Electronic ballast for instant-start lamps

An arrangement comprising:

• a power line source operative to provide an ordinary electric utility power line voltage at a pair of power line terminals;
• a power conditioning circuit connected with the power line terminals and operative to provide a DC supply voltage at a pair of DC terminals;
• the magnitude of the DC supply voltage starting to increase at a first point in time, thereby to reach a first pre-determined magnitude after a first brief duration;
• the first brief duration being longer than a complete cycle of the power line voltage;
• an inverter circuit connected with the DC terminals and operative, but only after the magnitude of the DC supply voltage has reached said first pre-determined magnitude, to provide an AC output voltage at a pair of inverter output terminals;
• a gas discharge lamp having lamp terminals;
• and
• sub-structure operable to provide connection between the lamp terminals and the inverter output terminals;
• the arrangement being further characterized by not including a relay with a relay coil.

An arrangement comprising:

• a power line source operative to provide an ordinary electric utility power line voltage at a pair of power line terminals;
• the power line voltage having a fundamental period;
• a power conditioning circuit connected with the power line terminals and operative to provide a DC supply voltage at a pair of DC terminals;
• the power conditioning circuit being characterized by including an intermittently conducting transistor and an energy-storing inductor;
• the magnitude of the DC voltage starting to increase at a first point in time and reaching a first pre-determined magnitude after a first brief duration;
• the first brief duration being longer than half the duration of said fundamental period;
• an inverter circuit connected with the DC terminals and operative, but only after the magnitude of the DC supply voltage has reached said first pre-determined magnitude, to provide an AC output voltage at a pair of inverter output terminals;
• a gas discharge lamp having lamp terminals;
• and
• sub-structure operable to provide connection between the lamp terminals and the inverter output terminals;
• the arrangement being further characterized by not including a relay with a relay coil.

An arrangement comprising:

• a series-combination of a gas discharge lamp and a predominantly inductive current-limiting means;
• the series-combination having a pair of input terminals;
• and
• a voltage source having a pair of output terminals connected with the input terminals of the series-combination;
• the voltage source being characterized by:
• (i) at a given point in time, providing at the output terminals an AC voltage having a first pre-determined magnitude;
• and (ii) at a subsequent pre-determined point in time, causing the magnitude of the AC voltage to decrease to a second pre-determined magnitude;
• the arrangement being further characterized by not including a relay with a relay coil.

An arrangement comprising:

• a power line source operative to provide an ordinary electric utility power line voltage between a first and a second power line terminal;
• a power conditioning circuit connected with the power line terminals and operative to provide a DC supply voltage between a first and a second DC terminal;
• there being an electrically conductive path between the first DC terminal and the first power line terminal;
• an inverter circuit connected with the DC terminals and operative to provide an AC output voltage between a first and a second AC output terminal;
• a first AC voltage existing between the first DC terminal and the first AC output terminal;
• a second AC voltage existing between the first DC terminal and the second AC terminal;
• the magnitude of the first AC voltage being at least one quarter the magnitude of the second AC voltage;
• the phasing of the first AC voltage being opposite that of the second AC voltage;
• a gas discharge lamp having lamp terminals;
• and
• sub-structure operable to provide connection between the lamp terminals and the inverter output terminals;
• the arrangement being further characterized by not including a relay and a relay coil.