Electronic track lighting system

Details Electronic track lighting system Electronic track lighting system

2000-05-01

2001-06-12

Philogene, Haissa (Department: 2821)

Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems

Periodic switch in the supply circuit

Silicon controlled rectifier ignition

C315S276000, C315S071000, C315S312000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06246182

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic track lighting system, and in particular, to a lighting system which lights a lamp load such as a halogen lamp at a high frequency by an inverter circuit using an electric power fed via a power track.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an inverter circuit disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2770337 has been well known as an inverter circuit for lighting a halogen lamp, and the disclosed circuit has a configuration as shown in FIG.
17
. In the inverter circuit, a portion surrounded by a broken line shown in
FIG. 12
is provided as a unit. The inverter circuit is built in a transformer unit A and is used together with a lamp load
3
in the form as shown in FIG.
13
. As shown in
FIG. 14
, the electronic transformer unit A is connected to a power track
6
mounted on a ceiling via a power track connective portion
4
provided on an upper portion thereof. A commercial alternating current voltage of AC 100V is supplied to the electronic transformer unit A through the power track
6
. A lamp unit
5
suspended from a lower portion of the electronic transformer unit A is mounted with a lamp load
3
such as a halogen lamp or the like.
For example, such a luminaire (lighting equipment) is used for showcase (display case) lighting, light up of show windows, and it is strongly desired that the electronic transformer unit A connected to the power track
6
is miniaturized. However, the prior art employing the aforesaid 100V power track system has the following problem. More specifically, as seen from a circuit shown in
FIG. 15
, each of a plurality of the electronic transformer units A includes a filter circuit for reducing a power supply feedback noise and a protective circuit for protecting a circuit when a lightning surge is applied, respectively. Therefore, size of the electronic transformer unit A becomes large.
A 12V power track system as shown in
FIG. 16
is often used in general, and is constructed in the following manner that a secondary side (output side) of an output transformer T
1
of the electronic transformer unit A is connected to the power track
6
, and a plurality of 12V mini-halogen lamps are connected to the power track
6
via a lamp unit to be lit. In this case, the power track
6
is supplied with a high frequency voltage of 12V transformed from a commercial supply voltage of AC 100V by the electronic transformer unit A.
Moreover, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,952, proposed is a method of supplying, to the power track system, a voltage which is converted from a commercial power supply voltage into a high frequency voltage to downsize each unit.
In the AC 100V power track system as shown in
FIGS. 14 and 15
, the electronic transformer unit A must be connected one by one with the power track. Therefore, depending upon a size of the electronic transformer unit A connected to the power track
6
, there is a limitation of the number of electronic transformer units A capable of being connected to a predetermined length of the power track. Conversely, comparing to the 12V power track system, a current flowing through the power track
6
is less, and thus the AC 100V power track system has a merit such that a voltage drop by an impedance of the power track
6
is smaller than the 12V power track system and does not affect brightness of the light unit.
On the other hand, in the high frequency 12V power track system shown in
FIG. 16
, one electronic transformer unit A is shared with a plurality of halogen lamps
3
. Therefore, each halogen lamp
3
is connected to the power track
6
by only lamp unit
5
. As a result, the high frequency 12V power track system has merit such that the whole of lighting system can be miniaturized. However, as described above, a voltage is low, that is, 12V, and thus a current flowing through the power track
6
is 9 times as much as the AC 100V power track system. Therefore a voltage drop by an impedance component of the power track
6
is large, and when the long power track is used, the lamp unit far from the transform unit A becomes dark. Moreover, in attaching/detaching the lamp unit
5
to/from the power track
6
, there is the following problem. Since a current flowing through a connective fitting
4
with the power track
6
is large, an arc is generated at the attaching or detaching.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems in the prior art. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lighting system which can suppress a current flowing through a power track so that no arc is generated between a connective metal fitting and the power track when attaching and detaching a lamp unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a lighting system having a power supply filter circuit having an input end connected to an alternating current power supply (and including a fuse, a surge absorber, a filter capacitor, a line filter check, etc.), a rectifier circuit connected to an output end of the power supply filter circuit, an inverter circuit for outputting a high frequency voltage, the inverter circuit being connected to an output end of the rectifier circuit and having switching elements through which the inverter circuit is controlled by on and off operation thereof, a lamp load which receives a high frequency output from the inverter circuit to light, a power track for providing a supply voltage to the lamp load. The lighting system further comprises a first unit which includes at least the power supply filter circuit, and a second unit for outputting a high frequency voltage to the lamp load. The first unit is interposed between the alternating current power supply and an input end of the power track. The second unit is connected to the power track. The first and second units are provided as structures separate from each other. At least one second unit is connected to the power track.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5180952 (1993-01-01), Nilssen
patent: 5640069 (1997-06-01), Nilssen
patent: 5691603 (1997-11-01), Nilssen
patent: 6066921 (2000-05-01), Nakamura et al.
patent: 6079862 (2000-06-01), Kawashima et al.
patent: 2770337 (1998-04-01), None

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