Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6555974
-
Patent Number
6,555,974
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, November 21, 200023 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 29, 200321 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Wong; Don
- Tran; Thuy Vinh
Agents
- Fay, Sharpe, Fagan, Minnich & McKee, LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 315 312
- 315 324
- 315 201
- 315 200 R
- 315 209 R
- 315 225
- 315 226
- 315 246
- 315 268
- 315 272
- 315 291
- 315 307
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A multiple integrated lamp system is powered by a power source. The system includes a first integral lamp having lamp electronics and a lamp integrated as a single unit, and a second integral lamp having lamp electronics in a lamp also integrated as a single unit. A first connection wire is connected from a first pin of the first integral lamp to a second pin of the first integral lamp. A second connection wire is connected from a first pin of the second integral lamp to a second pin of the second integral lamp. A first power line is connected at a first end to the power source, at a second end to a third pin of the first integral lamp, and at a third end to a third pin of the second integral lamp. Further, a second power line is connected at a first end to the power source, at a second end to a fourth pin of the second integral lamp, and a third end to a fourth pin of the second integral lamp.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to integral lamps, and to the wiring connections used for operation of multiple integral lamps in an installation such as a fixture or housing.
Lamp systems including a lamp and electronics, supplied by a power source are known in the art. A problem with known lamp systems is that existing connection schemes between the power source, lamp and lamp electronics, do not allow for the electronics to be an integral part of the lamp. Rather, the electronics are commonly set apart from the lamp within the system housing or fixture.
Attempts to closely attach the lamp and the electronics require at least one conductor wire to extend the length of the lamp envelope to a second heater element to connect the second heater element to the lamp electronics. This conductor wire may be positioned along the inner or outer surface of the lamp envelope.
Thus, in existing systems, a wiring connection is provided directly from the electronics controlling operation of the lamp to the opposite end of the lamp. Therefore, wherein prior art lighting systems include multiple lamps, extensive wiring connections between the lamps and electronics are required.
It has therefore been considered beneficial to design a lamp system where the lamp electronics are positioned on an end of the lamp in an integral relationship with the lamp, whereby the integral lamp/lamp electronics unit may be removed as a single component from the housing of the system. It has been considered to be a further desirable aspect to have a simplified wiring arrangement for multiple integral lamps in a single installation, such as a fixture or housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A multiple integrated lamp system is powered by a power source. The system includes a first integral lamp having lamp electronics and a lamp integrated as a single unit, and a second integral lamp having lamp electronics and a lamp also integrated as a single unit. A first connection wire is connected from a first pin of the first integral lamp to a second pin of the first integral lamp. A second connection wire is connected from a first pin of the second integral lamp to a second pin of the second integral lamp. A first power line is connected at a first end to the power source, at a second end to a third pin of the first integral lamp, and at a third end to a third pin of the second integral lamp. Further, a second power line is connected at a first end to the power source, at a second end to a fourth pin of the second integral lamp, and a third end to a fourth pin of the second integral lamp.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
illustrates a lamp/lamp electronics unit which may be used in the present invention;
FIG. 2
depicts a detailed circuit diagram for a lamp system which may be used in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3
shows a block diagram of a four terminal (node) lamp connection configuration of the prior art;
FIG. 4
illustrates a block diagram of a three terminal (node) lamp connection configuration for a lighting system which may be used in connection with the present invention;
FIG. 5
depicts a circuit configuration of the present invention emphasizing the integral nature of the lamp;
FIG. 6
depicts connection techniques for connecting the lamp electronics and lamp;
FIG. 7
illustrates the lamp electronics on a circuit board and lamp electronics cap;
FIG. 8
depicts a first wiring configuration for a two integral lamp system; and
FIG. 9
illustrates wiring geometry for multiple integral lamps.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1
, shows a diagram for one embodiment of an integral lamp
10
which may be used in the present invention. In this design lamp electronics
12
are integrated with lamp
14
, which may be a gas discharge lamp such as a linear fluorescent lamp. Lamp electronics
12
are connected at one end to an end connector
16
, and lamp
14
is connected to a second end connector
18
. For convenience, the power source and external wiring are not shown.
