Rectifier system with failure alarm circuitry

A direct current power supply system comprising:

• (a) a transformer defining a primary, a secondary and a saturable core, said secondary defining a power section and a control section;
• (b) a rectifier circuit associated with said secondary power section so that rectified D.C. is supplied to a load via output terminals;
• (c) a resonance control circuit for simulating saturation of said core, said resonance control circuit comprising said secondary control section, a capacitor connected in parallel with said control section to define a tank circuit therewith, and controller means for controllably varying the impedance of said resonance control circuit in response to sensed conditions at said output terminals to simulate saturation of said cores;
• and,
• (d) rectifier failure alarm circuitry operatively connected to said controller means and comprising a rectifier failure alarm element operable between a first condition wherein a rectifier failure alarm is produced and a second condition, said rectifier failure alarm element operated to said first condition when said controller means operates to minimize the rectifier system output.

A power supply system for a D.C. load comprising:

• (a) a rechargeable battery having first and second terminals;
• (b) at least first and second rectifier units each having a first output terminal electrically connected to one battery terminal and to the load and a second output terminal electrically connected to the other battery terminal and the load, said rectifier units each comprising;
• (i) a ferroresonant transformer including a primary, a secondary and a saturable core;
• (ii) a rectification and filter circuit connected to a section of the transformer secondary to provide full wave rectified, filtered D.C. across said output terminals;
• (iii) ferroresonance control circuitry for controlling the output from said rectifier unit comprising a second section of said transformer secondary, a tank capacitor connected across said second section of said secondary to define a tank circuit therewith, and controller means for altering the effective impedance of said tank circuit to simulate saturation of said core in response to a sensed rectifier unit output condition;
• and
• (iv) rectifier failure alarm circuitry coupled to said ferroresonance control circuitry for detecting a condition of said ferroresonance control circuitry wherein the output of said rectifier unit is minimized and producing a rectifier failure alarm in response thereto.