Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Agency for Science, Technology and Research

Nanyang Technological University

Tae-Hyoung Kim

Yuan Gao

Juhui Li

Van-Loi Le

Abhik Das

Alan Yeow Khai Chang

Device and method for energy harvesting using a self-oscillating power-on reset start-up circuit. The device for energy harvesting comprises a start-up circuit for generating self-oscillation and initial boosting of an input voltage from an energy source during a start-up phase; a main boost circuit for boosting the input voltage during a steady state phase; a clock generator circuit for generating clock signals which control voltage boosting of the main boost circuit during the steady state phase; and a switching circuit coupled to the start-up circuit, the main boost circuit and the clock generator circuit for switching powering of the clock generator circuit between the start-up circuit and the main boost circuit such that the clock generator circuit is powered by only one of the start-up circuit and the main boost circuit at any point in time.

Device and method for energy harvesting using a self-oscillating power-on-reset start-up circuit with auto-disabling function

A 24-transistor D flip-flop circuit operates in a sampling mode when a clock signal has a first voltage state, and a holding mode when the clock signal has a second voltage state. The flip-flop circuit includes an internal control node coupled to a reference voltage node by way of a transistor controllable to couple the internal control node to the reference voltage node when the clock signal has the second voltage state. The flip-flop has very low power dissipation as it includes a 4-transistor change-sense component to detect changes in input data. The change-sense component is coupled in series with the transistor and receives an indication of an input voltage state of the flip-flop circuit and an indication of an output voltage state of the flip-flop circuit, and inhibits toggling of the internal control node if the indicated input voltage state and the indicated output voltage state are the same.

Low power flip-flop circuit

Growing community of inventors

Singapore, Singapore

Tae-Hyoung Kim