JP2006073438A - Discharge lamp lighting device, lighting fixture, and illumination system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a discharge lamp lighting device capable of lighting a plurality of discharge lamps having a rated power, capable of lighting the discharge lamps at the rated power by automatically discriminating the rated power thereof, capable of discriminating load even at the improvement of the characteristics of the lamps. <P>SOLUTION: The device is provided with a first period of driving a discharge lamp at nearly a constant lamp current from starting, a second period of driving the discharge lamp at nearly a constant lamp power W1a1, and a third period of driving the discharge lamp at another nearly constant lamp power W1a2. Kinds of discharge lamps are detected by changing rate of characteristic value of the discharge lamps at the first period, the second and the third periods are realized by switching target lamp power for driving the discharge lamps, the time of driving the discharge lamps at the second and the third periods is to be until the characteristics values of the discharge lamps are nearly stabilized, and the discharge lamp characteristics values are detected at the end of the second and the third periods to light the discharge lamps at given lamp power outputs in accordance with the detected results. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention uses a discharge lamp lighting device capable of lighting a discharge lamp having a plurality of rated powers, and capable of automatically determining the rated power of the discharge lamp and lighting the discharge lamp with the rated power of the discharge lamp, and the same. The present invention relates to a lighting fixture and a lighting system.

  FIG. 17 shows a block diagram of a conventional example disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-229289), and FIGS. 18 and 19 show specific circuit configurations thereof. Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described. The DC power source 1 includes an AC power source AC and a diode bridge DB. The AC power source AC is a commercial AC power source, and the voltage is, for example, 100V, 200V, or 240V.

  The diode bridge DB rectifies and outputs an AC voltage from the AC power supply AC into a pulsating DC voltage. Here, when the voltage of the AC power supply AC is 100 V, for example, a voltage doubler rectifier circuit may be used instead of the diode bridge. When the voltage doubler rectifier circuit is used, the voltage of the AC power supply can be regarded as substantially equal to 200 V, and the current flowing through the circuit connected after the voltage doubler rectifier circuit is about half that when using a diode bridge. Therefore, the efficiency of the discharge lamp lighting device can be increased.

  Further, an input filter circuit (not shown) including a capacitor and an inductor may be inserted before the diode bridge DB. When such an input filter circuit is inserted in front of the diode bridge DB, noise from the AC power supply AC is prevented from leaking to the power conversion circuit 2 described later, or conversely, It is possible to prevent noise from leaking to the power supply side.

  The power conversion circuit 2 includes a step-up chopper circuit 2a1, a step-down chopper circuit 2a2, and a full bridge inverter circuit 2b. The step-up chopper circuit 2a1 is for power factor improvement and converts a pulsating DC voltage from the diode bridge DB into a desired DC voltage and outputs it, and includes a switching element Q1, a diode D1, an inductor L1, and a capacitor C1. It is composed of The switching element Q1 is controlled, for example, by connecting the first pin of the integrated circuit MC34261 manufactured by Motorola, which is the control circuit IC2a1 of the step-up chopper circuit 2a1, to the gate of the switching element Q1. The first pin of the MC34261 is a pin that determines the drive frequency of the switching element Q1.

  Here, the step-up chopper circuit 2a1 may be a step-down chopper, a step-up / step-down chopper, or the like. In short, any circuit configuration may be used as long as it converts one DC voltage into another DC voltage.

  The step-down chopper circuit 2a2 controls power supplied to the high-pressure discharge lamp 3 described later, and includes a switching element Q2, a diode D2, an inductor L2, and a capacitor C2. Then, the switching element Q2 is controlled by, for example, an integrated circuit μPC 1094 manufactured by NEC, which is the control circuit IC2a2 of the step-down chopper circuit 2a2.

  Here, the step-down chopper circuit 2a2 may be a step-up chopper, a step-up / step-down chopper circuit, or the like. In the same manner as the boost chopper circuit 2a1, any circuit configuration may be used as long as it converts a certain DC voltage into another DC voltage.

  The full bridge inverter circuit 2b converts the DC voltage from the step-down chopper circuit 2a2 into a rectangular wave voltage by the on / off operation of the switching elements Q3 to Q6. The switching elements Q3 to Q6 are, for example, from a field effect transistor It is configured. Although a full bridge type inverter circuit is employed here, the inverter circuit may be a half bridge type, a single stone type, or a push-pull type. In short, any circuit configuration may be used as long as it converts a DC voltage into an AC rectangular wave voltage. Then, for example, an integrated circuit M63991FP manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric, which is the control circuit IC2b of the full bridge inverter circuit 2b, is connected to and controlled by the gates a, b, e, and d of the switching elements Q3 to Q6.

