WO1999044396A1 - Lamp driven voltage transformation and ballasting system - Google Patents
Lamp driven voltage transformation and ballasting system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1999044396A1 WO1999044396A1 PCT/US1998/003541 US9803541W WO9944396A1 WO 1999044396 A1 WO1999044396 A1 WO 1999044396A1 US 9803541 W US9803541 W US 9803541W WO 9944396 A1 WO9944396 A1 WO 9944396A1
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- voltage
- frequency
- operating
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B41/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps
- H05B41/02—Details
- H05B41/04—Starting switches
- H05B41/042—Starting switches using semiconductor devices
- H05B41/044—Starting switches using semiconductor devices for lamp provided with pre-heating electrodes
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B41/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps
- H05B41/02—Details
- H05B41/04—Starting switches
- H05B41/042—Starting switches using semiconductor devices
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B41/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps
- H05B41/02—Details
- H05B41/04—Starting switches
- H05B41/042—Starting switches using semiconductor devices
- H05B41/044—Starting switches using semiconductor devices for lamp provided with pre-heating electrodes
- H05B41/046—Starting switches using semiconductor devices for lamp provided with pre-heating electrodes using controlled semiconductor devices
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B41/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps
- H05B41/14—Circuit arrangements
- H05B41/16—Circuit arrangements in which the lamp is fed by dc or by low-frequency ac, e.g. by 50 cycles/sec ac, or with network frequencies
- H05B41/18—Circuit arrangements in which the lamp is fed by dc or by low-frequency ac, e.g. by 50 cycles/sec ac, or with network frequencies having a starting switch
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B41/00—Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps
- H05B41/14—Circuit arrangements
- H05B41/36—Controlling
- H05B41/38—Controlling the intensity of light
- H05B41/39—Controlling the intensity of light continuously
- H05B41/392—Controlling the intensity of light continuously using semiconductor devices, e.g. thyristor
- H05B41/3921—Controlling the intensity of light continuously using semiconductor devices, e.g. thyristor with possibility of light intensity variations
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S315/00—Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems
- Y10S315/05—Starting and operating circuit for fluorescent lamp
Definitions
- This invention relates to a discharge lamp driving circuit which uses the lamp as a switch to create the voltage necessary to drive the lamp in normal operation.
- the supply voltage magnitude to the lamp must be increased in order to drive the lamp into operation. There must also be some technique to start and restart the lamp, either hot or cold. The required starting voltage is greater than the lamp operating voltage.
- ballast to control or limit the operating current level and lamp power.
- a semiconductor switching circuit is typically used to step up the source voltage to provide the required operating voltage.
- a lamp starting circuit is normally present and it is common to switch this starting circuit out of operation, or minimize its influence, after the lamp has entered its normal operation mode.
- a lamp operating circuit most often includes a power source, which is normally a low-voltage AC source, some circuit means for controlling the amount of wattage which is delivered to the lamp, and the lamp itself.
- the circuit usually includes other components for special purposes such as power factor control .
- Lamp operating circuits of the prior art have relied upon switching devices such as SCRs, TRIACs, transistors or the like to do some of the voltage transformation and control switching, and many of these circuits have included complex and expensive collections of circuits and components.
- switching devices such as SCRs, TRIACs, transistors or the like to do some of the voltage transformation and control switching, and many of these circuits have included complex and expensive collections of circuits and components.
- a driving circuit for a discharge lamp which uses a minimum number of components and which employs the switching characteristics of the lamp itself for circuit operation for driving the lamp.
- a further aspect of the present invention is a lamp operating circuit which is highly efficient and which thus reduces energy loss and heat dissipation associated with a selected level of light output, as compared with circuits of the prior art, and operates with a high power factor.
- the invention includes a discharge lamp operating circuit connected to a source of alternating current (AC) voltage.
- the circuit has a discharge lamp, an inductor L and a capacitor C in which switching operations intrinsic to the lamp shock-excite the inductor L and the capacitor C into an energy exchange and transfer during each half -cycle at a higher frequency than the frequency of the AC source.
- the inductor L and capacitor C are connected in series with the lamp, and a circuit is provided for initiating operation of the discharge lamp. Switching of the lamp maintains the half -cycle operation, and the energy transfer circuit maintains the lamp in operation after operation has been initiated, even though the source voltage is less than the lamp operating voltage.
- the present invention includes a discharge lamp operating circuit comprising a discharge lamp having a predetermined operating voltage or open circuit voltage (OCV) , an inductive reactance, a capacitive reactance connected to a source of alternating current (AC) so that the reactances and the lamp are in a series circuit across the AC source.
