US5124619A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Circuit for driving a gas discharge lamp load
Assignee: Motorola Lighting Inc
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Filing: 1991-05-28
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Granted: 1992-06-23
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Expires: 2011-05-28
Abstract
Abstract A circuit (100) for driving a gas discharge lamp load (102, 104, 106) and including: an inverter (112) receiving a unidirectional voltage output and producing an alternating voltage, and having a control input (156, 166); a series-resonant oscillator (126) coupled to the inverter output (116) and having an inductance (128) and a capacitance (130) in series for producing an alternating current; an output transformer (134) coupling the lamp load to the oscillator in series with the inductance and in parallel with the capacitance; and a feedback transformer (146) having a primary winding (148) coupled in parallel with the output transformer and coupled in series with the capacitance and a secondary winding (150, 152) coupled to the control input of the inverter. Since the feedback transformer primary winding carries only capacitive current (I C ), the frequency of the circuit is substantially independent of the load. This allows the feedback transformer to be of the non-saturating-core type while retaining control of the oscillator frequency. Also, the circuit automatically shuts down in the event of load short-circuit.
Inventors
- 👤 Mihail S. Moisin
- 👤 Kent E. Crouse
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 20:20
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05B; H05B41/00; H05B41/14; H05B41/26; H05B41/28; H05B41/282; H05B41/2825; H05B41/2827; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S315/00; Y10S315/07
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
A circuit for driving a gas discharge lamp load, the circuit comprising: inverter means having an input for receiving a unidirectional voltage and an output for producing an alternating voltage, and including at least a first control input; and series-resonant oscillator means coupled to the output of the inverter means, and including an inductance and a capacitance coupled in series for producing an alternating signal; and output means for coupling the lamp load to the oscillator in series with the inductance and in parallel with the capacitance, the improvement comprising: transformer means having a primary winding coupled in parallel with the output means and coupled in series with the capacitance and having a secondary winding coupled to the control input of the inverter means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
124 words
A circuit for driving a gas discharge lamp load, the circuit comprising: inverter means having an input for receiving a unidirectional voltage and an output for producing an alternating voltage, and including at least a first control input; and series-resonant oscillator means coupled to the output of the inverter means, and including an inductance and a capacitance coupled in series for producing an alternating signal; and output means for coupling the lamp load to the oscillator in series with the inductance and in parallel with the capacitance, the improvement comprising: transformer means having a primary winding coupled in parallel with the output means and coupled in series with the capacitance and having a secondary winding coupled to the control input of the inverter means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
56 words
A circuit according to claim 1 wherein the inverter means further includes a second control input and the transformer means has first and second secondary windings connected with opposite polarity respectively to the first and second control inputs, the first and second control inputs controlling the output of the inverter at high and low states respectively.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
A circuit according to claim 2 wherein the inverter means comprises first and second switch means each having a control input connected respectively to the first and second control inputs of the inverter.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
A circuit according to claim 3 wherein the first and second switch means comprise transistor switches.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
A circuit according to claim 4 wherein the transistor switches comprise npn bipolar transistors.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A circuit according to claim 1 further comprising a capacitance connected in series between the secondary winding and the control input of the inverter.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
A circuit according to claim 6 further comprising: a resistance connected in parallel with the capacitance, a first diode connected in parallel with the capacitance and the resistance, and a second diode connected in parallel with the secondary winding.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
A circuit according to claim 6 further comprising: a resistance connected in parallel with the capacitance, and a further capacitance connected in parallel with the secondary winding.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
A circuit according to claim 1 further comprising a capacitance connected in parallel with the inverter output.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
A circuit according to claim 3 further comprising a first diode coupled in parallel with the first switch means and second diode coupled in parallel with the second switch means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
A circuit according to claim 1 wherein the output means comprises a transformer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
167 words
A circuit for driving a gas discharge lamp load, the circuit comprising: inverter means having an input for receiving a unidirectional voltage and an output for producing an alternating voltage, and including first switch means having a first control input and second switch means having a second control input; and series-resonant oscillator means coupled to the output of the inverter means, and including an inductance and a capacitance coupled in series for producing an alternating signal; and output means for coupling the lamp load to the oscillator in series with the inductance and in parallel with the capacitance, the improvement comprising: transformer means having a primary winding coupled in parallel with the output means and coupled in series with the capacitance and having a first and secondary windings coupled with opposite polarity respectively to the first and second control inputs of the inverter means; and capacitance means coupled in series between the first and secondary windings and the first and second control inputs of the inverter means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
167 words
A circuit for driving a gas discharge lamp load, the circuit comprising: inverter means having an input for receiving a unidirectional voltage and an output for producing an alternating voltage, and including first switch means having a first control input and second switch means having a second control input; and series-resonant oscillator means coupled to the output of the inverter means, and including an inductance and a capacitance coupled in series for producing an alternating signal; and output means for coupling the lamp load to the oscillator in series with the inductance and in parallel with the capacitance, the improvement comprising: transformer means having a primary winding coupled in parallel with the output means and coupled in series with the capacitance and having a first and secondary windings coupled with opposite polarity respectively to the first and second control inputs of the inverter means; and capacitance means coupled in series between the first and secondary windings and the first and second control inputs of the inverter means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5047690A
Cited
US4525649A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-06-23 | 1995-12-23 | 1996-06-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-06-23 | 1999-12-23 | 2000-06-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-06-23 | 2003-12-23 | 2004-06-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |