Mixed mode control for dimmable fluorescent lamp
First Claim
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1. A method for controlling a lamp, the method comprising:
- comparing a load of the lamp with a threshold; and
controlling an output of the lamp based on the comparison by complementarily adjusting a first frequency of a first control signal and a second frequency of a second control signal.
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Abstract
A mixed mode control for dimmable fluorescent lamp provides a smooth and continuous control of output of the lamp. A load threshold, below which the output of the discharge lamp could not be effectively controlled by the conventional frequency control, is determined. During the dimming of the discharge lamp, when the load is not lower than the load threshold, the conventional frequency control is employed. However, when the load is lower than the load threshold, a complementary duty cycle control is used.
54 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a lamp, the method comprising:
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comparing a load of the lamp with a threshold; and controlling an output of the lamp based on the comparison by complementarily adjusting a first frequency of a first control signal and a second frequency of a second control signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for controlling a lamp, the apparatus comprising:
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a load detector, comparing a load of the lamp with a threshold; and a controller, which receives inputs from the load detector and outputs a first control signal and a second control signal based on the comparison to control an output of the lamp by complementarily adjusting a first frequency of the first control signal and a second frequency of the second control signal. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An apparatus for controlling a lamp, the apparatus comprising:
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means for detecting whether a load of the lamp is lower than a threshold; and controlling means, which receives inputs from the detecting means and outputs a first control signal and a second control signal based on the comparison to control an output of the lamp by complementarily adjusting a first frequency of the first control signal and a second frequency of the second control signal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification