Supplementary power supply device for a battery-powered device

Abstract

A battery-powered device, such as an electric window accessory, can provide power for an electrical load such as a motor. The device may also include a control circuit and a communication circuit. In addition to the battery, the device may be configured to receive power from a supplementary power source such as a solar cell or a wireless RF power supply device, and supply power to the control and communication circuits through the supplementary power source. The device may include a voltage monitor and a switch to intelligently control whether the battery or the supplementary power source is supplying power to the control and communication circuits.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 614,060, filed on January 5, 2018, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Background of the Invention

[0003] A control device may include control and communication circuitry, such as wireless communication circuitry, for receiving control instructions from an external device or network to control the control device. The control device may also include one or more batteries for powering the electrical circuits of the control device, such as the control and communication circuitry. The battery may also be used to power other electrical circuits associated with the control device, such as a motor, a light - emitting diode indicator, etc. The battery life of the control device may mainly depend on the usage frequency of the other electrical circuits of the control device. For electrical circuits of the control device that are not frequently used (e.g., once or twice a day), since the communication circuit may need to periodically check for new control instructions, the power consumption of the control and communication circuitry may account for a large portion of the battery energy usage. For example, an electric window covering may only raise and / or lower a shading fabric once or twice a day, but when the communication circuit checks for new control instructions and wakes up the control circuit when receiving a control instruction, the control and communication circuitry may consume power periodically throughout the day. In some cases, even with energy - loss - reducing techniques, such as a low - power sleep mode of the control and communication circuitry, the control and communication circuitry may use up to 50% or more of the battery capacity over the entire life of the battery.

[0004] To extend battery life, battery - powered control devices may rely on photovoltaic cells to use solar energy to charge a rechargeable battery. However, rechargeable batteries typically have a limited cycle life. Additionally, solar charging methods are not the best option for rechargeable batteries, which further limits the cycle life. Therefore, an alternative supplementary power supply device for battery - powered wireless devices is needed.

[0005] Figure 1 A simplified block diagram of an exemplary existing motor supply drive circuit 100 is shown, which may be located in a space such as a room. The motor supply drive circuit 100 may include a motor 106, which may be used to control the position of a covering material (e.g., fabric) of an electric window covering (not shown) based on control instructions from a control and communication circuit 108. The control and communication circuit 108 may receive wireless control instructions from an external control device (not shown) via a network, for example. The motor 106 may draw a supply voltage V supplied by a rechargeable battery 104. CC1, to control the position of the fabric of the electric window accessory based on the received control instruction. For example, the rechargeable battery 104 may supply 12 volts (V) to the motor 106.

[0006] The control and communication circuit 108 may receive power from the rechargeable battery 104 through a power supply device (e.g., a buck converter circuit 110). The buck converter circuit 110 may generate a supply voltage V CC2 . The buck converter circuit 110 may reduce the battery voltage V CC1 to a value suitable for powering the control circuit. For example, the buck converter circuit 110 may reduce the battery voltage V received from the rechargeable battery CC1 from 12V to 3V to power the control circuit 108.

[0007] The rechargeable battery 104 may be charged externally through a wired connection to a power supply device such as an AC wall socket, or alternatively through the solar cell 102. The solar cell 102 may collect light energy from light outside the space (e.g., from sunlight), and / or the solar cell 102 may collect light energy from light inside the space (e.g., from artificial light).

[0008] Although the light energy collected by the solar cell can be used to extend the battery life by charging the rechargeable battery 104, this configuration may have several drawbacks. First, the rechargeable battery may not be optimally suited to be charged by a photovoltaic cell. The nature of the solar cell energy generation as a trickle charging current may shorten the usable life of the rechargeable battery. Second, rechargeable batteries are more expensive than traditional disposable batteries. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a supplementary power supply device for a battery-powered load control device, and to a method of supplying power from the supplementary power supply device for extending battery life to the load control device. The supplementary power supply device may be based on renewable but unreliable energy sources, such as electromagnetic, acoustic, mechanical, thermal, or other types of energy. For example, the supplementary power supply device may supply power only to the control circuit and the communication circuit, while the battery supplies power to larger transient loads. Although the embodiments herein specifically describe electric window accessories, those skilled in the art will recognize that the supplementary power supply devices described herein can generally be applied to any battery-powered load control device in order to extend battery life. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary existing motor supply driver having a rechargeable battery and a solar cell is shown.

[0011] Figure 2A block diagram of an exemplary device with a battery and a supplemental power source is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 An example voltage curve over time for an energy storage device powered by a solar cell.

[0013] Figure 4 is an exemplary schematic diagram of a voltage monitor and switch.

[0014] Figure 5 is an exemplary block diagram of a device with a battery and a supplemental power source according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 6A 、 Figure 6B and Figure 6C These exemplary methods may be performed by one or more monitor circuits to control input and output switches and enable and disable power converter circuits.

[0016] Figure 7A relative to Figure 6A 、 Figure 6C An exemplary graph of the voltage across the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device over time for the illustrated method.

[0017] Figure 7B relative to Figure 6A 、 Figure 6B An exemplary graph of the voltage across the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device over time for the illustrated method.

[0018] Figure 8 Based on Figure 5 An exemplary schematic diagram of a block diagram of .

[0019] Figure 9 An exemplary user environment with a wireless power supply for motorized window treatments is shown.

[0020] Figure 10 An exemplary supplemental power supply based on a radio frequency (RF) signal is shown.

[0021] Figure 11 A block diagram of an exemplary device with a battery and a supplemental power source is shown according to an alternative embodiment.

[0022] Figure 12 Based on Figure 11 Example voltage curves over time for an energy storage device and battery according to the embodiments described in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] As described herein, a load control device can receive power from a first or primary power source such as a battery, and deliver power derived from the primary power source to power one or more electrical loads. The load control device can further be configured to receive power from a second or supplemental power source. The load control device can be configured such that the supplemental power source is an optional power source. For example, the supplemental power source can be externally connected to the load control device. Alternatively, the load control device can be configured such that the supplemental power source is integrated with the load control device.

[0024] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary device 200. The device 200 can include at least a first electrical load 206 and a second electrical load 225. The second electrical load 225 can include a control circuit 208 and / or a communication circuit 226, but it will be appreciated that it can include fewer and / or additional and / or other circuit components. As an example, the second electrical load can operate at one or more power voltages that are lower than the power voltage of the first electrical load. In this regard, the second electrical load can be referred to herein as a low voltage circuit. As an example, the device 200 can be a load control device, and specifically, can be configured as a motor supply drive circuit. In this configuration, the electrical load 206 can include one or more motors and corresponding motor supply drive circuits. The motor 206 can be coupled to a roller tube or drive shaft (not shown) of an electric window covering for controlling the position of the covering material (e.g., fabric) of the electric window covering. For example, the motor can be a direct current (DC) motor that can operate at a DC motor voltage of 12 volts (V). Typical DC motor voltages can range from 9V to 24V, but other voltages are possible. For purposes of description, the device 200 will be described herein as a motor supply drive circuit that includes a motor configured to control an electric window covering as the electrical load 206. Nevertheless, the electrical load 206 can be a load different from a motor, e.g., the electrical load 206 can include one or more electrical loads, and the device 200 can be a device other than a motor supply drive circuit. For example, the electrical load 206 can be a sensor circuit, such as an occupancy sensor, an ambient light sensor, an accelerometer, etc. Although the motor 206 and the electrical load 225 are shown as part of the device 200, it should be understood that the motor 206 and / or the electrical load 225 need not be part of the device 200, but can be external to the device 200.

[0025] The control circuit 208 can control the amount of power supplied to the electrical load 206 (i.e., the motor). The motor (electrical load 206) of the device 200 can control or adjust the position of the covering material of the electric window appliance in response to one or more control signals received from the control circuit 208. The control circuit 208 can include one or more processors (e.g., one or more microprocessors), one or more microcontrollers, one or more programmable logic devices (PLDs), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more of any suitable processing means or combinations thereof. The second electrical load 225 of the device 200 may also include one or more memory modules (“memory”) (not shown), including volatile and / or non-volatile memory modules, which may include non-removable memory modules and / or removable memory modules. The memory can be communicatively coupled to the control circuit 208. The non-removable memory can include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of non-removable memory storage device. The removable memory can include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a memory card, or any other type of removable memory. The memory can store one or more software-based control applications including instructions that can be executed by the control circuit 208. When executing such instructions, the control circuit 208 can perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the control circuit 208 to perform as described herein.

[0026] The control circuit 208 can receive messages from the communication circuit 226. The communication circuit 226 can be a wired and / or wireless communication circuit. For example, the communication circuit 226 can include a radio frequency (RF) transceiver that is coupled to an antenna to transmit and / or receive RF signals. The communication circuit 226 can communicate via a Wi-Fi communication link, a Wi-MAX communication link, communication link, link, a near field communication (NFC) link, a cellular communication link, a television white space (TVWS) communication link, a proprietary protocol (e.g., protocol), or any combination thereof. The communication circuit 226 can receive messages from an external control device (e.g., a remote control device) via any of these protocols described herein.

[0027] The communication circuit 226 can be operably connected to the control circuit 208. The control circuit 208 can generate a control signal for controlling the motor 206 based on the received message. For example, the communication circuit 226 can receive a message from an external control device. The message can be received by the communication circuit 226 via a wired or wireless communication link. For example, a remote control device can wirelessly send a command message to the communication circuit 226 to raise the fabric of the electric window covering, and the control circuit 208 can control the motor 206 based on the received command to raise or lower the fabric. As another example, the control circuit can execute instructions (e.g., a clock schedule) and control the motor 206 to raise or lower the fabric independently of the message received via the communication circuit 226.

[0028] Although the communication has been described in terms of the communication circuit 226, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the communication circuit can alternatively and / or additionally be integrated with the control circuit to achieve the same effect.

