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     

A novel single-stage push-pull electronic ballast with high inputpower factor

A novel single-stage push-pull electronic ballast with high input power factor is presented in this paper. The proposed electronic ballast combines the front-end power-factor corrector and push-pull converter into a single-stage power converter. Compared to the single-stage class-D electronic ballast, the proposed circuit does not require an isolated driver. The control of the circuit is easier and the cost less. The circuit of the ballast is analyzed and the design guidelines are listed. The experimental results verify the theoretical derivation     

Analysis, design, and optimization of the LCC resonant inverter asa high-intensity discharge lamp ballast

A complete study of the clamped-mode (CM) series-parallel (LCC) resonant inverter together with some of the control-to-output characteristics are presented in this paper. Also, a new control method for the CM LCC resonant inverter is introduced. With this method, the inverter is forced to operate with optimum commutations and without handling reactive energy, thus minimizing both switching and conduction losses. The corresponding design procedure is illustrated with a design example. Finally, some experimental results obtained from a prototype at the laboratory are also shown to validate the analysis and evaluate the proposed control method     

Improved start-up scenario for single-stage electronic ballast

This paper presents improved start-up scenario for single-stage electronic ballast derived with a synchronous switch technique (SST). Based on the SST, the derivation of a single-stage inverter (SSI) used for realizing the ballast is then addressed. The SSI can achieve both high power factor and ballasting function. During lamp start-up transition, power imbalance may exist between the power factor correction semi-stage and the ballast semi-stage, and filament preheating is an important issue. Power imbalance usually results in a high DC-link voltage which, in turn, imposes high stress on the switching devices. Investigation of the ballast operation is conducted, from which control strategies for reducing component stresses and hot resistance detection circuits for minimizing electrode sputtering are therefore proposed. Hardware measurements have verified that on-off tests are higher than 18,000 times without significant sputtering     

Acoustic-resonance-free electronic ballast for automotive HID lamps

A novel cost-effective and acoustic-resonance-free electronic ballast used to drive automotive high intensity discharging (HID) lamps that utilise a constant lamp power control scheme is proposed. The presented ballast is comprised of a buck-boost flyback converter to provide negative DC voltages and a half-bridge-type inverter to supply the lamp with low-frequency, square-wave AC voltage/ current. Owing to its low-frequency operation, no acoustic resonance occurs on the automotive HID lamps. Design guidelines and experimental results are demonstrated for a 35 Wautomotive HID lamp prototype ballast operating at 400 Hz switching frequency with battery input DC voltage of 12 V.     

Self-oscillating dimmable electronic ballast for fluorescent lamps

This letter presents a low-cost solution for converting the popularly adopted nondimmable electronic ballast circuit for fluorescent lamps with self-oscillating series resonant inverter into a dimmable one. The dimming function is achieved by increasing the switching frequency of the inverter from the natural frequency of the resonant tank, so that less energy is coupled to the lamp. Control of the switching frequency is based on deriving an adjustable dc current source from the inductor in the resonant tank to control the operating point of the saturable chokes for driving the switches in the inverter. The overall circuit does not require any integrated circuit. A 17-W prototype has been built and tested. Theoretical predictions have been verified with experimental results. The lamp can be dimmed to 10% of the full brightness.     

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     

Analysis and design of a self-oscillating class E ballast forcompact fluorescent lamps

The Class E inverter is the basis for a low-cost high-frequency ballast, but the control system is more complex than the self-oscillating Class D inverter. The added complexity neutralizes any cost savings gained by the single switch inverter. This paper explores a novel self-oscillating Class E ballast from a design perspective. A qualitative analysis shows how this self-oscillating system operates, from startup, through ignition to the steady state. Optimum component values are found from a quantitative analysis of the inverter. This mathematical model is the basis for the design methodology. Analytical results are compared with the physical model     

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     

Single-switch electronic ballast with near-unity power factor andsoft-switching characteristic

The design and analysis of a single-switch electronic ballast with near-unity power factor and soft-switching characteristic are presented. The ballast circuit is simple and has a small component count. The experimental results for an 80 W ballast show that it has a power factor higher than 0.99 and a total harmonic distortion of 12%. The operating frequency is between 20-40 kHz. The output power is adjustable and the circuit is reliable     

Synthesis and analysis for a novel single-stage isolated high power factor correction converter

A novel single-stage isolated high power factor correction (HPFC) converter operating in the discontinuous conduction mode is proposed in this paper. It is an integration of a buck-boost converter with a flyback converter by means of components placement and synchronous switching technology. It can achieve HPFC, tight output voltage regulation and lower voltage stress of the bulk capacitor, which is independent of the loads. The small-signal mathematical model for the proposed converter is derived separately by the averaging method and the current injected equivalent circuit approach. The IsSpice simulations and experimental results successfully verify the dynamics and performances of the proposed converter.     

