# US 11,451,158 B2 · Electronic interface for electromagnetic energy recuperation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,158 B2 - Document ID: US11451158B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/743,046 - Filed: 2020-01-15 - Published: 2020-07-16 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-16 - Assignees: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives - Applicants: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives - Inventors: Antony Quelen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451158B2 ## CPC - H02M 7/217: using semiconductor devices only - H02M 7/2176: {comprising a passive stage to generate a rectified sinusoidal voltage and a controlled switching element in series between such stage and the output} - H02J 7/04: Regulation of charging current or voltage - H02J 50/001: {Energy harvesting or scavenging} - H02M 1/36: Means for starting or stopping converters - H03K 17/94: characterised by the way in which the control signals are generated - H02M 1/0003: {Details of control, feedback or regulation circuits} - H02M 1/32: Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection - H02M 7/162: in a bridge configuration - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract An electronic interface device between an electromagnetic energy harvesting stage provided with an inductance and a load stage, the electronic interface device being provided to allow tending the charge seen by the harvesting stage towards an optimal charge and thus being able to extract a maximum of energy from this energy harvesting stage. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic interface circuit for electromagnetic energy harvesting, to be disposed between an electromagnetic energy harvesting stage and a load stage, the electromagnetic energy harvesting stage having an equivalent electrical circuit provided in series with an alternating voltage generator, an inductance L and an output impedance, the generator producing an alternating AC signal resulting from a conversion of mechanical energy into electromagnetic energy, the load stage being provided with a means for storing electrical charges, particularly a capacitance, said electronic interface circuit comprising: an AC/DC converter for converting an input signal between a first terminal and a second terminal connected at the output of said harvesting stage, and producing a DC signal at the input of the load stage, the converter being provided with a rectifier for producing a rectified signal to said means for storing electrical charges, a first switch, arranged between the first terminal and the second terminal and capable of alternately connecting or disconnecting the first terminal and the second terminal from one another, the closed or open state of the first switch being governed by a first command signal, a second switch, disposed between an output of the rectifier and the load stage and capable of alternately connecting or disconnecting the output of the rectifier from said load stage, the open or closed state of the second switch being governed by a second command signal, the electronic interface circuit being further provided with a logic control block configured to produce said first command signal and said second command signal, the control block being capable of alternately switching said switches from a first configuration to a second configuration and from the second to the first configuration, the first configuration being a configuration wherein the first switch is open and the second switch is closed, so that said first terminal and said second terminal are disconnected and the output of said rectifier is connected to said means for storing electrical charges, the second configuration being a configuration wherein the first switch is closed and the second switch is open so as to disconnect the output of the rectifier from said load stage and connect the first terminal and the second terminal to each other, said logic control block being further configured, in a given operating mode of said circuit, to trigger an alternation between said first configuration and said second configuration several times. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The circuit according to claim 1, further comprising an operating mode detection stage provided with a comparator for comparing an output voltage applied to said charge storage means with a voltage equal to a product Rmin*Isense of a current Isense supplied at the output of said rectifier and capable of being injected into said charge storage means by a resistance Rmin of a predetermined value and which depends on the output impedance value Rs of said electromagnetic energy harvesting stage, particularly so that Rmin=K*Rs, K being a real number, and generating when this product is less than the output voltage, a trigger signal to said logic control block and capable of triggering a switching from the first configuration to said second configuration and in said given operating mode wherein the circuit is then capable of alternating one or more phase(s) in said first configuration and one or more phase(s) in said second configuration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the second command signal has a logic state which depends on that of a first configuration indicator signal produced by said logic control block, the first command signal has a logic state depending on that of a second configuration indicator signal produced by said logic control block and complementary to the first configuration indicator signal, the control block being capable of modifying said second configuration indicator signal subsequently to a reception of said trigger signal, the phase(s) in said second configuration having a fixed duration D_TON at the end of which said control block automatically modifies the second configuration indicator signal, the phase(s) in said first configuration having a predetermined maximum duration D_TOFFmax controlled by the control block and provided at most equal to the fixed duration D_TON. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The circuit according to claim 3, wherein the fixed duration D_TON and the predetermined maximum duration D_TOFFmax are such that: L/2Rs≤D_TON≤L/Rs. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The circuit according to claim 3, further provided with a first block indicating the duration D_TON lapse of a second configuration for, after a change of state of said second indicator signal, generating after a predetermined delay equal to said fixed duration D_TON, a signal indicating the duration lapse of the second configuration to the control block so as to trigger a change of state of said second configuration indicator signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The circuit according to claim 3, further provided with: a block indicating the maximum duration D_TOFF lapse of the first configuration for, after a change of state of said first configuration indicator signal, generating after a predetermined delay a signal of maximum duration lapse of the first configuration to the control block capable of triggering a change of state of the first configuration indicator signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The circuit according to claim 1, further comprising: a minimum current detection stage, particularly provided with a current comparator, for detecting a current capable of being supplied at the input of said load stage and being injected into said charge storage means and when said current supplied at the input of said load stage falls below a threshold, consequently generating a minimum current detection signal to the control block capable of triggering a change of configuration from the first configuration to the second configuration. