| Topanga Technologies, Inc. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20120086352 | EXTERNAL RESONATOR ELECTRODE-LESS PLASMA LAMP AND METHOD OF EXCITING WITH RADIO-FREQUENCY ENERGY - Described is an electrode-less plasma lamp comprising a gas-fill vessel, a gas-fill contained within the gas-fill vessel, an RF electromagnetic radiation source, an RF electromagnetic resonator, an output probe that couples RF energy from the RF electromagnetic resonator to the gas-fill vessel, an input probe that couples RF energy from the RF electromagnetic radiation source to the resonator, and a grounding strap that holds a metal veneer surrounding the resonator and a portion of the gas-fill vessel at RF ground. Also described are many variations of the electrode-less plasma lamp; non-limiting examples of which include embodiments that employ other probes in a Dielectric Resonant Oscillator to drive the lamp, and many methods of improving light-harvesting, including raising the gas-fill vessel away from the resonator via a coaxial type transmission line, and collecting light with an optical reflector. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120014118 | Method and System for Replacing a Plasma Lamp Using a Removable Base Member from a Resonator Assembly - A method and system for replacing an electrodeless plasma lamp from a resonator assembly. The system includes a base support and a post member. The base support is coupled to the resonator assembly. The post member supports the bulb and is coupled to the base support through a mating region. | 01-19-2012 |
| 20120014109 | SMALL FORM FACTOR DURABLE STREET LAMP AND METHOD - A shock resistant outdoor lamp. The lamp has a housing having an inner region and an outer region. The lamp also has a reflector provided within a portion of the inner region. The lamp has a bulb assembly coupled to an rf power source coupled to an AC source. The bulb assembly has a base member, including an outer region capable of being coupled to first AC potential and an inner region capable of being coupled to a second AC potential. The bulb assembly also has a support body coupled to the base member. A shock resistant gas filled vessel is included. The vessel has a transparent or translucent body having an inner surface and an outer surface and a cavity formed within the inner surface. The gas filled vessel comprises a first end region and a second end region. The bulb assembly has a length provided between the first end region and the second end region. The bulb assembly has a length provided between nth first end region and the second end region and ranging from about 0.5 centimeter to about three centimeters characterizing the gas filled vessel. The bulb assembly has a thickness of at least about 1 millimeter characterizing a distance between the inner surface and the outer source of the transparent or translucent body and at least one or more coupling members operably coupled to the gas filled vessel such that the outer surface of the gas filled vessel is substantially free from mechanical damage caused with the one or more coupling members and substantially free from any openings in the thickness. The lamp also has a supporting member coupled to the housing, the supporting member configured to a vertical height of greater than fifteen feet. | 01-19-2012 |
| 20110205746 | Method and System for Converting a Sodium Street Lamp to an Efficient White Light Source - A street lamp apparatus. The apparatus has a housing having an inner region and an outer region. In a specific embodiment, the inner region forms a cavity structure. The apparatus also has a transparent cover coupled to the housing to enclose the inner region and a socket being provided within the cavity structure. The apparatus has an electrodeless plasma lamp coupled to the socket. In a specific embodiment, the apparatus has an RF power source provided between the socket and an AC power source. In a specific embodiment, the RF power source is configured to generate a frequency of about 1 GHz and less to cause a fill material in the plasma lamp to discharge. In a specific embodiment, the apparatus has a heat sink provided form one or more portions of the housing. In a specific embodiment, the one or more portions of the housing is thermally coupled to the RF power source. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110204808 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REPLACING A PLASMA LAMP FROM A RESONATOR ASSEMBLY - A plasma lamp. The lamp includes a housing having a spatial volume defined within the housing. In a specific embodiment, the spatial volume has an inner region and an outer region. The lamp also has a support region coupled to the inner region of the spatial volume and a support body having an outer surface region slidably inserted and disposed within or partially disposed the support region. In a preferred embodiment, the support body has a support length, a support first end, and a support second end. The plasma lamp has a gas-filled vessel coupled to the support first end of the support body. In a preferred embodiment, the gas filled vessel has a transparent or translucent body, an inner surface and an outer surface, a cavity formed within the inner surface. In a preferred embodiment, the cavity is sealed and includes a fill material, which is capable of discharge. The lamp has an rf source operably coupled to at least the first end of the gas-filled vessel. In a specific embodiment, the rf source is configured to cause a discharge of one or more gases in the gas filled vessel. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110204791 | Electrodeless Plasma Lamp Array - An electrodeless plasma lamp array structure uses multiple plasma lamps to produce large amounts of electromagnetic radiation (visible, IR, UV, or a combination of visible, IR, and UV). An M by N array configuration is powered by either a single RF power source or multiple RF power sources. The array incorporates controllers to adjust the power delivered from the RF power source to each lamp within the array. By adjusting the delivered RF power, the intensity of electromagnetic radiation that is emitted from each lamp is controlled independently allowing for the creation of an array of lamps that emit electromagnetic radiation of varying intensity levels at different places within the array. Using lamps with different color temperatures as part of the array allows the color temperature and the color rendering index of the illumination to achieve different lighting conditions. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110204784 | Plasma Lamp with Dielectric Waveguide Body Having Shaped Configuration - A plasma lamp apparatus that includes an improved bulb support assembly to increase the lumens per watt output of the apparatus. The bulb support assembly includes a support structure that forms a cavity for receiving the bulb. The bulb is supported within the cavity though a protrusion that extends out from the support structure in a curved manner. By created a curved protrusion, the electric field within the resonating structure of the lamp apparatus is lowered. Lowering the electric field leads to lower resonating frequencies of the resonating structure. In lowering the resonating frequency, the resonating structure is driven to resonate at lower power levels, thereby increasing the lumens per watt output of the lamp apparatus. