Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems – Plural power supplies – Plural cathode and/or anode load device
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-30
2004-08-10
Vo, Tuyet T. (Department: 2821)
Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems
Plural power supplies
Plural cathode and/or anode load device
C315S225000, C315S24100S, C315S2090SC
Reexamination Certificate
active
06774576
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to electro-luminescent lamp panels and, more particularly, to the recovery of energy stored in these panels that is otherwise dissipated during the discharge cycle of a drive circuit.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Electro-luminescent lamps act as capacitors, electrically. These lamps store energy, as do all capacitors, in the form of an electrical voltage charge. In the normal electro-luminescent lamp driver circuit, this charge is dissipated, and therefore lost, during the discharge cycle of operation.
Electro-luminescent lamp driver circuits are well known in the prior art, exemplary of which are the Supertex HV803 and the Toko TK659XX. A typical one of these circuits is illustrated in FIG.
1
. In that circuit, components L
1
, S
0
, D
1
, and C
1
constitute a high voltage boost or step-up converter which receives a low voltage (less than 6 volts) and boosts it to between 20 and 100 voltas on the capacitor C
1
. Components S
1
, S
2
, S
3
, and S
4
constitute a an H-bridge circuit that is used to commutate the high DC voltage on capacitor C
1
into a high AC voltage across an electro-luminescent lamp capacitor (C lamp) that is about twice the DC voltage on capacitor C
1
. This AC voltage charges and discharges the capacitor C lamp, with the energy stored in the capacitor C lamp being dissipated in components S
3
and S
4
of the H-bridge during the discharge cycle.
It would be advantageious to recover this energy, existing in the form of charge at high voltage, from the electro-luminescent lamp capactior C_lamp, and reuse it, thus making the entire electro-luminescent lamp driving system more efficient. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to circuitry required to implement the recovery of this otherwise lost energy, which is significant in the case of large electro-luminescent lamps that are driven to higher voltages.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5581160 (1996-12-01), Fujita
patent: 5686797 (1997-11-01), Sanderson
patent: 5969484 (1999-10-01), Santi et al.
patent: 6072477 (2000-06-01), Ueno
patent: 6181080 (2001-01-01), Schleicher
Fleming Dan
Martin-Lopez Fernando R.
Schoenbauer Steve
Hein William E.
Toko Inc.
Vo Tuyet T.
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