WO2011105651A1

WO2011105651A1 - Discharge lamp stabilizer for controlling illumination

Info

Publication number: WO2011105651A1
Application number: PCT/KR2010/001333
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이종범
Original assignee: (주)태영테크
Priority date: 2010-02-23
Filing date: 2010-03-03
Publication date: 2011-09-01

Abstract

Disclosed is a discharge lamp stabilizer for controlling illumination. The stabilizer of the present invention controls the illumination of the discharge lamp via a method for changing the inductance of an internal variable inductor, and the inductance of the variable inductor is changed by a plurality of switch blocks. Each switch block includes a mechanical switch and an electronic switch that are connected to each other in parallel, uses the electronic switch to stabilize a switching operation for a mechanical contact point of the mechanical switch, and can thus enhance the durability of a switch itself and the overall durability of the stabilizer while simultaneously preventing the occurrence of noise due to an operation for a mechanical contact point of a mechanical stabilizer.

Description

Ballast for illuminance control for discharge lamp

The present invention relates to a ballast for controlling the illuminance of a discharge lamp by changing the inductance of a variable inductor by using a plurality of switches, and more particularly, an electronic switch is used at the time of changing the inductance, and a mechanical switch is used after the change. The present invention relates to a ballast for illuminance control for a discharge lamp to stabilize the entire system.

Discharge lamps, such as some streetlights, require a ballast as a basis for stable power supply and illuminance control, and a magnetic ballast is mainly used.

1 is a block diagram of a conventional ballast control magnetic ballast, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram briefly showing a conventional ballast control magnetic ballast.

Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional ballast device 100 includes a capacitor C for compensating power factor, a ballast 101 for limiting a current supplied to the lamp 10 to maintain a stable discharge, and a discharge lamp ( An igniter 103 for supplying an initial starting voltage of 10), a variable inductor 105 for illuminance control, a switch driver 107 for switching the variable inductor, and overall operation of the ballast 100 The control unit 109 and a zero current detector (ZCD) 111 for detecting a 0V time point of the AC current by using a current sensor (CT).

Since switching of the switch of the switch driver 107 should be made at the time of 0V of the AC current, the damage of the contact is minimized, so that the controller 109 controls the switch driver 107 at the time of 0V detected by the image detector 111, thereby changing the switch. The illuminance of the lamp 10 is controlled by changing the overall inductance of the inductor 105.

The switch driver 107 includes a plurality of mechanical or electronic relays and a circuit for driving the relays to change inductance by bypassing some of the plurality of inductors in the variable inductor 105. Done.

For example, FIG. 2 is a simplified illustration of a circuit of the ballast 100 of FIG. 1. The inductor L1 serving as a ballast, the inductors L2 and L3 serving as a variable inductor, and a switch operating as a switch driver may be used. (SW1, SW2, SW3) are shown. The switches SW1, SW2, and SW3 correspond to a brief description of the relay and its driving circuit.

The controller 109 individually controls the three switches SW1, SW2, and SW3 to pass through the two inductors L2 and L3, or through only one inductor L3, or the inductors L2 and L3. The inductance is changed in such a way as to form a path that does not pass through at all.

Here, the magnetic ballast for the discharge lamp may be divided into a method using an electronic switch and a method using a mechanical switch, based on the switching method of the switch driver. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, but either can shorten the life of the lamp or ballast itself.

For example, the electronic switch method uses an electronic relay such as a solid state relay (SSR), and has an advantage of preventing sparks when switching a contact, while the electronic switch method is used when the external load is momentarily changed if it is continuously connected to a circuit. The switch may lose its characteristics and continue to consume power.

On the contrary, the mechanical switch method uses a mechanical relay, and although it is continuously connected to the circuit, there is an advantage that the power is not consumed without being affected by the change of the external load, while sparking occurs at the contact when switching the contact. Accumulation of losses can limit the life of the product itself.

An object of the present invention is to control the illuminance of the discharge lamp by changing the inductance of the variable inductor using a plurality of switches, the discharge to stabilize the entire system by using an electronic switch at the time of changing the inductance and using a mechanical switch after the change It is to provide a ballast for the illumination control for the lamp.