  The igniter circuit 2c is provided with a pulse voltage having a peak of several KV to the high pressure discharge lamp 3 and is started, and is composed of a capacitor, a pulse transformer, and the like.

  In the high-pressure discharge lamp 3, a discharge gas such as an inert gas (for example, argon or krypton) or mercury (other sodium or cadmium) vapor is enclosed in a ceramic or glass container, and electrons are contained in the excited encapsulated metal. Visible light is generated by collision. The high-pressure discharge lamp 3 is assumed to be a metal halide lamp having substantially the same outer dimensions and different arc distances in the arc tube of 5 mm, 7 mm, and 9 mm. The electrical characteristics of this metal halide lamp are as follows: the distance between the arcs is 5 mm, the lamp power is 35 W, the lamp voltage is 90 V, the lamp current is 0.5 A, the distance between the arcs is 7 mm, the lamp power is 70 W, the lamp voltage is 90 V, The lamp current is 1 A, the distance between arcs is 9 mm, the lamp power is 150 W, the lamp voltage is 95 V, and the lamp current is 1.8 A. Although a metal halide lamp is assumed here, the high pressure discharge lamp 3 may be any HID lamp such as a high pressure sodium lamp.

  As shown in FIG. 18B, the lighting control circuit 4 includes a comparator COMP1, a comparator COMP2, and the like, and a reference output of an oscillation circuit including a signal from an Ila detection circuit 5a, which will be described later, and the comparator COMP1. The signal is compared and the switching element Q2 is controlled via the control circuit IC2a2.

  As shown in FIG. 18A, the detection means 5 includes an Ila detection circuit 5a that detects a lamp current and a Vla detection circuit 5b that detects a lamp voltage.

  The Vla detection circuit 5b is composed of an amplifier OPAMP1 and the like, and a divided voltage Vla of a resistor R1 and a resistor R2 proportional to the ramp voltage is input to the inverting input terminal of the amplifier OPAMP1 via the resistor. And the target value voltage Vi of the lamp current as a voltage value according to the lamp voltage is generated.

  The Ila detection circuit 5a includes an amplifier OPAMP2 and the like, amplifies a voltage based on an error between the target value voltage Vi and the lamp current Ila flowing through the resistor R3, and is applied to the non-inverting input terminal of the comparator COMP2 of the lighting control circuit 4. input. The comparator COMP2 compares the voltage input to the non-inverting input terminal with the triangular wave voltage input to the inverting input terminal, thereby generating a pulse voltage that controls the switching element Q2 on / off.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the timer means 6 includes a comparator COMP3, a Zener diode ZD, a capacitor C0, and resistors R5 and R6. One ends of the resistors R5 and R6 are connected to the control power supply voltage Vcc. Of course, the timer means 6 is not limited to that shown in the figure, and for example, NE555 which is an 8-pin type IC manufactured by Signatures may be used. Since the operation of NE555 is well known, detailed description of the operation is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the determination means 7 includes a latch circuit RS, a comparator COMP4, a switch element SW, a diode D0, a reference voltage Vc, and resistors R3, R4, Rw70, and Rw150.

  Next, the operation of the conventional example will be described. Here, FIG. 20A shows a change in the lamp voltage Vla when the HID lamp with a rated power of 70 W and the HID lamp with a power of 150 W are connected when the discharge lamp lighting device outputs 70 W, respectively. 20 (b) shows the Q outputs of the comparator COMP3, the comparator COMP4 and the latch circuit RS when a 150 W HID lamp is connected to the discharge lamp lighting device, and FIG. 20 (c) shows the discharge lamp lighting device. 4 shows the Q outputs of the comparator COMP3, the comparator COMP4 and the latch circuit RS when a 70 W HID lamp is connected.

  Consider a case where an HID lamp with a rated power of 150 W is connected to the discharge lamp lighting device. When the AC power supply AC is turned on, power is supplied to the step-up chopper circuit 2a1, the step-down chopper circuit 2a2, and the full bridge inverter circuit 2b, and the on / off operation of the switching elements Q3 to Q6 is started. Then, a dielectric breakdown voltage is applied by the igniter circuit 2c, and the HID lamp 3 is started. When the HID lamp 3 is started, the igniter circuit 2c stops operating and power is supplied to the HID lamp 3, and the lamp voltage starts to rise as shown in FIG. In addition, charging of the capacitor C0 is started simultaneously with the turning on of the AC power supply AC. Then, at t = t1 shown in FIG. 20A, the charging voltage of the capacitor C0 exceeds the threshold voltage of the comparator COMP3, and the comparator COMP3 is turned on. When the comparator COMP3 is turned on, its output, that is, the potential on the cathode side of the diode D0 becomes H level, and the anode side of the diode D0, that is, the set input S of the latch circuit RS is determined by the output of the comparator COMP4.

