Intermittent drive device

Abstract

To provide an intermittent driving device for realizing a system for supplying power at a fixed frequency in terms of hardware without depending on software.SOLUTION: The intermittent driving device 5 includes a first power output section 15, a first capacitor 7, a trigger power output section 20, a trigger power input section 21 electrically connected to the trigger power output section 20, a second capacitor 8 electrically connected to the trigger power output section 20 and the trigger power input section 21, a load switch 35, a second power output section 23 for supplying power to the driven device 100, a circulating power line 45 for circulating part of the power supplied from the second power output section 23 to the second capacitor 8, and a voltage dividing circuit 50 electrically connected to the second capacitor 8. The load switch 35 electrically connects the first power output 15 to the second power output 23 when the voltage at the trigger power input 21 is higher than a switching threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an intermittent drive device for stably and intermittently supplying electrical energy generated by an energy harvester to a driven unit (for example, an electrical device used in IoT (Internet of Things)). [Background technology]

[0002] One application of technology that utilizes the minute electrical energy generated by energy harvesters is the Internet of Things (IoT). In particular, microcomputers, sensors, wireless modules, and other devices designed as low-power electrical devices can operate for long periods of time using power supplied from energy harvesters. Examples of energy harvesters include photovoltaic elements and thermoelectric elements (such as Peltier elements). The combination of such energy harvesters and electrical devices is attracting attention as a system that can operate semi-permanently without the need for battery replacement.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a CO2 sensor system equipped with an environmental power generation unit that generates power using natural energy. This CO2 sensor system is equipped with a control program that uses only the minimum amount of power required in software to minimize the power demand on the sensor node side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-163061 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in Patent Document 1, the processing of the control program becomes complicated and a large memory capacity is required. In addition, since memory such as RAM requires power even during sleep mode, a certain amount of current must be constantly supplied to the sensor node.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides an intermittent drive device that realizes a system that supplies power at a constant frequency in hardware, without relying on software. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect, an intermittent drive device receives power generated by an energy harvester and intermittently supplies power to a driven device, the intermittent drive device comprising: a power input unit for receiving the power generated by the energy harvester; a first power output unit electrically connected to the power input unit; a first capacitor electrically connected to the first power output unit; a trigger power output unit that starts outputting trigger power when a voltage at the first power output unit increases and exceeds a predetermined first trigger threshold, and stops outputting the trigger power when a voltage at the first power output unit decreases and falls below a predetermined second trigger threshold; a trigger power input unit electrically connected to the trigger power output unit; and a second capacitor electrically connected to the trigger power input section; a load switch electrically connected to the first power output section; a second power output section connected to the load switch and for supplying power to the driven device; a free-wheeling power line for free-wheeling a portion of the power supplied from the second power output section to the second capacitor; and a voltage divider circuit electrically connected to the second capacitor and for generating a divided voltage from the voltage input from the free-wheeling power line, wherein the load switch is configured to electrically connect the first power output section to the second power output section when the voltage at the trigger power input section is higher than a predetermined switching threshold.

[0008] In one embodiment, the voltage divider circuit includes a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series, and the trigger power output and the second capacitor are electrically connected to the voltage divider circuit at a location between the first resistor and the second resistor. In one embodiment, the intermittent drive device further includes a first diode that limits the direction of current flowing from the trigger power output section to the trigger power input section, and a second diode that limits the direction of current flowing through the freewheeling power line. In one aspect, the intermittent drive device further includes a boost unit that boosts the voltage of the power received at the power input unit to a set voltage, and the trigger power output unit is configured with a comparator that starts outputting a power-good signal when the voltage at the first power output unit rises and exceeds the first trigger threshold, and stops outputting the power-good signal when the voltage at the first power output unit drops and falls below the second trigger threshold, and a power-good circuit that includes a trigger power supply that outputs the trigger power when the power-good signal is being output, and the first trigger threshold and the second trigger threshold are thresholds that define the difference between the voltage at the first power output unit and the set voltage.

