EP0059552B1 - Elektronische Zündschaltung für Lampen - Google Patents

Elektronische Zündschaltung für Lampen Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0059552B1
EP0059552B1 EP82300786A EP82300786A EP0059552B1 EP 0059552 B1 EP0059552 B1 EP 0059552B1 EP 82300786 A EP82300786 A EP 82300786A EP 82300786 A EP82300786 A EP 82300786A EP 0059552 B1 EP0059552 B1 EP 0059552B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
circuit
starter
ignitor
progressive
threshold
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP82300786A
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English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0059552A1 (de
Inventor
Michael Patrick Goodchild
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
EMI Group Ltd
Original Assignee
Thorn EMI PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Thorn EMI PLC filed Critical Thorn EMI PLC
Publication of EP0059552A1 publication Critical patent/EP0059552A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0059552B1 publication Critical patent/EP0059552B1/de
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B41/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps
    • H05B41/02—Details
    • H05B41/04—Starting switches
    • H05B41/042—Starting switches using semiconductor devices
    • H05B41/044—Starting switches using semiconductor devices for lamp provided with pre-heating electrodes
    • H05B41/046—Starting switches using semiconductor devices for lamp provided with pre-heating electrodes using controlled semiconductor devices

Definitions

  • This invention relates to electronic starter circuits for discharge lamps and it relates especially, though not exclusively, to such circuits for krypton filled fluorescent lamps.
  • Some such lamps especially those which are slimmer than conventional fluorescent lamps (e.g. 25 mm diameter as opposed to 38 mm diameter), tend to be rather difficult to start and this invention provides an electonic starter circuit which is capable of overcoming that difficulty.
  • a starter circuit which is used in practice for conventional fluorescent lamps is the progressive starter circuit such as that described and claimed in US-A-4165475 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • This circuit employs progressive triggering such that triggering pulses are generated in successive cycles or half cycles of mains voltage in response to the mains voltage exceeding a threshold level which increases steadily cycle by cycle. This progression continues until the threshold level reaches a predetermined value, preferably greater than the supply voltage.
  • a predetermined value preferably greater than the supply voltage.
  • cathode heating current flows until the predetermined value is reached at which time the starter is inactivated and attempts at starting cease.
  • This invention consists in supplementing that circuit by connecting an ignitor circuit, in parallel therewith, across the lamp.
  • the ignitor circuit is one in which the supply negative swing is rectified to charge a capacitor to around peak mains and on the positive swing a thyristor fires to complete an HF resonant series circuit (ballast and charged capacitor) which executes approximately one cycle and terminates with current attempting to reverse through the thyristor.
  • the basic ignitor circuit is well known of itself and a reference to ignitors may be found in "Lamps and Lighting” (Second Edition 1972, Editors: S. T. Henderson and A. M. Marsden Pub. Arnold) Section 18.3.1, pp. 333-334. There is, however, a special and advantageous interaction between the two known circuits as will become clear hereinafter.
  • a discharge lamp starter circuit having two starter input terminals for connection to the cathodes of a discharge lamp, for receiving a cyclically varying voltage supplied through the lamp cathodes and a choke ballast, the circuit comprising, connected in parallel between said terminals, a progressive starter circuit capable of providing to said cathodes a succession of preheat current pulses, of progressively diminishing magnitude in response to a progressively rising threshold and an ignitor circuit capable of providing to said lamp, high voltage ignition pulses in response to a fixed threshold, the arrangement in combination being such that the progressive starter circuit provides the progressively decreasing preheat current pulses until the threshold of the ignitor is exceeded, the ignitor initiates high voltage ignition pulses thereafter, the ignition pulses being terminated prematurely by interaction with the progressive starter circuit which provides substantially constant magnitude preheat pulses until the progressive threshold reaches a preset maximum value whereupon the ignitor circuit provides a full ignition pulse.
  • circuit A the progressive starter circuit
  • circuit B the ignitor circuit
  • circuits A and B independently are well known and thus will not be further described herein. However, with the following component types and values incorporated by way of example, the two circuits interact in a particularly advantageous way, as will be described.
  • circuits A and B in parallel with each other, and with the lamp L is effective initially (i.e. for the first few cycles of mains voltage applied to the lamp) so that circuit A only operates, circuit B being arranged to be energised only when the voltage applied thereto exceeds a fixed threshold level.
  • the progressive threshold of circuit A (increasing with each cycle of mains voltage applied to the lamp) permits, in known manner, preheat current pulses of steadily decreasing magnitude to be applied to the lamp electrodes.
  • circuit A is operative to perheat the lamp electrodes but circuit B not being energised at all due to its fixed operational threshold exceeding that of circuit A
  • the variable threshold of circuit A has been increased to a level which exceeds the fixed threshold of circuit B.
  • circuit B is energised and attempts, in the usual manner for such an ignitor circuit, to develop a high voltage ignition pulse for the lamp, the voltage consisting of a high freqency oscillation determined by a series resonant circuit governed by the capacitor C1 and the inductance of a lamp choke ballast LB.
  • the circuit B develops the expected high frequency pulse which first swings negative, limiting at maximum negative mains voltage, and then attempts to swing to a substantially higher positive voltage.
  • This attempt however is frustrated by the pulse triggering circuit A into operation, thus precluding the positive swing of the pulse generated by circuit B exceeding the threshold level of the circuit A for that cycle of mains operation.
  • the triggering of circuit A provides another current pulse to the electrodes of the lamp. This state of affairs continues for several cycles of mains voltage, with the positive swing of the voltage pulse generated by circuit B being permitted to increase for each cycle by. the increasing threshold of circuit A.
  • the threshold of circuit A has risen high enough for the positive swing of the pulse generated by circuit B to be able to reach its maximum positive value without triggering circuit A into operation. It is then able to ignite the lamp. Once ignition occurs, the low running voltage across the lamp is insufficient to trigger either of circuits A and B into operation and thus these circuits remain quiescent during normal running. It will be understood that preheating of the lamp electrodes ceases when the threshold of circuit A has increased sufficiently to allow the pulse generated by circuit B to attain its maximum positive value.
  • circuit A the preheating current pulses generated by circuit A remain of substantially constant magnitude, despite the steadily increasing threshold value of circuit A, because of the fixed threshold of circuit B and the high frequency nature of the voltage pulses generated thereby, since these pulses determine the instant of energisation of circuit A during the successive cycles of mains voltage.
  • the resistors R1 and R7 and the diode D2 can be omitted from the circuit.
  • a resistor is connected from the junction of the capacitor and the diode thus added to the junction of D6, R4 and C2.
  • the added components are effective to rectify the mains voltage to provide a bias current'to capacitor C2, which component established the progressive threshold of operation for circuit A.
  • the bias current provides a non-linear progression of the threshold such that if the mains voltage is high, the ultimate cessation of production of current pulses by circuit A occurs sooner than it would have done if linear progression had been used, and vice-versa.