- the AC source is capable of providing an AC voltage having an RMS (root mean square) voltage in a range which is less than the OCV required by the lamp.
- a starting circuit is connected to the lamp terminals.
- the inductance and capacitance values of the inductive and capacitive reactances are selected to be semi -resonant at a frequency higher than the frequency of the AC supply so that, after the lamp has been ignited, the lamp switches and causes a semi -resonant energy exchange with the reactances, thereby maintaining the lamp in a stable operating condition up to full rated wattage.
- FIG. 1 and 2 are schematic circuit diagrams of circuits usable to describe the principles of the present invention
- Fig. 3 is a graph illustrating impedance and volt -amp curves for a discharge lamp
- Fig. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram of a basic lamp operating or driving circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the invention
- Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating the movement of energy in a conventional lamp operating circuit
- Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating the movement of energy in a lamp operating circuit in accordance with the present invention
- Fig. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram of a lamp operating circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the invention with a starting circuit usable with a lamp of the type having an internal starting electrode;
- Fig. 8 is an equivalent circuit diagram useful in understanding the theory of operation of operating circuits in accordance with the present invention.
- Figs. 9-12 are illustrations of waveforms taken at specified locations in an embodiment of the present invention.
- Fig. 13 is a schematic circuit diagram of a lamp operating circuit similar to that of Fig. 7 with one form of power on and off switching by using the lamp itself;
- Fig. 14 is a schematic circuit diagram of a lamp operating circuit similar to that of Fig. 7 with a further form of power on and off switching;
- Fig. 15 is a schematic circuit diagram of a further embodiment of a lamp operating circuit in which features of the foregoing circuits are combined;
- Figs. 16 and 17 are schematic circuit diagrams showing desirable arrangements of components for use of an embodiment of the invention in a residence or the like;
- Figs. 18 and 19 are schematic circuit diagrams of circuits in accordance with embodiments of the present invention with photo -responsive control means;
- Fig. 20 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating generation of the starting open circuit voltage
- Figs. 21 and 22 are schematic circuit diagrams of fluorescent lamp starting and operating circuits for operating single lamps in accordance with embodiments of the present invention
- Figs. 23 and 24 are schematic circuit diagrams of fluorescent lamp starting and operating circuits for operating two lamps together, in parallel and series respectively, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
- MH lamps Metal halide (MH) lamps, even low wattage MH lamps, are 85 to 140 volt lamps and thus require OCVs of 216 volts or higher for starting and operation.
- Mercury vapor lamps are also 130-140 volt lamps. Hence, there exists a problem of trying to operate these various lamps from 120 volt power sources, and yet 120 volts is the most readily available line voltage where low wattage lamps are employed.
- ballast circuits incorporate some sort of voltage step -up transformer means.
- ballast circuit types known in the art which will not be discussed herein, primarily because the present invention eliminates the need for such circuits.
- a circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention actually uses the discharge breakdown mechanism of the lamp itself at least once each half -cycle to excite a series -connected inductance and capacitance into ringing up to an instantaneous and RMS OCV of approximately twice the input line voltage to drive the discharge lamp. Furthermore, choosing the capacitance magnitude to limit the current through the lamp to the correct value permits one to set the lamp operating wattage to the correct value in accordance with the lamp ratings, i.e., the values established by the lamp manufacturer.
- FIG. 1 A basic, exemplary circuit which was used in the laboratory for demonstrating the principles of the present invention is shown in Fig. 1.
- This circuit was connected to a 120 volt AC supply to operate a General Electric 175 watt mercury lamp 10.
- other types of discharge lamps can be used such as a metal halide lamp, a mercury vapor lamp, a high pressure sodium lamp, or a fluorescent lamp, among others.
- This series circuit was connected directly across the supply line without any intervening transformers or other devices.
- the input was 120 volts at 1.53 amps, providing 169 watts at a power factor of 0.921.
- the lamp operating voltage was 131.2 volts and the lamp wattage was 164.5 watts.
- the voltage drops across L and C were 61.3 volts and 129.5 volts, respectively.
- the measured lamp operating voltage was higher than the line voltage. The reason for this is that the lamp itself is the generator of its own driving voltage.
- This lamp operation is further illustrated by the circuit of Fig. 2, in which a resistor R was set to a value which is the equivalent of the effective resistance of the lamp 10 in Fig. 1 and was substituted for the lamp, the other circuit components being the same as in Fig. 1.
