Patents by Inventor Engbert Nijhof

Engbert Nijhof 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).

  • Patent number: 8227997
    Abstract: In a lamp driving circuit for operating a high intensity discharge lamp, an a commutation circuit comprises at least two switching devices. The switching devices are alternately switched active at a commutation frequency. The active switching device switches at a switching frequency. During an ignition mode, the switching frequency and the commutation frequency are substantially equal. A resulting commutation voltage is supplied to an inverter resonant circuit for generating a supply current. At a node of the inverter resonant circuit, a clamping circuit limits the generated voltage to a predetermined maximum voltage. The voltage at said node of the inverter resonant circuit is applied to an output resonant circuit. The output resonant circuit operates in the ignition mode as a resonator for generating a high ignition voltage; in a steady state operation mode, the output resonant circuit operates as a low-pass filter for reducing a high frequency current component in a lamp current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Engbert Nijhof, Marcel Johannes Maria Bucks, Jozef Petrus Emanuel De Krijger, Cong Khanh Pham
  • Publication number: 20090115341
    Abstract: In a lamp driving circuit for operating a high intensity discharge lamp, an a commutation circuit comprises at least two switching devices. The switching devices are alternately switched active at a commutation frequency. The active switching device switches at a switching frequency. During an ignition mode, the switching frequency and the commutation frequency are substantially equal. A resulting commutation voltage is supplied to an inverter resonant circuit for generating a supply current. At a node of the inverter resonant circuit, a clamping circuit limits the generated voltage to a predetermined maximum voltage. The voltage at said node of the inverter resonant circuit is applied to an output resonant circuit. The output resonant circuit operates in the ignition mode as a resonator for generating a high ignition voltage; in a steady state operation mode, the output resonant circuit operates as a low-pass filter for reducing a high frequency current component in a lamp current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V.
    Inventors: Engbert Nijhof, Marcel Johannes Maria Bucks, Jozef Petrus Emanuel De Krijger, Cong Khanh Pham
  • Publication number: 20050168199
    Abstract: A DC-to-DC converter comprising an input inductor which is connected to an input terminal, an output inductor which is connected to an output terminal, a capacitor which is connected in series with and between the inductors, a switch element which is connected via a first resistor to a common input/output conductor and to a first node that is common to the input inductor and the capacitor, and a diode which is connected via a second resistor to the common input/output conductor and to a second node that is common to the output inductor and the capacitor, the switch element being responsive to a switch control signal (Vsw) applied thereto for alternately making the switch element conducting and non-conducting such that currents flowing through the inductors flow through the switch element or through the diode during an on-interval and an off-interval of the switch control signal (Vsw), respectively, a control circuit having at least one measurement input for receiving a current measurement voltage (Vx) across
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2004
    Publication date: August 4, 2005
    Inventors: Johannes Lambertus Claessens, Engbert Nijhof