Patents Examined by Briar Sircus
  • Patent number: 5497062
    Abstract: A digital process generates a pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal for providing current to a load. In one embodiment, an input signal is repeatedly sampled at times corresponding to edges of a reference square wave. The sampled values are used to produce a PWM signal, each pulse of the PWM signal having a width corresponding to one of the sampled values. In another embodiment, the sampled values are used to produce a series of intermediate pulses, the intermediate pulses being used to construct an output PWM signal. The pulses of the output PWM signal generally have leading and trailing edges which do not coincide with the times at which sampling occurs. Therefore, in the second embodiment, sampling does not occur when the PWM signal is opening or closing a switch, and the sampling tends to occur near the average value of the input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1996
    Assignee: Performance Controls, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian J. Fenstermacher, James P. Detweiler