[0029] For example, the first electrical load / motor 206 and the second electrical load 225 consisting of the communication circuit 226 and the control circuit 208 can be powered by a battery 204 that provides a battery voltage V 电池 . The battery 204 can be a disposable battery. Alternatively, the battery 204 can be a rechargeable battery. For example, the battery 204 can be a single battery, or it can be a battery pack including a plurality of batteries connected in series. One or more batteries of the battery pack can be configured to provide sufficient voltage to power the motor. For example, when the battery 204 is a battery pack, it can include eight D-type batteries connected in series to provide 12 volts to the motor. The device 200 can include a battery housing into which one or more batteries can be inserted or connected.

[0030] The battery 204 can supply power to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 of the second electrical load 225 through a controllable switch 214. When the controllable switch 214 is in the first position or the first state, the battery 204 can supply power to the second electrical load 225. As shown, a power converter circuit 216 such as a buck converter circuit can be placed in series between the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 and the controllable switch 214. Alternatively, the power converter circuit 216, i.e., the buck converter circuit, can be placed in series between the battery 204 and the switch 214 to reduce the battery voltage V for supplying power to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 电池 (e.g., at position A in Figure 2 ). For example, the battery voltage V from the battery 204 电池 can be 12 volts to operate the motor 206, and the power converter circuit 216 can reduce the battery voltage V 电池 to a lower DC supply voltage VCC , such as 3 volts, to power the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226. The power converter circuit 216 can be a switched power supply device or other suitable circuit for stepping down the voltage with high conversion efficiency. For example, the chip TSP62120 manufactured by Texas Instruments is an exemplary buck converter chip with an efficiency of 96%. A linear regulator can alternatively be used to reduce the voltage; however, the low power efficiency during voltage conversion can shorten the battery life.

[0031] Alternatively, the motor supply drive circuit 200 may not include the power converter circuit 216, such that the battery voltage V 电池 can be directly coupled to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 via the switch 214. In this configuration, the motor supply drive circuit 200 may include a boost circuit (not shown), through which a voltage can be supplied to the motor 206. The boost circuit can be coupled in series between the battery 204 and the motor 206 (e.g., at position B in Figure 2 ). For example, the battery 204 can supply the battery voltage V 电池 to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 at a low magnitude, and the boost circuit can generate a boosted voltage from the battery voltage V 电池 , where the boosted voltage has a magnitude suitable for operating the motor 206, such as 12V. The low magnitude of the battery voltage V 电池 can be in the range of 1 volt - 5 volts. For example, the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 can be powered by a low voltage of 3.3V. It will be appreciated that other configurations are also possible.

[0032] In addition, although not shown, it should be understood that the device 200 may include one or more additional batteries, i.e., backup batteries, which can be used to operate the date / time clock and / or the memory to maintain the memory in the event of a single power failure (i.e., when the battery voltage V 电池 is insufficient to power one or more electrical loads 206, 225).

[0033] The motor supply drive circuit 200 can additionally include a supplementary power supply device 220. The supplementary power supply device 220 can generate a supplementary voltage V for powering a second electrical load 225 (here the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226) 供应。The communication circuit 226 can be periodically awakened to look for control commands, and / or the control circuit 224 can operate a timer that can consume power from the supplemental power supply device 220. The supplemental power supply device 220 can relieve the power draw burden on the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 from the battery 204. In this way, the supplemental power supply device 220 can significantly extend the life of the battery 204. For example, if the battery 204 of the motor supply drive circuit 200 is a battery pack having eight D-cells connected in series, and the motor supply drive circuit 200 raises and lowers a three-foot wide by five-foot long shade fabric twice daily, the life of the battery 204 can be about three years. If the same motor supply drive circuit 200 (e.g., having the same battery pack and operating under the same conditions) includes the supplemental power supply device 220, the battery can have an extended life of more than seven years.

[0034] The supplemental power supply device 220 can be connected to the motor supply drive circuit 200 via the terminal 224. The terminal 224 can be a circuit trace or a mechanical contact, such as a terminal block, a wire connector, a metal contact pad, or any other suitable mechanical contact mechanism. The supplemental power supply device 220 can be integrated with the motor supply drive circuit 200 (e.g., in the same housing), or the supplemental power supply device can be an additional power supply device optionally provided to the user and installed by the user outside the motor supply drive circuit 200. The supplemental power supply device 220 can be provided outside the motor supply drive circuit 200 to reduce the cost of the motor supply drive circuit for users who do not require a supplemental power source. When supplying power to the control circuit and the communication circuit, the supplemental power source can provide a sufficient amount of power to the control circuit to provide commands to the electrical load. For example, when the control circuit is powered by the supplemental power supply device, the control circuit can send one or more control commands to the electrical load 206 (i.e., the motor).

[0035] The supplemental power supply device 220 can include a supplemental power source 202. The supplemental power supply device 220 can additionally include an energy storage device 212. The energy storage device 212 can store the energy provided by the supplemental power source 202 and provide a supplemental voltage V 补充。In one embodiment, the energy storage device 212 can be a supercapacitor. For example, the supercapacitor can be an electric double layer capacitor (ELDC), an ultracapacitor, or a Goldcap. The supercapacitor can have a capacitance of several tens of farads to store sufficient charge from the supplementary power source 202. For example, the supercapacitor can have a capacitance of 50 farads (F) and can store 200 joules (J) of energy on average per day. It will be recognized that other examples are also possible. For example, the energy storage device can be another type of capacitor, such as a tantalum or electrolytic capacitor; a rechargeable battery; or any other type of energy storage device.

[0036] The supplementary power source 202 can be a renewable power source. Thus, the supplementary supply voltage V generated by the supplementary power supply device 220 供应 can be unreliable. For example, the supplementary power source 202 can be one or more solar cells or one or more photovoltaic (PV) cells, i.e., a PV module. The power for charging the energy storage device 212 provided by one or more PV cells can depend on the intensity, frequency, and duration of the light provided to one or more PV cells. For example, one or more PV cells may not charge the energy storage device 212 at night after sunset.

[0037] One or more PV cells can be made of amorphous silicon or crystalline silicon, organic photovoltaic materials, or any other suitable photovoltaic materials. One or more PV cells can be characterized by an optimal voltage for transmitting power with maximum efficiency. For example, when the battery is maintained at an output voltage of 5V, the total effective area of a PV module composed of six amorphous silicon cells is approximately 34 mm × 142 mm, and under indirect sunlight, a current of 5 milliamperes (mA) can be generated.

[0038] As another and / or additional example, the supplementary power source 202 can be a wireless power supply device. The wireless power supply device can include a receiver, such as an antenna that receives electromagnetic energy from a remotely located transmitter. For example, the power transmitter can be plugged into an electrical outlet and transmit power from the electrical outlet via a transmitting antenna within the power transmitter. The wireless power supply device can have a receiving antenna corresponding to the transmitting antenna, which receives power from the power transmitter and stores the energy in the energy storage device 212. The wireless power supply device for electric window supplies is described in more detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 471,991, titled "Wireless Power Supply for Electrical Devices", filed on March 31, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other exemplary wireless power supply devices are also possible.

[0039] As another and / or additional example, the supplementary power source 202 can be any other suitable receiver that receives energy from the environment and converts that energy into electrical energy. For example, the supplementary power source 202 can receive electromagnetic, acoustic, mechanical, thermal, or other types of energy from the environment and collect that energy to provide electrical energy to charge the energy storage device 212.

[0040] Due to the unreliable nature of the supplementary power source 202 (e.g., if there is no light to power one or more PV cells) and / or if the supplementary power supply device 220 is an optional supply device that may not be installed in the motor supply drive circuit 200, the motor drive supply circuit 200 can include a monitor circuit 218 for monitoring and determining the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 before power can be provided from the supplementary power supply device 220 to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 via the connection 224. The magnitude of the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 provided by the supplementary power supply device 220 can power the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 through the controllable switch 214. When the supplementary power supply device 220 is installed, the monitor circuit 218 can detect or determine whether the magnitude of the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 is a suitable magnitude to be coupled to the power converter circuit 216. When the monitor circuit 218 detects or determines that the magnitude of the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 is a suitable magnitude, it can control the switch 214 to the second position, thereby connecting the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 to the power converter circuit 216. The switch 214 can receive a control command from the monitor circuit 218, and then the switch can disconnect the battery voltage V 电池 supplied by the battery 204 to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 to allow the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 provided by the supplementary power supply device 220 to power the control circuit and the communication circuit.

[0041] When the monitor circuit 218 detects or determines that the magnitude of the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 is not a suitable magnitude (e.g., due to the absence of the supplementary power supply device 220 or due to the energy storage device 212 not being fully charged), the monitor circuit 218 can control the switch 214 to connect the battery voltage V 电池 from the battery 204 to the power converter circuit 216. The switch 214 can receive a control command from the monitor circuit 218, and then the switch can return to the first position (e.g., the first state), thereby disconnecting the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 supplied by the supplementary power supply device 220 to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 to allow the battery voltage V 电池Power the control circuit and the communication circuit.

[0042] As an example, the monitor circuit 218 can be a voltage monitor circuit. The monitor circuit 218 can use a comparator or other suitable analog circuit to monitor the supplemental supply voltage V 供应 . For example, when the power converter circuit 216 is located at position B (i.e., the battery 204 can directly power the electrical load 225), the monitor circuit 218 can compare the magnitude of the supplemental supply voltage V 供应 with the magnitude of the battery voltage V 电池 provided by the battery 204. For example, when the magnitude of the supplemental supply voltage V 供应 is less than the magnitude of the battery voltage V 电池 , the monitor circuit 218 can control the switch 214 such that the battery voltage V 电池 from the battery 204 is provided to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 (i.e., hold the switch 214 in the first position). For example, when the magnitude of the supplemental supply voltage V 供应 is greater than or equal to the magnitude of the battery voltage V 电池 , the monitor circuit 218 can control the switch 214 such that the supplemental supply voltage V 供应 from the supplemental power supply device 220 is provided to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226. It will be recognized that other configurations are possible. For example, when the power converter circuit 216 is located at Figure 2 position A, the output of the power converter circuit 216 (relative to V 电池 ) can be compared with V 补充 .

