Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric element

Abstract

The present invention relates to a voltage supply control and monitoring system using a thermoelectric element. The present invention comprises: a thermoelectric element unit (110); a voltage sensor (120); a power storage unit (130); an active boosting unit (140); a power converter (150); a switch unit (160); an MCU (170); and a prediction unit (180) so that a damaged thermoelectric element cell channel is detected, a voltage is boosted without replacement, a cell state is monitored and controlled, and the thermoelectric element unit (110) is preliminarily repaired.

Description

Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric elements

[0001] The present invention relates to a voltage supply control and monitoring system using a thermoelectric element, which detects a damaged thermoelectric element cell channel, boosts the voltage without replacement, monitors and controls the cell status, and performs preliminary maintenance of the thermoelectric element unit.

[0002] Typically, the Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which thermoelectric power is generated when a temperature difference occurs at both ends of a thermoelectric element of a thermoelectric module. The heating part of the thermoelectric module is heated by radiant heat, convection heat, etc., and the cooling part can be cooled by cooling water, air, etc.

[0003] Meanwhile, a voltage supply system using a thermoelectric element according to a conventional technology stores power generated from a thermoelectric element unit (10) composed of serially connected thermoelectric element cell channels (11) in a battery (40) through a blocking circuit (20) and MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) (30), as illustrated in FIG. 1, and supplies it to a power converter (50).

[0004] In this way, when 100 to 200 thermoelectric element cell channels (11) are connected in series to produce a voltage of 400 V to 600 V required for driving an inverter, if one or more of the thermoelectric element cell channels (11) are damaged, power generation from the corresponding thermoelectric element unit (10) is impossible, and even if a defective thermoelectric element cell channel (11) is detected by an external terminal, a worker cannot approach the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (11) due to safety issues due to the high temperature, and all of the corresponding thermoelectric element units (10) must be removed, which reduces the economic efficiency in operating the power generation facility.

[0005] Accordingly, a technology is required to boost the voltage to produce normal output voltage without replacing the defective thermoelectric element cell channel and to perform preliminary maintenance of the thermoelectric element section.

[0006] <Prior Art Literature>

[0007] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1484956 (Testing device for thermoelectric element and its testing method, January 22, 2015)

[0008] (Patent Document 2) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1765148 (Power generation system using thermoelectric elements and its operating method, August 9, 2017)

[0009] The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a voltage supply control and monitoring system using a thermoelectric element, which detects a damaged thermoelectric element cell channel, boosts the voltage without replacement, monitors and controls the cell status, and performs preliminary maintenance of the thermoelectric element section.

[0010] In order to achieve the above-described object, an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a thermoelectric element unit in which two or more thermoelectric element groups, each of which has a plurality of thermoelectric element cell channels connected in series, are connected in parallel to produce power; a voltage sensor connected in parallel to each of the thermoelectric element cell channels to measure whether a corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel is defective; a power storage unit that charges power produced from the thermoelectric element unit; an active boost unit that boosts power stored from the thermoelectric element unit to the power storage unit; a power converter that converts current, voltage, or frequency of the power boosted by the active boost unit to convert power; a switch unit that is connected in parallel to each of the thermoelectric element cell channels and is connected in series with each other, and bypasses a corresponding defective thermoelectric element cell channel to be connected to the power storage unit when a defect is detected by the voltage sensor; an MCU that is integrally connected to each of the series-connected thermoelectric element groups to monitor the voltage of the thermoelectric element cell channel through the voltage sensor and control the thermoelectric element cell channel through the switch unit; And a prediction unit that communicates with each of the above MCUs to predict the cell channel lifespan status and cell channel maintenance time of the thermoelectric element unit; provides a voltage supply control and monitoring system using a thermoelectric element.

[0011] Here, the switch unit is configured with an FET switch connected in parallel for each thermoelectric element cell channel, and an FET on / off circuit that switches the FET switch according to a measurement value by the voltage sensor, so that when the FET switch is turned on, the defective thermoelectric element cell channel can be electrically short-circuited.

[0012] Additionally, the active boost unit can boost the voltage produced by the thermoelectric element group by the amount of voltage drop caused by the defective thermoelectric element cell channel.

[0013] In addition, the active boost unit may be composed of a resistance circuit that boosts and compensates for the voltage drop input from the thermoelectric element unit, and a PWM IC that controls the boost by the resistance circuit.

[0014] In addition, the method may further include an insulated DC / DC converter that is connected to each of the FET on / off circuits, monitors the output voltage of each thermoelectric element cell channel, and controls the FET on / off circuit to a voltage below a specific voltage.

