Patents by Inventor Alberto Ferro
Alberto Ferro has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 8154212Abstract: A circuit for supplying a light source (L) such as a high flux (HF) LED with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) dimming capability includes: a rectifier (10) for receiving an input bipolar PWM modulated signal (v) representative of a desired dimming level for the light source (L) and produce therefrom a rectified signal; a current regulator (14) to receive the rectified signal and produce therefrom a supply current for the light source (L); and a control module (16) sensitive to the input bipolar PWM modulated signal (v) to control the current regulator (14) to produce a PWM modulated supply current for the light source (L); and a capacitor (18) arranged between the rectifier (10) and the current regulator (14) to stabilize the rectified signal. The circuit typically includes ancillary circuitry (12), such as a microcontroller, connected to the capacitor to be supplied with the rectified signal as stabilized by the capacitor (18).Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2006Date of Patent: April 10, 2012Assignee: OSRAM AGInventor: Alberto Ferro
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Patent number: 8143810Abstract: A LED driver arrangement including a switching-mode stage to produce a drive current for feeding a LED from a DC input; a current sensor for the current fed to the LED for producing a feedback signal; error amplifier circuitry for generating a control signal from the feedback signal; and control circuitry sensitive to the control signal to control the switching-mode stage so that the drive current fed by the switching-mode stage to the LED corresponds to the LED current. An opto-coupler feeds the control signal to the control circuitry, and the opto-coupler having associated biasing circuitry to increase current on the opto-coupler when the LED current decreases. The opto-coupler is configured to saturate when the drive current reaches a minimum level. There is also an auxiliary supply voltage for the control circuitry to keep the auxiliary supply voltage above a minimum level when the opto-coupler is saturated.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2007Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Osram AGInventor: Alberto Ferro
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Patent number: 7994727Abstract: A circuit for driving LEDs includes: —a transformer with a secondary winding for driving the LEDs and a primary winding, —a half-bridge arrangement fed with an input voltage and coupled to the transformer, —a resonant circuit between the half-bridge arrangement and the primary winding of the transformer, the resonant circuit having a given resonance frequency, and—a controller configured for switching the half-bridge arrangement with a switching frequency variable between first and second values. The second value is closer than the first value to the resonance frequency of the resonant circuit created between the half-bridge arrangement and the primary winding of the transformer. This boosts the voltage fed towards the LEDs via the transformer. The LEDs are preferably included in the form of series of LEDs connected to the secondary winding of the transformer via a rectifier placed outside the housing of the power-supply.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2006Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: OSRAM Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter HaftungInventors: Paolo De Anna, Alberto Ferro, Nicola Zanforlin
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Patent number: 7800430Abstract: A current generator arrangement for use, e.g., in 1-10V interfaces for lighting systems, includes at least one transistor (Q3) having a base-emitter junction wherein the voltage drop across the base-emitter junction defines the intensity of the output current and wherein the base-emitter junction is exposed to temperature drift. A resistive network (Req2) is coupled to the transistor (Q3), whereby the intensity of the output current is a function of both the voltage drop across the base-emitter junction of the transistor (Q3) and the resistance value of the resistive network (Req2). The resistive network (Req2) includes at least one resistor element (NTC3; NTC4) whose resistance value varies with temperature to keep constant the intensity of the output current irrespective of any temperature drift in the voltage drop across the base-emitter junction of the transistor (Q3).Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2007Date of Patent: September 21, 2010Assignee: OSRAM Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter HaftungInventor: Alberto Ferro
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Publication number: 20100060192Abstract: A circuit for supplying a light source (L) such as a high flux (HF) LED with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) dimming capability includes: a rectifier (10) for receiving an input bipolar PWM modulated signal (v) representative of a desired dimming level for the light source (L) and produce therefrom a rectified signal; a current regulator (14) to receive the rectified signal and produce therefrom a supply current for the light source (L); and a control module (16) sensitive to the input bipolar PWM modulated signal (v) to control the current regulator (14) to produce a PWM modulated supply current for the light source (L); and a capacitor (18) arranged between the rectifier (10) and the current regulator (14) to stabilize the rectified signal. The circuit typically includes ancillary circuitry (12), such as a microcontroller, connected to the capacitor to be supplied with the rectified signal as stabilized by the capacitor (18).Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2006Publication date: March 11, 2010Inventor: Alberto Ferro
