Gas discharge lamp power supply

• US 20060214592A1
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: France/
• Original Assignee: France/
• Inventors: Banks, Anthony W., Towe, Robert L., Hopkins, William T., Smith, Alan M., Pickvet, Louis B., Schlemm, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,283,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/56
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/00 Circuit arrangements or apparatus for igniting or operating discharge lamps structurally associated with the discharge lamps H01J61/54, H01J61/56

Abstract

A gas discharge lamp power supply having a base, a pair of opposed side walls extending from the base, and opposed first and second end walls extending from the base between the opposed side walls. The first end wall has a sloped wall extending angularly between the side walls, and two input terminals are mounted on the sloped wall. In another embodiment, the power supply has a control with a nonvolatile memory for storing an error code in response to a detected fault condition, thereby permitting the error code to be displayed upon power being removed from and then, subsequently reapplied.

Claims

1. A power supply for use with a gas discharge lamp comprising:

a base;

a pair of opposed side walls extending from the base;

opposed first and second end walls extending from the base between the opposed side walls, a first end wall comprising

a bottom wall extending from the base between the side walls, and

a sloped wall extending angularly from the side wall between the end walls;

a cover extending between the side walls and the end walls,

the cover, the side walls and the end walls being fastened together to form an inaccessible enclosure;

at least two lower voltage input terminals mounted on the sloped wall; and

at least two higher voltage output terminals connectable to the gas discharge lamp.

2. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the side walls are substantially parallel.

3. The power supply of claim 2 wherein the bottom walls are substantially parallel.

4. The power supply of claim 3 wherein side walls and the bottom walls are substantially mutually perpendicular to each other and the base.

5. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the sloped wall is angled at about 45 degrees with respect to the base.

6. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the sloped wall is angled with respect to the base such that ends of the input terminals and the output terminals remain below a plane defined by a major surface of the cover.

7. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the bottom wall has a height and the sloped wall has an angle with respect to the base to maintain ends of the input terminals and the output terminals below a plane defined by a major surface of the cover.

8. The power supply of claim 1 wherein one of the output terminals is mounted on the sloped wall and an other of the output terminals is mounted on a second end wall.

9. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising a ground terminal mounted on the sloped wall.

10. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising a user interface device mounted on the sloped wall.

11. The power supply of claim 10 wherein the user interface device comprises a switch.

12. The power supply of claim 10 wherein the user interface device comprises a visual display.

13. The power supply of claim 12 wherein the visual display is an LED.

14. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising a handle mounted on the bottom wall.

15. The power supply of claim 14 wherein the handle comprises a grip movable between a usable position displaced from the bottom wall and a nonusable position immediately adjacent the bottom wall.

16. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising a handle having two ends, each of the two ends being pivotally mounted in a different one of the side walls.

17. The power supply of claim 16 wherein the two ends of the handle are pivotally mounted in the side walls adjacent the bottom wall.

18. The power supply of claim 16 wherein the two ends of the handle are pivotally mounted in the side walls immediately below an upper edge of the side walls.

19. The power supply of claim 18 wherein the two ends of the handle are pivotally mounted in the side walls substantially in line with a center of gravity of the power supply.

20. A power supply for use with a gas discharge lamp comprising:

a base;

a pair of opposed side walls extending from the base;

opposed first and second end walls, each of the end walls comprising

a bottom wall extending from the base between the side walls, and

a sloped wall extending angularly from the bottom wall between the end walls;

a cover extending between the side walls and the end walls;

at least two input terminals mounted on a sloped wall of a first end wall; and

at least two output terminals, a first output terminal being mounted on a sloped wall of a second end wall.

21. The power supply of claim 20 wherein the side walls are substantially parallel.

22. The power supply of claim 21 wherein the bottom walls are substantially parallel.

23. The power supply of claim 22 wherein side walls and the bottom walls are substantially mutually perpendicular to each other and the base.

24. The power supply of claim 20 wherein the sloped wall is angled at about 45 degrees with respect to the base.

25. The power supply of claim 20 wherein the sloped wall is angled with respect to the base such that ends of the input terminals and the output terminals remain below a plane defined by a major surface of the cover.

26. The power supply of claim 20 wherein the bottom wall has a height and the sloped wall has an angle with respect to the base to maintain ends of the input terminals and the output terminals below a plane defined by a major surface of the cover.

