Patents by Inventor William A. Draper

William A. Draper has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8680771
    Abstract: A controller is configured to generate one or more power control signals for a lamp to supply power to the lamp from a supply voltage. The controller is further configured to receive customization data encoded in the supply voltage. Thus, in at least one embodiment, the controller receives the customization data via one or more power terminals of the lamp. Phase cut angles in the supply voltage provided to the controller encode the customization data, and each phase cut angle encodes N symbols of data. N is an integer greater than or equal to one (1). In at least one embodiment, the customization data alters the controller from one state to another state in accordance with data represented by phase cuts in the supply voltage that encode the customization data. Examples of customization data include calibration data and configuration data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert T. Grisamore, William A. Draper, Eric J. King, Michael A. Kost, John L. Melanson
  • Patent number: 8487591
    Abstract: A power control system provides immunity from power supply dropout for a controller without compromising a startup time of the controller. In at least one embodiment, the power control system includes separate startup and dropout immunity capacitors. In at least one embodiment, selection of the capacitance of the startup capacitor is independent of selection of the capacitance of the dropout immunity capacitance. In at least one embodiment, the startup capacitance can be minimized to provide sufficient energy for the controller to normally operate during one missed cycle of an input voltage and, thus, provide a minimum startup time for the controller. The capacitance of the dropout immunity capacitor can be maximized to provide sufficient energy for the controller to operate normally during a time period longer than one cycle of the input voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: William A. Draper, John L. Melanson, Zhaohui He
  • Patent number: 8482223
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment, a lamp includes a controller configured to generate power control signals for a lamp is also configured to receive lamp calibration data received via one or more power terminals of the lamp. The controller is configured to process the calibration data to calibrate the lamp. In at least one embodiment, the lamp includes one or more light emitting diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: William A. Draper, Robert T. Grisamore, John L. Melanson
  • Patent number: 8362707
    Abstract: A lighting system includes time division light output sensing and adjustment for ambient light. In at least one embodiment, time division light output sensing involves modulating power to a light emitting diode (LED) set, and the set of LEDs includes one or more LEDs. In at least one embodiment, each LED in the LED set is included in a single lamp, and, in at least one embodiment, the set of LEDs is contained in multiple lamps. In at least one embodiment, for each lamp, a controller modulates power to the LED set by selectively reducing power to the LED set using time division algorithm to allow a light sensor to sense the brightness of ambient light with a reduced contribution from the LED set. In at least one embodiment, a lighting system also includes time division light output sensing and adjustment for different spectra LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: William A. Draper, John L. Melanson
  • Publication number: 20130002163
    Abstract: An electronic lighting system and method described herein control energy provided to an electronic lighting device, such as one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and/or compact fluorescent lamps (CELs), of the electronic lighting system. A triac-based dimmer phase cuts a line voltage provided to the electronic lighting system. A controller of the electronic lighting system utilizes a probing system to overcome idiosyncrasies of the triac-based dimmer to allow the controller to probe and sense the line voltage. To reduce energy consumption, rather than probing each cycle of the output voltage of the triac-based dimmer, the controller periodically or intermittently probes the output voltage of the triac-based dimmer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Inventors: Zhaohui He, Rahul Singh, Eric J. King, John L. Melanson, William A. Draper
  • Publication number: 20120274225
    Abstract: A controller is configured to generate one or more power control signals for a lamp to supply power to the lamp from a supply voltage. The controller is further configured to receive customization data encoded in the supply voltage. Thus, in at least one embodiment, the controller receives the customization data via one or more power terminals of the lamp. Phase cut angles in the supply voltage provided to the controller encode the customization data, and each phase cut angle encodes N symbols of data. N is an integer greater than or equal to one (1). In at least one embodiment, the customization data alters the controller from one state to another state in accordance with data represented by phase cuts in the supply voltage that encode the customization data. Examples of customization data include calibration data and configuration data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Inventors: Robert T. Grisamore, William A. Draper, Eric J. King, Michael A. Kost, John L. Melanson
  • Publication number: 20110074302
    Abstract: A power control/lighting system includes a controller to provide compatibility between a lamp ballast configured to receive a dedicated dimmer signal and a phase control dimmer. In at least one embodiment, the controller converts a phase control dimming signal into dimming information useable by a lamp ballast of a gas discharge lamp based lighting system. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the controller also controls power factor correction of the power control/lighting system. In at least one embodiment, the controller provides dimming information based on the phase control dimming signal that allows the lamp ballast to be used in conjunction with a phase control dimmer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Inventors: William A. Draper, Robert Grisamore
  • Publication number: 20100277072
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment, a lamp includes a controller configured to generate power control signals for a lamp is also configured to receive lamp calibration data received via one or more power terminals of the lamp. The controller is configured to process the calibration data to calibrate the lamp. In at least one embodiment, the lamp includes one or more light emitting diodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Inventors: William A. Draper, Robert T. Grisamore, John L. Melanson
  • Publication number: 20100171442
    Abstract: A lighting system includes time division light output sensing and adjustment for ambient light. In at least one embodiment, time division light output sensing involves modulating power to a light emitting diode (LED) set, and the set of LEDs includes one or more LEDs. In at least one embodiment, each LED in the LED set is included in a single lamp, and, in at least one embodiment, the set of LEDs is contained in multiple lamps. In at least one embodiment, for each lamp, a controller modulates power to the LED set by selectively reducing power to the LED set using time division algorithm to allow a light sensor to sense the brightness of ambient light with a reduced contribution from the LED set. In at least one embodiment, a lighting system also includes time division light output sensing and adjustment for different spectra LEDs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Inventors: William A. Draper, John L. Melanson