Inductively coupled ballast circuit
First Claim
1. A non-contact power transfer system comprising:
- a non-contact power supply including;
a primary subcircuit having a primary;
a sensor connected to said primary subcircuit, said sensor sensing an amplitude of a first characteristic of power in said primary subcircuit;
a control circuit supplying power to said primary, said control circuit varying a second characteristic of said power supplied to said primary as a function of said amplitude of said first characteristic of power in said primary subcircuit sensed by said sensor;
an electronic component separable from said non-contact power supply, said electronic component being absent from physical interconnection with said non-contact power supply and absent from electrical connection with said non-contact power supply, said electronic component and said non-contact power supply capable of inductively coupling when in sufficient proximity to each other said electronic component includes;
a secondary for inductively coupling with said primary, said secondary being absent from physical interconnection with said primary, said secondary being absent from electrical connection with said primary, wherein said primary is capable of inductively energizing said secondary; and
a load electrically connected to said secondary, whereby power is provided to said load by said secondary,whereby said electronic component is readily placeable in sufficient proximity to said non-contact power supply to inductively receive power without the need to make electrical connection with said non-contact power supply and without the need to make physical interconnection with said non-contact power supply, andwhereby said electronic component is readily removable from the sufficient proximity of said non-contact power supply without the need to disconnect electrical connection with said non-contact power supply and without the need to disconnect physical interconnection with said non-contact power supply.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A ballast circuit is disclosed for inductively providing power to a load. The ballast circuit includes an oscillator, a driver, a switching circuit, a resonant tank circuit and a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit provides a current feedback signal to the oscillator that is representative of the current in the resonant tank circuit. The current feedback signal drives the frequency of the ballast circuit causing the ballast circuit to seek resonance. The ballast circuit preferably includes a current limit circuit that is inductively coupled to the resonant tank circuit. The current limit circuit disables the ballast circuit when the current in the ballast circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside a predetermined range.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A non-contact power transfer system comprising:
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a non-contact power supply including; a primary subcircuit having a primary; a sensor connected to said primary subcircuit, said sensor sensing an amplitude of a first characteristic of power in said primary subcircuit; a control circuit supplying power to said primary, said control circuit varying a second characteristic of said power supplied to said primary as a function of said amplitude of said first characteristic of power in said primary subcircuit sensed by said sensor; an electronic component separable from said non-contact power supply, said electronic component being absent from physical interconnection with said non-contact power supply and absent from electrical connection with said non-contact power supply, said electronic component and said non-contact power supply capable of inductively coupling when in sufficient proximity to each other said electronic component includes; a secondary for inductively coupling with said primary, said secondary being absent from physical interconnection with said primary, said secondary being absent from electrical connection with said primary, wherein said primary is capable of inductively energizing said secondary; and a load electrically connected to said secondary, whereby power is provided to said load by said secondary, whereby said electronic component is readily placeable in sufficient proximity to said non-contact power supply to inductively receive power without the need to make electrical connection with said non-contact power supply and without the need to make physical interconnection with said non-contact power supply, and whereby said electronic component is readily removable from the sufficient proximity of said non-contact power supply without the need to disconnect electrical connection with said non-contact power supply and without the need to disconnect physical interconnection with said non-contact power supply. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for supplying power from a wireless power supply to an electronic component through an inductive coupling, comprising the steps of:
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removably placing at least one of a secondary of the electronic component and a primary of the wireless power supply into sufficient proximity of the other absent of physical interconnection between the electronic component and the wireless power supply and absent of electrical connection between the electronic component and the wireless power supply; supplying a power at a frequency to the primary to transfer power across an inductive coupling between the primary and the secondary absent of physical interconnection between the primary and the secondary, and absent of electrical connection between the primary and the secondary; generating power within the secondary across the inductive coupling, the generated power being applied to the load of the electronic component; monitoring an amplitude of a first characteristic of power in the primary subcircuit, the monitored amplitude being affected by a characteristic of the load reflected through the inductive coupling; and adjusting a second characteristic of the power supplied to the primary as a function of the monitored amplitude of the first characteristic of power, whereby the electronic component is readily placeable in sufficient proximity to the non-contact power supply to inductively receive power without the need to make electrical connection with the non-contact power supply and without the need to make physical interconnection with the non-contact power supply, and whereby the electronic component is readily removable from the sufficient proximity of the non-contact power supply without the need to disconnect electrical connection with the non-contact power supply and without the need to disconnect physical interconnection with the non-contact power supply. