Patents Examined by David Hung Vu
  • Patent number: 7839096
    Abstract: A lamp driving apparatus includes a change rate calculating section, a dimming transforming section and a power supplying section. The change rate calculating section calculates a change rate signal from an image signal corresponding to the image. The dimming transforming section outputs a digital dimming signal and an analog dimming signal, in response to a dimming signal provided from an external device and the change rate signal. The power supplying section provides the lamp with power, in response to a vertical synchronizing signal, the analog dimming signal and the digital dimming signal. Thus, although an instantaneous lamp current is increased, life and characteristics of the lamp will not be adversely influenced, and motion blur of a moving image may be removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Min-Gyu Kim, Hyeon-Yong Jang
  • Patent number: 7834555
    Abstract: A system for luminance characterization of a luminaire includes a ballast coil and a multi-tap capacitor connected in series with the ballast coil. The multi-tap capacitor has a plurality of tap capacitors integrated into a capacitor housing. A plurality of switches are each coupled to one of the plurality of tap capacitors for selectively coupling the tap capacitors together to produce a multi-tap capacitance corresponding to a configuration of the plurality of switches. A lamp is connected in series with the multi-tap capacitor and the ballast coil. A photometer is located to measure light intensity of the lamp and to produce a lumen output measurement. A memory is used to store a database having a plurality of lumen output measurements, each corresponding to a multi-tap capacitance corresponding to all configurations of the plurality of switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Streetlight Intelligence, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald A. Cleland, Laurence E. Kubek, Carol A. Wong, Gerald E. Kurz
  • Patent number: 7834558
    Abstract: Control of delivery of current through one or more discharge lamps. Methods include alternately switching on and off switching elements that control a fluorescent lamp, in response to receiving input, until the brightness of the lamp decreases to a threshold. Further, methods include providing control signals at complementary duty cycles to further decrease the brightness and alternating the duty cycles of the signals applied to the filaments of the fluorescent lamp. Methods also include identify parameter sets stored in memory to operate fluorescent lamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: Hubertus Notohamiprodjo, Radu Pitigoi-Aron
  • Patent number: 7834552
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing electrical current to a lamp, detecting a power supply voltage outage, detecting a return of the power supply voltage, determining how long the power supply voltage outage lasted, and preheating the lamp responsive to determining that the power supply voltage outage lasted greater than a threshold amount of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery, Michael Herfurth
  • Patent number: 7825614
    Abstract: A voltage control load center (10) includes plural modular voltage control transformer circuits (20), and is connected between supply mains (22) and a load (L) including one or more high intensity discharge (HID) lamps. The lamps are started at full line voltage, and after a sufficient operating interval ensuring that the lamps have achieved a sustaining temperature, the operating voltage applied to the lamps is reduced, effecting a considerable savings in energy use, with little or an acceptably small decrease in illumination provided by the lamps. Because the voltage control transformer circuits (20) are modular, voltage control load centers (10) suitable for a variety of differing requirements may be quickly, easily, and inexpensively fabricated and installed without the need for the conventional requirement of a custom (i.e., application specific) transformer design and fabrication, which conventional requirements are both time and labor intensive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Inventor: James M. Archdekin
  • Patent number: 7821211
    Abstract: A drive circuit is provided for selectively driving a driven element. The drive circuit includes a discharge section for discharging charges, which are accumulated in the driven element when the drive element is turned on, when the drive element is turned off. The drive circuit may include a drive element for driving the driven element. The drive element includes a first ground route disposed separately from a second ground route of the driven element. The first ground route is connected to the second ground route through a connection cable. A diode may be disposed between the connection cable and at least one of the first ground route and the second ground route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Nagumo
  • Patent number: 7821210
    Abstract: Disclosed is a control system for several distributed lamp-operating devices, comprising at least one control station (1), a control line (2) that connects the control station (1) to each lamp-operating device, and a receiver which is allocated to each lamp-operating device and is used for communicating with the control station (1). Each lamp-operating device in said control system is part of a first or a second type while lamp-operating devices of the first and the second type can be combined into functional couples. The lamp-operating devices of the first type (20-1, 20-2) are configured and connected to the respectively allocated lamp-operating device of the second type (10-1 to 10-4) so as to be able to selectively activate or deactivate the lamp-operating devices of the second type (10-1 to 10-4) in accordance with a request by the control station (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Zumtobel Lighting GmbH
    Inventor: Markus Markstaler
  • Patent number: 7812549
    Abstract: A remote dimmable energy-saving device (fluorescent lamp) (20) comprises a remote control transmitter and a dimmable electronic ballast (30) with a built-in remote control receiver (38), wherein said receiver and the dimmable electronic ballast are integrated together and arranged in the T4/T5 tube adapter for T8/T10 tube batten or a fluorescent tube batten. A signal processing circuit of the remote control receiver (37) and a ballasting control circuit (35) of the dimmable electronic ballast are integrated into a single dimming control integrated circuit to control the lamp brightness to any level in the full brightness range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Erg Shenzhen Ltd.
