Power oscillator apparatus with transformer-based power combining for galvanically-isolated bidirectional data communication and power transfer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9306614-B2
Application number	US-201514631397-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2015
Priority date	Mar 26, 2013
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus includes first and second oscillator circuits. A transformer has a primary winding coupling the first oscillator circuit to the second oscillator circuit and a secondary winding. A first outgoing communications circuit is coupled to the second oscillator circuit and drives an amplitude modulated data signal thereto. A first incoming communications circuit is coupled to the primary winding of the transformer. A second outgoing communications circuit is coupled to the secondary winding drives an amplitude modulated data signal thereto. A second incoming communications circuit is coupled to the secondary winding. The secondary winding is magnetically coupled with the primary winding so the secondary winding receives an output power and an incoming data transmission based upon the amplitude modulated data signal, and so the primary winding receives an incoming high speed data transmission based upon the amplitude modulated data signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a first oscillator circuit;
a second oscillator circuit;
a transformer having:
a primary winding coupling the first oscillator circuit to the second oscillator circuit, and
a secondary winding;

an outgoing communications circuit coupled to the second oscillator circuit and configured to drive an amplitude modulated data signal thereto;
an incoming communications circuit coupled to the secondary winding;
the secondary winding being magnetically coupled with the primary winding such that:
the secondary winding receives an output power and an incoming data transmission based upon the amplitude modulated data signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the primary winding comprises:
a first winding portion coupled to the first oscillator circuit;
a second winding portion coupled to the second oscillator circuit; and
a center tap common to the first and second winding portions and configured to conduct current from the first oscillator into the second oscillator;
wherein the outgoing communications circuit is coupled to the second winding portion of the primary winding; and
wherein the incoming communications circuit is coupled to the second winding portion of the primary winding.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outgoing communications circuit comprises:
an encoder configured to receive a clock signal and a bitstream, and to generate a data signal based thereupon; and
a modulator coupled to the encoder and the second oscillator circuit and configured to receive the data signal from the encoder and to drive a modulated data signal based thereupon to the second oscillator circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a divider coupled to the primary winding and configured to extract therefrom a reference frequency; and wherein the clock signal is based upon the reference frequency.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a demodulator coupled to the secondary winding and configured to receive the amplitude modulated data signal therefrom and to demodulate the amplitude modulated data signal to produce a received data signal;
a decoder coupled to the demodulator and configured to receive the received data signal and to decode the received data signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second oscillator circuits are configured to receive a synchronizing signal for synchronization of frequency and phase between the first and second oscillator circuits.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the incoming communications circuit comprises:
a demodulator coupled to the secondary winding and configured to receive the amplitude modulated data signal therefrom and to demodulate the amplitude modulated data signal to produce a received data signal; and
a decoder coupled to the demodulator and configured to receive the received data signal and to decode the received low speed data signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first and the second oscillator circuits are configured to receive a synchronizing signal for synchronization of frequency and phase between the first and second oscillator circuits.

9. An apparatus, comprising:
a first oscillator circuit;
a second oscillator circuit;
a transformer having:
a primary winding coupling the first oscillator circuit to the second oscillator circuit, and
a secondary winding;

an incoming communications circuit coupled to the primary winding of the transformer;
an outgoing communications circuit coupled to the secondary winding and configured to drive an amplitude modulated data signal thereto; and
the secondary winding being magnetically coupled with the primary winding such that:
the secondary winding receives an output power, and
the primary winding receives an incoming data transmission based upon the amplitude modulated data signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the primary winding comprises:
a first winding portion coupled to the first oscillator circuit;
second winding portion coupled to the second oscillator circuit; and
a center tap common to the first and second winding portions and configured to conduct current from the first oscillator into the second oscillator;
wherein the outgoing communications circuit is coupled to the second winding portion of the primary winding; and
wherein the incoming communications circuit is coupled to the second winding portion of the primary winding.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the incoming communications circuit comprises:
a demodulator coupled to the primary winding and configured to receive the amplitude modulated data signal therefrom and to demodulate the amplitude modulated data signal to produce a received data signal; and
a decoder coupled to the demodulator to receive the received data signal therefrom and to decode the received data signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the outgoing communications circuit comprises:
an encoder configured to receive a clock signal and a bitstream, and to generate a data signal based thereupon; and
a modulator coupled to the encoder and the secondary winding and configured to receive the data signal from the encoder and to drive a modulated data signal based thereupon to the secondary winding.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a divider coupled to the secondary winding and configured to extract therefrom a reference frequency; and wherein the clock signal is based upon the reference frequency.

14. An apparatus, comprising:
a first oscillator circuit;
a second oscillator circuit;
a transformer having:
a primary winding coupling the first oscillator circuit to the second oscillator circuit, and
a secondary winding magnetically coupled with the primary winding;

a first outgoing communications circuit coupled to the second oscillator circuit;
a first incoming communications circuit coupled to the primary winding of the transformer;
a second outgoing communications circuit coupled to the secondary winding; and
a second incoming communications circuit coupled to the secondary winding;
wherein the primary winding comprises:
a first winding portion coupled to the first oscillator circuit;
a second winding portion coupled to the second oscillator circuit; and
a center tap common to the first and second winding portions;

wherein the first outgoing communications circuit is coupled to the second winding portion of the primary winding; and
wherein the first incoming communications circuit is coupled to the second winding portion of the primary winding.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first outgoing communications circuit comprises:
an encoder; and
a modulator coupled to the encoder and the second oscillator circuit.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first incoming communications circuit comprises:
a demodulator coupled to the primary winding; and
a decoder coupled to the demodulator.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the second outgoing communications circuit comprises:
an encoder; and
a modulator coupled to the encoder and the secondary winding.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the second incoming communications circuit comprises:
a demodulator coupled to the secondary winding; and
a decoder coupled to the demodulator.

19. An apparatus, comprising:
a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding;
a first interface;
a first outgoing communications circuit comprising:
a first encoder coupled to the first interface

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl

Inventors

• Ragonese Egidio
• Fiore Vincenzo
• Spina Nunzio
• Lombardo Pierpaolo
• Palmisano Giuseppe

Classifications

• G08C19/02

  in which the signal transmitted is magnitude of current or voltage (G08C19/36, G08C19/38 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03B5/1228 Primary

  the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors · CPC title

• H04L27/08

  Amplitude regulation arrangements · CPC title

• H03B5/1296

  the feedback circuit comprising a transformer · CPC title

• H04B1/40 Primary

  Circuits · CPC title