Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Other

Kouji Miyazaki

Satoshi Kominami

Mamoru Takeda

Toshiaki Kurachi

Shigeru Horii

Yoko Matsubayashi

Kazuhiko Ito

Kenichiro Takahashi

Kenichirou Takahashi

Masakatsu Kichibayashi

Jakob Maya

Kenichi Sasaki

Kiyoshi Takahashi

Makoto Horiuchi

Noboru Yamamoto

Makoto Kai

Kenji Itaya

Oleg A Popov

Masayoshi Gyoten

Masanobu Murakami

Robert T Chandler

Takeshi Arakawa

Nobuyoshi Nagagata

Masataka Ozawa

Young-Jae Cho

Mitsuharu Kawasaki

Takayuki Imai

Shingo Matsumoto

Masakatsu Ozawa

A discharge lamp operating apparatus includes a DC power circuit portion for outputting a DC voltage; an inverter circuit including a switching element provided with a control terminal for converting an output from the DC power circuit portion to an AC voltage; a control terminal driving circuit for controlling the switching element provided with a control terminal to be on or off; and a resonant load circuit including a discharge lamp, a first inductor and a first capacitor. The control terminal driving circuit includes a drive winding mutually coupled to the first inductor; a series circuit of a voltage clamp element and an impedance element, the series circuit being connected to at least one end of the drive winding, and the control terminal driving circuit is configured to control the switching element provided with a control terminal to be on or off by a voltage generated at the drive winding.

Discharge lamp operating apparatus and self-ballasted electrodeless discharge lamp

An electrodeless discharge lamp operating device including an electrodeless discharge lampand a ballast circuit, wherein the ballast circuitincludes: an AC-DC converterfor converting a phase-controlled AC voltage into a DC voltage; a DC-AC converterformed so as to intermittently drive the electrodeless discharge lampdue to the existence of an operating period during which a high-frequency voltage is applied to the electrodeless discharge lampso that the electrodeless discharge lampis operated, and an extinguishing period during which the generation of the high-frequency voltage is stopped so that the electrodeless discharge lampis extinguished; and a dimming controllerfor detecting the turn-on of the phase-controlled AC voltage, for outputting an intermittent command signal that changes the ratio between the operating period and the extinguishing period to the DC-AC converter, and for outputting a signal that maintains an intermittent dimmable operating state even if dimming state is in full illumination.

Electrodeless discharge lamp lighting device, light bulb type electrodeless fluorescent lamp and discharge lamp lighting device

An electrodeless self-ballasted fluorescent lamp includes an electrodeless fluorescent lamp, a ballast circuitand a lamp base which are formed as one unit. The ballast circuitincludes: an AC-DC converter; a DC-AC converterformed so as to intermittently drive the electrodeless fluorescent lamp; and a dimming controllerformed so as to detect the turn-on of a phase-controlled AC voltage and output an intermittent command signal for changing the ratio between an operating period and an extinguishing period to the DC-AC converter. Furthermore, the dimming controlleris formed so as to output a signal for extinguishing the electrodeless fluorescent lampbefore the operation thereof becomes unstable.

Electrodeless self-ballasted fluorescent lamp and discharge lamp operating device

An electrode-less discharge lamp lighting apparatus which is electrically connected to a dimming unit () is provided with: an electrode-less fluorescent lamp (); and a lighting circuit () operable to apply a high-frequency voltage to the electrode-less fluorescent lamp (), wherein the lighting circuit () includes: an AC/DC converting unit () operable to convert a phase-controlled AC voltage outputted from the dimming unit () into a DC voltage; a DC/AC converting unit () operable to convert the DC voltage into a high-frequency voltage; and a dimming controlling unit () that includes a resistor (), a switching element (), and a timer circuit () so as to detect a timing of a turn-on of the phase-controlled AC voltage and to, based on the detected timing, allow a current whose value is at least a threshold to flow across output terminals of the AC/DC converting unit () for at least a duration of a time lag between the turn-on of the phase-controlled AC voltage and the generation of the high-frequency voltage by the DC/AC converting unit ().

Electrode-less discharge lamp lighting apparatus, bulb-shaped electrode-less fluorescent lamp, and discharge lamp lighting apparatus

An electrodeless discharge lamp with a first coupling member includes a translucent discharge vessel in which a discharge gas is enclosed. A bobbin that includes a coil holding part for an induction coil and a vessel mounting part with a second coupling member is formed as a single piece. The coil holding part holds the induction coil on an outer surface thereof and is placed in proximity to the discharge vessel. The first and second coupling members are complementary and engage to mount the discharge vessel on the vessel mounting part of the bobbin to assure a long life and a positioning accuracy of the discharge vessel and the induction coil thereof.

