Vari-lite, Inc.

Scott Instruments Company

John Mark Newell

Brian L Scott

Thomas E Walsh

John Henry Covington

A switch-mode power converter uses a digital signal processor (DSP) to control operation of power semiconductors through gate drive amplifiers, further using the DSP's internal analog-to-digital converters to measure necessary currents, voltages and timings within the main power circuit. Using values captured by the A-to-D converters, software controlling the DSP manipulates duty cycle and timing parameters of the main semiconductor switches to provide at least three different modes of operation for serving a wide range of lighting loads. This power system reduces the size, cost, and weight, of circuitry needed to operate stage lighting equipment. The DSP's microprocessor eliminates most of the complex and dedicated analog circuitry commonly used for electronic power conversion, and a common power circuit topology provides an identical hardware platform for each luminaire circuit. Overall reliability is enhanced because of the reduction in circuit complexity.

Universal power module

A method and apparatus for processing a signal to extract selected information therefrom is provided. According to the method, an input signal is converted into a sequence of data samples, and these data samples are applied sequentially through a convolver having first and second sections, the output of the first section forming the input of the second section. A data sample in the second convolver section is then compared to each data sample in the first convolver section to produce an output signal of a plurality of data points, each of the data points representative of a midpoint position within the convolver between a pair of compared data samples. This comparison step is repeated for each data sample in the second convolver section and the output signals form a histogram from which the selected information is extracted. This method may be advantageously utilized in a speech recognition process for extracting various features from an input speech signal.

Growing community of inventors

Denton, TX, United States of America

John Mark Newell