  Next, when the ramp voltage reaches Vc at t = t4, the inverting input of the comparator COMP4 becomes larger than the non-inverting input Vc, and at this point, the comparator COMP4 is turned off. That is, at t = t4, the output of the comparator COMP4 changes from the H level to the L level. However, since the comparator COMP3 is already on at t = t1 earlier than that, the latch circuit is reached at the time t = t1. The H signal is input to the set input S of the RS, and the output Q of the latch circuit RS outputs the H signal as shown in FIG. As a result, the switch element SW is turned on, so that the current input to the Ila detection circuit 5a has a value determined by the parallel resistance of the resistors R3, Rw70, and Rw150. That is, the target value voltage Vi is a voltage of an HID lamp with a rated power of 150 W, and the lighting control circuit 4 causes the HID lamp with a rated power of 150 W to light at 150 W of the rated power based on the target value voltage Vi.

  When an HID lamp with a rated power of 70 W is connected to the discharge lamp lighting device, the inverting input of the comparator COMP4 is a non-inverting input at a time t = t3 earlier than t = t1 when the comparator COMP3 is turned on. It becomes larger than Vc, and at this time, the comparator COMP4 is turned off. That is, at t = t3, the output of the comparator COMP4 changes from the H level to the L level. Even when the comparator COMP3 is turned on at a later time t = t1, the H signal is output to the set input S of the latch circuit RS. It is never entered. Therefore, since the output Q of the latch circuit RS outputs an L signal, the switch element SW is turned off, and the current input to the Ila detection circuit 5a has a value determined by the resistors R3 and Rw70. That is, the target value voltage Vi is a voltage of an HID lamp with a rated power of 70 W, and the lighting control circuit 4 causes the HID lamp with a rated power of 70 W to light at 70 W of the rated power based on the target value voltage Vi.

  If the number of switch elements SW, resistors Rw70 and resistors Rw150 is appropriately increased according to the type of high-pressure discharge lamp, a plurality of high-pressure discharge lamps having different rated powers can be lit with the rated power of the high-pressure discharge lamp. .

  As described above, each high-pressure discharge lamp can be lit at rated power according to the type of the high-pressure discharge lamp by using one discharge lamp lighting device.

  Next, the discharge lamp lighting device shown in FIG. 21 has a configuration in which correction means 10 for correcting the accumulated time of the timer means 6 is added to the discharge lamp lighting device shown in FIG. When the discharge lamp lighting device is restarted, the temperature of the high pressure discharge lamp 3 has risen, and therefore, it is in a state where it is easier to light than at the initial start. That is, as shown in FIG. 22A, the time t = t1 until reaching the predetermined threshold voltage Va provided in the determination means 7 is compared with the time t = t2 until reaching the threshold voltage Va at the initial start. Become shorter. Therefore, in this case, if the time of (t2-t1) is corrected by the correction means 10, it is possible to prevent an erroneous determination of the type of the high-pressure discharge lamp at the time of restart.

As described above, in the lighting device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of HID lamps with rated power are set as target loads, and the load type is determined from the transient characteristics or the steady characteristics when the lamps are lit. The rated lighting is used, and lamps with different rated power can be used with one lighting device. For this reason, for example, it is easy to switch to a lamp with a rated power lower than usual for energy saving. Alternatively, there is an advantage that only the lamp needs to be replaced when the optical design is changed due to renovation of a store or the like.
JP 2003-229289 A

  In the above-mentioned patent document 1, as a load discrimination method, it is proposed to measure the time until the transient characteristic exceeds a predetermined value, and it is proposed to correct the above time at the time of restart. . Here, the reason for correcting the above time at the time of restart is that the start-up is quicker than the initial start characteristic.

  However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a method for distinguishing between initial start and restart. In addition, the rising states of the initial start and restart characteristics are not limited to the two states as shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, but can take various intermediate states depending on how the lamp cools. Therefore, more reliable load determination means are required, and particularly load determination means based on the difference between the initial start and restart is necessary.

  In response to the above problems, the present inventors, as shown in FIG. 3, with the difference in behavior of the transient characteristics of the lamp at the start when a lamp with a different rated power is lit with a specific power characteristic ballast, It is proposed to determine the rated power of the lamp.