[0015] In addition, a blocking circuit may be further included to prevent reverse flow of current from the power storage unit to the thermoelectric element unit.

[0016] Additionally, the power storage unit may be formed of a super capacitor.

[0017] In addition, when the output voltage of the corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel is measured as 0 V by the voltage sensor, the MCU can control the switch unit to bypass the corresponding defective thermoelectric element cell channel and increase the voltage by the amount of voltage drop caused by the corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel by the active boost unit.

[0018] In addition, the prediction unit may periodically receive and monitor the output voltage status of the cell channel of the thermoelectric element unit, and if the output voltage of the corresponding cell channel continuously decreases within a certain period of time, it may be determined that aging has occurred and replacement of the corresponding cell channel may be performed.

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to detect a damaged thermoelectric element cell channel, boost the voltage without replacing the defective thermoelectric element cell channel to produce a normal output voltage, and monitor the cell channel lifespan status of the thermoelectric element part and predict the cell channel maintenance time, thereby enabling continuous power production.

[0020] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a voltage supply system using a thermoelectric element according to conventional technology.

[0021] Figure 2 illustrates a configuration diagram of a voltage supply control and monitoring system using a thermoelectric element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Fig. 3 illustrates a bypass by a switch unit of a voltage supply control and monitoring system using a thermoelectric element of Fig. 2.

[0023] Fig. 4 is an example of a two-channel circuit diagram that implements a voltage supply control and monitoring system using the thermoelectric element of Fig. 2.

[0024] Fig. 5 illustrates a DC / DC converter of a voltage supply control and monitoring system using the thermoelectric element of Fig. 2.

[0025] Fig. 6 is a separate example of an MCU of a voltage supply control and monitoring system using the thermoelectric element of Fig. 2.

[0026] Fig. 7 illustrates monitoring by a voltage supply control and monitoring system using the thermoelectric element of Fig. 2.

[0027] <Explanation of symbols>

[0028] 110: Thermoelectric element section 111: Thermoelectric element cell channel

[0029] 112: Thermoelectric element group 120: Voltage sensor

[0030] 121: Resistor 122: Isolated DC / DC converter

[0031] 123: Insulated photocoupler 130: Power storage unit

[0032] 131: Blocking circuit 140: Active boost circuit

[0033] 141: Resistor circuit 142: PWM IC

[0034] 150: Power converter 160: Switch section

[0035] 161: FET switch 162: FET on / off circuit

[0036] 170: MCU 180: Prediction Department

[0037] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention having the above-described features will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0038] The voltage supply control and monitoring system using a thermoelectric element according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a thermoelectric element unit (110) in which two or more thermoelectric element groups (112) in which a plurality of thermoelectric element cell channels (111) are connected in series to produce power by being connected in parallel; a voltage sensor (120) connected in parallel for each thermoelectric element cell channel (111) to measure whether the corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is defective; a power storage unit (130) for charging the power produced from the thermoelectric element unit (110); an active boost unit (140) for boosting the power stored from the thermoelectric element unit (110) to the power storage unit (130); a power converter (150) for converting the current, voltage or frequency of the power boosted by the active boost unit (140) to convert the power; a thermoelectric element cell channel (111) connected in parallel and connected in series with each other, and when a defect is measured by the voltage sensor (120), the corresponding defective thermoelectric element cell The gist of the invention is to include a switch unit (160) for bypassing the channel (111) and connecting it to a power storage unit (130), an MCU (170) for monitoring the voltage of the thermoelectric element cell channel (111) through a voltage sensor (120) and controlling the thermoelectric element cell channel (111) through the switch unit (160) by connecting each thermoelectric element group in series, and a prediction unit (180) for communicating with each MCU (170) to predict the cell channel lifespan status and cell channel maintenance time of the thermoelectric element unit, thereby detecting a damaged thermoelectric element cell channel, boosting the voltage without replacement, monitoring and controlling the cell status, and preliminarily maintaining the thermoelectric element unit (110).

[0039] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a voltage supply control and monitoring system using a thermoelectric element of the above-described configuration is specifically described as follows.

[0040] First, the thermoelectric element section (110), referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, comprises two or more thermoelectric element groups (112) in which a plurality of thermoelectric element cell channels (111) are connected in series and are connected in parallel, so as to generate electric power by generating electric energy by temperature difference using waste heat generated in industries such as solar energy, waste heat from incinerators, waste heat from chemical plants, and waste heat from steel mills as a heat source.

