Patents Examined by Monica C King
  • Patent number: 10378747
    Abstract: LED tape is provided that employs a plurality of surface-mounted contact terminals. The LED tape can be severed at discrete locations adjacent to the contact terminal to create a tape segment configured to interconnect to a power source or to another tape segment by way of a wire selectively received and secured within corresponding terminal connectors. The use of the connecting wire omits the need for a mechanical connector or integration by soldering currently required to interconnect LED tape segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Inventor: Ryan Hanslip
  • Patent number: 10375784
    Abstract: A current driver integrated circuit (IC) is coupled to control current flow through a diode. In one example, the diode is a Light Emitting Diode (LED) having an anode coupled to a supply node supplied by a battery and a cathode coupled to a drive terminal of the current driver IC. During operation the current driver IC is enabled and sinks an output current from the supply node, through the LED, through the drive terminal, and onto a ground node. As current flows through the LED, the battery is discharged. Changes in battery voltage cause an output voltage between the cathode of the LED and the ground node to change. Despite variations in output voltage, the current driver IC maintains a current level of the output current to be within five percent of a desired output current level across an output voltage range of at least 2V.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Littelfuse, Inc.
    Inventor: Bret Ross Howe
  • Patent number: 10375783
    Abstract: Provided is a lighting circuit that drives a first light source and a second light source connected in series with each other. A bypass switch is provided in parallel with the second light source. A constant current circuit is connected in parallel with one of the first light source and the second light source. A drive circuit supplies a drive current to a serially-connected circuit of the first light source and the second light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kotaro Matsui, Yasushi Noyori, Shinji Ohta
  • Patent number: 10368413
    Abstract: A light source module including a casing, a light guide plate, at least one light emitting element, and a reflector is provided. The light guide plate includes a plate body and an optical microstructure array. The optical microstructure array is located at a top surface of the plate body and includes a plurality of microstructure units. The microstructure units are recessed from the top surface towards the bottom surface and are shaped as inverted square pyramids, and a pyramid portion of each of the inverted square pyramids is formed by at least four surfaces. Each of the microstructure units includes two opposite first surfaces and two opposite second surfaces arranged in an alternating manner. Further, in each of the microstructure units, angles included between the two first surfaces and the top surface are identical, and angles included between the two second surfaces and the top surface are identical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignees: LITE-ON ELECTRONICS (GUANGZHOU) LIMITED, Lite-On Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Kuo-Hui Chang, Kuan-Yu Chen, Yao-Chi Peng, Ming-Hung Chien
  • Patent number: 10364956
    Abstract: Provided is a headlight device which appropriately controls emission of light from a headlight of a traveling vehicle. A headlight device includes an image capturing unit, a vanishing point calculation unit, a headlight, and an emission control unit. The image capturing unit captures an image in a traveling direction of a traveling vehicle. The vanishing point calculation unit calculates a position of a vanishing point in the image, on the basis of an image captured by the image capturing unit. The headlight emits light in a traveling direction of the vehicle. The emission control unit controls emission of light from the headlight on the basis of a position of a vanishing point calculated by the vanishing point calculation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: JVC KENWOOD Corporation
    Inventor: Hisashi Koiso
  • Patent number: 10368410
    Abstract: A technique to eliminate perceptible flickering by LEDs being dimmed by PWM pulses is disclosed. A controllable oscillator controls a switching frequency of a converter for supplying a regulated current or regulated voltage. The converter controls a first switch at a switching frequency. A varying second signal level is generated by a spread spectrum control (SSC) circuit for controlling the oscillator to vary the switching frequency during operation. A PWM dimming circuit generates a string of PWM pulses that control a switch in series with the LEDs. The SSC circuit is synchronized with the PWM pulses to generate the same second signal level at a start of each PWM pulse, such that the switching frequency of the converter is forced to be substantially the same at the start of each PWM pulse while the pulse widths are constant. The repeating driving current waveform eliminates perceptible flicker by the LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Linear Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Xin Qi, Eric S. Young, Keith D. Szolusha
  • Patent number: 10358084
    Abstract: A lighting system for a vehicle cabin is discloses and includes a light directing conduit disposed about at least a portion of an opening through a vehicle roof. A pin spot uses light from the light directing conduit for localized lighting within the vehicle interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Stuart C. Salter, Adrian Nania, Satyanarayana Raju Vemulapati, Paul Kenneth Dellock
  • Patent number: 10351053
