Electronic loads
AssigneeMagna-Power Electronics, Inc.
InventorsIra J. Pitel, Grant E. Pitel, Adam J. Pitel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for providing a test load includes a current source in series with a resistor circuit. The current source may be a MOSFET, a shunt resistor, and operational amplifier. The resistor circuit includes a plurality of resistors and a plurality of switching semiconductors. The resistors and Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors are arranged so that the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors can be switched on or off to place the resistors in series, parallel, or both with one another, thereby affecting the resistance of the resistor circuit. A microprocessor or digital signal processor outputs signals to switch the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors on or off.
Claims20
An apparatus for providing a test load comprising:
- a current source in series with a resistor circuit, the resistor circuit including a plurality of resistors including at least a first resistor and a second resistor and a plurality of switching semiconductors, the resistors and switching semiconductors arranged so that the switching semiconductors can be switched on or off to place the first and second resistors in series with one another or in parallel with one another at times that are not simultaneous or the switching semiconductors can be modulated on and off at a 50% duty cycle,
- thereby affecting the resistance of the resistor circuit.
An apparatus for providing a test load comprising:
- a current source in series with a resistor circuit, the current source comprising a MOSFET or other semiconductor device, a shunt resistor, and operational amplifier, the resistor circuit including a plurality of resistors banks including a first resistor and a second resistor and a plurality of switching semiconductors, the resistors and switching semiconductors arranged so that at times that are not simultaneous the switching semiconductors can be switched on or off to place the first and second resistors in series with one another or parallel with one another or the switching semiconductor can be modulated on and off, thereby affecting the resistance of the resistor circuit, and
- a microprocessor or digital signal processor outputting signals to switch the switching semiconductors on or off.
A method of providing a variable electrical load comprising
- connecting to a voltage to be exposed to the variable electrical load,
- providing a first amount of load in a current source MOSFET, and
- providing additional load in series with the MOSFET including electronically switching a plurality of resistors into and out of series and parallel relation with one another to cause load variations so that at least two resistors are sometimes in parallel with one another and the same two resistors are sometimes in series with one another but not simultaneously in parallel and series with one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.