[0009] In one reference example, an intermittent drive device is provided that receives power generated by an environmental power generator and intermittently supplies power to a driven device, the intermittent drive device comprising: a power management element; a first capacitor and a second capacitor electrically connected to the power management element; the power management element comprising: a power input unit for receiving power generated by the environmental power generator; a first power output unit connected to the first capacitor; a trigger signal output unit that outputs trigger power when the voltage at the first power output unit is higher than a predetermined trigger threshold and does not output the trigger power when the voltage at the first power output unit is lower than the trigger threshold; a trigger signal input unit electrically connected to the trigger signal output unit; and a second power output unit that is electrically connected to the first power output unit when the voltage applied to the trigger signal input unit is higher than a predetermined voltage threshold, and the second capacitor is electrically connected to the trigger signal output unit and the trigger signal input unit. In one embodiment, the voltage threshold is less than the trigger threshold. In one reference example, the trigger signal input section is electrically connected to the trigger signal output section by a conductor, and the second capacitor is connected to the conductor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to supply a driven device with stabilized power realized by hardware. That is, the on and off times of the pulsed power can be adjusted by the divided voltage generated by the voltage divider circuit connected to the second capacitor and the capacitance of the capacitor. Therefore, the power supply period can be adjusted analogically without adjusting it by software. As a result, it is expected that the use of irregular power sources (environmental power harvesters) will be expanded, and the present invention can be used in various technical fields. Furthermore, since there is no need to control the data transmission period, etc., by software, it is possible to reduce memory capacity and power consumption for memory. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of an intermittent operation system including an energy harvester, an intermittent driving device, and a driven device. [Figure 2] 4 is a graph showing the change over time of the voltage at the first power output, the voltage at the trigger power output, the voltage at the trigger power input, and the voltage at the second power output. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of an intermittent operation system including an environmental power generator 1, an intermittent drive device 5, and a driven device 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the intermittent operation system includes an environmental power generator 1 that converts environmental energy such as light (e.g., sunlight or indoor light), vibration, heat, and electromagnetic waves into electric power, an intermittent drive device 5 that stores the electric power generated by the environmental power generator 1 and outputs the electric power intermittently, and a driven device 100 that is driven by the electric power intermittently supplied from the intermittent drive device 5.

[0013] This intermittent operation system is designed to operate intermittently for low power consumption and long life. An example of an intermittent operation system is a wireless sensor system (for example, a system that measures data on physical quantities such as temperature, humidity, vibration, and pressure and transmits the data via a wireless module). The wireless module can use technologies such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and LPWA, which are low-power wireless communication standards.

[0014] The energy harvester 1 is not particularly limited, but specific examples include a photovoltaic power generator, a thermal power generator, and a vibration power generator. Vibration power generation basically generates AC power, so it is combined with an AC-DC converter (rectifier) ​​or the like to generate DC power. The energy harvester 1 is configured to continuously generate power under a specific environment. The power generated by the energy harvester 1 is generally very small and prone to fluctuations. Therefore, in this embodiment, the power generated by the energy harvester 1 is sent to the intermittent drive device 5, stored in the intermittent drive device 5, converted into stabilized power, and then intermittently supplied to the driven device 100.

[0015] The driven device 100 is an electric device that does not need to operate constantly. Examples of the driven device 100 include, but are not limited to, a microcomputer that is allowed to operate intermittently and a sensor that intermittently measures physical quantities such as temperature, humidity, vibration, and pressure.

[0016] The electrical energy generated by the energy generator 1 is stored in the intermittent drive device 5 and is intermittently supplied as stable power to the driven device 100. The intermittent operation system configured in this way is a system that is established when an energy balance between power supply and power consumption is established, that is, when the energy balance between the energy generator 1 and the driven device 100 is balanced.

[0017] An embodiment of the intermittent drive device 5 will be described in detail below. The intermittent drive device 5 is configured to receive power generated by the energy generator 1 and intermittently supply power to the driven device 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the intermittent drive device 5 includes a power input unit 12 for receiving power Ein generated by the energy generator 1, and a boost unit 18 that boosts the voltage Vin of the power Ein received by the power input unit 12 to a set voltage Vset. The energy generator 1 is electrically connected to the power input unit 12.

[0018] The intermittent driving device 5 includes a first power output unit 15 that outputs power Eout (voltage Vout, current Iout), and a first capacitor 7 electrically connected to the first power output unit 15. The first power output unit 15 is electrically connected to a boost unit 18, and is electrically connected to the power input unit 12 via the boost unit 18. The boost unit 18 boosts the voltage of the power Ein to a set voltage Vset, and the first power output unit 15 outputs the power Eout at the boosted voltage Vout. The value of the set voltage Vset is determined in advance.

[0019] The first power output unit 15 is connected to the first capacitor 7 by a conductor 16. One electrode of the first capacitor 7 is connected to the conductor 16, and the other electrode is connected to ground (GND). The power Eout output from the first power output unit 15 is stored in the first capacitor 7.

