Patent ID: 8035308

Claim:
A software controlled electronic dimming ballast, comprising; an inverter circuit for supplying current to a lamp: a dimming control circuit for controlling the current supplied by the inverter circuit to the lamp and thereby causing the lamp to have a desired lamp dimming level, the dimming control circuit including a dimming control signal input for receiving a dimming control signal representative of the desired lamp dimming level, a lamp dimming level feedback signal input for receiving a lamp dimming level feedback signal representative of an existing lamp dimming level, and an inverter control signal output for outputting an inverter control signal that causes the inverter circuit to supply the lamp with sufficient current to cause the lamp to have the desired lamp dimming level; the dimming control circuit further including lamp dimming level control software for causing the dimming control circuit to generate the inverter control signal based on the dimming control signal and the lamp dimming level feedback signal; the dimming control circuit still further including a lamp dimming level feedback signal conditioning circuit for generating the lamp dimming level feedback signal; wherein the lamp dimming level feedback signal conditioning circuit includes a voltage generating circuit for generating a voltage signal representative of the existing lamp dimming level based on a lamp current signal representative of the existing lamp dimming level; and wherein the voltage signal is the lamp dimming level feedback signal.