Opto-electrical power transmission and control system
First Claim
1. An opto-electrical power transmission and control system for proportionally controlling the operation of an electro-magnetic torque motor in response to the intensity of light emitted from a source, comprising:
- a light source operatively arranged to selectively emit light at a controllable intensity;
a photodiode having a receiver surface operatively arranged to be illuminated by incident light emitted from said source and having an electrical output; and
an electro-magnetic torque motor operatively connected to the output of said photodiode, said torque motor having an output proportional to input current, wherein the maximum torque motor input voltage due to resistive and inductive reactance required to produce the maximum desired torque motor current at the maximum, torque motor coil temperature and the maximum torque motor control frequency does not exceed the forward conductive breakdown voltage of said photodiode;
whereby, the output of said torque motor will be substantially proportional to the intensity of light emitted from said source.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A lase diode light source (21) is arranged to emit light of a desired intensity (I1), which is transmitted via an optical conductor (22). Light exiting the fiber has an intensity (I2), and falls incident on the receiver surface of a photodiode (23). Such transmitted light provides both the power and control for operating a load (24). The load has a maximum impedance such that the maximum load input voltage required to produce the maximum desired load current does not exceed the forward conductive breakdown voltage of the photodiode.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. An opto-electrical power transmission and control system for proportionally controlling the operation of an electro-magnetic torque motor in response to the intensity of light emitted from a source, comprising:
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a light source operatively arranged to selectively emit light at a controllable intensity; a photodiode having a receiver surface operatively arranged to be illuminated by incident light emitted from said source and having an electrical output; and an electro-magnetic torque motor operatively connected to the output of said photodiode, said torque motor having an output proportional to input current, wherein the maximum torque motor input voltage due to resistive and inductive reactance required to produce the maximum desired torque motor current at the maximum, torque motor coil temperature and the maximum torque motor control frequency does not exceed the forward conductive breakdown voltage of said photodiode; whereby, the output of said torque motor will be substantially proportional to the intensity of light emitted from said source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. The method of transmitting power to, and proportionally controlling the operation of, an electric power-consuming load, the output of which is proportional to its input current, comprising the steps of:
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selectively emitting light from a power source; controlling the intensity of such light emitted by said power source; illuminating the receiver surface of a first photodiode with light emitted by said power source; supplying the electrical output of said first photodiode to an electrically-operated switch capable of prefixing said first photodiode electrical output with a desired polarity; selectively emitting light from a signal source; illuminating the receiver surface of a second photodiode with light emitted by said signal source; and operating said switch in response to the electrical output of said second photodiode.
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13. An opto-electrical power transmission and control system for proportionally controlling the operation of an electrical load in response to the intensity of light emitted from a source, comprising:
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a first photodiode having a first receiver surface and having a first electrical output arranged to produce a first current when said first receiver surface is illuminated with incident light from said source; a second photodiode having a second receiver surface and having a second electrical output arranged to produce a second current when said second receiver surface is illuminated with incident light from said source, said second photodiode output being connected in parallel with said first photodiode output; an electrical power-consuming load connected to said first and second photodiode outputs such that said first and second currents will oppose one another in said load, said load having a maximum impedance such that the maximum load input voltage required to produce the maximum desired load current does not exceed the forward conductive breakdown voltage of either of said photodiodes; and means for selectively and controllably illuminating said first and second receiver on a mutually-exclusive basis to create a current of desired polarity and magnitude in said load. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. An opto-electrical power transmission and control system for proportionally controlling the operation of an electric load in response to the intensity of light emitted from a source, comprising:
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a power light source operatively arranged to selectively emit light at a controllable intensity; a first photodiode having a first receiver surface arranged to be illuminated with light emitted by said power source and operative to produce an electrical output in response to such incident light; an electric power-consuming load arranged to receive the output of said first photodiode, said load having an output proportional to input current, said load having a maximum impedance such that the maximum load input voltage required to produce the maximum desired load current does not exceed the forward conductive breakdown voltage of said first photodiode; an electrically-operated switch interposed between said first photodiode and load for selectively causing the electrical output of said first photodiode to have a desired polarity; a signal light source operatively arranged to selectively emit light at a controllable intensity; a second photodiode having a second receiver surface arranged to be illuminated with light emitted by said signal source and operative to produce an electrical output in response to such incident light; and a controller arranged to receive the electrical output from said second photodiode and to operate said switch in response to the light emitted by said signal source; whereby the current in said load will have a magnitude substantially proportional to the intensity of light emitted by said power source, and will have a polarity determined by the light emitted by said signal source. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. The method of transmitting power to, and proportionally controlling operation of, and electric power-consuming load, the output of which is proportional to its input current, in response to the intensity of light emitted from a source, comprising the steps of:
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causing said source to selectively emit light; controlling the intensity of such emitted light; connecting the electrical outputs of two photodiodes in parallel with said load such that current produced by said photodiode will oppose one another in said load, said load having a maximum impedance such that the maximum load input voltage required to produce the maximum desired load current does not exceed the forward conductive breakdown voltage of either photodiode; and selectively illuminating the receiver surfaces of said photodiodes with such emitted light on a mutually-exclusive basis; thereby to control the polarity and magnitude of the output of said load.
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28. The method of transmitting power to, and proportionally controlling the operation of, an electro-magnetic torque motor, the output of which is proportional to its input current, in response to the intensity of light emitted from a source, comprising the steps of:
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causing said source to selectively emit light; controlling the intensity of such emitted light; illuminating the receiver surface of a photodiode with such emitted light to produce and electrical signal; controlling the polarity of such electrical signal; and supplying such electrical signal to said torque motor, wherein the maximum torque motor input voltage due to resistive and inductive reactance required to produce the maximum desired torque motor current at the maximum torque motor coil temperature and the maximum torque motor control frequency does not exceed the forward conductive breakdown voltage of said photodiode; thereby to cause the magnitude of the output of said torque motor to be substantially proportional to the intensity of such emitted light. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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Specification