US3099773A - Apparatus for igniting and operating gaseous discharge devices - Google Patents

Description

y 11963 A. E. FEINBERG 3,099,773

APPARATUS FOR IGNITING AND OPERATING v GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICES Original Filed Feb. 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r. I A

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INVENTOR. Albert EYE/Wkly Ally y 1963 A. E. FEINBERG 3,099,773

APPARATUS FOR IGNITING AND OPERATING GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICES Original Filed Feb. 26, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A lberz E f'elhberg Alt'y United States Patent 3,099,773 APPARATUS FOR IGNI'HNG AND OPERATING GASEOUS DKSCHARGE DEVICES Albert E. Feinherg, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Advance Transformer Co., (Ihicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Original application Feb. 26, 1953, Ser. No. 339,103, now

Patent No. 2,883,581, dated Apr. 21, 1959. Divided and this application Sept. 18, 1957, Ser. No. 634,739

9 Claims. (Cl. 315-257) This application is a divisional application of my application Serial No. 339,103, filed February 26, 1953, having the same title as this application, now Patent No. 2,883,581; and a continuation-impart of my application Serial No. 168,219, filed June 15, 1950, issued as Patent No. 2,791,726 and entitled Apparatus for Starting and Operating Gaseous Discharge Devices.

This invention relates generally to transformer-s of the type known as ballasts for the purpose of igniting and operating gaseous discharge devices. Such apparatus provides the high igniting voltage required for gaseous discharge devices and also develops reactance to prevent such devices from destroying themselves after ignition because of their negative resistance characteristics.

Safety requirements established by protective organizations, such as the non-profit Underwriters Laboratories in the United States, dictate that removal of high voltage fluorescent lamps from their ballast circuits open the line whereby there will be no high open circuit voltages eX- isting in the apparatus, notwithstanding the apparatus is still connected to a live line.

This invention is primarily concerned with a circuit for igniting and operating a single gaseous discharge device, such as an instant-start fluorescent lamp from a relatively high voltage source, and still meeting the requirements that the removal of the lamp from the circuit will open the line.

In many parts of the United States, especially in places where large amounts of electrical power are used in industry, the voltage available for use in illumination is obtained through Y connections at 277 volts. Ordinary power lines have the vfamiliar 110 or 220 volts with variations. The principal problem which this invention solves is the provision of an economical and feasible ballast for the ignition and operation of a single gaseous discharge device of low rating, such as, for example, a 40 watt T-l2 fluorescent lamp from higher than usual voltage, such as the 277 volt A.C. line hereinabove referred to, which will also comply with the safety requirements set forth above.

The standard T12 fluorescent lamp of 40 watt rating is designed to operate at a voltage of about 207 volts (with a current how of about .435 ampere. The igniting voltage of such a lamp is about 450' volts, although higher voltages can be used. The current in the lamp, however, cannot be increased to greater than the rated value because the life -of the lamp will be materially decreased due to injury to the discharge terminals.

The above discussion sets forth the principal object of the invention, and in addition other objects are to provide apparatus of the character described which will be physically almost identical to the apparatus which is used to operate the device from a line of lower and usual voltage, for example, 110 volts A0.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described in which there is a high voltage primary connected across the full high voltage line, but only a portion of the primary is used to provide voltage in the initiation of the ignition of. the gaseous discharge device. In connection with the immediately above object, one object of the invention is to 3,099,773 Patented July 30, 1963 provide apparatus of the character described in which the primary is open in its center and two leads extend therefrom to the two contacts of a line opening socket, a gaseous discharge device having one terminal in that socket utilizing only a part of the primary for supplying ignition and operation voltage thereto.