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Publication number: 20090273301Abstract: A circuit for driving LEDs includes:—transformer with a secondary winding for driving the LEDs and a primary winding,—a half-bridge arrangement fed with an input voltage and coupled to the transformer,—a resonant circuit between the half-bridge arrangement and the primary winding of the transformer, the resonant circuit having a given resonance frequency, and—a controller configured for switching the half-bridge arrangement with a switching frequency variable between first and second values. The second value is closer than the first value to the resonance frequency of the resonant circuit created between the half-bridge arrangement and the primary winding of the transformer. This boosts the voltage fed towards the LEDs via the transformer. The LEDs are preferably included in the form of series of LEDs connected to the secondary winding of the transformer via a rectifier placed outside the housing of the power-supply.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2006Publication date: November 5, 2009Inventors: Paolo De Anna, Alberto Ferro, Nicola Zanforlin
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Publication number: 20090184665Abstract: A LED driver arrangement includes a switching-mode stage (12) to produce a drive current for feeding one or more LEDs (L) from a DC input (10) and a current sensor (18) sensitive to the current fed to the LEDs (L) for producing a feedback signal indicative of the intensity of the drive current fed thereto. The feedback signal is compared with a reference value indicative (20, 22) of a LED current as requested by a user, in order to generate a control signal (32) able to drive control circuitry (26, 28, 30) in order to obtain such LED current. Control circuitry (26, 28, 30) sensitive to the control signal (32) controls the switching-mode stage (12) so that the drive current fed to the LEDs (L) corresponds to the LED current as requested by the user. An opto-coupler (34) is provided to feed the control signal (32) to the controller circuitry (26, 28, 30). The opto-coupler (34) is configured to saturate when the drive current fed to the LEDs (L) reaches a minimum level.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2007Publication date: July 23, 2009Inventor: Alberto Ferro
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Publication number: 20090079493Abstract: A current generator arrangement for use, e.g., in 1-10V interfaces for lighting systems, includes at least one transistor (Q3) having a base-emitter junction wherein the voltage drop across the base-emitter junction defines the intensity of the output current and wherein the base-emitter junction is exposed to temperature drift. A resistive network (Req2) is coupled to the transistor (Q3), whereby the intensity of the output current is a function of both the voltage drop across the base-emitter junction of the transistor (Q3) and the resistance value of the resistive network (Req2). The resistive network (Req2) includes at least one resistor element (NTC3; NTC4) whose resistance value varies with temperature to keep constant the intensity of the output current irrespective of any temperature drift in the voltage drop across the base-emitter junction of the transistor (Q3).Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2007Publication date: March 26, 2009Inventor: Alberto Ferro
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Patent number: 5120530Abstract: An antimycotically-active nail varnish, which contains an antimycotically-active substance selected from 4-[3-[p-(.alpha.,.alpha.-dimethyl-benzyl)-phenyl]-2-methyl-propyl]-2,6-dim ethylmorpholine, 4-[-[p-(1,1,-dimethylpropyl)-phenyl]-2-methyl-propyl]-2,6-dimethyl-morphol ine and salts thereof and a water-insoluble film former which a copolymerizate of acrylic acid esters and methacrylic acid esters having a low content of quaternary ammonium groups, is described.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 1990Date of Patent: June 9, 1992Assignee: Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.Inventors: Alberto Ferro, Jurgen Gerhards, Roland Werner
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Patent number: 4882164Abstract: Aqueous mixed micelle solutions comprising cholanic acid salts and lipids used for the solubilization of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and for the preparation of locally tolerable pharmaceutical administration forms for such medicaments, are described.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 1988Date of Patent: November 21, 1989Assignee: Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.Inventors: Alberto Ferro, Hans Steffen
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Patent number: 4649155Abstract: Aqueous vitamin E solutions useful for parenteral adminstration are disclosed. The solution comprises phospholipid-cholanic acid mixed micelles in which the molar ratio of phospholipid: cholanic acid is about 0.2-0.9:1 and about 100 g or more of vitamin E per mol of phospholipid.Type: GrantFiled: July 16, 1984Date of Patent: March 10, 1987Assignee: Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.Inventors: Hans Steffen, Alberto Ferro