Power supply with multiple AC input voltages

• US 6,563,721 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2000
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomas & Betts International LLC (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Thomas & Betts International Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Rapeanu, Radu
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Rajnikant B.
• Application Number:
  US09/709,213
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 363/34, 363/37, 363/40, 363/41, 363/50, 363/56, 363/142, 363/55, 363/21.01, 323/255, 323/237, 323/901, 323/222
• US Class Current: 363/34
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0006 Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/10 Arrangements incorporating converting means for enabling loads to be operated at will from different kinds of power supplies, e.g. from ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/05 Capacitor coupled rectifiers

Abstract

The present invention provides a simple circuit for a DC power supply. The power supply circuit of the present invention includes a transformer in combination with a switching power supply circuit. The transformer includes a primary winding to which a wide range of AC input voltages is applied and a secondary winding for supplying the resultant AC voltage range as an input voltage to the switching power supply circuit. The switching power supply circuit further includes an input terminal having the input voltage applied thereto by the secondary winding and further having an output terminal from which a DC power supply output is generated. The transformer can be selected from a group of transformers consisting of step-down, step-up and repeater transformers. The switching power supply circuit may be selected from any convention switching power supply circuit including step-up, step, down and inverter converters, and combinations thereof, or even linear configurations.

Claims

1. A power supply for delivering a constant DC output from a wide range of AC input voltages, said power supply comprising:

a transformer in combination with a switching power supply circuit, wherein said transformer includes a primary winding to which said wide range of AC input voltages is applied and a secondary winding for supplying said AC voltage range as an input voltage to said switching power supply;

wherein said switching power supply circuit includes an input terminal for acceptance of said wide range of AC input voltages from said secondary winding, an output terminal from which a stable DC power supply output voltage is generated independent of said AC input voltage, an igniter circuit in electrical communication with a control circuit for delivering a minimum activation voltage to said control circuit for a predetermined temporal duration sufficient for activation of said control circuit after which said temporal duration said power supply output voltage supplies said control circuit with said stable DC voltage.

2. The power supply of claim 1 wherein said switching power supply circuit is a self-supplied DC/DC switching power supply circuit.

3. The power supply of claim 2 wherein said switching power supply circuit is selected from the group of DC/DC converters consisting of step-down, step-up and inverter converters and any combination thereof.

4. The power supply of claim 2 wherein said switching power supply circuit is a linear power supply.

5. The power supply of claim 1 wherein said transformer is selected from the group of transformers consisting of step-down, step-up and repeater transformers.

6. The power supply of claim 1 wherein said transformer is a single input transformer.