Design of a battery-operated low-current smart DC power supply

• Main Author: Huang, Danshan
• Other Authors: Chen Tupei
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/71594
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Although a DC supply, such as a battery may be available, its available voltage is not high enough for the system being supplied. For example, the motors used in driving electric automobiles require much higher voltages (e.g. 200V) than could be supplied by a battery alone. Even if banks of batteries were used, the extra weight and space taken up would be too great to be practical. The answer to this problem is to use fewer batteries and to boost the available DC voltage to the required level by using a boost converter. In this project, the student will design a battery-operated smart low-current DC power supply based on DC-to-DC boost converter for the application of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC). PDLC has been used in smart windows or switchable windows, skylights, liquid crystal display, and mini blinds, etc. The DC-to-DC boost converter is operated with a low-voltage battery (e.g., a 1.5 V battery cell). It should be able to generate DC voltage with variable magnitude (The voltage for actual PDLC application is usually 50V or higher. In this project, in the design of the converter, the voltage can be targeted at the level of 50V; however, in the experimental test of the fabricated converter, the voltage must be lower than 30V due to the consideration of safety risk.). The output (on/off) of the DC power supply can be remotely controlled by a smartphone using bluetooth. In addition, output (on/off) of the DC power supply can be also automatically controlled in terms of the level of light intensity of the environment.