Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems – Condenser in the supply circuit – Condenser in shunt to the load device and the supply
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-09
2002-04-16
Wong, Don (Department: 2635)
Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems
Condenser in the supply circuit
Condenser in shunt to the load device and the supply
C315S294000, C315S24100S
Reexamination Certificate
active
06373197
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controller for a plurality of sets of flash lamps sharing a common power source. The present invention also relates to a method for controlling selective discharge of the flash lamps.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flash lamps have been widely used in, e.g., photographing, alarm, advertisement, stage performance, or decoration. For stage performance or advertisement, as illustrated in
FIG. 3
of the drawings, several identical and individual sets of flash lamps are used. Each set of flash lamps consists of a high-voltage charging/discharging circuit
50
and a flashing circuit
60
. The high-voltage charging/discharging circuit
50
comprises two diodes
51
and
52
, two capacitors
53
and
54
, and a choke coil
55
for supplying the flashing circuit
60
with high-voltage power. The flashing circuit
60
comprises a flash lamp
61
, an activating coil
66
, a resistor
64
, a capacitor
65
, a silicon controlled rectifier
63
, and a neon lamp
62
. A timed self-activating flashing effect is provided by using the characteristic of conduction of the neon lamp
62
only when a pre-determined voltage is reached and the delay characteristic provided by the resistor
64
while charging the capacitor
65
. Namely, variable flashing effects can be obtained by setting the resistive-capacitor time constants of all of the sets of flash lamps to be slightly different from each other or in a pre-determined manner.
However, every set of flash lamps requires an independent high-voltage charging/discharging circuit
50
. The overall device occupies a considerable space and the efficiency is poor, for the flash lamps do not illuminate continuously. Instead, the flash lamps merely provide brief, momentary flashing. More particularly, most of time, the high-voltage charging/discharging circuit is charged and thus ready for discharging. Namely, the efficiency of use of each high-voltage charging/discharging circuit
50
is very low.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a controller for a plurality of sets of flash lamps that share a common power source. The controller comprises only one high-voltage charging/discharging circuit and a plurality of flashing circuits that share the high-voltage charging/discharging circuit. The volume of the overall device can be reduced by 40% and the overall cost is also reduced.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a controller for a plurality of sets of flash lamps that share a common power source, wherein irregular self-activating type flash lamp sets can be obtained if each set of flash lamps is set to be in a mode that the neon lamp controls the self-activating flashing circuit by means of using a single high-voltage charging/discharging circuit.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a controller for a plurality of sets of flash lamps that share a common power source, wherein program-controlled self-activating type flash lamp sets can be obtained by means of using a single high-voltage charging/discharging circuit that cooperates with a programmable controller and providing a signal decoder in each flashing circuit.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling a plurality of sets of flash lamps that share a common power source, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a high-voltage charging/discharging circuit, the high-voltage charging/discharging circuit being a voltage-increasing loop comprising two diodes, two capacitors, and a choke coil;
(b) providing a plurality of sets of flashing circuits, each said set of flashing circuit being a self-activating flashing circuit comprising a resistive-capacitor charging circuit, an activating coil, a silicon controlled rectifier, and a flash lamp, each said set of flashing circuit including a power source end that is electrically connected to an output end of the high-voltage charging/discharging circuit; and
(c) selectively discharging the plurality of sets of flashing circuits by the high-voltage charging/discharging circuit under time-sharing control.
In accordance with the present invention, a controller is provided for a plurality of sets of flash lamps that shares a common power source, the controller comprising:
a high-voltage charging/discharging circuit, the high-voltage charging/discharging circuit being a voltage-increasing loop comprising two diodes, two capacitors, and a choke coil; and
a plurality of sets of flashing circuits, each said set of flashing circuit being a self-activating flashing circuit comprising a resistive-capacitor charging circuit, an activating coil, a silicon controlled rectifier, and a flash lamp, each said set of flashing circuit including a power source end that is electrically connected to an output end of the high-voltage charging/discharging circuit.
Each flashing circuit includes a neon lamp mounted to the input end thereof, thereby forming a controller for irregular self-activating type flash lamp sets.
In an alternative embodiment, each flashing circuit includes a decoder mounted to the input end thereof, thereby forming a controller for program-controlled self-activating type flash lamp sets. A programmable controller outputs a signal for each flashing circuit. A direct current stabilizing circuit has an output end connected to the programmable controller and each flashing circuit.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4945279 (1990-07-01), Leu
patent: 5192895 (1993-03-01), Chang
patent: 5341069 (1994-08-01), Kosich et al.
patent: 5583397 (1996-12-01), Ogawa
patent: 5621379 (1997-04-01), Collins
patent: 5644291 (1997-07-01), Jozwik
patent: 5886620 (1999-03-01), Stewart et al.
Alemu Ephrem
Satermo Eric K.
Wong Don
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