Systems and apparatus for operating electric discharge devices

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR OPERATING AN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING AN ALTERNATING POWER SOURCE, AN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP, A VARIABLE IMPEDANCE NETWORK COMPRISING A FULL-WAVE RECTIFIER CIRCUIT HAVING ALTERNATING CURRENT INPUT TERMINALS AND DIRECT CURRENT OUTPUT TERMINALS, A TRANSISTOR HAVING AN EMITTER, A COLLECTOR, AND A BASE, A CURRENT INDICATING IMPEDANCE COUPLED IN SERIES WITH THE EMITTER-COLLECTOR PATH OF SAID TRANSISTOR, MEANS COUPLING SAID SERIALLY COUPLED IMPEDANE AND TRANSISTOR BETWEEN SAID DIRECT CURRENT OUTPUT TERMINALS, A REFERENCE VOLTAGE DEVICE, MEANS COUPLING SAID REFERENCE VOLTAGE DEVICE BETWEEN SAID BASE AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID DIRECT CURRENT OUTPUT TERMINALS, CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING INPUT LEADS CONNECTED IN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT WITH THE ALTERNATING POWER SOURCE AND AT LEAST A PAIR OF OUTPUT LEADS CONNECTED IN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT WITH THE ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP TO SUPPLY OPERATING POTENTIAL TO SAID ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP, AND MEANS CONNECTING ONE OF SAID ALTERNATING CURRENT INPUT TERMINALS OF SAID NETWORK TO ONE OF SAID INPUT LEADS AND THE OTHER OF SAID ALTERNATING CURRENT INPUT TERMINALS OF SAID NETWORK TO ONE OF SAID OUTPUT LEADS AND CONNECTING THE OTHER OF SAID INPUT LEADS TO THE OTHER OF SAID OUTPUT LEADS TO PLACE SAID VARIABLE IMPEDANCE NETWORK IN SERIES CIRCUIT RELATION WITH THE ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP DURING OPERATION THEREOF, SAID VARIABLE IMPEDANCE NETWORK RESPONDING TO THE CURRENT MAGNITUDE IN SAID CURRENT INDICATING IMPEDANCE TO PROVIDE AN INSTANTANEOUSLY VARYING IMPEDANCE DURING A PORTION OF EACH HALF CYCLE OF THE ALTERNATING POWER SOURCE TO CONTROL THE CURRENT SUPPLIED TO THE ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP AND CLAMPING THE LAMP CURRENT AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR OPERATING AN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING AN ALTERNATING POWER SOURCE, AN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP, A VARIABLE IMPEDANCE NETWORK COMPRISING A FULL-WAVE RECTIFIER CIRCUIT HAVING ALTERNATING CURRENT INPUT TERMINALS AND DIRECT CURRENT OUTPUT TERMINALS, A TRANSISTOR HAVING AN EMITTER, A COLLECTOR, AND A BASE, A CURRENT INDICATING IMPEDANCE COUPLED IN SERIES WITH THE EMITTER-COLLECTOR PATH OF SAID TRANSISTOR, MEANS COUPLING SAID SERIALLY COUPLED IMPEDANE AND TRANSISTOR BETWEEN SAID DIRECT CURRENT OUTPUT TERMINALS, A REFERENCE VOLTAGE DEVICE, MEANS COUPLING SAID REFERENCE VOLTAGE DEVICE BETWEEN SAID BASE AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID DIRECT CURRENT OUTPUT TERMINALS, CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING INPUT LEADS CONNECTED IN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT WITH THE ALTERNATING POWER SOURCE AND AT LEAST A PAIR OF OUTPUT LEADS CONNECTED IN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT WITH THE ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP TO SUPPLY OPERATING POTENTIAL TO SAID ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP, AND MEANS CONNECTING ONE OF SAID ALTERNATING CURRENT INPUT TERMINALS OF SAID NETWORK TO ONE OF SAID INPUT LEADS AND THE OTHER OF SAID ALTERNATING CURRENT INPUT TERMINALS OF SAID NETWORK TO ONE OF SAID OUTPUT LEADS AND CONNECTING THE OTHER OF SAID INPUT LEADS TO THE OTHER OF SAID OUTPUT LEADS TO PLACE SAID VARIABLE IMPEDANCE NETWORK IN SERIES CIRCUIT RELATION WITH THE ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP DURING OPERATION THEREOF, SAID VARIABLE IMPEDANCE NETWORK RESPONDING TO THE CURRENT MAGNITUDE IN SAID CURRENT INDICATING IMPEDANCE TO PROVIDE AN INSTANTANEOUSLY VARYING IMPEDANCE DURING A PORTION OF EACH HALF CYCLE OF THE ALTERNATING POWER SOURCE TO CONTROL THE CURRENT SUPPLIED TO THE ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP AND CLAMPING THE LAMP CURRENT AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL.