Voltage converter for use with solar cells - whose oscillation frequency is regulated by available solar radiation with period of current flow phase determined by timing circuit

摘要

The circuit is intended to match the load impedance on the solar cell, or other low voltage output energy converter, such as a thermocouple, to the available output energy. The converter works on the principle of a blocking oscillator under the control of a monostable flip flop (7). The frequency of the monostable is set by the state of a photo-sensitive resister (8) which receives the same irradiation as the solar cell (4). The monostable operates a switch, typically a field effect transistor (2), which alternately blocks and re-leases the flow of energy from an inductor (1) to a load, for example an accumulator (5). Increasing irradiation increases the time constant of the monostable which has the effect of decreasing the load impedance connected to the solar cell. During the current flow phase the input voltage generates a magnetic field, whose energy is passed to the load during the blocking phase.