# US 10,312,843 B2 · System including light emitting semiconductors for dissipating power > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,312,843 B2 - Document ID: US10312843B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/956,183 - Filed: 2018-04-18 - Published: 2019-01-10 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-07 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Applicants: The Boeing Company - Inventors: Brian J. Tillotson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10312843B2 ## CPC - H02P 7/29: using pulse modulation - H01F 7/064: {Circuit arrangements for actuating electromagnets (circuit arrangements for obtaining special operating characteristics H01F7/18; driving circuits for electromagnets making use of a switching regulator H01H47/325)} - H02M 7/5387: in a bridge configuration - H02P 7/04: {by means of a H-bridge circuit} - H05B 45/00: Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED] - H02M 1/327: {against abnormal temperatures} - H05B 45/30: Driver circuits - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A circuit is disclosed. The circuit includes an electric load, at least one electrical component in communication with the electric load, and at least one semiconductor. The at least one semiconductor is configured to emit light in response to a voltage drop across the at least one semiconductor, wherein the semiconductor is operatively connected to the electrical component and emits the light in response to the electric load generating a voltage spike during operation that causes the voltage drop across the at least one semiconductor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A circuit, comprising: an electric load; at least one electrical component in communication with the electric load; and at least one semiconductor configured to emit light in response to a voltage drop across the at least one semiconductor, wherein the at least one semiconductor is operatively connected to the at least one electrical component and emits the light in response to the electric load generating a voltage spike during operation that causes the voltage drop across the at least one semiconductor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1 wherein the electric load is an inductive load. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1 wherein the electric load is a solenoid valve. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1 wherein the at least one electrical component is a transistor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The circuit of claim 4 wherein the transistor includes an emitter and the at least one semiconductor diverts current away from the emitter of the transistor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The circuit of claim 4 comprising a plurality of transistors and a plurality of semiconductors, wherein each of the plurality of transistors is operatively connected in parallel with at least one of the plurality of semiconductors. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the circuit is an H-bridge circuit and the electric load is a direct current (DC) motor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the at least one semiconductor is a light emitting diode (LED). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1 wherein the at least one semiconductor is one of a laser diode and a single-junction photocell. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1 wherein the at least one semiconductor is configured to emit light in response to the voltage drop being equal to a forward voltage. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1 wherein a torque or a speed of the electric load is controlled based on pulse-width modulation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1 further comprising a relay configured to control the electric load. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The circuit of claim 12 further comprising a second semiconductor operatively connected in parallel with the relay. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The circuit of claim 13 wherein the second semiconductor is a light emitting diode (LED). ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1 further comprising an antiparallel semiconductor placed within the circuit with respect to the at least one semiconductor, wherein the antiparallel semiconductor is a light emitting diode. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1 wherein the at least one semiconductor is one semiconductor of a plurality of semiconductors, the plurality of semiconductors operatively connected to the at least one electrical component. ### Claim 17 A method for dissipating power in a circuit, comprising: driving an electric load of the circuit, wherein the circuit includes at least one electrical component in communication with the electric load, generating a voltage spike during operation of the electric load that causes a voltage drop across at least one semiconductor, wherein the at least one semiconductor is operatively connected to the at least one electrical component; and emitting light by the at least one semiconductor in response to the voltage drop across the at least one semiconductor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one semiconductor is configured to emit light in response to the voltage drop being at least equal to a forward voltage of the circuit. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one electrical component is a transistor, the transistor including an emitter, and wherein the at least one semiconductor emitting light diverts current away from the emitter. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one semiconductor is one of a light emitting diode, a laser diode, and a single junction photocell.