Electric device provided with a gas and/or vapor discharge lamp
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorWilly Frans Lucia Meuwes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a mixed-light lamp. According to the invention the lamp is connected to a cascade circuit of two capacitors and two diodes. The increase in voltage obtained with that cascade circuit is fed to an auxiliary electrode of the discharge tube of the mixed light lamp. All electric circuit element of the device are located within the lamp. The lamp described is particularly suitable to be operated by an AC mains circuit of a relatively low voltage.
Claims14
An electric device comprising a discharge lamp having an electric discharge tube with at least two main electrodes and an auxiliary electrode, two input terminals adapted for connection to an AC voltage source to supply the lamp with power, a cascade circuit including two series circuits each of which comprises a rectifier and a capacitor in series, means connecting the second series circuit to form a closed circuit with the rectifier of the first series circuit, a first resistor, means connecting an electrode path of the discharge tube and said first resistor in shunt with the capacitor of the second series circuit, said electrode path being formed between the auxiliary electrode and a main electrode of the discharge tube, means connecting the main electrode path formed between the main electrodes of the discharge tube in series with a current limiting circuit element and in shunt with a part of the cascade circuit, which part comprises at least the capacitor of the second series circuit, and means connecting the first series circuit of the cascade circuit directly to the input terminals of the device.
A ballast and starting circuit for an electric discharge tube having two main electrodes and an auxiliary electrode comprising, a pair of input terminals for supplying an AC voltage to the circuit, a voltage doubler circuit comprising first and second stages connected in cascade to said input terminals, the first stage including a first capacitor and a first rectifier connected in a first series circuit, the second stage including a second capacitor and a second rectifier connected in a second series circuit across the first rectifier so that the first and second rectifiers and the second capacitor form a closed loop circuit, a first impedance element, means connecting the electrode path formed between the tube auxiliary electrode and a main electrode in a series arrangement with said first impedance element and said series arrangement in shunt with the second capacitor, a second impedance element, means connecting the second impedance element and the main electrode path of the discharge tube in series across the input terminals and in shunt with a part of the cascade circuit that includes at least the second capacitor, said first series circuit being connected directly to said input terminals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.