General Electric Company

David Joseph Kachmarik

Louis Robert Nerone

Kelvin B Belle

Jozsef Fulop

Ferenc Papp

Istvan Wursching

Himamshu Prasad

Raymond Albert Fillion

Michael Solomon Idelchik

Michael M Secen

Joseph C Oberle

Melvin C Cosby

Robert S McFeely

Virgil A Chichernea

Leon F Chamberlain

Brian M Ronald

Kurt W Haas

Donald W Kuk

Thomas Frederick Soules

Bruce Richard Roberts

Victor D Roberts

Sayed-Amr A El-Hamamsy

Rayette Ann Fisher

Jozsef Tokes

Mustansir Hussainy Kheraluwala

Robert James Thomas

William Newell Schultz

Tony Aboumrad

Spiro Vamvakas

Clarence J Harsa

Melvin C Cosby, Jr

Erwin G Steinbrenner

Rajendra Kumar Pokharna

Douglas M Rutan

David A D'Onofrio

Light sources are presented in which lamp ballast or LED driver circuitry is disposed within a base assembly using integrated boards with components embedded between board layers and/or circular flex boards with pot core magnetic components and/or ASICs and thermally conductive board core materials with thermal vias, reflective mirrors, and/or potting materials to conduct heat out through the base to facilitate reduced form factors for lamps and/or LED light sources.

Compact fluorescent lamp and LED light source with electronic components in base

A pre-programmed energy saving ballast or driver is presented, having a pre-defined energy profile to which the output power is controlled in accordance with the current time ascertained from the input power connection via simplex clock information or from received broadcast time signals, and which allows a user to select from a number of pre-programmed profiles and/or to modify and store user-defined energy profiles.

Pre-programmed energy management ballast or driver

A high voltage split core transformer and method of assembling same is provided by which the coupling factor is improved. A split core assembly is surrounded by a secondary winding that is precisely located in a burner assembly housing. Conductive members are encased within the housing and, in conjunction with traces provided on a printed circuit board enclosing the housing cavity, define first and second primary windings about the core secondary winding. This arrangement reduces the number of turns in the secondary winding and allows the use of larger cross-sectional wire which increases the current carrying capability thereof, making the transformer suitable for D1-D5 automotive headlamp applications.

High voltage transformer and a novel arrangement/method for hid automotive headlamps

Disclosed are a lamp igniter module and method of assembling a lamp igniter module. The lamp igniter module comprises a transformer carrier, a slide-in electrical connector, a pc board, and a housing. Assembly of the lamp igniter module is accomplished by initially inserting a transformer carrier assembly within the housing and subsequently installing a slide-in electrical connector which may or may not be attached to the pc board.

Lamp igniter module and transformer carrier

An integrated lamp/lamp electronics unit includes a lamp having a first end with first end electrical terminals, and a second end with second end electrical terminals. An end cap having an interior section is placed into electrical connection with the first end electrical terminals at the first end of the lamp. Lamp electronics are configured to control operation of the lamp and are connected only to the second end electrical terminals. The lamp electronics are carried on a circuit board having a configuration substantially matching the second end of the lamp portion. The circuit board is placed within the interior of a lamp electronics end cap, and the end cap is attached in a permanent relationship to the second end of the lamp.

Integral lamp

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. blocking capacitor across the resonant capacitor. A delay circuit, comprising a serially connected resistor and capacitor is connected across the drive control circuit.

Method of delaying and sequencing the starting of inverters that ballast lamps

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%, &ldquo;n&minus;1&rdquo; approximate percentages each associated with a ratio of &ldquo;1&rdquo; through &ldquo;n&minus;1&rdquo; loads to &ldquo;n&rdquo; loads, where &ldquo;n&rdquo; 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 &ldquo;1&rdquo; and &ldquo;n&minus;1,&rdquo; inclusive, or 100% light from the combined loads powered by the inverters of the ballast circuit.

Ballast circuit with multiple inverters and dimming controller

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.