In
FIG. 1
, no external or internal conductor wire extends along the length of lamp
14
from the integrated end of lamp electronics
12
and lamp
14
to the opposite end of lamp
140
Rather, and as will be explained in more detail below, the wiring connection within the lamp housing connects to end connectors
16
,
18
in such a manner that a complete electrical path is provided to operate the lamp
14
/lamp electronics
12
configuration of integral lamp
10
. Thus, by use of the design in
FIG. 1
a user may easily remove lamp electronics
12
and lamp
14
as a single unit thereby increasing the ease with which no longer functioning units may be replaced.
Turning to
FIG. 2
, illustrated is a lamp
20
which may be used in connection with the present invention, supplied by power source
22
which supplies power to lamp electronics
24
, which in turn controls operation of a gas discharge lamp, such as a linear fluorescent lamp
26
.
Power source
22
, which may be an a.c. source, supplies current to an a.c.-to-d.c. rectifier, which may be a full-wave bridge rectifier
28
, formed by diodes
29
,
30
,
31
,
32
. An electromagnetic interference (emi) filter (not shown) suppresses conducted emissions produced by a high frequency inverter. A non-electrolytic smoothing capacitor configuration
34
,
35
is connected between diodes
30
,
32
by a connection line
36
.
Switches
38
and
40
are respectively controlled to convert d.c. current from rectifier
28
to a.c. current received by resonant load circuit
42
, including resonant inductor
44
and resonant capacitor
46
. D.c. bus voltage
48
, exists between bus conductor
50
and reference conductor
52
, shown for convenience as a ground. Resonant load circuit
44
also includes lamp
26
, which may be shunted across resonant capacitor
46
.
Switches
38
and
40
are complementary to each other in the sense, for instance, that switch
38
may be an n-channel enhancement mode device as shown, and switch
40
a p-channel enhancement mode device as shown. These are known forms of MOSFET switches, but Bipolar Junction Transistor switches could also be used, for instance. Each switch
38
and
40
has a respective gate, or control terminal
54
,
56
. The voltage from gate
54
to source
58
of switch
38
controls the conduction state of that switch. Similarly, the voltage from gate
56
to source
60
of switch
40
controls the conduction state of that switch. As shown, sources
58
and
60
are connected together at a common node
62
. With gates
54
and
56
interconnected at a common control node
64
, the single voltage between control node
64
and common node
62
controls the conduction states of both switches
38
and
40
. The drains
66
and
68
of the switches are connected to bus conductor
50
and reference conductor
52
, respectively.
Gate drive circuit
70
, connected between control node
64
and common node
62
, controls the conduction states of switches
38
and
40
. Gate drive circuit
70
includes a driving inductor
72
that is mutually coupled to resonant inductor
44
and is connected at one end to common node
62
. The other end of inductor
44
may be a tap from transformer winding inductors
72
and
44
. Driving inductor
72
provides the driving energy for operation of gate drive circuit
70
. A second inductor
74
is serially connected to driving inductor
72
. As will be further explained below, second inductor
74
is used to adjust the phase angle of the gate-to-source voltage appearing between nodes
62
and
64
. A pair of diodes
76
,
78
configured as a bi-directional voltage clamp
80
between nodes
62
and
64
clamps positive and negative excursions of gate-to-source voltage to respective limits determined, e.g., by the voltage ratings of the back-to-back Zener diodes shown. A capacitor
82
is preferably provided between nodes
62
and
64
to predictably limit the rate of change of gate-to-source voltage between nodes
62
and
64
. This beneficially assures, for instance, a dead time interval in the switching modes of switches
38
and
40
wherein both switches are off between the times of either switch being turned on.
