Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems – Current and/or voltage regulation – Automatic regulation
Patent
1981-03-30
1983-08-02
Dixon, Harold A.
Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems
Current and/or voltage regulation
Automatic regulation
47 17, 47 58, 315205, 315DIG2, 315DIG4, G05F 100, H05B 3702
Patent
active
043968724
ABSTRACT:
At least one high intensity discharge lamp is utilized in the growing of plants within a growth chamber. The lamp is connected to a power supply that provides pulses of alternating polarity to the lamp through a ballast which first provides a relatively high inductance and which after lamp current has reached a certain level provides a matched T-configured impedance network. Initially, a microprocessor, there being one for each lamp ballast (or one for a group of lamps), closes a switch to connect the lamp to the power supply through a step-up transformer, the secondary winding of which during start-up contributes to the high impedance condition during the early stage of lamp operation and which is thereafter part of the T-network. When the lamp is ionized, both the lamp current and the lamp voltage are sensed. The ballast microprocessor uses the signal derived from the current sensor for the lamp with which it is associated to open the switch and thus remove the high voltage from the particular lamp it controls. Thereafter, the microprocessor, in each instance, causes the frequency of the power supply to be adjusted in discrete steps and to also adjust the inductance of the T-network to effect an optimization of the lamp load. Various temperature and light signals associated with the growing of plants can also be sensed and the microprocessor programmed to correlate these additional signals with the current and voltage signals in providing its optimized control of each lamp within the growing chamber. A supervisory processor or facility computer exercises control over whatever number of individual ballast microprocessors and lamps have been selected for the cultivation of plants within the growth chamber.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3514668 (1970-05-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 3898643 (1975-08-01), Ettlinger
patent: 3905153 (1975-09-01), Enter
patent: 4037148 (1977-07-01), Owens et al.
patent: 4156166 (1979-05-01), Shapiro
patent: 4196544 (1980-04-01), Davis et al.
patent: 4275445 (1981-06-01), Elizaran
"Know Your Requirement" by Smith & Church Grower, Jul. 16, 1981, pp. 13, 15, 16.
Dixon Harold A.
Enockson Gene O.
General Mills Inc.
Lillehaugen L. MeRoy
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