[0043] According to another example, when the power converter circuit 216 is connected between the switch 214 and the electrical load 225 as Figure 2 shown, the monitor circuit 218 can include a clamping circuit and a latch circuit. The monitor circuit 218 can operate to keep the magnitude of the supplemental supply voltage V 供应 from the supplemental power supply device 220 within a certain range. The monitor circuit 218 can keep the input voltage to the power converter circuit 216 above a minimum threshold and / or below a maximum threshold. For example, the monitor circuit 218 can compare the magnitude of the supplemental supply voltage V 供应 with the minimum and maximum thresholds. When the monitor circuit 218 determines that the supplemental supply voltage V 供应When the magnitude of [supply voltage] reaches and / or is higher than the maximum threshold, the latch circuit can engage, enabling the monitor circuit 218 to configure the switch 214 (e.g., turn the switch to the second state or on state, i.e., turn to the second position) to supply power from the supplementary power supply device 220 to the power converter circuit 216. The latch circuit can remain engaged until the magnitude of the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 reaches and / or drops below the minimum threshold, where the latch circuit of the monitor circuit 218 can disengage, enabling the monitor circuit 218 to configure the switch 214 (e.g., turn the switch to the first state or off state, i.e., turn to the first position) to supply power from the battery 204 to the power converter circuit.

[0044] In addition, when the monitor circuit 218 determines that the magnitude of the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 reaches and / or is higher than the maximum threshold, the clamp circuit of the monitor circuit 218 can clamp the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 to not exceed the maximum threshold.

[0045] The maximum and minimum thresholds can be selected to ensure that the supplementary power supply 202 operates in the region of maximum power transfer. For example, assuming the supplementary power supply is an amorphous silicon solar cell as described above, it can operate most efficiently at approximately 5V. Thus, the maximum threshold can be set to be close to, for example, 5V (e.g., 4.9V). When used with a 50 - farad supercapacitor for the energy storage device 212, the monitor circuit 218 can be operated to ensure that the output voltage V 供应 of the supercapacitor does not drop below the minimum threshold of 4.2V, for example, to maximize the efficiency of the solar cell. If the output voltage drops below the minimum threshold, the monitor circuit 218 can control the switch 214 to supply power to the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226 from the battery 204 (e.g., rather than the energy storage device 212).

[0046] Although the monitor circuit 218 has been described herein as a voltage monitor, those skilled in the art will recognize that other types of monitor circuits can be used. For example, a coulomb counter can alternatively be used as a monitor of the current provided by the supplementary power supply device 220.

[0047] The switch 214 can include an electronic switch or a transistor, such as a field - effect transistor (FET) or a bipolar junction transistor (BJT).

[0048] Figure 3 For the supply voltage V 供应Exemplary curve 300 of the magnitude over time. For example, a photovoltaic cell can provide maximum power transfer to an energy storage device at a voltage of about 5 volts. Deviating from this optimal voltage can cause a reduction in the energy transfer efficiency from the photovoltaic cell to the energy storage device 212. Thus, the magnitude of the supply voltage V 供应 The magnitude can be controlled by a circuit (e.g., monitor circuit 218 and switch 214) to keep the magnitude of the supply voltage between a maximum threshold Vmax and a minimum threshold Vmin. The maximum voltage threshold Vmax and the minimum voltage threshold Vmin can ensure maximum power transfer from the photovoltaic cell to the energy storage device.

[0049] When, for example, sunlight shines on the photovoltaic cell in the morning of Day 1, the photovoltaic cell can start charging, as shown at 302. The current generated by the photovoltaic cell can start charging the energy storage device 212. As previously described, according to this example, when the voltage of the energy storage device reaches the maximum threshold Vmax (e.g., the maximum threshold set by the monitor circuit 218) at 304, the monitor circuit 218 can latch and clamp the magnitude of the supply voltage at the maximum threshold Vmax. When the latch engages, the switch circuit 214 can change state to a second position to supply power from the energy storage device 212 to the power converter circuit 216, and the battery 204 can no longer supply current to the power converter circuit.

[0050] As the amount of sunlight starts to decrease at the end of Day 1, when the power converter circuit 216 continues to draw power from the energy storage device, the supply voltage V 供应 The magnitude can also decrease, as shown at 306. When the magnitude of the supply voltage on the energy storage device remains above the minimum threshold Vmin, the latch and the switch can remain engaged, and the power converter circuit 216 can continue to receive power from the energy storage device.

[0051] During Day 2, as the sunlight incident on the photovoltaic cell increases, the supply voltage V 供应 The magnitude can reach a maximum level at 308. If it is cloudy outside, the magnitude of the supply voltage on the energy storage device may not reach the maximum threshold Vmax, and the clamping circuit may not engage. However, since the magnitude of the supply voltage remains above the minimum threshold Vmin, the latch circuit can still be in the engaged state, and the switch can continue to supply power from the energy storage device 212 to the power converter circuit. Thus, at this point 308, the battery 204 may not supply power to the power converter circuit.

[0052] As the sunlight incident on the photovoltaic cell decreases, the energy storage device 212 can continue to discharge, and the supply voltage V on the energy storage device 212供应 The magnitude of can reach a minimum threshold at 310. According to this example, when the supply voltage V on the energy storage device 212 供应 drops below the minimum threshold Vmin, the latch circuit of the monitor circuit 218 can be unlatch, causing the switch 214 to change state to the first position, thereby connecting the power converter circuit to the battery 204 instead of the energy storage device 212.

[0053] When the photovoltaic cell recharges the energy storage device again, as the supply voltage V on the energy storage device 212 供应 increases in magnitude, the switch 214 can remain in that position (i.e., connecting the power converter circuit 216 to the battery 204). The switch 214 may not be coupled to supply power from the energy storage device 212 to the power converter circuit 216 until the supply voltage V on the energy storage device 供应 reaches, for example, the maximum threshold Vmax again, thereby turning on the clamp circuit and the latch circuit and configuring the switch to supply power from the energy storage device 212.

[0054] During most of the life of the device 200, the latch circuit can remain engaged, and the switch 214 can supply power to the power converter circuit via the energy storage device 212. For example, the energy storage device can supply power to the power converter circuit for more than 95% of the device's life. Only after several days of low sunlight utilization may the monitor circuit 218 switch to powering the power converter circuit from the battery 204.

[0055] Figure 4 The device 400 is shown, which is Figure 2 an exemplary embodiment of the device 200, in which the monitor circuit 218 (a voltage monitor circuit in this example), the switch 214, and the battery 204 are depicted in a schematic form. The device 400 also includes Figure 2 components such as a supplementary power source 202 (shown as a photovoltaic cell 405 in this example), an energy storage device 212 (e.g., shown as an energy storage device 412 in this example and composed of supercapacitors C2, C4), a power converter circuit 216, and a first electrical load 206 and a second electrical load 225. The circuit shown can set the impedance of the photovoltaic cell 405. The power converter circuit 216 supplies voltage to the second electrical load 225 (e.g., the control circuit 208, the communication circuit 226, and / or other low-voltage circuits), which reduces the voltage from the battery 204 or the energy storage device 412 to an appropriate level for powering the second electrical load 225 as previously described.

[0056] Figure 4All voltages described herein are measured with reference to Figure 4 the circuit common terminal shown as 406 in 供应 . The battery 204 may or may not supply voltage to the power converter circuit 216 based on the state of the p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (PMOS FET) Q3. For example, when the FET Q3 is turned on, the battery 204 may supply voltage to the power converter circuit 216. When the energy storage device 412 does not have sufficient charge to supply power to the power converter circuit 216, for example when the magnitude of the supplementary supply voltage V 供应 stored in the energy storage device 412 is below a minimum threshold, the FET Q3 may be turned on to supply the battery voltage V 电池 .

[0057] When exposed to light, the photovoltaic cell 405 may generate voltage and current. When the photovoltaic cell 405 generates voltage, for example, the NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT) Q5 may start to conduct current, thereby charging the supercapacitors C2, C4. The resistor R7 may be placed between the collector and the base of the transistor Q5. In order for the transistor Q5 to conduct current through the collector-emitter junction (e.g., turn the transistor "on"), the resistance of the resistor R7 should be selected to be small enough so that the base-collector junction of the transistor Q5 has only a small reverse bias, enabling the transistor Q5 to self-drive. For example, the resistor R7 may have a value of approximately 700 ohms.

[0058] When the voltage generated by the photovoltaic cell increases and exceeds the maximum threshold Vmax, a clamping circuit of the voltage monitor circuit, which consists of, for example, the PNP bipolar junction transistor (BJT) Q7, the adjustable shunt regulator VR1, the resistor R1, and the resistor R3, may act to throttle the current conducted through the transistor Q5. The clamping circuit may slow down the charging rate of the supercapacitors C2, C4 through the transistor Q5 by changing the impedance of Q5 and turning on the transistor Q7 to split the path of the current supplied by the photovoltaic cell. The current flowing through the transistor Q7 may be limited by the resistor R11, while the current flowing through the adjustable shunt regulator VR1 may be mainly set by the voltage drop across the base-emitter junction of the transistor Q7 (i.e., the voltage drop across the resistor R5). The impedance of the transistor Q5 may increase to allow the minimum current required to maintain the clamped voltage, thereby reducing the output current supplied from the photovoltaic cell 405 to the supercapacitors C2, C4.