[0041] Next, the voltage sensor (120), referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, is connected in parallel to each thermoelectric element cell channel (111) to measure whether the thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is defective. For example, it can identify a voltage drop due to damage or aging of the thermoelectric element cell channel (111) according to the voltage value by the resistor (121) by including a plurality of resistors (121) connected in series.

[0042] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, by connecting each FET on / off circuit (162), the output voltage of each thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is monitored, and an insulated DC / DC converter (122) and an insulated photo coupler (123) are further included to control the FET on / off circuit (162) below a specific voltage, so that the MCU (170) is designed to withstand voltages of several hundred V or more of thermoelectric element groups (112) that are connected in series in dozens or more numbers, and the unit output voltage of each thermoelectric element cell channel (111), for example, can be monitored and controlled in units of 5 V.

[0043] Next, the power storage unit (130), referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, charges the power produced from the thermoelectric element unit (110), and the power storage unit (130) may be formed of a super condenser.

[0044] Here, a blocking circuit (131) that prevents reverse current flow from the power storage unit (130) to the thermoelectric element unit (110) can be further included, so that when power is not generated by the thermoelectric element unit (110) at night, reverse current flow to the thermoelectric element unit (110) can be prevented, thereby protecting the thermoelectric element unit (110).

[0045] Next, the active boost unit (140), referring to FIG. 2, actively boosts the power stored in the power storage unit (130) from the thermoelectric element unit (110) and provides it to the power converter (150).

[0046] That is, when a thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is damaged, the active boost unit (140) can boost the voltage produced by the thermoelectric element group (112) to which the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111) belongs by the amount of voltage drop caused by the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111).

[0047] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the active boost unit (140) is composed of a resistance circuit (141) that boosts and compensates for the voltage drop input from the thermoelectric element unit (110), and a PWM (pulse width modulation) IC (142) that controls the boost by the resistance circuit (141). The PWM IC (142) controls the output voltage by the resistance circuit (141) by the amount of the voltage drop by the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111) that does not reach a specific voltage corresponding to normal power production of the thermoelectric element group (112), thereby boosting the voltage by up to twice the maximum input voltage.

[0048] Next, the power converter (150) converts the current, voltage, or frequency of the power boosted by the active booster (140) to convert the power.

[0049] Next, the switch unit (160), referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, is connected in parallel to each thermoelectric element cell channel (111) and connected in series with each other, and when a defect is measured by the voltage sensor (120), the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is bypassed and connected to the power storage unit (130).

[0050] Specifically, the switch unit (160) is composed of an FET switch (161) connected in parallel for each thermoelectric element cell channel (111), and an FET on / off circuit (162) that switches the FET switch (161) according to a measurement value by a voltage sensor (120), so that when the FET switch (161) is turned on, the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is electrically short-circuited, so that the output voltage of the thermoelectric element group (112) whose voltage has dropped due to the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is boosted by the active boost unit (140), so that a specific voltage can be produced without replacing the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111).

[0051] For example, as in (b) of FIG. 3, when the thermoelectric element cell channel (111) corresponding to 2ch is damaged, the FET on / off circuit (162) turns on the FET switch (161) to short-circuit (0V), so that the power produced by the thermoelectric element group (112) is output (15V), and the voltage drop caused by the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is compensated for by the active booster (140), so that power can be normally produced.

[0052] Additionally, the FET on / off circuit (162) can control the FET switch (161) analogically through a photocoupler.

[0053] For example, in a thermoelectric element group (112) composed of four channels of thermoelectric element cell channels (111), if the voltage of two channels is 0 V and the voltages of the remaining channels are all 5 V, the FET switch (161) of two channels can be turned on to make the output voltage 15 V, and 20 V can be output by the active boost unit (140). In addition, if the voltage of one channel is 3 V, the voltage of two channels is 2.5 V, the voltage of three channels is 2.8 V, and the voltage of four channels is 3.3 V, the FET switch (161) of four channels can be turned off, and the output voltage of 11.6 V can be output by the active boost unit (140).

[0054] Next, the MCU (170), referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, is integrated and wired for each series-connected thermoelectric element group (112), monitors the voltage of each thermoelectric element cell channel (111) through a voltage sensor (120), and controls the thermoelectric element cell channel (111) through a switch unit (160).

[0055] As mentioned above, when the output voltage of the corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is measured as 0 V by the voltage sensor (120), the MCU (170) controls the switch unit (160) to bypass the corresponding defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111) and to boost the voltage by the amount of voltage drop caused by the corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel (111) by the active boost unit (140).

