Gas discharge lamp ballast with reconfigurable filament voltage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9232607-B2
Application number	US-201313782639-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2013
Priority date	Oct 23, 2012
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

An amount of filament voltage supplied by a reconfigurable ballast may be adjusted based on a lamp type with which the ballast is operating. The filament voltage may be reconfigured dynamically and/or may be reconfigured via a user-provided value. An electronic dimming ballast may include a control circuit configured to control generation of the AC filament voltage in accordance with a reconfigurable AC filament voltage value. Reconfiguring an electronic dimming ballast may include reconfiguring an AC filament voltage applied by the electronic dimming ballast to a filament of a lamp installed with the electronic dimming ballast. Reconfiguring the AC filament voltage may include computing a hot-to-cold cathode resistance ratio associated with the filament. Reconfiguring the AC filament voltage may include determining whether the computed hot-to-cold cathode resistance ratio is within a range specified for the electronic dimming ballast.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of reconfiguring an alternating current filament voltage for use by an electronic dimming ballast, the method comprising:
supplying a first filament voltage to a filament of a lamp installed with the electronic dimming ballast;
receiving a signal indicative of supplying a second filament voltage to the filament that is different from the first filament voltage, wherein the signal includes an integer value pertaining to a particular type of the lamp installed with the electronic dimming ballast; and
supplying the second filament voltage to the filament.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is received from a control circuit in electrical communication with the electronic dimming ballast.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic dimming ballast is electrically connected to a ballast network and the signal is received from a central control function associated with the ballast network.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising referencing, by a control circuit in electrical communication with the electronic dimming ballast, a lookup table that includes a first entry pertaining to the integer value and a second entry that includes the second filament voltage, wherein the first and second entries are associated with one another.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
computing a hot-to-cold cathode resistance ratio associated with the lamp; and
determining whether the computed hot-to-cold cathode resistance ratio is within a range specified for the electronic dimming ballast.

Assignees

• Lutron Electronics Inc Co
• Lutron Electronics Co

Inventors

• Chitta Venkatesh
• Quayle Jonathan Robert
• Gawyrs Brent M

Classifications

• Y10T29/49716

  Converting · CPC title

• B23P6/00

  Restoring or reconditioning objects (straightening or restoring form of sheet metal, metal rods, metal tubes, metal profiles, or specific articles made therefrom B21D1/00, B21D3/00; repairing defective or damaged objects by casting techniques B22D19/10) · CPC title

• H05B41/295

  with semiconductor devices and specially adapted for lamps with preheating electrodes, e.g. for fluorescent lamps · CPC title

• H05B41/3921

  with possibility of light intensity variations · CPC title

• H05B41/16

  in which the lamp is fed by DC or by low-frequency AC, e.g. by 50 cycles/sec AC {, or with network frequencies} · CPC title