JP5477273B2 - Discharge lamp lighting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a discharge lamp lighting device including a discharge lamp and a lighting device that controls a lighting state thereof.

  Conventionally, as a discharge lamp lighting device mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car, a discharge lamp that is a headlight that illuminates the front of the vehicle and a lighting device that controls the lighting state of the discharge lamp are configured to be detachable. A headlight lighting device is generally used.

  In this type of headlight lighting device, when the lighting device needs to be inspected at the time of production or at the time of shipment, the inspection time is determined by using a pseudo load (pseudo load) instead of the discharge lamp. Has been made to shorten.

  The reason for this is that a relatively large voltage (starting voltage) needs to be applied to the discharge lamp at the start of lighting, and the gas temperature in the tube is low and the impedance is high immediately after the start of lighting. This is because it is necessary for the lighting device to gradually reduce the power (lamp power) applied to the discharge lamp from a relatively large starting power to a desired stable power until the impedance (and thus the impedance) becomes stable.

  For this reason, for example, by attaching a pseudo load having the impedance of the discharge lamp in a stable state to the lighting device instead of the discharge lamp, the above-mentioned necessity is alleviated (for example, it is not necessary to apply a starting voltage), and stable power It is possible to shorten the work time required for inspection and adjustment.

  Further, in order to further reduce such a work load, for example, as already disclosed by the applicant of the present application, for example, the lighting device automatically detects that a pseudo load is connected instead of the discharge lamp, and the A circuit configuration that performs control to shorten the time until the lamp power starts to be controlled with stable power during detection may be employed (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3412421

By the way, with the recent circuit integration technology, it is possible to reduce the size of the lighting device, and accordingly, development of a downsized discharge lamp lighting device has been promoted.
In the development of such a discharge lamp lighting device, when the discharge lamp is configured to be removable from the lighting device, it is necessary to provide the discharge lamp and the lighting device with detachable parts such as sockets and connectors necessary for the detachment. Therefore, in order to further reduce the size, it has been studied to integrally configure the discharge lamp and the lighting device without providing these detachable parts.

  However, in the discharge lamp lighting device configured as described above, if the lighting device is exposed to the outside so that a pseudo resistance can be easily connected, the accuracy of the inspection may be reduced due to noise from a circuit constituting the lighting device. There was sex.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a discharge lamp lighting device that can reduce the size of the device, reduce the inspection time, and reduce the influence of noise during the inspection.

  A discharge lamp lighting device that is an invention made to achieve the above object is a device including a discharge lamp that is lit by discharge in a tube and a lighting device that controls the lighting state of the discharge lamp.

  In the present invention, in such a discharge lamp lighting device, it comprises a housing for sealing the lighting device together with at least one of the two lead portions connecting the discharge lamp and the lighting device, on the outer surface of the housing, A connection terminal connected to a pseudo load, which is a pseudo load used in place of the discharge lamp when inspecting the lighting device, is provided.

  In the discharge lamp lighting device configured as described above, for example, by using a pseudo load whose impedance is lower than the impedance of the discharge lamp at the start of lighting, the discharge lamp is not removed from the lighting device when the lighting device is inspected. By simply attaching a pseudo load to the connection terminal, it is possible to shorten the work time required for the inspection and adjustment of stable power. And since it is not necessary to remove a discharge lamp from a lighting device, since a discharge lamp and a lighting device can be comprised integrally, it becomes possible to make a discharge lamp lighting device smaller.

  Furthermore, in the discharge lamp lighting device of the present invention, the pseudo load can be attached to the connection terminal in a state where the lighting device is sealed in the housing, so that noise generated from the circuit constituting the lighting device during inspection is caused by the housing. As a result, it is difficult to leak such noise to the outside.

Therefore, according to the discharge lamp lighting device of the present invention, the size of the device can be reduced, the inspection time can be shortened, and the influence of noise during the inspection can be reduced.
In the discharge lamp lighting device of the present invention, a connector part that accommodates an electrode connected to an external power source is provided on the outer side surface of the housing, and the connection terminal is arranged on the inner side surface of the connector part. Good.

  According to the discharge lamp lighting device configured as described above, when the external power source and the lighting device are connected via the connector portion, it is possible to prevent the connection terminal from being exposed to the outside. It is possible to protect the connection terminals from dust and dirt when the electric lighting device is mounted.

