Patents by Inventor Giovanni M. Leonardi

Giovanni M. Leonardi 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: 4941078
    Abstract: In a switch mode power supply, a first switching transistor is coupled to a primary winding of an isolation transformer. A second switching transistor periodically applies a low impedance across a second winding of the transformer that is coupled to an oscillator for synchronizing the oscillator to the horizontal frequency. A third winding of the transformer is coupled via a switching diode to a capacitor of a control circuit for developing a DC control voltage in the capacitor that varies in accordance with a supply voltage B+. The control voltage is applied via the transformer to a pulse width modulator that is responsive to the oscillator output signal for producing a pulse-width modulated control signal. The control signal is applied to a mains coupled chopper transistor for generating and regulating the supply voltage B+ in accordance with the pulse width modulation of the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 10, 1990
    Assignee: RCA Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Giovanni M. Leonardi
  • Patent number: 4937727
    Abstract: In a switch mode power supply, a first switching transistor is coupled to a primary winding of an isolation transformer. A secondary winding of the transformer is coupled via a switching diode to a capacitor of a control circuit for developing a DC control voltage in the capacitor. The DC level of the control voltage varies in accordance with a supply voltage B+. A change in voltage B+ produces a corresponding, greater change in the control voltage. The control voltage is applied to the transformer when the diode is conducting for producing a pulse-width modulated control signal. The control signal is applied to a mains coupled chopper transistor for generating and regulating the supply voltage B+ in accordance with the pulse width modulation of the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Assignee: RCA Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Giovanni M. Leonardi
  • Patent number: 4937728
    Abstract: In a switch mode power supply, a first switching transistor is coupled to a primary winding of a transformer for generating pulses of a switching current. A secondary winding of the transformer is coupled via a switching diode to a capacitor of a control circuit for developing a control signal in the capacitor. The control signal is applied to a mains coupled chopper second transistor for generating and regulating supply voltages in accordance with pulse width modulation of the control signal. During standby operation, the first and second transistors operate in a burst mode that is repetitive at a frequency of the AC mains supply voltage such as 50 Hz. In the burst mode operation, during intervals in which pulses of the switching current occur, the pulse width and peak amplitude of the switching current pulses progressively increase in accordance with the waveform of the mains supply voltage to provide a soft start operation in the standby mode of operation within each burst group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Assignee: RCA Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Giovanni M. Leonardi
  • Patent number: 4930060
    Abstract: An input supply voltage is coupled via a primary winding of a flyback transformer to a collector of a chopper transistor switch that operates at a given frequency. During a portion of each period when the chopper transistor switch is conductive, a second switch applies a short-circuit across a secondary winding of the transformer at a controllable instant that causes the emitter current of the chopper transistor switch to increase at a significantly higher rate. When the emitter current exceeds a predetermined threshold level, a one-shot arrangement is triggered. Consequently, a pulse is produced that turns off the chopper transistor switch and that maintains it nonconductive for the duration of the pulse. A flyback pulse produced in a winding of the transformer is rectified to produce a DC output supply voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1990
    Assignee: RCA Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Giovanni M. Leonardi
  • Patent number: 4884012
    Abstract: A vertical deflection current generator includes an operational amplifier responsive to an input sawtooth signal at a vertical rate. A first end terminal of a deflection winding is coupled to an output terminal of the amplifier. A second end terminal of the deflection winding is coupled in series with a parallel arrangement of a switch and a capacitor. The switch is conductive during vertical trace. During vertical retrace, the switch is nonconductive that causes a vertical retrace voltage to develop in a flyback manner in the retrace capacitor. The retrace voltage in the retrace capacitor and a retrace voltage at the output terminal of the amplifier that are opposite in phase speed up the reversal of a deflection current in the deflection winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1989
    Assignee: RCA Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Giovanni M. Leonardi
  • Patent number: 4777412
    Abstract: A gullwing distortion correction signal and a north-south pincushion distortion correction signal are generated and then summed to form a sum signal. The sum signal is coupled to a primary winding of a transformer. A secondary winding of the transformer is coupled in a current path of a vertical rate deflection current for modulating the deflection current in a manner that reduces the gullwing and north-south pincushion distortions. The secondary winding is included in a resonant circuit that is tuned to resonate at the horizontal frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1988
    Assignee: RCA Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Giovanni M. Leonardi
  • Patent number: 4737691
    Abstract: The field rate of a video input signal is doubled by storing each field in a memory and recovering each stored fields twice so as to repeat each field and thus reduce flicker. To ensure that even fields overlay even fields, odd fields overlay odd fields and that all pairs of even and odd fields are interlaced, a timing unit provides a double field rate read control signal to the memory having a waveform that repeats on a two-field basis and supplies a double field rate vertical control signal to a vertical deflection generator having a waveform that is phase modulated and that repeats on a four-field basis. The vertical deflection generator has a constant retrace time and employs DC coupling, thereby avoiding raster shift which otherwise could occur as a result of the phase modulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1988
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Willem den Hollander, Giovanni M. Leonardi
  • Patent number: 4701793
    Abstract: The field rate of a video input signal is doubled by storing each field in a memory and recovering each stored fields twice so as to repeat each field and thus reduce flicker. To ensure that even fields overlay even fields, odd fields overly odd fields and that all pairs of even and odd fields are interlaced, a timing unit provides a double field rate control signal to the memory having a waveform that repeats on a two-field basis and supplies a double field rate vertical synchronizing signal to a display having a waveform that repeats on a four-field basis. Registration of images is enhanced further by means of a vertical scan generator having a constant retrace time, a fixed retrace level and employing DC coupling thereby avoiding raster shift which otherwise could occur as a result of the use of non-equidistant vertical synchronizing pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Willem den Hollander, Giovanni M. Leonardi