In my Patent No. 2,791,726 of which this application :rorms a continuation-impart, I described and claimed novel apparatus for the purpose of igniting and operating a single gaseous discharge device also, the basic circuit of said patent, insofar as operation and construction are concerned, is used in this invention. I have, however, adapted such construction to the use and purposes enumerated in the objects hereinabove. The said Patent 2,791,726 evolved out of an application which was copending and a continuation-impart of another application Serial No. 135,669 filed December 29, 1949, now Patent No. 2,558,293, the basic principles of operation of which are the same as, or similar to the principles of operation of said Patent 2,791,726. The magnetic strulcture of both patented inventions is substantially identica Through the invention herein, I am enabled to assemble the ballast to be operated from; the higher voltage line upon the identical magnetic structure described in my prior patents, and which are designed to operate on a line of conventional low voltage. The only variations necessary over the structure of said Patent 2,791,726 are variations in the winding of the primary winding, .all of the other windings and the physical characteristics being practically identical. I am therefore enabled to effect considerable savings through the use of standard low line voltage cores and windings in the construction of the higher line voltage ballasts.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds in connection with which a .pretferred embodiment has been described in some detail in compliance with the statutes and for pointing out the advance I have made in the arts and sciences.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the invention as embodied in apparatus for igniting and operating a single gaseous discharge device from a line whose voltage is considerably higher than that with which the gaseous discharge device is normally intended to be used.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the formation of the entire ballast of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the invention embodied in apparatus for igniting and operating two gaseous discharge devices.

Considering the circuit of the invention as shown in FIG. 1, the same is characterized by the provision of three windings, the primary P 4 the auxiliary starting secondary S and the second secondary S The primary winding P P is connected across the line, the secondary windings are connected in reverse voltage relationship one relative the other, and after ignition of the lamp L, the flow of current substantially by-passes the winding S The reason for this is that the winding S is a very high leakage reactance winding and opposes flow of current therethrough. Note that on the core 10 of FIG. 2 the windings S is separated from the remainder of the transformer 11 by the shunt 12.

In my Patent 2,791,726 above referred to, a'circuit somewhat like that of FIG. 1 is shown, and in that circuit a voltage is developed in S having a quadrature component additive to the voltages of the secondary winding S and the primary winding P which is suflicient to ignite the discharge device connected across all three windings. Note that in that case the instantaneous open circuit voltage sense of the winding S and the primary P was additive.

In FIG. 1 herein the principal difference lies in the fact that the primary, namely P P is not totally included in the circuit for igniting and operating the lamp L. The total winding P P is connected across the high voltage line, which may be 277 volts A.C. where the lamp L has a 40 watt rating. Only the right half P of the winding is used to provide igniting voltage. It is to be remembered, however, that the voltages developed in windings S and S will still have a relationship with the primary based upon the turn ratios considering P and P together but in operation the current in lamp L will be a rated value with the windings S and S formed the same as for the lower voltage circuit. P must be chosen to have sufficient turns to provide only rated voltage for the lamp L considering the operating circuit. From the description, this is capable of being worked out by one skilled in this art.

The above described circuit is possible, without scrapping the safety requirements relative to lamp removal opening lines by opening the primary winding and bringing two leads out to a line-opening socket. Thus, in FIG. 1, I have shown leads 14 and 15 connected respectively to the adjacent ends of the primary P and P and to the contacts 16 and 17 of the socket 18. The contact 19 whicl closes the circuit between the leads l4 and 15 when the lamp L is inserted into the socket may be the external terminal of the lamp.

In fabricating theballast, I prefer to form the windings, then placing them on the winding leg 22 and forcing the assembly into the shell core 23. Winding of the windings S and S is done in the conventional manner, and as a matter of fact, I utilize the identical windings for the 277 volt A.C. line as in the case the apparatus is to be used on 110 volt A.C. lines. As for the primary winding, during the formation thereof, a long loop of wire is brought out in the process of winding the coil, and the two resulting ends are parted so that the primary winding has four leads extending therefrom. These are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and designated 14, 15, 24 and 25.

The transformer 11 is placed in a canister fragment-arily shown by broken lines 26 together with the condenser C and leads connected together and brought out as may be required. The entire structure is potted as customary. The two leads 27 and 28 of S are connected to the respective terminals of the condenser C and respectively to lead 29 of the winding S and lead of the primary winding P Leads 25, 28 and a connection to one condenser terminal become a single lead 33 which extends to one side of the line. The lead 24 from the primary winding P extends to the other side of the line.

The second lead of the winding S extends to the lamp L which is external of the ballast canister 26. The leads 14 and 15 of the primary P and P respectively eX- tend to the opposite contacts 16 and 17 respectively of the line opening socket 18.

