• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2012.10a
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• pp.267-271
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• 2012

In this paper a power management unit for solar energy harvesting is proposed. If solar energy is sufficient, Power Management Unit(PMU) directly supplies load with solar energy. By contrast, if solar energy is insufficient to operate sensor nodes, voltage booster(VB) boosts the solar cell's output voltage, and then PMU supplies load with the harvested energy. The designed circuit had been fabricated using a 018um CMOS process. In the first case, the PMU supplies load with more energy than in the second case. In the second case where a VB is used, the PMU operates to supply load with solar energy even when illumination is low and minimum solar cells with very low output voltage are used.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.477-480
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• 2015

In this paper a low-voltage vibration energy harvesting circuit with MPPT(Maximum Power Point Tracking) control is proposed. By employing bulk-driven technique, the minimum operating voltage of the proposed circuit is as low as 0.8V. The designed MPPT control circuit traces the maximum power point by periodically sampling the open circuit voltage of a full-wave rectifier circuit connected to the piezoelectric device output and delivers the maximum available power to load. The proposed circuit is designed using a $0.35{\mu}m\;CMOS$ process, and the chip area including pads is $1.33mm{\times}1.31mm$. Simulation results show that the maximum power efficiency of the designed circuit is 85.49%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.412-415
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• 2015

This paper presents a MPPT(Maximum Power Point Tracking) control CMOS interface circuit for vibration energy harvesting. The proposed circuit consists of an AC-DC converter, MPPT Controller, DC-DC boost converter and PMU(Power Management Unit). The AC-DC converter rectifies the AC signals from vibration devices(PZT). MPPT controller is employed to harvest the maximum power from the PZT and increase efficiency of overall system. The DC-DC boost converter generates a boosted and regulated output at a predefined level and provides energy to load using PMU. A full-wave rectifier using active diodes is used as the AC-DC converter for high efficiency, and a schottky diode type DC-DC boost converter is used for a simple control circuitry. The proposed circuit has been designed in a 0.35um CMOS process. The chip area is $950um{\times}920um$.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.436-443
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• 2017

Recently, the development of new energy technologies has become a hot topic due to problems,such as global warming. Unlike renewable energy technologies, such as solar energy generation, solar power, and wind power, which are optimized to achieve medium or above output power, the output power of energy harvesting technology is very small and has not received much attention. On the other hand, as the mobile industry has been revitalized recently, the utility of energy harvesting technology has been reevaluated. In addition, the technology of tracking the maximum power point has been actively researched. This paper proposes a new MPPT(Maximum Power Point Tracking) control method for a TEM(thermoelectric module) for load resistance. The V-I curve characteristics and internal resistance of TEM were analyzed and the conventional MPPT control methods were compared. The P&O(Perturbation and Observation) control method is more accurate, but it is less economical than the CV (Constant Voltage)control method because it usestwo sensors to measure the voltage and current source. The CV control method is superior to the P&O control method in economic aspects because it uses only one voltage sensor but the MPP is not matched precisely. In this paper, a method wasdesigned to track the MPP of TEM combining the advantages of the two control method. The proposed MPPT control method wasverified by PSIM simulation and H/W implementation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.827-830
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• 2006

With recent advanced in portable electric devices, wireless sensor, MEMS and bio-Mechanics device, the new typed power supply, not conventional battery but self-powered energy source is needed. Particularly, the system that harvests from their environments are interests for use in self powered devices. For very low powered devices, environmental energy may be enough to use power source. In the generality of cases, these energy harvesting systems are used in the piezoelectric materials as mechanisms to convert mechanical vibration energy into electric energy. Through the piezoelectric materials, the ambient vibration energy could be used to prolong the power supply or in the ideal case provide endless energy f9r the devices. Therefore, the piezoelectric power harvesting cantilever beam is developed. Also, the output voltage and power are predicted in this study. We also discuss the developing system of the piezoelectric energy scavenger. An experimental verification of the model is also performed to ensure its accuracy.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.190-194
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• 2017

