System and method for providing multiple simmer outputs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9537281-B2
Application number	US-201514724421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2015
Priority date	May 28, 2015
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A power supply and circuitry system for powering HVPT devices includes a power supply circuit that selectively provides an operating power and a simmer power to multiple HVPT devices. The system also includes a trigger circuit for each respective HVPT device that selectively couples the power supply circuit to one HVPT device to provide the operating power thereto. The system also includes a simmer control circuit for selectively coupling the power supply circuit to the HVPT devices to provide the simmer power thereto, the simmer control circuit further including a simmer switch circuit for each HVPT device, wherein each simmer switch circuit comprises an input coupled to the power supply circuit to receive the simmer power therefrom and an output coupled to one HVPT device. The simmer control circuit also further includes a simmer drive circuit coupled to each simmer switch circuit for selectively enabling the simmer switch circuits.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power supply and circuitry system for powering multiple high-voltage-pulse-triggered (HVPT) devices, the system comprising:
a power supply circuit configured to selectively provide an operating power and a simmer power to at least two HVPT devices;
a trigger circuit for each HVPT device of the at least two HVPT devices that selectively couples the power supply circuit to one HVPT device of the at least two HVPT devices to provide the operating power thereto, wherein each trigger circuit is coupled to one HVPT device of the at least two HVPT devices; and
a simmer control circuit for selectively coupling the power supply circuit to the at least two HVPT devices to provide the simmer power thereto, the simmer control circuit comprising:
a simmer switch circuit for each HVPT device of the at least two HVPT devices, wherein each simmer switch circuit comprises an input coupled to the power supply circuit to receive the simmer power therefrom and an output coupled to one HVPT device of the at least two HVPT devices; and
a simmer drive circuit coupled to each simmer switch circuit for selectively enabling the simmer switch circuits.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the simmer control circuit further comprises a device select circuit coupled to the simmer drive circuit; and
wherein the system further comprises a user interface coupled to the device select circuit and configured to enable a user selection of one HVPT device of the at least two HVPT devices for use.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein, responsive to a user selection of one HVPT device of the at least two HVPT devices for use on the user interface, the user interface sends a signal to the simmer control circuit that enables the power supply circuit to generate the simmer power, enables the trigger circuit coupled to the selected HVPT device, and enables the simmer switch circuit coupled to the selected HVPT device.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the simmer drive circuit comprises a switch drive circuit for each simmer switch circuit for selectively enabling one simmer switch circuit of the simmer switch circuits, wherein each switch drive circuit is coupled to one of the simmer switch circuits.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the simmer drive circuit comprises an oscillator circuit.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the simmer drive circuit is coupled to each trigger circuit for selectively enabling the trigger circuits.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the power supply circuit functions as a single simmer power supply that selectively provides the simmer power to each of the at least two HVPT devices.

8. A simmer control circuit for selectively coupling a simmer power supply to multiple high-voltage-pulse-triggered (HVPT) devices, the simmer control circuit comprising:
at least two simmer switch circuits, wherein each simmer switch circuit comprises an input coupleable to a simmer power supply and an output coupleable to an HVPT device;
a simmer drive circuit coupled to each simmer switch circuit of the at least two simmer switch circuits for selectively enabling the at least two simmer switch circuits; and
a device select circuit coupled to the simmer drive circuit for selectively enabling the simmer drive circuit;
wherein the simmer drive circuit enables a simmer switch circuit of the at least two simmer switch circuits responsive to a selection of an HVPT device provided as an input to the device select circuit, so as cause the enabled simmer switch circuit to provide a simmer power from the simmer power supply to the selected HVPT device.

9. The simmer control circuit of claim 8 wherein the simmer drive circuit comprises a switch drive circuit for each simmer switch circuit of the at least two simmer switch circuits for selectively enabling one simmer switch circuit of the at least two simmer switch circuits, wherein each switch drive circuit is coupled to one of the simmer switch circuits of the at least two simmer switch circuits.

10. The simmer control circuit of claim 8 wherein the simmer drive circuit comprises an oscillator circuit.

11. The simmer control circuit of claim 8 wherein each of the at least two simmer switch circuits comprises a switch configured to be selectively enabled by the simmer drive circuit.

12. The simmer control circuit of claim 11 wherein each switch of the at least two simmer switch circuits comprises a silicon-controlled rectifier.

13. The simmer control circuit of claim 8 wherein the simmer drive circuit and the device select circuit are combined in a microcontroller.

14. The simmer control circuit of claim 8 wherein the simmer control circuit is configured for use in an arc-lamp-pumped laser system comprising at least two laser heads.

15. A method of providing simmer power to multiple high-voltage-pulse-triggered (HVPT) devices, the method comprising:
providing a single simmer power supply;
providing at least two simmer switch circuits, wherein each simmer switch circuit comprises an input coupleable to the single simmer power supply and an output coupleable to a respective HVPT device of the multiple HVPT devices;
coupling a simmer drive circuit to each simmer switch circuit of the at least two simmer switch circuits for selectively enabling the at least two simmer switch circuits;
coupling a device select circuit to the simmer drive circuit for selectively enabling the simmer drive circuit;
providing an input to the device select circuit comprising selection of an HVPT device of the multiple HVPT devices for operation;
generating a device selection signal via the device select circuit responsive to the input; and
causing the simmer drive circuit to enable a simmer switch circuit of the at least two simmer switch circuits responsive to the device selection signal, with the enabled simmer switch circuit providing a simmer power from the single simmer power supply to the selected HVPT device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the simmer drive circuit comprises a switch drive circuit for each simmer switch circuit of the at least two simmer switch circuits for selectively enabling one simmer switch circuit of the simmer switch circuits; and
wherein coupling the simmer drive circuit to each simmer switch circuit of the at least two simmer switch circuits comprises coupling each switch drive circuit to one of the simmer switch circuits of the at least two simmer switch circuits.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein each of the at least two simmer switch circuits comprises a switch configured to be selectively enabled by the simmer drive circuit; and
wherein coupling the simmer drive circuit to each simmer switch circuit of the at least two simmer switch circuits comprises coupling each switch of the at least two simmer switch circuits to one switch drive circuit of the simmer drive circuit.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the simmer drive circuit comprises an oscillator circuit; and
wherein the method further comprises converting the device selection signals received by the simmer drive circuit into switch drive signals by way of the oscillator circuit and the switch drive circuits.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein each switch of the at least two simmer switch circuits comprises a silicon-controlled rectifier; and
wherein the method further comprises controlling switching of the silicon-controlled rectifiers of the simmer switch circuits via the switch drive signals.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein coupling the device select circuit to the simmer drive circu

Assignees

• Cooper Technologies Co

Inventors

• Murray Shawn Patrick

Classifications

• H01S3/02

  Constructional details {(housings or packages of fibre lasers H01S3/06704)} · CPC title

• H01S3/0912

  Electronics or drivers for the pump source, i.e. details of drivers or circuitry specific for laser pumping (laser diode drivers H01S5/042) · CPC title

• H01S3/092 Primary

  of flash lamp (H01S3/0937 takes precedence {; flash lamps per se H01J61/80; circuit arrangements for operating flash lamps in general H05B41/30}) · CPC title

• H01S3/09 Primary

  Processes or apparatus for excitation, e.g. pumping · CPC title

• H01S3/0915

  by incoherent light · CPC title