(12) United States Patent
`Kuennen et al.
`
`USOO682562OB2
`(10) Patent No.:
`US 6,825,620 B2
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Nov.30, 2004
`
`(54) INDUCTIVELY COUPLED BALLAST
`CIRCUIT
`
`(75) Inventors: Roy W. Kuennen, Caledonia, MI (US);
`Scott A. Mollema, Grand Rapids, MI
`(US); David W. Baarman, Fennville,
`MI (US); Ronald C. Markham, Grand
`Rapids, MI (US); Dennis J. Denen,
`Westerville, OH (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Access Business Group International
`LLC, Ada, MI (US)
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 156 days.
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 10/246,155
`(22) Filed:
`Sep. 18, 2002
`(65)
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2003/0015479 A1 Jan. 23, 2003
`Related U.S. Application Data
`(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 10/175,095, filed on
`Jun. 18, 2002, now Pat. No. 6,673.250, which is a continu-
`ation-in-part of application No. 09/592,194, filed on Jun, 12,
`2000, now Pat. No. 6,436,299.
`(60) Provisional application No. 60/140,159, filed on Jun. 21,
`1999, and provisional application No. 60/140,090, filed on
`Jun. 21, 1999.
`(51) Int. Cl. ................................................ H05B 37/02
`(52) U.S. Cl. ....................... 315/224; 315/276; 315/283;
`315/291
`(58) Field of Search ..................... 315/209 R, 219–220,
`315/224-225, 244, 291, 302, 307, DIG. 7,
`57, 62, 248, 276, 283
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
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`
`
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`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`“Best of Show”, Fortune, Feb. 17, 2003.
`
`(List continued on next page.)
`
`Primary Examiner Thuy Vinh Tran
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Warner Norcross & Judd
`LLP
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`- 0
`- 0
`Aballast circuit is disclosed for inductively providing power
`to a load. The ballast circuit includes an oscillator, a driver,
`a Switching circuit, a resonant tank circuit and a current
`Sensing circuit. The current Sensing circuit provides a cur
`rent feedback Signal to the Oscillator that is representative of
`the current in the resonant tank circuit. The current feedback
`Signal drives the frequency of the ballast circuit causing the
`ballast circuit to Seek resonance. The ballast circuit prefer
`ably includes a current limit circuit that is inductively
`coupled to the resonant tank circuit. The current limit circuit
`disables the ballast circuit when the current in the ballast
`circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside a
`predetermined range.
`
`59 Claims, 15 Drawing Sheets
`
`
`
`nine in
`
`card
`
`Ex
`
`308
`
`300
`NW
`
`308
`
`30
`
`33
`
`Y - - - - - - - - -------n
`
`152
`
`Exterial ContigiMeshanism
`
`i
`
`Starter
`
`: 812
`Lars
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`GOOGLE AND SAMSUNG EXHIBIT 1014, 0001
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`

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`US 6,825,620 B2
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
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`
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`
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`
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`
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`DE
`DE
`DE
`DE
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`GB
`
`5/1994
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`442.1253
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`1954,0854
`O 433 752 A1 * 6/1991
`O825577
`2/1998
`1349788
`4/1974
`
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`US 6,825,620 B2
`Page 3
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`GB
`GB
`JP
`WO
`WO
`WO
`WO
`WO
`WO
`
`2388715 A 11/2003
`2388716 A 11/2003
`8-31585
`2/1996
`WO 97/17761
`5/1997
`WO 97/26705
`7/1997
`WO OO/22892
`4/2000
`WO OO/32298
`6/2000
`WO 01/26427
`4/2001
`WO 01/26431
`4/2001
`
`WO
`WO
`
`WO 03/096361
`WO 03/105311
`
`11/2003
`12/2003
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`“Splashpower', www.splashpower.com, Feb. 11, 2003.
`“Mobilewise', www.mobilewise.com, Feb. 11, 2003.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`GOOGLE AND SAMSUNG EXHIBIT 1014, 0003
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`U.S. Patent
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`Nov.30, 2004
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`US 6,825,620 B2
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`

`1
`INDUCTIVELY COUPLED BALLAST
`CIRCUIT
`
`This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
`application Ser. No. 10/175,095 entitled Fluid Treatment
`System, which was filed on Jun. 18, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No.
`6,673,250, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
`application Ser. No. 09/592,194 entitled Fluid Treatment
`System, which was filed on Jun. 12, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No.
