Electronic lighting ballast

• US 20050128666A1
• Filed: 10/27/2004
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IEPC Corporation
• Original Assignee: IEPC Corporation
• Inventors: Vorperian, Vatche, Pogodayev, Igor, Flores, Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 7,109,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/58
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/245 for a plurality of lamps
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/282 with semiconductor devices H05B41/2806, H05B41/288, H05B41/295 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/36 Controlling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps

Abstract

An electronics enclosure has a mains input and a lamp output. A power factor correction circuit is installed in the enclosure, to provide a DC output voltage. An inverter is also installed in the enclosure. Control electronics is also installed in the enclosure to control the inverter, and to receive a selection of lamp load type made manually by a user via a user interface on an outside face of the enclosure. The same lamp output can thus alternatively drive, for example, a high pressure sodium lamp and a metal halide lamp, as indicated by the selection. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a) an electronics enclosure with a mains input and a lamp output;

b) a power factor correction (PFC) circuit installed in the enclosure, the PFC circuit having a switching power supply circuit to provide a regulated DC output voltage based on the mains input;

c) an inverter installed in the enclosure, the inverter having an input coupled to an output of the PFC circuit and an output coupled to the lamp output;

d) control electronics installed in the enclosure and coupled to control the inverter and to receive a selection of lamp load type, so that the same lamp output can alternatively drive a high pressure sodium (HPS) lamp and a metal halide (MH) lamp; and

e) a user interface installed in the enclosure and coupled to the control electronics to allow a user to manually select which of the HPS and MH lamps is to be driven wherein the user interface includes an alphanumeric display panel and a keypad.

2. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the enclosure measures no more than approximately 3000_cubic centimeters in volume, and together with b)-e) therein weighs no more than approximately 4.5 kilograms.

3. The lighting apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter installed in the enclosure and having an input coupled to the mains input and an output coupled to feed the PFC circuit.

4. The lighting apparatus of claim 3 wherein the control electronics is programmable to provide real-time diagnostics.

5. A lighting ballast comprising:

an electronics enclosure with an AC mains input and a lamp output;

a power factor correction (PFC) circuit installed in the enclosure to provide a DC output voltage from the AC mains input;

an inverter installed in the enclosure, coupled to the PFC circuit and coupled to drive the lamp output; and

a microprocessor and attendant circuitry that includes functions of an electric discharge lamp ballast timer, external relay, external dimmer, and external switch, with a control integration program that integrates the attendant circuitry into a reduced package.

6. A unitary lighting ballast comprising:

a power factor correction (PFC) circuit having a switching power supply circuit to provide a DC output voltage from an AC mains input;

an inverter having a switching power supply circuit with a lamp output; and

a control processor coupled to control the inverter, wherein the lamp output can drive high intensity discharge (HID) lamps of different gas types over different input voltages at the AC mains input including at least 90 VAC to 300 VAC, and wherein the control processor is to monitor a plurality of functions of the lighting ballast and manipulate current and voltage of the lamp output in real-time, for purposes of dimming any one of said different gas type HID lamps.

7. A lighting apparatus comprising:

an electronic lighting ballast enclosure;

a power factor correction (PFC) circuit installed in the enclosure and having a switching power supply circuit to provide a DC voltage from a lamp input;

an inverter installed in the enclosure and having a) an input coupled to an output of the PFC circuit, and b) an output to be coupled to a lamp load; and

a programmable microprocessor installed in the enclosure and coupled to control the inverter so that a plurality of different types of lamp loads can be alternatively driven by said output, the different lamp types including high pressure sodium, metal halide, and mercury vapor lamps, where each one of said different lamp types can be driven at a plurality of different lamp input voltages, and wherein the microprocessor is programmed to further control the inverter so that various manufacture-type lamps of various wattages can be driven at said plurality of different lamp input voltages.

8. The lighting apparatus of claim 7 wherein the plurality of different lamp input voltages are at least in the ranges 90 VAC to 200 VAC and 200 VAC to 300 VAC, and the various wattages are at least in the range 150 W to 300 W and 250 W to 430 W.

9. The lighting apparatus of claim 8 further comprising circuitry installed within the enclosure that includes a timer, a relay, a dimmer and a switch.

10. The lighting apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

a user interface installed within the enclosure and coupled to the microprocessor to allow a user to manually select a setting for one of a plurality of different lamp wattages, a setting for one of a plurality of different lighting manufacturers, and a setting for one of a plurality of different lamp load types.

11. The lighting apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a standby power supply circuit installed in the enclosure and coupled to power the microprocessor off the lamp input.

12. The lighting apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a remote interrogation communications network interface, installed in the enclosure and coupled to the microprocessor, to allow a graphic user interface to remotely program the lighting apparatus.

