Abstract: A process for diagnosing the proper operation of direction indicator lights of a motor vehicle includes the steps of temporally and alternately shifting the end of illumination of the right and left change of direction indicator lamps of the vehicle, measuring the current passing through a power circuit of the direction indicator lamps during the temporal shift, comparing the measured value with a reference value, and deducing therefrom whether at least one of the lamps is inoperative and in this case informing the driver thereof. A device for diagnosing the proper operation of the direction indicator lights of a motor vehicle is also provided.

Abstract: High voltage and low voltage switch mode circuits and methods serve to recover the charge stored on electro-luminescent lamp panels that would otherwise be dissipated during the discharge cycle of a drive circuit. The high voltage circuits and methods operate to transfer the charge to the high voltage rail, while the low voltage circuits and methods operate to transfer the charge to the source of low drive voltage.

Abstract: A simple and cheap dynamic S-correction circuit compensates the higher order errors like the so-called moustache effect and the inner linearity distortion. This is achieved in a known way by connecting an additional proper tuned S-capacitor in parallel with the original one during the start and end of the scan interval. Duty cycle modulation of the on/off times as a function of the frame compensates the inner-pin distortion (also called inner-linearity or modulated S-correction). The duty cycle or the switch on and off instants required to compensate the horizontal distortion or moustache effect is derived by comparing the AC parabolic waveform generated on the S-capacitors with a DC-voltage. Duty-cycle modulation required for compensation of the inner-pin distortion is, in this way, automatically obtained.

Abstract: In one embodiment of a compact closed-drift ion source, an ionizable gas is introduced into a annular discharge region. An anode is at one end of this region and an electron-emitting cathode is near the opposite and open end. A magnetic circuit extends from an inner pole piece to an outer pole piece, with both pole pieces near the open end. The electron current in the discharge region interacts with the magnetic field therein to generate and accelerate ions out of the open end. A permeable enclosure surrounds the anode end of the discharge region. Adjacent elements of the permeable enclosure, the inner pole piece, and any intermediate permeable elements are in close proximity, one to the next. A magnetizing means is located only between the outer pole piece and the permeable enclosure.

Abstract: An electron gun for a color cathode ray tube includes cathodes, a control electrode, and a screen electrode, forming a triode, first, second, third, and fourth focusing electrodes, sequentially arranged relative to the screen electrode and forming at least one first quadrupole lens, fifth and sixth focusing electrodes, adjacent to the fourth focusing electrode and forming at least one second quadrupole lens, and a final accelerating electrode, adjacent to the sixth focusing electrode and forming a main lens.

Abstract: An electron gun for a cathode ray tube has a cathode structure, a control electrode, a screen electrode, focusing electrodes, and a final accelerating electrode. R, G, and B electron apertures of one pair of the focusing electrodes face each other to form a quadrupole lens unit, to which an AC voltage having a relatively low peak or a static voltage is applied to converge R, G, and B electron beams into one point, even when the electron beams deviate to the corner of a screen. Asymmetrical enlargement portions are included in the rims of each of the R and B electron beam apertures.

Abstract: A lamp for recessed ceiling mounting consisting of a ceiling aperture lining flange defining an air dam receiving space; a mounting plate fixedly attached to and extending outwardly from the upper end of said flange; a ballast; spirally threaded screws removedly mounting the ballast upon the mounting plates; a concave air dam having an interior flourescent tube receiving space; a plurality of friction clips connecting the air dam to said flange, said clips positioning the air dam within said flange's air dam receiving space; a flourescent light tube; and a plurality of spring clips mounting the flourescent light tube within the interior space of the concave air dam.

Abstract: An electronic dimming ballast has a parallel loaded resonant output circuit plus a combination of pulse width modulation and frequency variation to accomplish the dimming of compact fluorescent lamps. The ballast operates at a fixed frequency throughout a selected range of light levels, with dimming control being done completely by duty cycle variation over this range of operation, and then smoothly moves to a variable frequency as the light output moves outside the selected range, with both duty cycle and frequency variation being the means of lamp light output control outside the selected range.

Abstract: A self-scanning light-emitting device is provided in which the number of bonding pads can be decreased, i.e. 2 or 3. The device comprises an array of a plurality of three-terminal light-emitting elements; electrical means having unidirectional characteristic to voltage or current for connecting the control electrodes of neighboring light-emitting elements to each other; two clock pulse lines for applying two-phase clock pulses alternately to one of two terminals except the control electrode of each light-emitting element; and a power supply line connected to each of the control electrodes of the light-emitting elements via a load resistor, respectively. The resistance of the load resistor connected to the light-emitting element to be turned on at first is selected to be smaller than that of other resistors. As a result, the bonding pad for the start pulse may be omitted.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a twin-bulb Christmas light bulb string of a curtain-type light bulb string. It mainly combines every two bulb-assemblies at a same level on the branch string to become a twin-bulb single body by a loop or the like for providing a special and different decorative effect. This obtains improvement and utility.