[0020] The intermittent driving device 5 includes a trigger power output unit 20 that starts outputting a trigger power Etr when the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 (i.e., the voltage of the power stored in the first capacitor 7) rises and exceeds a predetermined first trigger threshold Oth1, and stops outputting the trigger power Etr when the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 falls and falls below a predetermined second trigger threshold Oth2. While the voltage Vout is increasing, power is stored in the first capacitor 7. While the voltage Vout is decreasing, power is being discharged from the first capacitor 7.

[0021] The first trigger threshold Oth1 and the second trigger threshold Oth2 are voltage values ​​determined based on the set voltage Vset. More specifically, the first trigger threshold Oth1 and the second trigger threshold Oth2 are thresholds that define the difference between the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 and the set voltage Vset. For example, the first trigger threshold Oth1 is a value that is lower than the set voltage Vset by a predetermined first percentage (e.g., 7.5%), and the second trigger threshold Oth2 is a value that is lower than the set voltage Vset by a predetermined second percentage (e.g., 9%). In one embodiment, the first trigger threshold Oth1 and the second trigger threshold Oth2 may be the same.

[0022] In this embodiment, the trigger power output unit 20 is configured with a comparator 28 and a power-good circuit including a trigger power supply 29. The comparator 28 is electrically connected to the boost unit 18 and the first power output unit 15. The comparator 28 is configured to compare the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 with the set voltage Vset at the boost unit 18.

[0023] The comparator 28 is configured to start outputting a power-good signal when the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 rises and exceeds a first trigger threshold Oth1 based on the difference between the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 and the set voltage Vset, and to stop outputting the power-good signal when the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 falls and falls below a second trigger threshold Oth2.

[0024] The trigger power supply 29 is electrically connected to the comparator 28. The trigger power supply 29 is configured to output trigger power Etr when a power-good signal is output from the comparator 28. The trigger power output unit 20 configured with such a power-good circuit outputs trigger power Etr based on the power-good signal. However, the specific configuration of the trigger power output unit 20 is not particularly limited to this embodiment.

[0025] The intermittent drive device 5 further includes a trigger power input unit 21 and a second capacitor 8. The trigger power input unit 21 is electrically connected to the trigger power output unit 20 by a conductor 25, and the second capacitor 8 is electrically connected to the trigger power output unit 20 and the trigger power input unit 21. One electrode of the second capacitor 8 is connected to the conductor 25, and the other electrode is connected to ground (GND). One end of the conductor 25 is connected to the trigger power output unit 20, and the other end of the conductor 25 is connected to the trigger power input unit 21. The trigger power Etr output from the trigger power output unit 20 is stored in the second capacitor 8.

[0026] The intermittent driving device 5 is provided with a first diode 38 that limits the direction of the current Itr that flows from the trigger power output section 20 to the trigger power input section 21. The first diode 38 is inserted into the conductor 25, and has the function of preventing the current Itr from flowing back from the trigger power output section 20 to the trigger power input section 21 through the conductor 25.

[0027] The intermittent driving device 5 includes a load switch 35 electrically connected to the first power output unit 15, and a second power output unit 23 connected to the load switch 35 and configured to supply power to the driven device 100. The load switch 35 is configured to electrically connect the first power output unit 15 to the second power output unit 23 when the voltage Ven at the trigger power input unit 21 (i.e., the voltage of the power stored in the second capacitor 8) is higher than a predetermined switching threshold value Sth. In other words, when the voltage Ven at the trigger power input unit 21 is higher than the predetermined switching threshold value Sth, the load switch 35 is turned on.

[0028] The load switch 35 is configured to electrically disconnect the first power output 15 from the second power output 23 when the voltage Ven at the trigger power input 21 is smaller than a predetermined switching threshold Sth. That is, when the voltage Ven at the trigger power input 21 is smaller than a predetermined switching threshold Sth, the load switch 35 is turned off.

[0029] The second power output unit 23 is connected to the driven device 100. When the second power output unit 23 is electrically connected to the first power output unit 15, the power stored in the first capacitor 7 is supplied to the driven device 100 via the first power output unit 15 and the second power output unit 23. The driven device 100 (for example, a sensor or a microcomputer) is driven by the power supply from the first capacitor 7.