FIG. 3 illustrates a circuit applying the invention to the ignition and operation of two gaseous discharge lamps L and L This circuit is similar in operation to one described in my Patent No. 2,558,293. The voltage sense of S and P P is additive at open circuit. The first lamp to light is L which is across P and S and is in series with condenser C. The second lamp L lights as a result of the voltage reversal, that is to say, the production of an out of phase component in S sufiicient to add to the voltage of S for ignition. Here, as in FIG. 1 there is a division of the primary winding into two parts P and P the two resulting leads being connected to a line-opening socket 18. The lamp L is connected into a line-opening socket 20'. The total primary P P is intended to be connected across a relatively high voltage line, such as furnished by a 277 volt A.C. lighting circuit obtained from an industrial Y connection. Hence only the part P is used to provide igniting voltage.

Examples of the invention herein are readily obtained by modification of examples described in the above referred to patents and in the application of which this comprises a divisional application.

It is believed that this invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its additional advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the specific details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for igniting and operating a gaseous discharge device from an A.C. source of relatively high voltage which comprises, an iron core transformer including a primary winding having two end terminals connected across the source, at least one secondary winding making connection with one end terminal of the said primary winding, a gaseous discharge device having end terminals and connected to the transformer for energization of the device, the primary having a tap dividing the same into two electrically spaced apart parts, said tap comprising two electrically separated leads connected, respectively, to said last named parts and a shunting socket for said leads adapted to be bridged by an end terminal of said discharge device, and the gaseous discharge device having one terminal connected at the tap and a second terminal connected to a terminal of a secondary winding, the said secondary winding having transformer relationship with the entire primary insofar as voltage developed therein is concerned, but the gaseous discharge device being subjected to voltages determined only by the voltage of the said secondary winding and that developed in that part of the primary winding between the tap and said one end terminal.

'2. Apparatus for igniting and operating a gaseous discharge device from an A.C. source of relatively high voltage which comprises, a three winding auto-transformer comprising a primary having two end terminals connected across the source, a first secondary having an end terminal connected to one end terminal of the primary, and a second secondary having an end terminal connected to the second end terminal of the first secondary whereby the three windings are connected end to end in the order named, the windings being mounted on an iron core with thefirst secondary separated from the other windings to establish very high leakage reactance therein, the secondaries being arranged in reverse voltage relationship one to the other, the primary having an electrical opening therein'providing two inside terminals, a gaseous discharge device having two terminals, a shunting socket having a pair of contacts, each contact being connected respectively to an inside terminal of the primary, one end terminal of the gaseous discharge device being engaged in said socket and bridging said contacts to render the primary continuous, the second terminal of the said device being connected to the free terminal of the second secondary winding, a condenser connected across the first secondary winding for providing a voltage in the said first secondary having a component in phase with the voltage of the second secondary during ignition of said gaseous discharge device.

3. Apparatus for igniting and operating a single gaseous discharge device from a source of A.C. voltage including a transformer having a primary winding and additional windings, said primary winding having two end terminals connected across said source and being in transformer relationship with the said additional windings, said primary winding being electrically open between its terminals and providing two inside terminals, a shunting socket having two contacts connected respectively to said inside terminals, a gaseous discharge device connected at one end to be energized by windings including at least one of said additional windings and having a terminal engaging in said socket and bridging said contacts whereby the primary winding is continuous only when said terminal is in said socket, and whereby only a part of said primary winding is included in the windings connected across said gaseous discharge device, one of said additional windings including a high leakage reactance secondary starting winding having reactive means connected in shunt therewith and having connecting means for applying the voltage thereof to said gaseous discharge device in addition to the voltage of said primary part during starting of said discharge device.

4. Apparatus as described in claim 3 in which there are a pair of said additional windings, one being said high leakage reactance secondary starting winding and the other comprising a second secondary winding, the secondary windings being connected end to end with one end of the pair of secondary windings connected to the terminal of said primary Winding on the side having said part, the said one end of said gaseous discharge device being connected to the opposite end of the pair of secondary windings whereby the said gaseous discharge device is across both secondary windings and said part of said primary.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 4 in which the reactance which is in shunt with the high leakage reactance secondary winding comprises a condenser.