- the input voltage was 120.5 volts at 1.418 amps and provided 121.1 watts at a power factor of 0.708.
- the voltage across the resistor was 82.9 volts, significantly less than the voltage across the lamp in the circuit of Fig. 1 and less than the line voltage.
- a discharge lamp can operate as an open circuit, a short circuit, a rectifier, and a switch with an effective resistance, depending on the fill material (e.g., argon, neon and xenon) and the plasma (e.g., mercury, sodium) and control circuitry associated therewith.
- the fill material e.g., argon, neon and xenon
- the plasma e.g., mercury, sodium
- the present invention employs a switching mechanism of the lamp that is intrinsic to the lamp and the materials (e.g., fill gas) that constitute it, and is not a separate element added internally or externally with respect to the lamp, to facilitate energy transfer with the inductor L and the capacitor C.
- Fig. 3 illustrates impedance and voltage-ampere curves of an operating discharge lamp (i.e., a 400 watt high pressure sodium lamp, for example) .
- the lamp resistance increases and then decreases rapidly and therefore is shown as a spike curve.
- the lamp ionizes and conducts current as illustrated by the voltage- ampere curve.
- the voltage-ampere curve decreases to a negligible level until the lamp is energized again.
- the increase in lamp voltage causes the inductive reactor L and capacitor C to resonate, resulting in an energy exchange with the lamp wherein the lamp is again energized in accordance with the invention.
- Fig. 4 shows a basic circuit in accordance with the present invention for operating an HID lamp 10 of a type which has no internal starting electrode and which therefore requires high voltage pulse ignition.
- the circuit includes an AC source 12, an inductor 14 and a capacitor 16, which
- the circuit of Fig. 4 includes a starting circuit which uses a portion 18 of reactor 14 between a tap 20 and the end of the reactor winding.
- a breakover discharge device such as a Sidac 22 and a capacitor 23 are connected in series with each other and in parallel with portion 18.
- a resistor 24 is connected to the junction between the Sidac and capacitor 23 and is in series with a diode 25 and a radio frequency (RF) choke 26, the choke being connected to the other side of lamp 10 to which capacitor 16 is connected.
- RF radio frequency
- pulse starting pulsing circuit 15 is driven by a second starting circuit 17 that produces a voltage higher than the input voltage source on the order of 3 x V in OCV. This higher- than- line voltage produces across the lamp the required lamp starting OCV, as well as higher energizing voltage for the H.V. pulse starting circuit 15.
- This circuit 17 is usable with lamps either having or not having an internal starting electrode.
- the second charging circuit 17 includes a diode 27, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistor 29 and a fixed resistor 31 connected in series between the input side of inductor 14 and the lamp side of capacitor 16.
- the circuit 17 can also include a small bypass capacitor 28 to
- this starting circuit comprising circuits 15 and 17 operates by charging capacitor 23 through resistor 24, diode 25 and choke 26 during successive half -cycles in a direction determined by the polarity of diodes 25 and 27.
- the AC supply is 120 volts, and therefore is not sufficient to drive the high voltage pulse starting circuit 15 up to the breakdown voltage (240 volts, for example) of the Sidac. Further, the AC supply does not provide sufficient OCV to permit the lamp to pick up, i.e., to cause a breakdown in lamp impedance, which in turn causes enough current to be drawn to heat the electrodes and be positively started and warmed up.
- the capacitor 16 charging loop charges capacitor 16 up to 2 of the RMS source voltage (i.e., ⁇ /2 x V in RMS) in the first half -cycle through the PTC circuit 17 because the cold resistance of the PTC resistor is low, typically 80 ⁇ .
- Resistor 31 is used to limit the peak inrush current through the charging loop components, especially the PTC resistor.
- Diode 27 is poled to charge capacitor 16 as shown.
- the charge on capacitor 16 adds to the source voltage (twice the peak value, without loading) and drives capacitor 23 charging current through diode 25.
- the Sidac becomes conductive and capacitor 23 discharges through portion 18 of the reactor, causing high voltage to be
- Capacitors 16 and 23 are effectively removed from starting circuit operation, although capacitor 16 continues to be involved in semi- resonant circuit operation in conjunction with inductance 14. All of the lamp starting mechanism is effectively removed from the system and does not interfere with the warming-up lamp and fully-on lamp operation where the lamp is supplying the switching action described herein. These starting functions are automatically tied together with each other (intermediate OCV and pulse generation) and the lamp condition at that point in time.
