DC-DC converter for low voltage power source
AssigneeResearch Triangle Institute
InventorsBing Shen, Robert Hendry, Cynthia Watkins, Rama Venkatasubramanian
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power conversion unit and method for converting DC power. The power conversion unit includes a self-oscillating device configured to convert a DC voltage into a self-oscillating alternating current AC signal, a transformer connected to the self-oscillating device and configured to transform the self-oscillating AC signal into a transformed AC signal, and an AC-to-DC converter configured to convert the transformed AC signal into a DC signal. The method generates a self-oscillating current, transforms the self-oscillating current into a transformed AC signal, and converts the transformed AC signal into a DC signal.
Claims16
A power conversion unit for a low voltage thermoelectric generator comprising:
- a self-oscillating two-terminal device configured to convert a DC voltage from said low voltage thermoelectric generator of less than 0.7 V into a self-oscillating alternating current AC signal;
- a transformer connected to the self-oscillating device and configured to transform the self-oscillating AC signal into a transformed AC signal;
- and
- an AC-to-DC converter configured to convert the transformed AC signal into a DC signal,
- wherein said self-oscillating two-terminal device includes, for terminals, only an input terminal connected to the low voltage thermoelectric generator and an output terminal connected to the transformer.
A thermoelectric power supply system comprising:
- a low voltage thermoelectric generator;
- a self-oscillating two-terminal device configured to convert a DC voltage source from the low voltage thermoelectric generator of less than 0.7 V into a self-oscillating alternating current AC signal;
- a transformer connected to the self-oscillating device and configured to transform the self-oscillating AC signal into a transformed AC signal;
- and
- an AC-to-DC converter configured to convert the transformed AC signal into a DC signal,
- wherein said self-oscillating two-terminal device includes, for terminals, only an input terminal connected to the low voltage thermoelectric generator and an output terminal connected to the transformer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.