CN1206822A

CN1206822A - Apparatus and method for controlling lighting of fluorescent lamp for refrigerator

Info

Publication number: CN1206822A
Application number: CN 97118018
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李长熙; 昔镇五
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 1997-07-29
Filing date: 1997-07-29
Publication date: 1999-02-03

Abstract

A fluorescent lamp lighting control apparatus and method for use in a refrigerator is provided. Here, power is supplied according to opening of a refrigerator door and a fluorescent lamp is preheated for a predetermined time and is turned on by a counter-electromotive force supplied from a stabilizer after being preheated. The fluorescent lamp is lit up and repeats the lighting operation until said fluorescent lamp is lit up when it is detected that said fluorescent lamp is not lit up. Accordingly, the lighting operation of a fluorescent lamp installed in a refrigerator is secured.

Description

The illumination controller of fluorescent lamp and method in the refrigerator

The present invention relates to the illumination controller and the method thereof of fluorescent lamp in a kind of refrigerator.More particularly, relate to and a kind ofly before with fluorescent lamp lighting, repeat to light action and make fluorescent lamp lighting control device and the method that it can be luminous reliably.

Usually be equipped with in the refrigerator with refrigerator doors and open and the lamp lighted.Lamp in these refrigerators mostly is incandescent lamp.Reason with incandescent lamp in the refrigerator is because it lights time lighting the time faster than fluorescent lamp.Usually lighting a fluorescent lamp needs one second preheating time approximately.Owing to scintillation takes place, so just use fluorescent lamp in those occasions of frequently not lighting action before fluorescent lamp lighting.Therefore, well-known, in the frequent refrigerator that opens and closes of needs, be unsuitable for using fluorescent lamp.

A kind of trend of using large-capacity refrigerator is arranged at present, used fluorescent lamp in this refrigerator.It is little that fluorescent lamp has higher efficient power consumption, is approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of incandescent lamp.And, the light that being also advantageous in that of fluorescent lamp can provide comfortable, radiant heat few with and the life-span be five to ten times of incandescent lamp.So, in large-capacity refrigerator, be suitable for using fluorescent lamp.

At first, with reference to the schematic diagram of the fluorescent lamp lighting circuit of prior art shown in Figure 2, the process of lighting of typical fluorescent lamp is described.Light fluorescent lamp 40 and need various devices.At this, will the lighting circuit with starter 35 be described.Two ends, inside at fluorescent lamp 40 respectively are connected to filament 37 and 38.

Filament

37 and 38 is linked starter 35 respectively, and these two filaments 37 also link to each other with a circuit with 38, this circuit by the ballast that is connected in series mutually with exchange (AC) power supply 31 and form.Therefore, form a closed-loop path (hereinafter being called the preheating closed-loop path) by AC power supplies 31, ballast 33, left side filament 37, starter 35 and right side filament 38 loops.

Microcomputer 50 detects opening of refrigerator doors, comes Closing Switch SW starting AC power supplies 31 thereby drive relay 44 then.When AC power supplies 31 began to power, power supply was supplied with

filament

37 and 38 preheatings just along the preheating closed-loop path.When preheating step is finished, bimetal leaf (not shown) in the starter 35 separates, and the electric current that flows to starter 35 is stopped at once, thereby produces a high pressure counter electromotive force in ballast 33, cause the discharge between the

filament

37 and 38 in the fluorescent lamp 40, thereby light fluorescent lamp 40.After fluorescent lamp 40 is lighted, form another closed-loop path (hereinafter be called and light closure (light-upclosed) loop) by the loop of AC power supplies 31, ballast 33, left side filament 37 and right side filament 38, keep the illuminating state of fluorescent lamp 40.After this, when refrigerator doors was closed, closing of microcomputer 50 detecting gates drives relay 44 and open switch SW with the power supply of cut-out from AC power supplies 31, so fluorescent lamp 40 extinguished.

As mentioned above, light fluorescent lamp need carry out the preheating action and need a counter electromotive force energy (force supply) from ballast.Because the inner room and the room of refrigerator are variant on temperature and humidity, so it is different mutually required best preheating time to light fluorescent lamp in inner room and room, cause and light weak effect, thereby fluorescent lamp just can be lighted later in the time of required preheating, do not wish to make and light reliable in action, because the life-span of fluorescent lamp is shortened in undue preheating meeting with undue preheat fluorescent lamp.Be set at predetermined best preheating time if will light action, may make owing to the change of refrigerator inside situation so and light weak effect.In addition, when lighting weak effect, traditional fluorescent lamp control method is fluorescent lamp to be remained on (turned-off) state of closing.So, power supply is linked fluorescent lamp, and with the on-off action of power supply from the fluorescent lamp disconnection, institute thinks that lighting the fluorescent lamp user must close and open this door once more, thereby makes us feeling trouble owing to refrigerator doors has played.

