High voltage discharge lamp lighting device

A method of providing a starting pulse voltage sufficient to turn on a high-voltage discharge lamp having terminal wire connections of variable length, the method comprising:

• (a) generating a rectangular wave AC signal;
• (b) inducing a low pulse voltage corresponding with the generated AC signal in a primary winding of a transformer;
• (c) stepping up the low pulse voltage to a high pulse voltage in a secondary winding of the transformer and supplying the high pulse voltage across the wire connections to the high-voltage discharge lamp, wherein the step further comprises starting up the lamp if the high pulse voltage comprises a starting pulse voltage sufficient to start up the lamp;
• (d) generating a reference voltage representative of the high pulse voltage;
• (e) detecting a control value representative of a peak value of the reference voltage;
• and
• (f) controlling the low pulse voltage induced in the primary winding based on the control value, wherein a starting pulse voltage sufficient to start the high-voltage discharge lamp is generated in the secondary winding and supplied across the wiring connections to the lamp.

A high-voltage discharge lamp lighting device for providing a starting pulse voltage sufficient to turn on a high-voltage discharge lamp having terminal wire connections of variable length, the device comprising:

• a commercial AC power source input;
• a power conversion circuit coupled to the AC input and operable to rectify the AC input into a predetermined DC voltage output;
• a charging capacitor coupled to the power conversion circuit;
• a polarity reversal circuit coupled to the power conversion circuit and the charging capacitor, the polarity reversal circuit comprising at least one pair of oscillating switching elements connected in parallel and operable to provide a rectangular wave AC output signal to a transformer primary winding circuit further comprising a series connection of at least a capacitor, a single switching element and a primary winding of a transformer, wherein a low pulse voltage is induced in the primary winding;
• a transformer secondary winding connected on one end to the high-voltage discharge lamp, wherein the low pulse voltage is stepped up to a high pulse voltage and applied to the high-voltage discharge lamp;
• a reference transformer winding, wherein a reference voltage is generated representative of the high pulse voltage;
• a starting pulse equivalent value detection circuit connected to the reference winding, said detection circuit operable to detect a value associated with the reference voltage;
• and
• a control circuit operable to receive said value from said detection circuit, and further operable to variably control at least one of a frequency of the single switching element or an ON impedance of the single switching element in association with said value, wherein said frequency or ON impedance is further associated with a starting pulse voltage sufficient to start the high-voltage discharge lamp.