Abstract: A lamp assembly (50) employs a reflector (52) defining a light reflecting area (53), and a heat sink (54) defining a circuit housing area (55). A LED assembly (51) is disposed within the light reflecting area (53) and heat sink (54) dissipates heat away from LED assembly (51). One or more LEDs of LED assembly (51) emit a light in response to a flow of a LED current through the LEDs. One or more optical power sensors of LED assembly (51) sense an emission of the light by LED(s). A LED driver circuit (30) is disposed within the circuit housing area (55) to control the flow of the LED current through the LED(s) as a function of a sensing of the emission of the light by the optical power sensor(s) and a desired level of one or more lighting variables associated with the LED(s).

Abstract: Batteries in portable electrical or electronic devices are charged, through by a wireless battery charger, having an intermediate electrical energy storage device that is charged from a non-power line connected source, and discharged to recharge the battery of a portable device placed into a charge port of the wireless battery charger. The non-power line connected source may be a solar cell for converting light impinging on the solar cell into electrical energy. The non-power line connected source may also be a fuel cell for converting a fuel into electrical energy. The wireless battery charger may also include multiple sources, such as both a solar and a fuel cell. Charging the intermediate electrical energy storage device from the non-power line connected source may take place over an extended period of time having a duration longer than the time required to charge the battery of the portable device.

Abstract: A method for selling lighting solutions includes installing a lighting system and measuring the amount of lumens emitted and/or measuring the changes in light spectrum. The method also includes determining a fee based on the amount of lumens emitted and the changes in light spectrum. The fee may also be calculated based on the services rendered for the installation and the maintenance of the lighting system. A lighting solutions system may include means for measuring the light output and means for determining a fee based on the light output. The lighting solutions system may also include means to allow the customer control of the lighting solutions system.

Abstract: The liquid crystal display panel of the present invention provides rapid highlighting of the display. To provide highlighting, current to the backlighting lamp is increased from a normal current to a highlighting current. During the transition from the normal current to the highlighting current, the current to backlighting lamp is increased to an intermediate current above the highlighting current, and then decreased to the highlighting current. The increase to an intermediate current provides greater energy to the backlighting lamp than a direct increase from the low current to the highlighting current. The increased energy heats the backlighting lamp quickly to provide the increased light for highlighting. In addition, reducing the current to the backlighting lamp below the normal current when leaving the highlighting mode decreases the time to leave the highlighting mode.

Abstract: An autonomous solid state lighting system has a charge mode which collects energy and produces electric power with a solid state energy source, converts the voltage of the electric power using a bi-directional power converter, and stores the power in an energy storage device. A discharge mode draws electric power from the energy storage device, converts the voltage of the electric power using the bi-directional power converter, and produces light from a solid state light source. A controller controls the charge and discharge modes. In one embodiment, the solid state energy source can be a solar cell panel, the solid state light source can be an LED module, and the energy storage device can be a battery pack.

Abstract: Backlighting is provided for an LCD-TV display by directing light from a source into an open end of a cylindrical drum, the other end of which is closed. The drum has a highly reflective inside surface and a beam is directed through an orifice in the cylindrical wall of the drum. A plurality of optical fibers are positioned with one end of each on a circle coaxial with the drum and the other end of each attached along one edge of the panel to which backlighting is provided. The drum, and thus the beam, is rotated about its axis at constant angular velocity, providing light sequentially to each of the fibers with resulting scrolling of the light across the panel behind the LCD array.

Abstract: The autonomous solid state lighting system of the present invention has a charge mode which collects energy and produces electric power with a solid state energy source, converts the voltage of the electric power using a bi-directional power converter, and stores the power in an energy storage device, and has a discharge mode which draws electric power from the energy storage device, converts the voltage of the electric power using the bi-directional power converter, and produces light from a solid state light source. A controller controls the charge and discharge modes. In one embodiment, the solid state energy source can be a solar cell panel, the solid state light source can be an LED module, and the energy storage device can be a battery pack.

Abstract: Batteries in portable electrical or electronic devices are charged, through by a wireless battery charger, having an intermediate electrical energy storage device that is charged from a non-power line connected source, and discharged to recharge the battery of a portable device placed into a charge port of the wireless battery charger. The non-power line connected source may be a solar cell for converting light impinging on the solar cell into electrical energy. The non-power line connected source may also be a fuel cell for converting a fuel into electrical energy. The wireless battery charger may also include multiple sources, such as both a solar and a fuel cell. Charging the intermediate electrical energy storage device from the non-power line connected source may take place over an extended period of time having a duration longer than the time required to charge the battery of the portable device.

Abstract: A multichip light-emitting-diode package having a support member, at least two light-emitting-diode chips disposed on the support member, at least one sensor disposed on the support member for reporting quantitative and spectral information to a controller, relating to the light output of the light-emitting-diodes, and a signal processing circuit, including an analog-to-digital converter logic circuit, disposed on the support member for converting the analog signal output produced by the sensors to a digital signal output.