    Abstract: The auxiliary turn light for a tractor-trailer is an illumination system. The tractor-trailer further comprises a left turn control signal and a right turn control signal. The left turn control signal and the right turn control signal generates an electrical signal that operates the left turn signal and the right turn signal respectively. The auxiliary turn light for a tractor-trailer comprises a left illumination circuit and a right illumination circuit. The left illumination circuit operates a left lamp that generates a field of illumination on the left side of the tractor. The right illumination circuit operates a right lamp that generates a field of illumination on the right side of the tractor. The operation of the left illumination circuit is initiated by the left turn control signal. The operation of the right illumination circuit is initiated by the right turn control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Inventor: Derek Salinas
  • Patent number: 10354829
    Abstract: An antenna part of a magnetron includes an exhaust portion that is connected to an antenna conductor derived from an anode part and has an output terminal from which a microwave is outputted, and an output-side ceramic stem that holds internally the antenna conductor and is firmly fixed to the exhaust portion to insulate electrically a side pipe connected to the anode part of a main body of the magnetron from the exhaust portion. An antenna part further includes an antenna cap that is joined to the exhaust portion by a conductive adhesive arranged on an outer periphery of the exhaust portion. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the magnetron that can prevent occurrence of electric discharge between the antenna cap and the exhaust portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takanori Handa, Nagisa Kuwahara, Kohei Kawata, Takeshi Ishii
  • Patent number: 10354838
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating plasma, including a quadrupole antenna having a center region and an outer region and configured to be disposed over a dielectric window of a plasma chamber. The quadrupole antenna including a first coil defining a first SDA and a second coil defining a second SDA, the first coil being in a nested arrangement within the second coil. The nested arrangement places a turn of the first coil to be adjacent to a corresponding turn of the second coil as the first and second coils spiral from the center region to the outer region of the quadrupole antenna. Adjacent turns of each of the first and second coils are horizontally separated from one another by a distance when disposed over the dielectric window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Hema Swaroop Mopidevi, Lee Chen, Thomas W. Anderson
  • Patent number: 10349495
    Abstract: A light bulb adapter is disclosed. The light bulb adapter has a main housing configured to house electronic circuits for wirelessly receiving controlling commands via WiFi from a user through the use of a software application installed in a mobile device. In operation, the user unplug a light bulb from an existing lighting fixture and plugs the light bulb plug of the light bulb adapter into the lighting fixture. A light bulb is inserted to the light bulb receptacle of the light bulb adapter. The user can connect a mobile device to the light bulb adapter over a wireless local area network via an accessory protocol and control the light bulb adapter, and subsequently the light bulb connected to it, using the accessory protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Incipio, LLC
    Inventors: Andy Fathollahi, Ahmed Abdallah
  • Patent number: 10349475
    Abstract: A receiver circuit is configured to receive a transmission signal represented by a change in DC voltage applied across power supply lines according to transmission data. The receiver circuit is also configured to compare the DC voltage (sampled value(s) of a detection voltage) with a threshold, thereby detecting a change in the DC voltage. The receiver circuit is further configured to calculate the threshold from a voltage value of the DC voltage (the sampled value(s) of a detection voltage) input to a receiver input unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Motomura, Hirofumi Konishi
  • Patent number: 10334680
    Abstract: An LED lighting system having at least one LED circuit and at least two circuits or drivers capable of receiving an AC voltage at a first frequency and having an output capable of driving the at least one LED circuit, wherein the output of each circuit or driver capable of driving the at least one LED circuit is provided to the at least one LED circuit through a circuit or sensor capable of permitting only a single output from the at least two circuits or drivers be provided to the at least one LED circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Lynk Labs, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Miskin
  • Patent number: 10334694
    Abstract: A light emission control circuit includes a drive circuit that generates a first control signal in order to control a first switching element, and a switching control circuit that generates a second control signal in order to control a second switching element. The switching control circuit maintains the second control signal in an inactivation state in a period in which the first control signal is inactivated in a case where an ON duty ratio of the first control signal is equal to or more than a predetermined value, and maintains the second control signal in an activation state in a part of the period in which the first control signal is inactivated in a case where the ON duty ratio of the first control signal is less than the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Norikazu Tsukahara, Atsushi Yamada, Kei Ishimaru
