Patents Examined by Amy Yang
  • Patent number: 8907565
    Abstract: Provided is a power supply device, which is capable of coping with semiconductor light source loads to be set in various ways, and has high efficiency, in which a current to be supplied to each of the loads has a small ripple. The power supply device supplies power to a semiconductor light source load and lights the semiconductor light source load, and includes: a DC-DC converter; and a controller. The DC-DC converter includes an inductance element and a switching element, and performs voltage conversion by storing energy in the inductance element from an input power source when the switching element is on, and discharging the energy, the energy being stored in the inductance element, to a load side when the switching element is off. The controller controls ON/OFF operations of the switching element so that an output current of the DC-DC converter can be the same as a target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Kanbara
  • Patent number: 8907571
    Abstract: An application for nightly outdoor lamps, road lamps, advertising lamps and nightly warning lights using daytime and nighttime as the period, wherein during daytime, it is at a preparation status of no power output to drive the lamps, and the AC to DC power is charged to the charge/discharge device, while during nighttime, the lamps are commonly driven by the parallel output of an AC to DC power and the discharged power from the charge/discharge device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Inventor: Tai-Her Yang
  • Patent number: 8878454
    Abstract: A solid state lighting system includes an electronic driver having a power input configured to receive power from a power source and the electronic driver having a power output. The electronic driver controls the power supply to the power output according to a control protocol, and the electronic driver has at least one expansion port having a separable interface. The system also includes a light emitting diode (LED) subassembly having an LED board having at least one LED that receives power from the power output of the electronic driver to power the LED. The system further includes a first expansion module configured to be coupled to the at least one expansion port of the electronic driver having a first functionality affecting the control protocol, and a second expansion module configured to be coupled to the at least one expansion port of the electronic driver having a second functionality affecting the control protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Robert D. Rix, Ronald Martin Weber, Charles Raymond Gingrich, III, Matthew Edward Mostoller, Christopher George Daily
  • Patent number: 8878434
    Abstract: A plasma device configured to receive ionizable media is disclosed. The plasma device includes a first pair of dielectric substrates each having an inner surface and an outer surface. The first pair of dielectric substrates is disposed in spaced, parallel relation relative to one another with the inner surfaces thereof facing one another. The device also includes a first pair of spiral coils each disposed on the inner surface of the dielectric substrates. The first pair of spiral coils is configured to couple to a power source and configured to inductively couple to an ionizable media passed therebetween to ignite the ionizable media to form a plasma effluent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventor: James A. Gilbert
  • Patent number: 8866403
    Abstract: An LED driver is presented with a sensing circuit and attenuator circuits to provide three-way switched dimming as well as phase-cut dimming to control the output power driving an LED load allowing installation into conventional three-way switched lamp sockets or in sockets wired to a wall or table mounted phase-cutting dimmer control. When installed in a three way socket, the circuit senses the position of the three way switch and changes the lamp current accordingly. The lamp can also be dimmed by a table-top dimmer or a wall dimmer (in a three-way socket or in a conventional dual contact socket) by applying a phase-cut power input, with the driver circuit including circuitry to sense the average value of a phase-cut power line to adjust lamp current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Louis Robert Nerone
  • Patent number: 8866404
    Abstract: The present invention provides a driving circuit, a backlight module and a display apparatus using the same. The driving circuit comprises a first inductor, a second inductor, a first power switch, a second power switch, a driving circuit unit and a push-pull circuit. The first inductor and the second inductor are connected between the light-emitting diodes and a power supply. The first power switch is connected between the first inductor and the light-emitting diodes. The second power switch is connected between the second inductor and the light-emitting diodes. The push-pull circuit is connected to the first power switch and the second power switch. The driving circuit unit is connected to the push-pull circuit. An electrolytic capacitor or a capacitor having high capacitance can be omitted in this invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiang Yang, Xin-Ming Gao
  • Patent number: 8803452