`6,436,299, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/592,194
`claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. S 119(e) of U.S. provi
`sional patent application Ser. No. 60/140,159 entitled Water
`Treatment System with an Inductively Coupled Ballast,
`which was filed on Jun. 21, 1999, and U.S. provisional
`patent application Ser. No. 60/140,090 entitled Port-of-Use
`Water Treatment System, which was filed on Jun. 21, 1999.
`This application hereby incorporates by reference U.S.
`patent application Ser. No. 09/596,416 entitled Point-of-Use
`Water Treatment System, which was filed on Jun. 12, 2000,
`and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/133,860 entitled
`Inductively Powered Lamp Assembly, which was filed on
`Apr. 26, 2002.
`
`15
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention generally relates to ballasts and
`more particularly, to an inductively coupled ballast for
`non-contact power transfer to a Secondary circuit or load.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`Ballasts are commonly used to Supply power to a wide
`variety of electrically powered components. Often ballasts
`are connected directly to the component (or load), for
`example, by “permanent' connections, Such as wires or
`soldered leads on a circuit board, or by “removable”
`connections, Such as plugs or other connectors. Direct
`electrical connections present a number of problems. First,
`direct electrical connections make it difficult to install and
`remove the load from the ballast. With permanent
`connections, the electrical leads must be Soldered or other
`wise secured directly between the ballast and the load. If the
`ballast or the load is damaged, replacement is complicated
`by the permanent connections. Removable connections
`make Separation of the ballast and the load easier, but still
`require Some manual manipulation. Removable connectors
`are also Subject to corrosion and may be inadvertently or
`unintentionally disconnected, for example, by Vibrations.
`Second, in many environments, direct electrical connections
`must be insulated from the environment to prevent damage
`to the circuit. For example, in wet environments, exposed
`electrical connections are Subject to a short circuit. Third,
`direct electrical connections provide a direct and essentially
`unimpeded path for electricity to flow between the ballast
`and the load. As a result, power Surges and other potentially
`damaging abnormalities in one element can be directly
`transfer to the other, thereby permitting problems in one
`component to damage or even destroy the other.
`To address these and other significant problems, there is
`an increasing trend to replace conventional direct electrical
`connections with inductive connections. Inductively
`coupled Systems provide a number of Significant advantages
`over direct connections. First, inductive couplings do not
`include permanent or removable physical connectors.
`Instead, the Secondary coil of the load (or Secondary circuit)
`Simply needs to be placed in the close proximity to the
`primary coil of the ballast. This greatly simplifies installa
`tion and removal of the load. Second, the inductive coupling
`
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`provide a significant level of isolation between the ballast
`and the load. This isolation can protect one component from
`power Surges and other potentially damaging abnormalities
`in the other component.
`Unfortunately, conventional inductively coupled ballasts
`suffer from a number of problems associated primarily with
`efficiency. To provide maximum efficiency, it is desirable for
`the circuit to operate at resonance. Conventional ballasts are
`designed to operate at resonance by carefully Selecting the
`components of the ballast in View of the precise character
`istics of the load. Any variation in the load can move the
`circuit dramatically out of resonance. Accordingly, conven
`tional ballasts require very precise Selection of the compo
`nents of the ballast circuit and Secondary circuit. In Some
`applications, the impedance of the Secondary circuit will
`vary over time, thereby changing the resonant frequency of
`the circuit. For example, in many conventional lighting
`applications, the impedance of the lamp will vary as the
`lamp is heated and will also vary over the life of the lamp.
`AS a result of these changes, the efficiency of conventional,
`fixed-frequency ballasts will vary over time.
`Conventional ballast control circuits employ bipolar tran
`Sistors and Saturating transformers to provide power. The
`ballast control circuits oscillate at frequencies related to the
`magnetic properties of the materials and winding arrange
`ments of these transformers. Circuits with Saturating trans
`former Oscillators produce an output in the category of a
`Square wave, require the transistors of the half bridge to
`hard-Switch under load and require a separate inductor to
`limit the current through the load. Conventional circuits
`chop the available power Supply Voltage, developing Voltage
`Spikes at the corners of the Square wave as a consequence of
`the current limiting inductor. Inductive couplings rely on
`electromagnetic induction to transfer power from a primary
`coil to a Secondary coil. The amount of current induced in
`the Secondary coil is a function of the changes in the
`magnetic field generated by the primary coil. Accordingly,
`the amount of current transferred through an inductive
`coupling is dependent, in part, on the waveform of the
`current driving the primary. A Square waveform has rela
`tively Small regions of change and therefore provides rela
`tively inefficient transfer of power.
