Drive circuit for electroluminescent panels and the like
US5576601A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 8, 1994 |
| Grant date | Nov 19, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 8, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02B20/30
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A drive circuit for an electroluminescent panel applies an AC voltage cycle at typical power cycle frequencies by increasing the voltage profile in discrete, pulsed steps at a rate which is at least one order of magnitude greater than the AC frequencies applied to power the panel. A transformer through which the power pulses are applied to the panel is of smaller size than state of the art resonant transformers for applying power cycles to electroluminescent panels. The reduced size of the transformer is advantageous in packaging the drive circuit in portable devices using electroluminescent panels. The voltage steps at the leading edge of the voltage excursions of the AC cycle applied to the panel may be programmably changed to adjust the light output of the panel, or to adjust the power applied by the circuit to correspond to the size of the panel to which the power is applied.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.