Patents by Inventor Melvin C. Cosby

Melvin C. Cosby 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).

  • Publication number: 20150351202
    Abstract: A lighting fixture is disclosed, and includes a plurality of lighting arrays, a master power module, a data communications link, and at least one slave power module. The master power module provides power and control to one of the plurality of lighting arrays, and transmits a control signal. The data communications link transmits the control signal. The slave power module provides power and control to another one of the plurality of lighting arrays based on the control signal from the master power module. The data communications link connects the master power module to the slave power module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: TECHNICAL CONSUMER PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventors: Melvin C. Cosby, Jr., Timothy Chen
  • Publication number: 20120139426
    Abstract: A dimmable outdoor lighting fixture apparatus is provided with a dimmable ballast or driver mounted in a horizontal cobra head luminaire fixture, and a photo eye control module connected to the fixture by an EEI/NEMA standard 3-terminal polarized twist-lock receptacle mounted to the fixture housing, with the controller module providing a dimming control value to the ballast or driver through the twist-lock receptacle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Inventors: Laszlo Sandor Ilyes, Melvin C. Cosby, JR., Himamshu Prasad, Jason D. Creighton
  • Patent number: 7816872
    Abstract: In an instant start ballast, dimming control is provided over a range of operation in which lamps driven by the ballast do not require external cathode heating. An interface circuit (92) includes a winding (90) that is inductively coupled to windings (68, 70) of an inverter circuit (12). The interface circuit (92) also includes a variable impedance in parallel with the winding (90) where the variable impedance includes a transistor (96) and a Zener diode (98). By varying an input voltage across control leads (94), the apparent inductance of the winding (90) is varied. This variance affects the switching frequency of the inverter circuit (12) affecting the frequency of a drive signal provided to the lamps. Thus the instant start ballast can be dimmed without use of multiple ballasts and/or external cathode heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Louis R. Nerone, Melvin C. Cosby, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7649324
    Abstract: The embodiment disclosed herein relates to a lighting system that includes an auxiliary lighting circuit for use with an electronic HID ballast. The lighting system comprises a power supply configured to provide power to a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp via an electronic ballast and a ballast power sensing component configured to determine the amount of power drawn by the electronic ballast and to convert this power drawn by the electronic ballast to a scaled voltage that is representative of the power drawn by an HID ballast. A lamp driver component is configured to provide power to an auxiliary lamp via the same power supply when the scaled voltage reaches a triggering threshold. A voltage regulation component is configured to regulate the power delivered to the auxiliary lamp such that the auxiliary lamp power stays within a predefined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Laszlo S. Ilyes, Louis R. Nerone, Melvin C. Cosby, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20090218953
    Abstract: In an instant start ballast, dimming control is provided over a range of operation in which lamps driven by the ballast do not require external cathode heating. An interface circuit (92) includes a winding (90) that is inductively coupled to windings (68, 70) of an inverter circuit (12). The interface circuit (92) also includes a variable impedance in parallel with the winding (90) where the variable impedance includes a transistor (96) and a Zener diode (98). By varying an input voltage across control leads (94), the apparent inductance of the winding (90) is varied. This variance affects the switching frequency of the inverter circuit (12) affecting the frequency of a drive signal provided to the lamps. Thus the instant start ballast can be dimmed without use of multiple ballasts and/or external cathode heating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Inventors: Louis R. Nerone, Melvin C. Cosby, JR.
  • Patent number: 7276855
    Abstract: The embodiment disclosed herein relates to a lighting system that includes an auxiliary lighting circuit for use with an electronic HID ballast. The lighting system comprises a power supply configured to provide power to a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp via an electronic ballast and a ballast power sensing component configured to determine the amount of power drawn by the electronic ballast and to convert this power drawn by the electronic ballast to a scaled voltage that is representative of the power drawn by an HID ballast. A lamp driver component is configured to provide power to an auxiliary lamp via the same power supply when the scaled voltage reaches a triggering threshold. A voltage regulation component is configured to regulate the power delivered to the auxiliary lamp such that the auxiliary lamp power stays within a predefined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Laszlo S. Ilyes, Louis R. Nerone, Melvin C. Cosby, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6756746
    Abstract: An inverter circuit for ballasting a gas discharge lamp having a delay circuit designed to delay regenerative control of the inverter switches until a d.c. bus has attained steady-state operating d.c. voltage. The inverter circuit includes a drive control circuit for inducing an a.c. load current. The inverter circuit includes first and second complementary switches serially connected between the bus and a reference bus. The switches are connected together at a common node through which the a.c. load current flows. A driving inductor is connected at one end to the common node and operatively connected at the remaining end to a control node. A load circuit includes a resonant inductor connected at one end to the common node, with the resonant inductor mutually coupled to the driving inductor. A resonant capacitor is serially connected between the remaining end of the resonant inductor and the reference bus. The gas discharge lamp is serially connected with a d.c.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Louis R. Nerone, David J. Kachmarik, Melvin C. Cosby, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6686705