    Abstract: A light source comprises a heat-sink having a mounting region, and heat-dissipating fins, a base housing having an inner cavity and coupled to the heat-sink, and an integrated lighting module including: a printed circuit board; an LED on a substrate coupled to the printed circuit board within a first lateral region of the printed circuit board, and an electronic driving circuit for providing power to the LED and coupled to the printed circuit board within a second lateral region of the printed circuit board, wherein a bottom surface of the substrate is thermally coupled to the mounting region of the heat-sink, and wherein the second lateral region of the integrated lighting module is located within the inner cavity of the base housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Soraa, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank Tin Chung Shum, Clifford Jue
  • Patent number: 8803450
    Abstract: The invention relates to an integrated digital control circuit for an operating device for lamps, comprising: an output for the pulsing of switches of a half-bridge circuit having an adjustable frequency, wherein a load circuit comprising the lighting devices may be connected to the half-bridge circuit, an input, to which a signal may be selectively supplied, said signal reflecting the current through the half-bridge or the current through the lamp. The input is internally branched into two analysis branches, the outputs of which are combined using a logic member, the output of which is connected in turn to a controller for adjusting the frequency of the half-bridge actuating signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: TridonicAtco GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Stefan Zudrell-Koch, Guenter Marent
  • Patent number: 8791653
    Abstract: An apparatus coupling a power source to a light emitting diode lamp includes a first part for receiving first voltage and current signals from the power source and a second part for supplying second voltage and current signals to the lamp. The first part includes a detection part for detecting a first amplitude reduction in at least one of the first signals, for example in the first voltage signal, and the second part includes an introduction part for, in response to a detection result, introducing a second amplitude reduction into at least one of the second signals, for example into the second current signal. As a result, the first part detects a first dimming state caused by the power source, and the second part introduces a second dimming state in response to the first part having detected the first dimming state, and the apparatus has self-dimming capabilities, to keep the grid stable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventor: Matthias Wendt
  • Patent number: 8749143
    Abstract: An automotive lighting device and controller is disclosed. The lighting device has a housing to be installed in a headlight fixture. The housing has white LEDs and blue LEDs mounted thereon. The controller uses one multi-pole switch to control the white light output of white LEDs and the blue light output of blue LEDs. The switch has settings configurable to select one of several intensity levels of blue light output and one of several intensity levels of white light output. The controller has a LED driver to provide current levels to the blue and white LEDs such that while the relative amount of light output between the blue light output and the white output are variable, the combined amount of blue light output and white light output remains substantially constant. The changes in the relative amount give rise to different color temperatures of the combined light output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Lux Design, LLC
    Inventors: Marc D. Saddig, Stephen P. Ruscak
  • Patent number: 8729820
    Abstract: A LED driver integrated circuit has a voltage input pin, a voltage output pin, a capacitor pin, and a switching circuit connected to the capacitor pin and the voltage output pin. The capacitor pin and the voltage output pin are for a flying capacitor to be connected therebetween, and thus the switching circuit and the flying capacitor establish a charge pump to convert an input voltage received by the voltage input pin into an output voltage at the voltage output pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Tsung-Wei Huang, Shui-Mu Lin, Pao-Hsun Yu, Ying-Hsin Hsing
  • Patent number: 8723438
    Abstract: Power control systems generate electromagnetic interference (EMI). In at least one embodiment, a power control system includes a switching power converter and a controller that utilizes a spread spectrum strategy to reduce peak EMI values of the power control system. The controller generates a power regulation, switch control signal to control an input voltage to output voltage conversion by the switching power converter. The controller modulates the period of the control signal in accordance with the spread spectrum strategy. The spread spectrum strategy is an intentional plan to spread the spectrum of the control signal to reduce peak EMI values, and, thus, reduce the potential for degradation in performance, a malfunction, or failure of an electronic circuit caused by the EMI. The controller also modulates a pulse width of the switch control signal in response to modulation of the period of the control signal to provide power factor correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: John L. Melanson, Michael A. Kost
  • Patent number: 8723446