  FIG. 4 shows the ballast characteristics of the HID lamp lighting circuit. B1 is an example of a ballast characteristic dedicated to 70W, and B2 is an example of a ballast characteristic dedicated to 35W. In either case, constant lamp current control is performed in a region where the lamp voltage Vla is low, and constant power control is performed when the lamp voltage Vla exceeds a predetermined value. The ballast characteristic for load determination is the same characteristic as B1 in the case of a 70W lamp, and in the case of a 35W lamp, it is determined to be 35W at the time of Vla = 40V, and moves to the constant power characteristic of 35W of B2. This can be realized by providing the B3 ballast characteristic.

  In any case, the constant lamp current control → constant power control sequence is followed, and the ballast control circuit only needs to be switched once, and the timing of the switching is a specific value of the lamp voltage Vla. Further, the characteristic value is determined in advance.

  According to this example, it is possible to determine the load regardless of the difference between the initial start and the restart which are not considered in Patent Document 1. If this example is used, it is considered that almost all lamps can be discriminated, but it is conceivable that the behavior of the transient characteristics of the lamp at the start will change due to the improvement of the characteristics of the lamp.

  Specifically, the HID lamp has a feature that the rise of the luminous flux is slow and sufficient light cannot be obtained at the beginning of lighting. It is natural that manufacturers can improve this slow rise in luminous flux. In this case, the characteristics are improved so that the rise time of the lamp voltage Vla in FIG. 3 is shortened, and the rise is about the same as 35 W before improvement even though the lamp is a 70 W lamp.

  If all lamp manufacturers improve the characteristics at the same time, it can be dealt with by changing the threshold value for load determination. However, in fact, the characteristics of the manufacturers vary, and only one company can improve the above. If this is done, lamps with the same rated lamp but with significantly different start-up characteristics at the beginning of lighting will be mixed in the market. The troublesome thing is to design a ballast for load determination based on the characteristics shown in FIG. Therefore, a 70 W lamp with improved new characteristics is erroneously determined to be rated 35 W.

  As described above, it is not possible to cope with changes in lamp behavior due to improvement in lamp characteristics only by discrimination based on transient characteristics.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and can discharge a discharge lamp having a plurality of rated powers, can automatically determine the rated power of the discharge lamp, and can be lit at the rated power of the discharge lamp. In a possible discharge lamp lighting device, it is an object to make it possible to determine a load for improving the characteristics of a lamp.

  In order to solve the above problem, the present inventors have observed the characteristics of the high-pressure discharge lamp at the time of various power values in detail. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the stable power and voltage when the 35 W lamp and the 70 W lamp are lit with various powers. (A) is for a plurality of types of 35 W lamps, and (b) is a measurement of the relationship between a stable lamp power Wla and a lamp voltage Vla for a plurality of types of 70 W lamps.

  Here, when attention is paid to data in which the lamp Wla is between 30 W and 35 W, it can be seen from FIG. 5A that the lamp voltage Vla also decreases when the power of the 35 W lamp decreases from 35 W to 30 W. On the other hand, when the 70 W lamp is lit with the power of 35 W, there is a lamp whose lamp voltage is lower than 75 V, but it can be seen from FIGS. 5A and 5B that this is not the case with the 35 W lamp. Further, it can be seen from FIG. 5B that a lamp that does not fall below 75V when the 35W power is turned on with a 70W lamp, when the power is reduced to 30W, the lamp voltage increases or hardly changes.

  Thus, it has been found that the characteristic value when the lamp is lit at a certain constant power value is different between the 35 W lamp and the 70 W lamp.

  By combining the two steady state characteristic values shown here with load discrimination based on the start-up characteristics at start-up, it is possible to respond to changes in characteristic values due to improved lamp characteristics, and more reliable discharge lamp lighting The device can be realized.

  According to the present invention, a discharge lamp lighting device capable of lighting a discharge lamp having a plurality of rated powers, and capable of automatically determining the rated power of the discharge lamp and lighting the discharge lamp with the rated power of the discharge lamp. In this case, even when a load having greatly different transient characteristics due to the improvement of the lamp characteristics is targeted, load determination is reliably performed from the difference between the transient characteristics at the start and the two different steady characteristics. be able to.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The configuration of the power control circuit 4a is the same as that of the conventional example Ila detection circuit 5a, Vla detection circuit 5b, and lighting control circuit 4 in FIG. The resistors R1 and R2 input a voltage obtained by dividing a voltage corresponding to the lamp voltage Vla to an analog port (7th pin) of the microcomputer 7a. As the microcomputer, for example, PIC12F675 (8-bit microcomputer with A / D conversion function / flash memory) manufactured by Microchip is used. This microcomputer has an internal clock circuit in an 8-pin package and requires almost no external parts, which is advantageous in constructing a control circuit.

