The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Jun. 07, 1994

Filed:

Feb. 11, 1993
Applicant:
Inventors:

Michael Callahan, New York, NY (US);

John K Chester, High Bridge, NJ (US);

Robert M Goddard, New York, NY (US);

Assignee:

Other;

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G01N / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
323235 ; 323242 ; 323239 ; 315294 ; 307647 ;
Abstract

A light dimmer with semiconductor power devices coupled between an alternating current supply and a lamp load, in the course of varying average power supplied to the lamp load, transitions the power devices under load between one and the other of substantially conductive and non-conductive conditions, increasing the duration of the transition by the power device itself from the minimum possible duration to reduce generated EMI. Undesirable effects of the high current demands of cold lamp filaments are reduced by initially increasing the conductive portion of half-cycles, relative to the proportion required to produce the desired amount of average power, while avoiding transitions at phase angles that would produce excessive losses. A transition shape may be employed in this mode and in normal operation that maximizes audible lamp noise suppression for a given level of thermal losses.


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