Further, in the discharge lamp lighting device configured as described above, since the electrodes and the connection terminals can be arranged close to each other, it is easy for the inspector to connect the connection terminals when connecting the power source to the electrodes during the inspection. Can be visually recognized, and as a result, work efficiency can be improved. In addition, about the power supply used at the time of a test | inspection, the state which a connection terminal exposes outside may be maintained, for example by connecting to an electrode via a dedicated cable etc., and it may be easy to connect a pseudo load to a connection terminal.
Alternatively, in the discharge lamp lighting device of the present invention, the connection terminal may be arranged at a location spaced from the connector portion on the outer surface of the housing.
In this case, it is possible to inspect the lighting device even when the external power source and the lighting device are connected via the connector portion without requiring a power source or cable for inspection, and the degree of freedom of the shape of the connector portion. Can be improved.

  Further, in the discharge lamp lighting device of the present invention, one of the lead portions is constituted by a lead wire that is exposed and wired to the outside of the housing so as to be connected to one end of the pseudo load when the lighting device is inspected. However, only one connection terminal may be provided on the outer surface of the housing so as to be connected to the other end of the pseudo load when the lighting device is inspected.

  According to the discharge lamp lighting device configured as described above, as one of the connection terminals, compared to a case where two connection terminals are provided so as to be connected to both ends of the pseudo load at the time of inspection of the lighting device. By substituting the lead wire, the number of connection terminals can be reduced by half, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

  In the discharge lamp lighting device of the present invention, the lighting device may include a conversion circuit connected to the discharge lamp and a control circuit for controlling the conversion circuit. Specifically, the conversion circuit converts the power supplied from the external power source into the lamp power applied to the discharge lamp, and the control circuit stabilizes the lamp power from the preset starting power when the discharge lamp starts lighting. Control the conversion circuit to focus on the power. Furthermore, the control circuit determines that the simulated load is connected to the connection terminal by detecting that the applied voltage of the simulated load or the applied voltage of the discharge lamp has not reached a predetermined voltage or higher. Time shortening means for shortening the time until the lamp power starts control with stable power is provided.

  According to the discharge lamp lighting device configured in this way, the lighting device automatically detects that a pseudo load is connected, and in order to shorten the time from the start of lighting the discharge lamp until it becomes stable power, It is possible to reduce the work of the inspector during the inspection of the lighting device, and to perform the inspection work efficiently.

It is a circuit diagram which shows the circuit structure of the discharge lamp lighting device with which this invention was applied. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control circuit 8. FIG. 4 is a graph showing a waveform of lamp applied power and the like controlled by a control circuit 8 at the start of lighting of the discharge lamp 11. It is a graph which shows the waveform of the starting voltage at the time of the connection of the discharge lamp 11, and the applied voltage at the time of the connection of the pseudo load 12, respectively. It is an external view which shows the external appearance structure of the discharge lamp lighting device 1 in this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the wiring of the connector part 15, the fixed resistance 18, and the power supply 19. FIG. It is an external view which shows the external appearance structure of the discharge lamp lighting device 1 in other embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a modification of the connector unit 15. It is the side view and back view which show the external appearance structure of the discharge lamp lighting device 1 in other embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[Circuit configuration of discharge lamp lighting device]
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration of a discharge lamp lighting device to which the present invention is applied. The discharge lamp lighting device 1 is mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car, for example, and a discharge lamp 11 (also referred to as a bulb or a lamp) that is a headlight that illuminates the front of the vehicle, and a lamp for lighting the discharge lamp 11. And a lighting device 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lighting device 10 is configured such that electric power is supplied from a battery 2 as an external power source disposed outside the device 10 via a switch 3. By turning it on, power from the battery 2 is supplied to the lighting device 10.

  The lighting device 10 includes a DC / DC converter circuit 5, an H bridge circuit 6, a starting circuit 7, and a control circuit 8 in addition to the input capacitor 4 for smoothing the power supply voltage obtained from the battery 2. A connection point between the input capacitor 4 and the switch 3 (positive side of the battery 2) is Pa, and a connection point between the input capacitor 4 and the negative terminal (ground side) of the battery is Pb.

  The DC / DC converter circuit 5 includes a DC / DC transformer 51, a power MOS transistor 52 as a power element, a diode 53, and a capacitor 54. The DC / DC converter circuit 5 is configured as a converter circuit that boosts a power supply voltage (for example, 12V) from the battery 2 to a lamp supply voltage (for example, 35V to 90V).