Beneficially, the use of gate drive circuit
70
of
FIG. 2
results in the phase angle between the fundamental frequency component of the resonant voltage between node
84
and node
62
and the current in resonant load circuit
42
to be approaching 0° during ignition of the lamp. Angular frequency ω
R
is the frequency of resonance of resonant load circuit
42
. At resonance, lamp voltage is at its highest value. It is desirable for the lamp voltage to approach such resonant point during lamp ignition. This is because the very high voltage spike generated across the lamp at such point reliably initiates an arc discharge in the lamp, causing it to start. In contrast, during steady state operation, the lamp operates at a considerably lower voltage, at a higher angular frequency ω
SS
. Now referring to the phase angle between the fundamental frequency component of resonant voltage between nodes
62
and
84
and the current in resonant load circuit
42
, this phase angle tends to migrate towards 0° during lamp ignition. In turn, lamp voltage migrates towards the high resonant voltage, which is desirable, as explained, for reliably starting the lamp.
With continuing attention to
FIG. 2
, the starting circuit may also include an optional snubber capacitor
86
. Further provided is a coupling capacitor
88
, connected between node
62
and inductor
74
, that becomes initially charged, upon energizing of rectifier
28
, via resistors
90
,
92
and
94
. At this instant, the voltage across capacitor
88
is zero, and during the starting process, serial-connected inductors
72
and
74
act essentially as a short circuit, due to the relatively long time constant for charging capacitor
88
. With resistors
90
,
92
,
94
being of equal value, for instance, the voltage on node
62
, upon initial bus energizing, is approximately ⅓ of bus voltage
48
, while the voltage at node
64
, between resistors
90
and
92
is ½ of bus voltage
48
. In this manner, capacitor
88
becomes increasingly charged, from left to right, until it reaches the threshold voltage of the gate-to-source voltage of upper switch (e.g., 2-3 volts)
38
. At this point, upper switch
38
, switches into its conduction mode, which then results in current being supplied by switch
38
to resonant load circuit
42
. In turn, the resulting current in the resonant load circuit causes regenerative control of first and second switches
38
and
40
in the manner previously described.
During steady state operation of lamp electronics
24
, the voltage of common node
62
, between switches
38
and
40
, becomes approximately ½ of bus voltage
50
. The voltage at node
64
also becomes approximately ½ bus voltage
50
, so that capacitor
88
cannot again, during steady state operation, become charged so as to again create a starting pulse for turning on switch
38
. During steady state operation, the capacitive reactance of capacitor
88
is much smaller than the inductive reactance of driving inductor
72
and inductor
74
, so that capacitor
88
does not interfere with operation of those inductors.
Resistor
94
may be alternatively placed as shown in broken lines, for shunting upper switch
38
, rather than lower switch
40
. The operation of the circuit is similar to that described above with respect to resistor
94
shunting lower switch
40
. However, initially, common node
62
assumes a higher potential than node
62
between resistors
90
and
92
, so that capacitor
88
becomes charged from right to left. The results in an increasingly negative voltage between node
64
and node
62
, which is effective for turning on lower switch
40
.
Resistors
90
and
92
are both preferably used in the circuit of
FIG. 2
; however, the circuit will function substantially as intended with resistor
92
removed and using resistor
94
as shown in solid lines. The use of both resistors
90
and
92
may result in a quicker start at a somewhat lower line voltage. The circuit will also function substantially as intended with resistor
90
removed and using resistor
94
as shown in dashed lines. Additionally resistors
90
,
92
and
94
are non-critical value components, which may be 100 k ohms or 1 megohm each, for example. Preferably such resistors have similar values, e.g., approximately equal. Diodes
96
,
98
are used as a voltage clamp
100
, which limits the amplitude of the lamp voltage.
As will be expanded upon below, lamp electronics
24
and lamp
26
are configured to permit lamp electronics
24
and lamp
26
to be formed as a single integrated unit. In
FIG. 2
, power line connection
102
from power source
22
is used as a direct connection point to lamp electronics
24
at center point
104
(node
1
) between diodes
29
and
30
. Thus, power line
102
is placed directly between two diodes of fill bridge rectifier
28
. A second power line
106
from power source
22
is connected to a first end or terminal
108
of filament
110
. The second end or terminal
112
of filament
110
is connected to connection wire
114
which is connected to center point
116
(node
2
) between capacitors
34
and
35
. Capacitors
34
and
35
are non-electrolytic or dry capacitors which are used for smoothing the input from rectifier
28
. This configuration results in the power source
22
being directly connected to the lamp electronics
24
. Connection line
36
connects diodes
30
,
32
of rectifier
28
to capacitors
34
,
36
.
