A Wide-Range Charge Controller for Solar Sensor

Abstract

The solar energy conversion driven by the solar sensor (or the so-called solar cell) has become an important and feasible way to solve global energy crisis while at the same time minimizing environmental pollution. The solar charge controller is the key of its active system for the signal processing circuits involved. In this paper, a fully integrated solar charge controller is presented. The charger has wide input voltage range about 10–28 V for the solar-powered panel. The input loop regulation is used here as the maximum power point tracking protection. This charger also provides different kinds of battery voltages about 4–12 V. The controller system uses just one error amplifier (EA) and no external compensation components is needed. Besides, this controller has 600-kHz pulse-width modulation (PWM) and offers the over-current/over-voltage protection. Other components like bandgap, reference generator, saw-tooth generator, register controller and driver circuits are all implemented in this circuit. This chip is fabricated in a 0.4-μm 5 V/40 V 2P4M process. The power consumption of this full-integrated solar charge controller IC is about 10 mA.