Abstract: In a discharge lamp apparatus for a vehicle, it is determined that a grounded condition is present when a lamp voltage is less than a predetermined voltage and a lamp current is less than a predetermined current. Electric power supply to the lamp is stopped temporarily in response to the determination of the grounded condition, and then the lighting operation is restarted again. If the grounded condition is determined again, the above operation is repeated. If this repetition continues for a predetermined period, the lighting operation is disabled continuously. In controlling the lamp, a voltage of a battery is boosted by a voltage booster transformer, which is turned on and off by a MOS transistor so that electric power supplied to the lamp is duty-controlled. An upper limit is set to the duty ratio, and the upper limit is increased as the lamp current decreases, so that the lighting characteristics of the lamp is improved.

Abstract: A plasma processing chamber is provided which provides improved wafer area pressure control. The plasma processing chamber is a vacuum chamber with a device connected for generating and sustaining a plasma. Part of this device would be an etchant gas source and an exhaust port. A confinement ring defines an area above a wafer. The wafer area pressure is dependent on the pressure drop across the confinement ring. The confinement ring is part of a confinement device that provides wafer area pressure control greater than 40%. Such a confinement device may be a fixed vertical restriction ring in addition to the confinement ring, where the confinement ring is adjustable. In the alternative, three adjustable confinement rings may be used to provide the desired wafer area pressure control.

Abstract: Reducing the manufacturing cost of an EL display device and an electronic device furnished with the EL display device is taken as an objective. A textured structure in which projecting portions are formed on the surface of a cathode is used. External stray light is diffusely (irregularly) reflected by the action of the projecting portions when reflected by the surface of the cathode, and therefore a defect in which the face of an observer or the surrounding scenery is reflected in the surface of the cathode can be prevented. This can be completed without using a conventionally necessary high price circular polarizing film, and therefore it is possible to reduce the cost of manufacturing the EL display device.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp operating apparatus comprises a power switching element electrically connected to a fluorescent lamp having a pair of electrodes, and means for limiting the current flowing through the power switching element by controlling its conductance so as to prevent the power switching element from being broken by a large current flowing from the power line through the fluorescent lamp when the impedance between the pair electrodes decreases from infinity at the start-up of the fluorescent lamp.

Abstract: A compact fluorescent lamp ballast housing compatible with double-ended socket assemblies including sockets at the ends of an elongated holder such as the ones used for quartz halogen and metal halide lamp fixtures. The housing supports multiple circular compact fluorescent lamps. The sockets are connected to opposite connector assemblies in the housing. Inside the housing an electronic ballast assembly is selectively turned on and off by a receiver assembly that is remotely actuated by a compatible transmitter assembly. The bottom of the housing includes a channel that substantially conforms to the elongated holder for the sockets to provide clearance for the holder and better mechanical engagement.

Abstract: A treater system includes a conductive roller electrode that supports a moving web that is to be treated. One or more active electrode assemblies mounted to support headers have a pair of active electrodes that are positioned to treat one surface of the web as the web passes over the roller electrode. Air or a gas/gas mixture can be selectively piped to a chamber adjacent the active electrodes and diffused along the length of the discharge surfaces to allow the treater to operate in three distinct modes: corona, chemical corona and atmospheric plasma. The active electrodes are cooled by passing air into and through tubular bodies of the active electrodes.

Abstract: A control gear for a fluorescent lamp, comprising a voltage source and an ignition and supply circuit comprising an inductive component and a capacitance. The control gear also comprises a transformer whose primary coil is connected parallel to the capacitance, and a switching element which is connected to the secondary coil of a transformer for short-circuiting it.

Abstract: An electronic ballast which is capable of compactly powering a discharge lamp from a source of rectified, but unregulated, power having a varying DC voltage. The ballast includes a selfoscillating converter powered by the DC voltage for producing pulses at a nominal operating frequency which is determined by a resonant tank. The resonant tank converts the pulses to a sinusoidal current for powering the discharge lamp and includes an inductive impedance.in series with the lamp for providing a voltage drop which varies with the operating frequency. A feed-forward control circuit is coupled to the converter for automatically varying the operating frequency directly with variations in the DC source voltage. The voltage drop across the inductive impedance is substantially proportional to the magnitude of the DC source voltage. This enables regulation of the voltage supplied to the discharge lamp by the ballast without sensing the lamp voltage itself.

Abstract: A method and a system for providing electrical power to several gas discharge tubes, include a master power supply and several high-voltage modules. The master power supply is constructed and arranged to provide high-frequency and low-voltage power to the high-voltage modules. Each high-voltage module, in turn, provides high-frequency and high-voltage power to a gas discharge tube. The high-voltage modules include step-up transformers with their primary side connected in series to the output of the master power supply and their secondary sides connected to the gas discharge tubes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a driving system for multiple lamps, which comprises a plurality of lamps including one master lamp and at least one slave lamp, an inverter circuit for converting DC power to AC power to be supplied to said plurality of lamps, and at least one current balancing circuit having an impedance device coupled to each of the slave lamp, so that the equivalent impedance varies with the current values of said master lamp and each of said slave lamps to thereby balance the currents in said master slave lamps.