A Wireless Sensor Node Driving System with Bridgeless Bipolar Boost Rectifier Using Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting

摘要

A thermoelectric generator (TEG) which generates electric power from the temperature difference is expected to be applied to a wireless sensor node as a power source. This study proposes a wireless sensor node driving system using thermoelectric energy harvesting, which is composed of a bridgeless boost rectifier, a self-start-up circuit, and a control circuit. The bridgeless boost rectifier accepts bipolar output voltage of the TEG, and a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) operation is available. The proposed system starts autonomously at a low output voltage of the TEG regardless of the polarity of the TEG, then switched to the normal operation mode with MPPT. The system operation has been confirmed in circuit experiments.