  In the present embodiment, the current detection resistor is switched as means for switching the target power using a microcomputer. The third, fifth, and sixth pins of the microcomputer are set as output ports and realize switching of the current detection resistors Rw1, Rw2, and Rw3 for switching the target power to 30 W, 35 W, and 70 W, respectively. When the 6th pin is at the H level, the switch element SW1 is turned on, and the current detection resistor Rw1 is connected in parallel with the resistor R3. When the fifth pin is at the H level, the switch element SW2 is turned on, and the current detection resistor Rw2 is connected in parallel with the resistor R3. When the third pin is at the H level, the switch element SW3 is turned on, and the current detection resistor Rw3 is connected in parallel with the resistor R3. As a result, the target power can be switched in three stages without changing the configuration of the power control circuit 4a. The first pin of the microcomputer is a power supply terminal, and the eighth pin is a ground terminal.

  FIG. 2 shows an operational flowchart of the microcomputer. The operation will be described below.

  Before the lamp is lit, the detection voltage of the lamp voltage Vla is clamped by the Zener diode ZD2 and is set to Vcc = 5V. When the lamp is lit by applying the start pulse, the detection voltage of the lamp voltage Vla becomes low. This low level is monitored by the input of the analog port (7th pin) of the microcomputer, and lighting is determined (# 1, # 2).

  Next, the process proceeds to constant current control, and monitoring is performed until the lamp voltage Vla reaches a detection voltage corresponding to 30 V (# 3, # 4). Then, after the lamp voltage reaches the detection voltage corresponding to 30V, the microcomputer measures the time until the lamp voltage reaches the detection voltage corresponding to 40V (# 5, # 6).

  The specific measurement means depends on the program. For example, the value of the detected voltage of the analog port (pin 7) is read by the A / D converter at regular intervals, and the detected voltage is equivalent to 30V to 40V of the lamp voltage Vla. The count value corresponding to the elapsed time can be obtained by counting how many times the value is read by the A / D converter before shifting to. Of course, the actual time may be measured from the clock frequency of the microcomputer and the interval at which the A / D converter is operated.

  This time is compared with a pre-programmed value (ΔT), and is determined to be 35 W when it is small and 70 W when it is large (# 7). If it is determined that the lamp is a 70 W lamp, the constant current control is continued until the lamp voltage reaches a detection voltage corresponding to 70 V (# 8, # 9), and then the constant power control is switched to 70 W (# 10). .

  Here, the programmed value (ΔT) is determined in consideration of the values of t1 and t2 in FIG. FIG. 3 shows the rising characteristics of the lamp voltage Vla at the initial start for each of the three CDM-35 and CDM-70.

  The principle of primary determination (# 3 to # 7) of the lamp type according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the lamp voltage Vla serving as the inflection point of the CDM-35 is V3≈47V, and the lamp voltage Vla serving as the inflection point of the CDM-70 is about 70V. Determine the lamp type.

  Specifically, the time required for the lamp voltage Vla to reach V2 = 40V from V1 = 30V is measured. At times t1 and t2, there is a clear difference between CDM-35 and CDM-70, and the rated power can be determined.

  Even when the characteristics at the time of restarting the same lamp are measured, the characteristics at the initial start (FIG. 3) are shifted to the left in the time axis direction, and the lamp voltage Vla is changed from V1 = 30V to V2 = 40V. The times t1 ′ and t2 ′ required to reach the point are almost the same as t1 and t2 in FIG. 3 and the value of the lamp voltage Vla serving as the inflection point is substantially the same. Judgment is possible.

  From the above, by measuring the time to reach another predetermined value from a predetermined value with a characteristic below the inflection point, and comparing the value with a preset value, regardless of the initial start, restart, The type of the lamp currently operated can be determined primarily.

  By the way, as described above, although the lamp is a 70 W lamp, the characteristics may be improved so that the rise time of Vla in FIG. 3 is shortened, and the rise characteristics similar to 35 W before the improvement may be exhibited. For such a lamp, whether it is a 35 W lamp or a 70 W lamp with improved rise characteristics is determined by secondary determination of # 11 to # 19.

  FIG. 6 shows a change in ballast characteristics when a lamp that can be discriminated to be 70 W by the start-up characteristic shown in FIG. 3 is mounted. The lamp is lit at a constant current while the lamp voltage Vla is low immediately after starting. If the lamp voltage Vla is determined to be a 70 W lamp when the lamp voltage Vla is between 30 and 40V, the lamp voltage Vla is controlled at a constant current until the lamp voltage Vla reaches about 70V. After that, switching to constant power control for a 70 W lamp.

