Tice Engineering and Sales, Inc.

Lumetric Lighting, Inc.

Aurora Lighting, Inc.

Lumetric, Inc.

Robotic Control Group, L.l.c.

Moshe Shloush

Gregory Davis

William A Tice

Mark E Stapel

Gregory A Davis

James W Dulaney

James W DuLaney, Jr

Benjamin D Bower

Barry N McGill

Burton L Grocke

Lighting devices are configured to communicate with one another and with external systems. Sensors located at such lighting devices communicate with the external systems and with others of the lighting devices. Lighting is controlled to maintain safety, to drive customer traffic within a retail facility, or to conserve energy. An application programming interface provides a common mechanism for control of various lighting device types.

Lighting control system and method

Embodiments of the present invention provide for the control of a powered utility. A circuit board, an onboard controller located on the circuit board, and a daughterboard connector also located on the circuit board are utilized. The onboard controller is configured to provide a first level of control functionality to the system. The first level of control functionality includes the ability to transfer the powered utility between an operating state and an off state. The daughterboard connector is configured to accept a daughterboard, and that daughterboard is configured to increase the control functionality of the system above the first level of control functionality to a second level of control functionality.

Utility control system and method

Embodiments of the present invention provide for the rapid reignition of a high intensity discharge lamp. In one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for a fast reigntion of a high intensity discharge lamp is disclosed. The apparatus is comprised of a ballast operatively coupled to the lamp that is configured to receive power from a power supply. The apparatus is also comprised of a timer circuit that enters a timing phase and produces a quantum of timing information when the lamp ceases receiving power from the power supply. This timer circuit does not require external power during the timing phase. The apparatus is additionally comprised of a control circuit that receives the timing information and permits the ballast to reignite the lamp based on the information.

Fast reignition of a high intensity discharge lamp

A lighting ballast is programmable as to input and output parameters. Both operational characteristics and sensed data are used to control the ballast parameters. The ballast is configured to recapture as electrical energy heat produced by the lamp. The ballast is constructed in modular fashion with a power factor correction circuit module and a ballast control circuit module that snap together to achieve a large number of input voltage and lamp type variations with a small number of separate units.

Modular programmable lighting ballast

An electronic ballast circuit includes a programmable processor. The processor is programmed to vary operating parameters of the ballast circuit to accommodate operation of different types and/or sizes of lamps. Ballast circuit operating parameters that can be varied by the programmable processor include component parameters, such as inductance and resistance, and the frequency at which the ballast circuit is oscillated. The processor can be programmed to produce an oscillating processor signal which is used to produce a corresponding oscillating power signal to ignite and/or sustain ignition of the lamp. A voltage monitor and a current monitor are employed to monitor the operating condition of the lamp. The monitor outputs are used by the processor to optimize circuit operation.

Electronic ballast with programmable processor

An electronic ballast operates a gaseous discharge lamp. The electronic ballast includes a filter circuit for removing noise from an electrical power signal. The power factor of the filtered power signal is adjusted by a power factor correction circuit. The power factor correction circuit includes a programmable inductor circuit having a plurality of selectable inductance values for varying the amount of power factor adjustment to accommodate operation of different lamp types and/or different lamp wattages. A power supply circuit converts electrical power received from the filtered power signal to provide low level power for operating the electronic ballast. An output circuit receives the corrected power signal produced by the power factor correction circuit and produces an electrical signal to ignite and operate the discharge lamp. The output circuit includes an ignition circuit for producing an oscillating voltage signal to ignite the lamp, and an operating circuit produces an oscillating current signal which operates the discharge lamp after ignition. A control circuit controls the operation of the electronic ballast. A current monitor is used to determine when the lamp is ignited. The ability of the electronic ballast to accommodate different lamps is enhanced by providing the ignition circuit with a programmable inductor circuit to oscillate the voltage signal at different frequencies. A similar effect is achieved by providing the operating circuit with a programmable resistor circuit having a plurality of programmable resistance values.

