Abstract: A driving device of a light source for a display device is provided. The light source includes a plurality of lamps connected in parallel to each other and each lamp has a first terminal and a second terminal. The driving device also includes a lamp state sensing unit sensing driving voltages applied to the respective lamps, comparing the sensed driving voltages to a reference voltage, and outputting a lamp state sensing signal having an information informing an over-current state for at least one lamp; and an inverter turning the lamps on or off by applying an AC voltage to the lamps and controlling the AC voltage based on the lamp state sensing signal. The reference voltage is varied depending on the magnitude of the driving voltages applied to the respective lamps.

Abstract: Disclosed is a diagnostic resonant cavity for determining characteristics of a charged particle beam, such as an electron beam, produced in a charged particle accelerator. The cavity is based on resonant quadrupole-mode and higher order cavities. Enhanced shunt impedance in such cavities is obtained by the incorporation of a set of four or more electrically conductive rods extending inwardly from either one or both of the end walls of the cavity, so as to form capacitive gaps near the outer radius of the beam tube. For typical diagnostic cavity applications, a five-fold increase in shunt impedance can be obtained. In alternative embodiments the cavity may include either four or more opposing pairs of rods which extend coaxially toward one another from the opposite end walls of the cavity and are spaced from one another to form capacitative gaps; or the cavity may include a single set of individual rods that extend from one end wall to a point adjacent the opposing end wall.

Abstract: In a reverse F-shaped antenna formed on a surface of a printed board, the radiating element has a first radiating conductor, a second radiating conductor, and a chip coil. The chip coil is positioned between the first and second radiating conductors and electrically connects the first radiating conductor to the second radiating conductor. The reverse F-shaped antenna is effectively downsized. A component of current flow in the chip coil in a three-dimensional direction allows sensitivity to some extent to a wave polarized in all directions. By merely changing the inductance in the chip coil, it is possible to easily alter the resonance frequency in the reverse F-shaped antenna.

Abstract: A folded monopole antenna that supports lower and upper frequency bands may be used in CDMA, WLAN, or other wireless communications systems. The folded monopole antenna may be located in a handset next to a vertical ground plane. The folded monopole antenna may be folded at least twice and connected to the ground plane through a reactance. The dimensions of different sections of the folded monopole antenna define lower and upper frequency band characteristics, and an offset location of an input feed affects the bandwidth of the frequency bands. The reactance between the antenna and ground plane can be selected to fine tune the frequency bands. Various input feeds, including a co-planar waveguide, may be employed. Dynamically adjustable reactances may be used in the input feed and ground line for adapting the antenna to various environments.

Abstract: The functionality of electronic convertors for low voltage filament lamp applications, such as halogen lamps, can be increased by including auxiliary circuits. Such auxiliary circuits may include gate drive resistors; a charge pump for sustaining the DC supply; open circuit protection; short circuit protection; thermal protection; extended resetting time; latched shutdown; self-dimming; a digital (DALI) interface; and line voltage compensation.

Abstract: A power supply for plural loads coupled in parallel comprises a voltage regulator, a plurality of current regulators, and an error control circuit. The voltage regulator provides a common output voltage to the plural loads. The voltage regulator comprises a sensor circuit providing a voltage sense signal corresponding to the output voltage, which provides feedback to regulate the output voltage at a selected level. The plurality of current regulators are coupled to respective ones of the plural loads. Each of the plurality of current regulators regulates current drawn by respective ones of the plural loads to within a desired regulation range. The plurality of current regulators each further provide a respective error signal corresponding to an ability to remain within the desired regulation range. The error control circuit is operatively coupled to the voltage regulator and to the plurality of current regulators.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a technique for improving the characteristics of a TFT and realizing an optimum structure of the TFT for the driving conditions of a pixel section and a driving circuit by a small number of photo masks. Therefore, a light emitting device has a semiconductor film, a first electrode and a first insulating film nipped between the semiconductor film and the first electrode. Further, the light emitting device has a second electrode and a second insulating film nipped between the semiconductor film and the second electrode. The first and second electrodes are overlapped with each other through a channel forming area arranged in the semiconductor film. In the case of a TFT in which a reduction in off-electric current is considered important in comparison with an increase in on-electric current, a constant voltage (common voltage) is applied to the first electrode at any time.

Abstract: A particle accelerator system, including apparatuses and methods, for producing a beam of bunched charged particles at high intensities and with minimal energy dispersion comprises a bunching section having a plurality of bunching cavities, an accelerating section having a plurality of accelerating and coupling cavities, and an electromagnetic drive subsystem having a single radio-frequency (RF) generator coupled to the accelerating section at a single location. The accelerating and bunching sections are directly coupled and share a common wall, which may have a resonant coupling cavity therein, such that charged particles bunch in the bunching section and travel through the common wall into the accelerating section where they are accelerated and exit the particle accelerator system as a beam of bunched charged particles. Preferably, a phase shift of one hundred-eighty degrees (180°) (or it radians) is created between the electric fields of successive bunching cavities in the bunching section.

Abstract: An apparatus and method thereof for regulating a light source are described. The apparatus includes a light-to-frequency converter that converts light received from the light source into a signal having a corresponding frequency. A circuit coupled to the light-to-frequency converter uses the frequency to regulate light that is emitted from the light source.

Abstract: A temperature profile storage unit stores a Vf-Ta table showing a relationship between a forward voltage Vf and am ambient temperature Ta of an LED element, and a Ta-Ifmax table showing a relationship between the ambient temperature Ta and a maximum tolerable current Ifmax. The forward voltage Vf of the LED element driven by a power supply is detected and fed to a feedback point determining unit. A temperature computing unit determines the ambient temperature from the detected forward voltage Vf. A driving current determining unit determines a maximum tolerable current Ifmax from the ambient temperature Ta thus determined, by referring to the Ta-Ifmax table, and supplies a command value defining a current to drive the LED element to a constant current source via a D/A converter. The constant current source adjusts the current to drive the LED element in accordance with the command value.

