Patents Examined by Christopher Lo
  • Patent number: 8674725
    Abstract: A transmitter circuit in which a driver circuit includes MOS transistors for bias voltage application, in which a driving current flows, cascode-connected to MOS transistors for differential signal input controlled by a voltage value of transmitted data signals, controlled by a voltage value of a bias voltage, and driver circuits include MOS transistors for bias voltage application, in which a driving current flows, cascode-connected to MOS transistors for differential signal input that is controlled by a voltage value of signals obtained by the transmitted data signals, connected to a load portion, and controlled by a voltage value of a bias voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kurahashi, Tomofumi Hokari, Takashi Muto, Goichi Ono, Hiroki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8674628
    Abstract: A lighting system automatically assigns a unique address to each lighting apparatus, and controls each lighting apparatus based on the assigned address. The lighting system may include a first lighting apparatus, a second lighting apparatus connected to the first lighting apparatus in series, and a bridge device coupled to the first and second lighting apparatuses in series and configured to assign an address to the first and second lighting apparatuses. The bridge device may transmit a first data packet to initialize the lighting apparatuses for address assignment, and a control circuit may disconnect the connections between the lighting apparatuses during address assignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Taehoon Kim, Junwan Bang, Heegu Park
  • Patent number: 8674617
    Abstract: A lighting system converter circuit of a lamp power converter to selectively operate a plurality of lamps connected thereto is provided. The lighting system converter circuit includes a first impedance circuit and a second impedance circuit. Each impedance circuit includes an input terminal, an impedance component, and a switching network. The impedance components are each configured to connect in series with the lamps. Each input terminal is configured to receive a control signal that indicates a state of a switch. Each control signal has a first logic level, indicating the switch is non-conductive, and a second logic level, indicating the switch is conductive. Each switching network is connected to its respective input terminal and in parallel with its respective impedance component, and is configured to selectively operate between a conductive state and a non-conductive state, as a function of the logic level of its respective control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: OSRAM SYLVANIA Inc.
    Inventors: Nitin Kumar, Shashank Bakre
  • Patent number: 8669720
    Abstract: An electrical wiring device includes a manually adjustable switch, a light emitting diode (LED), a light level sensor, and a microcontroller. The wiring device also optionally includes an occupancy sensor. Light level is sensed through a light pipe and light is emitted by the LED through the same light pipe. When the manually adjustable switch is positioned to energize a load, the LED is deactivated and ambient light level is sensed by light sensors through the light pipe. The ambient light level is compared to a minimum ambient light level to determine if the load will be energized. Alternatively, the LED is deactivated and the ambient light level is sensed through the light pipe when the switch is positioned to de-energize the load. This ambient light level is stored and compared to the minimum ambient light level at a time when the switch is later positioned to energize the load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company
    Inventors: Rahul Goyal, Oscar Neundorfer, James Fair, Ahmed Elgayyar
  • Patent number: 8653853
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for transmitting signals through a differential interface between circuits in different power supply domains. A driver circuit in a first power supply domain converts single-ended signals into differential signals. The driver circuit then transmits the differential signals to a receiver circuit in a second power supply domain. The receiver circuit converts the differential signals back into single-ended signals for transmission to circuit elements in the second power supply domain. The differential interface reduces the transmission of noise between circuit elements in the first power supply domain and circuit elements in the second power supply domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Sergey Shumarayev, Tim Tri Hoang, Lawrence David Smith
  • Patent number: 8653857
    Abstract: An exclusive-or circuit includes a pass gate controlled by a second input node. The pass gate is connected to pass through a version of a logic state present at a first input node to an output node when so controlled. A transmission gate is controlled by the first input node. The transmission gate is connected to pass through a version of the logic state present at the second input node to the output node when so controlled. Pullup logic is controlled by both the first and second input nodes. The pullup logic is connected to drive the output node low when both the first and second input nodes are high. An exclusive-nor circuit is defined similar to the exclusive-or circuit, except that the pullup logic is replaced by pulldown logic which is connected to drive the output node high when both the first and second input nodes are high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Tela Innovations, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott T. Becker
  • Patent number: 8653734
    Abstract: A light emitting device comprises: an LED; a LED holder having a LED mount, a radiation fin provided on a back side or a periphery of the LED mount, and an engaging part projecting from a center of the back side of the LED mount; a power circuit supplying drive power to the LED; and a body having an inner space for accommodating the power circuit, one end, and the other end where the LED holder is fixed, wherein the other end of the body has an engaged part engaged to the engaging part of the LED holder, and holding the LED mount and the radiation fin in a state of separation from the body; heat conductivity of the LED mount and the radiation fin is higher than that of the engaged part of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Phoenix Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuta Matsumoto, Haruo Kokado
  • Patent number: 8653854
    Abstract: A circuit includes E-mode transistors with gate-source junction, a D-mode transistor with gate-source junction. A component generates a voltage drop between the source of the D-mode transistor and the drain of an E mode transistor provided as a signal output. A connection is made between this drain of the E-mode transistor and the gate of the D-mode transistor, and a signal input at the gates of the E-mode transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: EPCOS AG
    Inventors: Erwin Spits, Léon C. M. van den Oever
  • Patent number: 8653855
    Abstract: An input buffer system with a dual-input buffer switching function includes a first input buffer, a second input buffer, and a multiplexer. The first input buffer is used for outputting a first signal when an input signal is at a logic-high voltage, and the first input buffer is turned off when the input signal is at a logic-low voltage. The second input buffer is used for outputting a second signal when the input signal is at the logic-low voltage. The multiplexer is coupled to the first input buffer and the second input buffer for outputting the first signal or the second signal according to a self refresh signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Etron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Chun Shiah, Sen-Fu Hong, Chia-Ming Chen
