Patent ID: 7208848

Claim:
A device for power reduction during an operation of an inductive load, comprising: a voltage source having a positive pole defining a first potential and a negative pole defining a reference potential; an on-board voltage source having an on-board positive pole and an on-board negative pole connected to said negative pole and also defining the reference potential, said on-board positive pole defining a second potential being less than the first potential; a first transistor having a source terminal connected to a first terminal of the inductive load, a drain terminal connected to said positive pole of said voltage source, and a gate terminal; a second transistor having a drain terminal connected to a second terminal of the inductive load, a source terminal connected said negative pole of said voltage source, and a gate terminal; a freewheeling diode connected between and conducting from the reference potential to the first terminal of the inductive load; a recuperation diode connected between and conducting from the second terminal of the inductive load to said positive pole of said voltage source; and a series circuit including a third transistor, a fourth transistor and said on-board voltage source, said series circuit connected between the reference potential and the first terminal of the inductive load, said third transistor having a source terminal, a gate terminal and a drain terminal connected to said on-board positive terminal of said on-board voltage source, said fourth transistor connected between said third transistor and the first terminal of the inductive load, said fourth transistor having a source terminal connected to said source terminal of said third transistor, a drain terminal connected to said on-board positive pole of said on-board voltage source, and a gate terminal connected to said gate terminal of said third transistor.