INSTANTANEOUS STARTER DEVICE FOR A DISCHARGE LAMP EMPLOYING A DIODE THYRISTOR

• US 3,626,243 A
• Filed: 08/21/1969
• Issued: 12/07/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Masao Yasuda, Shigeo Koyama, Takeshi Matsushima, Toru Takei, Yasutaka Kawai
• Original Assignee: Masao Yasuda, Shigeo Koyama, Takeshi Matsushima, Toru Takei, Yasutaka Kawai
• Inventors: Koyama, Shigeo, Yasuda, Masao, Takei, Toru, Kawai, Yasutaka, Matsushima, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lake, Roy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grimm, Siegfried H.
• Application Number:
  US04/852,009
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 315/1U,1H,DIG.2,DIG.5,101,105,205,207,239,289
• US Class Current: 315/101
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/044 for lamp provided with pre-heating electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/046 using controlled semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/18 having a starting switch
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 315/05 Starting and operating circuit for fluorescent lamp

Abstract

A starter device for a discharge lamp instantaneously lighting a fluorescent discharge tube; connecting in parallel with said fluorescent discharge tube a starter circuit consisting of a pulse transformer, a capacitor, and a symmetrical diode thyristor or a reverse blocking diode thyristor having a breakover voltage VBO lower than the rated power source voltage but higher than the tube voltage of said fluorescent discharge tube.

Claims

1. A starter device for a fluorescent discharge lamp having first and second cathodes, each of said cathodes having first and second ends, comprising a. a current limiting ballast connected in series with an electric power source between the first ends of said first and second cathodes, b. a pulse transformer having primary and secondary windings wound in the same direction, each of said windings having first and second ends, c. first conductive means coupling a first end of the secondary winding of said transformer to the second end of said first cathode, the second end of said secondary winding being connected to the second end of said primary winding, d. a reverse blocking diode thyristor, e. a capacitor coupled in series with said thyristor across the primary winding of said transformer, and f. second conductive means coupling the junction of said thyristor and capacitor to the second end of said second cathode.

2. A starter device as defined by claim 1 wherein said second conductive means comprise a diode.

3. A starter device for a fluorescent discharge lamp having a first and second cathodes, each of said cathodes having first and second ends, comprising a. a current limiting ballast connected in series with an electric power source between the first ends of said first and second cathodes, b. a pulse transformer having primary and secondary windings wound in the same direction, each of said windings having first and second ends, c. first conductive means coupling a first end of the secondary winding of said transformer to the second end of said first cathode, the second end of said secondary winding being connected to the second end of said primary winding, d. a symmetrical diode thyristor, e. a capacitor coupled in series with said thyristor across the primary winding of said transformer, and f. a diode only coupling the junction of said thyristor and capacitor to the second end of said second cathode.

4. A second device as defined by claim 3 wherein said first conductive means comprises an auxiliary winding inductively coupled to said current limiting ballast.