  • Patent number: 8633661
    Abstract: A time-delayed power switching device for providing power pass-through and timed off conductive pathways to one or more light outputs comprises a power source input, one or more first conductive pathways, one or more second conductive pathways, at least one timing circuit, and at least one relay. The time-delayed power switching device controls power from a power source electrically coupled though the power source input to the timed off conductive pathways by operation of the at least one timing circuit controlling the at least one relay. The relay has a first position adapted to energize the second conductive pathways when receiving a first signal from the timing circuit, and a second position adapted to de-energize the second conductive pathways when receiving a second signal from the timing circuit. Additionally, methods of using one or more time-delayed power switching devices to retrofit lighting areas are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Inventor: Gary Skwarlo
  • Patent number: 8624502
    Abstract: An ion source is disclosed including: a chamber disposed about a longitudinal axis and containing a gas, a magnetic confinement system configured to produce a magnetic field in a confinement region within the chamber, an electron cyclotron resonance driver which produces a time varying electric field which drives the cyclotron motion of electrons located within the confinement region, the driven electrons interacting with the gas to form a confined plasma. During operation, the magnetic confinement system confines the plasma in the confinement region such that a portion of atoms in the plasma experience multiple ionizing interactions with the driven electrons to form multiply ionized ions having a selected final ionization state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Alpha Source LLC
    Inventor: Glenn B. Rosenthal
  • Patent number: 8610464
    Abstract: The circuit includes an E-mode transistor with gate-source junction, a D-mode transistor with gate-source junction, a component generating a voltage drop between the source of the D-mode transistor and the drain of the E-mode transistor, and a connection between the drain of the E-mode transistor and the gate of the D-mode transistor. The gate of the E-mode transistor is provided for an input signal, and the drain of the E-mode transistor is provided for an output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Epcos AG
    Inventor: Erwin Spits
  • Patent number: 8604709
    Abstract: Fixed Frequency, Fixed Duration power controls methods and systems are described for application of power to electrical loads. FFFD techniques according to the present disclosure utilize power train pulses with fixed-frequency fixed-duration pulses to control power applied to a load. The load can be any type of DC load. FFFD techniques allows for controlled variation of the fixed length of the ON pulse, the Fixed length of the OFF or recovery period, the total time period for one cycle, and/or the number of pulses in that time period. Applications to electric motors, electric lighting, and electric heating are described. Related circuits are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: LSI Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Bassam D. Jalbout, Brian Wong
  • Patent number: 8598906
    Abstract: An electrical circuit comprising a line driver for providing Ethernet signals is disclosed. The line driver comprises a voltage mode line driver for producing 1000BT and 100BT Ethernet signals and an active output impedance line driver arranged parallel to the voltage mode line driver. The line driver is capable of producing 1000BT or 100BT or 10BT Ethernet signals, wherein either the voltage mode line driver or the active impedance line driver is active.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Frank van der Goes, Christopher M. Ward, Jan Mulder, Ovidiu Bajdechi
  • Patent number: 8599090
    Abstract: Provided is a waveguide slot array antenna apparatus having a polarized wave plane in a direction oblique to a tube shaft of a waveguide, in which an excitation distribution of opening portions for radiating or receiving electromagnetic waves is appropriately attained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Yamaguchi, Tooru Takahashi, Masataka Otsuka, Hiroaki Miyashita
  • Patent number: 8587215
    Abstract: Lighting devices and operating methods are presented in which voltage or current perturbations of an OLED caused by a user pressing the OLED are monitored while the OLED is providing general lighting, and one or more lighting control signals are generated based on the sensed perturbations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bruce Richard Roberts, Deeder Aurongzeb, Josip Brnada
  • Patent number: 8581517
    Abstract: A circuit for driving a light source includes a voltage converter, a switch and a controller. The voltage converter converts an AC input voltage signal to a first rectified AC voltage signal. The voltage converter further generates an average signal proportional to an average voltage level of the first rectified AC voltage signal. The switch is coupled to the light source in series. The controller coupled to the voltage converter and the switch compares the first rectified AC voltage signal with the average signal to generate a pulse signal. The controller further generates a dimming control signal based on the pulse signal to control the switch thereby controlling dimming of the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: O2 Micro, Inc
    Inventors: Ching-Chuan Kuo, Yung Lin Lin
  • Patent number: 8581501
    Abstract: Dimming ballasts and methods are presented for powering a plurality of fluorescent lamps in which at most one of the lamps is selectively dimmed while all the remaining lamps are turned on or off according to a dimming level setpoint to allow dimming to match a user's desired lighting level while maintaining high efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Avi Shertok, Bruce Roberts
  • Patent number: 8575958
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods disclosed herein may cause an event trigger state machine associated with a programmable on-chip logic analyzer (POCLA) to transition to a programmable state at a programmable number of occurrences of a programmable set of events associated with a first subset of signals on a first subset of input signal paths. States associated with a second subset of signals on a second subset of input signal paths may be stored at a time relative to a transition to the programmable state if a set of storage criteria have been met. Additional embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kirsten S. Lunzer, Jeffrey J. Rooney
  • Patent number: 8558478
    Abstract: A hybrid lamp apparatus is presented having a primary lamp circuit with a CFL and an electronic ballast, as well as a Halogen or incandescent secondary lamp circuit with a control circuit that shuts off the secondary lamp a time period after powerup, where the secondary lamp time period varies according to the amount of time the apparatus was previously unpowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Qian Ni, Devin Sun, Peter Lucz, Balazs Torok