Abstract: A method for igniting and for starting high-pressure discharge lamps is provided. The method may include applying a takeover voltage to the lamp for a predetermined time of a burst; superimposing ignition pulses on the takeover voltage in such a way that the voltage of the ignition pulses and the takeover voltage are added up and an interruption being provided between two bursts; and changing the ignition pulses from burst to burst or within a burst from the positive half-cycle of the takeover voltage to the negative half-cycle of the takeover voltage, and vice versa.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a driving circuit includes an AC/DC converter which converts an AC voltage to a DC voltage and a DC/DC linear regulator which regulates a current through, e.g., an LED light source, according to a first current reference if a monitoring signal indicating the DC voltage is within a predetermined range, and regulates the current according to a second current reference less than the first current reference if the monitoring signal is beyond the predetermined range. In another embodiment, a controller controlling power to an LED light source turns on a first plurality of LEDs and turns off a second plurality of LEDs if a monitoring signal indicative of a DC voltage received by the LED light source is within a predetermined range, and turns on both first and second plurality of LEDs if the monitoring signal is beyond the predetermined range.

Abstract: An electronic lamp ballast is provided with first and second protection circuits responsive to mains input fault conditions. A controller includes a first input terminal coupled to a power supply circuit and effective to receive a power supply input voltage provided thereby, and a second input terminal coupled to an output sensing circuit and effective to receive a feedback voltage provided thereby. The first protection circuit includes circuitry to sense a fault condition in a mains power input to the ballast and to discharge the power supply input voltage in response to a sensed fault condition. The second protection circuit includes circuitry to sense a discharge of the power supply input voltage to the controller and to discharge the feedback voltage in response to the sensed discharge of the power supply input voltage.

Abstract: A solid-state lighting device (500) includes a plurality of light-emitting elements (510, 525, 530) configured for generating light that are thermally coupled to a heat spreading chassis configured for coupling to one or more heat sinks (520). The lighting device further includes a mixing chamber which is optically coupled to the plurality of light-emitting elements and configured to mix the light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting elements. A control system is operatively coupled to the plurality of light-emitting elements, and configured to control operation of the plurality of light-emitting elements.

Abstract: A method for igniting and for starting high-pressure discharge lamps is provided. The method may include applying a takeover voltage to the lamp for a predetermined time of a burst; superimposing ignition pulses on the takeover voltage in such a way that the voltage of the ignition pulses and the takeover voltage are added up and an interruption being provided between two bursts; and changing the ignition pulses from burst to burst or within a burst from the positive half-cycle of the takeover voltage to the negative half-cycle of the takeover voltage, and vice versa.

Abstract: A driver circuit produces variable current output for an LED lighting system providing improved dimming capability and greater power efficiency when responding to industry standard lighting dimmers, through the use of an input voltage monitoring circuit which variably controls the current output of a switching regulator. Output current modulation methods such as analog, PWM, Pulse Frequency Modulation, or other digital modulation, and combination or hybrid methods may be employed. The current invention marries such output modulation techniques with a control method which is derived through intelligent monitoring of the input voltage waveform. The circuit and method described is adapted to higher current applications such as LED lighting systems using the latest high-power LEDs.

Abstract: Color temperature of a lighting apparatus that includes a first LED that emits a white light with a first color temperature and a second LED that emits a white light with a second color temperature is managed. The two LEDs are connected in parallel anode to cathode so that current flowing in one direction turns on the first LED and current flowing in the opposite direction turns on the second LED. A controller manages a duty cycle of an alternating current flowing through the two LEDs to control the color temperature and/or the brightness of the lighting apparatus.

Abstract: A vehicle headlamp using a high-power LED light source, receiving power regulated by a driver circuit, is mounted in a housing and covered at least in part by a light transmissive cover using a construction by which heat developed by the driver circuit (current regulator) is conducted to the light transmissive cover, thereby heating the transparent cover and so retarding the formation or accumulation of ice and snow on the light transmissive cover.

Abstract: In an ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp that encloses mercury is enclosed in an arc tube, an electrode has a head portion whose diameter is larger than that of an axis portion and a cylindrical portion formed to project from and extend, integrally with a back end face of the head portion, wherein an inner circumference face the cylindrical portion is apart from the axis portion so as to surround the axis portion. During an alternating current lighting, a relational expression of d/(1/f)×1/2?3.8 is satisfied, wherein a frequency, which relates to an anode operation period that is the longest in the anode operation period during which one electrode serves as an anode, is represented as f, and a distance in an axial direction from the leading edge position of the head portion of the electrode to a boundary position between the head portion and the cylindrical portion is represented as d.

Abstract: A lighting control system comprising a plurality of intelligent switches designed to replace a conventional light switch, each of the intelligent switches including a receiver configured to receive communication signals that include rules based instructions for controlling one or more lighting circuits; a circuit interrupter configured to control the amount of current flowing to a lighting circuit; a memory configured to store the rules based instructions; and a processor coupled with the receiver, memory, and circuit interrupter, the processor configured to control the operation of the circuit interrupter based on the rules based instructions stored in memory.

Abstract: A process for controlling a brightness of a lamp includes, in at least one aspect, detecting input to control a brightness of a fluorescent lamp operated by a driving signal, and in response to detecting the input, modifying the driving signal to control the brightness of the fluorescent lamp, wherein modifying the driving signal comprises alternately applying a first duty cycle and a second duty cycle to the driving signal, wherein the first duty cycle and the second duty cycle are substantially complementary to each other.

