Voltage regulator for physically remote loads

• US 7,158,042 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2004
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Lederer, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US10/961,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20050088162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 340/660, 340/661, 340/693.1, 340/693.4, 340/870.39, 323/281, 330/297, 700/297, 700/298
• US Class Current: 340/660
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/56 using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices G05F1/461 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a voltage regulator for physically remote loads (2) with an adjustable power supply (9) for the load (2), with a measurement device (11, 12) assigned to the load (2) for creating a digital measurement signal, which is transmitted over a digital data channel (13) arranged between a data source (15) and a data sink (17) to a setting device (18 to 20) for the power supply (9).

Claims

1. A voltage regulator for regulating voltage in a remote load, comprising:

an adjustable power supply for providing power to the load;

a measuring device for measuring an electrical quantity of the load and generating a corresponding digital signal;

a data channel arranged between a data source and a data receiver; and

a control device for adjusting the power supply, wherein

the digital signal is transmitted over the data channel from the measuring device to the control device.

2. The voltage regulator according to claim 1, wherein the electrical quantity is a voltage of the load.

3. The voltage regulator according to claim 2, further comprising a comparator for comparing the voltage of the load to a further voltage of a reference voltage source.

4. The voltage regulator according to claim 3, wherein the measuring device comprises the comparator.

5. The voltage regulator according to claim 1, further comprising a digital adding device connected to the measuring device, the adding device having an input for a data signal originating from the data source and an output for connecting the adding device to the data channel, wherein the adding device processes a composition signal by merging the digital signal with the data signal.

6. The voltage regulator according to claim 1, wherein the control device comprises an integrator for adjusting the power supply.

7. The voltage regulator according to claim 5, further comprising a decoder connected to an input of the control device, the decoder having an input for connecting the data channel to the decoder and an output for connecting the decoder to the data receiver, wherein the decoder is adapted to obtain the digital signal from the composition signal.

8. A method of regulating the voltage of a remote load, comprising:

measuring an electrical quantity of the load;

generating a digital signal corresponding to the electrical quantity;

transmitting the digital signal over a data channel to a control device for adjusting a power supply for providing power to the load; and

adjusting the power supply based on the transmitted digital signal by the control device.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the digital signal is transmitted over a data channel arranged between a data source and a data receiver.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a data signal originating from the data source and the digital signal are merged into a composition signal transmitted to the data receiver.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the composition signal is filtered by a decoder for obtaining the digital signal from the composition signal.