Source voltage sensitive load controller
OwnerDennis E. Lewisinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method is provided for controlling electrical power from a power source to electrical loads in response to a decrease in power source voltage. A power source signal is compared to a predetermined signal voltage to determine whether and how much the voltage of the power source signal has decreased below that of a predetermined signal. A fraction of electrical power from the power source is transmitted to the loads as a function of how much the voltage of the power source signal has decreased below that of the predetermined signal.
Claims15
A controller for use in an electrical circuit connectable to a power source for providing an electrical power source signal having a waveform cycle to a load, the load capable of reducing the voltage magnitude of the power source signal below a predetermined level indicative of a sagged power source, the controller comprising:
- means for comparing the voltage magnitude of a received power source signal to the predetermined level indicative of a sagged power source and determining the magnitude of the difference therebetween;
- and
- means for decoupling the load from the power source for a progressively increasing portion of each cycle of the power source signal as the voltage magnitude of the power source signal progressively increasingly drops further below the predetermined level indicative of a sagged power source in order to permit the voltage magnitude of the power source signal to rise and recover more quickly to a normal operating voltage level.
A control circuit for use in an electrical circuit connectable to an alternating current (AC) power source for providing an electrical AC power source signal having a waveform cycle to a load, the load capable of reducing the voltage magnitude of the power source signal below a predetermined level indicative of a sagged power source, the circuit comprising:
- means for receiving a pulsed DC input signal originating from the AC power source signal, the pulsed DC input signal being synchronized with the waveform of the AC power source signal;
- means for generating a differential signal having a voltage level indicative of the amount that the voltage magnitude of the received power source signal has dropped below the predetermined level indicative of a sagged power source;
- a sawtooth generator for generating a sawtooth signal having a waveform in synchronization with a waveform of the power source signal;
- means for comparing the voltage levels of the sawtooth signal with that of the differential signal;
- and
- means for coupling the power source to a load during a portion of each cycle of the sawtooth signal when the voltage magnitude of the sawtooth signal has risen to a level equal to or greater than that of the differential signal so that power is progressively and increasingly reduced to the loads as the voltage magnitude of the power source signal progressively decreases with respect to the predetermined level indicative of a sagged power source.
A method for controlling electrical power from a power source having a power source signal having a waveform cycle to a load, the load capable of reducing the voltage magnitude of the power source signal below a predetermined level indicative of a sagged power source, the controller comprising the steps of:
- generating a differential signal having a voltage level indicative of the magnitude of the difference between the voltage magnitude of the power source signal below the predetermined level indicative of a sagged power source;
- and
- transmitting a progressively increasingly smaller portion of the cycle of the power source signal to a load as the voltage magnitude of the power source signal progressively and increasingly drops further below the predetermined level indicative of a sagged power source in order to permit the voltage magnitude of the power source signal to more quickly rise and recover to a normal operating voltage level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.