[0059] For example, when the voltage of the photovoltaic cell increases, the voltage generated across resistors R1 and R3 can also increase. The voltage at node 402 of resistors R1 and R3 can be set to provide the reference voltage input to the adjustable shunt regulator VR1. The reference voltage input can set the breakdown voltage threshold of the adjustable shunt regulator VR1. The resistance values of resistors R1 and R3 can be selected to provide an appropriate breakdown voltage threshold at node 402 of resistors R1 and R3 for the adjustable shunt regulator VR1. For example, the breakdown voltage threshold can be 1.25 volts.

[0060] For example, the adjustable shunt regulator VR1 can be part number TLV431 manufactured by Texas Instruments. The adjustable shunt regulator VR1 can regulate the supplementary supply voltage V across the supercapacitor by controlling the current flowing through transistor Q5 generated by the photovoltaic cell. 供应 . When the photovoltaic cell voltage generated by the photovoltaic cell exceeds the maximum threshold, the voltage at the node of R5 and VR1 can exceed the breakdown voltage of the adjustable shunt regulator VR1 set by resistors R1 and R3 at node 402. The adjustable shunt regulator VR1 can then start conducting current from the base of transistor Q7 to the circuit common terminal 406 while clamping the voltage to the maximum threshold. When the adjustable shunt regulator VR1 conducts current from the base of transistor Q7, transistor Q7 can conduct and start conducting current. Transistor Q7 can draw base current from transistor Q5, causing Q5 to operate in a linear mode. When Q5 operates in a linear mode, the impedance between the collector and emitter can increase to limit the charging current from the photovoltaic cell to the supercapacitor, thereby clamping the voltage and maintaining the supplementary supply voltage at or below the maximum threshold Vmax. When the current flowing through transistor Q5 decreases, transistor Q5 can operate in its linear active region, providing a high impedance to the photovoltaic cell and reducing the current from the photovoltaic cell to charge supercapacitors C2 and C4.

[0061] When transistor Q7 starts conducting current, the current can trigger, for example, an NPN bipolar junction transistor Q11 to also start conducting current. Transistor Q11, together with, for example, a PNP bipolar junction transistor Q9, resistor R9, resistor R13, and capacitor C6, can be used as a latch circuit. When the clamping circuit engages with the latch circuit, the latch circuit can be used to keep Q3 in the cutoff state until the voltage V across supercapacitors C2 and C4 供应 drops below the minimum threshold. When the voltage V across supercapacitors C2 and C4 供应 drops below the minimum threshold, the latch circuit can turn on Q3, thereby removing the power consumption from the supercapacitor to the power converter circuit 216.

[0062] A minimum threshold can be set to maintain maximum power transfer from the photovoltaic cell 405 to the supercapacitors C2, C4 such that the supercapacitors do not discharge below the optimal maximum power transfer range. For example, the minimum threshold can be set to 4.2V. When the voltage across the supercapacitors C2, C4 exceeds the maximum threshold (e.g., 4.9V), the latch circuit can be engaged through the previously described clamping circuit, where the adjustable shunt regulator VR1 turns on the transistor Q7, thereby triggering the transistor Q11 of the latch circuit.

[0063] The capacitor C6 can protect the latch circuit from noise and false latching. The capacitor C6 can have a capacitance of, for example, 0.1 microfarad (μF). When the transistor Q11 conducts current, the transistor Q9 can also conduct current, which drives the transistor Q11 to remain on or latched. For example, when there is no sunlight to charge the photovoltaic cell 405 (e.g., the current generation of the photovoltaic cell is minimal), the latch circuit can draw a small amount of current from the supercapacitors C2, C4 through the path defined by the resistor R9, the transistor Q9, and the resistor R13 in order to keep the transistor Q11 in the latched state. Therefore, the resistance of the resistor R9 should be selected to be large enough to limit the current draw so as not to deplete the supercapacitors C2, C4. For example, the resistor R9 can have a resistance of 400KΩ.

[0064] The latch circuit can be characterized by an unlatch voltage V 解锁存 , which can be defined as the supply voltage V 供应 (i.e., the voltage across the supercapacitors C2, C4) at which the transistor Q11 transitions from "on" (or latched state) to "off" (or unlatch state). The unlatch voltage V 解锁存

[0065]

[0066] where V BE,Q11 is the voltage across the base-emitter junction of the transistor Q11 (which is also the voltage across the resistor R13) when the transistor Q11 is on; R 13 and R9 are the resistances of the resistors R13, R9 respectively; and V CE,Q9 is the voltage across the collector-emitter junction of the transistor Q9 when the transistor Q9 conducts current. The unlatch voltage V 解锁存 is equal to the minimum supply voltage required to keep the latch circuit in the latched state. The unlatch voltage V 解锁存 can be selected to be equal to the minimum threshold of the supercapacitors C2, C4. For example, the unlatch voltage V 解锁存 can be approximately 4.2V. The unlatch voltage V 解锁存 can be set by setting the resistances of the resistors R9 and R13 to appropriate values.For example, if the collector-emitter voltage V CE,Q9 is 0.1V, the base-emitter voltage V BE,Q11 is 0.5V, and the resistance R9 of resistor R9 is 400 KΩ, then the resistance R 13 of resistor R13 can be 56 KΩ to set the unlatch voltage V 解锁存 to 4.2V.

[0067] Additional circuit elements can be added to increase the functionality of the latch circuit. For example, diode D6 can be included in the latch circuit to prevent reverse biasing of the base-emitter junction of transistor Q9.

[0068] When the voltages V 供应 across supercapacitors C2, C4 drop below a minimum threshold (e.g., V 供应 is less than the unlatch voltage V 解锁存 ), transistor Q11 can stop conducting current. For example, when the voltage of supercapacitors C2, C4 drops below the minimum threshold (e.g., 4.2 volts), power can be supplied from battery 204 to power converter circuit 216. Battery 204 can be connected to power converter circuit through an electronic switch (e.g., FET Q3) and diode D2. Diode D2 can be used to protect the circuit from reverse voltage, such as in the case where the user has inserted the battery backward into the battery holder. When supercapacitors C2, C4 do not contain a sufficient amount of energy, battery 204 can supply voltage to the buck converter circuit.

[0069] When transistor Q11 is turned off, the collector-emitter junction of transistor Q11 can have a high impedance. The high impedance of transistor Q11 across the collector-emitter junction can cause the gate of FET Q1 to be biased high by resistor R15, which effectively pulls up the gate voltage of FET Q1 to approximately the battery voltage V 电池 of battery 204. Then, when transistor Q11 is turned off, FET Q1 can start conducting. The resistance of resistor R15 can be selected to be a high enough resistance so that the battery is not depleted when FET Q11 is conducting. For example, resistor R15 can have a resistance of 2.2 MΩ. Similarly, resistor R17 can also have a high resistance so that battery 204 is not depleted when FET Q1 is conducting. For example, resistor R17 can have a resistance of 1 MΩ.

[0070] The transistor Q1 can be an enhancement-mode n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOS FET). When the FET Q1 is turned on and starts to conduct current, the gate of the FET Q3 can be pulled down to the circuit common terminal. The FET Q3 can then start to conduct current, thereby supplying current from the battery 204 to the power converter circuit 216. When Q3 is turned on, the diode D4 can prevent the current from the battery from charging the supercapacitors C2 and C4. The battery 204 can continue to supply power to the electrical load two (i.e., the control circuit 208 and the communication circuit 226) until the voltage on the photovoltaic cell 405 exceeds the maximum threshold, thereby engaging the clamping circuit to turn on Q7, which causes Q11 to turn on and enables the latch circuit. When the latch circuit is enabled, the gate of Q1 is pulled to the circuit common terminal, thereby turning off Q1, which turns off Q3, causing the battery 204 to no longer supply power to the power converter circuit 216.

[0071] The configuration of the device 400 is an example, and other exemplary configurations are possible. Additionally, although the devices 200 and 400 are described herein as including a voltage monitor for the monitor circuit 218, as previously described, a current monitor may alternatively be used.

[0072] Figure 5 A block diagram of another exemplary device 500. The device 500 may be similar to Figure 2 the device 200 in that the device 500 may have a battery and / or battery housing 504 and a supplementary power supply 502 (e.g., such as a solar cell). However, different from the device 200, the device 500 may include two supplementary power supply devices for storing energy from the energy storage device, as will be described herein. It should be noted that the thick lines shown represent power connections, distinguishable from the thinner lines representing communication lines.

[0073] The device 500 can be connected to a first electrical load 506 and supply power to the first electrical load. For example, the electrical load 506 may include an H-bridge motor drive circuit and a motor for driving the fabric of an electric window accessory. Alternatively, the electrical load 506 can be a sensor, such as a sunlight or occupancy sensor, a remote control, an HVAC load, etc. The device 500 may also include a second electrical load 525. The electrical load 525 can be an internal electrical load. For example, the electrical load 525 may include internal circuits, such as a control circuit 508 and a communication circuit 526. The electrical load 525 including the communication circuit and the control circuit can handle the communication and power management of the device 500, as well as the functions of the electrical load 506.

[0074] Device 500 may include a battery and / or a battery housing 504. The battery may be housed within the battery housing, which may be integrated into device 500 or may be external to device 500. The battery 504 of device 500 may supply power to one or both of a first electrical load 506 and a second electrical load 525. For example, similar to Figure 2 the device 200 shown, the battery 504 of device 500 may supply a voltage V 电池 to power the electrical load 506 via path B. The battery 504 may alternatively or additionally supply power to the electrical load 525 via path A, as will be discussed in more detail herein.

[0075] As described, device 500 may include a supplementary power source 502. The supplementary power source may be, for example, a photovoltaic cell. Other examples are possible.