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for cycle-by-cycle control of a LED current (ILED) flowing through a LED circuit arrangement (LEDCIRC) at a mean LED current level. The method comprises a) establishing a converter current (IL), b) establishing an oscillation of the converter current (IL) between substantially a valley current level and substantially a peak current level, c) feeding the LED circuit arrangement (LEDCIRC) with the converter current (IL) as the LED current during a part of an oscillation cycle of the oscillation of the converter current, d) determining a current level correction for compensating a current level error between an integral over an oscillation cycle of the LED current and a reference, the reference being representative of the mean LED current level, and e) adjusting at least one of the valley current level and the peak current level with the current level correction for use in a successive cycle of the oscillation of the converter current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Gian Hoogzaad, Wilhelmus H. M. Langeslag, Frans Pansier, Cheng Zhang
  • Patent number: 8710770
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for lighting systems, including high output lighting systems for various environments. The lighting systems include a lighting controller for driving lighting modules and transmitting a data signal to the lighting modules. The data signal varies between logical states. The lighting controller provides a low loss rectified power signal. The lighting controller further provides data within the power signal by forming a positive polarity rectified power waveform corresponding to data in a first state and a negative polarity rectified waveform signal corresponding to data in a second state using substantially loss-less circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter John Woytowitz
  • Patent number: 8704455
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a transformer comprising a primary side and a secondary side. A switch is coupled to the primary side. A control signal circuit is configured to: sample a first current on the primary side of the transformer; estimate a second current value on the secondary side of the transformer using the sampling of the first current on the primary side and a turn ratio of the transformer; and output a signal to control a turn on time for the switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Marvell World Trade Ltd.
    Inventors: Jinho Choi, Yangsoo Park, Wanfeng Zhang
  • Patent number: 8674626
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of failure alerting systems for LED lamps and LED lamps having the same. An illustrative failure alerting system comprises a photodetector configured to detect an actual light output from the at least one LED, a regulator configured to receive a signal from the photodetector when the actual light output is below a target light output and to increase a current to the at least one LED to maintain the target light output, and a low light output indicator configured to receive a signal from the photodetector when the actual light output remains below the target light output and to produce a low light output signal. A thermal sensor can also be included and configured to sense an operating temperature of the LED and to control the regulator to increase the current and the target light output to ensure the operating temperature does not exceed the target temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: iLumisys, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis Siemiet, John Ivey
  • Patent number: 8664892
    Abstract: The invention relates to a light emitting system (100), the system comprising a light emitting diode (104), a socket adapter for retrofitting a fluorescent lamp and an electric circuit (112; 200; 306), the electric circuit (112; 200; 306) being adapted for emulating the presence of a fluorescent lamp to a fluorescent lamp driver (102).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventor: Harald Josef Gunther Radermacher
  • Patent number: 8659233
    Abstract: Fluorescent lamp ballasts and methods are disclosed in which a resonant impedance of a self-oscillating inverter is modified to control the inverter frequency to selectively preheat lamp cathodes using power from the inverter output during a preheating period after power is applied and to change the inverter frequency to a different range following ignition of the lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Louis Robert Nerone, Gordon Alexander Grigor
  • Patent number: 8653753
    Abstract: A projection-type image display apparatus includes a high pressure discharge lamp, which utilizes the halogen cycle, and a lamp lighting apparatus that controls lighting of the high pressure discharge lamp. The lamp lighting apparatus performs lamp refresh processing to improve a lamp property. The lamp refresh processing involves performing low power lighting of the high pressure discharge lamp by changing the lighting power of the high pressure discharge lamp to a value that is lower than the rated power, and thereafter performing high power lighting of the high pressure discharge lamp by changing the lighting power to a value that is higher than the lighting power during the low power lighting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Go Yamada, Syunsuke Ono
  • Patent number: 8618742
    Abstract: A light source manufacturing method includes disposing LEDs upon a substrate having input pads for receiving an operating voltage for the LEDs, bonding a flexible PC board to the substrate, and using a thermally conductive adhesive bonding the substrate onto a planar region of a heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Soraa, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank Tin Chung Shum, Clifford Jue