Low cost, precision electronic starter

Details Low cost, precision electronic starter Low cost, precision electronic starter

1999-09-29

2001-01-02

Vu, David (Department: 2821)

Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems

With cathode or cathode heater supply circuit

Pulsating or a.c. supply to the cathode or heater circuit

C315S099000, C315S101000, C315SDIG007

Utility Patent

active

06169369

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to starting of gas discharge lamps, and more particularly to an electronic starter for starting such lamps.
Existing electronic starters have conventionally been expensive compared to alternative starting devices such as glow bottle starters. Further, end-of-life protection provided in existing electronic starters is less than desirable, commonly, such starters pulse a lamp several times causing an undesirable visible flicker prior the lamp starting. The present invention overcomes the above noted shortcomings and other deficiencies of existing electronic starters by providing an electronic starter which allows for instant starting of lamps, improves end-of-life protection, and is configured inexpensively.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a lighting circuit having a voltage line source, an electromagnetic ballast and a lamp, also provided is an electronic starter of the present invention. The electronic starter includes a switch, pulse generating circuit, and a pulse time-out circuit. The pulse generating circuit is used to generate a lamp start pulse, which is delivered to the switch connected to first and second cathodes of the lamp. The pulse time-out circuit is connected to the pulse generating circuit, and limits the number of the lamp start pulses delivered to the cathodes of the lamp.
A feedback circuit is provided which includes a sensor device to sense the lamp start pulse delivered to the lamp. The sensor device provides the sensed value to a feedback switch which acts to disable the electronic starter when a predetermined current value is sensed.
The electronic starter is configured with a shutdown circuit, and a shutdown timer network. The shutdown circuit disables the electronic starter after a predetermined interval, based on the configuration of the shutdown timer network.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5233273 (1993-08-01), Waki et al.

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