Patent ID: 7545117

Claim:
An electronic device which captures and accumulates variable levels of electrical energy in a soft storage means until the accumulated energy is of such a level that it can be efficiently transferred to a hard storage means, said device comprising: a) a source of variable and intermittent electrical energy; b) a first stage energy storage means suitable for capturing and accumulating the electrical energy from the source, said first energy storage means having essentially no minimum threshold voltage for accumulating energy; c) a second stage energy storage means, which is capable of receiving said electrical energy from said first stage energy storage means and storing said electrical energy for later use; and, d) an electronic means which senses and monitors a voltage of the energy accumulated in the first stage storage means and then activating a charge management electronics means when said voltage of said first stage storage exceeds a variable but preset voltage thereby efficiently charging the second stage energy storage means, and wherein said preset voltage conforms to a minimum threshold for activation of said second stage energy storage means and said charge management electronics means further controls the charging current to conform to a variable but predetermined battery chemistry requirement of said second stage energy storage means.