EP0852453A1 - Elektronisches Vorschaltgerät einer Gasentladungslampe mit Messung der Lampenleistung durch ein Gleichstromsignal - Google Patents

Elektronisches Vorschaltgerät einer Gasentladungslampe mit Messung der Lampenleistung durch ein Gleichstromsignal Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0852453A1
EP0852453A1 EP97660149A EP97660149A EP0852453A1 EP 0852453 A1 EP0852453 A1 EP 0852453A1 EP 97660149 A EP97660149 A EP 97660149A EP 97660149 A EP97660149 A EP 97660149A EP 0852453 A1 EP0852453 A1 EP 0852453A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
lamp
regulation
ballast
power
load circuit
Prior art date
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Application number
EP97660149A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0852453B1 (de
Inventor
Erkki Ahonen
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Helvar Oy AB
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Helvar Oy AB
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Classifications

    • 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
    • H05B41/3925—Controlling the intensity of light continuously using semiconductor devices, e.g. thyristor with possibility of light intensity variations by frequency variation

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a dimmable or controllable electronic ballast for a low-pressure discharge lamp, especially a fluorescent lamp, whose operation is based on regulating the light output of a lamp by varying the frequency of a voltage supplied to the lamp.
  • the invention relates to a circuit system for accurately measuring a power delivered by such a ballast to a lamp load so as to find out the proportion of power required for sustaining discharge of the lamp.
  • the structure of electronic ballasts for low-pressure discharge lamps is prior known from the Applicant's patent No. FI 64487 as well as the theoretical principles from the Applicant's patent No. FI 63314.
  • the Applicant's patent No. FI 63146 in turn discloses the structure and operation of a low-voltage controlled electronic ballast for gaining a light output proportional to an external control signal.
  • the ballast depicted in fig. 1 includes a rectifier V1 connected to a supply voltage UV, a smoothing capacitor C1, a high-frequency oscillator A1, as well as transistors TR1 and TR2 constituting a halfbridge circuit.
  • a lamp LL is coupled as part of a resonance circuit, constituted by a capacitor C2 and an inductance L2 and supplied by the pushpull transistors TR1 and TR2.
  • a filament pre-heating current for the cathodes of the lamp LL during a switch-on sequence of the lamp is conducted by way of a capacitor C3.
  • the oscillator A1 is provided with a control circuit CO1 - CO2, wherethrough a control signal influences the oscillating frequency of the oscillator.
  • the electronic ballast must generally be provided with a separate safety feature in anticipation of certain special circumstances, such as over- or undervoltage in an electrical network supplying the ballast, overheating of the device, a lamp missing, or breaking of the lamp cathodes, as described e.g. in the Applicant's patent application FI 955695.
  • a power supplied to the lamp LL be measured at a sufficient accuracy.
  • This measurement information is utilized in the operation of a control block Al in such a manner that the lamp LL can be supplied in a stable fashion with a power proportional to the voltage between control lines CO1 and CO2 for regulating the light output of the lamp.
  • the power supplied to the lamp load LL by the halfbridge-connected transistor circuit TR1 and TR2 consists of two components: an actual lamp power, which sustains a light-generating discharge in the lamp, and a filament power, which is used for heating the lamp cathodes.
  • Other components of the load circuit experience power losses as well. Especially at lower regulation levels, the power consumed by a lamp discharge being low, the power of cathode incandescence constitutes a considerable portion of the power of the entire circuit.
  • a problem with the ballast shown in fig. 1 is the measurement of a load power in such a manner that the actual lamp power can be measured at a sufficient accuracy without the power required by incandescence having a significant effect on the measuring result.
  • An object of the invention is to resolve this problem involving measuring technology and to provide a ballast of the type defined in the preamble of claim 1, wherein the inaccuracy factors associated with the measurement of a lamp power can be sufficiently eliminated.
  • the effective energy consumed by the halfbridge TR1 - TR2 transfers primarily to a load circuit C2, L2, LL, and C3.
  • the current through either supply of the halfbridge is proportional to the energy consumed by the load circuit, if the supply voltage of the halfbridge is maintained constant.