- the circuit of Fig. 4 is particularly useful for operating a 100 watt medium base metal halide lamp made by Venture Lighting International, Inc., of Solon Ohio. This lamp is rated to have a 9000 lumen output. Its operating characteristics are given in the following table. The lumens per watt is 86 compared with 82.6 for a 100 watt 120 volt HPS lamp.
- Lamp type 100 Watt mercury
- the selection of the values of the inductor 14 and capacitor 16 is particularly important. These circuit values are chosen to allow semi- resonant operation of the reactors 14 and 16 at a frequency which is higher than and compatible with the frequency of the source.
- semi-resonant it is meant that the
- reactors 14 and 16 are not self -resonant, but are resonant when the switching lamp 10 excites them and therefore are capable of being shocked by the switching action of the lamp itself to cause a resonant energy exchange between the inductive and capacitive reactors and the switching lamp.
- the lamp is excited by current pulses generated by the reactors 14 and 16 following each half -cycle excitation by the lamp.
- the reactors operate at a higher frequency than the source frequency to generate current pulses in each half -cycle of the power source. This is a fundamental principle of the operating system of the present invention.
- a series resonant circuit includes an inductor having an inductance L, a capacitance C and some resistance R, mostly the resistance of the inductive component, which is usually kept as small as possible for best circuit operation.
- a series resonant circuit with component values suitably chosen resonates at some frequency f 0 which is called the frequency of resonance. At f 0 , the impedance of the circuit is minimum and at other frequencies the impedance is higher. At resonance,
- Fig. 5 is a block diagram of the energy flow for a conventional operating circuit for a 1000 watt, metal halide HID lamp.
- the lamp 36 to be energized is a 1000 watt metal halide lamp.
- a low voltage AC power source 30 supplies about 1109 watts of power to a device 32 which is for the purpose of increasing the voltage to the lamp.
- this voltage increaser is typically a high- loss transformer device which loses about 29 watts in the form of heat.
- the remaining 1080 watts is delivered to a device 34 which controls the amount of energy which is allowed to flow to lamp 36.
- this is a ballast which loses a minimum of about 80 watts in the form of heat.
- the remaining 1000 watts are supplied to the lamp which generates about 300 watts in the form of light, the
- Fig. 6 which shows essentially the same kind of information as Fig. 5, except as it applies to the operating circuit of the present invention.
- the goal is to supply 1000 watts of energy to MH lamp.
- a low voltage AC supply 40 provides about 1033 watts to a voltage increaser and flow controller 42 (i.e., the semi -resonant circuit capacitor C) .
- Device 42 loses only about 1 watt in the form of heat and performs the functions of devices 32 and 34 of Fig. 5.
- the remaining 1032 watts is provided to an energy flow smoothing device 44 (i.e., the semi-resonant circuit inductor L) which loses about 32 watts in the form of heat.
- Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of a discharge lamp operating circuit constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. It comprises a different and simpler starting circuit 19 that can be used if the lamp being operated has an internal starting electrode and does not require high voltage pulses for initial ionization.
- the circuit of Fig. 7 provides an RMS OCV of 3 x V in and a peak voltage of 2 2 x V in for lamp starting.
- lamps of certain types such as mercury vapor and metal halide lamps, made by various manufacturers, are made with a starting electrode adjacent one main electrode of the lamp but electrically connected to the opposite main electrode, thereby producing a high field adjacent one electrode.
- an arc occurs between the one main electrode and the starting electrode.
- an internal bimetallic switch shorts out the starting electrode after the lamp heats up to prevent electrolyses of the sodium and mercury.
- the AC source 12 is connected to an inductive reactor 30 which is in series with lamp 10 and with capacitor 16. In this circuit, the reactor 30 does not have a tap, or the tap, if present, is not used.
- the starting circuit 19 includes a diode 32 in series with a current limiting resistor 33 and is connected in parallel with the lamp.
- the source 12 When the source 12 is on, current flows through diode 32 and resistor 33 to charge capacitor 16 in each half -cycle of the AC source, effectively increasing the charge on the capacitor 16.
- the increased OCV ionizes the gas within the lamp and starts the lamp.
- This circuit 19 approximately doubles the half- cycle peak input voltage and the RMS magnitude by 3 x V in . Thereafter, the starting circuit 19 is essentially inactive since the capacitor 16 never has an opportunity to charge to lamp starting voltage again as the lamp operating current overwhelms the charging current.
- the capacitor 16 and inductive reactor 30 are chosen to have values which resonate with lamp switching at a higher frequency than the supply frequency, as described in connection with Figs. 1 and 4.