In order to address the above problem, the object of the present invention is to provide a kind of device of controlling the fluorescent lamp lighting action, it utilizes detects the not good enough bright action that is contained in the fluorescent lamp in the refrigerator, and repeats to light action till fluorescent lamp lighting, to guarantee lighting of fluorescent lamp.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a kind of fluorescent lamp lighting control method, in order to guarantee to light action by repeating to light action till fluorescent lamp lighting.

For realizing above-mentioned purpose of the present invention, a kind of refrigerator fluorescent lamp lighting control device that is used for is provided, wherein power according to opening of refrigerator doors, use scheduled time preheat fluorescent lamp then, after preheating, connect fluorescent lamp by the counter electromotive force that provides from the ballast that is connected in series with fluorescent lamp, this fluorescent lamp lighting control device comprises: light detector, whether it is used to detect fluorescent lamp and lights; Light controller, detect fluorescent lamp when not lighting, be used to repeat to light action till fluorescent lamp lighting when lighting detector.

Lighting detector comprises: a transformer coil is used for the voltage that is added to the ballast coil is carried out conversion; A rectifier, it carries out rectification to the output voltage waveforms of transformer coil; And a voltage level discriminator, whether it differentiates fluorescent lamp according to the size of rectifier output voltage and lights.Can detect size by this detector, whether light thereby easily determine fluorescent lamp by the counter electromotive force of ballast output.

Lighting detector also comprises: one is used for according to the output voltage of described rectifier and luminous light emitting diode (LED); And luminous phototransistor of exporting a scheduled volume voltage according to LED.Can detect size by this detector, whether light thereby easily determine fluorescent lamp by the counter electromotive force of ballast output.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the lighting control method of fluorescent lamp in a kind of refrigerator also is provided, it is carried out by above illumination controller.

Describe the preferred embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in detail.

Fig. 1 is the schematic diagram according to the illumination controller of fluorescent lamp of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is the schematic diagram of the illumination controller of conventional fluorescent.

Referring to Fig. 1, comprise power supply 1, starter 5 and the ballast 3 of the illumination controller of above-mentioned conventional fluorescent according to the illumination controller of fluorescent lamp of the present invention.Also comprise the microcomputer of lighting 20 that is used to control fluorescent lamp 10 in addition, by the relay 24 that microcomputer 20 controls drive, its operation is identical with the operation in the above-mentioned tradition.

Whether light detector must differentiate normally to have carried out and light action.Light that detector comprises transformer coil 21, the diode that is connected in series with transformer coil 21 and contain LED25 and the photo-coupler of phototransistor 26 27.Transformer coil 21 is reduced to the voltage that is added in coil in the ballast 3 to drive lights the required scheduled volume voltage of other element of detector.This voltage that is reduced by transformer coil 21 is supplied with LED 25 after via diode 23 halfwave rectifier.LED 25 is according to the voltage that is provided and luminous.Phototransistor 26 detects institute's isolychn, so phototransistor 26 is to voltage of microcomputer 20 outputs.

If ballast 3 produces enough counter electromotive force, phototransistor 26 is just exported the voltage of a scheduled volume to microcomputer 20 so.Otherwise then phototransistor 26 is just to voltage littler than scheduled volume voltage of microcomputer 20 outputs.If microcomputer 20 receives the voltage of scheduled volume from phototransistor 26, then microcomputer 20 judgement fluorescent lamps 10 are lighted, if and microcomputer 20 receives the voltage littler than scheduled volume voltage from phototransistor 26, then microcomputer 20 judgement fluorescent lamps 10 are not lighted.Simultaneously, for the electric current (about 10mA is to 20mA) that makes scheduled volume flows through LED 25, resistance 29 can be placed between photo-coupler 27 and the transformer coil 21.

Under the control of microcomputer 20, by driving relay 24 once more, can repeat to light action, the whole control process of this microcomputer 20 is as described below.