Another or second side of lamp
26
has a first end or terminal
118
and a second end or terminal
120
of filament
122
shorted together by line
124
. The shorted terminals are connected together at connection point
126
(node
3
) to capacitor
128
. By this connection scheme terminals
118
,
120
are connected to resonant inductor
44
and resonant capacitor
48
, through capacitor
128
. As an additional aspect or embodiment to the foregoing, terminals
108
and
112
may be shorted by optional line
130
. The shorting of the terminals may be done to improve overall system efficiency by limiting cathode losses. The shorting of the terminals is preferably undertaken internally within an end cap holding the lamp electronics. Using this design, when the lamp unit is removed the connection is also removed from the system. The concept of incorporating the lamp electronics within an end cap will be discussed in greater detail in following sections of the discussion. From the foregoing it can be seen that the present embodiment teaches a three terminal (node) lamp network as opposed to prior art systems that employ a four terminal (node) network.
In conventional lighting systems, terminal
112
would not be connected to terminal
1
16
(node
2
). In other words, connecting line
114
would not exist. Further, line
106
would not connect terminal
108
to the power source
22
. Rather, the power source would be directly connected to the rectifier
28
. In existing instant start systems, terminals
108
and
112
may be connected together in order to short the cathode, and would be connected to an output within its lamp electronics. Therefore, and as can be seen more clearly in
FIG. 3
, conventional lamp systems have two dedicated inputs (nodes
1
,
2
) and two dedicated outputs (nodes
3
,
4
). However, in a lamp system which may be used to achieve the present innovation, and as shown in the block diagram of
FIG. 4
, there is a single dedicated input (node
1
), a dual-function input/output (node
2
), and a single dedicated output (node
3
). This connection scheme eliminates the need for a conductor to be provided along side or inside the length of the lamp. Rather, in the present embodiment the connecting wire to the opposite side of the lamp is run within the fixture. It is possible to run this wire within the fixture, and not directly connected to the lamp electronics since the connections are made to one side of the power line, e.g. line
106
. The lamp electronics output and input are now one connection. This means that the pin which goes to the input of lamp power source
22
serves as an input and an output (line
106
).
Use of non-electrolytic capacitors
30
and
32
provides a high-power factor for starting of the linear lamp
26
. Non-electrolytic capacitors
30
and
32
, are low in value which is beneficial to providing a high power factor. However, due to their low value, they have a tendency to quickly enter a discharge state at times when they are not being charged. Diodes
30
and
32
prevent capacitors
34
and
35
from charging in the reverse directions.
Turning attention to
FIG. 5
, depicted is lamp electronics
24
and linear fluorescent lamp
26
formed as a single lamp/lamp electronics unit
140
, connected within lamp housing or fixture
142
. An end cap
144
having pins
146
,
148
is permanently connected to one end of lamp
26
. This connection may be made by connecting electrical terminals
108
,
112
to end cap
146
. At the opposite end, lamp electronics end cap
150
is configured with an interior section to hold lamp electronics
24
, and is connected to lamp
26
by terminals
118
,
120
. Lamp electronics end cap
150
also has pins or connectors
152
,
154
extending from an outer surface. The lamp electronics cap
150
and lamp
26
are integrally connected at connection area
156
. Pins or connectors
146
,
148
and
152
,
154
are respectively inserted within connectors
158
,
160
in a manner known in the art. Such connectors may be tombstone connectors or other connectors well known in the art.
It is noted that lamp housing or fixture
142
may be a conventionally sized housing or fixture. Lamp/lamp electronics unit
140
, can be designed to be of a size to fit into such existing housing or fixtures. For example lamp/lamp electronics unit
142
, may be designed of a length equal to a T
8
, T
16
or other known lamp size. It is further to be understood that the lamp electronics end cap
150
is formed and sized such that it replaces existing end caps, which would otherwise be attached in the manufacturing process.
