Light flicker eliminating circuit

• US 4,383,201 A
• Filed: 04/21/1981
• Issued: 05/10/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Textron Inc
• Original Assignee: Textron Inc
• Inventors: Brandon, George M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Harold A.
• Application Number:
  US06/256,122
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 315/282, 315/307, 315/310, 315/311, 315/78
• US Class Current: 315/78
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/38 semiconductor devices only

Abstract

A voltage regulating circuit for eliminating flicker in lights fed by an electric generator driven by an internal combustion engine comprises a transformer having an input connected in series with the output of the generator and with the lights, and a control winding connected in a control circuit. The control circuit comprises a resistor and a transistor or solid state switch for shorting the resistor except during the power strokes of the engine when the engine speed and hence the voltage of the generator are cyclically higher. The voltage at the output of the transformer is thereby reduced during the power strokes of the engine to a value substantially equal to the voltage during exhaust strokes, thereby eliminating visible flicker in the lights.

Claims

1. Voltage regulating circuit for an electric generator driven by an internal combustion engine having a drive shaft the rotational speed of which is periodically higher in a power stroke than in an exhaust stroke, said circuit comprising an output transformer having an input connected with the output of said generator, an output connected with a load and a control winding, control circuit means connected with said control winding to control the flow of current therethrough and thereby modify the output voltage of said transformer and means synchronized with said engine for cyclically implementing said control circuit to reduce the output voltage of said secondary winding during the power stroke of said engine to a value equal to said voltage during the exhaust stroke.

2. Voltage regulating circuit according to claim 1, in which said control circuit comprises a control resistor connected across said control winding, control switch means connected in parallel with said control winding and said control resistor, and trigger means synchronized with said engine to close said switch means except during the power stroke of said engine to short circuit said control resistor.

3. Voltage regulating circuit according to claim 2, in which said control circuit further includes rectifying means between said control winding and said control resistor and switch means, whereby alternating current induced in said control winding is rectified by said rectifying means.

4. Voltage regulating circuit according to claim 2, in which said trigger means comprises means coupled with said engine shaft to sense rotation of said shaft and flip-flop means controlled by said sensing means.

5. Voltage regulating circuit according to claim 4, in which said trigger means further includes switch means for reversing the phase of said flip-flop means.

6. Voltage regulating circuit according to claim 3, in which said control switch means comprises a transistor the conductivity of which is controlled by said trigger means.

7. Voltage regulating circuit according to claim 2, in which said control switch means comprises solid state switch means controlled by said trigger means.

8. Voltage regulating circuit according to claim 1, in which said means synchronized with said engine comprises means for rectifying the output voltage of said generator, low pass filter means for filtering out frequencies of 50 Hz and above, high pass filter means for filtering out DC components and Schmitt trigger means responsive to the output of said filter means.

9. Voltage regulating circuit according to claim 8, comprising feed-back isolation means between said control circuit means and said means synchronized with said engine.

10. Voltage regulating means according to claim 9, in which said feed-back isolation means comprises a photo-coupler.