  FIG. 7 shows a change in ballast characteristics when a lamp having an improved start-up characteristic at the time of starting is mounted even with a 70 W lamp. While the lamp voltage Vla immediately after starting is low, the lamp is lit at a constant current. If the lamp voltage Vla is not determined to be a 70 W lamp between 30 and 40 V, the process proceeds to constant power control for a 35 W lamp having a lower lamp rated power (# 11). Thereafter, it is detected that the change of the lamp voltage Vla is almost lost (# 12), the value Vla1 of the lamp voltage Vla at that time is stored (# 13), and the lamp power is switched to the constant power control for the 30 W lamp. (# 14). Thereafter, it is detected that the change in the lamp voltage Vla has almost disappeared (# 15), and the value Vla2 of the lamp voltage Vla at that time is stored (# 16). Note that in # 12 or # 15, the light emission illuminance of the discharge lamp may be detected, and it may be determined that the characteristic value is substantially stabilized when the temporal change has become a predetermined value or less.

  If Vla1 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (for example, 75V), it is determined that the lamp is a 70 W lamp (a lamp having improved start-up characteristics at start-up) (# 17). If Vla1 is larger than the predetermined value, ΔVla = Vla2−Vla1 is calculated (# 18). If ΔVla is larger than the predetermined value Vd, it is determined that the lamp is 70 W (# 19). If it is determined that the lamp is a 70 W lamp, the output control is switched to the constant power control (# 10) for the 70 W lamp and the rated lighting is performed.

  FIG. 8 shows changes in ballast characteristics when a 35 W lamp is mounted. While the lamp voltage Vla immediately after starting is low, the lamp is lit at a constant current. When the lamp voltage Vla is between 30 and 40 V, it is not determined that the lamp is a 70 W lamp, so the routine proceeds to constant power control for a 35 W lamp (# 11). Thereafter, it is detected that the lamp Vla has almost no change, the value Vla1 of the lamp voltage Vla at that time is stored, and the lamp power is switched to constant power control for a 30 W lamp (# 12 to # 14). Thereafter, it is detected that the change of the lamp voltage Vla is almost lost, and the value Vla2 of the lamp voltage Vla at that time is stored (# 15, # 16).

  Since Vla1 is not less than a predetermined value (for example, 75V), it is not determined that the lamp is a 70 W lamp (# 17). Next, ΔVla = Vla2−Vla1 is calculated (# 18). Here, ΔVla is equal to or less than the predetermined value Vd, so it is determined that the lamp is 35 W (# 19), and the output control is fixed for the 35 W lamp. Switch to power control (# 20) and the rated light is on.

  From FIGS. 5A and 5B, it can be seen that if ΔVla is almost zero or a positive value, it is a 70 W lamp, and if it is negative, it is a 35 W lamp, so it is compared with ΔVla. As a predetermined value, a negative constant value Vd is taken as a threshold value, and a 70 W lamp and a 35 W lamp can be determined.

  Changes in the power applied to the lamp from the start of lighting are shown in FIGS. FIG. 9 shows the change over time in the power applied to the lamp when a 70 W lamp is mounted. The change indicated by ■ in the figure is shown in FIG. 6, and the change indicated by ▲ in the figure is shown in FIG. 7 respectively. FIG. 10 shows the change over time of the power applied to the lamp in the case of the 70 W lamp of FIG. 6 and the 35 W lamp of FIG. 8, and the change indicated by ■ in the figure is shown in FIG. The changes indicated by ◆ correspond to FIG.

(Embodiment 2)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment described above, the ballast characteristics are switched in the order of “constant current control → 35 W constant power control → 30 W constant power control”, whereas in this second embodiment, “constant current control → 30 W”. The difference is that the ballast characteristics are switched in the order of “constant power control → constant power control at 35 W”. In other words, when the lamp voltage Vla reaches 40 V, if it is not determined as a 70 W lamp, it is determined whether the lamp is a 35 W lamp or a 70 W lamp with improved start-up characteristics. First, constant power control is performed so that the lamp power is 30 W, and then constant power control is performed so that the lamp power is 35 W. If the lamp is determined to be a 35 W lamp, as shown in FIG. The constant power control is continued so that the lamp power is 35W. In addition, when it is determined that the 70W lamp has improved start-up characteristics instead of the 35W lamp, switching to constant power control of 70W lamp power is performed as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 11 shows changes in ballast characteristics when a 35 W lamp is mounted. FIG. 12 shows a change in the ballast characteristic when a lamp whose start-up characteristic at start-up is faster due to the characteristic improvement among 70W lamps is mounted. Note that, among the 70 W lamps, the change in ballast characteristics when a lamp before characteristic improvement, that is, a lamp with a slow start-up characteristic at start-up is mounted is the same as in FIG. 6 described in the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail following the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 shows a change in ballast characteristics when a lamp that can be discriminated to be 70 W by the start-up characteristic shown in FIG. 3 is mounted. The lamp is lit at a constant current while the lamp voltage Vla is low immediately after starting. If the lamp voltage Vla is determined to be a 70 W lamp when the lamp voltage Vla is between 30 and 40V, the lamp voltage Vla is controlled at a constant current until the lamp voltage Vla reaches about 70V. After that, switching to constant power control for a 70 W lamp.

