Patents Examined by Don Le
  • Patent number: 9609721
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for performing actions based on a determined relative composition of light. In some implementations, data representing an amount of ambient light detected within the portion of the property by a light sensor located at the portion of the property is initially obtained. Data indicating (i) a shape of an optical spectra for a natural light source, and (ii) a shape of an optical spectra for a non-natural light source is then obtained. A relative composition of the ambient light detected within the portion of the property is determined. An estimated amount of natural light within the portion of the property is then determined. In response, the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property is adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Alarm.com Incorporated
    Inventors: David James Hutz, Robert Leon Lutes
  • Patent number: 9602101
    Abstract: A method for controlling a configuration in an integrated circuit device with at least one controllable input/output port having a data output driver, a data input driver, a controllable pull-up resistor, a controllable pull-down resistor, each connected with an external pin of the integrated circuit device, has the steps of: enabling only the pull-up resistor and reading the associated input through the data input driver as a first bit; enabling only the pull-down resistor and reading the associated input through the data input driver as a second bit; tri-stating the first port and reading the associated input through the data input driver as another bit; encoding a value from the read bits; and determining a firmware operation form the encoded value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Atish Ghosh
  • Patent number: 9603227
    Abstract: The semiconductor light source driving apparatus includes light source modules, a current control element, a second current detection element, a DC power supply, and a controller. The light source modules each include the following components connected in parallel: a semiconductor light source; a first constant-voltage diode; a series circuit of a first current detection element and a second constant-voltage diode with a lower breakdown voltage than the first constant-voltage diode; and a switching element. The controller controls the DC power supply based on a detection output of the second current detection element. After the first current detection element generates a output in response to an open fault in any of the semiconductor light sources, and then the current control element is turned off, the controller turns on the switching element of the light source module with the open fault, thereby allowing the current control element to be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takaaki Gyoten, Shinji Miyoshi
  • Patent number: 9596731
    Abstract: A color temperature modulating method involves: computing blackbody spectrums including a target color temperature, and performing normalization at a benchmark wavelength to define a common color-temperature area; selecting a white LED containing phosphor; adjusting the white LED's intensity such that the primary-peak wavelength is close to a maximum relative intensity in the common color-temperature area accordingly; using a blue LED, a green LED, and at least two red LEDs, wherein peak wavelengths of the blue and green LEDs are located between the primary and the secondary wavelength of the white LED, and peak wavelengths of the red LEDs are greater than the primary-peak wavelength; and adjusting relative intensities of the blue, green, and red LEDs to make a relative intensity of a combination of these LEDs and the white LED close to the target color temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: HM ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tsung-Ping Lin
  • Patent number: 9596745
    Abstract: Examples of a plasma acceleration and compression device are described. The device includes a plasma accelerator with a high compression funnel section extending from an inlet of the accelerator and an elongated section connected to the high compression funnel section that can extend from the end of the funnel section to an accelerator's outlet. The funnel section can be a cone with a steep tapering while the elongated section can have a mild, gentle, tapering along its length toward the outlet. The device further includes a power source for providing a current pulse to the accelerator to generate a pushing flux to accelerate and compress a plasma torus throughout the accelerator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: General Fusion Inc.