Landscapes

  • Circuit Arrangements For Discharge Lamps (AREA)

Claims (3)

1. Entladungslampen - Starterschaltung mit zwei Starter - Eingangsklemmen für den Anschluß an die Kathoden einer Entladungslampe (L), zum Empfang einer sich zyklisch ändernden Spannung, die über die Lampenkathoden und eine Ballastdrossel (LB) zugeführt wird, wobei die Schaltung umfaßt: eine parallel zwischen den genannten Klemmen geschaltete progressive Starterschaltung (A), die in der Lage ist, die genannten Kathoden mit einer Folge von Vorheiz - Stromimpulsen zu versehen, deren Größe progressiv in Abhängigkeit von einer progressiv ansteigenden Schwelle abnimmt, und eine Zündschaltung (B), die in der Lage ist, die genannte Lampe (L) mit Hochspannungs - Zündimpulsen in Abhängigkeit von einer festen Schwelle zu versehen, wobei die Anordnung in Kombination so ist, daß die progressive Starterschaltung (A) die progressiv abnehmenden Vorheiz - Stromimpulse liefert, bis die Schwelle des Zünders (B) überschritten wird, wobei der Zünder (B) danach Hochspannungs - Zündimpulse auslöst, wobei die Zündimpulse vorzeitig durch Zusammenwirken mit der progressiven Starterschaltung (A) beendet werden, die Vorheizimpulse mit im Wesentlichen konstanter Größe erzeugt, bis die progressive Schwelle einen vorgegebenen Maximumwert erreicht, worauf die Zündschaltung einen vollen Zündimpuls erzeugt.
2. Entladungslampen - Starterschaltung nach Anspruch 1, die geeignet ist, zwei Entladungslampen (L, L') zu starten, die in Parallelschaltung mit der genannten progressiven Starterschaltung (A) eine zweite im wesentlichen identische Zündschaltung (B') mit zwei weiteren Starter - Eingangsklemmen zum Anschluß an die Kathoden einer zweiten zon den beiden Lampen (L') aufweist, wobei zwei Gleichrichterelemente (D8, D8') jeweils so angeschlossen sind, daß sie eine Zündschaltung (B oder B') und ihr entsprechendes Paar von Starter - Eingangsklemmen von der anderen Zündschaltung (B' oder B) und ihrem entsprechenden Parr von Starter - Eingangsklemmen isolieren.
3. Entladungslampen - Starterschaltung nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, bei der die progressive Starterschaltung (A) Mittel einschaließt, die eine Schwelle vorsehen, die progressiv in nichtlinearer Progression ansteigt, so daß ein vorgegebener Maximumwert, bei dem die Progression endet, schneller in Abhängigkeit von einer höheren Netzspannung erreicht wird.
EP82300786A 1981-02-25 1982-02-16 Elektronische Zündschaltung für Lampen Expired EP0059552B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8105901 1981-02-25
GB8105901 1981-02-25

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0059552A1 EP0059552A1 (de) 1982-09-08
EP0059552B1 true EP0059552B1 (de) 1987-02-04

Family

ID=10519950

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP82300786A Expired EP0059552B1 (de) 1981-02-25 1982-02-16 Elektronische Zündschaltung für Lampen

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0059552B1 (de)
DE (1) DE3275429D1 (de)

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA1155170A (en) * 1979-03-22 1983-10-11 Isao Kaneda Discharge lamp lighting device with a delayed-output oscillation circuit
FR2488095A1 (fr) * 1980-08-01 1982-02-05 Lampes Sa Starter electronique pour lampe fluorescente

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
S. T. Henerson and A. M. Marsden "Lamps and Lighting", second edition, 1972, section 18.3.1, pp. 333-334 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0059552A1 (de) 1982-09-08
DE3275429D1 (en) 1987-03-12

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