US5023519A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Circuit for starting and operating a gas discharge lamp
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1987-07-16
•
Granted: 1991-06-11
•
Expires: 2007-07-16
Abstract
Abstract A circuit is disclosed which is capable of positively shifting a gas discharge lamp from its off-state to its on-state without emitting light flashes and further positively maintains the gas discharge lamp in its on-state when first ignited. The circuit contains an oscillator device which generates and supplies an oscillator signal of a specific oscillator frequency from two output terminals of the oscillator device. It also contains a current limiting device an a parallel-resonance circuit comprising a capacitor and an inductor. The parallel resonance circuit has a frequency of resonance substantially identical to the oscillator frequency. The current limiting device and parallel-resonance circuit are connected in a series configuration across the output terminals of the oscillator device. Further, the gas discharge lamp is connected across or in parallel with the parallel-resonance circuit. The current limiting device preferably constitutes an inductor of a series-resonance circuit, the resonance frequency of which is lower than the oscillator frequency of the oscillator device. The oscillator device is preferably tuned to the frequency of resonance of the parallel-resonance circuit.
Inventors
- 👤 Kaj Jensen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 06:27
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05B; H05B41/00; H05B41/14; H05B41/16; H05B41/20; H05B41/23; H05B41/232; H05B41/233; H05B41/26; H05B41/28; H05B41/282; H05B41/285; H05B41/2851; H05B41/2856; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S315/00; Y10S315/02; Y10S315/05
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
99 words
A circuit for starting and operating a gas discharge lamp, comprising: a series-resonance circuit comprising a first capacitator and a first inductor; a parallel-resonance circuit, comprising a second capacitor and a second inductor, said series-resonance circuit having a resonance frequency lower than that of said parallel-resonance circuit; and oscillator means, connected to said series-resonance circuit, for generating and supplying an oscillator signal of a specific oscillator frequency, substantially identical to said resonance frequency of said parallel-resonance circuit, to said gas discharge lamp through said series-resonance circuit, said series-resonance circuit and said parallel-resonance circuit being connected in a series configuration.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
99 words
A circuit for starting and operating a gas discharge lamp, comprising: a series-resonance circuit comprising a first capacitator and a first inductor; a parallel-resonance circuit, comprising a second capacitor and a second inductor, said series-resonance circuit having a resonance frequency lower than that of said parallel-resonance circuit; and oscillator means, connected to said series-resonance circuit, for generating and supplying an oscillator signal of a specific oscillator frequency, substantially identical to said resonance frequency of said parallel-resonance circuit, to said gas discharge lamp through said series-resonance circuit, said series-resonance circuit and said parallel-resonance circuit being connected in a series configuration.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said series-resonance circuit band-pass filters said oscillator signal supplied by said oscillator means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
A circuit, as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein said series-resonance circuit and said parallel-resonance circuit are connected to each other in said series configuration through a starting electrode of said gas discharge lamp.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oscillator means is supplied with a feed-back oscillator signal for controlling the generation of said oscillator signal, said feed-back oscillator signal being generated by said parallel-resonance circuit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oscillator means has two input terminals for connection to a DC power supply for receiving a DC power supply signal and two output terminals for generating and supplying said oscillator signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 5, further comprising said DC power supply and a rectifier means for connection to a mains supply.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 6, wherein said DC power supply is constituted by a switch-mode power supply.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
77 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shut-down circuit connected in parallel with said gas discharge lamp for detecting whether the voltage supplied to said gas discharge lamp exceeds a predetermined threshold for a period of time exceeding a predetermined period of time and for disabling said circuit for starting and operating said gas discharge lamp in case said voltage exceeds said threshold for a period of time exceeding said predetermined period of time.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
48 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oscillator means is supplied with a feed-back oscillator signal for controlling the generation of said oscillator signal, said feed-back oscillator signal being generated by said parallel-resonance circuit and said oscillator means generates and supplies a square wave oscillator signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
A circuit as claimed in claim 9, wherein said series-resonance circuit and parallel-resonance circuit are connected to each other in said series configuration across output terminals of the oscillator means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
117 words
A circuit for starting and operating a gas discharge lamp, comprising: a series-resonance circuit comprising a first capacitor and a first inductor; a second capacitor; oscillator means connected to said series-resonance circuit, including a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, said primary winding of said transformer being connected in a series configuration with said series-resonance circuit, and said secondary winding of said transformer being connected in parallel with said second capacitor constituting a parallel-resonance circuit having a frequency of resonance lower than that of said series-resonance circuit, said oscillator means generating and supplying an oscillator signal, of a frequency substantially identical to said resonance frequency of said parallel-resonance circuit, to said gas discharge lamp.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