[0030] The intermittent drive device 5 includes a free-wheeling power line 45 for free-wheeling a portion of the power Eout2 supplied from the second power output unit 23 to the second capacitor 8, and a voltage-dividing circuit 50 for generating a divided voltage VoutS from the voltage VinL input from the free-wheeling power line 45. The free-wheeling power line 45 is electrically connected to the second power output unit 23 and the voltage-dividing circuit 50. The voltage-dividing circuit 50 is electrically connected to the second capacitor 8. The free-wheeling power line 45 is electrically connected to the second capacitor 8 via a portion of the voltage-dividing circuit 50.

[0031] A portion of the power Eout2 output from the second power output unit 23 is supplied to the driven device 100, and the other portion (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "freewheeling power EinL") is circulated to the second capacitor 8 via the freewheeling power line 45. The intermittent driving device 5 is equipped with a second diode 39 that limits the direction of the current IinL flowing through the freewheeling power line 45. The second diode 39 is inserted in the freewheeling power line 45 and has the function of preventing reverse flow of the current IinL flowing from the second power output unit 23 to the voltage divider circuit 50 via the freewheeling power line 45.

[0032] The voltage divider circuit 50 includes a first resistor 31 and a second resistor 32 connected in series. The first resistor 31 is located upstream of the second resistor 32 in the direction of current flow through the voltage divider circuit 50. The free-circulating power line 45 is connected to the first resistor 31. One terminal of the second resistor 32 is connected to the trigger power input unit 21 and the load switch 35, and the other terminal is connected to ground (GND).

[0033] In this embodiment, the second diode 39 is inserted in the free-wheeling power line 45, but in one embodiment, the second diode 39 may be inserted in the voltage divider circuit 50 and positioned downstream of the first resistor 31 in the direction of current flow through the voltage divider circuit 50.

[0034] The trigger power input unit 21 is connected in series to a first resistor 31 and a second resistor 32. The trigger power output unit 20 and the second capacitor 8 are electrically connected to a voltage divider circuit 50 at a position between the first resistor 31 and the second resistor 32. In this embodiment, a portion of the conductor 25 is included in the voltage divider circuit 50. In particular, the connection portion of the conductor 25 with the second capacitor 8 is included in the voltage divider circuit 50. The circulating power EinL from the circulating power line 45 is circulated to the second capacitor 8 via the first resistor 31 of the voltage divider circuit 50.

[0035] As described above, when the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 (i.e., the voltage of the power stored in the first capacitor 7) drops below the predetermined second trigger threshold Oth2, the trigger power output unit 20 stops outputting the trigger power Etr. When the output of the trigger power Etr from the trigger power output unit 20 is stopped, the power stored in the second capacitor 8 is released. The current of the power released from the second capacitor 8 flows through the second resistor 32 via the trigger power input unit 21.

[0036] When free-wheeling power EinL is supplied to voltage-dividing circuit 50 from free-wheeling power line 45 and power is being discharged from second capacitor 8, voltage-dividing circuit 50 generates divided voltage VoutS from voltage VinL input from free-wheeling power line 45. This divided voltage VoutS acts to reduce the discharge rate of second capacitor 8 (the current value of power discharged by second capacitor 8 per unit time).

[0037] The voltage divider circuit 50 generates a divided voltage VoutS from the voltage VinL input to the voltage divider circuit 50 from the free-wheeling power line 45, based on the ratio between the resistance value R1 of the first resistor 31 and the resistance value R2 of the second resistor 32. The divided voltage VoutS generated by the voltage divider circuit 50 is expressed by the following equation (1). VoutS=R2 / (R1+R2)×VinL (1) As shown in equation (1), the divided voltage VoutS can be adjusted by the ratio between the resistance value R1 of the first resistor 31 and the resistance value R2 of the second resistor 32. Therefore, the discharge rate of the second capacitor 8 can be adjusted by the ratio between the resistance value R1 of the first resistor 31 and the resistance value R2 of the second resistor 32. Specifically, as the ratio of the resistance value R2 of the second resistor 32 to the sum of the resistance value R1 of the first resistor 31 and the resistance value R2 of the second resistor 32 increases, the discharge rate of the second capacitor 8 slows down.

[0038] In this embodiment, the power input unit 12, the boost unit 18, the first power output unit 15, the trigger power output unit 20 (including the comparator 28 and the trigger power supply 29), the trigger power input unit 21, the load switch 35, the second power output unit 23, and the second resistor 32 of the voltage divider circuit 50 are provided in the power management element 6. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first capacitor 7, the second capacitor 8, the first diode 38, the free-wheeling power line 45, the second diode 39, and the first resistor 31 of the voltage divider circuit 50 are electrically connected to the power management element 6.