  • the load circuit is constituted by an inductance or coil L2, a lamp LL, and capacitors C2, C3.
  • the lamp LL is the only one to consume effective power.
  • the energy consumed by the lamp LL is divided into an energy input required by the lamp discharge and an energy consumed by filaments. In terms of the output of light, the energy of a lamp current is interesting.
  • the regulation functions well as long as the lamp power is higher than the filament power.
  • the regulation becomes inaccurate. Depending on the type of lamp, this occurs between 10...20 % light level.
  • the effect of the filament power must be eliminated from a measuring signal. This can be done by measuring e.g. a voltage existing across one of the cathodes of the lamp LL, as set forth in the Applicant's patent application "Measurement of a lamp power in a regulable electronic ballast".
  • a problem is how to achieve a sufficient accuracy, since there are losses also in other circuit elements, such as ignition capacitors, lamp inductances, and switching transistors.
  • An object of this invention is to introduce a circuit connection for a ballast, whereby the power of a low-pressure discharge lamp, especially a fluorescent lamp, can be measured in such a way that said inaccuracy factors in the measurement can be eliminated.
  • This is performed by feeding through a lamp a separate direct-current signal, which is used for producing a direct-voltage signal proportional to the effective resistance of the lamp.
  • Said direct current through a lamp brings about a further advantage that the dark stripes visible on the surface of the lamp bulb, or a so-called striation effect, at lower regulation levels and especially at lower operating temperatures, can be avoided.
  • Fig. 2 of the drawing illustrates one embodiment of the above-described measuring principle.
  • the total power of a load circuit is measured by using a resistance R2, the voltage produced thereby and proportional to the current of a halfbridge TR1 - TR2 being filtered with elements R3 and C4 as well as being conducted to an oscillator block A1.
  • the operation of the oscillator block A1 is here divided in two sections, whereof a sub-block II handles the processing of measuring signals and a sub-block I the control of the halfbridge transistors TR1 and TR2.
  • a resistance R4 is used for developing a direct-current component in an alternating current passing through the lamp LL.
  • the lamp has a substitution resistance of about 275 ohms, at a 50 % light level about 600 ohms, and at a 5 % light level about 14 kilo-ohms.
  • the direct current component supplied to a lamp is 1,5 mA, the result will be a direct voltage of about 20 V across the lamp.
  • the direct voltage measurement has a wide dynamic range and the measuring signal can be readily utilized in the control block of a ballast.
  • the regulation of a light level at low light levels can be made considerably more accurate than by using conventional power measurement.
  • the Applicant's patent FI 65524 describes how said direct current component through a low-pressure discharge lamp can be used for avoiding a so-called striation effect, which is a serious problem in controllable and dimmable ballasts.
  • this patent discloses a variety of ways of producing a direct current component.
  • the undeniable strength of this invention lies in the fact that one and the same direct current signal can be used to gain two major benefits in terms of the operation of regulable ballasts, namely an accurate regulation and an unstreaked output of light from the lamp.
  • the invention is not limited solely to the described embodiments but is equally well adaptable to numerous other frequency-regulation based ballast circuits, e.g. multiple-lamp ballast versions.
  • the technology applied in switching transistors used in the halfbridge has no significance regarding the usefulness of the described circuit, i.e. in this context, useful components include a.o. a bipolar transistor and various designs of field effect transistors.
  • the control signal of the oscillator A1 in the circuit CO1 - CO2 can be digital as well, the sub-block II including necessary circuit elements for processing digital information, e.g. by means of a programmable micro-controller.

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  • Circuit Arrangements For Discharge Lamps (AREA)
EP19970660149 1997-01-03 1997-12-19 Elektronisches Vorschaltgerät einer Gasentladungslampe mit Messung der Lampenleistung durch ein Gleichstromsignal Revoked EP0852453B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FI970018 1997-01-03
FI970018A FI101188B (fi) 1997-01-03 1997-01-03 Purkauslampun elektroninen liitäntälaite, jossa on lampputehon mittaus DC-signaalin avulla

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0852453A1 true EP0852453A1 (de) 1998-07-08
EP0852453B1 EP0852453B1 (de) 2000-08-16