  The power MOS transistor 52 is controlled to be turned on / off in accordance with a PWM signal from a PWM control unit 84 (see FIG. 2) constituting the control circuit 8. Therefore, the lamp supply voltage is determined by the duty ratio of the PWM signal output from the PWM control unit 84.

  The H bridge circuit 6 includes four power transistors 61 and a resistor 62 arranged as a current detection resistor. The H bridge circuit 6 is controlled by a drive IC 9 that receives an operation signal from a bridge control unit 85 (see FIG. 2) constituting the control circuit 8 and switches these power transistors 61. By this control, the H bridge circuit 6 is controlled. The output from 6 is converted from direct current to alternating current (but rectangular wave).

  The start circuit 7 includes a start drive circuit 70 and a starter transformer 71 that generates a start voltage (for example, about 20 kV) to be added to the lamp supply voltage in order to start lighting the discharge lamp 11.

  Among these, the starting drive circuit 70 controls the booster circuit and the booster circuit so that a temporary high voltage is applied to the discharge lamp 11 by starting the lighting of the discharge lamp 11. A start control unit that starts lighting, a high-voltage generating capacitor that charges a current that flows to the primary coil side of the starter transformer 71, and a spark gap that switches discharge of the high-voltage generating capacitor. . Note that a high voltage is supplied to the spark gap from the booster circuit that has received the operation signal from the start control unit, and the spark gap becomes conductive when the voltage of the spark gap reaches a predetermined voltage.

  Hereinafter, the connection point between the low voltage side terminal of the discharge lamp 11 and the starter circuit 7 is Pc, the connection point of the high voltage side terminal of the discharge lamp and the starter transformer 71 in the starter circuit 7 is Pd, and the starter in the starter transformer 71 and the starter circuit 7 is started. A connection point with the drive circuit 70 is Pe, and a connection point between the H bridge circuit 6 and the starter transformer 71 in the start circuit 7 is Pf.

[Configuration of Control Circuit 8]
Next, the control circuit 8 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control circuit 8, and FIG. 3 is a graph showing waveforms such as lamp applied power controlled by the control circuit 8 at the start of lighting of the discharge lamp 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control circuit 8 includes a lamp voltage detection unit 81, a lamp current detection unit 82, a lamp power control unit 83, a PWM control unit 84, and a bridge control unit 85. In addition, each part 81-85 which comprises the control circuit 8 of this embodiment is comprised as a circuit.

  The detailed configuration of each of the lamp voltage detection unit 81, the lamp current detection unit 82, the lamp power control unit 83, the PWM control unit 84, and the bridge control unit 85 is known in the art (for example, Japanese Patent No. 4085801, Japanese Patent No. 4350810). The technology described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3412421, etc.) is generally the same, and only functions related to the present invention will be described.

  The bridge control unit 85 periodically changes the polarity of the voltage applied to the discharge lamp 11. Specifically, the plurality of sets of power transistors 61 constituting the H bridge circuit 6 are sequentially turned on. Thus, the polarity of the voltage applied to the discharge lamp 11 is periodically changed.

  For example, the lamp voltage detection unit 81 is configured as a known circuit that inputs the potential of the output voltage V from the DC / DC converter circuit 5 and outputs a larger current as the potential increases. The output from the lamp voltage detection unit 81 is input to the lamp power control unit 83 as a value indicating the potential of the output voltage V.

  The lamp current detector 82 is configured as a known circuit that inputs the potential of the terminal I of the H-bridge circuit 6 whose potential changes depending on the current (lamp current) flowing through the discharge lamp 11, and outputs a larger current as the potential increases. Has been. The output from the lamp current detection unit 82 is input to the lamp power control unit 83 as a value representing the lamp current.

  The lamp power control unit 83 receives outputs from the lamp voltage detection unit 81 and the lamp current detection unit 82, generates a current corresponding to the time after the discharge lamp 11 is turned on, and changes the output voltage V. A current is generated according to the current, and a current obtained by combining these currents is generated. Specifically, the current corresponding to the time from when the discharge lamp 11 is turned on is a certain time from when the discharge lamp 11 is turned on until the light emission state of the discharge lamp 11 is estimated to be stable (stable time: Within about 30 seconds), the current value is set large, and then the current value is gradually decreased.