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The circuit according to claim 1, further provided with a stage for detecting a minimum output voltage value, particularly provided with a threshold detector, configured to detect a passage of the output voltage applied to the means for storing electrical charges above a threshold value and modify, when this detection is carried out, a logic state from a first state to a second state of a threshold detection signal to the logic control block, said logic control block being configured to condition the triggering of a switching from the first configuration to the second configuration upon said state modification of said threshold detection signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The circuit according to claim 8, said logic control block being configured to trigger the switching from the second configuration to the first configuration subsequently to a change of state from the second state to the first state of said threshold detection signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The circuit according to claim 1, further provided with another detection stage provided with a comparator, configured to compare the output voltage applied to the means for storing electrical charges and the voltage at the output of the rectifier, and produce a comparison signal having a state indicating whether the voltage at the output of the rectifier is greater than the output voltage applied to the storage means, the control block being configured to condition the closing of the first switch to a setting in a given state of said comparison signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a stage for detecting overvoltages of said voltage at the terminals of said charge storage means, the overvoltage detection stage being provided with a comparator configured to compare said voltage at the terminals of said charge storage means with a predetermined threshold voltage, and produce an overvoltage detection signal when the predetermined threshold voltage is exceeded, the control block being further configured, subsequently to the reception of said overvoltage detection signal, to trigger a change of state of said second command signal so as to open the second switch, the reception of said overvoltage detection signal being further capable of triggering a change of state of said first command signal so as to close the first switch. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The circuit according to claim 11, wherein the second switch comprises a discharge transistor including a bulk region, the device further comprising a bulk potential selection circuit configured, subsequently to the reception of said overvoltage detection signal, to select a given potential, the highest between a voltage at the output of the rectifier applied to a terminal of said discharge transistor and said voltage at the terminals of said charge storage means, and apply the selected given potential to said bulk region. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the means for storing electrical charges is capable of being associated with an RF emitter provided for emitting an RF signal according to the filling of said means for storing electrical charges. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first switch is formed of a transistor including an electrode directly connected to said first terminal and an electrode directly connected to the second terminal. ### Claim 15 A wireless switch system, comprising: an electromagnetic energy harvesting stage, an electronic interface circuit arranged at the output of the electromagnetic energy harvesting stage, a load stage at the output of said electronic interface circuit, the load stage being provided with a means for storing electrical charges and with an RF emitter provided for emitting an RF signal according to the filling of said means for storing electrical charges, wherein said electronic interface circuit comprises: an AC/DC converter for converting an input signal between a first terminal and a second terminal connected at the output of said harvesting stage, and producing a DC signal at the input of the load stage, the converter being provided with a rectifier for producing a rectified signal to said means for storing electrical charges, a first switch, arranged between the first terminal and the second terminal and capable of alternately connecting or disconnecting the first terminal and the second terminal from one another, the closed or open state of the first switch being governed by a first command signal, a second switch, disposed between an output of the rectifier and the load stage and capable of alternately connecting or disconnecting the output of the rectifier from said load stage, the open or closed state of the second switch being governed by a second command signal, the electronic interface circuit being further provided with a logic control block configured to produce said first command signal and said second command signal, the control block being capable of alternately switching said switches from a first configuration to a second configuration and from the second to the first configuration, the first configuration being a configuration wherein the first switch is open and the second switch is closed, so that said first terminal and said second terminal are disconnected and the output of said rectifier is connected to said means for storing electrical charges, the second configuration being a configuration wherein the first switch is closed and the second switch is open so as to disconnect the output of the rectifier from said load stage and connect the first terminal and the second terminal to each other, said logic control block being further configured, in a given operating mode of said circuit, to trigger an alternation between said first configuration and said second configuration several times. ### Claim 16 An electronic interface circuit for electromagnetic energy harvesting, to be disposed between an electromagnetic energy harvesting stage and a load stage, the electromagnetic energy harvesting stage having an equivalent electrical circuit provided in series with an alternating voltage generator, an inductance L and an output impedance, the generator producing an alternating AC signal resulting from a conversion of mechanical energy into electromagnetic energy, the load stage being provided with a means for storing electrical charges, particularly a capacitance, said electronic interface circuit comprising: an AC/DC converter for converting an input signal between a first terminal and a second terminal connected at the output of said harvesting stage, and producing a DC signal at the input of the load stage, the converter being provided with a rectifier for producing a rectified signal to said means for storing electrical charges, a first switch, arranged between the first terminal and the second terminal and capable of alternately connecting or disconnecting the first terminal and the second terminal from one another, the closed or open state of the first switch being governed by a first command signal, a second switch, disposed between an output of the rectifier and the load stage and capable of alternately connecting or disconnecting the output of the rectifier from said load stage, the open or closed state of the second switch being governed by a second command signal, the electronic interface circuit being further provided with a logic control block configured to produce said first command signal and said second command signal, the control block being capable of alternately switching said switches from a first configuration to a second configuration and from the second to the first configuration, the first configuration being a configuration wherein the first switch is open and the second switch is closed, so that said first terminal and said second terminal are disconnected and the output of said rectifier is connected to said means for storing electrical charges, the second configuration being a configuration wherein the first switch is closed and the second switch is open so as to disconnect the output of the rectifier from said load stage and connect the first terminal and the second terminal to each other, said logic control block being further configured, in first operating mode of said circuit, to trigger said first configuration, said logic control block being further configured, in a second operating mode of said circuit, to trigger an alternation between said first configuration and said second configuration several times, said logic control block being further configured, to trigger a transition from said first operating mode to said second operating mode when an output voltage across said means for storing electrical charges exceeds a threshold value.