Electrodeless discharge lamp

An electrodeless discharge lamp includes: a bulb filled with discharge gas; an induction coil; a power supply circuit including a plurality of electric components; a case for accommodating the plurality of electric components; a stick-shaped heat conducting member; a first planar heat conducting member thermally connected to the stick-shaped heat conducting member; a second heat conducting member thermally connected to the first heat conducting member; and a third heat conducting member for thermally connecting at least two of the plurality of electric components, wherein the second heat conducting member is thermally connected to the case, and the thermal conductivity of the first heat conducting member is lower than the thermal conductivity of the stick-shaped heat conducting member and the thermal conductivity of the second heat conducting member.

A self-ballasted fluorescent lamp includes a fluorescent lamp and a ballast circuit for operating the fluorescent lamp. The ballast circuit includes: a printed circuit board ; a heat generating component disposed on a first face of the printed circuit board, which generates heat when the fluorescent lamp is operated; and a semiconductor component disposed on a second face opposite to the first face of the printed circuit board , and wherein the semiconductor component is disposed in an area other than an area on the second face corresponding to an area of the first face where the heat generating component is disposed.

Compact self-ballasted fluorescent lamp

Containers made from wood chips are made by forming a wall by pressing together wood chips mixed with a water-insoluble adhesive . The wall permits infiltration of a liquid from at least one surface thereof and holds the liquid inside. The containers are suited for use as food bowls having a heat-insulating quality and as flower pots providing an automatic continuous feed of water. The wood chips used as the material are obtained by crushing particles of wood resulting from lumbering into smaller pieces.

Containers made from wood chips

Metal halide lamp having specified relation between electrode distance and operation voltage, and operating at acoustic standing wave frequency

A fluorescent lamp operating apparatus is used for operating a fluorescent lamp, which includes a glass tube coated with a phosphor and has at least mercury sealed therein, by generating an electric field in a direction from an inner surface of the glass tube toward a center of the glass tube. The operating apparatus, for example, includes: a ballast circuit connected to the fluorescent lamp for starting the fluorescent lamp; a potential application member disposed so as to at least partially surround discharge plasma generated in the fluorescent lamp; and a potential application circuit for applying a potential to the potential application member. In such a case, the potential application circuit applies a potential to the potential application member which is higher than the potential of the discharge plasma.

Fluorescent lamp operating apparatus

Upon generating arc discharge by inputting electric power which changes at a predetermined frequency to the discharge lamp horizontally disposed so as to operate the discharge lamp, the predetermined frequency is a frequency such that the arc discharge is excited substantially in a linear shape by acoustic resonance; and a value of the electric power to be input to the discharge lamp is set so that an input power value per unit inner volume of an arc tube of the discharge lamp falls within a predetermined range which is determined depending on a shape of the arc tube, thereby suppressing a strip-shaped adhesion of a sealed material of the arc tube to a tube wall in the vicinity of a center portion of the arc tube.

Method and apparatus for operating discharge lamp

A discharge lamp lighting device according to the present invention includes: a discharge lamp including an electrode; and a lighting circuit for lighting the discharge lamp, the lighting circuit being connected to the discharge lamp, wherein the discharge lamp includes a conductor at least partially surrounding the electrode, and the lighting circuit provides a potential for the conductor that is higher than an average potential of the electrode.

Discharge lamp lighting device and a method for lighting a discharge lamp

An operating apparatus for a discharge lamp, which includes a pair of electrodes and an arc tube having a material enclosed therein, includes: a selective depositing device for selectively depositing the material on one electrode of the pair of electrodes when the discharge lamp is turned off; and a ballast circuit for starting operation of the discharge lamp and maintaining the operation under rated conditions. The ballast circuit includes a starting pulse generator for applying a starting pulse to the discharge lamp when the discharge lamp starts the operation. The starting pulse generates an electric field acting from the one electrode of the pair of electrodes having the material deposited thereon to the other electrode.

Operating apparatus for discharge lamp

An apparatus for operating a high intensity discharge lamp that minimizes discharge arc curvature to form a straight discharge arc and thereby eliminate variations in the discharge arc color caused by cataphoresis is disclosed. The apparatus outputs a synthesize wave having a waveform with a frequency component of the acoustic resonance frequency to excite a mode straightening the discharge arc, and a waveform of a frequency less than the acoustic resonance frequency whereby the polarity of the waveform having a frequency less than the acoustic resonance frequency changes. The acoustic resonance frequency is determined by the speed of sound in the discharge space, and the length of the discharge space intersecting the discharge arc.

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Hirakata, Japan

Kouji Miyazaki