[0056] Next, the prediction unit (180) communicates with each MCU (170) and the SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) communication module in a 1:N ratio, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, to predict the cell channel life status and cell channel maintenance time of the thermoelectric element unit (110).

[0057] For example, the prediction unit (180) periodically receives and monitors the output voltage status of the cell channel of the thermoelectric element unit (110), and if the output voltage of the corresponding cell channel continuously decreases within a certain period of time, it is determined that aging has occurred and replacement of the corresponding cell channel can be performed.

[0058] That is, the prediction unit (180) can identify whether a defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111) is included in each thermoelectric element group (112) and specifically identify the defective thermoelectric element cell channel (111) of the corresponding thermoelectric element group (112), and as shown in FIG. 7, through monitoring for a certain period of time, if a time-series change in the cell channel life state of the thermoelectric element unit (110), for example, a continuous voltage drop occurs (4 V -> 3.8 V -> 3.7 V -> 3.3 V), it is determined that the corresponding channel is aging, and if it drops below a specific set voltage, the corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel (111) or thermoelectric element group (112) can be replaced.

[0059] Therefore, by configuring a voltage supply control and monitoring system using the thermoelectric element as described above, it is possible to detect a damaged thermoelectric element cell channel, boost the voltage without replacing the defective thermoelectric element cell channel, and produce a normal output voltage, and monitor the cell channel lifespan status of the thermoelectric element part and predict the cell channel maintenance time, thereby enabling continuous power production.

[0060] The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

Claims

1. A thermoelectric element section in which two or more thermoelectric element groups, each of which has a plurality of thermoelectric element cell channels connected in series, are connected in parallel to produce power; A voltage sensor connected in parallel to each of the above thermoelectric element cell channels to measure whether the corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel is defective; A power storage unit that charges the power generated from the above thermoelectric element unit; An active booster for boosting power stored in the power storage unit from the thermoelectric generator unit; A power converter that converts power by converting the current, voltage or frequency of the power boosted by the above active booster; A switching unit which is connected in parallel for each of the thermoelectric element cell channels and connected in series with each other, and which bypasses the defective thermoelectric element cell channel when a defect is measured by the voltage sensor and connects it to the power storage unit; An MCU that is integrated and wired for each of the above serially connected thermoelectric element groups, monitors the voltage of the thermoelectric element cell channel through the voltage sensor, and controls the thermoelectric element cell channel through the switch unit; and A prediction unit that communicates with each of the above MCUs to predict the cell channel life status and cell channel maintenance time of the thermoelectric element unit; Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric generator.

2. In paragraph 1, The above switch unit is characterized by comprising an FET switch connected in parallel for each of the thermoelectric element cell channels, and an FET on / off circuit that switches the FET switch according to the measurement value by the voltage sensor, so that when the FET switch is turned on, the defective thermoelectric element cell channel is electrically short-circuited. Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric generator.

3. In paragraph 1, The above active boosting unit is characterized in that it boosts the voltage produced by the thermoelectric element group by the amount of voltage drop caused by the defective thermoelectric element cell channel. Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric generator.

4. In paragraph 3, The above active boost unit is characterized by comprising a resistance circuit that boosts and compensates for the voltage drop input from the thermoelectric element unit, and a PWM IC that controls the boost by the resistance circuit. Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric generator.

5. In paragraph 2, It is characterized by further including an insulated DC / DC converter that is connected to each of the FET on / off circuits, monitors the output voltage of each thermoelectric element cell channel, and controls the FET on / off circuit to a specific voltage or less. Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric generator.

6. In paragraph 1, It is characterized by further including a blocking circuit that prevents reverse flow of current from the power storage unit to the thermoelectric element unit. Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric generator.

7. In paragraph 1, The above power storage unit is characterized by being made of a super capacitor. Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric generator.

8. In paragraph 1, When the output voltage of the corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel is measured as 0V by the voltage sensor, the MCU controls the switch unit to bypass the corresponding defective thermoelectric element cell channel and boosts the voltage by the active boost unit by the amount of voltage drop caused by the corresponding thermoelectric element cell channel. Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric generator.

9. In paragraph 1, The above prediction unit is characterized in that it periodically receives and monitors the output voltage status of the cell channel of the thermoelectric element unit, and if the output voltage of the corresponding cell channel continuously decreases within a certain period of time, it determines that aging has occurred and performs replacement of the corresponding cell channel. Voltage supply control and monitoring system using thermoelectric generator.

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