A High Power-Conversion-Efficiency Voltage Boost Converter with MPPT for Wireless Sensor Nodes

Abstract

A high power-conversion-efficiency voltage boost converter with MPPT for wireless sensor nodes (WSNs) is proposed in this paper. Since tiny wireless sensor nodes are all over complex environments, an efficient power management system (PMS) must be equipped to achieve long-term self-power supply and maintain regular operation. It is common to use Photovoltaic cells (PV) to harvest sunlight in the environment. However, most existing interface boost integrated circuits for the PV cell have low efficiency. This paper presents a voltage boost converter (VBC) with high power conversion efficiency (PCE) for WSNs. The integrated circuit (IC) designed in this paper includes a novel four-phase high-efficiency charge pump module, an ultra-low-power perturbation observation (P&O) MPPT control circuit module, a feedback control module, a nano-ampere current reference, etc. Manufactured in a standard 0.35 um complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, the chip area is 3.15 mm × 2.43 mm. Test results demonstrate that when the output voltage of the PV cell is more than 0.5 V, VBC can improve the voltage to 3Vin, and the calculated voltage conversion efficiency can reach 99.4%. P&O MPPT algorithm makes output power improving 8.53%. Furthermore, when the output load current is 297uA, the output PCE achieves 85.1%.

Environmental Sensing in High-Altitude Mountain Ecosystems Powered by Sedimentary Microbial Fuel Cells

“…The input voltage is low compared to those reported by other authors [ 4 , 18 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ]. The MPP voltage is used to calibrate the SMFC Ref as the MPPT reference value [ 6 , 21 , 26 ].…”

“…SMFC with sediments extracted from Lake Michigan intermittently powered a temperature sensor [ 20 ]. Many reports have shown the SMFC’s potential to power environmental wireless sensor networks [ 21 ]. The main point is to use the appropriate electronic circuit to transfer and store the electric energy produced by the SMFCs [ 20 , 22 , 23 ] PMS was used to operate remote sensors powered by SMFCs [ 24 , 25 ].…”

“…The main point is to use the appropriate electronic circuit to transfer and store the electric energy produced by the SMFCs [ 20 , 22 , 23 ] PMS was used to operate remote sensors powered by SMFCs [ 24 , 25 ]. The PMS was used to control energy harvesting, store energy, and channel the necessary power for data transmission [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 21 ]. The PMS converts low input to a high output voltage by providing enough power bursts to intermittently control typical commercial electronic devices [ 13 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

“…The PMS was used to control energy harvesting, store energy, and channel the necessary power for data transmission [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 21 ]. The PMS converts low input to a high output voltage by providing enough power bursts to intermittently control typical commercial electronic devices [ 13 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. However, few studies addressed the feasibility of SMFCs in high-altitude mountain ecosystems with low oxygen solubility [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Signal Amplification by Means of a Dickson Charge Pump: Analysis and Experimental Validation

“…Therefore, the Dickson CP is the best option for integration and has become the widest adopted and studied topology. Indeed, nowadays CPs are generally used in power management units (PMUs) for an extended variety of ICs, such as the energy-autonomous nodes for the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), or the powered platform for the lab-on-a-chip paradigm [6,10,22,23].…”