    Inventor: Edmond Yuen
  • Patent number: 7808191
    Abstract: A dim control circuit dimming method and system with a dimming ballast dim control circuit (148) includes a dimmer switch input (120) having a first terminal (154) and a second terminal (156), the dimmer switch input (120) operably connected to receive a dim signal (106); a power supply (124); a current limiter (126); and a coupler (128). The power supply (124), the current limiter (126), and the coupler (128) are connected in series between the first terminal (154) and the second terminal (156), and the coupler (128) generates a lamp dim control signal (132) when the first terminal (154) and the second terminal (156) are electrically connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Mingliang Wu
  • Patent number: 7808185
    Abstract: A method in a portable electronic device (100) having a user interface illumination (110) is disclosed. The method comprises sensing (202) an ambient light level in a neighborhood of the portable electronic device with a sensor (104) of the portable electronic device. Based on the ambient light level sensed, then controlling (204) a visual characteristic of the user interface illumination, wherein the user interface illumination is operated at a brightness between a maximum brightness and a minimum brightness for at least one ambient light level detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Ng, Daniel B. Cox, Joseph L. Allore
  • Patent number: 7804260
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a light emitting diode (LED) luminary system (10) comprising a plurality of LED light sources (14) of multiple colors for producing a mixed color light, and means (28) for controlling the LED light sources in accordance with differences between set point values representing a mixed color light having a desired color and first control data representing the color of the mixed color light produced by the LED light sources, the first control data being provided by at least one color sensor (22). The system is characterized by means (30, 32) for deriving the temperature of each LED light source, and means (26) for compensating the set point values in accordance with second control data including the LED light source temperatures. This offers increased color stability for the system. The invention also relates to a method and system for controlling a LED luminary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Peter Hubertus Franciscus Deurenberg
  • Patent number: 7804252
    Abstract: A two way lighting control system with dual illumination sources, including a lighting unit, a photocell, a motion sensor, and at least one light source base. The lighting unit includes two light source loads. The high wattage light source load is the first light source, and the low wattage source load is the second light source. The illumination of the first light source load is greater than the illumination of the second light source load. The first light source load is electrically connected with the motion sensor via the base, and then is further electrically connected with the photocell to form the first circuit loop. The second light source load is electrically connected with the photocell via the base to form the second circuit loop. Thereby, the present invention can satisfy consumers' requirements of providing both high illumination light and low illumination light with energy saving benefit as needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Inventor: Chia-Teh Chen
  • Patent number: 7804250
    Abstract: An apparatus and method to generate plasma which can be applied to semiconductor processing. The apparatus includes a chamber having a plasma generating space defined therein, a lower electrode positioned within the chamber, an upper electrode facing the lower electrode and disposed within the chamber to constitute a first plasma generating source, a second plasma generating source positioned at a higher location than that of a lower surface of the upper electrode and disposed at an outer circumference of the upper electrode, and a power supply to supply power to the first and second plasma generating sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Andrey Ushakov, Yuri Tolmachev, Vladimir Volynets, Won Ceak Pak, Vasily Pashkovskiy, Sung Chang Park, Yung Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 7804253
    Abstract: An electronic ballast includes a step-up converter, which includes a storage inductor, a diode, an intermediate circuit condenser and a switch element. According to the invention, a current passing through the storage inductor is used in the form of an indicator of turnon and turnoff times of the step-up converter oscillates in a self-exciting manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Osram Gesellschaft Mit Beschraenkter Haftung
    Inventors: Klaus Fischer, Josef Kreittmayr
  • Patent number: 7800310