117 words
A circuit for starting and operating a gas discharge lamp, comprising: a series-resonance circuit comprising a first capacitor and a first inductor; a second capacitor; oscillator means connected to said series-resonance circuit, including a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, said primary winding of said transformer being connected in a series configuration with said series-resonance circuit, and said secondary winding of said transformer being connected in parallel with said second capacitor constituting a parallel-resonance circuit having a frequency of resonance lower than that of said series-resonance circuit, said oscillator means generating and supplying an oscillator signal, of a frequency substantially identical to said resonance frequency of said parallel-resonance circuit, to said gas discharge lamp.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 11, wherein said series-resonance circuit band pass filters said oscillator signal supplied by said oscillator means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
127 words
A circuit for starting and operating a gas discharge lamp, comprising: series-resonance circuit comprising a first capacitor and a first inductor; parallel-resonance circuit comprising a second capacitor and a second inductor resonance circuit, said series-resonance circuit having a frequency of resonance lower than that of said parallel-resonance circuit; oscillator means, connected to said series resonance circuit, constituted by a half-bridge oscillator circuit, for generating and supplying an oscillator signal of a specific oscillator frequency, substantially identical to said resonance frequency of said parallel-resonance circuit, across a hot terminal and a cold terminal constituting a ground terminal of said circuit, to said gas discharge lamp through said series-resonance circuit; said series-resonance circuit and said parallel-resonance circuit being connected in a series configuration across said hot and cold terminals.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
127 words
A circuit for starting and operating a gas discharge lamp, comprising: series-resonance circuit comprising a first capacitor and a first inductor; parallel-resonance circuit comprising a second capacitor and a second inductor resonance circuit, said series-resonance circuit having a frequency of resonance lower than that of said parallel-resonance circuit; oscillator means, connected to said series resonance circuit, constituted by a half-bridge oscillator circuit, for generating and supplying an oscillator signal of a specific oscillator frequency, substantially identical to said resonance frequency of said parallel-resonance circuit, across a hot terminal and a cold terminal constituting a ground terminal of said circuit, to said gas discharge lamp through said series-resonance circuit; said series-resonance circuit and said parallel-resonance circuit being connected in a series configuration across said hot and cold terminals.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said oscillator means constituted by a half-bridge oscillator circuit generates and supplies a square wave oscillator signal.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
33 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said series-resonance circuit and said parallel-resonance circuit being connected to each other in said series configuration through a starting electrode of said gas discharge lamp.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
36 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said oscillator means is supplied with a feed-back oscillator signal for controlling the generation of said oscillator signal, said feed-back oscillator signal being generated by said parallel-resonance circuit.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
33 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 16, wherein said series-resonance circuit and said parallel-resonance circuit are connected to each other in said series configuration through a starting electrode of said gas discharge lamp.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
29 words
A circuit, as claimed in claims 2 or 16, wherein said oscillator means is constituted by a half-bridge oscillator circuit and generates and supplies a square wave oscillator signal.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 18, wherein said series resonance circuit and said parallel-resonance circuit are connected to each other in said series configuration through a starting electrode of said gas discharge lamp.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
58 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 18, wherein said feed-back oscillator signal is generated by a transformer comprising a primary winding and a secondary winding, said primary winding interconnecting said capacitor and said inductor of said parallel-resonance circuit, and said secondary winding being connected to said oscillator means for supplying said feed-back oscillator signal to said oscillator means.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
59 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 20, wherein said half-bridge oscillator comprises at least two solid state switches each having a control terminal, said transformer comprises two identical secondary windings, and said control terminals are connected to a respective secondary winding of said transformer for receiving a respective feed-back oscillator signal for controlling said switches in a push-pull operation.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
49 words
A circuit, as claimed in claim 21, wherein a peak-limiting circuit is interconnected between each of said control signals and its respective secondary winding for peak-limiting said feed-back oscillator signal supplied to each of said control terminals for controlling said oscillator means to generate a square wave oscillator signal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-06-10 | 1994-12-10 | 1995-06-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-06-10 | 1998-12-10 | 1999-06-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-06-10 | 2002-12-10 | 2003-06-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |