US 2011/0254447 A1Published application

Discharge lamp lighting apparatus

AssigneeUshio Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsMasashi Okamoto, Masaki Nakamura

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Abstract

A discharge lamp lighting apparatus includes a capacitor, a charge circuit for charging the capacitor, a switching element, a gate driving circuit that controls ON and OFF states of the switching element, a simmer current supply circuit for passing simmer current through a discharge lamp, a starting circuit that impresses high voltage to a starting electrode, and an electric discharge sequence control circuit that generates the gate signal and the starting signal. When lighting the discharge lamp, a sequence of the gate signal corresponding to an alternating repetition of the ON and OFF states of the switching element is generated. Before outputting the starting signal, the switching element is ON as a stand-by state. Then the sequence starts when the starting signal is outputted.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A discharge lamp lighting apparatus to light a discharge lamp by flash electric discharge, the discharge lamp includes a pair of main electrodes arranged to face each other in an electrical discharge space and a starting electrode that is not in contact with the electrical discharge space, comprising:

a main capacitor that accumulates electric charges for producing electric discharge in the discharge lamp;
a charge circuit that charges the electric charges in the main capacitor;
a main switching element inserted in a path between the main capacitor and the discharge lamp;
an electric discharge sequence control circuit that generates a main gate signal and a starting signal;
a main gate driving circuit that drives ON and OFF states of the switching element by receiving a main gate signal;
and
a starting circuit that impresses high voltage to the starting electrode by receiving a starting signal;
wherein
the sequence control circuit outputs the starting signal to the starting circuit while the main gate signal is supplied to the main switching element to keep the main switching element as a stand-by ON state;
and,
the sequence control circuit outputs a sequence of the main gate signal corresponding to an alternating repetition of ON and OFF states of the main switching element.

8 more elements

a main capacitor that accumulates electric charges for producing electric discharge in the discharge lamp;
a charge circuit that charges the electric charges in the main capacitor;
a main switching element inserted in a path between the main capacitor and the discharge lamp;
an electric discharge sequence control circuit that generates a main gate signal and a starting signal;
a main gate driving circuit that drives ON and OFF states of the switching element by receiving a main gate signal;
a starting circuit that impresses high voltage to the starting electrode by receiving a starting signal;
and
a simmer current supply circuit supplies a simmer current to the discharge lamp;
wherein
the electric discharge sequence control circuit outputs the starting signal to the starting circuit while the main gate signal is supplied to the main switching element to keep the main switching element as a stand-by OFF state;
the simmer current supply circuit supplies the simmer current;
and
the electric discharge sequence control circuit outputs a sequence of the main gate signal corresponding to an alternating repetition of ON and OFF states of the main switching element.

10 more elements

a main capacitor that accumulates electric charges for producing electric discharge in the discharge lamp;
a charge circuit that charges the electric charges in the main capacitor;
a main switching element inserted in a path between the main capacitor and the discharge lamp;
an electric discharge sequence control circuit that generates a main gate signal, a starting signal and a simmer control signal;
a main gate driving circuit that drives ON and OFF states of the switching element by receiving a main gate signal;
a starting circuit that impresses high voltage to the starting electrode by receiving a starting signal;
and
a simmer current supply circuit supplies a simmer current to the discharge lamp when the simmer current supply circuit receives the simmer control signal;
wherein
the electric discharge sequence control circuit outputs the simmer control signal to the simmer current supply circuit, the simmer current supply circuit supplies the simmer current to the discharge lamp;
the electric discharge sequence control circuit outputs the starting signal to the starting circuit;
the electric discharge sequence control circuit outputs a sequence of the main gate signal corresponding to an alternating repetition of ON and OFF states of the main switching element;
wherein, before or after the sequence ends, the simmer current supply is stopped.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/064,821Filed 19 Apr 2011
Priority: JP 2010-09590219 Apr 2010
Published: 20 Oct 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H01J 61/547
Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting: using an auxiliary electrode outside the vessel
H01J 61/90
Lamps with discharge constricted by high pressure: lamps suitable only for intermittent operation, e.g. flash lamp
H05B 41/32
In which the lamp is fed by pulses, e.g. flash lamp: for single flash operation
H01J
Electric discharge tubes or discharge lamps