- the following example relates to a 1000 watt metal halide (MH) lamp which is a type of lamp often used in groups to illuminate a stadium or, in less dense arrays, to illuminate the interiors of industrial and commercial buildings, aircraft hangers and manufacturing plants.
- MH metal halide
- the inductive reactor 30 was a reactor designed for use with a 400 watt HPS lamp (in a conventional circuit) and has 0.116 Henries at 4.7 Amperes.
- a 31 ⁇ f capacitor 16 was used and the starting circuit resistor 33 had a value of 30 k ⁇ . The values are as follows:
- V in is the input voltage in AC volts RMS
- I in is the input current in AC amps
- W in is the input power in watts
- V lp is the voltage across the lamp during operation
- I lp is the lamp current
- W lp is the power supplied to the lamp during operation, in watts
- w i oss is the circuit loss during operation, in watts
- V c is the voltage across capacitor 16
- V- L is the voltage across reactor 30.
- the value of 31 ⁇ f for the capacitor was chosen to permit the circuit to deliver the correct wattage for the rating of this lamp, i.e.,
- L is chosen to give LC tuning at a frequency higher than the line frequency of 60 Hz to allow time in each half -cycle for the lamp- induced, natural tuned half -cycle resonant energy transfer to occur within the time interval of one half -cycle.
- compatible frequency is used to indicate that the circuit operates at a frequency above and close to, but not exactly at, the source frequency.
- FIG. 22 shows a circuit according to the invention but with the components represented as individual impedances so that the design and operation characteristics can be discussed in a mathematical sense.
- the inductor L is represented by a resistor and a coil
- the lamp is represented by an equivalent resistance R lamp
- the capacitor by a capacitive reactance C.
- This circuit will be discussed using the 1000 watt MH lamp characteristics as an example. The values from the above table will be used corresponding to an input voltage of 277 volts.
- the effective working impedance Z of the circuit is given by dividing the input voltage by the current, 277/4.06, which equals 68.2 ⁇ .
- the resistance of the resistive portion of the inductor is equal to the watts lost divided by the square of the current, i.e., 33 divided by 16.48 which equals 2 ⁇ .
- the lamp resistance is found from the same relationship, i.e., 1004 divided by 16.48 which equals 60.9 ⁇ .
- X L is 43.7 ⁇ and X c is 85.7 ⁇ .
- the recalculation is as follows.
- a total circuit impedance value of 68.2 ⁇ is required to meet the measured current flow of 4.06 A. and we know that the power dissipating resistance of 62.9 ⁇ cannot be changed, so the ⁇ Z equation becomes (62.9 - 26) ⁇ which meets both the measured values of current and power factor, i.e.,
- the reactances X L and X c have measured voltage drops of 189 volts and 342 volts, respectively. Dividing these voltage values by the current 4.06 A. gives calculated values of 46.55 ⁇ (L) and 84.24 ⁇ (C) . Combining these values gives a theoretical reactance of j (46.55 - 84.24)
- Fig. 10 shows the capacitor and lamp voltages Vc and Vlp at starting, with the lamp current repeated for comparison.
- Figs. 11 and 12 show these respective characteristics during operation. Therefore the switching lamp circuit makes the X L appear to be ( (68-60) /60) 100, or 13%, higher than the normal ⁇ L value of 43.7 ⁇ and the X c magnitude to be (60/ (68-60) ) xlOO , or 7.5%, lower than the normal value of 85.7 ⁇ . This partly accounts for why this circuit is smaller and lower cost than a standard ballast.
- this circuit causes the discharge lamp's operating power factor to be higher than is usually obtainable.
- the circuit of the present invention satisfies the well-known theorem of Thevenin, which tells us that energy transfer between two electrical devices is maximum when the impedances of the two devices are equal.
- Lamp type 40-50 watt Mercury, General Electric, rated 0.6 A.
- Lamp type 80 watt mercury
- Lamp type 1500 watt metal halide
- circuit component values can be used with most lamps.
- the lamps can operate with various combinations of values, although such changes may result in different characteristics such as watts actually delivered to the lamp, power factor, dip tolerance, lumen output, immunity to line voltage variation and system L.P.W. achieved.
- Table 7 are values used with a 175 watt mercury lamp. The inductor values were changed considerably, the capacitor values being changed very little.
- Lamp type 175 watt mercury
- the lamp can be used as the fixture ON-OFF switch eliminating the need to use expensive special inductive lighting load switches, relays, heavy duty contact types or lighting contractors.
- the power switch is changed when the lamp is changed.
- Fig. 13 which uses the same starting circuit as Fig. 7, illustrates the principle of this and includes a normally open switch 35 in series with diode 32 and resistor 33.