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for a lamp assembly having a novel design for fitting two or more tube-shaped lamps end-to-end. Such an end-to-end structure may be constructed for use inside a single protective sleeve, such as one constructed of transparent quartz in embodiments where the assembly is used in a decontamination reactor equipment. In exemplary embodiments, the lamps are securely coupled, or otherwise fastened or linked, together end-to-end using any appropriate means for ensuring the integrity and longevity of the connection between the ends of the lamps. The integrity of this end-to-end connection would prevail under any and all circumstances, such as shipping or otherwise moving the assembly, or under normal or abnormal operating conditions, or even in the event that any equipment in which the lamp assembly is used fails during its operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Inventors: Brian E. Butters, Anthony L. Powell
  • Patent number: 7796099
    Abstract: A light emitting device which is able to suppress power consumption while a balance of white light is maintained is provided. According to the present invention, either the potential level of the Hi video signal or Lo video signal which is given to a gate electrode of a transistor, and the potential level of the power source lines are changed by the respective corresponding colors. Concretely, the potential level at the side of Lo and the potential level of the power source line are made to be changed by the respective corresponding colors when a transistor which controls current supplied to a light emitting element is a p-channel type. Conversely, the potential level at the side of the Hi and potential level of the power source line are made to be changed by the respective corresponding colors when a transistor which controls current supplied to a light emitting element is an n-channel type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Osame, Yu Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7791287
    Abstract: A LED arrangement includes:—a plurality of cells (0, 1, 2, 3) each including at least one respective LED having a binning class as a function of its emission wavelength (L1, L2) and brightness (B1, B2) characteristics, —a plurality of impedance elements (R0, R1, R2, R3) respectively coupled with the cells (0, 1, 2, 3), each impedance element (R0, R1, R2, R3) having an impedance value indicative of the binning class of the at least one LED included in the respective cell (0, 1, 2, 3), and —a controller (5) configured for sensing (6, 80, 81, 82, 83) the impedance values of the impedance elements (R0, R1, R2, R3) and adaptively drive each cell (0, 1, 2, 3) as a function of its binning class as indicated by the impedance element (R0, R1, R2, R3) coupled to the cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: OSRAM Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter Haftung
    Inventors: Alessandro Maschietto, Giovanni Scilla
  • Patent number: 7786679
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electronic ballast for a discharge lamp LA1 having an EOL monitoring circuit R1, R2, U1, R9, U2-A, U2-B, U3-A, AE, which has a current differential amplifier U1 having a current mirror input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: OSRAM Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter Haftung
    Inventor: Bernd Rudolph
  • Patent number: 7786675
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and systems for fast ferroelectric tuning of RF power used in a particle accelerating system. By adjusting the voltages fed to the ferroelectric phase shift controller, the amplitude and phase of the RF power wave are altered, thus changing the coupling of the power generating circuit and the superconducting cavity. By altering this coupling rapidly, maximum power transfer efficiency can be achieved, which is important given the large amounts of power shunted through the particle accelerating system. In one embodiment, the ferroelectric tuner is optimally made of a magic-T waveguide circuit element and two phase shifters, although other implementations of the system may be utilized. Alternative phase shifters are shown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Omega-P, Inc.
    Inventors: Vyacheslav P. Yakovlev, Sergey Y. Kazakov, Jay L. Hirshfield
  • Patent number: 7777423
    Abstract: An electronic ballast presenting an input capacitor (C) and including a step-up converter (LH, DH, SH, CH) for operating a load, for example a discharge lamp (CFL), on a phase control dimmer (DIM) having an integrated or parasite inductance (L). According to the invention, excessive voltage after connection with a phase control can be reduced by adjusting currents via of the step-up converter (LH, DH, SH, CH).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: OSRAM Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter Haftung
    Inventors: Klaus Fischer, Josef Kreittmayr