The ballast for controlling the illuminance of the discharge lamp for achieving the above object comprises: a ballast circuit unit including a inductor and an igniter to provide a fixed inductance during initial startup of the discharge lamp; A variable inductor unit connected to an inductor of the ballast circuit unit and having a plurality of inductors connected in series; A plurality of switch blocks for changing the overall inductance of the variable inductor unit by bypassing at least one of the plurality of inductors of the variable inductor unit; A control unit for outputting a control signal for controlling the operation of each switch block; And a driving circuit unit for driving the switch block according to the control signal of the controller to control the illuminance of the discharge lamp by changing the inductance of the variable inductor unit.

Each of the switch blocks may include a mechanical switch and an electronic switch connected in parallel to each other so that the switch block is turned on by at least one of the mechanical switch and the electronic switch, and both the mechanical switch and the electronic switch are turned off. It is desirable to be.

According to an embodiment, when an On event of the switch block occurs, the controller turns on the switch by turning on the mechanical switch and then on the mechanical switch, but turns off the electronic switch after a set time. It is preferable.

According to another embodiment, when the Off event of the switch block occurs, the controller turns off the switch block by turning on the electronic switch and then turning off the mechanical switch, wherein the electronic switch is turned off after a set time. It is preferable to make it.

Here, the ballast may further include a zero voltage detector for detecting a point of time when the voltage of the AC power supply is 0V using a current sensor and providing it to the controller. It is preferred to be on or off.

In addition, the set time is preferably set to a value equal to or greater than the operating time of the mechanical contact of the mechanical switch so that sparks due to the mechanical contact do not occur.

The discharge lamp illuminance control ballast according to the present invention has an electronic and mechanical complementary double contact structure, so that the power is not consumed without being affected by the change of external load even if the contact is maintained without sparking at the contact point. can do. Since noise such as spark does not occur in the mechanical contact operation, it does not provide a cause of electromagnetic interference (EMI) of an external device.

In addition, since the double contact structure of the present invention does not give an electric shock to the lamp under load, the life of not only the lamp but also the ballast is extended.

In contrast to the case where only the electronic switch is used, the ballast of the present invention does not generate power consumption in the switch portion during operation, and does not generate heat in the switch portion, so that the ballast can be used without difficulty.

Furthermore, since the electronic switch of the ballast of the present invention operates only for a short time, even if the heat dissipation design is simplified, the deterioration problem is greatly reduced and the product life is long.

1 is a block diagram of a conventional magnetic ballast for illuminance control;

2 is a circuit diagram briefly showing a conventional magnetic ballast for illuminance control;

3 is a block diagram of an illuminance control ballast according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a flowchart provided to explain an operation of a controller for on-switching a switch block;

5 is a view provided for explaining an operation during on-switching of a switch block;

6 is a flowchart provided to explain an operation of a controller for off-switching a switch block;

7 is a view provided to explain an operation at the time of off switching of a switch block, and

8 is a block diagram of an illuminance control ballast according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 3, the illuminance control ballast 300 of the present invention includes a ballast circuit unit 301 for basic ballast operation, a variable inductor unit 303 for illuminance control, and a plurality of

switch blocks

305, 307, and 309. ), A driving circuit unit 311 for driving the plurality of

switch blocks

305, 307, and 309, and a control unit 313 for controlling the operation of the entire ballast 300.

In addition, the ballast 300 cuts off the power supply in the event of an error such as a short circuit, and a zero voltage detector 315 for detecting a time when the input AC power voltage is 0 V using a current transducer CT. Breaker 317 may include, but is not an essential configuration. Since switching of the

switch blocks

305, 307, and 309 at the 0 V time point can prevent damage to the switches, it is preferable to provide a zero voltage detection unit 315.

The ballast circuit unit 301 is connected to the first inductor (L1) and the second inductor (L2) for providing a fixed inductance and the igniter (Ignitor) (319) for supplying the initial starting voltage of the discharge lamp (10) It operates as a basic ballast circuit, including, it is possible to use the same or corresponding configuration of the conventional ballast.

The variable inductor unit 303 includes a plurality of inductors connected in series with the inductors L1 and L2 of the ballast circuit unit 301, and the overall inductance of the variable inductor unit 303 is changed by a plurality of switch blocks. . When the impedance of the system is changed while the overall inductance of the variable inductor unit 303 is changed, the amount of current supplied to the lamp 10 is changed to change the illuminance of the lamp 10.

To this end, the variable inductor unit 303 may include a plurality of inductors connected in series, and FIG. 3 corresponds to an example including two inductors, a third inductor L3 and a fourth inductor L4. In addition, FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the variable inductor unit 303 is provided after the ballast circuit unit 301, that is, between the ballast circuit unit 301 and the lamp 10. The variable inductor unit 303 may be provided at the front end of the ballast circuit unit 801. Referring to FIG. 8, as the variable inductor unit 303 moves,

switch blocks

305, 307, and 309 are also provided in front of the ballast circuit unit 801.