`These and other deficiencies in prior ballasts are
`addressed by the present invention.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention discloses an inductively powered
`ballast circuit having a current Sensing circuit that automati
`cally adjusts the frequency of the ballast to maintain opera
`tion of the ballast at or near unity power factor.
`In one embodiment, the inductively coupled ballast circuit
`is a Self-oscillating half-bridge Switching design that oper
`ates at high frequencies. In addition, the inductively coupled
`ballast circuit Self-oscillates partly as a function of the
`current Sensing circuit to maintain resonance, uses MOSFET
`transistors as Switching elements, and is designed to accom
`modate an air-core transformer coupling arrangement.
`One embodiment of the inductively coupled ballast circuit
`includes a control circuit, an oscillator, a driver, a half
`bridge Switching circuit, and a Series resonant tank circuit.
`The Secondary circuit preferably includes a Secondary coil
`and a load. During operation, the control circuit provides
`electrical Signals to the oscillator, which, in turn, provides
`electrical Signals to direct the driver. The driver then causes
`the half-bridge Switching circuit to become energized. The
`half-bridge Switching circuit energizes the Series resonant
`
`GOOGLE AND SAMSUNG EXHIBIT 1014, 0019
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`

`

`3
`tank circuit, which includes a primary coil. Once the Series
`resonant tank circuit, and consequently the primary coil, is
`energized, the Secondary coil becomes inductively
`energized, thereby providing power to the load.
`In one embodiment, the resonant frequency for the induc
`tively coupled ballast circuit is about 100 kHz. In addition,
`the secondary circuit preferably resonates at about 100 kHz
`as well. The resonant frequency of operation can be adjusted
`up or down by the control unit to accommodate for conve
`nient component Selection. In addition, Selection of the
`resonant frequency is a function of the component Selection
`in the Series resonant tank and the characteristics of the
`Secondary circuit.
`An interesting feature of the inductively coupled ballast
`circuit is the inductive coupling. The Series resonant tank
`circuit includes an inductive coupler. In one embodiment,
`the inductive coupler is positioned adjacent the Secondary
`coil with an air gap therebetween to form an air core
`transformer. When voltage is applied to the inductive
`coupler, magnetic flux in the air gap induces Voltage in the
`Secondary coil thereby energizing the Secondary load.
`Another interesting feature of the inductively coupled
`ballast circuit involves the air gap of one embodiment. The
`air gap is the distance between the inductive coupler and the
`Secondary coil. The air gap may be Selected to provide a
`current limiting function. In addition, the air gap provides a
`magnetic flux path for inducing Sufficient Voltage in the
`Secondary coil to establish and maintain an operating point
`for the Secondary load.
`Yet another interesting feature involves the frequency of
`operation of the inductively coupled ballast circuit. Both the
`Series resonant tank and the Secondary load may be tuned by
`proper Selection of components to operate at a similar
`resonant frequency. In addition, impedance matching
`between the Series resonant tank and the Secondary load may
`occur at the resonant frequency. Accordingly, power transfer
`from the inductive coupler to the Secondary coil may be
`optimized at a resonant frequency to maximize power effi
`ciency.
`Still another interesting feature involves self-oscillation
`of the inductively coupled ballast circuit with the oscillator.
`The oscillator may include feedback control for monitoring
`the Series resonance tank. The feedback control may allow
`the oscillator to adjust the frequency to minimize reflected
`impedance from the Secondary circuit. Adjusting the fre
`quency to maintain resonance minimizes the reflected
`impedance and maintains optimum power transfer as the
`impedance of the Secondary circuit varies.
`In another aspect, the present invention preferably
`includes a current limit circuit that monitors the ballast
`circuit and disables the ballast circuit if the current to the
`primary exceeds a desired threshold. The current limit
`circuit protects both the load and the ballast circuit from
`excessive current. The current limit circuit is preferably
`latched to keep the ballast circuit disabled until reset, for
`example, by a manual reset Switch.