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. An inductive coupling, comprising:
a primary circuit having; a subcircuit containing a primary, a sensor for sensing an amplitude in said subcircuit, and a control circuit for supplying power to said primary, said control circuit varying a characteristic of the power supplied to said primary as a function of said amplitude sensed by said sensor; and a secondary circuit separable from said primary circuit, said secondary circuit being absent from physical interconnection with said primary circuit and absent from electrical connection with said primary circuit, said secondary circuit and said primary circuit capable of inductively coupling when in sufficient proximity to each other, said secondary circuit having; a secondary for inductively coupling with said primary, said secondary being absent from physical interconnection with said primary, said secondary being absent from electrical connection with said primary, wherein said primary is capable of inductively energizing said secondary, and a load electrically connected to said secondary, whereby power is provided to said load by said secondary, wherein said amplitude of power in said subcircuit of said primary circuit varies as a function of changes in said load of said secondary circuit, whereby said secondary circuit is readily placeable in sufficient proximity to said primary circuit to inductively receive power without the need to make electrical connection with said primary circuit and without the need to make physical interconnection with said primary circuit, and whereby said secondary circuit is readily removable from the sufficient proximity of said primary circuit without the need to disconnect electrical connection with said primary circuit and without the need to disconnect physical interconnection with said primary circuit. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A non-contact power transfer system for coupling a power source to a load of a secondary circuit, the non-contact power transfer system comprising:
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an inductive coupling having a primary and a secondary, wherein said primary and said secondary are absent of physical interconnection with each other and absent of electrical connection with each other, wherein said primary and said secondary are separable and capable of said inductive coupling when in sufficient proximity to each other; an oscillator coupling said power source to said primary through a resonant tank circuit, wherein timing of said oscillator controls a frequency of a current through said resonant tank circuit; and a primary control circuit responsive to an amplitude change through said resonant tank circuit, said primary control circuit controlling said timing of said oscillator in order to adjust the oscillator frequency as reflected impedance varies, whereby said secondary is readily placeable in sufficient proximity to said primary to inductively receive power without the need to make electrical connection with said primary and without the need to make physical interconnection with said primary, and whereby said secondary is readily removable from the sufficient proximity of said primary without the need to disconnect electrical connection with said primary and without the need to disconnect physical interconnection with said primary. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A non-contact power transfer system comprising:
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a primary electrically connected to a primary circuit, said primary circuit including a power source for energizing the primary with an AC signal at a frequency, in order to generate a magnetic field; a secondary electrically connected to a secondary circuit, said secondary being absent from physical interconnection with said primary, said secondary being absent from electrical connection with said primary, whereby said magnetic field generated by said primary energizes said secondary; wherein said primary and said secondary are separable and are capable of inductively coupling when in sufficient proximity to each other; said primary circuit includes a controller for adjusting the frequency of the AC signal in response to a change in an amplitude of a characteristic of power in the primary circuit, the controller changes the frequency of the AC signal supplied to the primary to make specific use of the change in the amplitude of the characteristic of power, whereby said secondary is readily placeable in sufficient proximity to said primary to inductively receive power without the need to make electrical connection with said primary and without the need to make physical interconnection with said primary, and whereby said secondary is readily removable from the sufficient proximity of said primary without the need to disconnect electrical connection with said primary and without the need to disconnect physical interconnection with said primary. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification