Patents Examined by Jianzi Chen
  • Patent number: 10757771
    Abstract: A light pen which performs pointing on an image projected from a projector includes: a battery; a light emitting unit which intermittently emits light with electric power supplied from the battery; a remaining battery capacity detection unit which detects a remaining capacity of the battery; and a control unit which changes a light emission mode of the light emitting unit in such a way as to reduce an amount of light emitted from the light emitting unit, if the remaining capacity of the battery detected by the remaining battery capacity detection unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masanori Akiyama
  • Patent number: 10757794
    Abstract: A user programmable pushbutton switch system having a central processing unit (CPU), an IR transceiver, lights, and a current sensor. The switch is programmed with a remote controller having a CPU, an IR transceiver, programming buttons, a sending button, and a display. The programming buttons provide signals to the CPU in the remote controller for selection of specific program options which are sent to the CPU in the pushbutton switch when the ENTER button is pressed. The specific program options are then executed in the pushbutton switch. The program options include Function, Current, Dimmer, Turn timer off, and Turn timer on options. The Function options include ON/OFF through one electrical output channel, a momentary ON function through one channel, Nav/Anc through two channels, OFF-ON-ON with two channels, and a dimmer function with two channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Inventor: David Worsham
  • Patent number: 10747434
    Abstract: A light-emitting storage device and a light-emitting control method are provided. The device includes a storage device controller, a processor, and at least one light-emitting unit. The storage device controller is electrically connected to a host through a host controller interface for controlling the access of the light-emitting storage device. The processor is electrically connected to the storage device controller to connect to the host. The at least one light-emitting unit is electrically connected to the processor. When the host transmits a control signal to the storage device controller through the host controller interface and the control signal is judged as a signal for controlling the at least one light-emitting unit by the storage device controller, the storage device controller transmits the control signal to the processor to control a light-emitting mode of the at least one light-emitting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Essencore Limited
    Inventors: Ming-Chang Ou, Seok-Cheon Kwon, Chan-Ho Sohn
  • Patent number: 10750594
    Abstract: A switched capacitor array having a plurality of capacitors arranged in a plurality of branches having different numbers of capacitors, and a plurality of switches connected to selectively couple the capacitors across the input or the output may be used for powering a variety of loads. A switched LED array may be dynamically configured based on a voltage supplied thereto, which may be supplied by a switched capacitor array. A lighting apparatus may be provided with first and second blocks, each block comprising a switched capacitor array, a switched LED array, and a control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Milen Moussakov, Gregory Bernard Sheehan
  • Patent number: 10743393
    Abstract: A lighting control module (LCM) includes an input configured to receive, from a sensor, a signal indicative of motion and/or occupancy, and to output a first corresponding signal. The LCM includes a microprocessor to receive the first corresponding signal from the input and, in response, transmit a second corresponding signal. A wireless transceiver is communicatively coupled to the microprocessor and configured to communicate with other LCMs. A relay is configured to selectively provide power to an output that is configured to be electrically coupled to a fixture. The relay is configured to selectively provide the power to the output according to a first relay-control signal from the microprocessor. The LCM also includes a regulated power supply, a power input configured to couple the power supply to an external power source, and a dimming module configured to be coupled to the fixture and to, when coupled to the fixture, output a signal to the fixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: ORION ENERGY SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Marc Meade, Peter David Joseph, Matthew David Gresen
  • Patent number: 10687407
    Abstract: A luminaire (10) is disclosed comprising a wireless communication module (13) for configuring the luminaire; an optical signal detector (11) for detecting a directional optical signal (31) comprising source information included in the directional signal by a signal source (20) of the directional signal; and a controller (15) for controlling the wireless communication module. The controller is adapted to decode the source information of the coded directional optical signal to extract an identification code and a cryptographic key; to enable the wireless communication module such as to establish a wireless communication link (33) between the wireless communication module and the signal source if the extracted code matches a reference code; and to encrypt data sent over the wireless communication link (33) in accordance with said cryptographic key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Patrick Rademakers, Marco Haverlag, Ralph Antonius Cornelis Braspenning
  • Patent number: 10680510
    Abstract: An AC/DC PFC converter comprises an LLC PFC pre-regulator and a DC/DC converter output stage. The output stage has a feedback unit adapted to provide a feedback signal (in addition to the conventional feedback of the bus voltage error) to the control circuit of the PFC pre-regulator for modulating the controlled output voltage of the PFC pre-regulator in dependence on the output power and/or the input current and voltage. In this way, the total harmonic distortion of the input of the converter can be reduced by controlling the gate switching in the PFC pre-regulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Reinhold Elferich, David Llewellyn John