As to be understood, in the present invention, the attachment of power lines
102
,
106
and connection line
114
are made such that upon removal of unit
140
, lines
102
,
106
and
114
are maintained within the housing fixture
142
. Thus, unit
140
can be removed alone without the need of also removing any one of the lines
102
,
106
, or
114
.
FIG. 6
illustrates the physical integration between lamp electronics
24
and lamp
26
which may be accomplished through various connection techniques. In
FIG. 6
, ends or terminals
118
and
120
of shorted filament
122
, are connected to capacitor
128
internally in lamp electronics
24
. The connection between the lamp electronics
24
and terminals
118
,
120
may be accomplished through many known connection techniques including soldering, welding, wrapping, or a mechanical locking mechanism, among others.
Turning to
FIG. 7
, in one embodiment, lamp electronics
24
may be configured on a circuit board
160
, but does not necessarily have to be mounted on a circuit board. This circuit board may be a single-sided or double-sided circuit board. The circuit board configuration may be substantially similar to the configuration of lamp electronics cap
150
. The lamp electronics
24
carried on circuit board
160
is inserted within cap
150
and connections from lamp
26
will be made to the surface of the circuit board
160
at the appropriate locations. Pins
152
,
154
will also be appropriately connected to circuit board
160
such that appropriate connections with lines
102
,
106
and
114
are made to lamp electronics
24
. Therefore, cap
150
is sufficiently sized to receive the circuit board
160
within its interior in a secure relationship. The board itself may be fastened within cap
150
using known processes, such as using an adhesive, soldering or other known connection techniques. Cap
150
, after appropriate connections have been made to board
160
, will then be integrated to lamp
26
, again using known sealant and/or connection techniques. It is to be appreciated that while this circuit board configuration is disclosed in this embodiment, other configurations that are not limited to circuit boards may also be used to achieve integrated lamp/lamp electronics unit
140
.
The unique configuration of each individual lamp/lamp electronics unit, or integral lamp,
140
permits a wiring scheme that allows for efficient wiring of multiple integral lamps, while still allowing for independent operation of each integral lamp. Thus, the following embodiment reduces the amount of hard wiring needed to wire multiple integral lamps in a system.
Turning to
FIG. 8
, two integral lamps,
170
,
172
are powered by a power source
22
. It is to be appreciated that lamps
170
and
172
function in substantially the same manner as described in connection with the integral lamp
140
where lamp
26
includes an end cap
144
and a lamp electronics end cap
150
integrated as a single unit. Integral lamp
170
includes a connection wire
174
connected from a first pin
176
to a second pin
178
of integral lamp
170
. Second integral lamp
172
also includes a connection wire
180
connecting a first pin
182
and a second pin
184
of integral lamp
172
. First power line
186
(substantially the same as power line
102
, but with further connections) is connected at a first end to power source
22
, at a first second end to a third pin
188
of first integral lamp
170
, and at a further end to a third pin
190
of second integral lamp
172
. A second power line
192
(substantially the same as power line
106
, but with further connections) is connected at a first end to power source
22
. Thereafter, at a first second end, second power line
192
is connected to a fourth pin
194
of first integral lamp
170
, and at another second end to a fourth pin
196
of second integral lamp
172
.
FIG. 8
may be included within a housing or fixture
198
.
By use of an integral lamp as previously described, having only three terminals, a reduced wiring scheme for multiple integral lamp systems may be obtained. Further, the wiring scheme disclosed allows for independent operation of the multiple integral lamps with a minimum of hard wiring.
Turning to
FIG. 9
, a further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Particularly, in this embodiment, additional lamps represented by integral lamp
200
may be added to the system within a housing or fixture
202
. It is noted the dots within this figure represent any number of additional lamps which may be driven by a power source
22
. As additional integral lamps are added, the wiring and pin configurations previously described are undertaken. For example, connection wire
204
connects to a first pin
206
and a second pin
208
of the next integral lamp
200
. Thereafter, the first power line
186
is extended to have another second end connected to a third pin
210
of integral lamp
200
. Power line
192
is also extended to have another second end connected to a fourth pin
212
of lamp
200
.