    Inventors: Michel G. Laberge, Meritt Reynolds
  • Patent number: 9591727
    Abstract: A lighting system according to the embodiment includes a lighting device; and a graphic user interface displayed on a touch screen of a lighting control device to control the lighting device. The graphic user interface includes a first region to display a map for an installation space of the lighting device and a lighting icon corresponding to the lighting device in the map; and a second region to display a menu for setting a control condition of the lighting device corresponding to the lighting icon. The map includes a plurality of division spaces obtained by dividing the installation space into a plurality of regions and the lighting icon is displayed in a specific division space corresponding to an actual installation portion of the lighting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dae Hun Kim, Sin Young Jung, Jong Heon Lee
  • Patent number: 9590666
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for mitigating noise and/or impedance effects in transmitters. The mitigation comprises, when transmitter is in a non-active mode, decoupling at least a portion of the transmitter and coupling an auxiliary component to a remaining portion of the transmitter. When the transmitter is in an active mode, the auxiliary component is decoupled from the remaining portion of the transmitter, and the at least a portion of the transmitter is coupled to the remaining portion of the transmitter. The auxiliary component comprises one or more of: a resistive element, a capacitive element, and a reactive component. The auxiliary component is configured such that it may achieve a small mismatching error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: ENTROPIC COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Payman Hosseinzadeh-Shanjani, Branislav Petrovic
  • Patent number: 9591704
    Abstract: Various embodiments may relate to a lighting system including a Power Supply Unit and at least one Light Engine Module, with an interface between the Light Engine Modules and the Power Supply Unit. The Light Engine Modules send pulses representing their current demand to the Power Supply Unit adjusting the output current accordingly. The Light Engine Modules are connected in parallel, and the pulse sequences are sent at the same time. Measures are taken to cope with interfered pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: OSRAM GMBH
    Inventors: Richard Dilger, Reinhard Lecheler
  • Patent number: 9583301
    Abstract: A metamaterial high-power microwave source relates to the fields of vacuum electronic technology, particle physics, and accelerators, including: a cathode, a metamaterial slow-wave structure (SWS), a waveguide and coaxial line coupler located at one end of the metamaterial SWS and a collector component located at the other end of the metamaterial SWS. The metamaterial SWS provided by the present invention is greatly smaller than a rectangular waveguide having the same frequency, so as to realize a miniaturization of devices and facilitate integration with semiconductor devices. The waveguide and coaxial line coupler has a good transmission characteristic and a low reflection in a relatively wide frequency band, which guarantees a high-efficient coupling output of a signal. Moreover, the metamaterial high-power microwave source has a high-power output and a pulsed output power reaching a megawatt level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
    Inventors: Zhaoyun Duan, Xianfeng Tang, Xinwu Ma, Xiang Huang, Zhanliang Wang, Tao Tang, Yanshuai Wang, Yubin Gong
  • Patent number: 9585204
    Abstract: A driving circuit includes: a switching element having a first terminal to receive an input voltage, and a second terminal; an inductor coupled to the second terminal of the switching element; a switch and a current sensing element coupled in series to the second terminal of the switching element; and a control module compensating a voltage sensed by the current sensing element based on at least one of the input voltage and an output voltage across the switching element and the inductor to generate a compensated signal, and switching the switch from an ON state to an OFF state when the compensated signal exceeds a reference threshold for a delay time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignees: Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou) Limited, Lite-On Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Chen-Wei Wu, Feng-Hsu Lin, Yuan-Lun Chang
  • Patent number: 9584130
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for coordinating the partial reconfiguration of a region of a configurable device (e.g., a SDM/CNoC/LSM system or device) through an interface that coordinates the stopping of the current persona in that region, the resetting of the new current persona, and the starting of the new persona in a manner that does not corrupt the memory of the affected region. The interface further provides signaling that the static region can use to protect itself during the partial reconfiguration, and disallows multiple partial reconfigurations of the same region at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Scott J. Weber, Sean R. Atsatt, Yi Peng
  • Patent number: 9570976
    Abstract: A switched capacitor power converter comprising a set of at least two capacitors; an input for receiving an input voltage an output for outputting an output voltage different to the input voltage, a plurality of switches configured to arrange the set of capacitors into a plurality of different subcircuit arrangements between the input and output for converting the input voltage to the output voltage; wherein the set of capacitors is configured to adopt a first subcircuit arrangement in which the set is connected to the input, a second subcircuit arrangement different to the first subcircuit arrangement and a third subcircuit arrangement, different to the first and second arrangements, in which the set is connected to the output, the subcircuit arrangements configured such that each of the capacitors in the set acts as a floating capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Ravichandra Karadi, Gerard Villar Pique
  • Patent number: 9571102
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a semiconductor device that includes a first transistor unit coupled to the data terminal, and a plurality of second transistor units coupled to the calibration terminal. The first transistor unit includes a plurality of first transistors having a first conductivity type connected in parallel to each other so that an impedance of the first transistor unit is adjustable. Each of the second transistor units includes a plurality of second transistors having the first conductivity type connected in parallel to each other so that an impedance of each of the second transistor units is adjustable. The semiconductor device further includes an impedance control circuit that reflects the impedance of each of the second transistor units to the first transistor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: LONGITUDE SEMICONDUCTOR S.A.R.L.