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110204783 | More Efficient Electrodeless Plasma Lamp with Increased Overall Capacitance Through the Use of Multiple Dielectric and Insulating Materials - An RF electrodeless plasma lamp with improved efficiency in higher lumens per watt includes a waveguide body, in which an RF signal drives the entire structure at the resonant frequency of the structure. The resonant frequency of the structure is lowered by increasing the overall capacitance of the waveguide body by adding at least two layers of dielectric material between the input feed and the bulb of the lamp. The layered structure can include an air cavity disposed between a dielectric layer and the input feed. In lowering the resonant frequency of the lamp, the device is capable of using RF amplifiers that have higher efficiency, and thus has a higher lumens per watt ratio. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110204782 | Plasma Lamp with Dielectric Waveguide Body Having a Width Greater Than a Length - A plasma lamp includes a waveguide body which has at least one solid dielectric material. The body has a diameter and a length transverse to the diameter, with the diameter of the body being less than the length of the body. The lamp also has a power source configured to provide power to the body at a resonant frequency. The waveguide body has an effective length of at least portions of the diameter and the length. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110204781 | Plasma Lamp with Dielectric Waveguide Having a Dielectric Constant of Less Than Two - An electrodeless plasma lamp apparatus includes a waveguide body having at least a first material and a second material. At least one of the materials has a dielectric constant of less than two. In a specific embodiment, the apparatus also includes an RF power source coupled to the waveguide body to provide RF power to the waveguide body at least one frequency that resonates within the waveguide body. A bulb containing a fill which forms a plasma to cause emission of light when the RF power is provided to the waveguide body. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110050099 | INTEGRATED RF ELECTRODELESS PLASMA LAMP DEVICE AND METHODS - An RF electrode-less plasma lighting device. The device has a base member, which has an outer region capable of being coupled to first AC potential and an inner region capable of being coupled to a second AC potential. In a preferred embodiment, the device has an RF module mechanically and integrally coupled to the base member. The RF module has an RF source, which has an output. The RF module has a first DC input and a second DC input. The first DC input of the RF module is coupled to the first DC potential and the second DC input of the RF module is coupled to the second DC potential. In a specific embodiment, the present device has an RF electrodeless plasma lighting assembly integrally coupled to the base member. The RF plasma lighting assembly has an RF input, which is coupled to the output of the RF source. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110037389 | ELECTRODELESS LAMPS WITH EXTERNALLY-GROUNDED PROBES AND IMPROVED BULB ASSEMBLIES - An electrode-less plasma lamps comprises generally of a bulb containing a gas-fill that is excited to produce light using radio-frequency (RF) energy. In specific embodiments, the use of grounded coupling-elements with integrated bulb assemblies simplifies manufacturability, improves resonant frequency control, and enables the use of solid, partially filled, and hollow lamp bodies. In some embodiments, a method of operating an electrodeless plasma lamp device includes transferring RF energy from the RF source to an input coupling-element and illuminating electromagnetic energy substantially from the length of a gas-filled vessel from discharge of the gas-filled vessel. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20100320906 | Electrodeless Lamps with Grounded Coupling Elements - An electrodeless plasma lamp includes a bulb containing a gas-fill and light emitter(s) excited to produce light using radio-frequency (RF) energy. Input and output coupling elements separated from each other by a gap couple RF energy from an RF source to the bulb. One end of the input coupling element is electrically connected to an RF source while the other end is connected to ground. One end of the output coupling element is connected to ground while the other end is connected to the bulb. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100308726 | Helical Structure and Method for Plasma Lamp - A plasma lamp apparatus includes a post structure with a material overlying a surface region of the post structure, which has a first end and a second end. The apparatus also has a helical coil structure configured along the post structure. The apparatus includes a bulb with a fill material capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation. A resonator coupling element configured to feed radio frequency energy to at least the helical coil causes the bulb device to emit electromagnetic radiation. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20100134013 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ADJUSTING THE FREQUENCY OF A RESONATOR ASSEMBLY FOR A PLASMA LAMP - A plasma electrodeless lamp comprises a substantially hollow metallic body, closely receiving two coupling elements, the first coupling element connected to the output of an RF amplifier, and the second coupling element connected to the input of an RF amplifier. The first coupling element is conductively connected (grounded) to metallic lamp body at its top surface, while the second coupling element is not. The lamp further comprises a vertical metallic post, the post being grounded to the metallic lamp body at the post's bottom surface. The lamp further comprises a dielectric sleeve which closely receives the metallic post, and which is in turn closely supported by the lamp body or alternatively or in combination a tuning stub. The lamp further comprises a bulb that is closely received by the metallic post, and that encloses a gas-fill which forms a radiant plasma when excited. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100134008 | ELECTRODELESS LAMPS WITH GROUNDED COUPLING ELEMENTS AND IMPROVED BULB ASSEMBLIES - An electrode-less plasma lamp, comprising generally of a bulb containing a gas-fill and light emitter(s) that is excited to produce light using radio-frequency (RF) energy. The present lamp includes compact air resonators/waveguides that use grounded coupling-elements with integrated bulb assemblies to reduce the size of the resonator and improve the performance of the lamp as well as reduce cost and simplify manufacturability. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20090322240 | ELECTRODELESS LAMPS WITH EXTERNALLY-GROUNDED PROBES AND IMPROVED BULB ASSEMBLIES - An electrode-less plasma lamps, comprising generally of a bulb containing a gas-fill that is excited to produce light using radio-frequency (RF) energy. In specific embodiments, the use of grounded coupling-elements with integrated bulb assemblies simplifies manufacturability, improves resonant frequency control, and enables the use of solid, partially filled, and hollow lamp bodies. | 12-31-2009 |