[0076] The supplementary power source of device 500 may supply power to a first energy storage device and / or a second energy storage device such as Figure 5 the first energy storage device 512A and the second energy storage device 512B shown. The first energy storage device 512A and the second energy storage device 512B may supply power to one or both of the electrical load 506 and the electrical load 525. That is, the supplementary power source 502 may supply power to one or both of the electrical load 506 and / or the electrical load 525 via the first energy storage device 512A and the second energy storage device 512B, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0077] Power may be supplied to the electrical load 525 (i.e., the control circuit 508 and the communication circuit 526) via a power rail V CC . The power rail V CC may be provided by a first power converter circuit 516A. The first power converter circuit 516A may receive power from an output switch 514B, which may control the source of power supplied to the first power converter circuit 516A by switching between either the first energy storage device 512A and the battery 504. That is, the output switch 514B may change state (or position) to change the power source supplied to the first power converter circuit 516A. When the output switch 514B is in a first state (or a first position), the battery 504 may supply power to the first power converter circuit 516A via path A through the output switch 514B shown, supply power to the voltage rail VCC, and then supply power to the electrical load 525. For example, when the output switch is in a second state (or in a second position), the first energy storage device 512A may supply power to the voltage rail V CC to supply power to the electrical load 525 through the first power converter circuit 516A.

[0078] The first power converter circuit 516A can regulate the power received from the output switch 514B to supply an appropriate amount of power to the power rail V CC to provide power for supplying power to the control circuit 508 and the communication circuit 526 of the electrical load 525. For example, the battery 504 can provide a voltage that may exceed the voltage threshold V of the electrical load 525 CCmax of the voltage. For example, the battery 504 can provide a voltage of 5V or 6V according to the requirements of the motor, while the electrical load 525 may only require a power rail V of 2.5V or 3V CC voltage. When the voltage of the power received by the output switch 514B is too high for the control circuit 508 and / or the communication circuit 526 (i.e., the received voltage exceeds V CCmax ), the first power converter circuit 516A can reduce the voltage received by the output switch. For example, the first power converter circuit 516A can be a buck converter. For example, when V CCmax is 3.5V, the buck converter can reduce the voltage received by the output switch 514B to a lower level, such as 2.5V or 3V. Alternatively, the power converter circuit 516A can be a linear regulator, a resistive voltage divider circuit, etc.; however, it should be understood that these alternative components may consume more power than the buck converter.

[0079] As described above, the device 500 can also include a first energy storage device 512A and a second energy storage device 512B for storing the power provided by the supplementary power supply 502, respectively. For example, the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device can be capacitors, such as supercapacitors, similar to Figure 2 the energy storage device 212. Alternatively, the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device can be rechargeable batteries or any other electrical energy storage devices.

[0080] The supplementary power supply 502 can supply power to one or both of the first energy storage device 512A and the second energy storage device 512B via the input switch 514A. The input switch 514A can change its state (or position) to change which energy storage device receives the power from the supplementary power supply. For example, when the input switch 514A is in the first state (or the first position), the supplementary power supply 502 can supply power to the second energy storage device 512B. For example, when the input switch 514A is in the second state (or the second position), the supplementary power supply 502 can supply power to the first energy storage device 512A (i.e., for charging the first energy storage device). According to this configuration, the input switch 514A can only allow either the first energy storage device or the second energy storage device to receive the power from the supplementary power supply. That is, the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device may not receive the power from the supplementary power supply simultaneously.

[0081] The device 500 may include a first energy storage device 512A and a second energy storage device 512B. The first energy storage device 512A and the second energy storage device 512B may be monitored by a first monitor circuit 518A and a second monitor circuit 518B respectively. Although not shown, the first monitor circuit and the second monitor circuit may communicate with the control circuit 508. Additionally or alternatively, the first monitor circuit 518A and the second monitor circuit 518B may be integrated with the control circuit 508. For example, the first monitor circuit 518A and the second monitor circuit 518B may be analog-to-digital (A / D) ports on the control circuit respectively. Or, the first monitor circuit 518A and the second monitor circuit 518B may include independent circuits.

[0082] The first energy storage device 512A may be monitored by the first monitor circuit 518A. The first monitor circuit 518A may monitor the voltage or energy level of the first energy storage device 512A. For example, the first monitor circuit 518A may monitor the voltage level V1 of the first energy storage device 512A. The first monitor circuit 518A may further control one or more switches 514A, 514B in response to the measured voltage or energy level, as will be discussed in more detail herein. For example, the first monitor circuit 518A may monitor the voltage of the first energy storage device 512A and compare the measured voltage V1 with one or more thresholds. Based on the comparison, the first monitor circuit 518A may provide a control signal to the input switch 514A to change the state of the input switch, thereby allowing power from the supplementary power supply 502 to be supplied to either the first energy storage device 512A or the second energy storage device 512B. The first monitor circuit 518A may be used to maintain the optimal voltage level of the first energy storage device 512A, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0083] In a second example, when the first monitor circuit 518A compares the measured voltage V1 with one or more thresholds, based on the comparison, the first monitor circuit 518A may provide a control signal to the output switch 514B to change the state of the output switch 514B. For example, the first monitor circuit 518A may monitor the voltage on the first energy storage device 512A and may determine whether the voltage has dropped below a first threshold. In response to determining that the voltage on the first energy storage device 512A has dropped below the first threshold, the monitor circuit 518A may provide a control signal to the output switch 514B to change the state of the output switch 514B, thereby allowing power from the battery 504 to be supplied to the first power converter circuit 516A.

[0084] If the voltage V1 exceeds a first threshold and further exceeds a second threshold greater than the first threshold, the first monitor circuit 518A may further change the state of the input switch 514A to a first state to supply power from the supplementary power supply 502 to the second energy storage device 512B. This example and other examples will be discussed in more detail herein.

[0085] As previously described, when the input switch 514A is in the first state (or first position), the second energy storage device 512B may receive power from the supplementary power supply 502. The energy stored in the second energy storage device 512B can be used to supply power to the electrical load 506 through the second power converter circuit 516B. The second power converter circuit 516B may have an output voltage V 输出 . The second power converter circuit 516B can be, for example, a boost circuit. The boost circuit can increase or raise the voltage V2 supplied by the second energy storage device 512B such that the output voltage V 输出 exceeds the voltage V supplied by the battery 504 电池 . When the output voltage V 输出 exceeds V 电池 , the battery 504 can stop supplying power to the electrical load 506, and the second energy storage device 512B can supply power to the electrical load 506. This is depicted using two diodes; however, it should be understood that active circuits such as active switches can alternatively be used to switch the power supplied to the electrical load 506 from V 电池 to V 输出 , and vice versa.

[0086] The device 500 may have a second monitor circuit 518B to monitor the second energy storage device 516B. The second monitor circuit 518B can monitor the voltage on the second energy storage device 512B, such as the amount of voltage V2, and can enable or disable the second power converter circuit 516B based on the amount of voltage on the second energy storage device 512B. For example, the second energy storage device 512B can supply power to the electrical load 506 only when the second energy storage device 512B contains a sufficient amount of power. In this way, the device 500 can enable or disable the second power converter circuit 516B based on the voltage level of the second energy storage device 512B as monitored by the second monitor circuit 518B to selectively supply power from the second energy storage device 512B to the electrical load 506.

[0087] As described, the second monitor circuit 518B can monitor the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device 512B and can transmit the measured voltage V2 to the control circuit 508. Based on the communication received from the second monitor circuit 518B, the control circuit can compare the voltage with a third threshold and a fourth threshold to determine whether the voltage exceeds the third threshold and / or the fourth threshold. Based on this determination, the control circuit can determine whether the second power converter circuit 512B should be enabled or disabled (i.e., whether the second energy storage device 512B contains sufficient charge, as measured by the amount of the voltage V2). For example, if the control circuit 508 determines that the voltage V2 is less than the third threshold, the second power converter circuit 516B should remain disabled to allow the battery to supply power to the second electrical load. However, if the control circuit 508 determines that the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device exceeds the third threshold and the fourth threshold, the control circuit 508 can determine to enable the second power converter circuit 516B to allow the electrical load 506 to be powered by the second energy storage device 512B instead of the battery 504. The third threshold can be set such that when the second power converter circuit 516B is enabled, the voltage V 输出 exceeds the voltage V 电池 , thereby allowing the second energy storage device to supply power to the electrical load 506 instead of the battery 504, as described above.

[0088] In response to determining whether the second power converter circuit 516B should be enabled or disabled, the control circuit 508 can communicate with the second monitor circuit 518B via one or more messages to enable or disable the second power converter circuit 516B. In response to this communication, the second monitor circuit 518B can enable or disable the second power converter circuit 516B. For example, when the voltage V2 measured by the monitor circuit 518B exceeds the fourth threshold, the control circuit 508 can communicate with the second monitor circuit 518B to enable the second power converter circuit 516B. Then, the second monitor circuit 518B can enable the second power converter circuit, thereby supplying power from the second energy storage device 512B to the electrical load 506. Although not shown, it should be understood that additional drive circuits such as motor drive circuits can be included to drive the electrical load, as described above.

[0089] Figures 6A - 6C An exemplary flowchart depicting a method that can be performed by the first monitor circuit 518A and / or the second monitor circuit 518B to control the switches 514A, 514B, and the second power converter circuit 516B. Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B Shows exemplary voltages of the first energy storage device 512A and the second energy storage device 512B over time, which will be coordinated Figures 6A - 6Cis described. For this example, the input switch 514A may start in a second state where the supplementary power supply 502 may supply power to the first energy storage device 512A. Additionally, the output switch 514B may start in a first state where the battery 504 may supply power to the first power converter circuit 516A. Further, the second power converter circuit 516B may be disabled. Thus, when the first energy storage device receives power from the supplementary power supply, the voltage V1 of the first energy storage device 512A may increase at the point 702A of Figure 7A and no output power of the first power converter circuit 516A is provided. Correspondingly, when the second energy storage device 512B does not receive power from the supplementary power supply 502 and does not supply power to the second power converter circuit 516B, the voltage V2 of the second energy storage device may remain substantially constant at the point 702B.

