Thyristor load detector
AssigneeGrimes Aerospace Company
InventorCharles A. Roudeski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is described in which load current present in a thyristor device may be detected by monitoring the characteristic voltage found on the gate of the thyristor. Load status information may be used in various ways such as, to turn off the output, to signal a load voltage, or to act as a lamp-fail reset on an aircraft passenger reading light.
Claims8
A method of detecting the presence of load current in a circuit, comprising the steps of:
- connecting a thyristor in series with a supply voltage and a load;
- and
- monitoring a voltage found on a gate of said thyristor.
A method of detecting the presence of load current in a circuit, comprising the steps of:
- connecting a thyristor in series with a load and a supply voltage;
- monitoring a voltage found on a gate of said thyristor;
- and
- sensing said thyristor's gate voltage to determine if its magnitude is sufficient to assume load current is present in said thyristor.
A circuit for detecting the presence of load current in a circuit having a load and a supply voltage, comprising:
- a thyristor connected in series with said load and said supply voltage, said thyristor having a gate;
- a gate drive transistor in electrical communication with said gate of said thyristor;
- a load sensing circuit in electrical communication with said gate of said thyristor, wherein said load sensing circuit is further comprised of:
- a sampling latch in electrical communication with said gate of said thyristor for retaining fault comparator decision until the next sample is received;
- and
- wherein said load sensing circuit delays in the monitoring of said gate voltage to allow a gate capacitance on said gate enough time to discharge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.