Loading patent…
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsJosephus Johannes De Groot, Lars Rene Christian Waumans, Geert Willem Van Der Veen, Theodoor Hubert Stommen
Estimating the term…
The lamp life of a gas discharge lamp (6) depends inter alia on the deterioration of an electrode of the lamp during operation. The deterioration depends on an operating temperature of the electrode. A method according to the present invention for controlling the lamp life includes controlling the electrode temperature during operation by generating a temperature signal (12) representing the electrode temperature and providing said signal to a lamp driver circuit (4) operating said lamp. The lamp driver circuit controls an operating signal (10) supplied to the lamp (6) in order to control the electrode temperature to lie within a predetermined temperature range, thereby minimizing damage to the electrode during operation.
Method for controlling a life time of a gas discharge lamp, the method comprising:
Assembly of a gas discharge lamp and a lamp driver circuit, wherein the lamp driver circuit and the lamp are operatively connected for supplying at least one operating signal from the lamp driver circuit to the lamp and for supplying at least one temperature signal representing an electrode temperature from the lamp to the lamp driver circuit, the lamp driver circuit comprising a control circuit for controlling at least one operating signal in response to said at least one temperature signal for controlling the electrode temperature to lie within a predetermined temperature range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.