Abstract: A power converter for constant loads includes an energy transfer element, a switch, a controller, and a compensation circuit. The energy transfer element is coupled to receive a rectified voltage having a non-blocked portion and a blocked portion, where an amount of the blocked portion corresponds to a phase angle. The controller is coupled to control switching of the switch to regulate an output current of the power converter in response to a plurality of signals. The plurality of signals includes a peak input voltage signal and a feedback signal, where the peak input voltage signal is representative of a peak input voltage of the power converter and the feedback signal is representative of the output voltage of the power converter. The compensation circuit is coupled to adjust at least one of the plurality of signals in response to the phase angle exceeding a phase angle threshold.

Abstract: There is provided an LED driving circuit. An LED driving circuit according to an aspect of the invention may include: a shift register separating dimming data and control data from serial peripheral interface (SPI) data and outputting the dimming data and the control data in predetermine data units; a scan register generating scan data according to the control data from the shift register; a first error detection unit detecting an error in the dimming data from the shift register; a second error detection unit detecting an error in the scan data from the scan register; and a logic operation unit performing an OR operation on an output signal from the first error detection unit and an output signal from the second error detection unit.

Abstract: A light source turn-on/off controller includes an input section of a turn-on/off timing signal, a PWM signal generating section for generating a pulse signal responding to a rise or a fall of the timing signal, a duty cycle of the pulse signal changing so as to simulate a rise or a fall of emission in turn-on or turn-off of a filament, an emission control section for controlling an emitting section responding to the pulse signal from the PWM signal generating section, and a storage section for storing a control data table for duty cycle control by the PWM signal generating section. The control data table includes a rise table to be referred to in the rise of emission and a fall table to be referred to in the fall of emission, and each of the rise table and the fall table indicates association between elapsed time from the rise or the fall of the timing signal and the duty cycle of the pulse signal, and a relationship between the tables indicates that they cannot be superposed on each other.

Abstract: The present invention relates to ion sources (14) comprising a cathode (20) and a counter-cathode (44) that are suitable for ion implanters (10). Typically, the ion source is held under vacuum and produces ions using a plasma generated within an arc chamber (16). Plasma ions are extracted from the arc chamber and subsequently implanted in a semiconductor wafer (12). The ion source according to the present invention further comprises a cathode (40) arranged to emit electrons into the arc chamber; an electrode (44) positioned in the arc chamber such that electrons emitted by the cathode are incident thereon; one or more voltage potential sources (76) arranged to bias the electrode; and a voltage potential adjuster (82) operable to switch between the voltage potential source biasing the electrode positively thereby to act as an anode and the voltage potential source biasing the electrode negatively thereby to act as a counter-cathode.

Abstract: An inverter according to exemplary embodiment of the present invention generates a plurality of feedback voltages corresponding to driving voltages of discharge lamps. The inverter generates a first minimum voltage having a smaller feedback voltage of a plurality of feedback voltages and compares the first minimum voltage and a short circuit reference voltage to determine a short circuit of at least two discharge lamps. Also, the inverter generates a plurality of feedback voltages corresponding to driving currents of a plurality of discharge lamps, generates a second minimum voltage having a smaller feedback voltage of a plurality of the feedback voltages, and compares the second minimum voltage and an open circuit reference voltage to determine the open circuit of the at least two discharge lamps.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to lighting controller, more particularly to electronic ballast circuits, sometimes referred to as electronic control gears (ECG) or gas discharge lamps. An electronic ballast for a gas discharge lamp, the electronic ballast comprising: a power input circuit to provide a dc voltage supply; a SEPIC converter having a converter input coupled to said dc voltage supply and having a dc voltage output; and a push-pull output stage coupled to said dc voltage output to provide an ac voltage for driving said lamp, said push-pull output stage comprising a pair of inductive elements each having a first connection to one another and to said dc voltage output and a second connection to a respective switch.

Abstract: A driving device comprises a first transistor (B13), a second transistor (B14), and a resistance element. The first transistor (B13) has one terminal receiving a pulsed current and a control terminal connected to the one terminal. The second transistor (B14) has one terminal connected to at least one load, the other terminal connected to a reference potential together with the other terminal of the first transistor (B13), and a control terminal connected to the control terminal of the first transistor (B13). The resistance element is connected between the control terminal of the first transistor (B13) and the other terminal of the first transistor (B13).

Abstract: A system for luminance characterization of a luminaire includes a ballast coil and a multi-tap capacitor connected in series with the ballast coil. The multi-tap capacitor has a plurality of tap capacitors integrated into a capacitor housing. A plurality of switches are each coupled to one of the plurality of tap capacitors for selectively coupling the tap capacitors together to produce a multi-tap capacitance corresponding to a configuration of the plurality of switches. A lamp is connected in series with the multi-tap capacitor and the ballast coil. A photometer is located to measure light intensity of the lamp and to produce a lumen output measurement. A memory is used to store a database having a plurality of lumen output measurements, each corresponding to a multi-tap capacitance corresponding to all configurations of the plurality of switches.

Abstract: A location commissioning method for a lighting system, having several lighting arrangements, includes selecting an illuminated position, assigning the position a position id, measuring light at the position, deriving light data associated with each lighting arrangement from the measured light, associating the light data with the position id, determining light transfer data from the light data and current drive data for the lighting arrangements, and storing in a light effect setting array for the position id. A light effect setting method includes requesting a selected light effect at a selected position, receiving a position id and a target light effect setting associated with the position, deriving the associated initial light effect setting array, for example by retrieving a stored one, determining the drive data for obtaining the target light effect setting, via the light transfer data in the array.