System and method for power-efficient charging and discharging of a capacitive load from a single source

Patent, 2005

A system and method for efficiently charging and discharging a capacitive load from a single voltage source. The system includes a brat switch for selectively connecting the voltage source to the load and a second switch for selectively providing a short across the load as may he common in the art. A particularly novel aspect of the invention resides in the provision of plural capacitive elements and a switching mechanism for selectively connecting each of the capacitive elements to the load whereby the load is gradually charged or discharged. In the illustrative embodiment, the switching mechanism includes a set of switches for selectively connecting each of the capacitive elements to the capacitive load and a switch control mechanism for selectively activating the switches.