Abstract: A surge protection circuit is coupled to the wires that transport digital signals between a local unit, such as an ONU, and a remote unit, such as a NID. The surge protection circuit includes a coordinating impedance having a capacitive element connected in series with the twisted pair wires coupling the ONU to the NID. The coordinating impedance couples a primary shunt protector and a secondary shunt protector. Various embodiments of the surge protection circuit comprise coordinating impedance devices including a series connected: capacitor and resistor, capacitor and inductor, and capacitor, inductor, and resistor. By using a capacitive element in the coordinating impedance, the signal loss through the surge protector is significantly reduced for 10 Base-T and 100 Base-T Ethernet systems. Further, the added inductance may become part of an integrated low-pass filter that further reduces signal loss at high frequencies.

Abstract: A current limiter is provided that includes a power switch for receiving input power from a power source and passing at least a portion of the input power to an output, a current sense mechanism coupled to the power switch for sensing current flowing through the current limiter and for providing a current flow signal related to the current flow through the current limiter, and a control mechanism coupled to the power switch that causes the power switch to reduce the current flow when the current flow signal indicates that the current flow exceeds a first current flow level. In one embodiment the current limiter may include a voltage sense mechanism that senses the voltage drop across the input to output of the device and use a reference voltage and a control loop to maintain the voltage drop relatively constant at all load currents.

Abstract: An electronic ringing generator circuit with provision for power efficient current limiting and preservation of sinusoidal or near sinusoidal output waveform under overload conditions. A pulsewidth modulated DC-DC power convertor produces supply voltages for a linear class B power amplifier which has a low frequency low level sinusoidal signal applied to its input through a first controllable attenuator. The DC-DC convertor's reference input is also driven through a second controllable attenuator which is coordinated with the first controllable attenuator. The attenuators are operated in such a way that if the amplifier's output current exceeds a predetermined value, both the input signal and amplifier supply voltages are reduced in a coordinated manner so that simultaneously the output AC waveshape is preserved and the amplifier continues to operate at or very near optimum efficiency. The amplifier may be operated to produce a sinusoidal output (crest factor =1.

Abstract: A circuit for supplying drop current to the subscriber connected to the remote terminal of a central office powered telecommunications system. A switching regulator is included in the circuit for generating the drop current. The switching regulator adjusts its conduction time as a function of the length of the loop connecting the subscriber to the terminal such that the subscriber consumes only that power required by the loop length. The switching regulator operates in response to a reference current generated by a control circuit. A central office supplied signal on the transmission means connecting the central office to the terminal is used for transferring power to the terminal. The amplitude of that signal at the terminal varies with system load.

Abstract: An instantaneous compressor and an instantaneous expandor both of which use the logarithmic characteristics of diodes to provide compression and expansion, respectively, of uncompressed analog PAM signals and compressed analog PAM signals. Both the compressor and expandor also include circuitry having a temperature dependent gain characteristic. The signal at the compressor output is a temperature independent compressed analog signal which follows the compressor's logarithmic encoding characteristic. The signal at the output of the expandor is a temperature independent uncompressed analog signal which is substantially identical to the analog signal at the compressor input.

Abstract: A post regulated switching regulating d.c.-to-d.c. converter with pulse width modulation for limiting the regulated output voltage to a magnitude which is just slightly higher than the normal regulated value if the regulation capabilities of the converter are exceeded either by increasing the input voltage above a certain amount for a given load or by decreasing the load resistance below a minimum value.