Switching power supply with AC waveform capability
AssigneeIAP Research, Inc.
InventorsJohn P. Barber, Antonios Challita, Robert C. Cravens, II
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A switching power supply which generates AC power, as opposed to DC power. A transistor opens and closes to thereby generate charge-discharge cycles through an inductor-resistor combination. Each charging current is compared with a reference waveform which changes slowly over time, compared with the opening and closing of the transistor. When each charging current exceeds the then-current value of the waveform, the transistor is opened, inducing a discharge cycle. This operation produces an output power waveform which is a replica of the reference waveform.
Claims12
In a switching power supply, which contains a switch which pulses current through an inductor, the improvement comprising:
- a) means for measuring a current controlled by the switch;
- and
- b) means for comparing that current with a time-varying reference and, at the time of comparison, if the current exceeds the reference, opening the switch, wherein
- i) the time-varying reference is generated by a signal generator,
- ii) the signal generator accepts user input and, in response, changes the waveform of the time-varying reference.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.