Abstract: The liquid crystal display panel of the present invention provides rapid highlighting of the display. To provide highlighting, current to the backlighting lamp is increased from a normal current to a highlighting current. During the transition from the normal current to the highlighting current, the current to backlighting lamp is increased to an intermediate current above the highlighting current, and then decreased to the highlighting current. The increase to an intermediate current provides greater energy to the backlighting lamp than a direct increase from the low current to the highlighting current. The increased energy heats the backlighting lamp quickly to provide the increased light for highlighting. In addition, reducing the current to the backlighting lamp below the normal current when leaving the highlighting mode decreases the time to leave the highlighting mode.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp having a capacitive coupling structure in the form of cylindrical ceramic tubes is packaged with an inverter circuit for driving the fluorescent lamp and supply nodes for applying a supply voltage to the inverter circuit. The inverter circuit can be a conventional inverter circuit, such as, for example, current-fed push-pull, voltage-fed push-pull, active clamped Flyback, and voltage-fed half-bridge inverter circuits.

Abstract: Backlighting is provided for an LCD-TV display by directing light from a source into an open end of a cylindrical drum, the other end of which is closed. The drum has a highly reflective inside surface and a beam is directed through an orifice in the cylindrical wall of the drum. A plurality of optical fibers are positioned with one end of each on a circle coaxial with the drum and the other end of each attached along one edge of the panel to which backlighting is provided. The drum, and thus the beam, is rotated about its axis at constant angular velocity, providing light sequentially to each of the fibers with resulting scrolling of the light across the panel behind the LCD array.

Abstract: A tubular fluorescent lamp has a light emissive portion and an integral adjacent portion for containing power circuitry, such as an electronic ballast for providing high voltage power to electrodes of the lamp. All necessary electrical connections between the power circuitry and the electrodes are provided either within or on the lamp structure itself.

Abstract: A resonant converter which may be employed as an electronic ballast for a gas discharge lamp, the converter being in the form of a full or half bridge circuit which includes at least a pair of power switches such as MOSFET's. The gates of the switches are actuated by substantially square wave cyclic gating signals having complementary duty cycle ratios and a frequency somewhat above a resonant frequency of the converter circuit. The energy supply to the lamp is variable in accordance with the duty cycle ratios of the gating signals. In order to avoid generation of high voltage and current transients in the converter when a change in operating state requiring a substantial change in duty cycle ratios of the gating signals is to be performed, as when effecting turn-on or turn-off of the lamp, the changes in the duty cycle ratio are ramped to occur incrementally over several cycles of the gating signals rather than directly to required final values of the duty cycle ratios.

Abstract: A low cost method for operating a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp including a ballast circuit. The method includes generating DC in an AC-to-DC converter, capturing any AC ripple of the DC with a buffer capacitor to generate a control signal, generating a high frequency lamp power signal from DC utilizing an HF inverter circuit and modulating the high frequency power signal utilizing the control signal to generate a frequency swept lamp power signal to drive the lamp while avoiding acoustic resonance.

Abstract: A multichip light-emitting-diode package having a support member, at least two light-emitting-diode chips disposed on the support member, at least one sensor disposed on the support member for reporting quantitative and spectral information to a controller, relating to the light output of the light-emitting-diodes, and a signal processing circuit, including an analog-to-digital converter logic circuit, disposed on the support member for converting the analog signal output produced by the sensors to a digital signal output.

Abstract: A method for selling lighting solutions includes installing a lighting system and measuring the amount of lumens emitted and/or measuring the changes in light spectrum. The method also includes determining a fee based on the amount of lumens emitted and the changes in light spectrum. The fee may also be calculated based on the services rendered for the installation and the maintenance of the lighting system. A lighting solutions system may include means for measuring the light output and means for determining a fee based on the light output. The lighting solutions system may also include means to allow the customer control of the lighting solutions system.

Abstract: A power supply and/or ballast optimizes performance of an electrical load, such as a High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamp by monitoring the current and voltage signal driving the load, and calculating a representative portion of the power spectrum being delivered to the load. The calculated portion of the delivered power spectrum is compared to a desired power spectrum, and the input signal to the load is modified in such a manner that the delivered power spectrum will more closely match the desired power spectrum. The input current and voltage, and the frequency at the load are thus not controlled directly, but are an indirect result of applying the modified input power spectrum to the load. By utilizing the input power spectrum in this manner, a power supply and/or ballast provides improved control and performance when used with electrical loads such as HID lamps.

Abstract: A low cost method for operating a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp including a ballast circuit. The method includes generating DC in an AC-to-DC converter, capturing any AC ripple of the DC with a buffer capacitor to generate a control signal, generating a high frequency lamp power signal from DC utilizing an HF inverter circuit and modulating the high frequency power signal utilizing the control signal to generate a frequency swept lamp power signal to drive the lamp while avoiding acoustic resonance.

Abstract: A lamp ballast circuit which provides a magnetizing inductance to a lamp ballast circuit transformer. A DC voltage and current supply source energize a pair of transistors which provide an AC voltage and current. The transformer includes a primary winding that receives the AC voltage and current. At least one lamp is coupled to the transformer secondary winding via a capacitor. The circuit has an optimal magnetizing inductance such that the transformer input voltage and current are substantially in phase with each other, thereby substantially reducing or eliminating the reactive power transferred through the output transformer. In a preferred embodiment, the magnetizing inductance, L102, is given as: L&khgr;=[1−(&ohgr;sC1R1)2]/n2&ohgr;s2C1, wherein &ohgr;s is an operating frequency, C1 is the capacitance of the capacitor, R1 is the resistance of the at least one lamp, and n is the secondary-to-primary side turns ratio of the transformer.