Patents Examined by Christopher Lo
  • Patent number: 8274229
    Abstract: The present invention of a reverse polarity series type LED is formed by two sets of LED and diode assemblies in reverse polarity series connection wherein the first set is consisted of at least one or multiple homopolar series or parallel connected or series and parallel connected LEDs, and the second set consisting of at least one or more homopolar parallel or series connected or series and parallel connected LEDs for further connection to the drive circuit formed by current-limiting impedance and/or power storage and discharging devices and/or voltage-limit circuit devices in order to produce the required operational characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Inventor: Tai-Her Yang
  • Patent number: 8264150
    Abstract: A modular magnetron for use in UV curing lamp assembly is disclosed. The modular magnetron includes a vacuum tube having a vacuum tube body, a top assembly, and a bottom assembly. The top assembly is configured to substantially overlay the vacuum tube. The bottom assembly is configured to substantially extend about the vacuum tube, the vacuum tube being positioned to partially protrude from the bottom assembly, the bottom assembly including a cooling assembly configured to employ a flexible clamp-type fitting about the vacuum tube body for substantially maintaining thermal and electrical conductivity. The top assembly is configured to be releasably fastened to the bottom assembly about the vacuum tube with removable fasteners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Fusion UV Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Darrin Leonhardt
  • Patent number: 8258711
    Abstract: The semiconductor device is included in the LED driving circuit (current regulator) of driving the LED array (with series-connected number m×parallel-connected number n), and is formed of a plurality (n pieces) of LED driving devices of controlling a current (constant-current driving) flowing in each string. A vertical semiconductor device, for example, a vertical MOSFET is used as the LED driving device. Both of a main device functioning as a constant-current driving device and a subsidiary device functioning as a circuit-breaking switch during dimming are formed inside a chip of the device, which are formed of the vertical semiconductor devices. In a first surface of the device, each source region of the main device and the subsidiary device is formed so as to be insulated from each other through an isolation region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Noboru Akiyama, Takayuki Hashimoto, Takashi Hirao, Nobuyoshi Matsuura, Hideo Ishii
  • Patent number: 8253351
    Abstract: A control means has an adjustment function in a microprocessor to adjust variations in an output to a discharge lamp due to variations in components by correcting a duty ratio of a PWM signal for varying an operating frequency of an inverter circuit so that a detected value of a second detection circuit falls within a target range. The microprocessor switches paths to transmit the PWM signal between a path passing through a feedback circuit and a path passing through a voltage follower circuit by switches a switch circuit to supply the signal through the path passing through the voltage follower circuit in adjusting output variations in the preheating mode and the starting mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masafumi Yamamoto, Tetsuya Hamana, Hiroyuki Asano
  • Patent number: 8253337
    Abstract: A lighting system for an emergency exit from an occupied space: an array of lighting elements located around the emergency exit to illuminate the exit and facilitate egress for an occupant of the space; a control unit; and sensors to detect one or more trigger conditions and actuate the lighting elements in response to a first trigger condition from any of the sensors, the sensors comprising: an impulse detector operable to send a signal to the control unit indicating that the impulse detector has experienced an impulse; and a roll and/or pitch detector operable to send a signal to the control unit indicating that the roll and/or pitch detector has experienced roll and/or pitch, wherein upon detection of the first trigger condition the control unit actuates one or more of the lighting elements to illuminate the exit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: AeroGlow Ltd.
