Starter assembly for a gas discharge lamp
First Claim
1. A starter assembly for a gas discharge lamp, the starter assembly comprising:
- at least one switch located in the gas discharge lamp;
a control unit operable for actuating the switch;
wherein the control unit is programmable to receive a first preheat time for the gas discharge lamp; and
wherein the control unit actuates the switch for a predetermined length of time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention comprises a unique starter assembly for a gas discharge lamp. The starter assembly comprises a main current path with a first leg connected to one electrode of a gas discharge lamp, and a second leg connected to a second electrode of the gas discharge lamp. A starting current path is provided between the first and second electrode, and comprises an magnetic switch. The magnetic switch is actuated by an electromagnet controlled by a control circuit. The control unit may be programmed with the start time required for a particular lamp design. In an alternative embodiment, the starter assembly further comprises a radio frequency identification system. The radio frequency identification system includes a gas discharge lamp transponder. The lamp transponder is used to communicate specific lamp information to the control circuit. The control circuit may then modify the start time for that lamp based on this information.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A starter assembly for a gas discharge lamp, the starter assembly comprising:
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at least one switch located in the gas discharge lamp; a control unit operable for actuating the switch; wherein the control unit is programmable to receive a first preheat time for the gas discharge lamp; and wherein the control unit actuates the switch for a predetermined length of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A starter assembly for a gas discharge lamp, the starter assembly comprising:
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a magnetic switch located in the gas discharge lamp; an electronics module operable to actuate the magnetic switch, the electronics module further comprising; an electromagnet; a control unit operable to control the operation of the electromagnet; wherein the control unit comprises a programmable microprocessor, said microprocessor being programmed with a first preheat time; and wherein the electronics module actuates the magnetic switch for a pre-determined length of time. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification