Operating method for a discharge lamp having at least one dielectrically impeded electrode

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a discharge lamp, which has at least one dielectrically impeded electrode (2, 3), on a flyback converter, which applies periodically recurring voltage pulses to the discharge lamp (La1). If the discharge lamp (La1) has a starting aid (10), the voltage amplitude (US) of the voltage pulses is successively raised until a dielectrically impeded discharge is formed in the discharge lamp, and until the voltage amplitude (US) has reached the nominal operating voltage. If the discharge lamp (La1) has no starting aid, a first discharge which causes a partial ionization of the discharge medium is firstly ignited in the discharge lamp (La1). Immediately after the first discharge has been brought back to extinction, a dielectrically impeded discharge is ignited anew, and the voltage amplitude (US) of the voltage pulses is increased until the nominal operating voltage of the discharge lamp (La1) is reached.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.