Method and apparatus for efficiently driving a low-voltage device from a wide-range input supply
US6667583B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 7, 2002 |
| Grant date | Dec 23, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 7, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02M3/1555
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method an apparatus for efficiently driving a low-voltage device from a wide-range input supply uses and inductor and a diode coupled in parallel to provide a high-efficiency energy storage circuit. The parallel diode/inductor circuit is coupled to a switch for intermittently supplying a current to maintain a level of energy storage in the circuit. The switch is coupled to a control circuit for controlling the switch. The external device be a relay and the inductor may be a coil of the relay. The external device may be one or more LEDs connected in series and the diode may be the series LED circuit. The control circuit may include a fault-tolerant synchronization input for connection to multiple driver circuits, whereby audible noise produced by beat frequencies between the relays is eliminated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.