Patent ID: 7336041

Claim:
An apparatus for dimming a lamp so that a pre-selected amount of light is at a pre-selected location, comprising: dimming control means for automatic or manual varying of the intensity of fluorescent or HID lamps so that the total amount of light at the pre-selected location is approximately the pre-selected amount of light without the use of dimming ballasts, said dimming control means comprising: one or more capacitors that have heating elements that affect their capacitance, thus providing an electric current flow reduction to said lamp that allow said lamp's gradual light dimming characteristic to operate; switching means to select between at least one of said one or more capacitors so as to vary equivalent capacitance thus providing a electric current flow reduction to said lamp that allow said lamp's gradual light dimming characteristic to operate; and switching means that by gradually changing the conductive resistance of a contactor for each of said one or more capacitors allows turning at least one of said one or more capacitors off and on causing said one or more capacitors to undertake a smooth transition from its on state to its off state that avoids the perception of abrupt changes in the lighting dimming process.