[0090] The first monitor circuit and the second monitor circuit may sample or measure the voltages V1, V2 respectively. For example, the first monitor circuit and the second monitor circuit may sample the voltages periodically (e.g., once every millisecond). Whenever the first monitor circuit and / or the second monitor circuit samples the voltages V1 and / or V2, one or more of the methods 6A-C may be executed. The times T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 may indicate exemplary times when the methods 6A-C may be executed. It should be understood that the times T1-T6 are provided for illustrative purposes only, that is, the method may be executed much more frequently than just the times shown.

[0091] For example, at Figure 7A at time T1, the method 6A may be implemented by the first monitor circuit 518A. Figure 6A The method 6OA may start at step 602 with the first monitor circuit 518A measuring the voltage V1 of the first energy storage device 512A. At step 604, the first monitor circuit 518A may determine whether the voltage V1 is below a first threshold. The first threshold may be set to allow the first power converter circuit 516A to maintain power to the V CC rail to supply power to the electrical load 525. For example, if the electrical load 525 requires a minimum voltage input of 2.5V, the first threshold may be set to 3V to ensure that there will be no power interruption to the electrical load 525.

[0092] At time T1, the first monitor circuit 518A may determine that the voltage V1 is below the first threshold. Then the method may proceed to step 606, where the first monitor circuit 518A may change the state of the output switch 514B to the first state (if the output switch 514B is not already in the first state) to supply power to the first power converter circuit 516A via the battery 504. Then, the first monitor circuit 518A may change the state of the input switch 514A to the second state (if necessary) to ensure that the first energy storage device 512A is charged by the supplementary power source. Then the method may end.

[0093] When receiving power from the supplementary power source 502, the voltage V1 on the first energy storage device 512A may start to increase. At point 702A, the voltage V1 may reach and exceed the first threshold. At time T2, the method 600A may be executed again, and at step 602, the first monitor circuit 512A may measure the voltage V1 again. Then, the first monitor circuit 518A may determine at step 604 that the voltage V1 exceeds the first threshold. Then, at step 610 of method 600A, the first monitor circuit 518A may further determine whether the voltage V1 exceeds a second threshold. The second threshold may be, for example, 4.5V. After determining that the voltage V1 does not exceed the second threshold, the method may then exit. Figure 6A At time T3, the method 600A may be executed again, this time going through the described steps 602, 604, and 610. At step 610, the first voltage monitor circuit 518A may determine that the voltage V1 exceeds the second threshold. When the voltage V1 exceeds the second threshold, the first energy storage device may contain sufficient power (i.e., sufficient voltage) to supply power to the first power converter circuit 516A instead of relying on the battery 504. In response to determining that the voltage V1 exceeds the second threshold, at step 612, the first voltage monitor circuit 518A may change the state of the output switch 514B to the second state, which may allow the first energy storage device 512A to supply power to the first power converter circuit 516A. Correspondingly, the voltage V1 may decrease after time T3.

[0094] At step 614, the first monitor circuit 518A may further change the state of the input switch 514A to the first state, which may allow the supplementary power source 502 to start charging the second energy storage device 512B (i.e., supplying power to it). Then, the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device 512B may start to increase at point 704B. Then, the method 600A may end.

[0095] At step 614, the first monitor circuit 518A may further change the state of the input switch 514A to the first state, which may allow the supplementary power source 502 to start charging the second energy storage device 512B (i.e., supplying power to it). Then, the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device 512B may start to increase at point 704B. Then, the method 600A may end.

[0096] Obviously, the first monitor circuit 518A can affect the voltage V1 by controlling the power supplied to the first energy storage device 512A with the input switch 514A and the power supplied by the first energy storage device 512A with the output switch 514B. Additionally, the first monitor circuit 518A can further affect the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device by controlling the input switch 514A to determine when to supply power to the second energy storage device 512B. The voltage V2 of the second energy storage device can be additionally affected by whether power is supplied to the second power converter circuit 516B (i.e., whether the second power converter circuit is enabled). The second monitor circuit 518B can control whether the second power converter circuit 516B is enabled and thus can control the discharge of the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device 512B. The second monitor circuit can periodically execute method 600C to measure the voltage V2 and determine whether to enable the second power converter circuit 516B.

[0097] For example, the second monitor circuit 518B can execute Figure 6C method 600C at time T4. Method 600C can start at step 630 by measuring the voltage V2. At step 632, the second monitor circuit 518B can determine whether the voltage V2 is below a third threshold. The third threshold can be, for example, 3.5V. When the voltage V2 is below the third threshold, the voltage V2 may be too low to supply sufficient power to the power converter circuit 516B to allow the output power V 输出 to exceed the battery voltage V 电池 . Then, the second monitor circuit 518B can clear the flag at step 634 and disable the second power converter circuit 516B at step 640. For example, the second monitor circuit can communicate with the control circuit 508 to set, clear, or determine the status of the flag. The control circuit 508 can store the status of the flag in the memory. Then the method can end.

[0098] If the voltage V2 is greater than or equal to the third threshold at step 632, then the second monitor circuit 518B can then compare the voltage V2 with a fourth threshold at step 636 and determine whether the voltage V2 exceeds the fourth threshold. The fourth threshold can be, for example, 4.5V. If the voltage V2 exceeds the fourth threshold, then the second monitor circuit can then communicate with the control circuit 508 to set the flag at step 642. Then, the second monitor circuit 518B can determine whether the electrical load 506 is turned on at step 644.

[0099] However, if the voltage V2 does not exceed the fourth threshold at step 636, the second monitor circuit 518B may then determine whether a flag has been set. If the flag has not been set, at step 640, the second monitor circuit may ensure that the second power converter circuit 516B is disabled. Then the method may end. However, if the flag has been set, the second monitor circuit may determine at step 644 whether the second electrical load 506 is on. For example, the monitor circuit may query the control circuit 508 to determine whether the electrical load 506 is on. If the electrical load 506 is not on, the method 600C may again proceed to step 640, disable the second power converter circuit 516B, and then end. However, if the electrical load 506 is on, at step 646, the second monitor circuit 518B may enable the second power converter circuit. Then the method may end.

[0100] When the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device 512B remains above the third threshold and the electrical load 506 is on, setting the flag at step 642 after the voltage V2 exceeds the fourth threshold may allow the second power converter circuit 516B to be enabled (i.e., supply power to the load 506). For example, in Figure 7A when the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device reaches / exceeds the fourth threshold at point 706B, assuming the electrical load is on at step 644 of the method 600C, the second power converter circuit 516B can be enabled (see Figure 6C step 646). That is, even when the voltage V2 is below the fourth threshold, as long as V2 exceeds the third threshold, the second power converter circuit 516B can be enabled to supply power to the electrical load 506.

[0101] From point 706B to point 708B, the voltage of V2 can remain substantially constant. For example, during this time period, the second energy storage device may supply power to the electrical load 506 and may also receive power from the supplementary power supply 502 (i.e., can be charged).

[0102] At time T5, the method 600A may be executed again. The result may be the same as when the method was executed at time T4. At time T6, the method 600A may be executed again. Since the voltage V1 at point 708A has now been discharged to the minimum level (i.e., V1 is less than or equal to the first threshold), the first monitor circuit 518A may change the state of the input switch 514A to the second position to charge the first energy storage device 512A, as in Figure 6Aas described in method 600A. Correspondingly, after point 708B at time T6, when power is supplied from the second energy storage device 512B to the second power converter circuit to power the electrical load 506, and when the supplementary power supply 502 is charging the first energy storage device 512A (i.e., the second energy storage device is not receiving power from the supplementary power supply), the voltage V2 may begin to decrease. When the voltage V2 drops below a third threshold, or when the voltage V2 is between the third threshold and the fourth threshold when the electrical load 506 is disconnected, the second power converter circuit 516B may be disabled, and the voltage V2 may remain substantially constant again.

[0103] Figure 7B are alternative examples of the voltages V1, V2 over time, while the first monitor circuit and the second monitor circuit use respectively Figure 6B , Figure 6C methods 600B and 600C. Method 600B may include steps similar to Figure 6A method 600A and may be performed by the first monitor circuit 518A. Method 600B may include additional steps 616 - 622, which may compare voltages by providing additional thresholds and control the input switch 514A, thereby allowing the first energy storage device 512A to start charging at an earlier time. For example, Figure 7B may include a fifth threshold for the voltage V1. The fifth threshold may be greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold. For example, the fifth threshold may be set to 3.75V, which is the midpoint between the first threshold and the second threshold. Other examples are possible. The fifth threshold may be set to establish a priority between the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device to determine which energy storage device should receive power from the supplementary power supply.

[0104] The execution of method 600B at time T1 may be the same as previously described. At time T2, the first monitor circuit 518A may measure the voltage V1. Then, the first monitor circuit 518A may compare the measured voltage V1 with the first threshold at step 604 and determine that V1 exceeds the first threshold. Then the method may proceed to step 610, where the first monitor circuit 518A may compare the measured voltage V1 with the second threshold and determine that V1 does not exceed the second threshold. At step 616, the first monitor circuit 518A may then compare the voltage V1 with the fifth threshold and determine that V1 does indeed exceed the fifth threshold. Then, method 600B may end, and the input switch 514A may remain in the second state (i.e., the first energy storage device may continue to receive power from the supplementary power supply 502). The execution of method 600B at time T3 may be the same as previously described.

[0105] At time T4, method 600B can be executed again. The first monitor circuit 518A can measure voltage V1 at step 602 and determine at step 604 that voltage V1 exceeds a first threshold. The first monitor circuit 518A can further determine at step 610 that voltage V1 does not exceed a second threshold. At step 616, the first monitor circuit 518A can determine that voltage V1 exceeds a fifth threshold. Then the method can end. At the same time T4 or near time T4, the second monitor circuit can execute method 600C as described above. If the electrical load 506 is turned on, the second power converter circuit can be enabled to supply power to the electrical load 506, and voltage V2 can remain substantially constant.

