Single-stage line-coupled half-bridge ballast with unity power factor and ripple-free input current using a coupled inductor

A single-stage line-coupled half-bridge ballast with unity power factor and ripple-free input current using a coupled inductor is proposed. The proposed power-factor-correction circuit can achieve unity power factor and ripple-free input current using a coupled inductor. A saturable transformer constituting the self-oscillating drive limits the lamp current and dominates the switching frequency of the ballast. The proposed ballast has high energy efficiency, low cost, and high reliability compared to the conventional high-power-factor electronic ballasts. Experimental results obtained on a 30-W fluorescent lamp is discussed.     

A high-power-factor electronic ballast using a flyback push-pullintegrated converter

This paper describes a high-power-factor electronic ballast for fluorescent lamps. The converter offers a high power factor and a high-frequency supply to the lamp using a single switch. In spite of its simplicity, an excellent performance concerning load and supply is achieved, ensuring a sinusoidal and in-phase supply current. High power factor is achieved by using a flyback converter operating in discontinuous conduction mode. Operating principle, design equations, component stress, and efficiency are presented. Experimental results have been obtained for one 40-W fluorescent lamp operating at 50-kHz switching frequency and 220-V line voltage     

High frequency electronic ballast provides line frequency lampcurrent

Most electronic ballasts for fluorescent lamps provide a sinusoidal lamp current at the switching frequency. The high-frequency current flowing through the lamp can generate significant radiated noise, which is unacceptable in noise-sensitive applications, such as fluorescent lights in airplanes. Using shielded enclosures for the lamps may solve the problem, but it is expensive. A discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) electronic ballast topology is presented which drives the lamp with line frequency current, just like a magnetic ballast. However, compared to a magnetic ballast, its weight is substantially reduced due to operation at 40 kHz switching frequency. The topology also ensures unity power factor at the input and stable lamp operation at the output     

An improved charge pump power factor correction electronic ballast

An improved charge pump power factor correction (CPPFC) electronic ballast using the charge pump concept is proposed in this paper. Circuit derivation, principle of operation, and the conditions for achieving unity power factor are discussed. The proposed electronic ballast is implemented and tested with two 40 W fluorescent lamps. It is shown that 84% of overall efficiency and 1.6 of crest factor can be achieved with 200-V line input voltage. The measured line input current harmonics satisfy IEC 1000-3-2 Class C requirements. The lamp power variation range is automatically limited within ±15% for ±10% line input voltage variation without feedback control     

A Modified Valley Fill Electronic Ballast Having a Current Source Resonant Inverter With Improved Line-Current Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), High Power Factor, and Low Lamp Crest Factor

In this paper, a modified valley fill (VF) circuit is employed to combine with a current-fed resonant inverter as a passive high power factor (PF) electronic ballast. A conventional VF circuit limits the line current to conduct when the conduction angles are: 30deg les omegat les 150deg and 210deg les omegat les 330deg during the line period, which results in high total harmonic distortion (THD). The modified VF circuit has the following advantage: When the capacitors are connected in parallel, the voltage across the capacitors is one-third of the peak voltage, which allows the conduction angle of the line current to be further extended to 19.5deg les omegat les 160.5deg and 199.5deg les omegat les 340.5deg, so that a lower THD can be achieved. The high lamp crest factor (CF) problem generated by the high ripple voltage from the modified VF circuit is improved in the proposed ballast as variable frequency control is employed to continuously regulate the lamp current. An experimental prototype is then built in the laboratory to verify the feasibility of the proposed work for a 26-W compact fluorescent lamp. The final results confirm that a PF of 0.986 and a lamp CF of 1.49 are achieved with the proposed circuit, whereas a PF of 0.96 is achieved with the conventional VF ballast.     

Single-switch electronic ballast with continuous input current charge pump power-factor correction

This paper presents a single-switch electronic ballast with continuous input current charge pump power-factor correction. The ballast circuit is composed of a series/parallel inverter, a charge pump power-factor corrector, and a dimming controller. The characteristics and design considerations of this ballast are discussed in this paper. Dimming control is achieved by varying the switching frequency. The frequency-modulation scheme is used to reduce the low-frequency output current ripple. A prototype of a 36WT8 fluorescent lamp ballast has been implemented and tested. Experimental results verify the analytical derivations.     

