Electricity: single generator systems – With generator polarity control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-07
2001-02-27
Ponomarenko, Nicholas (Department: 2834)
Electricity: single generator systems
With generator polarity control
C322S00200R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06194876
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power generating system containing a power generator to generate power utilizing energy on the outside of the system, especially relating to a power generating system to drive load means (electronic equipment and the like) efficiently utilizing electric energy generated even when the polarity of generated voltage of the power generator is reversed according to the circumstances.
2. Description of the Related Art
There exits a power generating system which self-contains a power generator which converts outside energy such as light energy, thermal energy, or mechanical energy into electric energy, and is able to utilize the electric energy generated by the power generator for driving electronic equipment.
As such a power generating system, a solar battery system in which a solar battery is used as the power generator, a mechanical power generating system which is a means for utilizing mechanical energy of a rotating weight by converting into electric energy, or a power generating system by temperature difference which is a means for generating power with thermal energy caused by a temperature difference on both sides of a plurality of thermocouples connected in series, can be cited.
Particularly, as an example of the conventional power generating systems of those described above, there exists a power generating (thermoelectric) system by temperature difference which applies to an electronic timepiece, which is typically a compact portable electronic equipment, as shown in FIG.
7
.
In the electronic timepiece of this thermoelectric system, a power generator
10
is connected to a load means
20
which consists of an accumulator
22
and a timekeeping means
21
through a switch means
30
, and is configured to be able to utilize the generated power from the power generator
10
in the load means
20
. That is, in this example, a current generated by the generated voltage of the power generator
10
is rectified by the switch means
30
, and the rectified current is outputted to the accumulator
22
and the timekeeping means
21
to charge the accumulator
22
and to drive the timekeeping means
21
.
The power generator
10
consists of plural thermocouples (not shown) connected in series. The power generator
10
, for example this thermoelectric system, used to drive the electronic timepiece, is arranged in a manner that a warm junction side is contacted with a case back of the timepiece while a cold junction side is contacted with a case which is thermally insulated from the case back. Through this arrangement, thermal energy created by a temperature difference between the case cooled by outside air and the case back heated while the timepiece is worn by bodily temperature, is converted into electric energy to generate power, and the load means including the timekeeping means is driven by the generated electric power.
The load means
20
is configured to connect in parallel the timekeeping means
21
, which has a time-keep function, with the accumulator
22
that is a second battery. The timekeeping means
21
grounds its positive pole terminal and connects its negative pole terminal to the switch means
30
as a negative pole of the load means
20
.
The switch means
30
consists of first to fourth diodes
36
to
39
, and connects these diodes in a bridge-shape so as to form a so-called full-wave rectifier. That is, one end of the power generator
10
connects to an anode of the first diode
36
and a cathode of the fourth diode
39
, and the other end of the power generator
10
connects to an anode of the second diode
37
and a cathode of the third diode
38
.
An anode of the third diode
38
and an anode of the fourth diode
39
are connected to a negative pole of the load means
20
, and a cathode of the first diode
36
and a cathode of the second diode
37
are grounded.
The power generator which consists of a thermocouple (thermoelement) in this sort of the thermoelectric system, has a property in which the polarity of the generated voltage is changed by a direction of the temperature difference given from the outside of the thermoelectric system. Accordingly, in the power generator in the thermoelectric system, the polarity of the generated voltage reverses in accordance with a change of circumstances.
For instance, when the above-described electronic timepiece is a wrist watch which is attached to an arm, usually the temperature on the case back side which is closely contacted with the arm is higher than that on the case side which is exposed to the outside air, however, when the wrist watch is used in direct sunlight in the middle of summer, in a high temperature working circumstance, or in a torrid zone, it may happen that the case side is higher in temperature than the case back side. As a result, the polarity of the generated voltage created by the power generator
10
is sometimes reversed.
The switch means
30
in
FIG. 7
is provided to make effective use of the generated power even when the polarity of the generated voltage created by the power generator
10
is reversed as described above.
However, in order to obtain generated voltage of about 1.0V required to operate the electronic timepiece from the power generator
10
by means of a slight temperature difference created in the inside of a timepiece, more than two thousand thermocouples are required to be connected to the power generator
10
in series. When such a power generator is attempted to be constructed in a limited space like a timepiece, the internal resistance of the thermocouples becomes at least of the magnitude of several tens of K &OHgr;. Accordingly, even when a bridge rectifier circuit of the switch means
30
as shown in
FIG. 7
is configured with the Schottky barrier diode and the like, current is difficult to generate, and the electric power which can be taken out to the load means
20
side is only 40% as much as the amount of power originally expected. This brings a disadvantage that the utilization efficiency is very poor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to improve the above-described disadvantage and to facilitate effective utilization of the generated power consistently even in a power generating system using a power generator having the property to reverse the polarity of the generated voltage.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the power generating system according to the present invention comprises: a power generator outputting generated voltage by converting outside energy into electric energy; a switch means consisting of a plurality of switching elements, and being provided with a pair of output terminals respectively connectable to a pair of power generating terminals outputting generated voltage of the power generator; a switch-output measuring means which measures output voltage of the switch means; a load means which is connected to a pair of the output terminals of the switch means, and being applied with the output voltage of the switch means to operate by the electric power thereof; and a controller which controls the plurality of switching elements of the above-described switch means in response to the measured result of the switch-output measuring means, thereby controlling the connection relationship between the pair of power generating terminals of the power generator and the pair of output terminals of the switch means.
It can be a power generating system which comprises a power generator outputting generated voltage by converting outside energy into electric energy, a generated voltage measuring means for measuring the generated voltage of the power generator, a switch means consisting of a plurality of switching elements, and being provided with a pair of output terminals respectively connectable to a pair of power generating terminals outputting generated voltage of the power generator; a switch-output measuring means, which measures output voltage of the switch means; a load means which is connected to a pair of the output
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Citizen Watch Co. Ltd.
Ponomarenko Nicholas
LandOfFree
Power generating system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Power generating system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Power generating system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2609338