Pulse transformer circuit for isolating electrical signals
US5499176A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 12, 1993 |
| Grant date | Mar 12, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 12, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S323/902
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A signal isolator circuit employing a pulse transformer overcomes the disadvantages of both prior art opto-coupler and pulse transformer signal isolator circuits by employing an active signal retrieval circuit which, in a higher accuracy configuration, repetitively performs the following steps on the electrical side of the pulse transformer where the signal information is required: 1) drives a current pulse into the pulse transformer; 2) samples or detects the voltage across the pulse transformer after it has been stabilized; 3) holds or stores the sampled voltage for a full cycle of operation; and, if necessary, 4) filters the sampled signal. On the other electrical side of the pulse transformer, the retrieval circuitry is configured such that when the pulse transformer is being driven by the current pulse, the voltage will be clamped by the source signal reset. In a lower accuracy configuration, the signal retrieval circuit of the present invention performs the same steps set forth above with the exception that, rather than sampling the voltage across the pulse transformer, the reflected impedance is detected as being either high or low, by some quantitative measure, and the dete…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.