    Inventor: Ross Michael Kilby
  • Patent number: 8242712
    Abstract: A power supply apparatus includes an open loop power switcher, a power isolation transformer, a backlight driving circuit, and a power circuit. The open loop power switcher converts a direct current (DC) power into an alternating current (AC) input voltage. The power isolation transformer is coupled to the open loop power switcher and includes a primary-side winding, a first winding, and a second winding, wherein the first and second windings are disposed at the secondary-side of the power isolation transformer, and the first winding is employed for generating a first voltage signal according to the AC input voltage. The backlight driving circuit is employed for driving a backlight module according to the first voltage signal. The power circuit is employed for receiving a second voltage signal generated from the second winding according to the AC input voltage, in order to generate an output power signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignees: Silitek Electronic (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., Lite-On Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Wen-Sheng Chen, Chung-Chih Chen, Yeh Guan
  • Patent number: 8233933
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile communication system which comprises a plurality of base stations each accommodating mobile terminals via radio channels, and base station control devices connecting the base stations to an Internet Protocol (IP) network via cable channels, and achieves voice communication through Voice over IP (VoIP) via the IP network. And the mobile communication system comprises a system management device which is connected to the base station control devices via the IP network and acquires operation information of the plurality of base stations through the base station control devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kiyotaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8228004
    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: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: O2 Micro, Inc
    Inventors: Ching-Chuan Kuo, Yung Lin Lin
  • Patent number: 8203274
    Abstract: The LED headlamps for vehicles provide a modular efficient light source for vehicle headlamps. The invention addresses the LED negative temperature coefficient in efficient heat removal system. Beam direction and pattern is controlled by its composite lens beam shaping mechanism. The beam targeting using the LED source is done through beam shaping via lens surface shaping, lens curvature contouring and composite lens component offsetting from the LED source or outgoing beam axis to direct the light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Inventor: Erwin L. De Castro
  • Patent number: 8198832
    Abstract: An apparatus for driving a light emitting diode (LED). A rising edge of a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal is first sensed. Upon sensing the rising edge, a threshold pulse (TP) signal is initiated that has a configured width started when the rising edge is sensed, an LED current with an amplitude at a previously set level is generated, and starting to charge a capacitor which yields a voltage Vcap. Subsequently, a falling edge of either the PWM signal or the TP signal is detected. Upon detecting the failing edge, the circuit stops charging the capacitor, samples, after a first delay from the detected falling edge, the voltage Vcap, and adjusts a level of the amplitude of the LED current based on the sampled voltage Vcap. When the falling edges of both the PWM and TP signal are detected, the LED current is terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Linear Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Hua Bai, Dongyan Zhou
  • Patent number: 8193726
    Abstract: A fluorescent light temperature sensor for producing a temperature signal from a fluorescent light of an optically stimulated fluorescent material is provided with: an LED for projecting light onto the fluorescent material; a driving circuit for driving the light projecting element; a photo diode for receiving the fluorescent light that is emitted from the fluorescent material; a signal processing circuit for producing the temperature signal from the output signal from the photo diode; and an APC circuit for controlling the driving of the driving circuit so as to maintain a uniform light projecting intensity from the LED based on the output signal of the photo diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Yamatake Corporation
    Inventors: Seiichiro Kinugasa, Atsushi Kato, Shunji Ichida
  • Patent number: 8193725
    Abstract: A backlight module control system includes a plurality of backlight sub-modules, a control signals output unit, a voltage converter and a plurality of current control units. The control signals output circuit is for providing a voltage control signal, a current control signal and a plurality of PWM signals; the voltage converter is coupled to the control signals output circuit and the backlight sub-modules, and is for outputting an output voltage to the backlight sub-modules according to the voltage control signal; the current control units are coupled to the backlight sub-modules, respectively, and each current control unit is for determining a current of its corresponding backlight sub-module according to the current control signal, and each current control unit is further utilized for determining whether its corresponding backlight sub-module is enabled or not according to its corresponding PWM signal. In addition, only one backlight module is enabled at a same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ke-Horng Chen, Chun-Yu Hsieh, Chia-Lin Liu, Chi-Neng Mo, Hun-Wei Chen, Ming-Tsung Ho
  • Patent number: 8193739
    Abstract: An apparatus for lighting LEDs includes an LED group load having the LEDs, a converter to generate a voltage applied to the LED group load, a current controller to control a current of the LED group load, a voltage controller to control an output voltage provided by the converter, a time division circuit to intermittently pass a current through the LED group load, and a selector. The selector, during a period in which the time division circuit passes a current through the LED group load, selects the current controller to control a current of the LED group load and thereby control an output voltage provided by the converter, and during a period in which the time division circuit passes no current through the LED group load, selects the voltage controller to control an output voltage provided by the converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Sanken Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kengo Kimura
