Patent Application
20250070676
This application claims priority to European Application No. 23382862.3, filed Aug. 22, 2023, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
The invention is directed to a circuit system for transferring signals or data information and/or an amount of energy from a DC-side to an AC-side of the circuit system or from the AC-side to the DC-side. The invention is further directed to a method for operating a circuit system to transfer signals or data information and/or an amount of energy from a DC-side to an AC-side of the circuit system or from the AC-side to the DC-side, wherein the circuit system can preferably be one as named before.
EP 2 400 668 A1 describes a circuit system for a data transmission over a mains line. A circuit for modulating line communication currents and a circuit for synchronization are provided. A low voltage power supply conductor is provided as well as a switched-mode converter being arranged in a mains block, which mains block is linked to an apparatus for processing data to the mains block.
Another circuit system is known from CN 113 395 087 A1. This circuit system has a bridge rectifier circuit and a step-down circuit being connected to one output end of the rectifier circuit. Furthermore, a linear optocoupler is connected to an output of the step-down circuit, which has an end being connected to a single-chip microcomputer sampling circuit. This serves for a chopping correction mode in data transfer via a power line.
It is the object of the invention to provide a circuit system for transferring signals or data information and/or an amount of energy and a method for operating such a circuit system for in this way, wherein problems of the prior art can be avoided.
This object is solved by a circuit system with the features of claim 1 and by a method for operating such a circuit system with the features of claim 15. Advantageous and preferred configurations of the invention are the subject of the further claims and are explained in more detail below. Some of the features may be described only with regard to the circuit system or only with regard to the method. However, independent and regardless of this, they are intended to be able to apply by themselves for the circuit system and for the method for its operation independently of one another. The wording of the claims is made to the content of the description by means of express references.
A circuit system according to the invention, with which signals or data information and/or an amount of energy can be transferred from a DC-side to an AC-side of the circuit system or from the AC-side to the DC-side of the circuit system, comprises a full bridge rectifier having this AC-side and this DC-side. The full bridge rectifier is composed of two pairs of diodes connected in parallel, wherein each pair of diodes comprises a lower diode and an upper diode, which again are connected in series to each other. The circuit system also comprises load resistor, wherein one end of this load resistor is connected to the AC-side of the full bridge rectifier between the lower diode and the upper diode of one of the pairs of diodes mentioned before. Another end of the load resistor is connected to an auxiliary DC-voltage source, which has a ground potential that is the same as a ground potential of the DC-side of the full bridge rectifier. The circuit system also has a voltage signal generating means for generating a voltage signal, which voltage signal shall be supplied by the auxiliary DC-voltage source to the load resistor in accordance or corresponding to signals or data information and/or in accordance or corresponding to an amount of energy to be transferred to the AC-side of the full bridge rectifier. In similar manner, the voltage signal generating means can generate a voltage signal to be supplied by the AC-side to the load resistor in accordance or corresponding to signals or data information and/or in accordance or corresponding to an amount of energy to be transferred to the DC-side of the full bridge rectifier. A voltage signal evaluating means is present for extracting the signals or data information and/or the amount of energy from the voltage at the load resistor during a predetermined time interval when the lower diode that is connected to the load resistor is in a conducting state such that the AC-side and the DC-side temporarily have the same ground potential. This having the same ground potential allows for the transfer.
The invention allows for a transfer of data, signals or energy between two electronic circuits that have different references, without the need of isolation between these two circuits. One of them is an AC-side, and one is a DC-side, and the transfer direction can be either one between them. The invention is based on the fact that during the AC to DC rectification with a full bridge rectifier, there is a short time window corresponding to a transfer time when both circuits, DC and AC, are at the same potential due to the conduction time of the lower diodes. This time window may change based on a DC load consumption and the value of a rectification DC filter capacitor. For the rest of the cycle, when lower rectifier bridge diodes are not conducting, it is necessary to block the voltage between both circuits DC and AC, to avoid voltage coming from AC. This would be superposed on the DC voltage circuit with bad consequences. A drawback of the invention is that the time window for the transfer is short and not available all the time, but needs to be aligned with the conduction time of the lower diodes. The amount of data or energy to be transferred is restricted, too, of course. But this can be handled, and sometimes it is sufficient to transfer rather small amounts of data or energy.
The circuit system may further comprise a capacitor being connected in parallel to the load resistor mentioned before. It may also be provided and adapted for storing the amount of energy to be transferred to the AC-side or to the DC-side of the full bridge rectifier. This may help in a faster transfer.
In an embodiment of the invention the circuit system comprises an additional DC-voltage source for supplying a DC-voltage to the capacitor mentioned before. This may help in charging this capacitor.
In an even further embodiment, the circuit system may further comprise a second resistor connected in parallel to the DC-side. Its electrical resistance value, which may be in the range of 10 kOhms to 50 kOhms, determines the amount of the predetermined time interval for the transfer. In an alternative embodiment, its electrical resistance value could be even lower like 32 Ohms.