It is understood that the wiring configurations of
FIGS. 8 and 9
implement integral lamps (
140
,
170
,
172
,
200
) which permit a user to know that when a failure occurs it is the unit as a whole which needs to be replaced. Previously, in existing three or four lamp systems, when a failure would occur a lamp change alone would be made and if the system still did not work, then it would be necessary to replace the electronics. Integral lamps (
140
,
172
,
172
,
200
) eliminate this uncertainty. They also eliminate the requirement of an electrician being called to replace the electronics, since no wiring changes need to be made.
In existing lamp systems, a linear fluorescent lamp will commonly have a life expectancy significantly different from lamp electronics powering the lamp. Employing the present innovation, the life of the lamp electronics and life of the lamp are more closely matched.
Further, by providing the present lamp electronics with a specific individual lamp, the lamp electronics can be more finely tuned to the operational ranges of the specific lamp with which it is integrated. This situation allows for an improvement in efficiency of operation for the lamp electronics as it controls operation of the lamp.
A further aspect of the present invention is that integral lamps (
140
,
170
,
172
,
200
) may be inserted into the lamp connectors
158
,
160
in any fashion without concern as to proper polarity.
The present invention also does not require the use of a shutdown circuit for the removal of the lamp. Rather, as soon as the integral lamp is removed from the connections, power is removed from the circuit.
Returning attention to
FIGS. 5
,
8
and
9
, it is noted that in these figures power source
22
is depicted as being internal to housing or fitting
142
. It is understood that this is simply for sake of convenience and the actual power supply to such housings may be external such as from a home or office lighting system.
Exemplary component values for the circuit of
FIG. 2
are as follows for a fluorescent lamp
26
rated at 16.5 watts, with a. bus voltage having an average value of approximately 107 volts:
|
Diodes 29-32
1N4005
|
Resonant inductor 44
280 μH
|
Resonant capacitor 46
4.7 nF
|
Driving inductor 72
2.2 μH
|
Turns ratio between 44 and 72
about 12
|
Second inductor 74
820 μH
|
Zener diodes 76, 78, (each)
10 volts, 1N5240
|
Capacitor 82
1 nF
|
Capacitor 84
680 pF
|
Capacitor 88
2.2 nF
|
Resistors 90, 92 and 94, each
130 kohm
|
Capacitor 128
22 nF
|
Smoothing capacitors (each) 34, 35
68 nF
|
Zener Diodes (each) 96, 98
51 Volt Zener diodes, 1N5262
|
|
Additionally, switch
38
may be an IRFR
214
, n-channel, enhancement mode MOSFET, sold by International Rectifier Company, of El Segundo, California; and switch
40
, an IRFR
9214
, P-channel, enhancement mode MOSFET also sold by International Rectifier Company.
While the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments by way of illustration, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
- 1. A multiple integrated lamp system powered by a power source, the system comprising:a first integral lamp having lamp electronics and a lamp integrated as a single unit; a second integral lamp having lamp electronics and a lamp integrated as a single unit; a first connection wire, connected from a first pin of the first integral lamp, to a second pin of the first integral lamp; a second connection wire, connected from a first pin of the second integral lamp to a second pin of the second integral lamp; a first power line connected at a first end to the power source, at a second end to a third pin of the first integral lamp, and at a third end to a third pin of the second integral lamp; and a second power line connected at a first end to the power source, at a second end to a fourth pin of the second integral lamp, and at a third end to a fourth pin of the second integral lamp.
- 2. The multiple integrated lamp system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second integral lamps each include:a lamp having a first end with first end terminals, and a second end with second end terminals; an end cap having an interior section, where the end cap is in electrical connection with the first end terminals at the first end of the lamp; lamp electronics configured to control operation of the lamp, wherein as between the first end terminals and the second end terminals, the lamp electronics are connected only to the second end terminals; and a lamp electronics end cap, having an interior sized to hold the lamp electronics, wherein the lamp electronics are located within the interior of the lamp electronics end cap.
