Patents Examined by David H. Vu
  • Patent number: 8710757
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a power converter for an LED assembly, the power converter comprising—a switched mode power supply arranged to power the LED assembly, an AC/DC converter arranged to provide a DC supply voltage to the switched mode power supply, a control unit arranged to receive an input signal representing a required load voltage for powering the LED assembly, the control unit being arranged to control the AC/DC converter based on the input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: EldoLAB Holding B.V.
    Inventor: Petrus Johannes Maria Welten
  • Patent number: 8704453
    Abstract: A driving circuit and lighting equipment using the same are provided. The driving circuit includes a first power receiving terminal, a second power receiving terminal and a power conversion unit. The first power receiving terminal receives an alternating current (AC) input signal. The second power receiving terminal is electrically coupled to a predetermined potential. The power conversion unit is electrically coupled to the first and second power receiving terminals for transforming the AC input signal into corresponding two AC output signals of different phases, wherein the two AC output signals are with the same current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Au Optronics Corp.
    Inventors: Huang-Ti Lin, Wen-Ti Chang, Yun-Sheng Chou, Yu-Hsiang Huang
  • Patent number: 8692473
    Abstract: A portable electronic lighting device and a method for controlling a portable lighting device are described. The device has a switched-mode power supply, a light source, a high frequency switch, a controller controlling the operation of the light source and a user interface for inputting commands to the controller. A DC power source has a negative pole that is connected by only one single electric contact with the lighting device tail. The method for controlling a portable lighting device includes connecting a DC power source, an inductor, a light source, a high frequency switch and a resistor in series, measuring a voltage across the resistor, and controlling the high frequency switch dependent on the voltage measured across the resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Mag Instrument, Inc.
    Inventor: Stacey West
  • Patent number: 8669709
    Abstract: A solid state lighting driver and system having a total harmonic distortion (“THDi”) bypass circuit is disclosed. The solid state driver energizes a solid state lamp having a first lighting segment serially connected to a second lighting segment. The THDi bypass circuit bypasses a first lighting segment and energizes a second lighting segment of LEDs when the driving voltage is low. As a result, the solid state lamp will emit light over a larger portion of the power cycle and will decrease the THDi.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: American Bright Lighting, Inc.
    Inventors: George Lee, Arthur Young, Jing-Bo Mo
  • Patent number: 8664893
    Abstract: The present invention provides a feedback control circuit and an LED driving circuit for using the same, wherein the feedback control circuit receives a dimming signal. The dimming signal is changed between a first state and a second state. When being in the first state, the feedback control circuit controls a converter circuit to drive the LED module for lighting stably. When being in the second state, the feedback control circuit controls the converter circuit to maintain the power conversion of the converter circuit to have an output voltage outputted by the converter circuit maintained at a level close to a lighting threshold voltage of the LED module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Green Solution Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Li-Min Lee, Shian-Sung Shiu, Chung-Che Yu, Hai-Po Li
  • Patent number: 8659243
    Abstract: In a charged particle accelerator, voltage of several tens of kV is applied between accelerating electrodes. In such a case, electric discharge is sometimes generated between the accelerating electrodes. In the charged particle accelerator, part or entirety of the accelerating electrodes is coated with an electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy having a high melting point as compared with metal. When impurity fine particles are accelerated by an electric field and collide with the electrodes, the electric discharge suppressing layer made of ceramics or alloy prevents metal vapor from being easily generated from the electrodes and an ionized plasma from being easily produced, thus suppressing electric discharge between the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Morita, Ryozo Takeuchi, Toshiyuki Yokosuka
  • Patent number: 8659228