[0106] At time T5, the first monitor circuit 518A can execute method 600B again via steps 602, 604, and 610. At step 616, the first monitor circuit 518A can determine that V1 is now below the fifth threshold (i.e., does not exceed the fifth threshold). In response to determining that V1 is below the fifth threshold, the first monitor circuit 518A can change the state of the input switch 514A to a second state if necessary to ensure that the first energy storage device 512A is charging. At point 710A, when the first energy storage device 512A receives power from the supplementary power supply 502, voltage V1 can start to increase. Correspondingly, when power is no longer supplied from the supplementary power supply 502 to the second energy storage device 512B (while the second energy storage device 512B is supplying power to the electrical load 506 via the enabled second power converter circuit 516B), the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device 512B can start to decrease. It should be understood that according to method 600B, if the electrical load 506 is not turned on, the voltage V2 on the second energy storage device 512B will not decrease after point 710B because the power loss from the second energy storage device 512B supplying power to the second power converter circuit 516B is substantially minimal.

[0107] Figure 8 Device 800 is shown, which is Figure 5 an exemplary embodiment of device 500. Figure 5 The monitor circuits 518A, 518B (voltage monitor circuits in this example) of Figure 8 are integrated into the Figure 5 control circuit 808 of Figure 8 The input switch 514A of Figure 5 is depicted schematically as Figure 8 the transistors Q81, Q82 of [[ID=)) Figure 5The components shown, such as: a supplementary power source 502 (shown as a photovoltaic cell 805 in this example); a first energy storage device 512A and a second energy storage device 512B (for example, in this example, the energy storage device 812A composed of supercapacitors C5 and C6 and the energy storage device 812B composed of supercapacitors C7 and C8 are respectively shown); a first power converter circuit 516A and a second power converter circuit 516B corresponding to 816A and 816B; a battery 504 (corresponding to Figure 8 the battery 804 shown); and a first electrical load 506 and a second electrical load 525 corresponding to the electrical loads 806 and 825 respectively.

[0108] Figure 8 All the voltages described in are measured with reference to the circuit common terminal shown as 803. As shown, the transistors Q81, Q82, Q83, and Q84 can all be, for example, p-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (PMOS FETs). As shown, the control circuit 808 used as a first monitor circuit and a second monitor circuit to monitor the voltages V1 and V2 of the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device respectively can be the same as the control circuit of the electrical load 825, or can be a different control circuit.

[0109] For example, the control circuit 808 can be the same control circuit as that of the electrical load 825. The electrical load 825 can also include a communication circuit, as Figure 5 shown. The communication circuit can be integrated with the control circuit 808, or can be a separate circuit.

[0110] It should be understood that the voltages V1 and V2 do not have to be the same voltage, and the control circuit 808 can determine the priority for which energy storage device has the maximum charge. For example, the first energy storage device can have a higher priority than the second energy storage device because the first energy storage device can allow the device 800 to continue supplying power to the electrical load 825, thereby allowing the device 800 to continue communicating and reporting problems.

[0111] The circuit shown can set the impedance of the photovoltaic cell 805. Voltage can be provided to the electrical load 825 (such as a control circuit, a communication circuit, and / or other low-voltage circuits) by the first power converter circuit 816. The first power converter circuit 816A can be, for example, a buck circuit. Alternatively, the first power converter circuit 816A can be a linear regulator, a voltage divider, etc. As described above, the first power converter circuit 816A can reduce the voltage from the battery 804 or the first energy storage device 812A to an appropriate level for supplying power to the second electrical load 825. For example, the battery voltage V 电池It can be any voltage between and / or including 6V - 9V. For example, the voltage V1 on the first energy storage device can be any voltage between and / or including 3V - 5V. According to this example, the first power converter circuit 816A can convert the voltage V1 and / or the voltage V 电池 to an output voltage V of approximately 2.5V CC . It should be understood that the exact voltages used can be specific to the selected control circuit, capacitors C5, C6, and battery 804.

[0112] The second power converter circuit can include an enable / disable line 818. The control circuit 808 can enable or disable the second power converter circuit 816B through the enable / disable line 818. For example, the second power converter circuit 816B can be a boost converter. The boost converter can boost a voltage V2 that can be in the range of 3.5V - 5V to a voltage V at 12V 输出 .

[0113] When the output voltage V 输出 exceeds the battery voltage V 电池 , the voltage provided to the electrical load 806 by the second power converter circuit 816B can be through the use of diodes D3, D5. The shown diodes D1 - D5 can be low power loss diodes, such as Schottky diodes. When the second power converter circuit 816B conducts, i.e., is enabled, V 输出 can be greater than V 电池 . For example, when the second power converter circuit 816B is enabled, the voltage V 输出 can be 12V, while the voltage V 电池 can be 6V - 9V. Then power can be provided to the second electrical load 806 through the second energy storage device (i.e., supercapacitors C7, C8). Alternatively, it will be recognized that active switches can be used instead of D3 and D5 to achieve the same function.

[0114] The control circuit can monitor the voltages V1, V2 via two or more analog - to - digital (A / D) lines shown as 820A, 820B respectively. As previously mentioned, the control circuit 808 can use the measured voltages V1, V2 to determine whether to enable the second power converter circuit 816B.

[0115] The control circuit 808 can change the states of switches Q81, Q82 (including the input switch) based on the voltages V1, V2. For example, the control circuit can control the gate voltages 822A, 822B to turn on or off the transistors Q81, Q82 respectively. The control circuit 808 can further ensure that only one of Q81 and Q82 is turned on simultaneously (i.e., only the first energy storage device 812A or the second energy storage device 812B is charging). Capacitors C5 - C8 can be similar to Figure 4Capacitors C2 and C4. For example, capacitors C5-C8 can be supercapacitors.

[0116] The control circuit 808 can change the states of switches Q83, Q84 (including the output switch) based on voltages V1, V2. For example, the control circuit can control the gate voltage 824 to turn on or off FETs Q83, Q84 respectively. An inverter 826 or other control circuit establishing the same type of function can be used to provide a complementary drive signal to the gate of FET Q84. For example, the inverter 826 can be used to invert signal 824 such that the gate signal provided to FET Q84 is the inverted signal of that provided to FET Q83. The inverter 826 can ensure that only one of FETs Q83, Q84 is turned on at a time, i.e., Q83 and Q84 may not be turned on simultaneously. The control circuit 808 can use the gate drive signal 824 and FETs Q83, Q84 to control the power to the first power converter circuit 816A. For example, when the control circuit sends the gate signal 824 to turn on FET Q83 (thereby turning off FET Q84), the first energy storage device 812A can supply power to the first power converter circuit via voltage V1. Alternatively, a diode can be used instead of FET Q83.

[0117] When the gate drive signal 824 of the control circuit 808 turns off FET Q83 (thereby turning on FET Q84), the battery 804 can supply power to the first power converter circuit 816A through FET Q84 and diode D4. When the energy storage device 812A does not have enough charge to supply power to the first power converter circuit 816A, for example, when the magnitude of the supplementary supply voltage V1 stored by the energy storage device 812A is lower than a first threshold (e.g., lower than 3 volts), FET Q84 can be turned on to provide the battery voltage V from the battery 804 电池 .

[0118] The voltages on the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device can be maintained at a level greater than 3V to prevent deep discharge of the energy storage devices. For example, if the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device are supercapacitors that receive energy from a photovoltaic cell, the amount of voltage on the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device can respectively determine the power transfer efficiency from the photovoltaic cell to the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device. For example, when the voltage V1 or V2 on the first energy storage device or the second energy storage device drops below a minimum threshold (e.g., the first threshold and the third threshold described previously, such as 3V - 3.5V), the photovoltaic cell may no longer be able to effectively charge the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device. That is, when the voltage V1 or V2 drops below the minimum threshold, the time required to recharge the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device can increase significantly.

[0119] Conversely, the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device can most effectively receive power (i.e., can be charged) from the photovoltaic cell at approximately the maximum threshold (i.e., the second threshold and the fourth threshold) or approximately 4.5V. However, the voltage V1 or V2 can exceed the maximum threshold of the shown circuit. Thus, further addition to the circuit of device 800 can include a clamping circuit, such as a diode, across the first energy storage device and / or the second energy storage device, which can clamp the voltage V1 or V2 to the maximum threshold. For example, the clamping circuit can include a diode across the supercapacitor bank 812A, having a clamping voltage of 5V.

[0120] It should be understood that Figure 8 The circuit schematic of the shown device 800 is for illustrative purposes only, and other circuits can be constructed for the same function. For example, although the FETs Q81 - Q84 are shown as PMOS, it should be understood that NMOS FETs can alternatively be used, and the references and biases are updated accordingly. Or, any controllable switching device, such as a bipolar junction transistor, for example, can be used. Additionally, a diode can be used in place of Q83. These and any alternative circuits having the same resulting functionality as described herein are also considered alternative embodiments.

[0121] Although devices 400 and 800 have been described as receiving power from a solar cell or a PV module, other types of supplementary power sources can alternatively be used. For example, a wireless RF power source can be used as a supplementary power source. Figure 9An exemplary user environment 900 is shown in accordance with another embodiment, the exemplary user environment having a wireless power supply source for powering an electric window covering 954. For example, the electric window covering 954 may include a motor drive unit, such as, for example, device 200. The motor drive unit of the electric window covering may have a supplementary power supply that wirelessly (i.e., via RF) receives power to power an electrical load 225 (i.e., the control and communication circuitry).