In one embodiment of the invention, the load resistor can be a thermally-sensitive resistor, being used as a temperature sensor. In this case, its temperature or the resistance value of it, respectively, may be the data to be transferred. The thermally-sensitive resistor can have a negative temperature coefficient being an NTC, which generally allows for good and exact temperature measurement.
Preferably, the load resistor can be adapted and provided for measuring an operation temperature of a TRIAC, alternatively an IGBT or any other such semiconductor power switch. This is a safety measure against the TRIAC heating up too much or coming close to causing damage to the surrounding or be damaged itself.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the circuit system can be adapted to transfer the signals, the data information and/or the amount of energy from the DC-side to the AC-side of the full bridge rectifier or from the AC-side to the DC-side without employment of any further means such as: an isolated transformer winding, an optocoupler, a capacitive isolator. This allows for a simplified circuit system.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the one end of the load resistor can be directly connected to a terminal which is provided between the lower diode and the upper diode of the one of the pairs of diodes of the rectifier. The load resistor may also be connected via a diode to the auxiliary DC-voltage source or to the data source, respectively.
In preferred manner, the voltage signal evaluating means can adapted to extract the data information by only measuring a voltage across an auxiliary resistor or from a voltage variable source connected in series to the load resistor or to the voltage variable source. This auxiliary resistor may again be connected in series to the load resistor. This may provide for an easy way to extract the data information.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the predetermined time interval mentioned above may have a duration of at least 1/33 of the period of the AC voltage input to the full bridge rectifier. This may preferably be at least 1/32, even more preferably at least 1/30, corresponding to at least 0.67 msec. The predetermined time interval mentioned above may in a specific embodiment even have a duration of 1/10 of the period of the AC voltage input. This may correspond to a time interval of 2 msec for an AC-period of 20 msec or 50 Hz, respectively.
In a further embodiment of the invention, a variable voltage source can be connected to the AC-side having a resistor being connected in series such that a voltage across this resistor can depend on the value of the voltage of the variable voltage source again. This resistor can be an auxiliary resistor, in particular one as mentioned before. A current through such an auxiliary resistor, which is connected to the auxiliary DC-voltage source, can depend on the voltage of the variable voltage source. In consequence, the voltage of this variable voltage source is present at a capacity, which capacity is again connected in series with the auxiliary DC-voltage source and in parallel with the auxiliary resistor.
In a method according to the invention for operating a circuit system transferring signals or data information and/or an amount of energy from a DC-side to an AC-side or from an AC-side to a DC-side of the circuit system, a first or preceding step can be to provide a circuit system comprising a full bridge rectifier having an AC-side and a DC-side, preferably as described before. The system can be composed of two pairs of diodes being connected in parallel, wherein each pair of diodes comprises a lower diode and an upper diode, which diodes are connected in series. A load resistor is provided, wherein one end of the load resistor is connected to the AC-side of the full bridge rectifier between the lower diode and the upper diode of one of the pairs of diodes. Another end of the load resistor is connected to an auxiliary DC-voltage source, which auxiliary DC-voltage source has a ground potential being the same as a ground potential of the DC-side of the full bridge rectifier. A DC voltage signal is generated and supplied by the auxiliary DC-voltage source to the load resistor in accordance to signals or data information and/or an amount of energy that is to be transferred to the AC-side of the full bridge rectifier. Alternatively, an AC voltage signal is generated and supplied to the load resistor in accordance to signals or data information and/or an amount of energy to be transferred to the DC-side of the full bridge rectifier.
In the next step, the signals or the data information and/or the amount of energy is extracted from the voltage at the load resistor during a predetermined time interval when the lower diode connected to the load resistor is in its conducting state such that the AC-side and the DC-side temporarily have the same ground potential during the transfer time mentioned above. This has been described briefly before.
These and further features may be gathered from the claims and also from the description and the drawings, with the individual features being capable of being implemented in each case by themselves or severally in the form of sub-combinations in an embodiment of the invention and in other fields and being capable of constituting advantageous and independently patentable versions for which protection is claimed here. The subdivision of the application into individual sections and intermediate headings does not restrict the general validity of the statements made under these.
In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals.
The invention of a circuit system in
The principle is very similar to the one used to transmit signal or data, but in this case V2 is the power supply referenced to DC ground.
In case capacitor C2 is not present when only signals or data are to be transferred, R2 may have a value of only 1 k. Another resistor should then be connected in line between D3 and V2, this resistor may have a value of about 1 k.
The resistor R2 is the AC load where the data or energy will be transferred to.
The voltage source V2 is the control signal for optocoupler U1 and also for diode D6. So the voltage profile of V2 can be seen in the AC side on R6 and on R1. With the circuit system of
When D5 is conducting, which happens every 16.7 msec or 20 msec, then C2 is connected to 15V DC and is being charged. R5 defines the Transfer Time of D5 and the duration of charging C2. With the circuit system of
With the circuit system of
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23382862.3 | Aug 2023 | EP | regional |