`In an alternative embodiment, the current limit circuit
`may be configured to disengage the ballast circuit if the
`current falls outside of a desired operating range. This
`embodiment is particularly useful in application where the
`load may be damaged or function improperly when operat
`ing under low current.
`These and other features and advantages of the invention
`will become apparent upon consideration of the following
`detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments
`of the invention, viewed in conjunction with the appended
`drawings.
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`US 6,825,620 B2
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`4
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main housing of the
`water treatment System with its top Shroud removed and a
`filter assembly and the ultraviolet lamp assembly removed
`from the base unit.
`FIGS. 2A-C are exploded perspective views of major
`components of the water treatment System.
`FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of the major circuits and
`assemblies of the water treatment System.
`FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of the inductively coupled
`ballast circuit.
`FIG. 5 is an electrical circuit schematic of a portion of the
`inductively coupled ballast circuit, the ballast feedback
`circuit and the interlock circuit.
`FIG. 6 depicts the Secondary coil, the resonant lamp
`circuit and the ultraviolet lamp of the ultraviolet lamp
`assembly.
`FIG. 7 is an electrical circuit Schematic of the starter
`circuit.
`FIG. 8 illustrates an electrical circuit Schematic of the
`radio frequency identification System used in the water
`treatment System
`FIG. 9 is an electrical circuit Schematic of the flow sensor
`circuit.
`FIG. 10 is an electrical circuit Schematic of the ambient
`light Sensor circuit.
`FIG. 11 is an electrical circuit Schematic of the ultraviolet
`light Sensor circuit.
`FIG. 12 is an electrical circuit Schematic of the ambient
`temperature Sensor circuit.
`FIG. 13 is an electrical circuit Schematic of the audible
`generation circuit.
`FIG. 14 is an electrical circuit Schematic of the commu
`nication port.
`FIG. 15 is a plurality of waveforms representing operation
`of the current Sensing circuit.
`FIG. 16 is an electrical circuit Schematic of the current
`limit circuit.
`FIG. 17 is an electrical circuit schematic of a portion of
`an alternative current feedback circuit.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT OF THE
`INVENTION
`The present invention is directed to an inductively
`coupled ballast circuit that is capable of providing power to
`a wide variety of electrically powered components in numer
`ous applications. For purposes of disclosure, embodiments
`of the ballast circuit will be described in connection with a
`water treatment System, and more specifically in connection
`with the powering of an ultraViolet lamp in a water treatment
`System. Although described in connection with this particu
`lar application, the present invention is well-Suited for use in
`providing power to other types of lamps, Such as
`incandescent, fluorescent and halogen lamps used in numer
`ouS lighting applications, Such as indoor and outdoor light
`fixtures, desk lamps, outdoor Signage, decorative lighting,
`automotive lighting, underwater lighting, intrinsically Safe
`lighting, and landscape lighting, to name only a few lighting
`configurations and applications. The present invention is
`also well Suited for providing power to non-lighting
`components, Such as integrated battery chargers in various
`electronic components, including cellphones, personal digi
`tal assistants and the like.
`
`GOOGLE AND SAMSUNG EXHIBIT 1014, 0020
`
`

`

`US 6,825,620 B2
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`Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention, as used in the
`illustrated embodiment, discloses an electronic control Sys
`tem for a water treatment System 10 that generally uses
`carbon-based filters and ultraviolet light to purify water. In
`order to appreciate the present invention, it is helpful to have
`a general background of the mechanical aspects of water
`treatment system 10 for which this illustrated embodiment
`was intended. Water treatment system 10 includes a main
`housing 12, a replaceable ultraViolet lamp assembly 14 and
`a filter assembly 16. The ultraviolet lamp assembly 14 and
`the filter assembly 16 are removable and replaceable from
`the main housing 12. The main housing 12 includes a bottom
`shroud 18, a back shroud 20, a front shroud 22, a top shroud
`24 and an inner sleeve shroud 26. A lens 28 accommodates
`a display 106 (see FIG. 3) so that information may be
`displayed about the status of the water treatment system 10
`through the display 106. To assemble the water treatment
`system 10, the ultraviolet lamp assembly 14 is securely
`mounted to the main housing 12 and thereafter the filter
`assembly 16 is mounted over the ultraviolet lamp assembly
`14 and to the main housing 12.