  • Patent number: 8188683
    Abstract: The invention discloses a novel control system for a Poly-Chromatic light-emitting diode (LED) lighting system, and applies feed forward and feedback control techniques to regulate the color and luminous outputs. Also, the control system is proposed for achieving luminous and color consistency for Poly-Chromatic LED lighting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: National Taiwan University
    Inventors: Bin-Juine Huang, Chun-Wen Tang, Fu-Cheng Wang
  • Patent number: 8185101
    Abstract: Portable handheld real-time tracking and communications devices include; a controller module, communications module including global positioning and mesh network radio module, data transfer and storage module, and a user interface module enclosed in a water-resistant enclosure. Real-time tracking and communications devices can be used by protective force, security and first responder personnel to provide situational awareness allowing for enhance coordination and effectiveness in rapid response situations. Such devices communicate to other authorized devices via mobile ad-hoc wireless networks, and do not require fixed infrastructure for their operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: James M. Wiseman, Loren E. Riblett, Jr., Karl L. Green, John A. Hunter, Robert N. Cook, III, James R. Stevens
  • Patent number: 8174197
    Abstract: A light source with substantially constant intensity and power consumption is provided. The light source includes a controllable dc voltage and current source; a non-linear light-emitting load supplied with dc voltage and current from the controllable dc voltage and current source; a current sense circuit connected in series with the non-linear light-emitting load; a variable LED forward voltage (varying with temperature, binning batch, aging) sensor circuit; a multiplier operative to measure a power-representative signal; and a power consumption control feedback circuit through which the dc voltage and current source is controlled in relation to the variable forward voltage representative signal to adjust the dc voltage and then a current to amplitudes that keep the light intensity and power consumption produced by the light source substantially constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: GE Lighting Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Mohamed Cherif Ghanem, Eden Dubuc
  • Patent number: 8174288
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) system includes a plurality of ICs configured in a stacked voltage domain arrangement such that a low side supply rail of at least one of ICs is common with a high side supply rail of at least another of the ICs; a reversible voltage converter coupled to power rails of each of the plurality of ICs, the reversible voltage converter configured for stabilizing individual voltage domains corresponding to each IC; and one or more data voltage level shifters configured to facilitate data communication between ICs operating in different voltage domains, wherein an input signal of a given logic state corresponding to one voltage in a first voltage domain is shifted to an output signal of the same logic state at another voltage in a second voltage domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert H. Dennard, Brian L. Ji
  • Patent number: 8159271
    Abstract: A scan driver includes a voltage setting circuit, a counter circuit, a logic circuit, a dynamic decoder, N level shift circuits and N output stage circuits, wherein N is a natural number. The voltage setting circuit sets N voltage signals to a first level. The counter circuit provides count data to the logic circuit, which generates M control signals according to the count data, wherein M is a natural number. The dynamic decoder includes multiple transistors, arranged in N rows, for receiving the respective N voltage signals. The transistors are further arranged in M columns and are controlled by the respective M control signals to determine levels of the N voltage signals. The N level shift circuits lift the levels of the respective N voltage signals, and the N output stage circuits output respective N gate signals based on the N voltage signals whose levels are shifted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Novtek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventor: Ching-Ho Hung
  • Patent number: 8148911
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a current-balance circuit and a backlight module having the same. The current balance circuit includes a current balance unit, a control unit, and a detection unit. The current balance unit is connected to a plurality of light units to regulate the current of the plurality of light units, independent from the effects of input voltage. The detection unit is connected to the plurality of light units and the current balance unit to detect the minimum operating voltage for the plurality of light units. The control unit, connected to the current balance unit, controls the operation of the plurality of light units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ke-Horng Chen, Chia-Lin Chiu, Ling Li, Chia-Lin Liu, Chi-Neng Mo
  • Patent number: 8143913
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit judges whether a power unit is performing a discharge operation or a charge operation. To reduce clock skew between a plurality of logic blocks in the semiconductor integrated circuit, when the power unit is performing the charge operation, the semiconductor integrated circuit determines a logic block that needs to be operated for the execution of a target process, as an operation block whose operation is to be started, and, determines, in the rest of the logic blocks, a logic block having a termination rate whose value is larger than a value of the minimum termination rate, as the operation block whose operation is to be started, the value of the termination rate being larger by more than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Ichinomiya