    Abstract: An LED ballast mount preferably includes a housing assembly having sidewalls including a housing LED side wall and a housing opposite side wall. A rechargeable battery is installed in a battery assembly and the battery assembly includes a battery housing mounted to the housing LED side wall. A first LED lamp is mounted on a lower face of the battery housing. A first fluorescent lamp socket mounted on a ballast socket face of the battery housing. A second fluorescent lamp socket mounted on the ballast socket face of the battery housing. A bridge housing including an electronic ballast mounted within the bridge housing. Fluorescent tubes may be mounted in the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Inventors: Thomas Woods, Brian Wald, Kevin Yang, Fengchang Hu
  • Patent number: 8659514
    Abstract: LED drivers specially directed to LED matrix driver's ghost image prevention is disclosed. The LED driver receives an external input and decodes the input to produce a time multiplex timing on turning on an LED array. The LED driver inserts a dead time to the outputs and during this time the ghost image prevention circuit discharges the output stray capacitances to a predetermined level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignees: Panasonic Corporation, Panasonic Semiconductor Asia Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Etsuji Sato, Atsushi Kitagawa, Yoshihito Kawakami, Chun Kiong Leslie Khoo, Ulysses Ramos Lopez, Narciso Repollo Semira, Jiong Fu
  • Patent number: 8659236
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement for driving an electrical load comprises a connection node (LED) for connecting the electrical load and a control device (Ctrl) that is coupled to the connection node (LED) to drive the electrical load. A detection circuit (Det) is coupled to the connection node (LED) for detecting a trigger signal (trig) at the connection node (LED) and coupled to the control device (Ctrl) via a measurement channel (Mes).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: AMS AG
    Inventor: Karl Georg Waser
  • Patent number: 8643298
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an illumination device having at least one LED and a power converter with a switching element for connection to an existing fluorescent lamp fixture including a conventional ballast. The illumination device includes a feedback circuit operable to provide a switching signal to the switching element according to a duty cycle, the feedback circuit configured to: increase the value of the duty cycle to decrease an output current signal through the at least one LED; and decrease the value of the duty cycle to increase the output current signal through the at least one LED.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: iLumisys, Inc.
    Inventors: Francis Palazzolo, John Ivey
  • Patent number: 8643297
    Abstract: The present invention provides a control circuit for dimming LED lighting. The control circuit comprises a voltage divider, a controller and an adaptive bleeder. The voltage divider receives an input voltage from an input terminal to generate a dimming signal. The controller generates a switching signal in response to the dimming signal. The controller further generates a control signal in response to the input voltage. The adaptive bleeder receives the control signal and draws a bleeder current from the input terminal in response to the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: System General Corporation
    Inventors: Ta-Yung Yang, Li Lin, Chi-Yin Lo, Kuo-Hsien Huang, Hung-Chun Chen
  • Patent number: 8638051
    Abstract: A DC-DC converter includes a plurality of boost circuits and a controller. The boost circuits are coupled to another in parallel. The boost circuits receive a DC voltage and boost the DC voltage. The controller drives the boost circuits with a duty ratio of less than 50% and different phases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Young Sup Kwon
  • Patent number: 8633656
    Abstract: The present invention provides a driving circuit and a driving method of a backlight module of a display apparatus. The driving method comprises the following steps: utilizing a phase detector to detect voltage phases of an inductor and a capacitor of a resonant circuit; utilizing a frequency adjusting module to obtain an operation frequency according to a phase detection signal; and utilizing a driving chip to drive a DC-to-AC power stage circuit according to the operation frequency. The invention can improve the transformation efficiency of the driving circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mei-Hao Wu, Chingyuan Yang
  • Patent number: 8622041
    Abstract: An ignition circuit and a method of operating an igniter (preferably a traveling spark igniter) in an internal combustion engine, including a high pressure engine. A high voltage is applied to electrodes of the igniter, sufficient to cause breakdown to occur between the electrodes, resulting in a high current electrical discharge in the igniter, over a surface of an isolator between the electrodes, and formation of a plasma kernel in a fuel-air mixture adjacent said surface. Following breakdown, a sequence of one or more lower voltage and lower current pulses is applied to said electrodes, with a low “simmer” current being sustained through the plasma between pulses, preventing total plasma recombination and allowing the plasma kernel to move toward a free end of the electrodes with each pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Knite, Inc.
