Inverter
First Claim
1. A control circuit for an inverter which drives an external electrode fluorescent lamp connected to a secondary line of a transformer, the control circuit comprising:
- a soft start circuit structured to generate a soft start voltage which changes over time when the external electrode fluorescent lamp is ignited;
a pulse modulator structured to receive a feedback voltage that corresponds to the output voltage of the inverter and the soft start voltage, and structured to adjust the duty ratio of a pulse signal such that the feedback voltage matches the soft start voltage;
a driver structured to control the switching of the voltage at a primary coil of the transformer according to the pulse signal output from the pulse modulator; and
a striking control circuit structured to monitor an error signal which is asserted when an abnormal state occurs, and structured to reset and restart the soft start circuit when the error signal has been asserted at a detection timing after the soft start voltage has reached a threshold voltage.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A soft start circuit generates a soft start voltage which changes over time when light emission of an EEFL is started. A pulse modulator receives a feedback voltage that corresponds to the output voltage of an inverter and the soft start voltage, and adjusts the duty ratio of a pulse signal PWM such that these two voltages match one another using a feedback operation. A striking control circuit monitors an error signal which is asserted when an abnormal state occurs. In a case in which the error signal has been asserted at a detection timing after the soft start voltage has reached a target voltage, the striking control circuit resets and restarts the soft start circuit. A driver controls the switching of the voltage at the primary coil of a transformer according to the pulse signal received from the pulse modulator.
756 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A control circuit for an inverter which drives an external electrode fluorescent lamp connected to a secondary line of a transformer, the control circuit comprising:
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a soft start circuit structured to generate a soft start voltage which changes over time when the external electrode fluorescent lamp is ignited; a pulse modulator structured to receive a feedback voltage that corresponds to the output voltage of the inverter and the soft start voltage, and structured to adjust the duty ratio of a pulse signal such that the feedback voltage matches the soft start voltage; a driver structured to control the switching of the voltage at a primary coil of the transformer according to the pulse signal output from the pulse modulator; and a striking control circuit structured to monitor an error signal which is asserted when an abnormal state occurs, and structured to reset and restart the soft start circuit when the error signal has been asserted at a detection timing after the soft start voltage has reached a threshold voltage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A control method for an inverter which drives an external electrode fluorescent lamp, the method comprising:
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generating a soft start voltage which changes over time when the external electrode fluorescent lamp is ignited; adjusting a duty ratio of a pulse signal such that a feedback voltage that corresponds to output voltage of the inverter matches the soft start voltage; controlling switching of the voltage at a primary coil of a transformer according to the pulse signal; and monitoring an error signal which is asserted when an abnormal state occurs, and striking the external electrode fluorescent lamp by initializing the soft start voltage and by changing the soft start voltage over time when the error signal has been asserted at a detection timing after the soft start voltage has reached a threshold voltage. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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Specification