Patent ID: 11863062
Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 5:
6. A capacitor discharge circuit, comprising:
a capacitor comprising a first plate and a second plate, and configured to store an electric charge, the capacitor having a capacitor voltage that is nonzero volts; and
discharge circuitry configured to discharge the electric charge so that the capacitor voltage becomes zero volts, the discharge circuitry being connected to the first plate, the discharge circuitry comprising:
a switch comprising a first terminal and a second terminal;
current level sensing circuitry connected to the second terminal of the switch;
an inductor; and
a discharge load having a resistor electrically in series with the inductor, wherein one of the resistor or the inductor is connected to the first plate of the capacitor, wherein the other one of the resistor or the inductor is connected to the first terminal of the switch,
wherein the current level sensing circuitry configured to produce a control signal in response to current passing to the discharge load,
wherein the discharge circuitry, for discharging the capacitor to the discharge load over a plurality of discharge cycles, with current from the capacitor passing through the discharge load with increasing level over time during one portion of each one of the discharge cycles and with current passing through the discharge load decreasing in level over time during a different portion of each one of the discharge cycles in response to the control signal, and

wherein the switch is electrically in series with both the current level sensing circuitry and the capacitor, and the switch is electrically connected between the current level sensing circuitry and the capacitor.