Patents Examined by Tuyet T. Vo
  • Patent number: 6642670
    Abstract: A ballast converter with a power factor and crest factor correction to be connected to an input source for providing an input voltage. The ballast converter includes a rectifier, a power converter, and a valley fill circuit, wherein the power converter recharges the valley fill circuit for energy storage storing energy while the value of the first voltage is larger than a predetermined value, the valley fill circuit provides the first voltage with a supplementary energy while the value of the first voltage is lower than the predetermined value, and the predetermined value is adjustable by the valley fill converter circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Delta Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Jinfa Zhang, Chenyang Liu, Fu-Yuan Hsu
  • Patent number: 6642659
    Abstract: A stand lamp assembly includes a stand frame unit and auxiliary and main lamp units. The auxiliary lamp unit includes a night lamp disposed removably on a night lamp socket, a light sensor to control activation of the night lamp in accordance with ambient light conditions, and a sleeve disposed around the night lamp and having a rotatable cover body that can be opened to permit removal of the night lamp via an opening in the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Inventor: Duan-Cheng Hsieh
  • Patent number: 6642666
    Abstract: A railway searchlight signal uses a printed circuit board populated by three arrays (green, red and yellow) of LEDs. The LEDs are lit by a standard color light power supply unit (PSU). As only one array of LEDs is lit at a time, an interface between the PSU and the LEDs is provided to select which LED array to couple with the PSU. External repeater contacts provide information on which aspect is displayed. This searchlight system design is failsafe in that no single failure of a component will produce a less restrictive aspect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Gelcore Company
    Inventor: Nicolas St-Germain
  • Patent number: 6642667
    Abstract: A flashlight includes a motion detector and a light intensity detector for automatic shutoff of the flashlight when unused for a period of time. A timer for turning off the flashlight bulb is reset by the detectors when the flashlight is in motion. The light intensity detector also shuts off the flashlight bulb when the flashlight is placed in a well lit area. Override switches permit a user to maintain power to the flashlight bulb regardless of the detector states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Inventor: Deborah Kah Avis
  • Patent number: 6642674
    Abstract: A twin dimming controller for backlight system is disclosed. In the present invention, the output of pulse width modulation modulator is used as a reference voltage of error-feedback amplifier and frequency compensation loop in backlight controller having pulse dimming control, and meanwhile, the output of pulse width modulation modulator is sent to the output terminal of error-feedback amplifier and frequency compensation loop. Therefore, by utilizing the present invention, the peaked lamp current and the working period of lamp current are adjusted at the same time for adjusting the output power of lamp, and with the same working period of lamp current, the dimming range is broader, and the minimum power consumption of lamp is decreased substantially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Quanta Computer Inc.
    Inventors: Yu-Shih Liao, Tsung-Ta Chen, Wen-Hung Huang
  • Patent number: 6642673
    Abstract: An ignitor disabling apparatus is provided to reliably and automatically disable a universal sodium ignitor with hot re-strike capability, or a 120 Hz pulse capability. The ignitor is configured to disable the ignitor portion of a HID lamp if the lamp fails to start. Timing operation of the disabling circuit is achieved using a power supply that ramps to a steady state to provide triggering of a timer circuit. A normally closed, solid state gating device is used for disabling the ignitor to minimize sparks. The disabling apparatus can be retrofit into an existing universal sodium ignitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Hubbell Incorporated
    Inventors: Christopher Allen Hudson, Isaac Lynnwood Flory, IV
  • Patent number: 6639367
    Abstract: A control circuit for a piezo transformer based power supply includes oscillator circuitry, drive circuitry, sense circuitry, and feedback circuitry collectively operating to regulate an operational parameter of the supply, such as the current supplied to a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL). The feedback circuitry includes initialization circuitry that establishes an initial value of an oscillator control signal corresponding to an initial operating frequency, and thereafter permits the feedback circuitry to gradually drive the oscillator control signal to a normal operating value such that the operating frequency is swept from the initial operating frequency to a normal operating frequency. When controlling the power supplied to a CCFL, the initial operating frequency is preferably a maximum frequency of the oscillator, and the operating frequency is swept downward so as to pass through the frequency at which the lamp “strikes”, or begins conduction, and thereafter into regulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: James Edward Wells, Vishal Gupta
  • Patent number: 6633142
