Fluorescent lamp flashing circuit and control

• US 5,936,356 A
• Filed: 09/22/1998
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Interballast Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Interballast Incorporated
• Inventors: Brault, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US09/158,535
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 315/200 A, 315/200 R, 315/231, 315/237, 315/240, 315/241 R, 315/101, 315/105, 315/DIG. 2, 315/DIG. 4, 315/DIG. 5, 315/244
• US Class Current: 315/231
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/34 to provide a sequence of flashes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/3927 by pulse width modulation H05B41/3922 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 315/04 Dimming circuit for fluorescent lamps

Abstract

A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit is comprised of a fluorescent lamp to which an alternating supply voltage source is connected through a series connected loading reactance device which provides current limiting. The heaters of the fluorescent lamp are independently fed. A switching device disconnects and reconnects the alternating supply voltage at a predetermined frequency rate which is determined by a control circuit which controls a switching device. When the switching device is closed, the fluorescent lamp is bypassed through a full wave rectifier bridge and the reactance device is connected in parallel with the supply voltage source and with a bleeding resistance to load the bridge and to form a resonant circuit to maintain the loading reactance device constant and permitting an energy exchange between the supply voltage source and the loading reactance device in a resonant mode thereby maintaining a sine wave form and minimizing loss. When the switching device is in a non-conductive open state, the lamp is "on".

Claims

1. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit comprising a fluorescent lamp to which is connected a heater voltage, an alternating current supply voltage source connected to said fluorescent lamp through a series connected loading reactance device which provides current limiting, a switching device to disconnect and reconnect said alternating current supply voltage source from said fluorescent lamp at a predetermined frequency rate, a control circuit to control the operation of said switching device to produce said predetermined frequency rate, and a bypass full wave rectifier bridge associated with said switching device to connect said loading reactance device in parallel with said supply voltage source and with a bleeding resistance to load said bridge and form a resonance circuit to maintain said loading reactance device constant and permitting an energy exchange between said supply voltage source and said loading reactance device in a resonant mode thereby maintaining a sine wave form and minimizing loss when said switching device is in a "closed" conductive state.

2. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein a variable resistance is connected in parallel across said switching device and said bleeding resistance, said bleeding resistance acting as a load for said rectifier bridge and discharging stray capacitance.

3. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 2 wherein said variable resistance is a varistor which acts as a high voltage transient suppressing device to protect said switching device from high voltage transients when said switching device is operated.

4. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 3 wherein said switching device is a switching transistor, said control circuit being connected to a base of said transistor.

5. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 4 wherein said control circuit is preset to produce switching pulses to said base of said transistor through a current limiting resistor to control the "on" and "off" periods of said switching device to adjust the flashing rate of said fluorescent lamp, said control circuit also controlling the dimming of said fluorescent lamp.

6. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 4 wherein said switching transistor is a Bipolar or Mosfet type transistor.

7. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reactance device is a capacitive reactance.

8. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 2 wherein said heater voltage supply is comprised by a pair of alternating current sources independent from said alternating supply voltage source.

9. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 8 wherein there are two fluorescent lamps connected in series with one another, there being an additional heater voltage supply connected to a common heater of both said fluorescent lamps.

10. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 8 wherein there are two fluorescent lamps connected in parallel, said alternating supply voltage source being connected to both said fluorescent lamps through a respective one of a pair of said series connected loading reactance device, there being two of said full wave rectifier bridge connected to a respective one of said fluorescent lamps, both said fluorescent lamps being disconnected and reconnected from said alternating supply voltage source by said switching device.

11. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 10 wherein said variable resistance is a varistor which acts as a high voltage transient suppressing device to protect said switching device from high voltage transients when said switching device is operated.

12. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 11 wherein said switching device is a switching transistor, said control circuit being connected to a base of said transistor.

13. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 12 wherein said control circuit is preset to produce switching pulses to said base of said transistor through a current limiting resistor to control the "on" and "off" periods of said switching device to adjust the flashing rate of said fluorescent lamp, said control circuit also controlling the dimming of said fluorescent lamp.

14. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 12 wherein said switching transistor is a Bipolar or Mosfet type transistor.

15. A fluorescent lamp flashing circuit as claimed in claim 10 wherein said reactance device is a capacitive reactance.