Power source circuit apparatus for electro-luminescence device

• US 4,982,314 A
• Filed: 12/04/1989
• Issued: 01/01/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nichia Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Nichia Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Miki, Yuuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Application Number:
  US07/444,956
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 363/16, 363/80, 363/89, 363/124, 363/131, 363/133, 363/134, 323/266, 323/224, 315/169.3
• US Class Current: 363/16
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3388 of the parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 44/00 Circuit arrangements for operating electroluminescent light sources for operating light emitting diodes H05B45/00

Abstract

A low DC voltage supplied to a low DC voltage receiving terminal is converted into a high DC voltage by a DC-DC step-up circuit. The obtained high DC voltage has an optimal value for driving an electro-luminescence device. This high DC volatage is converted into an AC voltage through a pair of series-connected transistors in a switching circuit ON/OFF-controlled in response to an oscillation output from a multivibrator. The converted voltage is supplied to the electro-luminescence device through a series resonance circuit including the electro-luminescence device and a reactor as an AC drive voltage. At this time, a resonance voltage is fed back to the multivibrator and the switching circuit so as to obtain an appropriate luminance correction capability.

Claims

1. An electro-luminescence device lighting inverter comprising:

a DC-DC step-up circuit for boosting an input voltage to an electro-luminescence device lighting DC voltage, an oscillation frequency of said DC-DC step-up circuit being set to be higher than an audible frequency; and

a DC-AC converter for converying a DC output from said DC-DC step-up circuit into an AC output of the electro-luminescence device lighting DC voltage;

wherein

said DC-AC converter is provided with an electro-luminescence device lighting oscillation circuit for oscillating a lighting signal having a predetermined frequency, and a switching circuit, controlled in response to the lighting signal from said electro-luminescence device lighting oscillation circuit, for converting a DC output from said DC-DC step-up circuit into the AC output;

said switching circuit includes transistors ON/OFF-controlled in response to the lighting signal from said electro-luminescence device lighting oscillation circuit; and

said AC output is supplied to the electro-luminescence device via a reactor connected in series with said electro-luminescence device to form a series resonance circuit generating a resonance voltage with a frequency lower than the predetermined frequency of the lighting signal.

2. An inverter according to claim 1, wherein said reactor is connected between an output terminal of said DC-AC converter and said electro-luminescence device, and a sine-wave voltage applied to said electro-luminescence device is changed by utilizing a shift of the resonance frequency in accordance with a change in capacitance of said electro-luminescence device over time.

3. An inverter according to claim 1, wherein a voltage limiting element is connected in parallel with said electro-luminescence device.

4. An inverter according to claim 1, wherein a voltage limiting element is connected in parallel with said reactor.

5. An electro-luminescence device lighting inverter comprising:

a DC-DC step-up circuit for boosting an input voltage to an electro-luminescence device lighting DC voltage, an oscillation frequency of said DC-DC step-up circuit being set to be higher than an audible frequency; and

a DC-AC converter for converting a DC output from said DC-DC step-up circuit into an AC output of the electro-luminescence device lighting DC voltage;

wherein

said DC-AC converter is provided with an electro-luminescence device lighting oscillation circuit for oscillating a lighting signal having a predetermined frequency, and a switching circuit, controlled in response to the lighting signal from said electro-luminescence device lighting oscillation circuit, for converting a DC output from said DC-DC step-up circuit into the AC output;

said switching circuit includes transistors ON/OF-controlled in response to the lighting signal from said electro-luminescence device lighting oscillation circuit;

said transistors of said switching circuit are connected in series with each other, and are connected across output terminals of said DC-DC step-up circuit; and

said AC output is supplied to the electro-luminescence device via a reactor connected in series with said electro-luminescence device to form a series resonance circuit generating a resonance voltage with a frequency lower than the predetermined frequency of the lighting signal.

