Charging an input capacitor of a load control device

• Main Authors: Blakeley, Matthew Robert, Ross, Johnathan Paul, Taipale, Mark, MacAdam, Russell L
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.04.2020
• Subjects: CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTINGELECTRIC POWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY

A load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load may include a rectifier circuit configured to receive a phase-control voltage and produce a rectified voltage. A power converter may be configured to receive the rectified voltage at an input and generate a bus voltage. An input capacitor may be coupled across the input of the power converter. The input capacitor may be adapted to charge when the magnitude of the phase control voltage is approximately zero volts. The power converter may be configured to operate in a boost mode, such that the magnitude of the bus voltage is greater than a peak magnitude of the input voltage. The power converter may be configured to operate in a buck mode to charge the input capacitor from the bus voltage when the magnitude of the phase-control voltage is approximately zero volts.