Thomas J Lunn

US Patent:

7843141, Nov 30, 2010

Filed:

Jan 22, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/017750

Inventors:

Wei Xiong - Madison AL, US
Thomas Lunn - Hazel Green AL, US
Christopher Radzinski - Huntsville AL, US

Assignee:

Universal Lighting Technologies, Inc. - Madison AL

International Classification:

H05B 37/00

US Classification:

315224, 315307, 315DIG 4

Abstract:

A step dimming interface is utilized to operate a load such as a gas discharge lamp. The dimming interface has first and second switches for determining when the gas discharge lamp operates at either a normal power level or a dimming power level. A rectifier circuit is connected to a control signal production circuit. By manipulating the first and second switches, the rectifier sends either a full-wave rectified signal or a half-wave rectified signal to the control signal production circuit which determines the output of the control signal production circuit. The control signal production circuit may be connected to an electronic ballast which varies the power level of the lamp according to this output.

US Patent:

7923942, Apr 12, 2011

Filed:

Apr 9, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/100288

Inventors:

Wei Xiong - Madison AL, US
Thomas Lunn - Hazel Green AL, US
Christopher Radzinski - Huntsville AL, US

Assignee:

Universal Lighting Technologies, Inc. - Madison AL

International Classification:

H05B 37/02

US Classification:

315308, 315210, 315224, 315226, 315244, 315289, 315309, 315DIG 4

Abstract:

A constant current source mirror tank dimmable ballast operates multiple high impedance lamps in a stable and balanced manner. The dimmable ballast has an inverter connected to two third-order resonant circuits. These third-order resonant circuits dominate the transfer function of the ballast circuits. Consequently, changes in the impedance of the lamp do not affect the current output to the lamps.

US Patent:

8288956, Oct 16, 2012

Filed:

Apr 2, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/753392

Inventors:

Wei Xiong - Madison AL, US
Thomas Lunn - Hazel Green AL, US
Christopher Radzinski - Huntsville AL, US

Assignee:

Universal Lighting Technologies, Inc. - Madison AL

International Classification:

H05B 37/00
H05B 39/00
H05B 41/14
H05B 41/16
H05B 37/02
H05B 39/04
H05B 41/36
G05F 1/00

US Classification:

315244, 315307, 315DIG 7, 315105, 313364, 336182

Abstract:

A circuit for preheating filaments in lamps powered by an electronic ballast includes an inverter tank circuit and a preheat tank circuit. The preheat tank circuit has a preheat capacitor connected in parallel with a primary winding of a filament preheat transformer. A cut-back capacitor is connected between the preheat tank circuit and circuit ground. The filament preheat transformer has secondary windings coupled to the first and second lamp terminals to provide a filament preheat voltage. The inverter operates at a preheat frequency during a lamp preheat mode and at a steady-state frequency during a lamp steady-state mode, the steady-state frequency being lower than the preheat frequency. The preheat tank circuit has a natural resonant frequency that is approximately the same as the preheat frequency so that when the ballast is operating in the steady state mode, the filament voltage is substantially lower than when the ballast is operating in the preheat mode.

US Patent:

8378579, Feb 19, 2013

Filed:

Feb 18, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/708168

Inventors:

Thomas Lunn - Hazel Green AL, US
Wei Xiong - Madison AL, US

Assignee:

Universal Lighting Technologies, Inc. - Madison AL

International Classification:

H05B 41/12

US Classification:

315224, 315 49, 315 94, 315291, 315294

Abstract:

A ballast circuit includes a control loop to reduce a filament heating voltage below after the lamp filaments have been pre-heated. A filament cutback circuit includes a filament cut-back inductive component magnetically coupled to the resonant inductive component in the inverter to receive a filament cutback control voltage associated with an AC voltage for powering the lamps. During the pre-heating period, the filament cutback control voltage is not high enough to charge a chargeable component to a switch threshold level. However, during lamp ignition, the filament cutback control voltage is increased and charges the chargeable component to the switch threshold level. This causes a switch device to operate in a conductive switch state and the filament cutback circuit suppresses the pre-heat voltage.

US Patent:

8450946, May 28, 2013

Filed:

Mar 31, 2011

Appl. No.:

13/077887

Inventors:

Thomas Lunn - Hazel Green AL, US
Candice Damian - Huntsville AL, US

Assignee:

Universal Lighting Technologies, Inc. - Madison AL

International Classification:

H05B 41/24
G05F 1/00

US Classification:

315307, 315209 R, 315247, 323222, 323283, 323285, 363 16, 363 89

Abstract:

A zone addressing circuit is provided for an electronic ballast having a boost inductor with an auxiliary winding. The zone addressing circuit includes a first circuit branch coupled to a first addressing input terminal, a second circuit branch coupled to a second addressing input terminal, and a third (common) branch coupled on a first end to a third addressing input terminal and on a second end to the auxiliary winding of the boost inductor for providing a high frequency input pulse signal to excite the first and second branches. The first branch generates a first digital output for the zone addressing circuit when coupled to the common branch, and the second branch generates a second digital output for the zone addressing circuit when coupled to the common branch. A controller adjusts a dimming level of the ballast based on the first and second digital outputs from the zone addressing circuit.

US Patent:

8482213, Jul 9, 2013

Filed:

Jun 29, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/825573

Inventors:

Wei Xiong - Madison AL, US
Thomas Lunn - Hazel Green AL, US
Christopher Radzinski - Huntsville AL, US

Assignee:

Panasonic Corporation - Osaka

International Classification:

H05B 37/02

US Classification:

315224, 315307

Abstract:

An electronic ballast for fluorescent lighting includes an inverter circuit having an output circuit coupled to a pair of lamp terminals. A protection circuit is coupled to one of the lamp terminals. The protection circuit includes a differential voltage sensing circuit that is functional to sense the lamp voltage pulses as sudden changes in voltage across a DC blocking capacitor and, in response, to provide a positive AC voltage pulse. A pulse accumulation circuit is coupled to the differential voltage sensing circuit. The pulse accumulation circuit is responsive to the positive AC voltage pulses from the differential voltage sensing circuit to accumulate the positive AC voltage pulses into the ballast shutdown signal.

US Patent:

52026833, Apr 13, 1993

Filed:

Jun 24, 1991

Appl. No.:

7/721095

Inventors:

Steven M. Hamer - Willernie MN
Thomas J. Lunn - Hudson WI
David L. Wortman - St. Paul MN

Assignee:

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company - St. Paul MN

International Classification:

G08G 107

US Classification:

340906

Abstract:

An optical traffic preemption detector detects pulses of light emitted by an approaching emergency vehicle and provides an output signal which is processed by a phase selector. The phase selector can request a traffic signal controller to preempt a normal traffic signal sequence to give priority to the emergency vehicle. A detector assembly is mounted in proximity to an intersection and can have multiple detector channels. A detector channel can have multiple photocells. A detector housing includes a base, at least one detector turret and a cap. A detector channel circuit includes a circuit board, a photocell with a lens placed over the photocell, and circuitry to produce an output signal.