13. A lighting ballast comprising:

an electronics enclosure with a mains input and a lamp output;

a power factor correction (PFC) circuit installed in the enclosure, the PFC circuit having a switching power supply circuit to provide a regulated DC output voltage based on the mains input being alternatively between (a) 100 and 200 Volts AC and (b) 200 and 300 Volts AC;

a step down switching power supply converter coupled to the PFC circuit, to provide an adjustable output voltage;

an inverter coupled to the converter, and having a switching power supply circuit to provide a lamp voltage for the lamp output; and

control electronics installed in the enclosure and coupled to control the inverter, wherein the control electronics is to control the inverter so that the lamp output can (a) alternatively drive the same one of a high pressure sodium (HPS) lamp and a metal halide (MH) lamp, or (b) alternatively drive the same one of a HPS lamp and a mercury vapor (MV) lamp, over both of said mains input voltage ranges.

14. A lighting ballast comprising:

an electronics enclosure;

solid state switching power supply circuitry and control electronics installed in the enclosure to drive a gas electric discharge lamp, including a plurality of functions integrated into said solid state electronics for dimming and timer operation of the lamp, eliminating the need to use a plurality of external components that include a timer, a relay, a dimmer, and a switch needed to achieve said dimming and timing when driving the lamp with a magnetic ballast; and

a user interface installed in the enclosure and coupled to the control electronics to allow a user to manually indicate a) which of the HPS and MH lamps, or which of the HPS and MV lamps, is to be driven.

15. The ballast of claim 14 wherein the user interface comprises a display panel to display menu items that refer to HPS, MH, and MV lamp types, and a keypad that allows the user to navigate the menu items and select one of the menu items for the lamp to be driven.

16. The ballast of claim 15 wherein the switching power supply circuitry comprises a buck converter feeding an inverter whose output is to drive the discharge lamp, and the control electronics is further coupled to adjust an output level of the converter in response to a change in a dimmer level setting for the lamp that is to be driven.

17. A method for lighting control, comprising:

deploying a plurality of ballasts in a lighting application, each of the ballasts integrates switching power supply circuitry and control electronics in a respective enclosure that implements a dimming function, an output on/off function, adjustable output power, ability to drive different lamp types, and ability to drive lamps from different manufacturers; and

setting a dimmer level, output on/off, output power, lamp type output, and lamp manufacturer output for each of the ballasts in accordance with the lighting application.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein each of the ballasts can drive no more than one high intensity discharge lamp at any one time.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein each of the ballasts are essentially replicates from a standpoint of hardware.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein setting one or more of the dimmer level, output on/off, output power, lamp type and lamp manufacturer output for each of the ballasts is performed via a respective user interface that is built into the enclosure.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein each of the ballasts integrates within the respective enclosure a scheduler function, the method further comprising setting timed operation for one of the ballasts via its respective user interface.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein setting one or more of the dimmer level, output power, lamp type and lamp manufacturer for each of the ballasts is performed from a graphical user interface running in a central, remote machine to which the ballasts are communicatively coupled.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising setting an output on/off schedule for each of the ballasts via the graphical user interface.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

receiving at the central, remote machine from each of the ballasts a report indicating a failure or impending failure of a respective lamp.

25. A lighting ballast comprising:

a converter to provide a regulated voltage from a lamp input of the ballast;

an adjustable, step down switching voltage regulator having an input to receive the regulated voltage and an output to provide an adjustable, regulated voltage;

an inverter having an input to receive the adjustable, regulated voltage and an output to feed a lamp output of the ballast; and

control circuitry to command a change in one or more operating parameters of the step down regulator and the inverter in response to a change in lamp type selection which selects one of a plurality of different lamp types that can be driven by the lamp output.

26. The ballast of claim 25 further comprising control electronics to command a change in said one or more operating parameters, in response to a change in dimmer setting.

27. The ballast of claim 26 wherein the one or more operating parameters include the adjustable, regulated voltage and an operating frequency of the inverter.

28. A lighting ballast comprising:

a converter to provide a regulated voltage from a lamp input of the ballast;

a step down switching voltage regulator having an input to receive the regulated voltage;

an inverter having an input coupled to an output of the regulator and an output to feed a lamp output of the ballast; and

control circuitry to change one or more operating parameters of the step down regulator and the inverter in response to a change in lamp manufacturer selection which selects one of a plurality of lamps, from different manufacturers, that can be driven by the lamp output.

29. The ballast of claim 28 wherein the change in one or more operating parameters is designed so that the lamp output can meet a nominal current requirement of the selected lamp manufacturer.

30. The ballast of claim 29 wherein the one or more operating parameters include an input voltage and an operating frequency of the inverter.