  • Patent number: 10672590
    Abstract: Frequency tuning for a matchless plasma source is described. To perform the frequency tuning, current is measured at an output of an amplification circuit of the matchless plasma source after a change in a frequency of operation of the matchless plasma source. Upon determining that the current has increased with the change in the frequency of operation, the frequency of operation is further changed until the current has decreased. When the current has decreased, the changed frequency of operation is further modified to be an operational frequency. When the matchless plasma source operates at the operational frequency, the current at the output of the amplification circuit is maximized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Maolin Long, Yuhou Wang, Ying Wu, Alex Paterson
  • Patent number: 10667353
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lighting system of alternate current light-emitting diodes (AC-LEDs). The system includes a first, a second and a third AC-LED modules, each two of them being electrically connected in parallel to one another and further electrically connected to a first, a second or a third phase voltage input terminal. The respective AC-LED modules include a first and a second LED modules. The system is further provided with rectifier circuits and multi-stage driver modules. The invention involves driving the AC-LED modules to emit light in an alternate manner using a three-phase AC power source, thereby reducing the flicker index, and further driving the first and the second LED modules to light up in different alternating orders, thereby rendering the light emission of the AC-LED lighting system substantially constant in terms of power and brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: JITBoundary United Production Inc.
    Inventors: Ying-Diean Hwang, Po-Wen Ko
  • Patent number: 10560995
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for configuring a lighting system including a set of at least 3 light sources (Li) having different spectra (Si(?)), including a step of automatically defining the intensities (?i) of each of the light sources of said set by minimising a distance between a reference spectrum (SR(?)) and a synthetic spectrum (Ss(?)) defined by the sum of the spectra (Si(?)) of each source (Li) of said set weighted by said intensities (?i).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: WATTLUX
    Inventors: Patrick Belin, Yannick Bailly
  • Patent number: 10538194
    Abstract: An auxiliary lighting system for an auxiliary device and methods are provided. The auxiliary lighting system senses the operational state of various ones of the vehicle lights of the vehicle and operably controls the operational state of various auxiliary lights based on the operational state of one or more of the vehicle lights. The method includes controlling the auxiliary lighting system based on the operational state of the vehicle lights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Sno-Way International, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Koch, Wilhelm F. Von Menze, Jacob R. Brehmer, Terry C. Wendorff
  • Patent number: 10531552
    Abstract: A device for generating an atmospheric-pressure plasma is disclosed. In an embodiment the device includes a piezoelectric transformer comprising an input region and an output region, wherein the input region is designed to convert an applied alternating voltage into a mechanical oscillation, wherein the output region is designed to convert a mechanical oscillation into a voltage, and wherein the output region adjoins the input region in a longitudinal direction, a contact element fastened to the piezoelectric transformer, the contact element being designed to apply the alternating voltage to the input region and a holder, wherein the contact element is connected to the holder by a form-fit connection, in such a manner that a movement of the piezoelectric transformer in the longitudinal direction, relative to the holder, is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: EPCOS AG
    Inventors: Pavol Kudela, Franz Rinner, Markus Puff
  • Patent number: 10531543
    Abstract: A configurable lighting system includes a coordinator device and a first lighting device that wirelessly communicates with the coordinator device. The system further includes a user device having a display interface that displays representations of multiple lighting devices including a representation of the first lighting device. The user device is configured to indicate the representation of the first lighting device in the display interface in response to a first user input received at the first lighting device. In response to a second user input received at the user device, the second user input associating the representation of the first lighting device with a zone of a physical area, the coordinator device associates the first lighting device with a second lighting device associated with the zone of the physical area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company
    Inventors: Deborah Baus, Michael Alan Lunn
  • Patent number: 10531538
    Abstract: An apparatus (11) for the remote control of lighting apparatuses, in particular emergency lighting apparatuses (12), comprising a transmitter apparatus provided with at least one white light source having controlled activation, a receiver device used as a receiver of digital optical signals (16), which integrates a control, programming and management system managed by a software program (14), and a lighting apparatus (12), which incorporates a receiving circuit comprising a receiver photosensor (13); the transmitter apparatus is constituted by a smartphone (11), which actuates optical commands directed at the lighting apparatus (12), in a form of encoded luminous messages or intensity- and duration-controlled sequences of light variations according to a specific optical code and at different levels of luminosity, by means of a modulating process of the switching-on and the switching-off of the light source integrated in said smartphone (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Beghelli S.p.A.