[0039] The power management element 6 is commercially available. For example, a DC / DC converter (product name: LTC3108) provided by Linear Technology Corporation can be used as the power management element 6 of this embodiment.

[0040] Next, the operation of the intermittent driving device 5 configured as described above will be described. Fig. 2 is a graph showing temporal changes in the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15, the voltage Vtr at the trigger power output unit 20, the voltage Ven at the trigger power input unit 21, and the voltage Vout2 at the second power output unit 23.

[0041] During period T1, the power Eout output from the first power output unit 15 is stored in the first capacitor 7, and the voltage of the power stored in the first capacitor 7 (i.e., the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15) gradually increases. The charging time during which the power Eout is stored in the first capacitor 7 is determined by the capacitance of the first capacitor 7 and the current Iout of the power Eout. During period T1, no power is output from the second power output unit 23.

[0042] When the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 (i.e., the voltage of the power stored in the first capacitor 7) exceeds a predetermined first trigger threshold Oth1, the trigger power output unit 20 starts outputting the trigger power Etr. The trigger power Etr output from the trigger power output unit 20 is stored in the second capacitor 8. As a result, during the period T2, the voltage Vtr at the trigger power output unit 20 and the voltage Ven at the trigger power input unit 21 increase. During the period T2, the power Eout output from the first power output unit 15 continues to be stored in the first capacitor 7, and the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 gradually increases to the set voltage Vset. During the period T2, no power is output from the second power output unit 23.

[0043] When the voltage Ven at the trigger power input section 21 (i.e., the voltage of the power stored in the second capacitor 8) exceeds a predetermined switching threshold Sth, the load switch 35 turns ON and electrically connects the first power output section 15 to the second power output section 23. As a result, during a period T3, the power stored in the first capacitor 7 is supplied to the second power output section 23 via the first power output section 15. In this embodiment, the switching threshold Sth is smaller than the first trigger threshold Oth1 and the second trigger threshold Oth2.

[0044] During period T3, a portion of the power Eout2 output from the second power output unit 23 is supplied to the driven device 100. As a result, the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 and the voltage Vout2 at the second power output unit 23 gradually decrease. During period T3, another portion (power EinL) of the power Eout2 output from the second power output unit 23 circulates to the second capacitor 8 via the circulating power line 45 and the first resistor 31 of the voltage dividing circuit 50. As a result, the voltage Ven at the trigger power input unit 21 increases.

[0045] The charging time during which the trigger power Etr and the circulating power EinL from the second power output unit 23 are stored in the second capacitor 8 is determined by the capacitance of the second capacitor 8 and the current Itr of the trigger power Etr.

[0046] When the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 (i.e., the voltage of the power stored in the first capacitor 7) falls below a predetermined second trigger threshold Oth2, the trigger power output unit 20 stops outputting the trigger power Etr. As a result, during period T4, the power stored in the second capacitor 8 is released to the second resistor 32 via the trigger power input unit 21. This causes the voltage divider circuit 50 to generate a divided voltage VoutS from the voltage VinL input to the voltage divider circuit 50 from the freewheeling power line 45, based on the ratio between the resistance value R1 of the first resistor 31 and the resistance value R2 of the second resistor 32.

[0047] As described above, the discharge rate of the second capacitor 8 (the current value of the power discharged by the second capacitor 8 per unit time) can be adjusted by the ratio between the resistance value R1 of the first resistor 31 and the resistance value R2 of the second resistor 32. Therefore, the length of the period T4 can be adjusted by the ratio between the resistance value R1 of the first resistor 31 and the resistance value R2 of the second resistor 32.

[0048] When the voltage Ven at the trigger power input unit 21 becomes smaller than a predetermined switching threshold Sth, the load switch 35 turns OFF, electrically disconnecting the first power output unit 15 from the second power output unit 23. As a result, as shown in the graph of voltage Vout2 in FIG. 2, power supply from the first capacitor 7 via the second power output unit 23 is stopped during period T5. The power Eout output from the first power output unit 15 is stored again in the first capacitor 7, and the voltage of the power stored in the first capacitor 7 (i.e., the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15) gradually increases.

[0049] During period T5, the power stored in second capacitor 8 continues to be supplied to second resistor 32 via trigger power input unit 21. During period T5, no freewheeling power is supplied to voltage divider circuit 50 from freewheeling power line 45, and therefore voltage divider circuit 50 does not generate divided voltage VoutS from voltage VinL input from freewheeling power line 45. Therefore, as shown in the graph of voltage Ven in FIG. 2, the discharge rate of second capacitor 8 during period T5 is faster than the discharge rate of second capacitor 8 during period T4.