    Abstract: A cathode ray tube is provided having an electron gun equipped with a main lens having a function of controlling a shape of an electron beam spot which is deflected to the peripheral portion of a display screen, to improve a resolution at the peripheral portion of the screen of the cathode ray tube for use in a direct view color television receiver or a color display terminal. To reduce the dynamic correction voltage of the electron gun, an electrostatic quadrupole lens with a simple structure is used, thereby reducing deterioration due to the deflection aberration of the electron beam spot at the peripheral portion of the screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoji Shirai, Kenichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6630791
    Abstract: Two closed-loop coils are respectively set at the top or the bottom of a cathode ray tube. These two closed-loop coils serves in a pair as a cancel coil. Each closed-loop coil is positioned so as to make an interlinkage with the magnetic field leakage that escapes from the deflection yoke, a part of the closed-loop coil running almost in parallel to the top or bottom edge of an effective display region of a front panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD
    Inventors: Yukio Uchida, Tomoaki Iwamoto, Katsuyo Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 6628080
    Abstract: A spring clip 10 for assembling a light source to a shroud comprises a base 12 extending in a first plane and having an aperture 14 centrally located therein. Aperture 14 is substantially circular and is provided with cutouts 14a to provide flexibility. Upstanding walls 16, 18, are provide, one at each end of the base 12. A first lip 20 extends orthogonally away from the wall 16 in a second plane and a second lip 22 extends orthogonally away from the wall 18, also in the second plane. The second plane is substantially parallel to the first plane but spaced therefrom. Flags 24, 26 are formed, respectively, with the lips 20, 22, the flags extending away from the lips in a plane transverse to the first and second planes. Extended ends of a light source are accommodated into the apertures 14 and the lips and walls of the clips frictionally engage an interior surface of a shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc.
    Inventors: Ebon L. McCullough, David J. Lamprey, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6628090
    Abstract: A resonant driving system for a fluorescent lamp having one end connected to a primary winding of a transformer. The driving system includes an inductor inserted between an input section of the resonant driving system and an internal circuit node that is connected to another end of the fluorescent lamp a converter inserted between the internal node and a voltage reference and comprising a first transistor and a second transistor of the complementary type, inserted, in series to each other, between the internal node and the voltage reference, and a control circuit connected to a secondary winding of the transformer and to the converter as well as to the control terminals of the first and second transistors of the converter, wherein the control circuit comprises an inductor connected to a resistor that is connected to the control terminals of the first and second transistors through a first and a second capacitor respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, S.r.l.
    Inventor: Rosario Scollo
  • Patent number: 6628093
    Abstract: The invention discloses a power inverter using a microprocessor directly drawing the switching transistors and a circuit for computation of the actual power delivered to the load of a switching inverter. In addition, load variation power is achieved by adjusting the frequency or the pulse width of each half cycle and, in the case where a lamp or panel is involved, dimming. Also disclosed is that the microprocessor can be responsive to photometric input to adjust output as well as power line carrier information supplied on the input power to the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Inventor: Carlile R. Stevens
  • Patent number: 6624599
    Abstract: A compact single-stage electronic ballast circuit for emergency lighting applications, integrating the functions of a flyback charger, a flyback discharger and a half-bridge series resonant parallel loaded electronic ballast into a single-stage electronic ballast. The present invention only employs two active switches so as to achieve an electronic ballast for emergency lighting applications when the electricity is out. Furthermore, the present invention reduces the fabrication cost by simplifying the circuit configuration and reducing the number of employed active switching elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Fego Precision Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Kai Chen, Tsai-Fu Wu, Yung-Chun Wu, Chin-Hsiung Chang
  • Patent number: 6624592
    Abstract: A method of removing contaminant particles from faceplates in newly fabricated field emission displays so that a uniform distribution of contaminants is achieved at the emitter sites of the display. During the initial operation of a field emission dislay device contaminants are removed from the display faceplate by electron induced desorption. The emission current profile at the emitter sites is selected so that the distribution of readsorbed contaminants is equalized. The variations in current emission compensate for shadowing effects due to spacer walls to produce a uniform readsorption distribution. The emitter sites may driven using an animated contrast image at a constant current for the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignees: Candescent Intellectual Property Services, Inc, Candescent Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: James C. Dunphy, Donald J. Elloway
  • Patent number: 6624596