27. The power supply of claim 20 wherein a second output terminals is mounted on the sloped wall of the first end wall.

28. The power supply of claim 20 wherein a second output terminals is mounted on the sloped wall of the second end wall.

29. The power supply of claim 28 further comprising a third high voltage output terminal mounted on the sloped wall of the first end wall.

30. The power supply of claim 20 further comprising a ground terminal mounted on the sloped wall of the first end wall.

31. The power supply of claim 20 further comprising a user interface device mounted on the sloped wall of the first end wall.

32. The power supply of claim 31 wherein the user interface device comprises a switch.

33. The power supply of claim 31 wherein the user interface device comprises a visual display.

34. The power supply of claim 33 wherein the visual display is an LED.

35. The power supply of claim 20 further comprising a handle mounted on the bottom wall of the first end wall.

36. The power supply of claim 35 wherein the handle comprises a grip movable between a usable position displaced from the bottom wall and a nonusable position immediately adjacent the bottom wall of the first end wall.

37. The power supply of claim 20 further comprising a handle having two ends, each of the two ends being pivotally mounted in a different one of the side walls.

38. The power supply of claim 37 wherein the two ends of the handle are pivotally mounted in the side walls adjacent the bottom wall of the first end wall.

39. The power supply of claim 37 wherein the two ends of the handle are pivotally mounted in the side walls immediately below an upper edge of the side walls.

40. The power supply of claim 39 wherein the two ends of the handle are pivotally mounted in the side walls substantially in line with a center of gravity of the power supply.

41. The power supply of claim 20 further comprising a handle having two ends, each of the two ends being pivotally mounted in a different one of the sloped walls.

42. A gas discharge lamp power supply comprising:

a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding;

input terminals connectable to the primary winding and adapted to be connected to a source of electrical power;

output terminals connected to the secondary winding and adapted to be connected to a gas discharge lamp;

a fault detection circuit providing an error signal in response to detecting a fault condition;

a control comprising a nonvolatile memory, the control storing an error code in the nonvolatile memory in response to the error signal, and

an error indicator connected to the control and being activated by the control in response to the error signal.

43. The power supply of claim 42 wherein the control disconnects the source of electrical power from the primary winding in response to the error signal.

44. The power supply of claim 42 wherein the fault detection circuit comprises a ground fault detection circuit connected to the secondary winding and the error signal represents a secondary ground fault interrupt.

45. The power supply of claim 42 further comprising a chassis and the fault detection circuit is connected to the chassis and the error signal is produced in response to detecting a current flow in the chassis.

46. A method for diagnosing a presence of a fault condition in a gas discharge lamp power supply, the power supply having

a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding,

input terminals connectable to a source of electrical power,

output terminals connected to the secondary winding and connectable to the gas discharge lamp,

a fault detection circuit connected to the secondary winding,

a control connected between an input terminal and the primary winding, and

an error indicator connected to the control,

the method comprising:

connecting a source of electrical power to the input terminals of the power supply and the primary winding of the transformer;

monitoring an operation of the power supply with the fault detection circuit;

generating an error signal with the fault detection circuit in response to detecting a fault condition in the power supply;

storing an error code in a nonvolatile memory in the control in response to the error signal; and

activating the error indicator in response to the error code.

47. The method claim 46 further comprising:

disconnecting the source of electrical power from the input terminals, thereby removing power from the control and the error indicator;

re-connecting the source of electrical power from the input terminals to restore power to the control;

reading with the control the error code from the nonvolatile memory; and

activating the error indicator in response to the error code.

48. The method claim 46 further comprising disconnecting with the control power from the primary winding in response to the error signal.

49. A power supply for use with a gas discharge lamp comprising:

a housing comprising

a base, and

opposed first and second end wails extending from the base, a first end wall comprising a sloped wall extending obliquely with respect to the base;

a transformer located within the housing and comprising a primary winding and a secondary winding;

input terminals mounted on the sloped wall and connectable to the primary winding;

output terminals mounted on the housing, connected to the secondary winding and adapted to be connected to a gas discharge lamp;

a fault detection circuit located within the housing and providing an error signal in response to detecting a fault condition;

a control located within the housing and comprising a nonvolatile memory, the control storing an error code in the nonvolatile memory in response to the error signal; and

an error indicator connected to the control and being activated by the control in response to the error signal.

50. The power supply of claim 49 wherein a second end wall comprises a sloped wall extending obliquely with respect to the base.