  FIG. 11 shows changes in ballast characteristics when a 35 W lamp is mounted. While the lamp voltage Vla immediately after starting is low, the lamp is lit at a constant current. When the lamp voltage Vla is between 30 and 40 V, it is not determined that the lamp is a 70 W lamp, so the routine proceeds to constant power control where the lamp power is 30 W. Thereafter, it is detected that the lamp Vla has almost no change, the value Vla1 of the lamp voltage Vla at that time is stored, and the control is switched to constant power control in which the lamp power is 35 W. Thereafter, it is detected that the lamp voltage Vla has changed either up or down, and the value Vla2 of the lamp voltage Vla at that time is stored. ΔVla = Vla2−Vla1 is calculated, and if ΔVla is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the lamp is determined as a 35 W lamp, and the operation shifts to rated lighting while maintaining constant power control with an output of 35 W.

  FIG. 12 shows a change in ballast characteristics when a lamp with improved start-up characteristics at the start is mounted even with a 70 W lamp. While the lamp voltage Vla immediately after starting is low, the lamp is lit at a constant current. When it is not determined that the lamp voltage Vla is between 30 and 40V and the lamp is 70 W, the control proceeds to constant power control where the lamp power is 30 W. Thereafter, it is detected that the change in the lamp voltage Vla has almost disappeared, the value Vla1 of the lamp voltage Vla at that time is stored, and the control is switched to constant power control in which the lamp power is 35W. Thereafter, it is detected that the lamp voltage Vla has changed either up or down, and the value Vla2 of the lamp voltage Vla at that time is stored. ΔVla = Vla2−Vla1 is calculated, and if ΔVla is equal to or less than a predetermined value, it is determined that the lamp is 70 W. If it is determined that the lamp is a 70 W lamp, the output control is switched to the constant power control for the 70 W lamp and the rated lighting is performed.

  This embodiment is also the same as the first embodiment in that the load is discriminated from the transient characteristic at the time of starting (elapsed time of Vla = 30 to 40 V) and the two characteristic values at the steady state, and similarly the reliability. A high lighting device can be realized. The specific circuit configuration of this embodiment is the same as the circuit diagram of FIG. 1 described in the first embodiment, and it is necessary to change the circuit configuration only by changing the microcomputer program (the constant in the flowchart of FIG. 2). There is no. This is one of the advantages of using a microcomputer (microcontroller) in the control circuit.

(Embodiment 3)
In Embodiments 1 and 2 described above, load determination is performed by stably lighting the target lamps (35 W and 70 W) at a lower rated power or lower. good. For example, in FIGS. 13 and 14, after reaching Vla = 40 V by constant current control, the light is first turned on at 40 W and then turned on at 30 W. FIG. 13 shows changes in ballast characteristics when a 35 W lamp is mounted. FIG. 14 shows a change in the ballast characteristic when a lamp whose start-up characteristic at start-up is fastened due to the characteristic improvement among 70W lamps is mounted.

  Here, in the case of lighting with constant power control of 30 W, the lamp voltage Vla can be detected even before sufficiently stable lighting. This is because if the lamp voltage Vla changes when the control power is switched, if the lamp is a 35 W lamp, the lamp voltage Vla decreases as shown in FIG. Alternatively, since the lamp voltage Vla increases, there is no need to wait until the lamp is sufficiently lit. Thus, by shortening the period of the second constant power control, there is also an effect that the time until the lamp is switched to the rated lighting is shortened. It goes without saying that the control for shortening the period of the second constant power control can also be applied to the first and second embodiments.

  In the present embodiment, as the first constant power control, the advantage of lighting at 40 W is that the 70 W lamp is in a dimming lighting state anyway, and it is better to turn on with as much power as possible. This is advantageous from the viewpoint of preventing the lamp from going out. On the other hand, since the 35 W lamp is excessively lit, it is advantageous from the viewpoint of life to avoid lighting with too much electric power. In view of the characteristics shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, 40 W is selected.

  In order to realize the operation described here, in the circuit configuration of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, in order to realize lighting by constant power control of 40 W, the Ila detection circuit includes a detection resistor Rw4 and a switch element. SW4 is added.