Family

ID=8547419

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19970660149 Revoked EP0852453B1 (de) 1997-01-03 1997-12-19 Elektronisches Vorschaltgerät einer Gasentladungslampe mit Messung der Lampenleistung durch ein Gleichstromsignal

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0852453B1 (de)
DE (1) DE69702829T2 (de)
FI (1) FI101188B (de)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2000059273A1 (en) * 1999-03-30 2000-10-05 Innoware Oy Supply coupling of a fluorescent lamp
US7679293B2 (en) 2007-12-20 2010-03-16 General Electric Company Anti-striation circuit for current-fed ballast
WO2011055158A1 (en) * 2009-11-03 2011-05-12 City University Of Hong Kong A passive lc ballast and method of manufacturing a passive lc ballast
US7982452B2 (en) 2009-07-30 2011-07-19 Infineon Technologies Austria Ag Detection of a load state of a half-bridge
WO2013034386A1 (de) * 2011-09-07 2013-03-14 Osram Ag Elektronisches vorschaltgerät und verfahren zum betreiben einer entladungslampe
WO2013034387A1 (de) * 2011-09-07 2013-03-14 Osram Ag Elektronisches vorschaltgerät und verfahren zum betreiben einer entladungslampe
US8638048B2 (en) 2011-04-12 2014-01-28 Infineon Technologies Ag Circuit for determining an average value

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0422255A1 (de) * 1989-10-09 1991-04-17 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Elektronisches Vorschaltgerät
GB2246034A (en) * 1990-07-13 1992-01-15 Lutron Electronics Co Circuit and method for improved dimming of gas discharge lamps
EP0589081A1 (de) * 1992-09-24 1994-03-30 Knobel Ag Lichttechnische Komponenten Schaltungsanordnung zum Betrieb einer Leuchtstofflampe und zur Messung des Lampenstroms
WO1997001945A1 (en) * 1995-06-29 1997-01-16 Philips Electronics N.V. Circuit arrangement

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0422255A1 (de) * 1989-10-09 1991-04-17 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Elektronisches Vorschaltgerät
GB2246034A (en) * 1990-07-13 1992-01-15 Lutron Electronics Co Circuit and method for improved dimming of gas discharge lamps
EP0589081A1 (de) * 1992-09-24 1994-03-30 Knobel Ag Lichttechnische Komponenten Schaltungsanordnung zum Betrieb einer Leuchtstofflampe und zur Messung des Lampenstroms
WO1997001945A1 (en) * 1995-06-29 1997-01-16 Philips Electronics N.V. Circuit arrangement

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2000059273A1 (en) * 1999-03-30 2000-10-05 Innoware Oy Supply coupling of a fluorescent lamp
US6504318B1 (en) 1999-03-30 2003-01-07 Innoware Oy Supply coupling of a fluorescent lamp
AU764223B2 (en) * 1999-03-30 2003-08-14 Innoware Oy Supply coupling of a fluorescent lamp
US7679293B2 (en) 2007-12-20 2010-03-16 General Electric Company Anti-striation circuit for current-fed ballast
US7982452B2 (en) 2009-07-30 2011-07-19 Infineon Technologies Austria Ag Detection of a load state of a half-bridge
WO2011055158A1 (en) * 2009-11-03 2011-05-12 City University Of Hong Kong A passive lc ballast and method of manufacturing a passive lc ballast
US8952617B2 (en) 2009-11-03 2015-02-10 City University Of Hong Kong Passive LC ballast and method of manufacturing a passive LC ballast
US8638048B2 (en) 2011-04-12 2014-01-28 Infineon Technologies Ag Circuit for determining an average value
WO2013034386A1 (de) * 2011-09-07 2013-03-14 Osram Ag Elektronisches vorschaltgerät und verfahren zum betreiben einer entladungslampe
WO2013034387A1 (de) * 2011-09-07 2013-03-14 Osram Ag Elektronisches vorschaltgerät und verfahren zum betreiben einer entladungslampe

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0852453B1 (de) 2000-08-16
DE69702829D1 (de) 2000-09-21
FI970018A0 (fi) 1997-01-03
DE69702829T2 (de) 2000-12-07
FI101188B1 (fi) 1998-04-30
FI101188B (fi) 1998-04-30

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