• ETRI Journal
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.519-533
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• 2023

This paper implements a simultaneous solar and thermal energy harvesting system, as a hybrid energy harvesting (HEH) system, to convert ambient light into electrical energy through photovoltaic (PV) cells and heat absorbed in the body of PV cells. Indeed, a solar panel equipped with serially connected thermoelectric generators not only converts the incoming light into electricity but also takes advantage of heat emanating from the light. In a conventional HEH system, the diode block is used to provide the path for the input source with the highest value. In this scheme, at each time, only one source can be handled to generate its output, while other sources are blocked. To handle this challenge of combining resources in HEH systems, this paper proposes a method for collecting all incoming energies and conveying its summation to the load via the current mirror cells in an approach similar to the maximum power point tracking. This technique is implemented using off-the-shelf components. The measurement results show that the proposed method is a realistic approach for supplying electrical energy to wireless sensor nodes and low-power electronics.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.48-57
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• 2013

This paper presents a power management system of the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) for ubiquitous sensor network (USN) applications. The charge pump with a luminance-controlled oscillator regulates the load impedance of the DSSC to track the maximum power point (MPP) under various light intensities. The low drop-out regulator with a hysteresis comparator supplies intermittent power pulses that are wide enough for USN to communicate with a host transponder even under dim light conditions. With MPP tracking, approximately 50% more power is harvested over a wide range of light intensity. The power management system fabricated using $0.13{\mu}m$ CMOS technology works with DSSC to provide power pulses of $36{\mu}A$. The duration of pulses is almost constant around $80{\mu}s$ (6.5 nJ/pulse), while the pulse spacing is inversely proportional to the light intensity.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.353-357
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• 2011

An embedded two-axis solar tracking system was developed by using AVR micro controller for enhancing solar energy utilization. The system consists of an Atmega128 micro controller, two step motors, two step drive modules, CdS sensors, GPS module and other accessories needed for functional stability. This system is controlled by both an astronomical method and an optical method. Initial operation is performed by the result from the astronomical method, which is followed by the fine controlled operation using the signals from Cds sensors. The GPS sensor generates UTC, longitude and latitude data where the solar tracker is installed. A database of solar altitude, azimuth, and sunrise and sunset times is provided by UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter).

• 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 Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2013.10a
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• pp.346-349
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• 2013

This paper describes a triple-input energy harvesting circuit using solar, vibration and thermoelectric energy with MPPT(Maximum Power Point Tracking) control. The designed circuit employs MPPT control to harvest maximum power available from a solar cell, PZT vibration element and thermoelectric generator. The harvested energies are simultaneously combined and stored in a storage capacitor, and then managed and transferred into a sensor node by PMU(Power Management Unit). MPPT controls are implemented using the linear relation between the open-circuit voltage of an energy transducer and its MPP(Maximum Power Point) voltage. The proposed circuit is designed in a CMOS 0.18um technology and its functionality has been verified through extensive simulations. The designed chip occupies $945{\mu}m{\times}995{\mu}m$.

• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2012.04a
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• pp.14-16
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• 2012

본 논문은 단일 추적모듈과 무선 센서 네트워크를 이용한 내장형 태양광 추적시스템을 제안한다. 내장형 태양광 추적시스템은 조도 변화에 따라 단일 추적모듈로부터 도출된 회전값을 무선 센서 네트워크로 발전모듈에게 전달하여 태양전지를 동일하게 회전시키는 시스템이다. 추적모듈은 조도측정부의 양단 간 조도 값을 비교하여 회전값을 도출하고 항상 태양광과 프레임이 수직이 되도록 유지한다. 발전모듈은 전달받은 회전값을 적용하여 추적모듈과 동일한 방향으로 유지함으로 발전량을 최대화한다. 테스트베드를 개발하여 추적 실험을 통해 제안된 시스템의 타당성을 검증하였다.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.488-499
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• 2016

We present a design and optical simulation of a cost-effective hybrid daylighting/LED system composed of mixing sunlight and light-emitting diode (LED) illumination powered by renewable solar energy for indoor lighting. In this approach, the sunlight collected by the concentrator is split into visible and non-visible rays by a beam splitter. The proposed sunlight collector consists of a Fresnel lens array. The non-visible rays are absorbed by the solar photovoltaic devices to provide electrical power for the LEDs. The visible rays passing through the beam splitters are coupled to a stepped thickness waveguide (STW) by tilted mirrors and confined by total internal reflection (TIR). LEDs are integrated at the end of the STW to improve the lighting quality. LEDs’ light and sunlight are mixed in the waveguide and they are coupled into an optical fiber bundle for indoor illumination. An optical sensor and lighting control system are used to control the LED light flow to ensure that the total output flux for indoor lighting is a fixed value when the sunlight is inadequate. The daylighting capacity was modeled and simulated with a commercial ray tracing software (Lighttools^TM). Results show that the system can achieve 63.8% optical efficiency at geometrical concentration ratio of 630. A required accuracy of sun tracking system achieved more than ±0.5^o . Therefore, our results provide an important breakthrough for the commercialization of large scale optical fiber daylighting systems that are faced with challenges related to high costs.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 1985

Solar energy has its advantages not to be interruped by anything, which is wing to not only limitlessness in its source but shortness in its wave. Availing of tha advantages, we can look forword to vast allication. This study whose aim is to raise the effectuality of it by means of chasing the source correctly, which is to be acheved by the circularty of sensor. The consequence has been gained by two sensors is amplified and transfered to TTL leveland becomes "INPUT DATA" of INTE 8080CPU. The INTEL 8080CPU whose system is machinated to give cotrol pulse to moter driving circuit has the source and the sensors placed correctly on the basis of the data. DC motor taskes the advantage not to be in need of UP/DOWN counter, which is defferent from stepping motor. The system is composed of light detector, A/C converter, INPUT Interface, INTEL 8080 CPU, OUTPUT Interface, notor driving circiut. We can give correct chase to light experimentally as far as an error is the space of 1.2.ce of 1.2.