Present-day solar panels incorporate inverters as their core components. Switching devices driven by specialized power controllers are operated in a transformerless inverter topology. However, some challenges associated with this configuration include the absence of isolation, causing leakage currents to flow through various components toward ground. This inevitably causes power losses, often being also the primary reason for the power inverters' analog equipment failure. In this paper, various aspects of the leakage currents are studied using different circuit analysis methods. The primary objective is to convert the leakage current energy into a usable DC voltage source. The research is focused on harvesting the leakage currents for producing circa 1.1 V, derived from recently developed rectifier circuits, and driving a $200{\Omega}$ load with a power in the milliwatt range. Even though the output voltage level is low, the harvested power could be used for charging small batteries or capacitors, even driving light loads.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.64-70
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• 2019

Wireless sensors have been developed in numerous ways for enhancing the convenience of installation, management and maintenance of sensors. Energy harvesting wireless sensors, which can collect energy from the external environment for permanent usage without the need of recharging and exchanging batteries, have been developed and employed used in Internet of Things and at various industrial sites. Energy harvesting wireless sensors are significantly affected by the sensor lifespan to sudden variation in the external environment. Furthermore, reduction in the sensor operating timespan can greatly affect the characteristics of the devices connected through a network. In this paper, a system performance index is proposed that can comprehensively evaluate the lifespan of a solar cell wireless sensor, determine the characteristics of devices connected to the associated network, and recommend dynamic power distribution control for improving the system performance index. Improvement in the system performance index was verified by applying the proposed dynamic power distribution control to an air conditioner network system using a solar cell wireless sensor. Obtained results corroborate that the dynamic power distribution control can extend the lifespan of the incorporated wireless sensor and reduce the air conditioner's power consumption.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.221-229
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• 2017

This study researched the needs of smart fashion items using energy harvesting for outdoor wearers and surveyed the application areas and design preferences for energy-harvesting systems based on outdoor activities. A total of 217 subjects were surveyed. Subjects who had at least 3 years of experience in outdoor activities were selected in order to increase the reliability of the research results. The survey investigated lifestyles based on outdoor activities, outdoor clothing and electronic equipment usage, purchase style, utilization plan, and design preference for energy-harvesting clothing and supplies. The results showed that 62.7% of the respondents had experience in outdoor activities for more than five years. 96.3% of the subjects carried electronic equipment, and 179 participants(82.5%) experienced discomfort due to battery consumption/dead batteries during outdoor activities. 78.4% were interested in smat fashion items using energy-harvesting technology, and the energy-conversion technology that was useful for outdoor activities was "kinetic energy"(74.7%). Participants showed a high preference for a detachable type(30.9%) and a city type(69.1%) that can be worn in outdoor activities as well as in general life. The preferred location of the electric power-charging device was the "Hem area of top garment"(35.9%), and the reason for this selection was that it was easy to operate and did not interfere with movement. The data from this paper can be used as a basis for product planning and product design for energy-harvesting apparel designers and supply developers for outdoor clothing.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.99-106
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• 2017

In this paper, an energy harvesting and profiling system is designed for smart video devices in internet of things environments without dedicated power source. The energy harvesting module provides the harvested energy from solar panel to the smart video device. The energy profiling module measures the battery outflow current and the battery voltage of the smart video device and the consumed energy of processes, and calculate the harvested energy from the energy harvesting module to the smart video device and the total energy consumption of the smart video device. The accuracy of the harvested energy measured by the device energy profiling module is validated by comparing with the calculated energy using the regional solar radiation provided by Korea Meteorological Administration. Energy harvesting data from the designed energy harvesting and profiling system can be used to design the perpetual operation of smart video devices or Internet of Things sensors.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.300-307
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• 2019

This study develops a user centered outdoor jacket capable of energy harvesting based on consumer needs. Jackets are designed for typical outdoor activities such as hiking, trekking, and climbing, integrated with an energy harvesting module that can generate electric power from arm swing in outdoor and daily life walking. Textile based energy generators developed by the previous research of Lee & Roh (2018) were used. A prototype was created based on the arm swing motion experiment for location options and energy harvesting system functions, the simulation by the design sketch, and evaluation of the wearing test by experts. In-depth interviews were later conducted for the prototype with 10 outdoor experts to derive the optimal location of an energy harvesting system in three ways, and the prototype was revised to 5 styles that reflected reviews by experts on function and appearance. Research indicated that the energy harvesting jacket design signifies a user-centered design based on expert interviews and usability evaluation as well as previous research on energy generation and storage device. The jacket is convenient because it combines an energy generator in an optimal position to maximize energy generation with a storage and charging device that can be inserted into various position options for accessibility.