    Abstract: A ballast circuit is provided, comprising: a plurality of inverters, each inverter for powering a load; and a controller operationally coupled to a shutdown control signal of each inverter for selectively shutting down any combination of inverters. In another aspect, the controller is for selectively disabling any combination of inverters to effectively disconnect the load associated with each disabled inverter. The controller is for receiving communications from a control device, each communication a selection of 0%, “n−1” approximate percentages each associated with a ratio of “1” through “n−1” loads to “n” loads, where “n” is the total number of loads powered by the inverters of the ballast circuit and where the numerator for each ratio is an integer between “1” and “n−1,” inclusive, or 100% light from the combined loads powered by the inverters of the ballast circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Louis R. Nerone, David J. Kachmarik, Melvin C. Cosby
  • Patent number: 6621238
    Abstract: A ballast circuit including a power factor correction circuit with an alterable d.c. bus charging rate is provided. The power factor correction circuit selectively alters the d.c. bus charging rate such that, during a startup period for the ballast circuit, the charging rate is faster than during a steady-state period. The ballast circuit including a bridge rectifier, a power factor correction circuit, a bus capacitor, and at least one inverter. The power factor correction circuit including a power factor controller, a semiconductor switch operationally coupled to an output signal of the power factor controller, a selectively alterable impedance network operationally coupled to an output of the semiconductor switch and operationally coupled to an input signal of the power factor controller, and an impedance network control circuit operationally coupled to the impedance network to selectively alter the impedance network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Louis R. Nerone, David J. Kachmarik, Melvin C. Cosby
  • Publication number: 20030141830
    Abstract: A ballast circuit is provided, comprising: a plurality of inverters, each inverter for powering a load; and a controller operationally coupled to a shutdown control signal of each inverter for selectively shutting down any combination of inverters. In another aspect, the controller is for selectively disabling any combination of inverters to effectively disconnect the load associated with each disabled inverter. The controller is for receiving communications from a control device, each communication a selection of 0%, “n−1” approximate percentages each associated with a ratio of “1” through “n−1” loads to “n” loads, where “n” is the total number of loads powered by the inverters of the ballast circuit and where the numerator for each ratio is an integer between “1” and “n−1,” inclusive, or 100% light from the combined loads powered by the inverters of the ballast circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Inventors: Louis R. Nerone, David J. Kachmarik, Melvin C. Cosby
  • Publication number: 20030141827
    Abstract: A ballast circuit including a power factor correction circuit with an alterable d.c. bus charging rate is provided. The power factor correction circuit selectively alters the d.c. bus charging rate such that, during a startup period for the ballast circuit, the charging rate is faster than during a steady-state period. The ballast circuit including a bridge rectifier, a power factor correction circuit, a bus capacitor, and at least one inverter. The power factor correction circuit including a power factor controller, a semiconductor switch operationally coupled to an output signal of the power factor controller, a selectively alterable impedance network operationally coupled to an output of the semiconductor switch and operationally coupled to an input signal of the power factor controller, and an impedance network control circuit operationally coupled to the impedance network to selectively alter the impedance network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Inventors: Louis R. Nerone, David J. Kachmarik, Melvin C. Cosby
  • Publication number: 20030094907
    Abstract: An inverter circuit for ballasting a gas discharge lamp having a delay circuit designed to delay regenerative control of the inverter switches until a d.c. bus has attained steady-state operating d.c. voltage. The inverter circuit includes a drive control circuit for inducing an a.c. load current. The inverter circuit includes first and second complementary switches serially connected between the bus and a reference bus. The switches are connected together at a common node through which the a.c. load current flows. A driving inductor is connected at one end to the common node and operatively connected at the remaining end to a control node. A load circuit includes a resonant inductor connected at one end to the common node, with the resonant inductor mutually coupled to the driving inductor. A resonant capacitor is serially connected between the remaining end of the resonant inductor and the reference bus. The gas discharge lamp is serially connected with a d.c.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2002
    Publication date: May 22, 2003
    Inventors: Louis R. Nerone, David J. Kachmarik, Melvin C. Cosby
  • Patent number: 6459214
    Abstract: Prior to a load being activated, a first capacitive network and the load are operationally in parallel with each other, and the first capacitive network and a first inductor are in series with each other. A second inductor is magnetically coupled to the first inductor to boost a voltage supplied to the load. When the load is activated, a second capacitive network, the load, and the first inductor are operationally in series with each other. In a further embodiment, the first inductor and a second inductor are not capacitively coupled together, rather the second inductor generates lagging current at a first node to cancel leading current generated by the first capacitive network. Heating of the load is accomplished by the use of a cathode heater winding in operational connection with at least one of the cathodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Timothy Chen, Melvin C. Cosby, James K. Skully
  • Patent number: 6421260
    Abstract: A power supply circuit (100) configured to control operation of a load (135) including a converter (105, 110) configured to convert a DC signal to an AC signal, a drive circuit connected to the converter (105, 110) to control operation of the converter (105, 110), and a shutdown circuit (160) connected to the drive circuit to turn off the converter (105, 110). The shutdown circuit (160) includes a diode (190) and a switch (185).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Benito Trevino, Melvin C. Cosby, Jr., Gordon Grigor, Louis R. Nerone
  • Publication number: 20020075704
    Abstract: A power supply circuit (100) configured to control operation of a load (135) including a converter (105, 110) configured to convert a DC signal to an AC signal, a drive circuit connected to the converter (105, 110) to control operation of the converter (105, 110), and a shutdown circuit (160) connected to the drive circuit to turn off the converter (105, 110). The shutdown circuit (160) includes a diode (190) and a switch (185).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Benito Trevino, Melvin C. Cosby, Gordon Grigor, Louis R. Nerone