6. An electro-luminescence lamp driving apparatus comprising:

A voltage control circuit for changing an input voltage into an electro-luminescence lamp lighting voltage, and converting the electro-luminescence lamp lighting voltage into a DC voltage; and

a DC-AC converter for converting the DC voltage from said voltage control circuit into an AC output;

wherein

said DC-AC converter is provided with an oscillation circuit for oscillating a lighting signal having a predetermined frequency, and an output circuit for power-amplifying the lighting signal from said oscillation circuit;

the lighting signal outputted from said oscillation circuit is a rectangular wave voltage;

said oscillation circuit includes a specific element having the predetermined frequency of a free-running oscillation;

said output circuit includes a switching circuit for performing an ON/OFF operation;

said switching circuit of said output circuit is ON/OFF-controlled in response to the rectangular wave voltage which is an output from said oscillation circuit;

a series resonance circuit includes a reactor connected in series with the electro-luminescence lamp to form a series resonance circuit connected to an output side of said output circuit as a load to generate a resonance voltage having a frequency different from the predetermined frequency of said oscillation circuit by a given value; and

a voltage generating point of said series resonance circuit of said electro-luminescence lamp and said reactor is connected to an input side of said oscillation circuit, and the resonance signal of said resonance circuit is fed back to said oscillation circuit.

7. An inverter for an electro-luminescence lamp comprising:

a voltage control circuit for changing an input voltage into an electro-luminescence lamp lighting voltage, and converting the electro-luminescence lamp lighting voltage into a DC voltage; and

a DC-AC converter for converting the DC voltage from said voltage control circuit into an AC output;

wherein

said DC-AC converter is provided with an oscillation circuit for oscillating a lighting signal having a predetermined frequency, and an output circuit for power-amplifying the lighting signal from said oscillation circuit;

the lighting signal outputted from said oscillation circuit is a rectangular wave voltage;

said oscillation circuit includes a specific element having the predetermined frequency of 200 Hz to 5000 Hz;

said output circuit includes a switching circuit for performing an ON/OFF operation;

said switching circuit of said output circuit is ON/OFF-controlled in response to the rectangular wave voltage which is an output from said oscillation circuit;

a series resonance circuit includes a reactor connected in series with the electro-luminescence lamp to form the series resonance circuit connected to an output side of said output circuit as to load to generate a resonance voltage having a frequency different from the predetermined frequency of said oscillation circuit by a given value;

a voltage generating point of said series resonance circuit of said electro-luminescence lamp and said reactor is connected to an input side of said oscillation circuit, and the resonance signal of said resonance circuit is fed back to said oscillation circuit; and

the voltage generating point of said series resonance circuit of said electro-luminescence lamp and said reactor is connected to an input side of said oscillation circuit, and the resonance circuit of said electro-luminescence lamp and said reactor is fed back to the input side of said output circuit.

8. An inverter for lighting an electro-luminescence lamp comprising:

a DC-DC step-up circuit for boosting an input voltage to an electro-luminescence lamp lighting voltage, and converting the boosted voltage into a DC voltage; and

a DC-AC converter for converting a DC output from said DC-DC step-up circuit into an AC output of the electro-luminescence device lighting DC voltage;

wherein

said AC-DC converter is provided with an electro-luminescence lamp lighting oscillation circuit for oscillating a lighting signal having a predetermined frequency, and an output circuit for power-amplifying the lighting signal from said electro-luminescence lamp lighting oscillation circuit;

the lighting signal outputted from said electro-luminescence lamp lighting oscillation circuit is a rectangular wave voltage having an oscillation frequency of 400 Hz to 5000 Hz;

said output circuit includes a pair of switching elements for performing an ON/OFF operation;

said switching elements are connected in series with each other through diodes;

an in-phase rectangular wave voltage is input to said pair of series-connected switching elements, and said switching elements are alternately ON/OFF-controlled in response to the in-phase rectangular wave voltage;

a series resonance circuit including a reactor connected in series with said electro-luminescence lamp to form a series resonance circuit generating a resonance voltage with a frequency different from the predetermined frequency of said oscillation circuit;

said series resonance circuit of said reactor and said electro-luminescence lamp is connected to an intermediate point between said series-connected switching elements through said diodes; and

said diodes connected in series with said switching elements are connected to said switching elements in a forward direction with respect to said switching elements.