    Abstract: The discharge lamp lighting device according to the present invention is provided with a high-voltage generating transformer which comprises a core, a secondary winding part disposed in a plurality of sections on the outside of the core, and a primary winding part disposed on the outside of the secondary winding part and in which a high-voltage side terminal of said secondary winding part is connected to a terminal of the core and a low-voltage side terminal of the secondary winding part is connected to a terminal of the primary winding part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takasi Ohsawa, Yoshihisa Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 6624600
    Abstract: A lamp power measurement circuit measures average power delivered to a gas discharge lamp. The circuit includes a voltage sensor having a first measurement output representative of AC voltage across the lamp and a current sensor having a second measurement output representative of AC current through the lamp. A first absolute value circuit is coupled in series with the first measurement output and has a first absolute value output. A second absolute value circuit is coupled in series with the second measurement output and has a second absolute value output. A pulse width modulator modulates one of the first and second absolute value outputs with the other of the first and second absolute value outputs and has a pulse width modulated output. A low-pass filter is coupled in series with the pulse width modulated output and has a DC voltage output representative of average power dissipated through the lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Nicollet Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Christopher P. Henze
  • Patent number: 6624593
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the brightness of an electrodeless fluorescent lamp excited by power supplied to a coil disposed in closed proximity to said lamp. The apparatus includes a dimming control unit responsive to a brightness setting for the lamp that provides a PWM signal indicative of the brightness setting. An oscillator is disposed for producing a first lamp drive voltage having a first frequency selected in response to a first state of the PWM signal and a second lamp drive voltage having a second frequency selected in response to a second state of the PWM signal. Accordingly, the first drive voltage turns on the lamp by transferring maximum power to the lamp and the second drive voltage turns off the lamp by transferring minimum power to the lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Inventor: Randall D. Blanchard
  • Patent number: 6621232
    Abstract: A field emission display includes a first substrate; a plurality of gate electrodes formed on the first substrate in a predetermined pattern; an insulation layer formed covering the gate electrodes over an entire surface of the first substrate; a plurality of cathode electrodes formed on the insulation layer in a predetermined pattern, a plurality of emitters formed on the cathode electrodes; a plurality of counter electrodes formed on the insulation layer at a predetermined distance from the emitters and in a state of electrical connection to the gate electrodes, the counter electrodes forming an electric field directed toward the emitters; a second substrate provided at a predetermined distance from the first substrate and sealed in a vacuum state with the first substrate; an anode electrode formed on a surface of the second substrate opposing the first substrate; and a plurality of phosphor layers formed over the anode electrode in a predetermined pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Ho Jo, You-Jong Kim, Sang-Jo Lee, Jae-Cheol Cha, Jong-Min Kim
  • Patent number: 6621223
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a structure of package socket and package legs for three-primary-color LED and the manufacturing method of this structure. One of the leg forms a die bonding seat and a common negative bonding pad, the other three legs form positive bonding pads. Said negative and positive bonding pads are arranged in the four corners of a square, with two legs stretch to the right, the other two legs stretch to the left. Then punch by a punch machine with a tooling to form an array of the structures, or by electrode plating or by etching to form the array. The four legs are then bending 90° to one side near the bonding pads such that it can stand alone. After die bond and wire bond has performed, the LED is sealed by transparent epoxy molding, and then cut to single structures, or the structure is cut to single structures before the LED is sealed by transparent epoxy. The other structure is by further bending the four legs near the end of the legs to satisfy surface mount technology (SMT).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Inventor: Chang Hsiu Hen
  • Patent number: 6621236
    Abstract: This invention provides a discharge lamp lighting device and illumination device which can be miniaturized with high power factor and also is inexpensive. In the discharge lamp lighting device, in response to the zero crossing detected signal of a commercial AC power source detected by a detecting section, a voltage boosting/dropping circuit boosts or drops the commercial AC power source full-wave rectified by a rectifying circuit so that the current flowing through the discharge lamp is larger in the vicinity of the phases of 90° and 270° of the commercial AC power source than in the vicinity of the phases of 0° and 180° thereof, and a polarity changing circuit changes the polarity of the boosted or dropped current to be supplied to the discharge lamp. An illumination device is provided with such a discharge lamp lighting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroyasu Kisaichi