[0122] The wireless power supply device may include a wireless power transmission module 990 configured to wirelessly transmit power via an RF signal 998 to a wireless power receiving circuit within one or more control devices in a room, including, for example, the motor drive unit of the electric window covering 954. The wireless power receiving circuit may be configured to harvest energy from the RF signal 998 transmitted by the wireless power transmission module 990.

[0123] The wireless power transmission module 990 may include a wireless power transmission circuit (not shown) housed within a housing 992 and an antenna (e.g., a dipole antenna) having, for example, two transmit antenna wires 994A, 994B extending from the housing 992 and coupled (e.g., electrically or magnetically coupled) to the wireless power transmission circuit. The antenna may also be formed as a loop or spiral antenna. The wireless power transmission module 990 may include electrical pins (not shown) that may be inserted into a standard electrical outlet 996 for powering the wireless power transmission circuit from an AC power source. The transmit antenna wires 994A, 994B may be horizontally positioned to extend in opposite directions, such as along the floor at the bottom of a wall below the electric window covering 954. For example, the wireless power supply transmission module 990 may be configured to continuously transmit power via the RF signal 998 to the wireless power receiving circuit of the supplementary power supply device of the electric window covering. Additionally, the wireless power supply transmission module 990 may be configured to transmit power in a periodic (e.g., pulsed or pulse width modulated) manner (e.g., in a burst signal having a higher peak power for a shorter duration). If power is transmitted in a periodic manner, the frequency of the pulses may be adjusted with respect to time (e.g., frequency sweep) such that there is no particular channel (e.g., frequency) that the wireless power supply transmission module 990 continuously interferes with.

[0124] For example, the electric window article 954 may include a motor drive unit 955. The motor drive unit 955 may include an internal wireless power receiving circuit that allows powering of a motor, an internal control circuit, and an internal wireless communication circuit (e.g., an RF transceiver) of the motor drive unit. The motor drive unit 955 may include an antenna (e.g., a dipole antenna) having two antenna wires 956A, 956B that extend from the motor drive unit 955, are electrically coupled to the internal wireless power receiving circuit, and are tuned to receive an RF signal 998. The antenna may also be formed as a loop or spiral antenna. The motor drive unit may control the fabric or curtain 952 based on control instructions received from the control device 970.

[0125] Figure 10 An exemplary supplementary power supply device 1020 according to another embodiment is shown. The supplementary power supply device 1020 is an example of a supply device that can be used in Figure 9 and can be used as an element 220 in the device 200. The supplementary power supply device 1020 may include a supplementary power source 1002 and an energy storage device 1012. The supplementary power source may be a wireless power receiving circuit that can receive power from a wireless power supply source such as Figure 9 a wireless power transmission module 990 located away from the wireless power receiving circuit. The wireless power receiving circuit may include an antenna 1032 (e.g., an electric field (E-field) antenna), a balun circuit 1034, and a radio frequency to direct current (RF to DC) converter circuit 1036. For example, the antenna 1032 may include a dipole antenna.

[0126] The energy storage device 1012 may include a capacitor, such as Figure 10 the capacitor 1038 shown. The capacitor may be a supercapacitor, or may be a tantalum capacitor, an electrolytic capacitor, or other types of capacitors. Alternatively, the energy storage device may include an inductor or other suitable energy storage device. The capacitor 1038 may store the energy provided by the wireless power receiving circuit and may provide a voltage V Figure 2 to the power converter circuit 216 of the device 200. 供应 For example, the capacitor 1038 may have a capacitance of about 100 μF.

[0127] Antenna 1032 can capture (e.g., collect) power from an RF signal transmitted by a wireless power transmission module (e.g., RF signal 998 transmitted by wireless power transmission module 990). For example, the amount of power collected by antenna 1032 from the RF signal can be approximately 40 mW. RF-to-DC converter circuit 1036 can operate to convert energy from the RF signal into an unregulated DC voltage across storage capacitor 1038. RF-to-DC converter circuit 1036 can have an efficiency of, for example, approximately 50%, such that the amount of power that the RF-to-DC converter circuit can deliver can be approximately 20 mW.

[0128] The power stored by the energy storage device (capacitor 1038) can provide a supply voltage V 补充 . V 供应 may be supplied to terminals 224 to provide power to a power converter circuit to power an electrical load 225, such as Figure 2 shown.

[0129] Figure 11 is an alternative embodiment of apparatus 200'. Like numbered components correspond to Figure 2 For example, the battery 204' can be connected to Figure 2 Here, both the electrical load 206' and the electrical load 225' of the device 200' can be powered by the battery 204' or the supplemental power supply 220' by means of a switch 214'. For example, the supplemental power supply may include one or more rechargeable batteries.

[0130] Figure 12 is the supply voltage V represented by the dotted line over time. 供应 The value of the battery voltage V represented by the solid line 电池 Example voltage curve 1200 of the magnitude of . Figure 11 As shown, V 电池 may correspond to the voltage on battery 204', and V 供应 The voltage of energy storage device 212' may correspond to the voltage of energy storage device 212'. For example, energy storage device 212' may be a rechargeable battery, and battery 204' may be a disposable (i.e., non-rechargeable) battery. At time T0, when switch 214' is in the second position, energy storage device 212' may provide power to electrical load 206' and electrical load 525'. When energy storage device 212' provides power to the electrical loads, energy storage device 212' may begin to discharge to a minimum voltage threshold Vmin.

[0131] When the energy storage device 212’ reaches the minimum voltage threshold Vmin at time T1, the monitor circuit 218’ can detect that the voltage on the energy storage device 212’ has reached the minimum threshold Vmin, and can change the state of the switch 214’ to the first position, thereby supplying power from the disposable battery to the electrical load and allowing the energy storage device 212’ to be recharged. For example, as described above, the energy storage device 212’ can be recharged by a solar cell, a wireless power supply device, etc. At this time, the voltage of the disposable battery may start to drop.

[0132] At time T2, the monitor circuit 218’ can detect that the voltage on the energy storage device 212’ has reached the maximum threshold Vmax. The monitor circuit can then change the state of the switch 214’ to the second position, thereby supplying power from the energy storage device to the electrical load, and the energy storage device can be further discharged. When the energy storage device reaches the minimum threshold, the process can be repeated at time T3, and when the monitor circuit triggers the switch again to supply power to the electrical load via the disposable battery 204’.

[0133] Although the embodiments described herein are specific to solar cells and wireless power supply devices, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that other types of supplementary power sources or energy collectors can be used. For example, other supplementary power sources can include: thermal energy collectors, sound or vibration energy collectors, electrostatic energy collectors, etc.

[0134] Although the present disclosure has been described in accordance with certain embodiments and generally related methods, changes and permutations of the embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the above description of the exemplary embodiments does not limit the present disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to control the amount of electric power to an electric window accessory, the apparatus comprising: A battery housing configured to receive one or more batteries; A communication circuit configured to receive commands; A control circuit operably coupled to the communication circuit and configured to control the amount of electric power to the electric window accessory based on the commands received by the communication circuit; A supplementary power supply device comprising a supplementary power source and an energy storage device, wherein the energy storage device is configured to store electric power received from the supplementary power source; A switch operably coupled to the one or more batteries of the battery housing and the energy storage device, the switch having at least a first state and a second state; Wherein, when the switch is in the first state, the one or more batteries supply electric power to a motor drive unit, and the supplementary power supply device supplies electric power to the control circuit and the communication circuit; and Wherein, when the switch is in the second state, the one or more batteries supply electric power to the motor drive unit, the control circuit, and the communication circuit; and A monitor circuit operably coupled to the switch and the energy storage device, the monitor circuit being configured to: Compare a parameter of the energy storage device with a threshold, the parameter being related to the amount of electric power stored in the energy storage device; and Based on the comparison, control the state of the switch.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motor drive unit further comprises a sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supplementary power source is a wireless power supply device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the wireless power supply device comprises an antenna configured to wirelessly receive electric power from a wireless power transmission module, the wireless power transmission module being configured to receive electric power from an electrical outlet.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supplementary power source is a solar cell.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the energy storage device is a supercapacitor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises voltage.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the monitor circuit is a voltage monitor circuit configured to monitor the output voltage of the supplementary power supply device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the monitor circuit comprises an analog-to-digital port on the control circuit and is configured to monitor the output voltage of the supplementary power supply device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the voltage monitor circuit comprises a clamping circuit and a latch circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the clamping circuit and the latch circuit are configured to hold the output voltage of the supplementary power supply device between a minimum threshold and a maximum threshold.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein when the output voltage of the supplementary power supply device exceeds the maximum threshold, the clamping circuit is configured to clamp the output voltage to the maximum threshold.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein when the output voltage of the supplementary power supply device drops below the minimum threshold, the latch circuit is configured to unlatch, and further, wherein in response to the unlatching of the latch circuit, the switch is configured to change from the second state to the first state.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the energy storage device of the supplementary power supply device comprises a first energy storage device, and the device further comprises: a second energy storage device coupled to the electric window accessories; and a second switch operably connected to the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device, the second switch having a third state and a fourth state, wherein the first energy storage device is configured to store power received from the supplementary power supply when the second switch is in the third state; wherein the second energy storage device is configured to store power received from the supplementary power supply when the second switch is in the fourth state; and wherein the second energy storage device is configured to supply power to the electric window accessories.

15. The device according to claim 14, further comprising: a power converter circuit electrically connected between the second energy storage device and the electric window accessories for supplying power from the second energy storage device to the electric window accessories; and a monitor circuit operably coupled to the second energy storage device, the monitor circuit being configured to: compare the voltage of the second energy storage device with a second threshold; and enable or disable the power converter circuit based on the comparison.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the monitor circuit is configured to enable the power converter circuit when the output voltage of the power converter circuit is greater than the output voltage of the battery.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the monitor circuit is configured to disable the power converter circuit when the output voltage of the power converter circuit is less than the output voltage of the battery.

18. The device according to claim 14, wherein the second energy storage device is a supercapacitor.

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