Electronic ballast for discharge lamps

A motion control system includes a signal conduit to which the various devices of the system, such as a motion controller and motor drive modules, are linked. The modules are intertied such that the order of the modules along the signal conduit does not affect system operability. In one embodiment, the signal conduit includes a substantially rigid substrate having a plurality of electrically conductive lines formed in one or more layers of the substrate. The substrate may include a one-piece construction to which the motion controller, drives, and other devices are attached, or the substrate may be in the form of a plurality of couplers joined one to the other by connectors. For the latter, the various modules of the system include a coupler with connectors which allow the various modules to be easily connected without the need for any tools and without concern for the order in which the modules are attached. In another embodiment, a flexible cable (such as a ribbon cable) forms part or all of the signal conduit which connects the various devices of the system. In either embodiment, a &ldquo;plug-and-play&rdquo; motion control system is provided which requires little or no technical expertise to assemble, install, and operate.

Motion control coupling apparatus

An electronically geared felling machine employs physical separation of the needles and loopers to provide significant ergonomic and functional advantages. The felling machine includes a needle servo motor for driving the needles in a sewing motion and a looper servo motor for driving the loopers in their sewing motion. The motion of the needles and loopers are electronically geared to enable these sewing parts to move in concert to produce a plurality of stitchings in materials. Materials may be moved through the sewing area of the felling machine by use of feed rollers positioned fore and aft of the needles. The feed rollers are driven by servo motors. Pneumatic cylinders urge the feed rollers downwardly against the materials to enable the feed rollers to maintain continuous contact with the materials and to maintain continuous movement of the materials through the sewing area of the machine. Electronic gearing of the felling machine's sewing parts is enabled by a computer which uses servo motor positional information to calculate motion commands that are sent to the servo motors.

Felling machine

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for electronically gearing the sewing parts of a sewing machine, and more particularly it relates to electronically gearing the bobbin to the needle to eliminate the necessity of their physical coupling through mechanical linkages and drive shafts. Servo motors provide torque to the needle, bobbin, and various other sewing parts of the sewing machine which require concerted movement. A computer uses servo motor positional information to calculate motion commands that are sent to the needle and bobbin servo motors, thereby enabling electronic gearing of the bobbin to the needle so that each moves substantially in unison. Motion commands sent to servo motors attached to various other sewing parts of the sewing machine are based on servo motor positional information to enable the sewing parts to move in concert with the needle and bobbin. Servo motors move the sewing material in two dimensions during stitching, and each move of the sewing material is calculated to consume the maximum amount of time available between stitches in order to dampen acceleration and deceleration of sewing parts and eliminate problems associated with machine jerk.

Electronically geared sewing machine

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for electronically gearing the sewing parts of a sewing machine, and more particularly it relates to electronically gearing the bobbin to the needle to eliminate the necessity of their physical coupling through mechanical linkages and drive shafts. Servo motors provide torque to the needle, bobbin, and various other sewing parts of the sewing machine which require concerted movement. A computer uses servo motor positional information to calculate motion commands that are sent to the needle and bobbin servo motors, thereby enabling electronic gearing of the bobbin to the needle so that each moves substantially in unison. Motion commands sent to servo motors attached to various other sewing parts of the sewing machine are based on servo motor positional information to enable the sewing parts to move in concert with the needle and bobbin. Servo motors move the fabric in two dimensions during stitching, and each move of the fabric is calculated to consume the maximum amount of time available between stitches in order to dampen acceleration and deceleration of sewing parts and eliminate problems associated with machine jerk.

A device for picking up a top layer of limp sheet material from a lay-up of sheet material includes a head assembly including a pair of rollers between which the top layer is retainably gripped and a double-acting cylinder for lifting the head assembly, with the top layer held thereby, to an elevated condition above the remainder of the lay-up. The device compensates for the reduction in the height of the lay-up as the layers are singularly picked up from the layer and includes a controller for automatically controlling the sequencing of operations of the device.

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Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Moshe Shloush