摘要:
An electronic ballast includes a zener diode in series with the bulk capacitor of the ballast to provide a charging voltage for a small capacitor that powers a power factor correction circuit within the ballast. A SCR in parallel with the zener diode shuts off the zener diode after the power factor correction circuit begins operation.
摘要:
An insulating enclosure for an electronic ballast has at least one major surface and a thermally conductive heat spreader at the major surface. The heat spreader is thermally coupled to at least one of the electronic components within the ballast and has an area greater than the area of the component as measured parallel with the major surface. The electronic components are thermally coupled to the heat spreader by a thermally conductive, deformable means such as caulk or by domes or dimples in the heat spreader that accommodate the variations in height among the electronic components. An electrically insulating layer can be located between the heat spreader and some of the components to prevent the heat spreader from electrically shorting the components.
摘要:
An ballast includes a variable frequency boost circuit and a driven half-bridge inverter having a series resonant, direct coupled, parallel output. A control circuit includes a variable frequency driver section, a multivibrator section, and a sensing section. The variable frequency driver changes frequency smoothly, i.e. without discontinuities. The multivibrator section acts as a switch that is enabled or disabled by the sensing section for controlling the frequency of the inverter. Lamp current is required for continued operation of the control circuit. The multivibrator section controls starting by causing the inverter to produce an output signal having a trapezoidal envelope. In the event of an arc, the control circuit quenches the arc and the multivibrator periodically pulses the lamp to attempt to re-start the lamp.
摘要:
An electronic ballast includes a series resonant inductor and capacitor and a filament winding magnetically coupled to said inductor. The filament winding forms a closed circuit with a filament in a gas discharge lamp, wherein the current induced in the winding opposes a portion of the current through the inductor to reduce the net voltage on the filament during normal lamp operation. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the filament winding is reversely wound with the inductor on a common core to reverse the phase of the current induced in the filament winding from the current through the inductor.
摘要:
An electronic ballast includes a triggered boost circuit, a driven inverter, and a low voltage signal generator in a a half-bridge, push-pull, series resonant, parallel loaded configuration. The boost circuit is triggered by a voltage from the inverter and the inverter is controlled by the low voltage signal generator. The boost circuit includes a low voltage output for powering the signal generator. In the event of a fault, the operation of the signal generator is interrupted, thereby shutting off the boost circuit and the inverter. A DC blocking capacitor is in series with the lamps and a resistor is connected in parallel with the DC blocking capacitor. The ballast is started by a pulse of displacement current through the lamp filaments to the boost circuit. Since the lamp filaments must be intact, the ballast does not begin a lamp starting sequence until lamps are connected to the ballast.
摘要:
Gas discharge lamps may conduct current from the common rail to earthen ground through a fixture containing the lamps. A transistor is coupled in series in the current path to the common rail. When the ballast is placed in a quiescent state, the transistor is rendered non-conducting, thereby solating the lamps from the common rail and preventing flicker. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the control electrode of the transistor is coupled to a source of low voltage and the transistor is rendered non-conducting when the source of low voltage is turned off. The lamps can also be isolated from the common rail by using a semiconductor switch in the rectifier section or by referencing the output of the inverter to the high voltage rail.
摘要:
An electronic ballast has a high voltage portion and a low voltage portion. The high voltage portion includes a converter, having a variable frequency boost circuit, and a half-bridge, driven inverter having a series resonant, direct coupled output. The low voltage portion of the ballast includes a control circuit and fault detectors for shutting off the boost circuit and the inverter circuit. The fault detectors consume very little power when the ballast and lamp are functioning normally. Separate magnetics are used for boost, inverter, and output. Each magnetic is essentially cubic in shape and carries as little current as possible.
摘要:
An electronic ballast includes a boost circuit, a low voltage control circuit, and a driven inverter in a half-bridge, push-pull, series resonant, parallel loaded configuration. The boost circuit includes a low voltage output for powering the control circuit. In the event of a fault, the control circuit shuts off the boost circuit and the inverter. A sense capacitor is in series with the lamps and the voltage across the capacitor prevents a timer in the control circuit from shutting off the ballast. The timer circuit waits a period longer than the time it takes for the lamps to start normally. The sense capacitor is either in series with the lamp across the resonant capacitor or is in series with the resonant capacitor.
摘要:
A self-dimming electronic ballast for a gas discharge lamp includes a converter having an unregulated boost circuit coupled to a variable frequency inverter having a series resonant, parallel loaded output. The inverter includes a variable frequency driver circuit having a timing circuit for determining the frequency of the driver. A transistor in the timing circuit operates as an inverting amplifer and is controlled by a signal proportional to the voltage of the AC line. The frequency of the inverter increases with decreasing voltage on the AC line. The ballast can be on the same circuit as incandescent lamps and powered by a triac or variac dimmer for dimming both the incandescent and gas discharge lamps.