- switch 35 can be a momentary contact switch or a simple press- to- start switch because the starting circuit is inactive after starting.
- a temporary shunt is provided across the lamp to turn off the lamp.
- a momentary contact switch 37 and a current limiting resistor 38 are connected in parallel with the lamp. Briefly closing switch 37 removes the lamp 10 from the circuit of Fig. 13 long enough to cause the lamp to extinguish (deionize) , thereby turning off the lamp 10 and the other circuit components shown.
- starting switch 35 it is preferred to have starting switch 35 as a momentary contact switch so that the circuit will not restart when switch 37 is released.
- the resonant circuit does not start oscillating by itself. Thus, when the system is turned off, it draws no current, a significant advantage over many prior art circuits.
- a three-position switch 40 is connected to a starting circuit including diode 32 and resistor 33.
- a second terminal of the switch is connected to an open circuit, and the third position is connected to the resistor shunt 38 for turning the lamp off.
- the switch is the conventional spring-return- to-center-type so that it occupies the open circuit position unless manually operated. Moving the switch to position 1 starts the lamp, and moving it to position 3 turns the lamp off.
- the switches of Figs. 13 and 14 can also be implemented using semiconductor devices.
- the "off" circuit can be
- Triac 33 implemented by connecting a small Triac (not shown) or the like in parallel with the lamp. Turning the Triac on for two or more cycles with a control circuit extinguishes the lamp in the same manner as switch 37. A Triac can also be used to replace switch 35. Because these semiconductor devices are switching limited current and voltage, they need not dissipate great power and can be smaller than relays, switches or other control devices.
- Fig. 7 The circuit of Fig. 7 has been used with a variety of lamps including high-pressure sodium and mercury lamps in a variety of power ratings with excellent results.
- a 57 ⁇ f capacitor and 0.077 Henry reactor were connected in the circuit and attached to a 120 VAC supply.
- the lamp With an input power of 436 watts, the lamp operated at 409 watts with a lamp voltage of 97.7 and lamp current of 4.92 amps.
- the power factor was 73.4 and power loss was 27.
- Fig. 15 shows a circuit which incorporates some features of the circuits discussed above. On and off switching has been omitted for simplicity but can be incorporated as previously indicated.
- the operating circuit of Fig. 15 includes an AC source 12, a bypass capacitor 28 connected in parallel with the source and an inductive reactor 14.
- a tap 20 on the reactor is connected to the starting circuit which has a Sidac 22 in series with a capacitor 23 connected across end portion 18 of the reactor.
- a resistor 24 is connected to the junction between the Sidac 22 and capacitor 23 and is in series with a diode 25 and RF
- a separate series circuit including a diode 32, a resistor 33 and a choke 34 is connected in parallel with the lamp.
- a capacitor 16 which is selected to resonate with reactor 14, is connected from the lamp to the other side of the AC supply.
- a lamp 44 is connected to a semi -resonant circuit including inductive and capacitive components 45 and 47 which are located in series in the hot wire leading to the lamp.
- a starting circuit may also be included if necessary, depending on the type of lamp, as discussed above in connection with Figs. 4 and 7.
- An on-off circuit of the type shown in Fig. 14 has a switch 40, diode 32 and resistor 33. Switch 40 is movable from the neutral position shown to either the on or off positions and functions as previously described.
- circuit components except for the lamp can easily be housed in a wall box 46 of the type normally used for a lever- type on- off switch, and that only two wires 48 and 49 extend to the lamp itself.
- wiring for a lamp of this type is no more complicated or expensive that for a conventional incandescent lamp.
- Fig. 17 shows another embodiment of a gas discharge lamp 50 arranged for use in a home with the semi -resonant circuit components 51 and 52 in the neutral line and contained within a wall box 54 along with an on and of circuit of the type shown in Fig. 13.
- This type of on-off circuit uses push button switches and operates as described above. Once again, only two wires 56 and 57 extend from the wall box to the lamp, making the wiring task a simple one.
- the circuit of Fig. 18 employs the principle of the present invention.
- the AC source 59 is connected to a series circuit including an inductive reactor 60, a lamp 61 and a capacitor 62 having values selected as discussed above.
- a first control circuit is connected across the input side of the reactor and has a PTC resistor 65, a resistor 66 and an SCR 67 in series.
- a CdS cell 68 and a gate resistor 69 are connected to the gate, anode and cathode of the SCR.
- a second control circuit which includes a PTC resistor 70 in
- Triac 71 37 series with a Triac 71.
