Drive circuit for DC latching devices
AssigneeHunter Industries, Inc.
InventorsLucian Scripca, Peter J. Woytowitz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drive circuit for a DC latching device includes a battery, a storage element, and a plurality of switches connecting the battery to the storage element for charging the storage element from the battery and discharging the storage element into the coil of a DC latching device. The drive circuit further includes components for determining a state of the DC latching device. The drive circuit may include components for terminating the discharge of the storage element into the coil of the DC latching device in response to determining that the DC latching device has changed states to add reliability to the system and reduce energy consumption.
Claims14
A drive circuit for a DC latching device, comprising:
- a battery;
- a storage element;
- a plurality of switches connecting the battery to the storage element for charging the storage element from the battery and discharging the storage element into the coil of a DC latching device;
- circuitry that determines when the DC latching device has changed states;
- and
- circuitry that terminates the discharge of the storage element into the coil of the DC latching device in response to determining that the DC latching device has changed states by detecting an inflection point in a discharge signal from the storage element.
An irrigation system, comprising:
- a valve having a pilot orifice that can be covered and uncovered to switch the valve between ON and OFF states;
- a DC latching solenoid having a coil and a plunger that reciprocates through the coil to cover and uncover the pilot orifice;
- a battery;
- a storage element;
- a plurality of switches connecting the battery to the storage element for charging the storage element from the battery and discharging the storage element into the coil of the solenoid;
- means for determining a state of the solenoid;
- and
- means for terminating the discharge of the storage element into the coil of the solenoid in response to a determination that the solenoid has changed states by detecting an inflection point in a discharge signal from the storage element.
A drive circuit for a DC latching device, comprising:
- a battery;
- a plurality of switches for momentarily energizing the coil of a DC latching device from the battery;
- circuitry that determines when the DC latching device has changed states;
- and
- circuitry that terminates the discharge of the battery into the coil of the DC latching device in response to determining that the DC latching device has changed states by detecting an inflection point in a discharge signal from the storage element.
A drive circuit for a DC latching device, comprising:
- a battery;
- a plurality of switches for momentarily energizing the coil of a DC latching device from the battery;
- a measurement circuit for detecting an inflection point in a voltage signal across the coil indicating that a plunger of the DC latching device has changed states;
- and
- a processor that terminates the discharge of energy through the coil when the inflection point has been detected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.