Starting control for series-resonant electronic ballast withrapid-start fluorescent lamp

A starting-aid circuit is added to the series-resonant electronic ballast for reducing the glow current in a rapid-start fluorescent lamp during the preheating. By controlling the operating frequency, the electronic ballast provides an adequate filament current for preheating with nearly zero lamp voltage     

Analysis and experimental results of a single-stagehigh-power-factor electronic ballast based on flyback converter

A new single-stage high-power-factor electronic ballast based on a flyback converter is presented in this paper. The ballast is able to supply a fluorescent lamp assuring a high-input power factor for the utility line. Other features are lamp power regulation against line voltage variations and low lamp current crest factor, both assuring long lamp life. The ballast is analyzed at steady-state operation, and design equations and characteristics are obtained. Also, a procedure for the ballast design is presented. Finally, simulation and experimental results from a laboratory prototype are shown     

High-efficiency low-stress electronic dimming ballast for multiplefluorescent lamps

An electronic dimming ballast with a lead-lag tank operation (LLTO) having the properties of high efficiency and low stress is introduced in this paper. The ballast is configured with a voltage-fed half-bridge series-resonant parallel-loaded inverter (SRPLI) acting as a lamp driver. It is loaded with resonant tanks which are designed and operated to be capacitive and inductive to theoretically achieve both zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and zero current switching (ZCS) and to eliminate the reactive current circulating through the switches, resulting in low switching and conduction losses. Moreover, the merit of a successive lamp ignition can be attained with the proposed operation scheme so that current stress imposed on the switches can be reduced. With the plasma model of fluorescent lamps, the analysis, operating principle, and dimming control strategy of the electronic ballast are described in detail. On the other hand, the limitations of the proposed scheme are pointed out. Computer simulation results and experimental measurements are used to verify the theoretical prediction and analytical discussion     

Single-stage electronic ballast with high-power factor

This article proposes a single-stage electronic ballast circuit with high-power factor. The proposed circuit was derived by sharing the switches of the power factor correction (PFC) and the half-bridge LCC resonant inverter. This integration of switches forms the proposed single-stage electronic ballast, which provides an almost unity power factor and a ripple-free input current by using a coupled inductor without increasing the voltage stress. In addition, it realises zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) by employing the self-oscillation technique. The saturable transformer constituting the self-oscillating drive limits the lamp current and dominates the switching frequency of the ballast. Therefore, the proposed single-stage ballast has the advantage of high-power factor, high efficiency, low cost and high reliability. Steady-state analysis of the PFC and the half-bridge LCC resonant inverter are described. The results of experiments performed using a 30 W fluorescent lamp are also presented to confirm the performance of the proposed ballast.     

Design of a 2.5-MHz, soft-switching, class-D converter forelectrodeless lighting

The electrodeless fluorescent lamp offers a long-life, efficacious alternative to conventional reflective lighting, but the ballast design is formidable due to the interaction between the lamp and ballast. The interaction exists for two reasons. First, the arc resistance is highly dependent upon the power density. Second, the output power of the resonant converter is a strong function of the load resistance. Soft switching, essential to the efficient and reliable functioning of the power converter, complicates the design process. This paper presents a robust design methodology, via nonlinear programming (NP), where the transition interval and midpoint capacitance are critical elements of the solution. Analytical expressions are offered as ingredients of the parameter optimization. Minimizing the RMS current flow through the active switches yields peak efficiency. In this case, the converter operates with zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and zero-current switching (ZCS), with nonzero values of midpoint capacitance. Excellent agreement between the analytical and physical models was achieved. The efficiency of the physical model was found to exceed 90%     

Development of a distributive control scheme for fluorescent lighting based on LonWorks technology

In this paper, a new distributive control system for indoor fluorescent lighting based on LonWorks technology is presented. The system features the following elements: microprocessor-controlled fluorescent lamp electronic ballast, communication system using the power line as communication media, and control software for Windows 95 environment. The electronic ballast has been especially designed to be operated under the proposed distributive control system. Thus, it features high-input power factor, high-frequency lamp supply, lamp power regulation against line voltage variations, dimming capability, and lamp failure detection. With this scheme, a low-cost distributive control system for lighting applications has been achieved, allowing energy and maintenance savings and increase in the reliability of the fluorescent lighting systems.     