    Inventors: Artur P. Suckewer, Szymon Suckewer, Frederick H. Selmon, III
  • Patent number: 8618741
    Abstract: According to embodiments of the present invention, an LED assembly includes a case that encapsulates a post, an anvil and an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes positive and negative power supply inputs. The positive power supply input is electrically connected to the post, whereas the negative power supply input is electrically connected to the anvil. The integrated circuit also includes an oscillator input, and an oscillator output. According to these embodiments, an anode lead connected to the post; and a cathode lead is connected to the anvil. Furthermore, an oscillator input lead is connected to the oscillator input and an oscillator output lead is connected to the oscillator output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Winvic Sales Inc.
    Inventors: Bernard Fournier, Hao Kang
  • Patent number: 8604700
    Abstract: The invention provides an illumination arrangement (1) for illuminating horticultural growths (100) with for instance LEDs as a light source. These LEDs are placed in a lighting unit (10). The lighting unit may especially have the ability to direct substantially all light from the light source (here the LEDs) to the horticultural growths (in the greenhouse). Additionally, a horticultural growth-recognition system (50) can be implemented in the illumination arrangement, so that the system can adapt for instance its beam (11) to the location of the horticultural growth(s) (in the case of growth or moving of plants, etc).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Lars Rene Christian Waumans, Joseph Hendrik Anna Maria Jacobs, Esther Van Van Echtelt, Antonius Adrianus Maria Marinus
  • Patent number: 8598798
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for spectrum synthesis for use in a flash unit, wherein the spectrum synthesis includes combining a plurality of emissive light sources in order to provide a combine output beam and producing the output spectrum for the combined output beam at least based on a reference spectrum. The reference spectrum can be obtained by sensing the spectrum of ambient light or selected from a plurality of stored spectra. The flash unit has at least two emissive light sources and each of the light sources can be adjusted relative to each other so that the outputs from the light sources can mimic a selected illumination scenario. It is possible to use a mixture of quantum dots to tailor each light source so that the combined spectra from different light sources can reasonably mimic a number of frequently used illumination scenario.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l
    Inventor: Johan Bergquist
  • Patent number: 8593069
    Abstract: A method for use in a power converter includes generating a peak input voltage signal that is representative of a peak value of the input voltage for phase angles less than a phase angle threshold and is representative of a value that is less than the peak value of the input voltage for phase angles greater than the phase angle threshold. The method also includes controlling a switching of a switch to regulate an output current of the power converter in response to the peak input voltage signal and the feedback signal. A compensation current is then added to the peak input voltage signal when the phase angle is greater than the phase angle threshold to allow for natural dimming at an output of the power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Kang, John A. Carpenter, Taher M. Savliwala
  • Patent number: 8593074
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling an output of a light fixture. A light fixture of one construction includes four or more light sources and is configured to produce an output that mimics the color temperature changes of an ideal black-body radiator based on one or more input parameters. The input parameters correspond to, for example, a desired target color and an intensity for the desired target color. A white point setting is determined based on the one or more input parameters and a relationship between the one or more input parameters and the color temperature of an ideal black-body radiator. A color temperature transform is selected based on the white point color temperature setting, and is used to determine a color coordinate corresponding to a modified target color. A set of light source output values corresponding to the modified target color are identified, and the light sources are driven to the identified output values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Electronic Theater Controls, Inc.
    Inventors: Troy Bryan Hatley, Timothy George Robbins, Mike Wood
  • Patent number: 8593075
    Abstract: A power distribution system includes a selectable gain value to generate a duty cycle modulated control signal to control current supplied to a load. In at least one embodiment, the power distribution system includes a controller and a switch, and the controller generates the duty cycle modulated control signal to control conductivity of the switch. The duty cycle modulated control signal has a period and a pulse width. In at least one embodiment, the controller determines the period of the control signal as a function of a peak allowable link current value (also referred to as a peak allowable output current value) of a switching power converter, an inductor flyback time of the switching power converter, and the gain value. The link current provides current to a load, such as a lighting system that includes light emitting diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: John L. Melanson, Rahul Singh, Siddharth Maru