Power factor correction circuit with faster bus charging rate during startup

A self-oscillating boost converter includes a resistor-starting network configured to start a charging of the boost converter. A resonant feedback circuit is designed to generate an oscillating signal following the starting of the circuit by the resistor-starting network. A complementary switching network has a pair of complementary common-source connected switches configured to receive the oscillation signal generated by the resonant feedback circuit. The oscillation signal determines a switching rate, or duty cycle, of the complementary pair of switches. A boost inductor is in operational connection with the complementary pair of switches. The switching rate of the complementary switching network acts to determine the boost voltage supplied to a load.

Self-oscillating synchronous boost converter

The present invention provides a lighting system powered by a system power source. The lighting system includes a ballast in operative connection with the system power source where the ballast is designed to generate a lamp input signal. A lamp input line is operatively connected to receive the lamp input signal. Further, a gas discharge lamp is in operative connection to the lamp input line configured to receive the lamp input signal. An amplitude modulation circuit is then placed in operative connection to the lamp input line, where the amplitude modulation circuit is configured to periodically modulate amplitudes of the lamp input signal prior to the lamp input signal being received by the gas discharge lamp. Operation of the amplitude modulation circuit results in a periodic amplitude modulation of the lamp input signal and eliminating visual striations otherwise occurring in the lamp.

Electronic elimination of striations in linear lamps

A ballast circuit for a gas discharge lamp with a tapless feedback circuit is disclosed. The ballast circuit comprises a d.c.-to-a.c. converter circuit with circuitry for coupling to a resonant load circuit, for inducing a.c. current therein. The converter circuit comprises a pair of switches serially connected between a bus conductor at a d.c. voltage and a reference conductor. The voltage between a reference node and a control node of each switch determines the conduction state of the associated switch. The respective reference nodes of the switches are connected together at a common node through which the a.c. current flows, and the respective control nodes of the switches are connected together. A gate drive arrangement regeneratively controls the first and second switches. It comprises a coupling circuit including an inductor for coupling to the control nodes a feedback signal representing current in the load circuit. It further comprises a tapless feedback circuit for providing the feedback signal. The feedback circuit comprises a capacitor coupled at one end to the common node in such manner as to conduct load current, and coupled at another end to the inductor.

Gas discharge lamp ballast with tapless feedback circuit

A ballast circuit for a gas discharge lamp includes a d.c.-to-a.c. converter circuit with circuitry for coupling to a load circuit, for inducing a.c. current therein. The converter circuit comprises a pair of switches serially connected between a bus conductor at a d.c. voltage and a reference conductor. The voltage between a reference node and a control node of each switch determines the conduction state of the associated switch. The respective reference nodes of the switches are connected together at a common node through which the a.c. current flows, and the respective control nodes of the switches are connected together. The load circuit has circuitry for connecting to a gas discharge lamp and comprises a piezoelectric transformer having a body and including a reference lead connected to one of the bus and reference conductors, an input lead coupled to the common node, and an output lead connected to the lamp. A circuit is provided for coupling to the control nodes a feedback signal representing current in the load circuit, for facilitating self-regenerative control of the switches.

Gas discharge lamp ballast with piezoelectric transformer

A ballast circuit for a gas discharge lamp comprises a resonant load circuit including the lamp. A d.c.-to-a.c. converter circuit induces an a.c. current in the resonant load circuit. The converter circuit comprises first and second switches serially connected between a bus conductor at a d.c. voltage and a reference conductor, and being connected together at a common node through which the a.c. load current flows. The first and second switches each comprise a reference node and a control node, the voltage between such nodes determining the conduction state of the associated switch. The respective reference nodes of the first and second switches are interconnected at the common node. The respective control nodes of the first and second switches are interconnected. An inductance is connected between the control nodes and the common node. A starting pulse-supplying capacitance is connected in series with the inductance, between the control nodes and the common node. A network is connected to the control nodes for supplying the starting pulse-supplying capacitance with charge so as to create a starting pulse during lamp starting, and for setting the voltage of the control nodes sufficiently close to that of the common node during steady state lamp operation so as to prevent the capacitance from supplying a starting pulse during the steady state lamp operation. A polarity-determining impedance is connected between the common node and one of the bus conductor and the reference conductor, to set the initial polarity of pulse to be generated by the starting pulse-supplying capacitor.

Growing community of inventors

Strongsville, OH, United States of America

David Joseph Kachmarik