电子镇流器无源功率因数校正的实现方法

在电子镇流器及节能灯中,无源功率因数校正电路具有成本低,可靠性好,调试容易等优点,但往往在谐波含量问题上迭不到电磁兼容标准的要求。下面对无源功率因数校正的几种实现方法进行了对比分析,并延深出了一种新的实现方法,可使无源功率因数校正电路的谐波含量降到15％以下,功率因数不小于0．96,满足电磁兼容标准要求,在实际应用中可供借鉴。     

Modeling of single-stage converters with high power factor and fastregulation

This paper presents an approach to systematically model single-stage DC/DC converters operated in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) based on the graft scheme. With the graft scheme, the active switches which are with a common node and operating in unison can be integrated to form a single stage converter (SSC). The small-signal models of the SSC can, therefore, be derived by combining those of its originally separate converters. Using the proposed approach can help yield highly related dynamic models of the converters in a family and, in addition, physical insights between the converters can be readily identified. Moreover, the expressions of the small-signal models for the SSCs operated in DCM can be extended to those in continuous-conduction-mode operation. These have made the proposed modeling method valuable and viable. Experimental measurements have demonstrated that the small-signal model of an SSC derived with the proposed approach is relatively accurate     

Design and performance of an electronic ballast for high-pressuresodium (HPS) lamps

An electronic ballast for high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps was designed and evaluated, theoretically and experimentally. The ballast is based on the half-bridge topology and includes a high-voltage ignitor and dimming capability. It was used to drive and examine the high frequency characteristics of a commercial HPS lamp (NAV-T 150 W (SON-T), OSRAM). The experimental results reveal that, for the frequency range of this study (27-75 kHz), the lamp is free of the acoustic resonance problem. It was also found that, for the present experimental conditions, the lamp is purely resistive, and the resistance is practically independent of the power level and operating frequency. The lamp exhibited stable operation over a very large dimming range, down to about 7% of nominal power. The 2.8-kV ignition pulse was found to be sufficient for both cold and hot startup under the proposed operating conditions     

Analysis and design of a dimmable electronic ballast controlled by a switch-controlled capacitor

This paper presents the related principle and analysis of the dimmable electronic ballast controlled by the switch-controlled capacitor (SCC). A Fourier-series expansion is used to derive the operational principle of the zero-voltage-switching Class-D series-parallel-load-resonant dimmable electronic ballast regulated by the SCC. By the adaptation of the SCC, the lightness of the system can be adjusted, while the operation frequency of the Class-D converter can be kept constant. The dimmable effect controlled by the variable SCC is examined. The analytical results are verified by simulations and experiments. Furthermore, the design considerations for the dimmable electronic ballast with SCC control are also presented in this paper.     

A high power factor ballast using a single switch with both power stages integrated

This paper presents a high power factor electronic ballast used to startup fluorescent lamps employing a single power stage and a single-switch. This topology was obtained combining of a Boost converter and a new inverter topology with coupled inductors. The use of a single active switch reduces the number of components used in the control and power circuits. The equations used for designing the proposed reactor and for choosing the semiconductor devices are presented. A prototype operating at 50kHz was built and used to startup 40-W fluorescent lamps.     

大功率LED灯具散热器的优化设计研究

LED的散热性能对其寿命有至关重要的影响,而现阶段LED的散热器设计方法很多依靠的是经验值。本文针对这一问题,提出一种散热器的优化设计方法,该方法首先基于大量实验数据研究了散热器翅片单一因素（包括翅片高度、翅片间距、翅片厚度、底板厚度）对散热性能的影响,然后运用正交试验法,综合分析了各因素对散热性能的影响程度,最终得到了翅片参数的最优水平组合。最后本文利用此方法,设计了一款新的散热器,实验表明该LED灯源芯片温度降低,并计算了优化后翅片的效率。     

High power factor self-power-controlling electronic ballast usingcurrent source type push-pull resonant inverter

A new simple low cost high power factor correction circuit for electronic ballast employing a current source type push-pull resonant inverter is proposed. The proposed circuit provides high power factor, low current harmonic distortion, self-power-controlling operation for load variations and cost-effectiveness     

Low-cost single-stage electronic ballast based on aself-oscillating resonant inverter integrated with a buck-boost PFCcircuit

In this paper, a new solution to implement and control a single-stage electronic ballast based on the integration of a buck-boost power-factor-correction stage and a half-bridge resonant inverter is presented. The control signals are obtained from the inverter resonant current by means of a saturable transformer. Core saturation is used to control the required dead time between the control pulses of both switches. Since no special integrated circuits are required to control the ballast, the total number of components is minimized and the final cost of the ballast is reduced compared to a typical two-stage configuration. Analysis and basic design guidelines are presented in the paper, together with experimental results obtained from a laboratory prototype     

Low-cost high power-density electronic ballast for automotive HIDlamp

A low-cost high-efficiency high power-density electronic ballast for 35 W automotive high intensity discharge (HID) is presented along with the results of theoretical computations and experimental tests. The ballast circuits is based on a 100 kHz resonant inverter, a half-wave rectifier and a 400 Hz operated square-wave inverter. The converter operates at zero turn on losses, nearly zero turn off losses, and at a reduced electromagnetic interference level. The ballast circuit is designed to prevent inappropriate operations due to the acoustic resonances. The lamp voltage waveform has limited dv/dt and no DC component contributing to a long operating life of the lamp. A breadboard of the electronic ballast was designed and experimentally tested on a 35 W lamp, for a DC input voltage ranging from 9 V to 16 V. The electronic ballast performs all the features required to turn-on, warm-up and drive at the steady state a 35 W HID lamp and operates at a maximum steady state efficiency η=84%,