Startup circuit for a television receiver

Claim 2

A television receiver comprising: an input voltage supply for developing an input voltage, the supply being derived from and electrically coupled to the AC line and returned to a Hot ground; a switching voltage regulator coupled to the input supply and returned to the Hot ground for providing a regulated output voltage to a load circuit, the regulator comprising an inductive element across which appears a voltage alternating at a predetermined frequency and through which flows a current varying at that frequency; and an isolated startup voltage supply electrically isolated from the AC line, from the input voltage supply and from the switching voltage regulator, said isolated supply returned to an Isolated ground and comprising a winding magnetically coupled to the inductive element of the switching regulator so that the voltage across the winding varies at substantially the predetermined frequency.

Claim 3

A television receiver as defined in claim 1, wherein the inductive element comprises a first fixed number of turns of wire wound on a ferromagnetic core and the winding comprises a second fixed number of turns of wire wound on the same core.

Claim 4

A television receiver as defined in claims 1 or 2 wherein the switching regulator is so arranged and constructed that the predetermined frequency is substantially equivalent to the horizontal deflection frequency, nominally approximately 15,750 Hz whereby the voltage across the winding varies at substantially that frequency.

Claim 5

A television receiver as defined in claim 2 wherein the winding has one end connected to the Isolated ground and another end connected to a rectifier-filter, the rectifier-filter also connected to the Isolated ground, whereby a voltage is developed that depends on the number of turns of the inductive element and on the number of turns of the winding.

Claim 6

A television receiver as defined in claim 4 wherein the switching regulator is so arranged and constructed that the predetermined frequency is substantially equivalent to the horizontal deflection frequency, nominally approximately 15,750 Hz whereby the voltage across the winding varies at substantially that frequency.

Claim 7

A television receiver as defined in claim 5 wherein the isolated supply comprises a zener diode coupled to a rectifier-filter and connected to the Isolated ground so that a regulated voltage appears at the output of the isolated supply.

Claim 8

A television receiver as defined in claim 6 further comprising a horizontal oscillator electrically coupled to the output of the isolated supply and optically coupled to a horizontal deflection circuit and returned to an Isolated ground.

Claim 9

A television receiver comprising a switching regulator derived from an input supply coupled to the AC line and returned to a Hot ground wherein the receiver's horizontal deflection circuitry is coupled to the switching regulator and is returned to a Hot ground and wherein the switching regulator's operating frequency is substantially equal to the horizontal deflection frequency, the improvement comprising an isolated supply for the receiver's horizontal oscillator, the isolated supply being electrically isolated from the AC line and returned to an Isolated ground and comprising a winding magnetically coupled to the switching regulator so that a voltage is induced in the winding that varies at substantially the horizontal deflection frequency whereby the isolated supply is physically smaller than an otherwise equivalent isolated supply that is magnetically coupled to the AC line and therefore develops a voltage that varies at substantially the AC line frequency.

Claim 10

A television receiver comprising a switching regulator derived from an input supply coupled to the AC line and returned to a Hot ground wherein the receiver's horizontal deflection circuitry is coupled to the switching regulator and is returned to a Hot ground and wherein the switching regulator's operating frequency is substantially equal to the horizontal deflection frequency, the improvement comprising an isolated supply for the receiver's horizontal oscillator, the isolated supply being electrically isolated from the AC line and returned to an Isolated ground and comprising a winding magnetically coupled to the switching regulator so that a voltage is induced in the winding that varies at substantially the horizontal deflection frequency whereby the isolated supply is physically smaller than an otherwise equivalent isolated supply that is magnetically coupled to the AC line and therefore develops a voltage that varies at substantially the AC line frequency.

Claim 11

An improvement as defined in claim 8 wherein the switching regulator comprises an inductor consisting of a fixed number of turns of wire wound on a ferromagnetic core and the winding consists of a fixed number of turns of wire wound on the same core whereby the winding is magnetically coupled to but electrically isolated from the inductor.

Claim 12

An improvement as defined in claim 9 wherein the isolated supply comprises a rectifier-filter connected between the winding and the Isolated ground for developing a voltage whose amplitude depends on the magnetic coupling between the winding and the inductor and further comprises a zener diode coupled to the rectifier-filter so that a regulated voltage appears at the output of the voltage supply.

Claim 13

An improvement as defined in claims 8, 9, or 10 wherein the Isolated ground is the receiver chassis.

Claim 14

An improvement as defined in claim 10 wherein the output of the isolated supply is coupled to a horizontal oscillator that is itself connected to the Isolated ground but electrically isolated from the AC line.

Claim 15

A television receiver comprising: an input voltage supply electrically coupled to the AC line and returned to a Hot ground; a switching regulator, operating at substantially the horizontal deflection frequency, coupled to the supply and returned to the Hot ground for providing a first regulated output voltage; an isolated voltage supply electrically isolated from the AC line, from the input voltage supply and from the switching regulator, said isolated supply returned to an Isolated ground and comprising a winding magnetically coupled to the switching regulator, whereby a voltage appears across the winding from which is developed a second regulated voltage; a horizontal deflection circuit powered by the first regulated voltage and returned to the Hot ground; a horizontal oscillator powered by the second regulated voltage, returned to the Isolated ground, and optically coupled to the horizontal deflection circuit.

Claim 16

A television receiver comprising: an input voltage supply electrically coupled to the AC line and returned to a Hot ground; a switching regulator, operating at substantially the horizontal deflection frequency, coupled to the supply and returned to the Hot ground for providing a first regulated output voltage; an isolated voltage supply electrically isolated from the AC line, from the input voltage supply and from the switching regulator, said isolated supply returned to an Isolated ground and comprising a winding magnetically coupled to the switching regulator, whereby a voltage appears across the winding from which is developed a second regulated voltage; a horizontal deflection circuit powered by the first regulated voltage and returned to the Hot ground; a horizontal oscillator powered by the second regulated voltage, returned to the Isolated ground, and optically coupled to the horizontal deflection circuit.

Claim 17

A television receiver as defined in claim 13 further comprising a flyback transformer coupled to the horizontal deflection circuit; said transformer comprising windings connected to the Isolated ground and electrically isolated from the AC line across which windings appear periodic voltages from which are derived voltages for powering at least the receiver's video and chroma circuitry.

Claim 18

A television receiver as defined in claim 13 wherein the horizontal oscillator is coupled to the horizontal deflection circuit by isolated drive circuit comprising an optical transmitting device connected between the output of the horizontal oscillator and the Isolated ground and an optical receiving device coupled to the horizontal deflection circuit and to the Hot ground.

Claim 19

A television receiver as defined in claim 15 further comprising a startup aid circuit connected between the output of the switching regulator and the Hot ground.

Claim 20

A television receiver as defined in claim 16 wherein the startup and circuit is coupled to a winding on the flyback transformer, the voltage induced in the winding being indicative of the operation of the horizontal deflection circuit.

Claim 21

A television receiver as defined in claim 16 further comprising an isolated high-voltage shutdown circuit connected between the output of the isolated voltage supply and the Isolated ground.