US 11,957,054 B2
Thermoelectric generator
Isao Shibata, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to KELK Ltd., Kanagawa (JP)
Appl. No. 17/640,233
Filed by KELK Ltd., Kanagawa (JP)
PCT Filed Sep. 16, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/035094
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 3, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/065514, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 8, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-181598 (JP), filed on Oct. 1, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0320411 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. H10N 10/17 (2023.01); H10N 10/01 (2023.01)
CPC H10N 10/17 (2023.02) [H10N 10/01 (2023.02)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A thermoelectric generator comprising:
a thermoelectric generation module;
a power storage configured to store electric charge generated from the thermoelectric generation module;
a transceiver configured to operate based on receiving the electric charge from the power storage, the transceiver being configured to transmit a transmission signal based on a voltage of the power storage exceeding a predetermined voltage;
a switching electric circuit configured to switch between supply and stop of a discharge of the electric charge from the power storage to the transceiver, the switching electric circuit being configured to start the discharge of the electric charge from the power storage to the transceiver based on the power storage being charged to the predetermined voltage; and
a microcomputer configured to control the switching electric circuit to stop the discharge of the electric charge from the power storage to the transceiver,
wherein the microcomputer is configured to control the switching electric circuit to stop the discharge of the electric charge from the power storage to the transceiver before the power storage is exhausted to thereby charge the power storage to the predetermined voltage.