[0050] Thereafter, when the voltage Vout at the first power output unit 15 (i.e., the voltage of the power stored in the first capacitor 7) exceeds a predetermined first trigger threshold Oth1, the trigger power output unit 20 starts outputting the trigger power Etr. After that, the operations of the above-mentioned periods T2 to T5 are repeated.

[0051] As can be seen from the graph of Fig. 2 showing the change over time in voltage Vout2 at second power output unit 23, intermittent driving device 5 of this embodiment can intermittently supply stable pulsed power to driven device 100. In Fig. 2, the on time of pulsed power periodically emitted from intermittent driving device 5 is from period T3 to period T4, and the off time of pulsed power periodically emitted from intermittent driving device 5 is from period T5 to period T2.

[0052] As described above, the length of period T4 can be adjusted by the divided voltage VoutS generated by voltage divider circuit 50, i.e., the ratio between the resistance value R1 of first resistor 31 and the resistance value R2 of second resistor 32. In this embodiment, the second resistor 32 provided in the power management element 6 is fixed. Therefore, the length of period T4 can be adjusted by changing the resistance value R1 of the first resistor 31 connected to the power management element 6.

[0053] Furthermore, the combination of the first capacitor 7 and the second capacitor 8 can adjust the period of the pulsed power output from the intermittent driving device 5. More specifically, the period of the pulsed power can be adjusted by the capacitance of the first capacitor 7 and the second capacitor 8. In this way, the intermittent driving device 5 of this embodiment can adjust the on-time and off-time of the pulsed power to appropriate lengths depending on the driven device 100.

[0054] The above-described embodiments have been described for the purpose of enabling a person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications of the above-described embodiments would be obvious to a person skilled in the art, and the technical concept of the present invention may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be interpreted in the broadest scope in accordance with the technical concept defined by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 Energy Harvesters 5 Intermittent drive device 6 Power Management Elements 7 First Capacitor 8 Second Capacitor 12 Power input section 15 First power output section 16 Conductor 18 Booster section 20 Trigger power output section 21 Trigger power input 23 Second power output section 25 Conductor 28 Comparator 29 Trigger power supply 31 1st resistor 32 2nd resistor 35 Load Switch 38 First diode 39 Second diode 45 Circulating Power Line 50 Voltage divider circuit 100 Driven device

Claims

1. An intermittent drive device for receiving power generated by an energy harvester and intermittently supplying power to a driven device, comprising: a power input for receiving the power generated by the energy harvester; a first power output electrically connected to the power input; a first capacitor electrically connected to the first power output; a trigger power output unit that starts outputting trigger power when a voltage at the first power output unit increases and exceeds a predetermined first trigger threshold, and stops outputting the trigger power when the voltage at the first power output unit decreases and falls below a predetermined second trigger threshold; a trigger power input electrically connected to the trigger power output; a second capacitor electrically connected to the trigger power output and the trigger power input; a load switch electrically connected to the first power output; a second power output connected to the load switch for supplying power to the driven device; a return power line for returning a portion of the power supplied from the second power output unit to the second capacitor; a voltage divider circuit electrically connected to the second capacitor, the voltage divider circuit generating a divided voltage from a voltage input from the freewheeling power line; 1. An intermittent drive apparatus, wherein the load switch is configured to electrically connect the first power output to the second power output when a voltage at the trigger power input is greater than a predetermined switching threshold.

2. the voltage divider circuit includes a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series; The intermittent driving device according to claim 1 , wherein the trigger power output section and the second capacitor are electrically connected to the voltage divider circuit at a position between the first resistor and the second resistor.

3. a first diode for restricting the direction of current flow from the trigger power output to the trigger power input; 2. The intermittent drive device according to claim 1, further comprising a second diode for restricting the direction of current flow through the freewheeling power line.

4. a booster unit that boosts the voltage of the power received by the power input unit to a set voltage; The trigger power output unit a comparator that starts outputting a power-good signal when the voltage at the first power output increases and exceeds the first trigger threshold, and stops outputting the power-good signal when the voltage at the first power output decreases and falls below the second trigger threshold; a power-good circuit including a trigger power supply that outputs the trigger power when the power-good signal is output; The intermittent drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the first trigger threshold and the second trigger threshold are thresholds that define a difference between the voltage at the first power output section and the set voltage.

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