The plurality of switch blocks are individually switched by the control unit 313 and the driving circuit unit 311, and bypass at least one of the plurality of inductors of the variable inductor unit 303. Change the overall inductance.

The inductance combinations that can be changed to the third inductor L3 and the fourth inductor L4 of FIG. 3 may be five types: short (L = 0), L3, L4, L3 + L4, and open. Ballast 300 may be provided with a switch block for this combination.

However, the first to fourth inductors L1 to L4 may be generally made of coils wound around one core, and may have a structure in which each inductor is divided by a tap that separates the circuits. In this case, the inductance combination that can be changed into the third inductor L3 and the fourth inductor L4 may be four types: short (L = 0), L3, L3 + L4, and open. Ballast 300 is an example having the first to third switch blocks (305, 307, 309) for this combination.

For example, when the second switch block 307 is turned on and the first switch block 305 and the third switch block 309 are turned off, the variable inductor unit 303 may change the value of L3. Have. In addition, when the third switch block 309 is on-switched and the first switch block 305 and the second switch block 307 are off-switched, the variable inductor unit 303 has a value of L3 + L4.

The control of the switch block is performed by the control unit 313. When the control unit 313 outputs a control signal to the driving circuit unit 311, the driving circuit unit 311 drives the switch block to switch on or off. .

Here, the driving circuit unit 311 drives the specific switch, the igniter 319 or the circuit breaker 317 of the specific switch block in accordance with the control signal of the control unit 313, including the transistor. In general, the driving circuit unit 311 includes a plurality of driving circuits respectively mapped to a specific switch, an igniter 319 or a circuit breaker 317 to be driven, and the controller 313 is connected one to one to each driving circuit. The output terminal is provided. Accordingly, the first to sixth control signals output by the controller 313 below may correspond to displaying and outputting outputs of different terminals of the controller 313.

The switch block of the present invention has a structure in which the

electronic switches

305a, 307a, and 309a and the

mechanical switches

305b, 307b, and 309b are connected in parallel to each other, and when any one of the mechanical switch and the electronic switch is on, the corresponding switch block is turned on. Is turned on and the switch block is turned off when both the mechanical switch and the electronic switch are turned off. The mechanical switch and the electronic switch in the switch block are individually controlled by the control unit 313 and the driving circuit unit 311.

Mechanical switches may be mechanical relays, and electronic switches of any name may not use mechanical contacts such as solid state relays, transistors, or field effect transistors. Does not say switch.

Basically, the control of the switch block of the control unit 313 is basically performed by a mechanical switch, but controls the electronic switch to be in an on state during the switching of the mechanical contact of the mechanical switch. Accordingly, the electronic switch can be used for instant switching and at the same time to prevent sparking, and after switching, the mechanical switch replaces the electronic switch so that power is not consumed without being affected by changes in external load. . Switching of the mechanical switch is performed while the electronic switch is turned on, so that sparks due to mechanical contact switching do not occur.

Hereinafter, the control of the on and off switching of the switch block of the controller 313 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7, but for convenience of description, the second switch block 307 may be described. The description will focus on the operation. In addition, although the detailed description is omitted in the following description, it should be understood that the second electronic switch 307a and the second mechanical switch 307b operate through the control unit 313 and the driving circuit unit 311.

Referring to FIG. 4, when an on switching event of the second switch block 307 occurs (S401), the controller 313 waits for a point of 0V based on information provided by the zero voltage detector 315. The zero voltage detection unit 315 detects the 0V point using the current sensor CT and provides it to the control unit 313 (S403).

When the controller 313 reaches the 0V point, the controller 313 first outputs a first control signal for turning on the second electronic switch 307a. The driving circuit unit 311 turns on the second electronic switch 307a according to the first control signal of the controller 313. At this time, the second electronic switch 307a is immediately switched on as shown in (a) of FIG. 5, and switching is performed at the 0V point so that the second electronic switch 307a is not damaged (S405).

Next, the control unit 313 outputs a control signal for turning on the second mechanical switch 307b. The second control signal for turning on the second mechanical switch 307b is sufficient only after the first control signal. However, the second mechanical switch 307b is not immediately connected to the contact point, and takes a predetermined time (about 8 ms to about 20 ms) by the mechanical structure as shown in FIG. 5 (b) (S407).

