Abstract: A control unit (2) of a remote control receiver sets the forward or reverse direction operating mode of the photodiode (1) as a function of the useful signal level of its output signal, and to be precise, during standby, the photovoltaic operating mode (forward mode), since in this mode no external bias current is required. If the useful signal level of the photodiode (1) exceeds a predefined threshold, the reverse mode is set, and this brings with it a higher sensitivity. A series circuit (A) of a number of identical photodiodes DA1 DAn in the forward mode allows the realization of a controlled current source (6) having a transistor (T), since the permissible diode voltage (Ud) of the overall arrangement may have n times the value of the operating voltage of an individual photodiode. Thus at the same time the voltage across the individual diodes can be set to a very low value and a favorable operating range for the current source can be set.

Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit arrangement for a converter (1) with switches (S1, S2) for chopping a DC voltage U1 into a chopped DC voltage U3, comprising control means for controlling the switch-on times of the switches (S1, S2), in which switch-on times of the switches (S1, S2) alternate with each other and are separated from each other by dead-time phases Ttot, and circuit elements comprising a resonant circuit having at least one capacitor (Cr) and at least one coil (Lr) for convening the chopped DC voltage U3 into an output voltage U2. To ensure a reliable and interference-free ZVS operation of such a circuit, a circuit arrangement and a method of operating such a circuit arrangement are proposed in which a value for the energy/charge remaining in the resonant circuit for switching the switch in the inductive mode of operation is determined and compared with a threshold value by means of a comparator (24), and in which the switches (S1, S2) are controlled in dependence upon the comparison result.

Abstract: The invention describes a method of transmitting information between an information transmitter and an information receiver, the potential difference of which moves in cycles between a minimum value and a maximum value and is situated at the minimum value for regular intervals; having the steps: provision of information over the time interval or determining the time interval in which the potential difference between information transmitter and information receiver assumes its minimum value; closing of a switching means of the information transmitter in relation to an information memory assigned to the information receiver, only within the time interval; and transmission and storage of the information in the information memory.

Abstract: The invention relates to a converter comprising switching elements for chopping a direct voltage, in which turn-on phases of the switching elements alternate with one another, and comprising a circuit arrangement with resonant circuit elements processing the chopped direct voltage and serving for the supply of an output voltage. To improve such a converter in such a way that zero voltage switching (ZVS) can be ensured in an extended range of converter operations with possibly inexpensive converter modifications, it is proposed that the length of the dead-time phases, which are present between two consecutive turn-on phases and during which the switching elements are turned off, is automatically adapted so that switching losses, which occur particularly when the switching elements are turned on, can be minimized.