System and methods for dimming a high pressure arc lamp
First Claim
1. A driver circuit for providing a drive current from a power source to an arc lamp producing a light having a brightness, the circuit comprising:
- a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, wherein each of the primary and secondary windings have a first and a second end and are configured to conduct an electrical current having a polarity, and wherein the ends of the secondary winding are coupled to provide the lamp drive current to the arc lamp;
a current steering module configured to provide a drive output from the power source to the transformer in response to a current steering input;
a current control loop configured to adjust the current steering input in response to the current in one of the windings of the transformer;
a luminance control loop configured to adjust the current steering input in response to the brightness of the light; and
a power control module coupled to the luminance control loop, wherein the power control module is configured to generate a boost command in response to a difference between the brightness of the light and a luminance command exceeding a threshold value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A driver circuit provides a drive current from a power source to an arc lamp to produce a light. The circuit includes a transformer having primary and secondary windings, with the ends of the secondary winding providing the lamp drive current to the arc lamp. A current steering module provides a drive output from the power source to the transformer in response to a current steering input, and a current control loop adjusts the current steering input in response to the current in one of the windings of the transformer. A luminance control loop adjusts the current steering input in response to the brightness of the light and a luminance command. A power control module may be further provided to generate a boost command in response to a difference between the brightness of the arc lamp and a luminance command.
16 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A driver circuit for providing a drive current from a power source to an arc lamp producing a light having a brightness, the circuit comprising:
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a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, wherein each of the primary and secondary windings have a first and a second end and are configured to conduct an electrical current having a polarity, and wherein the ends of the secondary winding are coupled to provide the lamp drive current to the arc lamp; a current steering module configured to provide a drive output from the power source to the transformer in response to a current steering input; a current control loop configured to adjust the current steering input in response to the current in one of the windings of the transformer; a luminance control loop configured to adjust the current steering input in response to the brightness of the light; and a power control module coupled to the luminance control loop, wherein the power control module is configured to generate a boost command in response to a difference between the brightness of the light and a luminance command exceeding a threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A driver circuit for providing a drive current from a variable power source to a lamp producing a light having a brightness, the circuit comprising:
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a transformer coupled to provide a drive voltage to the lamp; a current steering module configured to provide a drive output from the power source to the transformer in response to a current steering input; a current control loop configured to adjust the current steering input to the current steering module in response to the current in one of the windings of the transformer; an optical feedback module configured to provide a signal that indicates the brightness of the light produced by the lamp; a luminance control loop configured to adjust the current steering input to the current steering module in response to signal that indicates the brightness of the light; and a power control module configured to receive the signal that indicates the brightness of the light, to generate a boost command that initiates a boost in the drive voltage applied to the lamp when a difference between the brightness of the light and a commanded luminance exceeds a threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A driver circuit for providing a drive current from a power source to a lamp producing a light having a brightness, the circuit comprising:
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a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, wherein the secondary winding is coupled to provide a drive voltage to the lamp; a flip-flop having a clock input, a signal input, an inverting output, and a non-inverting output, and wherein the inverting input is coupled to the signal input; a first switch coupled to the inverting input, to a reference voltage, and to the first end of the primary winding; a second switch coupled to the non-inverting input, to the reference voltage, and to the second end of the primary winding, wherein the polarity of the primary winding is adjusted by toggling the first and second switches to thereby switchably couple the first and second ends of the primary winding, respectively, to the reference voltage; a current steering module configured to provide a drive output from the power source to the transformer in response to a current steering input; a current control loop configured to adjust the current steering input to the current steering module in response to the current in one of the windings of the transformer; an optical feedback module configured to provide a signal that indicates the brightness of the light produced by the lamp; a luminance control loop configured to adjust the current steering input to the current steering module in response to signal that indicates the brightness of the light; and a power control module configured to receive the signal that indicates the brightness of the light and to generate a boost command that initiates a boost in the drive voltage applied to the lamp when a difference between the brightness of the light and a commanded luminance exceeds a threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification