Patent ID: 6215252
Filing Date: 2001-04-10
Classification: H05B,Y02B

Abstract:
An apparatus for operating an electric discharge lamp having a pair of electrodes with an arc gap therebetween, comprising:a power supply for applying operating voltage and current to the pair of electrodes of the electric discharge lamp,means for sensing at least one electric parameter of the electric discharge lamp, anda controller responsive to the at least one sensed electric parameter of the discharge lamp for deriving an output control signal to be applied to the power supply, the controller including means for comparing the at least one sensed electric parameter with a corresponding desired parameter of the discharge lamp, and whereinthe power supply, in response to said output control signal of the controller, adjusts the lamp current so as to apply thereto a high-energy current pulse during a specific temporal portion of the lamp current waveform thereby to compensate for any deviation of the at least one electric parameter from the corresponding desired parameter of the discharge lamp.