Lighting device and method for operating a lighting device

A method for operating a lighting device, the lighting device comprising:

• a drive circuit providing a output voltage at the output of the drive circuit,
• a lighting module connected to the output of the drive circuit having a light element series connection of semiconductor light elements,
• a control means having a temperature dependent element,
• a heating means which is connected with the control means,
• the method comprising the following steps:
• changing the control means into a heating condition if a predetermined heating requirement is fulfilled, wherein fulfilling the heating requirement requires at least that the temperature of the lighting module has decreased to a minimum temperature value at which the forward voltage of the light element series connection corresponds to an upper limit value, or the temperature of the lighting module has fallen below the minimum temperature value,
• heating the lighting module when the control means adopts the heating condition,
• the control means short-circuiting at least one of the semiconductor light elements of the light element series connection if the control means adopts the heating condition, and
• in the drive circuit and a standby-mode of the control means, activating the control means after expiration of a predetermined time interval to check whether the heating requirement is fulfilled.