  Then, the lamp power control unit 83 inputs a voltage based on the total current value obtained by adding the above current values, the current values from the lamp voltage detection unit 81 and the lamp current detection unit 82 to the comparator, and is set in advance. The reference voltage is compared, and an output corresponding to the comparison result is input to the PWM controller 84. Here, the comparison result by the comparator is set so that a higher potential is output as the total current value increases. In this setting, the power value applied to the discharge lamp 11 immediately after the discharge lamp 11 is turned on. When the voltage is low, a high potential signal is output.

  The PWM control unit 84 generates a PWM signal having a duty ratio corresponding to the potential input from the lamp power control unit 83, and sends the PWM signal to the DC / DC converter circuit 5. That is, the PWM control unit 84 sets the duty ratio higher as the potential of the signal input from the lamp power control unit 83 increases.

  In such a lamp power control unit 83 and a PWM control unit 84, as shown in FIG. 3, the lamp applied power (the target value of the supplied power, the potential at the terminal V in FIG. The product of the voltage based on this and the current detected at the terminal I) is set to a starting power value (for example, 50 W) higher than the normal lamp applied power (for example, 35 W). Therefore, convergence is performed with normal lamp applied power (stable power).

  Immediately after the start of lamp operation, the temperature of the gas inside the discharge lamp 11 is low, and the gas in the discharge lamp is difficult to activate, so that the impedance increases, and as shown in FIG. The potential at the point Pd is relatively low. At this time, since the lamp applied power is set higher than usual, the lamp applied current (current flowing through the connection point Pd) becomes relatively large, and it is easy to prevent the discharge lamp 11 from being extinguished. .

  Thereafter, the lamp applied voltage increases as the temperature of the gas inside the discharge lamp 11 increases. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the lamp applied power gradually decreases and the lamp applied current also decreases. Thus, when controlling the duty ratio of the PWM signal output from the PWM controller 84 via the lamp power controller 83, feedback control is performed.

  Further, the lamp power control unit 83 calculates the potential (lamp voltage) at the connection point Pc based on the output voltage V from the lamp voltage detection unit 81. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when it is detected that the lamp voltage has exceeded the first threshold voltage VLo and has not reached the second threshold voltage VHi within a predetermined time after the switch 3 is turned on, it will be described later. It is determined that both ends of the fixed resistor 18 (see FIG. 6) are connected to the connection points Pf and Pc.

  The first threshold voltage VLo and the second threshold voltage VHi are voltage values set in advance based on the characteristics of the discharge lamp 11, and among these, the second threshold voltage VHi is applied to the discharge lamp 11 at the start of lighting. It may be set in advance to a value smaller than the starting voltage and larger than the stable voltage applied when the discharge lamp 11 is stable. Moreover, the 1st threshold voltage VLo should just be preset as a value for detecting said stable voltage.

  When the lamp power control unit 83 determines that the pseudo load is connected in this way, a signal having a potential set in advance so as to obtain stable lamp applied power (stable power) is supplied to the PWM control unit. By outputting, the above-described stabilization time is shortened.

  When the lamp power control unit 83 detects that the switch 3 is turned on and the power supply voltage (Pa) is input from the battery 2 based on the value of the lamp applied voltage (Pd), the start drive circuit 70 and the bridge It is configured to output a control signal for operating the control unit 85.

[External configuration of discharge lamp lighting device]
Next, FIG. 5 is an external view showing an external configuration of a discharge lamp lighting device to which the present invention is applied.
As shown in FIG. 5, the discharge lamp lighting device 1 includes a discharge lamp 11 that is lit by discharge in a tube and a lighting device 10 that controls the lighting state of the discharge lamp 11 (in other words, is not removable). And a casing 13 that seals the lighting device 10 together with one of the two lead portions 12 that connect the discharge lamp 11 and the lighting device 10.

  In the discharge lamp lighting device 1, one of the lead parts 12 constitutes a lead wire (not shown) connected to the high-voltage side terminal of the discharge lamp 11 and the starter transformer 71 (see FIG. 1), and the lead part The other of 12 comprises the lead wire 12a connected to the low voltage | pressure side terminal of the discharge lamp 11, and the two power transistors 61 (refer FIG. 1).

  The housing 13 forms a bottom surface and an upper surface that form a size with a margin added to both sides of a substrate (not shown) constituting the lighting device 10, and a height that can accommodate the substrate, the lead wire 12a, and the like. It has a rectangular parallelepiped case 14 having four side surfaces. The rectangular parallelepiped case 14 is manufactured using, for example, metal as a main raw material.