The controller 313 outputs a third control signal such that the second electronic switch 307a is turned off again when the set time d elapses after the second control signal is output. Here, the set time d is preferably set at least longer than the contact transfer time of the mechanical switch (for example, 20 ms). Furthermore, since the switching time varies depending on the driving voltage, temperature, contact specifications, and the like, it is preferable that the set time d include a margin in consideration of this (S411).

By the operation of the control unit 313, the switch block is controlled such that the electronic switch is first turned on and then the mechanical switch is maintained in the contact on state as shown in FIG.

Switching off of the switch block takes place while the mechanical switch is already on and maintaining the contacts. Referring to FIGS. 7B and 7C, the second mechanical block 307b is already turned on before the off-control of the controller 313, so that the second switch block 307 is turned on. It is in a holding state. The off-switching of the switch block is to protect the switching of the mechanical switch which is already in the contact-on state using an electronic switch.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the off switching event of the second switch block 307 occurs (S601), the controller 313 waits for the 0V point based on the information provided by the zero voltage detector 315 (S603).

When the 0V point is reached, the controller 313 first outputs a fourth control signal for turning on the second electronic switch 307a, and the driving circuit unit 311 according to the fourth control signal of the controller 313. The second electronic switch 307a is turned on. Similarly, the second electronic switch 307a is immediately turned on as shown in FIG. 7A (S605).

Next, the controller 313 outputs a fifth control signal for turning off the second mechanical switch 307b. The fifth control signal for turning off the second mechanical switch 307b is sufficient only after the fourth control signal. Similarly, turning off the second mechanical switch 307b takes a predetermined time (about 8 ms to about 20 ms) by the mechanical structure as shown in Fig. 7B (S607).

The controller 313 waits for the 0V point based on the information provided by the zero voltage detector 315 when the previously set time (eg, d) elapses after the fifth control signal is output (S609 and S611). The controller 313 outputs a sixth control signal for turning off the second electronic switch 307a when the time point is 0V, thereby completing the off switching of the second switch block 307 (S613).

As described above, the controller 313 allows the contact-off operation of the mechanical switch to be performed while the electronic switch is turned on as shown in FIG.

Although the above has been illustrated and described with respect to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific embodiments, it is usually in the technical field to which the invention belongs without departing from the spirit of the invention claimed in the claims. Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention.

Claims

In the ballast for controlling the illuminance of the discharge lamp,

A ballast circuit unit including an inductor and an igniter to provide a fixed inductance while initially starting the discharge lamp;

A variable inductor unit connected to an inductor of the ballast circuit unit and having a plurality of inductors connected in series;

A plurality of switch blocks for changing the overall inductance of the variable inductor unit by bypassing at least one of the plurality of inductors of the variable inductor unit;

A control unit for outputting a control signal for controlling the operation of each switch block; And

Including the driving circuit unit for driving the switch block in accordance with the control signal of the control unit to control the illuminance of the discharge lamp by changing the inductance of the variable inductor unit,

Each of the switch blocks includes a mechanical switch and an electronic switch connected in parallel to each other so that the switch is turned on by at least one of the mechanical switch and the electronic switch, and the mechanical switch and the electronic switch are both turned off by turning off. Ballast for controlling the illuminance of the discharge lamp characterized in that.
The method of claim 1,

When the On event of the switch block occurs, the controller turns on the switch by turning on the electronic switch and then on the mechanical switch, wherein the electronic switch is turned off after a set time. Ballast for controlling the illuminance of the discharge lamp.
The method of claim 2,

It further comprises a zero voltage detector for detecting the time when the voltage of the AC power supply is 0V by using a current sensor to provide to the control unit,

The ballast for controlling the illuminance of the discharge lamp, characterized in that the electronic switch is turned on at the time point 0V.
The method of claim 2,

When the off event of the switch block occurs, the control unit turns off the switch block by turning on the electronic switch and then turning off the mechanical switch, wherein the electronic switch is turned off after a set time. Ballast for controlling the illuminance of the discharge lamp.
The method of claim 4, wherein

It further comprises a zero voltage detector for detecting the time when the voltage of the AC power supply is 0V by using a current sensor to provide to the control unit,

The electronic switch is a ballast for illumination control for the discharge lamp, characterized in that the (On) and off (Off) at the time point 0V.
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5,

And the set time is set to a value equal to or greater than an operating time of a mechanical contact of the mechanical switch.