- a second CdS cell 73 and a gate resistor 74 are connected to the gate, anode and cathode of the Triac 71.
- Fig. 19 shows a further embodiment of a circuit which functions in a manner similar to that of Fig. 18, except with only one CdS cell.
- the first control circuit includes a PTC resistor 76 in series with a resistor 77 and an SCR 78.
- a gate resistor 79 is connected to the gate of the SCR 18 and to a diode 80.
- the other control circuit includes a PTC resistor 82 in series with a Triac
- a gate resistor 84 is connected to the Triac gate which is also connected to diode 80. The diode and the gate of
- the dark resistance of CdS cell 85 allows SCR 78 to become conductive, starting the lamp. After starting, PTC 76 effectively removes the SCR circuit from operation. When it becomes light, the low, light resistance of the CdS cell triggers Triac into conduction, extinguishing the lamp.
- Fig. 20 which includes an AC source 88, inductor 89 and a capacitor 90 connected in series with a lamp 91.
- a diode 92 and resistor 93 are connected across the lamp to aid in the development of the required OCV.
- the AC source is a 120 VAC source which means that the peak value of the source is about 170 volts.
- the capacitor 90 charges on the first positive half -cycle of the supply, and a voltage develops that is substantially equal to the peak voltage of the AC source (e.g., about 170 V) .
- the inductor plays no significant part.
- the circuit can thus be viewed as a series circuit with an input voltage e in series with the capacitor replaced by a 170 volt battery.
- the effect of the capacitor/battery voltage is to elevate the input sine wave by the amount of the charge, causing the input voltage to the circuit to vary (in instantaneous values) between 340 volt and zero.
- the OCV is then the square root of the sum of the squares of the DC voltage on the capacitor/battery and the RMS value of the AC input, i.e.,
- Fig. 21 shows a operating circuit including an inductance 95 and a capacitor 96 connected to a 120 VAC source. Lamp filaments 97 and 98 of a fluorescent lamp 100 are connected in series with the inductance- capacitor circuit and with a 26 watt high voltage pulse starting circuit 101.
- the starting circuit includes a first series circuit having a choke 102 in series with a diode 103 and a PTC resistor 104 across the filaments.
- a capacitor 106 and a tapped inductor 107 are in series with each other and in parallel with the first circuit.
- resistor 108 and a Sidac 109 are connected between diode 103 and the inductor tap and a capacitor 110 is connected between the Sidac and the other side of PTC resistor 104.
- the PTC resistance 104 is low and filament heating current passes through the first series circuit. This current heats the PTC resistor and elevates its resistance.
- capacitor 110 is charging through resistor 108, the charge level increasing as the PTC resistance increases.
- the capacitor discharges through the Sidac and the tapped end of the inductor 107, generating a pulse which is applied to the lamp. By this time, the lamp filaments are heated and the lamp starts.
- Fig. 22 shows a further embodiment of a fluorescent lamp starting and operating circuit of the present invention in which a 120 VAC source 115 is connected in series with an inductor 116, a capacitor 117, the filaments 118 and 119 of a fluorescent lamp 120 and a starter including a diode 122
- This circuit uses capacitor 117 for starting. When cold, the PTC resistance 123 is low and heating current flows through the lamp filaments, charging capacitor 117. When the filaments are warm and the voltage on capacitor 117 reaches the required OCV of 3 x e, the lamp starts.
- Fig. 23 shows a circuit for operating two fluorescent lamps in parallel and includes an inductance 126 connected to filaments 127 and 129 of lamps 132 and 133, respectively.
- a diode 135 is connected in series with a PTC resistor 136, with filament 128 of lamp 132 and with a capacitor 137.
- filament 129 is connected in series with a diode 138, a PTC resistor 139 and a capacitor 140. The other sides of both capacitors are connected back to the source.
- Fig. 24 shows a circuit for operating two fluorescent lamps in series from a 277 VAC source.
- the source is connected through an inductance 145 to filament 146 of a lamp 147, then through a series circuit including a diode 148 and a PTC resistor 149 and the other filament 150 of lamp 147.
- the series circuit also includes filament 152 of
- capacitor 156 is charged through diode 148 and the PTC resistors as the filaments are warmed. When the capacitor reaches the OCV adequate for both lamps and the filaments are warmed, the lamps ignite.
- the lamp operating circuit of the present invention uses the discharge breakdown mechanism of the lamp itself each half -cycle of the power source to excite a series connected inductance (L) capacitance (C) into ringing up of an OCV of approximately twice the input voltage to drive the discharge lamp, while using the capacitance magnitude to limit the charge moving through the lamp to the correct value, thereby setting the lamp operating wattage to the correct value.