  In the above embodiments, 35W and 70W lamps are used as target loads, and the rated power lighting control is limited to 30W, 35W, and 40W. However, if the target lamp changes, the value of the rated power lighting control can be changed as appropriate. It can be easily understood that the selection should be made from the characteristics shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b).

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 16 shows a configuration example of a lighting fixture using the discharge lamp lighting device of the present invention. (A), (b) is an example applied to a spotlight, (c) is an example applied to a downlight. In the figure, 11 is an electronic ballast storing a circuit of a lighting device, and 12 is a high pressure discharge lamp. The lamp body 13 is a wiring. In any lighting fixture, a plurality of types of high-pressure discharge lamps such as 35 W and 70 W can be appropriately selected and mounted. A plurality of these lighting fixtures may be combined to construct an illumination system, and a plurality of different types of high-pressure discharge lamps may be used in combination depending on the required illuminance, emission color, design, and the like.

It is a circuit diagram which shows the principal part circuit structure of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the principal part operation | movement of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the principle of lamp | ramp kind discrimination | determination by the rise time measurement at the time of starting. It is explanatory drawing of the ballast characteristic used for lamp | ramp kind discrimination | determination by the rise time measurement at the time of a start. It is a characteristic view which shows the result of having measured the relationship between the lamp voltage and lamp power at the time of stability about several types of lamps. It is explanatory drawing of the ballast characteristic used for the lamp | ramp kind discrimination | determination of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the ballast characteristic used for the lamp | ramp kind discrimination | determination of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the ballast characteristic used for the lamp | ramp kind discrimination | determination of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the time change of the lamp electric power of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the time change of the lamp electric power of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the ballast characteristic used for lamp | ramp kind discrimination | determination of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the ballast characteristic used for lamp | ramp kind discrimination | determination of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the ballast characteristic used for the lamp | ramp kind discrimination | determination of Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the ballast characteristic used for the lamp | ramp kind discrimination | determination of Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the principal part circuit structure of Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the lighting fixture of Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the conventional high pressure discharge lamp lighting device. It is a specific circuit diagram of a conventional high pressure discharge lamp lighting device. It is a specific circuit diagram which shows the principal part structure of the conventional high pressure discharge lamp lighting device. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the conventional high pressure discharge lamp lighting device. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of the conventional high pressure discharge lamp lighting device. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the prior art example of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 DC power supply 2 Power conversion circuit 3 Discharge lamp 4 Lighting control circuit 5 Detection means 7 Discrimination means

Claims (12)

In a discharge lamp lighting device including a power conversion circuit that converts power from a DC power source and supplies power to a high-pressure discharge lamp, and a lighting control circuit that controls power supplied to the power conversion circuit, a plurality of discharge lamp lighting devices are provided. A discharge lamp lighting device that is provided with a rated lighting means for determining the type of the high-pressure discharge lamp and rated-lighting the high-pressure discharge lamp for a variety of high-pressure discharge lamps. And a second period for driving the discharge lamp with a substantially constant lamp power Wla1, and a third period for driving the discharge lamp with another substantially constant lamp power Wla2. The discharge lamp type is detected by the rate of change of the characteristic value of the discharge lamp in the first period, and the second and third periods are realized by switching the target lamp power for driving the discharge lamp. Time to drive the discharge lamp in period 3 is discharge The discharge lamp characteristic value is detected at the end of the second and third periods, and the discharge lamp is turned on with a predetermined lamp power corresponding to the detection result. Electric light lighting device. 2. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the rated power of the plurality of types of discharge lamps is two types, W1 and W2 (W2> W1), and W2> Wla1> Wla2 and W1> Wla2. . 2. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the rated powers of the plurality of types of discharge lamps are W1 and W2 (W2> W1), and W2> Wla2> Wla1 and W1> Wla1. . 4. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, wherein after the third period, the target lamp power is switched to an appropriate power target value. 2. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that the characteristic value is substantially stabilized when the time change of the characteristic value of the discharge lamp becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a light emission illuminance detecting unit for the discharge lamp, wherein the characteristic value is determined to be substantially stable when the time change of the light emission illuminance of the discharge lamp becomes a predetermined value or less. apparatus. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the third period is detected before the discharge lamp characteristic value is stabilized, and the load type is determined. 3. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 2, wherein W2> Wla1≈W1> Wla2. 4. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 3, wherein W2> Wla2≈W1> Wla1. 10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a microcontroller having an A / D conversion function, detecting a characteristic value using the A / D conversion function, and switching target lamp power according to the detected value. A discharge lamp lighting device characterized by. The lighting fixture provided with the discharge lamp lighting device in any one of Claims 1-10. The lighting system containing the discharge lamp lighting device and lighting fixture in any one of Claims 1-11.

Images