`AS those skilled in the art would recognize, the replace
`able ultraviolet lamp assembly 14 may be made in such a
`manner that the ultraviolet lamp assembly 14 may not be
`replaceable. In addition, those skilled in the art would
`recognize that the replaceable ultraViolet lamp assembly 14
`may be interchanged with Several different types of electro
`magnetic radiation emitting assemblies. AS Such, the present
`invention should not be construed to cover only Systems that
`uSe ultraViolet lamp assemblies and those skilled in the art
`should recognize that the disclosure of the ultraViolet lamp
`assembly 14 represents only one embodiment of the present
`invention.
`Referring to FIGS. 2A-C, the major mechanical compo
`nents of the water treatment system 10 are shown in per
`Spective view, as relevant to the present invention. AS
`illustrated in FIG. 2A, the inner sleeve shroud 26 includes a
`plurality of inner sleeve covers 30, an inlet valve assembly
`32 and an outlet cup assembly 34 with an outlet cup 36. A
`bottom shroud assembly 38 is further disclosed that includes
`40
`the bottom shroud 18 along with an inlet assembly 40 and an
`outlet assembly 42. An electronics assembly 44 fits securely
`in the bottom shroud 18, the details of which will be set forth
`below in detail. These components are Securely mounted to
`the bottom shroud 18, the back shroud 20, the front shroud
`22, the top shroud24, the inner sleeve shroud26 and the lens
`28 when the water treatment system 10 is fully assembled.
`A magnet holder 46 and a magnet 48 are also housed in the
`top shroud 24 in the illustrated embodiment.
`Referring to FIG. 2B, the ultraviolet lamp assembly 14
`generally includes a base Subassembly 50, a Secondary coil
`52, a bottom Support Subassembly 54, a top Support assem
`bly 56, a pair of quartz sleeves 58, an ultraviolet lamp 60, an
`O-ring 62 and a pair of cooperating enclosure reflector
`Subassemblies 64. Generally Speaking, the Secondary coil
`52, the bottom support Subassembly 54 and the enclosure
`reflector Subassemblies 64 are connected with the base
`Subassembly 50. The enclosure reflector Subassemblies 64
`house the pair of quartz tubes 58, the ultraviolet lamp 60 and
`the O-ring 62. The top support assembly 56 fits securely over
`the top of the enclosure reflector assemblies 64 when the
`ultraviolet lamp assembly 14 is fully assembled.
`As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the filter assembly 16 generally
`includes a base assembly 66, a filter block assembly 68, a
`filter housing 70 and an elastomeric filter-housing grip 72.
`Generally speaking, the filter block assembly 68 fits over the
`base assembly 66 which, in turn, is encapsulated by the filter
`
`6
`housing 70. The filter housing grip 72 fits over the top of the
`filter housing 70, thereby providing a better grip for remov
`ing the filter housing 70. The filter assembly 16 filters a flow
`of water by directing the flow through the filter block
`assembly 68 before being directed to the ultraviolet lamp
`assembly 14.
`FIG. 3 illustrates an electronic control system 100 for the
`water treatment system 10 generally described above. In the
`illustrated embodiment, the water treatment system 10 is
`controlled by a control unit 102, which is preferably a
`microprocessor. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the control unit 102
`is electrically connected with the inductively coupled ballast
`circuit 103 of the present invention. The ballast circuit 103
`includes the ultraViolet lamp assembly 14 and electronic
`assembly 44, which are inductively coupled as illustrated by
`the dotted line in FIG. 4. This control unit 102 is also
`electrically connected to the ultraviolet lamp assembly 14
`through two-way wireleSS communication, as will be Set
`forth in greater detail below. During operation, the control
`unit 102 is capable of generating a predetermined electric
`Signal that is directed to the inductively coupled ballast
`circuit 103, which instantaneously energizes the lamp
`assembly 14 which, in turn, provides high-intensity ultra
`violet light that treats the flow of water.
`In the illustrated embodiment, the control unit 102 is also
`electrically connected with a flow sensor circuit 104, a
`display 106, an ambient light sensor circuit 108, a visible
`light Sensor circuit 110, a power detection circuit 112, an
`ambient temperature Sensor circuit 114, an audio generation
`circuit 116, a memory Storage device 118, a communications
`port 120, a ballast feedback circuit 122 and a radio fre
`quency identification System 124. AS further illustrated in
`FIG. 3, an ultraviolet light radio frequency identification
`transponder 126 is connected with the ultraviolet lamp
`assembly 14 and a filter radio frequency ident