Patent ID: 7397194

Claim:
A high intensity discharge (HID) lamp system comprising an HID ballast, an HID lamp, an alternating current power input, an auxiliary lamp providing illumination during extinguished, cool-down, start-up, and warm-up phases of the HID lamp including an auxiliary lamp controller for staff-up and turn-off modes of operation of the auxiliary lamp by solid-state switches comprising gated triacs of the auxiliary lamp controller in response to the presence of no input current and the presence of input current to the HID ballast wherein the auxiliary lamp controller comprises, in combination: (a) a current sensing transformer circuit that converts current to the HID ballast to a required voltage; (b) a positive voltage power supply circuit that converts positive AC sine wave voltages generated by the current sensing transformer into a positive DC regulated power supply across a filter capacitor and a timing resistor; (c) a negative voltage power supply circuit that converts negative AC sine wave voltages generated by secondary windings of the current sensing transformer into a negative regulated power supply stored in a capacitor with a bleeder resistor for reset of a timing circuit during interruption of the current through primary windings of the current sensing transformer; (d) a reset circuit that resets the timing circuit upon extinguishing of illumination of the high intensity discharge (HID) lamp from power interruption and end-of life cycling, wherein the timing circuit maintains the auxiliary lamp in illumination for a predetermined period of time to permit time during phases of the high intensity discharge (HID) lamp of extinguished, illumination, cool-down, start-up, and warm-up to obtain full illumination by the HID lamp, wherein the auxiliary lamp thereupon ceases illumination; and (e) an auxiliary lamp control circuit that comprises a solid-state switch comprising two gated transistors in conjunction with a diac transistor and a coupled transformer.