Lamp striking arrangement

Claim 1

IN A STRIKING CIRCUIT FOR A GAS DISCHARGE LAMP OF THE KIND IN WHICH AN RF FIELD IS GENERATED IN REGIONS CONTAINING THE GAS BY AN RF COIL EXTERNAL TO THE GAS AND THE RF FIELD INDUCES THE GAS TO EMIT ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION, AND IN WHICH AN ELECTRODE IS IN CONTACT WITH THE GAS AND CAPACITIVELY COUPLED TO THE RF COIL, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: AMPLIFIER MEANS FOR AMPLIFYING AN RF SIGNAL IN THE ELECTRODE; A GATED, FREE RUNNING, BLOCKING OSCILLATOR COUPLED TO THE ELECTRODE FOR GENERATING THEREIN VOLTAGE PULSES OF A PREDETERMINED MAGNITUDE AND DURATION AT A PRESELECTED REPETITION RATE; RECTIFYING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID AMPLIFIER MEANS FOR RECTIFYING SAID RF SIGNAL TO A PROPORTIONAL D.C. INFORMATION SIGNAL; A BLOCKING CIRCUIT INTERMEDIATE THE ELECTRODE AND SAID AMPLIFIER MEANS FOR BLOCKING SAID VOLTAGE PULSES FROM SAID AMPLIFIER MEANS; MEANS CO-OPERATING WITH SAID BLOCKING OSCILLATOR TO TRANSMIT SAID PROPORTIONAL D.C. INFORMATION SIGNAL TO SAID BLOCKING OSCILLATOR SUBSTANTIALLY ONLY DURING NONPULSE PRODUCING PERIODS OF SAID OSCILLATOR; AND DISABLING CIRCUIT MEANS CO-OPERATING WITH SAID BLOCKING OSCILLATOR TO TERMINATE SAID PULSE GENERATION IN RESPONSE TO THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID PROPORTIONAL D.C. INFORMATION SIGNAL.