Circuit for supplying current to a discharge tube

Abstract

An electrical arrangement is disclosed comprising a circuit to supply current to a discharge lamp. The circuit comprises a lower voltage source of alternating current in the form of a square wave generator. The current is fed to two transformers, the primary windings of which are connected in series, the transformers being physically located immediately adjacent the electrodes of a discharge tube. The secondaries of the transformers are also connected in series, and are connected to the electrodes of the discharge lamp. Only extremely short high-tension leads are provided extended between the secondaries of the transformer and the electrodes. Each transformer is a transformer having a coupling factor in excess of 0.98, and each transformer may be formed of a core on which a secondary winding is wound, the primary winding consisting of the end of the region of a flexible substrate with a conductive material coated on the two opposed faces thereof, apart from in the end region where only one face is provided with the coating, the end region being coiled around the secondary windings and being provided with means to establish electrical connection between the conductive material on the inner face of the winding and the conductive material on the exterior of the winding.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.