Remotely-powdered and remotely-addressed zero-standby-current energy-accumulating high-power solenoid drivers, particularly for systems that are micropowered

In an electrical system for producing a high power drive having

• a first energy storage means for producing an output signal at a voltage relatively lower than an arbitrary voltage level, and at a power relatively lower than an arbitrary power level,
• a signal driver circuit means, receiving the relatively-lower-voltage relatively-lower-power output signal, for producing a plurality of drive signals that are also of a voltage lower than the arbitrary voltage level, and of a power relatively lower than the arbitrary power level, and
• a plurality of remotely-powered high-power pulse drivers remotely situated from and powered by drive signals received from the signal driver circuit means, the improvement wherein each such pulse driver comprises:
• a low-energy second energy storage means, receiving the relatively-lower-voltage relatively-lower-power drive signals, for storing power and energy therefrom;
• a low-power gating means, powered by the second energy storage means and receiving at least one of the plurality of drive signals, for controllably gating at least one drive signal received as a charging signal still having a power relatively lower than the arbitrary power level;
• a low-equivalent-series-resistance high-self-discharge-current high-energy third energy storage means for receiving the relatively-lower-power charging signal, and for storing the energy in such received charging signal;
• a high power gating means for controllably gating the energy stored by the third energy storage means as an electrical pulse having a relatively higher power than any of the plurality of drive signals, and a relatively higher power than the arbitrary power level;
• and
• control means for controlling the low-power gating means to gate at least one drive signal to the third storage means as the charging signal, and
• for controlling the high power gating means to gate the energy stored by the third storage means as the electrical pulse only upon the lapse of such time as has permitted a predetermined amount of energy to be stored.

An energy accumulator/pulse discharge circuit responsive to an external signal that is, at some times of its occurrence between its beginning and its cessation, exclusively unipolar and that is, at other times of its occurrence, bipolar, for producing, at separate times, high-power electric pulses at each of two polarities, the circuit comprising:

• an energy accumulation means for receiving, at times, a charging signal at either of two polarities, and for accumulating over time the energy of this signal;
• a first switch means controllable for gating each polarity of the external signal that is, at some times of its occurrence, exclusively unipolar and that is, at other times of its occurrence, bipolar, to the energy accumulation means as the charging signal from which energy may be accumulated;
• a second switch means controllable
• for gating the energy accumulated by the energy accumulation means as an electrical pulse at a one, first, polarity in the event that the energy accumulation means received, via the first switch means, a charging signal at each of two polarities, and
• for gating the energy accumulated by the energy accumulation means as an electrical pulse at an opposite, second, polarity in the event that the energy accumulation means received, via the first switch means, a charging signal at only one polarity;
• and
• a control circuit means,
• responsive to the external signal,
• and responsive to the magnitude of energy accumulated over time by the accumulation means,
• for controlling the first switch to gate the external signal to the energy accumulation means only until a predetermined amount of energy is stored, and not thereafter, and
• for controlling the second switch means to gate the energy accumulated by the accumulation means as the electrical pulse only upon such times as the predetermined amount of energy has been stored;
• wherein a bipolar external signal is converted to a unipolar electrical pulse of the first polarity;
• and
• wherein a unipolar external signal is converted to a unipolar electrical pulse of the opposite, second, polarity.

A drive circuit for a solenoid coil, the drive circuit being responsive to a polarized external control signal bearing both (i) information and (ii) polarized external power from an external source of power for causing the solenoid coil to produce an electromagnetic field in each of two senses, the solenoid coil drive circuit comprising:

• an electrical coil energizing means responsive to a first actuating electrical pulse at a first polarity to energize the solenoid coil to produce the electromagnetic field in a first one of it's two alternative senses, and responsive to a second actuating pulse of an opposite polarity to energize the solenoid coil to produce the electromagnetic field in the other, second, one of it's two alternative senses;
• and
• a zero standby current pulse amplifier means responsive to the information within the external control signal for controllably selectively using the power that is also within the external signal for producing both the first and the second electrical actuating pulses to which the electrical coil energizing means is responsive for energizing the solenoid coil, the zero standby current pulse amplifier means
• using power supplied by the source of power successively at each of two polarities in order to produce the first actuating electrical pulse, and, alternatively,
• using power supplied by the source of power at only a one of the two polarities to produce the second actuating electrical pulse,
• the pulse amplifier otherwise, and during such times as it is not enabled by information within the external control signal to produce the actuating electrical pulses by which the solenoid coil is energized, using substantially no power from the source of power;
• wherein the solenoid coil is energized by the same external signal that, by the information that it bears, serves to energize the solenoid coil;
• wherein the sense of the electromagnetic field produced in the solenoid coil is controllably selected by the same external signal that, by the power that it bears, serves to energize the solenoid coil;
• wherein during such periods of time as the solenoid coil is not selected by information within the external control signal, it uses substantially no power.