Abstract: A smart dimmer for controlling the intensity of a lighting load from a source of AC power is operable to replace one of the three-way switches in a standard three-way lighting system without the need to replace the other three-way switch with a unique accessory switch. A simple rewiring is needed in the wallbox of the remaining three-way switch. In the resulting three-way lighting system, the smart dimmer is always coupled between the lighting load and the source and the remaining three-way switch is coupled between either of the load terminals of the dimmer and an accessory terminal of the dimmer. The remaining three-way switch acts to either couple or decouple an AC voltage from the accessory terminal. The smart dimmer is operable to detect a change in the state at the accessory terminal and toggle the lighting load on or off as a result of the change in state.

Abstract: A discharge lamp lighting apparatus is provided for lighting a plurality of discharge lamps including one reference lamp and at least one controllable lamp. First variable inductance element and lamp current detecting unit are connected to the reference lamp, second variable inductance and lamp current unit are connected to the controllable lamp, and a lamp current controlling circuit is connected to each of the first and second variable inductance elements. An output signal from the second lamp current detecting unit and also an output signal as a reference signal from the first lamp current detecting unit are connected to the lamp current controlling circuit for the controllable lamp, whereby the lamp current of the controllable lamp is controlled. The reference output signal is also connected to a control circuit, and the lamp currents of the reference and controllable lamps are controlled further by the on/off operation of the switching elements.

Abstract: A lighting system employs a pair of ballast input stages (21) operable to oscillate at different oscillating frequency (f1, f2) upon an initial powering of the ballast input stages (21). The lighting system further employs a pair of ballast output stages (23) for establishing an open circuit voltage across the ballast output stages (23) in response to an absence of a loading of lamps (10) across the ballast output stages (23). The light system further employ means for, subsequent to the initial powering of the ballast input stages (21) and in response to the absence of the loading of the lamps (10) across the ballast output stages (23), impending any parasitic loading across the ballast output stages (23) from phase locking the oscillating frequencies (f1, f2).

Abstract: A magnetron 10 is equipped with a helical filament 39, as an element of a cathode assembly, arranged on a central axis of an anode cylindrical body 13. Assuming that a resistance value of the filament 39 before forming the carbonized layer is R1 and a resistance value of the filament 39 after forming the carbonized layer is R2, a thickness of the carbonized layer 42 of the filament 39 is determined such that a carbonization rate Rx defined by the equation “Rx={(R2?R1)/R1}×100” in a range of from 30 to 50%.

Abstract: Multiple lighting apparatus coupled together to form a lighting network, in which operating power is efficiently provided throughout the network based on a distributed DC voltage or a distributed AC voltage. Based on various power driver configurations, each lighting apparatus incorporates one or more power drivers for one or more LED-based loads. In one example, a controlled predetermined power is provided to a load without requiring any feedback information from the load (i.e., without monitoring a load voltage and/or load current). In another example, a “feed-forward” power driver for an LED-based light sources combines the functionality of a DC-DC converter and a light source controller, and is configured to control the intensity of light generated by the light source based on modulating the average power delivered to the light source in a given time period, without monitoring and/or regulating the voltage or current provided to the light source.

Abstract: A microcontroller or state machine controls a light ballast utilizing a timer structure. The microcontroller can program the timer structure to generate pulses where the “average” frequency of a series of pulses can be varied with higher resolution than the frequency of a single pulse. This variation can occur without further microcontroller/state machine intervention. The pulses are used to control the on and/or off time of the light. The timer can be configured to modulate the outputs fast enough to ensure that the light does not appear to flicker to the human eye by limiting the number of pulses in a frame and by increasing the number of times the frequency shift occurs compared to the obvious implementation. The present invention relies on the fact that the human eye is not capable of detecting small frequency changes in high frequency signals and therefore uses pulses of two or more frequencies where the frequencies are close together.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for measuring cathode fall in fluorescent lamps are disclosed. Together with measurements of cathode temperature, such measurements of cathode fall may inform a determination of cathode heater voltage as a function of discharge current (i.e., a cathode-heating-profile) that avoids both sputtering and excess-evaporation.

Abstract: An apparatus of driving a lamp includes a first inverter board having a first inverter for supplying a first high-voltage alternating-current waveform via a first high-voltage line to a first electrode of the lamp, and a second inverter board having a second inverter for supplying a second high-voltage alternating-current waveform via a second high-voltage line to a second electrode of the lamp, the second inverter being different from the first inverter.

Abstract: A car lamp includes a holding member, and several loop-shaped lighting members; the holding member has several lamp holding holes, a holding recess around each of the lamp holding holes, and several light passages communicating with each of the holding recesses; light sources are secured right behind respective ones of the light passages; each of the loop-shaped lighting members has equidistantly spaced light-condensing bumps thereon, and is fitted on a respective one of the holding recesses on the holding member; thus, change of the light sources is allowed, and light with a closed loop-shape will show on each of the loop-shaped lighting members when the light sources are powered.

Abstract: A cold cathode flat fluorescent lamp and a driving method for a cold cathode flat fluorescent lamp are provided. The cold cathode flat fluorescent lamp includes a lamp, a transformer and a full-bridge circuit. The lamp has at least a first electrode having a first voltage and a second electrode having a second voltage. The transformer has a primary side and a secondary side, and the full-bridge circuit is used for driving the lamp. In addition, the transformer is connected to the lamp on the secondary side and is connected to the full-bridge circuit on the primary side.