Abstract: A backlight module includes a light guide plate with a main body and a light source with a circuit board and a plurality of light bars. The main body has a light incidence surface and a light emitting surface. The light incidence surface has a plurality of accommodating grooves and the light emitting surface or the light incidence surface has a plurality of light-separation grooves which are perpendicular to the accommodating grooves. The accommodating groove has a first and a second light incidence parts. A reflecting layer is disposed on the surface of the circuit board being located between each two light bars. The light source is disposed on the light incidence surface and light bars are disposed for the accommodating grooves so as a predetermined distance located between the light bar and the second light incidence part is formed a light mixing space to reduce the production of bright lines.

Abstract: An electronic ballast is provided and a method for operating one or more lamps. The ballast and method provide for true parallel lamp operation, with preheating of lamp filaments during a dimming operation. Switching losses are reduced by ensured soft switching operation. An inverter switch driver is arranged to provide first drive signals to a shared line branch having a first switch shared among a plurality of decoupled inverter drive modules and to provide second drive signals to a plurality of independent line branches each having a switch and associated with one of the decoupled inverter drive modules. A soft switching control circuit is coupled to the first switch and configured so as to maintain a soft switching operation for the first switch.

Abstract: An illuminating apparatus includes a plurality of light source units and a light guide plate. The light guide plate has a flat part and a protruding part, wherein the light source units provide a side light beam into the light guide plate at an edge surface, the side light beam is guided in the light guide plate and exits at the protruding part.

Abstract: A backlight module includes a light guide plate, a plurality of light emitting devices, and a composite optical film. The light guide plate has a light incident surface, a light exit surface, and a bottom surface, wherein the light exit surface is opposite to the bottom surface, and the light incident surface is connected with the light exit surface and the bottom surface. The light emitting devices are disposed beside the light incident surface of the light guide plate. Each of the light emitting devices has a light emitting surface facing to the light incident surface, wherein the light emitting surface provides a light beam. The composite optical film is disposed between the light emitting surface and the light incident surface and includes a diffusion layer and a partially transmissive and partially reflective layer.

Abstract: A backlight module includes at least one light emitting device capable of emitting a light beam, a light guide plate, and a thermal insulation light guide element. The light guide plate has two surfaces opposite to each other and a side surface connecting the two surfaces. The light emitting device is disposed beside the side surface. The light beam enters the light guide plate through the side surface. The thermal insulation light guide element has a light incident surface and a light emitting surface. The light incident surface having at least one first recess is located in a transmission path of the light beam and between the light emitting device and the side surface. The light emitting surface is disposed between the light incident surface and the side surface. The glass transition temperature of the thermal insulation light guide element is higher than that of the light guide plate.

Abstract: A mounting apparatus for a light emitting diode module provides a support structure for attaching a light emitting diode module directly to a light bulb in a lighting system. A bulb bracket includes a bulb clip that can be mechanically attached to a conventional bulb such as a fluorescent, neon or incandescent light bulb. A light emitting diode module can be secured to the bulb bracket using a module clip or another attachment means disposed between the bracket and the module. Additional light emitting diode support structures include a mounting bar securable directly to a light bulb or other structure in a lighting system such as a sign box wall. An expandable support bracket is also provided for supporting one or more light emitting diode modules. A method of retrofitting a lighting system to use a light emitting diode module is also provided.

Abstract: A zone addressing circuit is provided for an electronic ballast having a boost inductor with an auxiliary winding. The zone addressing circuit includes a first circuit branch coupled to a first addressing input terminal, a second circuit branch coupled to a second addressing input terminal, and a third (common) branch coupled on a first end to a third addressing input terminal and on a second end to the auxiliary winding of the boost inductor for providing a high frequency input pulse signal to excite the first and second branches. The first branch generates a first digital output for the zone addressing circuit when coupled to the common branch, and the second branch generates a second digital output for the zone addressing circuit when coupled to the common branch. A controller adjusts a dimming level of the ballast based on the first and second digital outputs from the zone addressing circuit.

Abstract: A dimmable and program start electronic ballast is configured for powering one or more lamps in a true parallel configuration. An inverter driver is coupled to each gate of a pair of inverter switches and is responsive to at least a reference input signal and a feedback input signal to drive the inverter switches. The inverter circuit is effective thereby to generate an output voltage at an inverter output terminal between the pair of switches. One or more tank circuits are coupled in parallel, with a first end of each coupled to the inverter output terminal. Each tank circuit has a switching circuit as well as first and second output terminals on a second end which can receive a discharge lamp filament. A controller is configured to adjust a switching state for each of the one or more switching circuits and thereby enable or disable an associated tank circuit.

Abstract: A power line communication system communicates a ballast dimming level to an electronic ballast over an AC power line. A power line controller is operable to generate the ballast control signal and to insert that signal on the AC power signal being transmitted over the AC power line. A power line receiver receives the AC power signal and extracts the ballast control signal from the AC power signal to generate the dimming level signal corresponding with the desired ballast dimming level. To insert the ballast control signal on the AC power signal, the power line controller has a transformer coupled to the signal pattern circuit. The secondary winding of this transformer is connected in series with the AC power line to insert the ballast control signal on the AC power signal. This AC power signal is then transmitted to the electronic ballast. To extract the ballast control signal out of the AC power signal, the power line receiver has a resonant circuit connected in series with the AC power line.

Abstract: A light guide apparatus of a backlight module is provided. The light guide apparatus includes a light guide plate and a plurality of LEDs serving as light sources disposed at one lateral side of the light guide plate. The light guide plate includes a circuit configured thereon, and the light sources are welded on the circuit of the light guide plate.

