Patents by Inventor Antoine Fery
Antoine Fery 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: 8378590Abstract: A method for use in a lamp ballast includes obtaining a measurement signal representative of a voltage at an output of a half-bridge circuit. The half-bridge circuit includes first and second semiconductor switching elements, a resonant circuit connected to the half-bridge circuit, and a snubber capacitance connected in parallel with one of the semiconductor switching elements. The method also includes providing a comparison signal by comparing the measurement signal with a reference value. The method further includes detecting one of a first type of non-zero-voltage switching operation and a second type of non-zero-voltage switching operation based on evaluations of the comparison signal, wherein the evaluations of the comparison signal occurs in each case before the first semiconductor element is switched on and in each case before the second semiconductor element is switched on.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2011Date of Patent: February 19, 2013Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery, Michael Herfurth
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Publication number: 20120062137Abstract: A method for use in a lamp ballast includes obtaining a measurement signal representative of a voltage at an output of a half-bridge circuit. The half-bridge circuit includes first and second semiconductor switching elements, a resonant circuit connected to the half-bridge circuit, and a snubber capacitance connected in parallel with one of the semiconductor switching elements. The method also includes providing a comparison sinal by comparing heeasurem ment signal with a reference value. The method further includes detecting one of a first type of non-zero-voltage switching operation and a second type of non-zero-voltage switching operation based on evaluations of the comparison signal, wherein the evaluations of the comparison signal occurs in each case before the first semiconductor element is switched on and in each case before the second semiconductor element is switched on.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 12, 2011Publication date: March 15, 2012Applicant: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery, Michael Herfurth
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Patent number: 8022637Abstract: A method detects a non-zero-voltage switching operation of a lamp ballast, the lamp ballast including a half-bridge circuit with a first and a second semiconductor switching element, a resonant circuit connected to the half-bridge circuit, and a snubber capacitance connected in parallel with one of the semiconductor switching elements. The method includes obtaining a voltage measurement signal representative of a voltage at an output of the half-bridge circuit. The method also includes providing a comparison signal representative of a comparison of the voltage measurement signal with a reference value. The method further includes evaluating the comparison signal in each case before the first semiconductor element is switched on and in each case before the second semiconductor element is switched on, and detecting one of a first and second non-zero-switching operations based on these evaluations.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2009Date of Patent: September 20, 2011Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery, Michael Herfurth
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Patent number: 7894218Abstract: A switch-mode converter. One embodiment provides an inductive energy storage element. A rectifier arrangement is coupled to the inductive energy storage element for providing an output voltage. A switching arrangement regulates the inductive energy storage element on the basis of a control signal. A controller arrangement is configured to generate the control signal on the basis of the output voltage. The controller arrangement has a discrete-time band rejection filter and a frequency measuring arrangement.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2008Date of Patent: February 22, 2011Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery
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Patent number: 7834552Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing electrical current to a lamp, detecting a power supply voltage outage, detecting a return of the power supply voltage, determining how long the power supply voltage outage lasted, and preheating the lamp responsive to determining that the power supply voltage outage lasted greater than a threshold amount of time.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2007Date of Patent: November 16, 2010Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery, Michael Herfurth
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Publication number: 20090256487Abstract: A method detects a non-zero-voltage switching operation of a lamp ballast, the lamp ballast including a half-bridge circuit with a first and a second semiconductor switching element, a resonant circuit connected to the half-bridge circuit, and a snubber capacitance connected in parallel with one of the semiconductor switching elements. The method includes obtaining a voltage measurement signal representative of a voltage at an output of the half-bridge circuit. The method also includes providing a comparison signal representative of a comparison of the voltage measurement signal with a reference value. The method further includes evaluating the comparison signal in each case before the first semiconductor element is switched on and in each case before the second semiconductor element is switched on, and detecting one of a first and second non-zero-switching operations based on these evaluations.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 13, 2009Publication date: October 15, 2009Applicant: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery, Michael Herfurth
