Patent ID: 11894657
Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC H  G | IPC H

Claim 17:
18. A method of operating a pulse generator circuit, the pulse generator circuit comprising first and second nodes, a first electronic switch coupled between the first node and the second node, a second electronic switch coupled between the second node and a reference node, an LC resonant circuit comprising a series connection of an inductance and a capacitance having an intermediate node therebetween, the LC resonant circuit coupled between the first node and the reference node, and charge circuitry comprising a further inductance in a current flow line between a supply node and the intermediate node in the LC resonant circuit, the method comprising cyclically repeating during a sequence of switching cycles:
closing the first electronic switch and opening the second electronic switch during charge time intervals, thereby charging the capacitance in the LC resonant circuit via the charge circuit;
opening the first electronic switch and closing the second electronic switch during pulse generation time intervals, thereby providing, by the LC resonant circuit, a pulsed current to an electrical load via the first node and the second node;
closing the first and second electronic switches during oscillation time intervals that are interleaved with the charge and pulse generation time intervals, thereby oscillating the LC resonant circuit at a resonance frequency;
comparing a charge voltage of the capacitance in the LC resonant circuit with a charge threshold; and
activating a charge switch, arranged in the current flow line intermediate the supply node and the further inductance, to couple the further inductance to the supply node as a function of an outcome of the comparing.