Microcomputer 20 detect refrigerator doors be open or close.If microcomputer 20 detects refrigerator doors and opens, then export a signal, this signal amplifies rear drive relay 24 through driver IC 22, makes the switch SW closure then.If AC power supplies 1 begins power supply, then power so that make filament 7 and 8 preheatings along above-mentioned preheating closed-loop path.This closed-loop path is made up of AC power supplies 1, ballast 3, left side filament 7, starter 5 and right side filament 8.After preheating was finished, starter 5 cut off electric current, and ballast 3 produces a high pressure counter electromotive force and lights fluorescent lamp 10 in this case.After lighting fluorescent lamp 10, set up by the closed-loop path of lighting that AC power supplies 1, ballast 3, left side filament 7 and right side filament 8 are formed, to keep the illuminating state of fluorescent lamp 10.

When fluorescent lamp lighting, since phototransistor 26 according to the high pressure counter electromotive force that produces by ballast 3 to predetermined voltage of microcomputer 20 outputs, so microcomputer 20 judges that fluorescent lamps 10 are lighted and guard relay 24 in closure (turn on) state of switch SW.Subsequently, when refrigerator doors was closed, microcomputer 20 detected closing of going out, and the switch SW that disconnects in the relay 24 is cut off the electric current that is flowed to fluorescent lamp 10 by AC power supplies 1, thereby fluorescent lamp is extinguished.

If owing to counter electromotive force is not enough 10 of fluorescent lamps are not worked, then phototransistor 26 is not exported the voltage of scheduled volume.Then, the switch SW in the microcomputer 20 disconnection relays 24 is again immediately with its closure.Therefore, form the preheating closed-loop path through starter once more and carry out the preheating action, and form once more subsequently and light the closed-loop path and carry out and light action.

Repeat this closed and disconnected control, till ballast 3 produces enough counter electromotive force to switch SW in the relay 24.

As mentioned above, according to the illumination controller and the method for fluorescent lamp of the present invention, by the not good enough bright action that detects and the glimmering lamp in being contained in refrigerator light just stop repeating to light action, can guarantee the fluorescent lamp lighting reliable in action.

Claims

1. the fluorescent lamp lighting control device in the refrigerator, wherein, power according to opening of refrigerator doors, fluorescent lamp is preheated the scheduled time, and the counter electromotive force that is provided by the ballast that is connected in series with fluorescent lamp after preheating is connected fluorescent lamp, and this fluorescent lamp lighting control device comprises:

Light detector, be used to detect described fluorescent lamp and whether light;

Light controller, be used for repeating to light action, till described fluorescent lamp lighting when detecting described fluorescent lamp when not lighting by the described detector of lighting.

2. according to the described fluorescent lamp lighting control device of claim 1, wherein, the described detector of lighting comprises: a transformer coil is used for the voltage of the coil that is added to described ballast is carried out conversion; A rectifier is used for the output voltage waveforms of described transformer coil is carried out rectification; And a voltage level discriminator, be used for differentiating fluorescent lamp and whether light according to the output voltage size of described rectifier.

3. according to the described fluorescent lamp lighting control device of claim 2, wherein, the described detector of lighting also comprises: a LED is used for according to the output voltage of described rectifier and luminous; And a phototransistor, be used for the luminous voltage of exporting scheduled volume according to described LED.

4. according to the described fluorescent lamp lighting control device of claim 1, wherein, the described detector of lighting comprises: a microcomputer; And a switch sections, be used under the control of described microcomputer, being used for power supply being received fluorescent lamp or power supply being disconnected from fluorescent lamp.

5. the fluorescent lamp lighting control method in the refrigerator may further comprise the steps:

According to opening of refrigerator doors and startup power supply, with one scheduled time of fluorescent lamp preheating, and the operation that after preheating, begins to light fluorescent lamp by the counter electromotive force that provides by ballast;

Whether detect described fluorescent lamp lights; And

When lighting result that detector detects and recording described fluorescent lamp and do not light, repeating to light action, till fluorescent lamp lighting according to described.

6. according to the described fluorescent lamp lighting control method of claim 5, wherein, the described detection step of lighting comprises step by step following: the voltage on the coil carries out conversion in the described ballast to being added to; Voltage waveform to conversion carries out rectification; And judge according to the size of rectified waveform voltage whether fluorescent lamp is lighted.

7. according to the described fluorescent lamp lighting control method of claim 6, wherein, the described detection step of lighting also comprises step by step following: apply output voltage to LED step by step by rectification and make it luminous; And differentiate fluorescent lamp according to LED luminous and whether light.