  Further, in the housing 13, one of the side surfaces (specifically, the outer surface) of the rectangular parallelepiped case 14 is integrally attached to a connector (not shown) connected to the battery 2 (in other words, removable). Connector part 15 is provided.

  The connector portion 15 is formed in a case shape having an open port with the outer side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped case 14 as a bottom surface, two electrodes 16 projecting from the bottom surface to the open port side, and two sealed on the bottom surface. And a connection terminal 17.

  Among these, the electrode 16 is connected to the battery 2 and supplies power from the battery 2 to the lighting device 10. The electrode 16 a connected to the connection point Pa of the lighting device 10 and the connection point of the lighting device 10. It consists of an electrode 16b connected to Pb.

  The connection terminal 17 is a terminal connected to a fixed resistor 18 (see FIG. 6) as a pseudo load used instead of the discharge lamp 11 when the lighting device 10 is inspected, and is connected to a connection point Pc of the lighting device 10. It consists of a connection terminal 17 a and a connection terminal 17 b connected to the connection point Pf of the lighting device 10.

  The fixed resistor 18 has a resistance value (impedance) determined in advance based on the characteristics of the discharge lamp 11. For example, in the characteristics of the discharge lamp 11, the range of the lamp applied voltage is 35V (Emin) to 90V (Emax). ) When the lamp applied power is in the range of 20 W (Wmin) to 90 V (Wmax), the impedance is any of 15 Ω (Rmin = Emin × Emin ÷ Wmax) to 405 Ω (Rmax = Emax × Emax ÷ Wmin) Any value is acceptable.

  When the lighting device 10 is inspected, as shown in FIG. 6, the plug of the cable connected to one end of the fixed resistor 18 is connected to the connection terminal 17a, and the plug of the cable connected to the other end of the fixed resistor 18 is connected. The fixed resistor 18 is connected to the lighting device 10 by being inserted into the terminal 17b. Next, when the inspection power source 19 is connected to the electrode 16, the fixed resistor 18 has an impedance smaller than that at the start of lighting of the discharge lamp 11, so that the fixed resistor 18 is energized instead of the discharge lamp 11. It will be.

  In addition, since the fixed resistor 18 is connected to the connection point Pc and the connection point Pf, the starting voltage from the starting circuit 7 is not reflected in the voltage applied to the fixed resistor 18 (the potential at the connection point Pc). Therefore, in the discharge lamp lighting device 1, as shown in FIG. 4, when the power source 19 is connected to the electrode 16, the applied voltage of the fixed resistor 18 immediately shows a stable voltage. From the product of the potential of the terminal I (lamp current), the lamp applied power (stable power) at the time of stability can be inspected.

[Effect of this embodiment]
As described above, in the discharge lamp lighting device 1 of the present embodiment, the fixed resistor 18 whose impedance is lower than the impedance of the discharge lamp 11 at the start of lighting is connected to the connection terminal 17, thereby By simply attaching the fixed resistor 18 to the connection terminal 17 without removing the discharge lamp 11 from the lighting device 10 at the time of inspection, it is possible to shorten the work time required for inspection and adjustment of stable power.

  And in the discharge lamp lighting device 1 of this embodiment, since the discharge lamp 11 and the lighting device 10 can be configured integrally, it is possible to further reduce the size, and the lighting device 10 is sealed in the housing 13. In this state, the fixed resistor 18 can be attached to the connection terminal 17, so that noise generated from each circuit constituting the lighting device 10 is blocked by the housing 13 at the time of inspection.

Therefore, according to the discharge lamp lighting device 1 of the present embodiment, the size of the device can be reduced, the inspection time can be shortened, and the influence of noise during the inspection can be reduced.
Further, in the discharge lamp lighting device 1, since the fixed resistor 18 is connected to the connection point Pc and the connection point Pf, the starting voltage from the starting circuit 7 is reflected in the voltage applied to the fixed resistor 18 (potential at the connection point Pc). Thus, the applied voltage of the fixed resistor 18 can be easily detected, and the circuit configuration can be simplified.

  Further, in the discharge lamp lighting device 1, since the electrode 16 and the connection terminal 17 are arranged on the connector portion 15, the connection terminal 17 can be easily visually recognized by the inspector before the power source 19 is connected to the electrode 16 at the time of inspection. As a result, work efficiency can be improved.