Abstract: A light guide apparatus for a backlight module is disclosed, which includes a light guide plate, a circuit having a plurality of circuit contacts integrated with the light guide plate, and a light source disposed on the light guide plate and electrically contacted to the plurality of circuit contacts.

Abstract: A light source apparatus including a light guide plate, a first light emitting unit, and a second light emitting unit is provided. The light guide plate has a first surface, an opposite second surface, a first side surface, and an opposite second side surface. The first light emitting unit is disposed beside the first side surface for providing a first light beam. The second light emitting unit is disposed beside the second side surface for providing a second light beam. The first light emitting unit has a central line passing through a geometric center of the first light emitting unit and being perpendicular to the first side surface. The second light emitting unit has a central line passing through a geometric center of the second light emitting unit and being perpendicular to the second side surface. The central lines do not coincide with each other.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for encoding and decoding control signals to an electronic ballast. An encoding circuit is effective to transmit encoded control signals across an AC power line comprising patterns of energy bursts at zero crossings of an AC signal. Eight zero crossings define a set, five specific patterns of energy bursts within a set define distinct symbols, each defined symbol selected such that a Hamming distance between each symbol is greater than three. Four symbols correspond to a first logic condition and one symbol corresponds to a second logic condition. Each received symbol is sequentially associated with a distinct control channel having one or more control parameters. A receiving circuit in the ballast is effective to decode symbols with single-bit error correction by comparing received symbols to defined symbols and determining which symbol is a smallest Hamming distance from a received symbol.

Abstract: A magnetic component includes a bobbin structure adapted for attachment to a circuit board. The magnetic component may include a magnetically permeable core and a conductive winding. The bobbin structure may include a gap for inserting the edge of a circuit board. Potential applications of the magnetic component include mechanically and electrically interconnecting two or more circuit boards in a substantially side-by-side configuration while providing increased heat dissipation from the magnetic component, improving power density of the electronic device, reducing electronic device profile, allowing magnetic isolation between high-voltage and low-voltage circuits and allowing single-sided and double-sided circuit boards to be used in a single circuit. Also, a circuit board assembly may have two or more circuit boards electrically and mechanically connected by at least one magnetic component.

Abstract: A backlight module is provided in the present invention. The backlight module includes a light guide plate, a light source plate and a plurality of side-view lighting elements. The light guide plate comprises a light guide body being an integrally-formed single plate body and comprising a plurality of elongated grooves and a plurality of penetrated grooves. The penetrated grooves and the elongated grooves are collectively arranged on a surface of the light guide plate to separate the light guide plate into a plurality of light emitting regions. The side-view lighting elements arranged on the light source plate are attached to a side of the light guide body and respectively disposed for the penetrated grooves to illuminate corresponding light emitting regions.

Abstract: A light guide plate includes a light emitting surface, a bottom surface, a light incident surface and many optical units. Each of the optical units includes a first optical microstructure and a second optical microstructure. The second optical microstructure has a first surface and a second surface. A first cross-sectional line obtained by cutting the first surface along a direction perpendicular to the light incident surface and the light emitting surface is an inclined straight line. A first end of a second cross-sectional line obtained by cutting the second surface along the direction perpendicular to the light incident surface and the light emitting surface and a second end of the second cross-sectional line are connected to form a reference straight line. An acute angle included by the reference straight line and a normal line of the light emitting surface is ?.

Abstract: A ballast circuit includes a control loop to reduce a filament heating voltage below after the lamp filaments have been pre-heated. A filament cutback circuit includes a filament cut-back inductive component magnetically coupled to the resonant inductive component in the inverter to receive a filament cutback control voltage associated with an AC voltage for powering the lamps. During the pre-heating period, the filament cutback control voltage is not high enough to charge a chargeable component to a switch threshold level. However, during lamp ignition, the filament cutback control voltage is increased and charges the chargeable component to the switch threshold level. This causes a switch device to operate in a conductive switch state and the filament cutback circuit suppresses the pre-heat voltage.

Abstract: A power supply with dimming control for a high-power DC LED lamp is provided. Particularly, a variable resistor is provided to a circuit of the high-power DC LED lamp for changing a current supplied to a light-emitting unit of the high-power DC LED lamp, thereby adjusting luminance (brightness) and power consumption (consumed watts) of the high-power DC LED unit of the high-power DC LED lamp. The variable resistor is provided to a driver, transformer, adaptor or power supply of the high-power DC LED lamp in a built-in manner or a remotely connected manner.

Abstract: A program start ballast powers multiple lamps coupled in parallel. A first inverter and a primary winding of a first transformer form a main circuit. A second inverter and a primary winding of a second transformer form a preheat circuit. One or more lamps are coupled in parallel across a secondary winding of the first transformer, and secondary windings of the second transformer are coupled across filaments at either end of the one or more lamps. The main circuit is configured to disable power across the first transformer during a preheat mode of operation and to provide power across the first transformer during a steady-state mode of operation. The preheat circuit is configured to provide power across the second transformer during the preheat mode of operation and to disable power across the second transformer during the steady-state mode of operation.

Abstract: A power line communication system transmits a dimming level to an electronic ballast to regulate the power consumed by a lamp. The power line controller has a notch generation circuit that generates notches on an AC power signal with a time duration in accordance with the dimming level of the lamp. A dimming interface associated with the electronic ballast detects the notches on the AC power signal. The dimming interface generates a ballast dimming level signal with a signal level related to the time duration of these notches.