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Patent number: 7560873Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detection of non-zero-voltage switching operation of a lamp ballast, which has a half-bridge circuit with a first and a second semiconductor switching element, a resonant tuned circuit which is connected to one output of the half-bridge circuit, and a snubber capacitance, which is connected in parallel with one of the semiconductor switching elements. The method has the following method steps: provision of a voltage measurement signal (Vs) which is dependent on a voltage at the output of the half-bridge, evaluation of the voltage measurement signal (Vs) in each case before switching-on times of at least one of the first and second semiconductor switching elements by comparison of the voltage measurement signal (Vs) with a reference value (Vref) for detection of the non-zero-voltage switching operation.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2005Date of Patent: July 14, 2009Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery, Michael Herfurth
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Publication number: 20090021174Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing electrical current to a lamp, detecting a power supply voltage outage, detecting a return of the power supply voltage, determining how long the power supply voltage outage lasted, and preheating the lamp responsive to determining that the power supply voltage outage lasted greater than a threshold amount of time.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2007Publication date: January 22, 2009Applicant: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery, Michael Herfurth
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Publication number: 20080191678Abstract: A switch-mode converter. One embodiment provides an inductive energy storage element. A rectifier arrangement is coupled to the inductive energy storage element for providing an output voltage. A switching arrangement regulates the inductive energy storage element on the basis of a control signal. A controller arrangement is configured to generate the control signal on the basis of the output voltage. The controller arrangement has a discrete-time band rejection filter and a frequency measuring arrangement.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 8, 2008Publication date: August 14, 2008Applicant: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery
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Patent number: 7378807Abstract: A drive circuit for at least one fluorescent lamp has a half-bridge circuit for production of a supply voltage a resonant tuned circuit coupled to the half-bridge circuit and to which the at least one fluorescent lamp can be connected, a diagnosis circuit with a resistance element coupled to the resonant tuned circuit, at least one current/voltage converter connected to the resistance element that produces at least one measurement voltage from a current flowing through the resistance element, and an evaluation circuit which is connected to the current/voltage converter and is supplied with the at least one measurement voltage and to a method for diagnosis of a fluorescent lamp.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2005Date of Patent: May 27, 2008Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Michael Herfurth, Antoine Fery
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Publication number: 20060034123Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detection of non-zero-voltage switching operation of a lamp ballast, which has a half-bridge circuit with a first and a second semiconductor switching element, a resonant tuned circuit which is connected to one output of the half-bridge circuit, and a snubber capacitance, which is connected in parallel with one of the semiconductor switching elements. The method has the following method steps: provision of a voltage measurement signal (Vs) which is dependent on a voltage at the output of the half-bridge, evaluation of the voltage measurement signal (Vs) in each case before switching-on times of at least one of the first and second semiconductor switching elements by comparison of the voltage measurement signal (Vs) with a reference value (Vref) for detection of the non-zero-voltage switching operation. The invention also relates to a ballast for carrying out a method such as this.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2005Publication date: February 16, 2006Applicant: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Antoine Fery, Michael Herfurth
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Publication number: 20060033450Abstract: The invention relates to a drive circuit for at least one fluorescent lamp (10) which has the following features: a half-bridge circuit (Q1, Q2) for production of a supply voltage (V2), a resonant tuned circuit (L1, C1) which is coupled to the half-bridge circuit (Q1, Q2) and to which the at least one fluorescent lamp (10) can be connected, a diagnosis circuit (30) with a resistance element (R1) which is coupled to the resonant tuned circuit (L1, C1), at least one current/voltage converter (31) which is connected to the resistance element (R1) and produces at least one measurement voltage (V31; V311, V312) from a current (I1) flowing through the resistance element, and an evaluation circuit (32) which is connected to the current/voltage converter (31) and is supplied with the at least one measurement voltage (V31; V311, V312), and to a method for diagnosis of a fluorescent lamp.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2005Publication date: February 16, 2006Applicant: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Michael Herfurth, Antoine Fery
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Publication number: 20030093494Abstract: Electronic components such as semiconductor chips are supported by the manufacturer by providing product developers an online catalogue with the electronic components that are available from the manufacturer. The novel support system links information typically provided on data sheets with application-specific information. The user is prompted to input the application-specific parameters in an interactive application note and the system provides information concerning the electronic component in the specific application context. The virtual support system thus provides interactive application notes with a detailed product description in a specific application context and with interactive entry fields, in addition to static data sheets and static application notes.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2001Publication date: May 15, 2003Inventors: Ilia Zverev, Marco Purschel, Antoine Fery