Signal transmission method and related device

1. An electrical power supply device, comprising:

a primary side;

a secondary side; and

an optocoupler arranged between the primary side and the secondary side;

a modulator/demodulator pair configured to transmit and receive a rectangular-wave signal modulated in combination with frequency modulation and pulse width modulation according to a method of operating an electrical power supply device having a primary side and a secondary side, the method comprising:

transmitting with an optocoupler arranged between said primary side and said secondary side:

a wide band control signal;

a numerical information signal,

the method further comprising transmitting said control signal and said information signal over said rectangular-wave signal modulated in combination with frequency modulation and pulse width modulation, wherein said control signal and said information signal are the modulating signals for frequency modulation and pulse width modulation of said rectangular-wave signal.

2. The power supply device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a signal conditioning circuit coupled to the output of the optocoupler and comprising a current mirror with a first and a second transistor, wherein:

the first transistor is an active load for the output of the optocoupler to prevent saturation thereof,

the second transistor provides an output for the signal conditioning circuit which reproduces the optocoupler output, and

a high-pass equalizer is arranged between the first transistor and the second transistor of the current mirror.

3. The electrical power supply device of claim 1 , wherein the electrical power supply device is further configured to:

modulate the frequency of said rectangular-wave signal with said control signal; and

modulate the pulse-width of said rectangular-wave signal with said information signal.

4. The electrical power supply device of claim 1 , wherein the electrical power supply device is further configured to:

modulate the rectangular-wave signal as a two-level signal including signal intervals wherein the rectangular-wave signal assumes a first level over a first portion of the interval and a second level over a second portion of the interval, wherein the electrical power supply device is configured to modulate the frequency of the rectangular-wave signal by varying the duration of the signal intervals as a function of said control signal.

5. The electrical power supply device of claim 4 , wherein the electrical power supply device is further configured to vary the rectangular-wave signal between a minimum frequency and a maximum frequency.

6. The electrical power supply device of claim 4 , wherein the electrical power supply device is further configured to vary said frequency between a minimum frequency and a maximum frequency over a continuum of frequencies between said minimum frequency and said maximum frequency.

7. The electrical power supply device of claim 1 , wherein the electrical power supply device is further configured to:

modulate the rectangular-wave signal as a two-level signal including signal intervals wherein the rectangular-wave signal assumes a first level over a first portion of the interval and a second level over a second portion of the interval, wherein the electrical power supply device is configured to modulate the pulse width of the rectangular-wave signal by varying the relative durations of the said first portion and said second portion of the signal interval as a function of the said information signal.

8. The electrical power supply device of claim 7 , the electrical power supply device further configured to modulate the pulse width using:

two different values for said relative durations of said first portion and said second portion, wherein one bit of information is transmitted for each signal interval, or more than two different values for said relative durations of said first portion and said second portion, wherein more than one bit of information is transmitted for each signal interval.