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Ask an Expert Forum Any interest in collaborating on a parasitic inductance power supply? It could be used to power small LV projects like IoT nodes and microcontrollers...
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  • microcontrollers
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Any interest in collaborating on a parasitic inductance power supply? It could be used to power small LV projects like IoT nodes and microcontrollers...

PPE_COOP
PPE_COOP over 1 year ago

I have been thinking about a design for this for some time. Mostly to help with another project im working on but I thought other people may be interested in the possibilities also. I have already filed a provisional, please see below. Im possibly looking for help developing the idea into a full product/utility patent. I have one utility patent already and understand the process. The problem is that I am completely self taught and could really benefit from a development partner with better engineering skills than myself. I'm not sure if this is a place to ask for this type of help and I apologize if it's not. Please see the excerpt from the application below.

Parasitic inductance power supply


FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for providing
low-voltage power to single or multiple devices using inductive coupling, which is
facilitated through the mains power feeders of other apparatuses or equipment.
BACKGROUND
[0002] There is a frequent requirement for extracting power from mains supply to
operate low-voltage devices, such as sensors or communication equipment, which
may be independent or integrated with the mains-powered equipment. The
conventional approach involves direct connections to mains power, necessitating the
use of mains-rated power supplies, fuses and complex power electronics. This
method is often excessive for devices needing only milliampere-level current at very
low voltage. An alternative, more efficient solution is the use of parasitic inductive
coupling, which allows for the extraction of power without physically connecting to
the mains conductors. This method can efficiently power various devices, including
battery chargers, ensuring continuous power supply to low-power equipment, even
when the mains power is switched off.


SUMMARY
[0003] This invention involves a method where a coil of wire is wrapped around an
AC mains power conductor connected to power utilization or generation equipment.
Functioning similarly to a current transformer, the fluctuating magnetic flux from
the mains conductor induces an electrical potential in the coil. This induced voltage
is then modified and regulated through electronic circuitry, enabling it to power
small, low-voltage loads. This method effectively eliminates the need for direct
electrical connections to the mains conductors, offering a simpler and less intrusive
power supply solution for low-power devices.

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Top Replies

  • baldengineer
    baldengineer over 1 year ago in reply to PPE_COOP +3
    Perhaps you need to read what I wrote again because you missed the most critical part. Fundamentally, wrapping a coil around an AC mains cable is pointless unless you separate the conductors. Which…
  • anniel747
    anniel747 over 1 year ago +2
    Deleted
  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 1 year ago in reply to javagoza +2
    Just add electronics... TI Designs: TIDA-01385 Energy Harvesting From Current Transformer With Supercapacitor for Fault Indicator Reference Design https://www.ti.com/lit/ug/tidud59/tidud59.pdf
Parents
  • dougw
    dougw over 1 year ago

    Scavenging power from power lines is a technically interesting topic that has been around for a long time, and there are many circuits and systems that have been successfully built to do it. For commercial applications there are many issues to deal with, including cost, efficiency and legality, to name a few. 

    I wouldn't discourage exploring this idea, but I would suggest looking for a killer app where the various issues are outweighed by the advantages, and then try to optimize a feasible solution. Maybe something like a device that drives along high voltage powerlines inspecting the lines.

    Here is an interesting experiment in power scavenging that provides some insight into cost and performance:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLS8pbDNHbk&ab_channel=HyperspacePirate

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  • scottiebabe
    scottiebabe over 1 year ago in reply to dougw

    en.m.wikipedia.org/.../Wireless_powerline_sensor

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  • PPE_COOP
    PPE_COOP over 1 year ago in reply to scottiebabe

    Very cool i've never heard of those!

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  • robogary
    robogary over 1 year ago in reply to scottiebabe

    There are also metering that sends the digital data down the power lines. Downstream Transformers do it in tho, and other PWM generators on the power lines require it to have alot of filtering which really restricts bandwidth.    :-( 

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  • robogary
    robogary over 1 year ago in reply to scottiebabe

    There are also metering that sends the digital data down the power lines. Downstream Transformers do it in tho, and other PWM generators on the power lines require it to have alot of filtering which really restricts bandwidth.    :-( 

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  • PPE_COOP
    PPE_COOP over 1 year ago in reply to robogary

    I would imagine maybe they could bypass the transformers with caps to pass the signal if needed although maybe not with AC? I guess that would not work great LOL

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