Patents by Inventor Patrick E. Troy

Patrick E. Troy 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: 6559608
    Abstract: A threshold detector for detecting lamp voltage includes an opto-coupler. The opto-coupler includes a radiation-emitting semiconductor element coupled to a source of a sensed voltage and an optically-coupled radiation-receiving semiconductor element with an impedance which varies with received radiation. A switching element coupled to the radiation-receiving semiconductor element produces a first or second signal, depending on the sensed voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Kurt W. Wicklund, Patrick E. Troy
  • Publication number: 20020079848
    Abstract: Starting of a gaseous discharge lamp is controlled in response to both lamp voltage and duration of time during which igniting pulses are applied. An upper and a lower threshold voltage are utilized to determine whether the lamp is in an unstable starting mode, a cold starting mode, or a steady-state operating mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Publication date: June 27, 2002
    Applicant: Philips Electronics North America Corporation
    Inventors: Kurt W. Wicklund, Patrick E. Troy
  • Patent number: 6359396
    Abstract: Starting of a gaseous discharge lamp is control led in response to both lamp voltage and duration of time during which igniting pulses are applied. An upper and a lower threshold voltage are utilized to determine whether the lamp is in an unstable starting mode, a cold starting mode, or a steady-state operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation
    Inventors: Kurt W. Wicklund, Patrick E. Troy
  • Patent number: 5616990
    Abstract: A ballast for powering a fluorescent lamp with filaments requiring preheating. Control circuitry within the ballast delays an ignitor from being turned on until the filaments have been sufficiently preheated. The control circuitry is isolated and thereby protected from the high voltage pulses of the ignitor by an optocoupler. A SIDAC employed in the generation of the high voltage pulses is not relied upon for sensing full arc discharge of the lamp. The breakover voltage of the SIDAC can therefore be set at a much lower than conventional level resulting in the generation of more high voltage pulses over a prefixed period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn D. Garbowicz, Patrick E. Troy, Janis L. Wetterich
  • Patent number: 5327048
    Abstract: A bi-level control system includes a plurality of slave units, each for connection to a respective ballast and HID lamp of a plurality of HID lighting fixtures, and a common control unit. Each slave unit includes a switched capacitor and a slave relay which has one input connectable to a common line of an AC power supply branch circuit powering the fixtures and another input adapted for receiving a line voltage signal. The control unit includes an output connected to the control inputs of each of the slave units by a single control line and switchably connected to line voltage. Dimming of the HID lamp is accomplished by switching line voltage to the output of the control unit which causes the slave relay to switch the slave capacitor into circuit with the HID lamp and ballast. Use of a single control line connecting each of the slave units to the control unit greatly reduces wiring over known systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: North American Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Patrick E. Troy