- 3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein the first and second integral lamps are each single units designed as a permanent joined structure, between the lamp electronics and lamp.
- 4. The invention according to claim 2 wherein the first and second integral lamps are each single units designed as a detachably joined structure, between the lamp electronics and lamp.
- 5. The multiple integrated lamp system according to claim 1 wherein connection between the lamp and the lamp electronics is by three node connections, a first node being used as a dedicated input, a second node being used as an input and output, and a third node being used as a dedicated output.
- 6. The multiple integrated lamp system according to claim 5 wherein the dedicated output is an internal connection between the lamp and lamp electronics.
- 7. The multiple integrated lamp system according to claim 1 wherein the lamp electronics includes:an a.c. to d.c. rectifier for rectifying the power source, where the power source is connected at a first end to the rectifier, a smoothing capacitor configuration connected to said rectifier, a set of complementary switches connected to said smoothing capacitor configuration, each of said switches having a control terminal commonly connected to a starting capacitor, to a bi-directional clamping device and to a driving circuit, said switches being alternately activated into a conducting state to generate an a.c. signal and supplying said a.c. signal to a resonant circuit, and each of said switches having a commonly connected terminal interconnected to the resonant circuit and to the driving circuit.
- 8. The invention according to claim 7 wherein the smoothing capacitor configuration is a non-electrolytic capacitor configuration.
- 9. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the first integral lamp operates independently of the second integral lamp.
- 10. The system according to claim 1 further including:a third integral lamp having lamp electronics and a lamp integrated as a single unit; a fourth integral lamp having lamp electronics and a lamp integrated as a single unit; a third connection wire, connected from a first pin of the third integral lamp, to a second pin of the third integral lamp; a fourth connection wire, connected from a first pin of the fourth integral lamp to a second pin of the fourth integral lamp; the first power line further connected at a third end to a third pin of the third integral lamp, and at a fourth end to a third pin of the fourth integral lamp; and a second power line connected at a third end to a fourth pin of the fourth integral lamp, and at a fourth end to a fourth pin of the fourth integral lamp.
- 11. A multiple integrated lamp system powered by a power source, the system comprising:a plurality of integral lamps each including, a lamp having a first end with first end terminals, and a second end with second end terminals, an end cap having an interior section, where the end cap is in electrical connection with the first end terminals at the first end of the lamp, lamp electronics configured to control operation of the lamp, wherein as between the first end terminals and the second end terminals, the lamp electronics are connected only to the second end terminals; and a lamp electronics end cap, having an interior sized to hold the lamp electronics, wherein the lamp electronics are located within the interior of the lamp electronics end cap; a plurality of connection wires, each one of the plurality of integral lamps having a connection wire of the plurality of connection wires connected from a first pin to a second pin of each integral lamp of the plurality of integral lamp; a first power line having a first end and a plurality of second ends, the first and connected to the power source, and one of each of the plurality of second ends connected to one of each of the plurality of integral lamps at a third pin; and a second power line having a first end and a plurality of second ends, the first end connected to the power source, and one of each of the plurality of second ends connected to one of each of the plurality of integral lamps at a fourth pin.
- 12. The invention according to claim 11 wherein the integral lamp is designed as a permanent joined structure.
- 13. The invention according to claim 11 wherein the integral lamp is designed as a detachably joined structure.
- 14. The invention according to claim 11 wherein connection between the lamp and the lamp electronics is by three node connections, a first node being used as a dedicated input, a second node being used as an input and output, and a third node being used as a dedicated output.
- 15. The invention according to claim 14 wherein the dedicated output is an internal connection between the lamp and lamp electronics.
- 16. The invention according to claim 11 wherein each of the plurality of integral lamps operate independently of each other.
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Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
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Feb 1996 |
DE |
1 401 628 |
Jul 1975 |
GB |
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WO |
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