    Inventor: Gian Pietro Beghelli
  • Patent number: 10512142
    Abstract: A lighting control program update system includes a wireless operation device, a plurality of lighting devices, and an update device. The wireless operation device outputs an operation instruction including first wireless operation device ID information. When the first wireless operation device ID information included in the operation instruction matches second wireless operation device ID information stored in the lighting devices, the lighting devices perform an operation in response to the operation instruction. The update device broadcasts a control program update instruction including third wireless operation device ID information that is identical to the first wireless operation device ID information to the lighting devices. When the third wireless operation device ID information matches the second wireless operation device ID information stored in the lighting devices, the lighting devices update a control program stored in response to the control program update instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Koji Hoshi
  • Patent number: 10512132
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a light fixture that uses current sharing across any one or more LED strings within the light fixture. A processor may determine the current requirements of the one or more LED strings that are needed to produce a given intensity level. The processor may then apportion the current generation capability of a power supply across all active LED strings using time division multiple access (TDMA) whereby each LED string may conduct its apportioned current within its allocated time slot to the mutual exclusion of the remaining active LED strings in any given time period. The processor may transition from a TDMA mode of operation to a direct drive mode of operation when the time duration of each of the mutually exclusive time slots are substantially equal to each other or within a percentage range of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Illum Horticulture LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Adams, James V. Rhodes, Arthur A. Wilkes
  • Patent number: 10455668
    Abstract: A method of controlling lighting devices (4) via input from a mobile device (1), involving the operations of: upon movement of the mobile device, while being wirelessly connected with an influencing lighting device, obtaining movement direction data generated by the mobile device (1); and providing the movement direction data for determining a next lighting device to be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Dirk Valentinus René Engelen, Alexander Henricus Waltherus Van Eeuwijk, Bartel Marinus Van De Sluis
  • Patent number: 10433378
    Abstract: A controller circuit is configured to drive a switching element to establish a channel that electrically couples a source to an inductive element of a buck converter and generate a minimum current sample. In response to current at the switching element exceeding a target peak current threshold of a set of control parameters for the buck converter, the controller circuit is configured to generate a peak current sample, calculate a mean current using the minimum current sample and the peak current sample, and modify the set of control parameters using the mean current. In response to the switching element satisfying an off time of the set of control parameters, the controller circuit is configured to drive the switching element to establish the channel that electrically couples the source to the inductive element during an on state for a subsequent switching period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Paolo Del Croce, Albino Pidutti, Andrea Baschirotto, Osvaldo Gasparri
  • Patent number: 10433381
    Abstract: An LED drive circuit in which a bright change of an LED is suppressed even if the voltage of a full-wave rectified waveform fluctuates is provided. The LED drive circuit includes a bridge rectifier circuit, an LED string made up by a plurality of LEDs being connected in series and supplied with a current from the bridge rectifier circuit, and a current limiting circuit that has a current input terminal and a current output terminal connected onto a path that starts from the bridge rectifier circuit and returns to the bridge rectifier circuit via the LED string, which limits a current that flows through the LED string to an upper limit current value or smaller, and further, which decreases the upper limit current value in accordance with the amount of rise in the voltage when the voltage at the current input terminal viewed from the current output terminal rises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignees: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD., CITIZEN ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keisuke Sakai, Takashi Akiyama
  • Patent number: 10420178
    Abstract: In one example, a system includes a load module, a power module, a series module, and a control module. The power module is configured to generate a supply power. The load module is configured to select a subset of light emitting diodes (LEDs) from a set of LEDs. The series module is configured to receive the supply power from the power module, dissipate a portion of the supply power, and output, to the subset of LEDs, a remaining portion of the supply power as a load power. The control module is configured to drive the series module to limit an amount of power at the subset of LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Paolo Milanesi, Fabio Fragiacomo, Maurizio Galvano, Roberto Penzo, Enrico Tonazzo