalakshmi, B. (June 2021, IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking)

   null (Ed.)

   This paper presents a circuit for simultaneous reception of optical power and data using a solar cell. The circuit employs a switched-inductor boost DC-DC converter for energy harvesting and a low-power thresholding receiver for data reception. The thresholding data receiver comprises a current-sense resistor that monitors the current output of the solar cell, an instrumentation amplifier, a band-pass filter and a comparator. A system-level analysis of an optical communication system employing the proposed circuit is presented along with a circuit-level analysis and implementation. As a proof-of-concept, the proposed circuit for simultaneous power and data reception is implemented using off-the-shelf components and tested using a custom-built test setup. Measurement results, including harvested power, electronic noise and bit error rate (BER), are reported for a GaAs solar cell and a red LED light source. Results show that 223 μW of power are harvested by the DC-DC converter at a distance of 32.5 cm and a radiated power of 9.3 mW. At a modulation depth of 50% and a transmission speed of 2.5 kbps, a BER of 1.008×10^-3 is achieved. Measurement results reveal that the proposed solution exhibits a trade-off between harvested power, transmission speed and BER. 

   more » « less
4. Highly Efficient Rectifier and DC-DC Converter Designed in 180 nm CMOS Process for Ultra-Low Frequency Energy Harvesting Applications

   https://doi.org/10.1109/DCAS51144.2020.9330671  

   Gunti, Avinash; Biswas, Dipon K.; Mahbub, Ifana; Adhikari, Pashupati R.; Reid, Russell C. (November 2020, 2020 IEEE 14th Dallas Circuits and Systems Conference (DCAS))

   null (Ed.)

   This paper presents the integration of an AC-DC rectifier and a DC-DC boost converter circuit designed in 180 nm CMOS process for ultra-low frequency (<; 10 Hz) energy harvesting applications. The proposed rectifier is a very low voltage CMOS rectifier circuit that rectifies the low-frequency signal of 100-250 mV amplitude and 1-10 Hz frequency into DC voltage. In this work, the energy is harvested from the REWOD (reverse electrowetting-on-dielectric) generator, which is a reverse electrowetting technique that converts mechanical vibrations to electrical energy. The objective is to develop a REWOD-based self-powered motion (such as walking, running, jogging, etc.) tracking sensors that can be worn, thus harvesting energy from regular activities. To this end, the proposed circuits are designed in such a way that the output from the REWOD is rectified and regulated using a DC-DC converter which is a 5-stage cross-coupled switching circuit. Simulation results show a voltage range of 1.1 V-2.1 V, i.e., 850-1200% voltage conversion efficiency (VCE) and 30% power conversion efficiency (PCE) for low input signal in the range 100-250 mV in the low-frequency range. This performance verifies the integration of the rectifier and DC-DC boost converter which makes it highly suitable for various motion-based energy harvesting applications. 

   more » « less
5. A Multiport Bidirectional LLC Resonant Converter for Grid-Tied Photovoltaic-Battery Hybrid System

   Adel Nasiri, Garry Jean-Pierre (June 2020, International Journal of Renewable Energy Research)

   null (Ed.)

   Distributed power generation plants with combined photovoltaic (PV) systems and integrated energy storage for grid-connected applications have seen an increase in research interest in recent years. However, the combination of multiple energy sources requires numerous DC-DC converters and thus becomes more complex. To address this issue, a multiport bidirectional DC-DC LLC resonant converter for grid connected applications is presented in this research. In order to minimize the control complexity of the proposed system, a zone based controller approach with an integrated modified maximum power point tracking (MMPPT) method, which is based on the incremental conductance method, is also developed. This proposed controller is able to regulate the converter voltage and power flow while either delivering or taking power from the utility grid. The converter presented in this study contains a bidirectional buck-boost converter and an LLC resonant converter in addition to a voltage source grid-tied inverter which are interfacing the PV, the battery and the utility. Extensive simulation analyses through MATLAB/Simulink have proved the operations of the proposed topology. 

   more » « less