Dimmable electronic ballasts by variable power density modulation technique

Dimming can be accomplished commonly by switching frequency and pulse density modulation techniques and a variable inductor. In this study, a variable power density modulation (VPDM) control technique is proposed for dimming applications. A fluorescent lamp is operated in several states to meet the desired lamp power in a modulation period. The proposed technique has the same advantages of magnetic dimming topologies have. In addition, a unique and flexible control technique can be achieved. A prototype dimmable electronic ballast is built and experiments related to it have been conducted. As a result, a 36WT8 fluorescent lamp can be driven for a desired lamp power from several alternatives without modulating the switching frequency.     

A single-stage electronic ballast with high power factor

A single stage electronic ballast with high power factor (HPF) is proposed in this letter. The single-phase boost-type rectifier provides HPF. A saturable transformer constituting the self-oscillating drive limits the lamp current and dominates the switching frequency of the ballast. Experimental results obtained on a 40 W fluorescent lamp are discussed     

An improved “charge pump” electronic ballast with lowTHD and low crest factor

The “charge pump” electronic ballast circuit, which employs a charging capacitor and a high-frequency AC source to implement power factor correction (PFC), has become an attractive topology for ballasting fluorescent lamps. However, the basic “charge pump” electronic ballast circuit has the problems of high total harmonic distortion (THD) of the input current and high crest factor (CF) of the lamp current. This paper analyzes the origin of the problems and proposes a novel solution. With the addition of two small clamping diodes, good input current (PF>0.99, THD<5%) and lamp current (CF<1.6) can be obtained with open-loop control. Experimental results are provided for verification     

Investigation of a New Control Strategy for Electronic Ballasts Based on Variable Inductor

In this paper, a new control method for electronic ballasts based on the use of a variable inductor is presented. The main goal is to perform the complete control of the electronic ballast by maintaining the switching frequency constant and without using other parameters of the power converter, such as input voltage or duty cycle. The magnetic regulator is controlled by means of a dc current, which allows performing both lamp soft starting and lamp dimming. Apart from the important advantage of keeping a constant frequency during full electronic ballast operation, the proposed method presents additional advantages when compared to other control methods, such as inherent isolated control, more linear control characteristics, constant electrode power, and higher efficiency. Experimental results from a 36-W linear fluorescent lamp prototype are presented.     

High Voltage High Frequency Class-E Converter Suitable for Miniaturization

A 120 V mains-driven class-E converter used as an electronic ballast for a 15 W fluorescent lamp is presented. The key element of the circuit is a cascoded bipolar metal-oxide semiconductor (BiMOS) switch which ensures high-voltage and high-frequency capability. In spite of the high switching frequency of 450 kHz an excellent efficiency of 91 percent could be achieved. Thus miniaturization becomes feasible.     

Improving crest factor of electronic ballast-fed fluorescent lampcurrent using pulse frequency modulation

In case where electronic ballast employing a valley-fill passive power-factor correction (PFC) circuit is used for feeding fluorescent tamps, a new method to reduce crest factor of the lamp current is studied in this paper. It is known that a 50% valley-fill passive PFC provided for high input power factor results in undesirable value of crest factor of the fluorescent lamp current, In order to reduce crest factor to a lower value, a pulse frequency modulation technique based on the waveform of the DC-link voltage which is predetermined by the passive PFC circuit is taken into the switching control action of the electronic ballast. An equation-based analysis between the crest factor of lamp current and the effect of varying the inverter switching frequency is comprehensively performed. Several simulation and experiment results illustrate the Effectiveness of the proposed control scheme     

Dimming Electronic Ballasts Without Striations

Power density modulation control strategy is proposed for eliminating the striations in dimming applications. In a modulation period, the lamp is operated in several states. For any desired lamp power, the fluorescent lamp current requirement must be met in one of the states. A prototype dimmable electronic ballast is built and experimented. As result, a 36WT8 fluorescent lamp is driven within wide power range from 2 W to full without striation.