    Inventor: Kentaro Hara
  • Patent number: 9565731
    Abstract: A load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load is able to operate in a normal mode and a burst mode. The load control device may comprise a control circuit that activates an inverter circuit during active state periods and deactivates the inverter circuit during inactive state periods. The control circuit may operate in the normal mode to regulate an average magnitude of a load current conducted through the electrical load to be above a minimum rated current. The control circuit may operate in the burst mode to adjust the average magnitude of the load current to be below the minimum rated current. The control circuit may adjust the average magnitude of the load current by adjusting the length of the inactive state periods while holding the length of the active state periods constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: LUTRON ELECTRONICS CO., INC.
    Inventor: Stuart W. DeJonge
  • Patent number: 9559699
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing global interconnect delay on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) on an integrated circuit die comprising coding with a digital to analog coder on the integrated circuit die successive groups of n digital bits into an 2n level voltage or current signal where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2; transmitting the voltage or current signal on a global interconnect on the integrated circuit die; receiving on the integrated circuit die the signal transmitted on the global interconnect; and decoding the received signal on the integrated circuit die to reconstitute the successive groups of digital bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Weimin Zhang, Yanzhong Xu
  • Patent number: 9552767
    Abstract: A light-emitting device in which variation in luminance among pixels is suppressed. The light-emitting device includes a pixel; a first circuit configured to generate a signal containing information on a value of current extracted from the pixel; and a second circuit configured to correct an image signal in accordance with the signal. The pixel includes a light-emitting element; a transistor for controlling supply of the current to the light-emitting element in accordance with the image signal; a first switch configured to control connection between a gate and a drain of the transistor or between the gate of the transistor and a wiring; and a second switch configured to control extraction of the current from the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Miyake, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9554435
    Abstract: Light flux levels sensed from a color LED array control both current availability to the array and disable/re-enable a current bypass switch to shunt stored-energy current to or away from a selected LED. In continuous mode, a single flux pulse is created for the duration of a pre-established period. Feedback from the flux sensor pulses current to an energy storage device to maintain the light flux at a predetermined set-point. A particular dimming level is achieved by establishing both the pulse period and the flux magnitude. In discontinuous mode, one or more short flux pulses are created. Both the turn-on and the turn-off time of each flux pulse is controlled by alternately removing and then re-establishing a current shunt from the energy storage device to ground. Flux pulse magnitude is controlled by recognizing when the flux pulse has reached a predetermined set-point and re-establishing the current shunt to abruptly turn off current to the selected LED.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Jeffrey Scott Farris, Michael David McCormick, Jason Ryan Thompson
  • Patent number: 9549446
    Abstract: An intelligent lighting apparatus includes a control unit on a base, a first color LED and a second color LED coupled with the control unit, a wireless transmission module coupled to the control unit, and a control APP disposed in a portable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Inventor: Kuo-Ching Chiang
  • Patent number: 9548734
    Abstract: Embodiments are generally directed to smart impedance matching for high-speed I/O. In some embodiments, a circuit includes an impedance sensing block; a finite state machine to provide impedance tuning for a driver; and a control block, the control block to provide a feedback loop to check and tune impedance of the driver. The impedance sensing block is to sample an output voltage of the driver to determine whether the impedance of the driver is greater than or less than an impedance of the channel; and the finite state machine is to produce a signal to decrease or increase the impedance of the driver based on the determination whether the impedance of the driver is greater than or less than the impedance of the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Hongjiang Song, Yan W. Song, Zhiguo Qian, Zhichao Zhang
  • Patent number: 9549447
    Abstract: The invention describes a lighting circuit (1) comprising a primary set (11, 13) of light-emitting diodes (110, 130) of a first color and a secondary set (12) of light-emitting diodes (120) of a further color; wherein a temperature-dependent reduction in light output of the primary set (11, 13) of light-emitting diodes (110, 130) is greater than a temperature-dependent reduction in light output of the secondary set (12) of light-emitting diodes (120); and a flux ratio fixing arrangement realized to maintain an essentially constant ratio between the light output of the primary set (11, 13) and the light output of the secondary set (12) during a temperature-dependent overall reduction in light output of the light-emitting diodes (110, 120, 130) of the lighting circuit (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: PHILIPS LIGHTING HOLDING B.V.
    Inventor: Henricus Marie Peeters