[Correspondence between this embodiment and claims]
In the present embodiment, the lamp power control unit 83 corresponds to time reduction means.
[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it is possible to implement in various aspects.

  For example, in the discharge lamp lighting device 1 of the above embodiment, the connector portion 15 is provided with the two connection terminals 17a and 17b. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and as shown in FIG. Only the connection terminal 17 b connected to the ten connection points Pf may be provided in the connector portion 15.

  In this case, since the lead wire 12a is connected to the connection point Pc of the lighting device 10, when the lighting device 10 is inspected, the both ends of the fixed resistor 18 are attached to the connection terminal 17b and the lead wire 12a, respectively. Can be shortened.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the shape of the connection terminal 17 may be a shape projecting from the bottom surface to the open port side with the outer surface of the rectangular parallelepiped case 14 as the bottom surface, similarly to the electrode 16.
Further, in the discharge lamp lighting device 1 of the above embodiment, the connection terminal 17b is connected to the connection point Pf of the lighting device 10, but is not limited to this configuration, for example, the connection point Pc ( (See FIG. 1).

In this case, the inspection time can be shortened by configuring the control circuit 8 to include a “power operation circuit” described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3421421.
In the control circuit 8, the lamp power control unit 83 may include a lamp voltage detection unit 81 and a lamp current detection unit 82.
Further, in the discharge lamp lighting device 1 of the above embodiment, the connection terminal 17 is disposed on the inner side surface of the connector portion 15, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in FIG. The connection terminal 17 may be disposed on the back surface (bottom surface) of the rectangular parallelepiped case 14 of the body 13. That is, the connection terminal 17 may be disposed at a location separated from the connector portion 15 on the outer surface of the housing 13. In this case, the lighting device 10 can be inspected even when the battery 2 and the lighting device 10 are connected via the connector unit 15 without the need for the power source 19 for inspection, and the connector unit 15 The degree of freedom of shape can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Discharge lamp lighting device, 2 ... Battery, 3 ... Switch, 4 ... Input capacitor, 5 ... DC / DC converter circuit, 6 ... H bridge circuit, 7 ... Start-up circuit, 8 ... Control circuit, 9 ... Drive IC, 10 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Lighting device, 11 ... Discharge lamp, 12 ... Lead part, 13 ... Housing | casing, 15 ... Connector part, 16 ... Electrode, 17 ... Connection terminal, 18 ... Fixed resistance, 19 ... Power supply, 70 ... Starting drive circuit, 71 ... Starter transformer, 81... Lamp voltage detection unit, 82... Lamp current detection unit, 83... Lamp power control unit, 84.

Claims (6)

A discharge lamp lit by discharge in the tube;
A lighting device for controlling the lighting state of the discharge lamp;
In a discharge lamp lighting device comprising:
A housing for sealing the lighting device together with at least one of two lead portions connecting the discharge lamp and the lighting device;
Discharge lamp lighting characterized in that a connection terminal connected to a pseudo load, which is a pseudo load used in place of the discharge lamp when the lighting device is inspected, is provided on the outer surface of the casing. apparatus. Wherein the outer surface of the housing, and a connector portion for accommodating the electrode connected to an external power source is provided,
The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal is disposed on an inner surface of the connector portion. Wherein the outer surface of the housing, and a connector portion for accommodating the electrode connected to an external power source is provided,
The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal is disposed at a location separated from the connector portion. One of the lead portions is a lead wire that is exposed and wired to the outside of the housing so as to be connected to one end of the pseudo load during the inspection of the lighting device,
The said connection terminal is provided only in the outer surface of the said housing | casing so that it may be connected to the other end of the said pseudo load at the time of the test | inspection of the said lighting device, Any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1.   The discharge lamp lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the discharge lamp and the lighting device are fixed via the lead portion. The lighting device is
A conversion circuit connected to the discharge lamp for converting electric power supplied from an external power source into lamp electric power applied to the discharge lamp;
A control circuit that controls the conversion circuit so that the lamp power converges from a preset starting power to a stable power at the start of lighting of the discharge lamp;
The control circuit determines that the simulated load is connected to the connection terminal by detecting that the applied voltage of the simulated load or the applied voltage of the discharge lamp has not reached a predetermined voltage or higher. The discharge lamp lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising time shortening means for shortening a time until the lamp power starts to be controlled with the stable power at the time of the determination.

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