High intensity discharge lamp ballast with anti-theft operating mode

• US 7,230,349 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2005
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Bouchard, Guy P., Madhani, Vipin, Johnsen, Andrew O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; Shih-Chao
• Assistant Examiner(s): A, MINH D
• Application Number:
  US11/248,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20060097661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 34042614-42616, 340/426.35, 340/426.36, 340/514, 340515-517, 307/10.2, 307/10.4, 307/10.5, 307/10.8, 315/76, 315/77, 315/80, 315/82
• US Class Current: 307/10.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0005 Devices preventing the lights from becoming dirty or damaged, e.g. protection grids or cleaning by air flow windshield wipers for cleaning optical devices of vehicles B60S1/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/04 the devices being headlights
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/2925 against abnormal lamp operating conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps

Abstract

A high intensity discharge (HID) assembly comprises ballast circuits which includes a micro-controller, and an HID headlamp. In order to deter theft of the HID assembly from a vehicle, the micro-controller communicates with a vehicle computer, checks the VIN of the vehicle, and if the micro-controller does not recognize the VIN, causes the HID headlamp to operate in a flickering power output mode. The ballast circuits include a power control circuit, a lamp current regulator, a 400v regulator, a current sense circuit, a turn-on synchronization circuit, a shut down circuit, and a pulse width modulator.

Claims

1. A ballast circuit for energizing an HID lamp having an anti-theft operating mode comprising:

means for testing a signal from a vehicle to verify a vehicle code matches an HID lamp code, and when there is no match, said testing means initiates said anti-theft operating mode; and

means for regulating an operating current of said HID lamp in accordance with a signal from said testing means, wherein said HID lamp output power fluctuates between a normal output power level and a predetermined lower output power level.

2. The ballast circuit as recited in claim 1 wherein said testing means comprises a preprogrammed micro-controller.

3. The ballast circuit as recited in claim 1 wherein said regulating means includes a pulse width modulator for controlling said output power level fluctuations.

4. The ballast circuit as recited in claim 1 where said HID lamp output power fluctuation produces a flickering light output at predetermined levels sufficient to maintain safe vehicle operation.

5. A method for operating a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp in a normal mode and an anti-theft mode comprising the steps of:

testing a signal from a vehicle with means to verify a vehicle code matches an HID lamp code, and when there is no match initiating said anti-theft operating mode; and

regulating an operating current of said HID lamp in accordance with a signal from said testing means, wherein said HID lamp output power fluctuates between a normal output power level and a predetermined lower power level.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein said step of testing a signal from a vehicle to verify a vehicle code matches said HID lamp code comprises the step of providing a preprogrammed micro-controller to perform said testing.

7. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein said step of regulating an operating current of said HID lamp in accordance with a signal from said testing means comprises the step of providing a pulse width modulator for controlling said output power level fluctuations.

8. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein said step of regulating an operating current of said HID lamp with a signal from said testing means comprises the step of providing HID lamp output power fluctuations which are sufficient to maintain safe vehicle operation.