Patent ID: 6992875

Claim:
An electronic device comprising: a switch; an electromagnetic actuator including a coil that is connectable through the switch to one of an operating voltage potential and a reference potential; a capacitor; wherein the coil, the capacitor and the switch are configured to form a voltage transformer; wherein the switch includes a circuit breaker that connects the coil to one of the operating voltage potential and the reference potential, and the switch includes a diode through which the capacitor is charged through the coil when the circuit breaker is open; wherein a switching process is cyclical with a predefined mark-to-space ratio being set; and wherein the predefined mark-to-space ratio is less than a predefined maximum value, and the predefined maximum value is chosen to avoid activation of the electromagnetic actuator and such that a current in the coil is less than a making current of the electromagnetic actuator at which the electromagnetic actuator is activated.