- L series connected inductance
- C capacitance
- the lamp itself With the proper semi -resonant power loop and lamp control circuitry, the lamp itself becomes the switching function generator, reducing the need for or the power handling demand placed on the silicon devices used to create the lamp turn-on (power pulsing) then turn-off (to control power) sequence used in the high frequency ballast technology of today. Since this basic approach of using the
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US08/556,878 US5825139A (en) | 1995-11-02 | 1995-11-02 | Lamp driven voltage transformation and ballasting system |
US08/968,093 US5962988A (en) | 1995-11-02 | 1997-11-12 | Multi-voltage ballast and dimming circuits for a lamp drive voltage transformation and ballasting system |
EP98908682A EP1057370A4 (en) | 1995-11-02 | 1998-02-24 | Lamp driven voltage transformation and ballasting system |
AU66651/98A AU6665198A (en) | 1998-02-24 | 1998-02-24 | Lamp driven voltage transformation and ballasting system |
PCT/US1998/003541 WO1999044396A1 (en) | 1995-11-02 | 1998-02-24 | Lamp driven voltage transformation and ballasting system |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US08/556,878 US5825139A (en) | 1995-11-02 | 1995-11-02 | Lamp driven voltage transformation and ballasting system |
PCT/US1998/003541 WO1999044396A1 (en) | 1995-11-02 | 1998-02-24 | Lamp driven voltage transformation and ballasting system |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1999044396A1 true WO1999044396A1 (en) | 1999-09-02 |
Family
ID=26793971
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US1998/003541 WO1999044396A1 (en) | 1995-11-02 | 1998-02-24 | Lamp driven voltage transformation and ballasting system |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US5825139A (en) |
EP (1) | EP1057370A4 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1999044396A1 (en) |
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US6285137B1 (en) * | 1998-08-26 | 2001-09-04 | Q-Panel Lab Products Corp. | Materials test chamber with xenon lamp radiation |
US6304040B1 (en) * | 1999-07-12 | 2001-10-16 | Hughes Electronics Corporation | Starter circuit for an ion engine |
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US6522088B2 (en) * | 2000-05-03 | 2003-02-18 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Lamp ignition with automatic compensation for parasitic capacitance |
US6545429B1 (en) | 2000-06-08 | 2003-04-08 | Hubbell Incorporated | Lighting assembly having regulating transformer distally located from ballast |
US6396220B1 (en) | 2001-05-07 | 2002-05-28 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Lamp ignition with compensation for parasitic loading capacitance |
JP4002090B2 (en) * | 2001-10-31 | 2007-10-31 | 浜松ホトニクス株式会社 | Flash discharge tube power supply circuit |
US6721152B2 (en) * | 2002-05-30 | 2004-04-13 | Amtran Technology Co., Ltd. | Boost circuit and power supply converter |
DE10226899A1 (en) * | 2002-06-17 | 2003-12-24 | Patent Treuhand Ges Fuer Elektrische Gluehlampen Mbh | Device for operating discharge lamps |
KR20060019745A (en) * | 2004-08-30 | 2006-03-06 | (주)헤라테크 | Ballast for cold cathode fluorescent lamp(ccfl) |
WO2006085279A1 (en) * | 2005-02-10 | 2006-08-17 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V. | Ignitor disconnection control system and method |
JP2010511272A (en) * | 2006-11-28 | 2010-04-08 | オスラム ゲゼルシャフト ミット ベシュレンクテル ハフツング | Circuit and method for lighting a high pressure discharge lamp |
DE102007026317A1 (en) * | 2007-06-06 | 2008-12-11 | Osram Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung | High-pressure discharge lamp with improved ignition device and ignition device for a gas discharge lamp |
US7705544B1 (en) * | 2007-11-16 | 2010-04-27 | Universal Lighting Technologies, Inc. | Lamp circuit with controlled ignition pulse voltages over a wide range of ballast-to-lamp distances |
US20090267588A1 (en) * | 2008-04-23 | 2009-10-29 | Schmitz Michael J | Method and apparatus to dynamically control impedance to maximize power supply |
TW201038141A (en) * | 2009-04-01 | 2010-10-16 | chong-yuan Cai | Non-flickering dimming device for non-resistive light-emitting load |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US5825139A (en) | 1998-10-20 |
EP1057370A1 (en) | 2000-12-06 |
EP1057370A4 (en) | 2005-03-16 |
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