  • Patent number: 10327312
    Abstract: A Bluetooth beacon for a luminaire assembly includes a module and an antenna associated with the module. The Bluetooth beacon is monted such that the antenna is communicatively visible from a light emitting side of the luminaire assembly. The Bluetooth beacon is configured to provide a signal extending a predetermined distance from the luminaire assembly such that a Bluetooth receiver on a user device can receive a signal from the Bluetooth beacon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC
    Inventors: Forrest Starnes McCanless, Stephen Haight Lydecker, Albert Tran, Stephen Barry McCane
  • Patent number: 10327316
    Abstract: System and/or method generally relate to extending a lifespan of an excimer lamp. The system includes a ultra-violet (UV) light having a pair of dielectrics configured to separate electrodes. One of the electrodes includes a metal mesh. The system includes a power supply electrically coupled to the UV light and configured to deliver electrical power to the UV light. The system includes a temperature sensor operably coupled to the UV light. The temperature sensor is configured to generate a temperature signal indicative of a temperature of the UV light. The system includes at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to determine a temperature of the UV light based on the temperature signal, and adjust the electrical power delivered to the UV light based on the temperature signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Arthur E. Brockschmidt, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10314133
    Abstract: Apparatuses and systems are provided for changing the spectrum of light emission from a light-emitting diode (LED) light set. The LED light set may include LEDs, each of which having at least a first LED chip and a second LED chip configured to emit light at differing wavelengths. The first and second LED chips may be connected in series with opposite polarities. Responsive to receiving a power flow in a first direction from a power terminal, the first LED chip may emit light of a first color while the second LED chip may remain powered off. Responsive to receiving the power flow in a second direction opposite the first direction from the power source, the second LED chip may emit light of a second color different from the first color while the first LED chip may remain powered off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Inventor: Geoffrey Herbert Harris
  • Patent number: 10306740
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods for remotely dimming lights are disclosed. In one embodiment, a light-dimming apparatus for placement within a lighting enclosure of a lighting fixture is disclosed. The light-dimming apparatus can comprise an AC live input terminal, an AC neutral input terminal, an AC live output terminal, an AC neutral output terminal, a dimmer module, one or more motion sensing modules, and a microcontroller unit comprising a plurality of wireless communication modules, and one or more processor cores. The one or more processor cores can be programmed to execute instructions to receive a dimming command from another device via at least one of the plurality of wireless communication modules, receive zero-crossing signals from the dimmer module, and transmit switching signals to the dimmer module to modulate the power supplied to the lighting load to dim the brightness of the lighting load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Bitsysoft Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Yung-Wen Wu, Thomas Kuo Liu
  • Patent number: 10306718
    Abstract: A light emitting device driver apparatus includes: an inductor; a power switch which switches the inductor to convert an input power to an output current for driving a light emitting device circuit; and a conversion control circuit. When a dimming signal exceeds a first dimming threshold, a reference current signal is generated according to the dimming signal, and a switch control signal controls the power switch according to a first PWM signal, such that the output current corresponds to the level of the dimming signal. When the dimming signal does not exceed the first dimming threshold, the reference current signal is clamped to a level corresponding to the first dimming threshold, and a second PWM signal is generated according to the dimming signal, wherein the second PWM signal enables the first PWM signal to generate the switch control signal to control the power switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: RICHTEK TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Meng-Hsun Yang, Chi-Hsiu Lin, Wei-Ming Chiu
  • Patent number: 10299350
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling electrical loads in one or more areas. The system includes a room controller having a microprocessor for accessing data and providing commands, memory for storing information operably connected to the microprocessor, a relay for powering a load based on commands from the microprocessor, and a port for connecting a peripheral device. The system also includes a peripheral device connected to the port and configured to send data including a device type and a device instance byte to the controller indicating the type of peripheral device. The device instance byte includes a port number identifying the port and a slot number identifying a time slot within a time domain multiplexing cycle. The system also includes a load connected to the relay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Hubbell Incorporated
    Inventors: Theodore Eric Weber, Mark Alan Rosenau, Edward John Krohne, Stephan Karl Zitz, Thomas James Hartnagel, Edward Leo Rivas, Michael Lee Muecke, Peter Anthony Baselici, Terrence Robert Arbouw