6. A system for igniting and operating a gaseous discharge device from a source of AC. voltage substantially lower than the ignition voltage of said device, comprising a single gaseous discharge device, an elongate iron core having a single magnetic circuit, three windings mounted along the core being a primary, first secondary, and second secondary windings each having two terminals, the primary being connected across the source and having a tap in the center thereof, the first secondary being connected between one terminal of the primary and one terminal of said second secondary, but the windings being disposed upon the core with the primary winding physi cally interposed between the other two and more closely coupled to the second secondary winding, said single gaseous discharge device being connected from the second terminal of said second secondary winding to said tap whereby to form a first closed circuit across both of said secondary windings and only a first portion of said primary winding, the instantaneous voltage sense of said secondary windings being reversed one to the other on open circuit, the first secondary being physically spaced from the other windings on said core and having a relatively large number of turns of fine wire thereon, and providing high leakage reactance, and a capacitive reactor having one terminal connected to the juncture between the secondaries, and the other terminal connected to a terminal of said primary Winding to form a second closed circuit for said capacitive reactor across at least said first secondary Winding but excluding the second secondary winding, the voltage generated in the first secondary winding during starting having a component additive to the voltage of the said secondary winding, and the second closed circuit providing means to by-pass current around the first secondary winding during operation.

7. A system as claimed in claim '6 in which the tap in the primary comprises two conductors having first ends respectively connected to separate parts of said primary winding and second, separate ends connected to a bridging socket and the said gaseous discharge device has a terminal at the said end connected to said tap adapted to bridge said two conductor ends when inserted in said socket whereby removal of said gaseous discharge device terminal will open said primary winding.

8. A system as claimed in claim :6 in which the second terminal of the capacitive reactor is connected to the terminal of the primary winding which is connected to said first secondary winding.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 in which the tap in the primary comprises two conductors having first ends respectively connected to separate .parts of said primary winding and second, separate ends connected to a bridging socket and said gaseous discharge device has a terminal at the said end connected to said tap adapted to bridge said two conductor ends when inserted in said socket whereby removal of said gaseous discharge device terminal will open said primary winding.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,464,643 Kulka Mar. 15, 1949 2,496,981 Boucher Feb. 7, 1950 2,558,293 Feinber'g June 26-, 1 2,665,406 Carmichael Jan. 5, 1954

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS FOR IGNITING AND OPERATING A GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE FROM AN A.C. SOURCE OF RELATIVELY HIGH VOLTAGE WHICH COMPRISES, AN IRON CORE TRANSFORMER INCLUDING A PRIMARY WINDING HAVING TWO END TERMINALS CONNECTED ACROSS THE SOURCE, AT LEAST ONE SECONDARY WINDING MAKING CONNECTION WITH ONE END TERMINAL OF THE SAID PRIMARY WINDING, A GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE HAVING END TERMINALS AND CONNECTED TO THE TRANSFORMER FOR ENERGIZATION OF THE DEVICE, THE PRIMARY HAVING A TAP DIVIDING THE SAME INTO TWO ELECTRICALLY SPACED APART PARTS, SAID TAP COMPRISIMG TWO ELECTRICALLY SEPARATED LEADS CONNECTED, RESPECTIVELY, TO SAID LAST NAMED PARTS AND A SHUNTING SOCKET FOR SAID LEADS ADAPTED TO BE BRIDGED BY AN END TERMINAL OF SAID DISCHARGE DEVICE, AND THE GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE HAVING ONE TERMINAL CONNECTED AT THE TAP AND A SECOND TERMINAL CONNECTED TO A TERMINAL OF A SECONDARY WINDING, THE SAID SECONDARY WINDING HAVING TRANSFORMER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENTIRE PRIMARY INSOFAR AS VOLTAGE DEVELOPED THEREIN IS CONCERNED, BUT THE GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE BEING SUBJECTED TO VOLTAGES DETERMINED ONLY BY THE VOLTAGE OF THE SAID SECONDARY WINDING AND THAT DEVELOPED IN THAT PART OF THE PRIMARY WINDING BETWEEN THE TAP AND SAID ONE END TERMINAL.

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