Patent ID: 7282863

Claim:
In a high intensity discharge lamp control system having an electronic ballast and alternating current power input, an auxiliary quartz lamp and auxiliary quartz lamp controller system for start-up and turn-off modes of operation of said quartz lamp by solid-state switches comprising gated triacs of said auxiliary quartz lamp controller system in response to presence of no input current and full magnitude of input current to said electronic ballast wherein said auxiliary quartz lamp lighting controller system comprises, in combination: a) a current transformer comprising primary and secondary coils with the transformer connected in the power common input tap of said electronic HID ballast and to said AC power input, so as to produce a voltage in the secondary coil in proportion to the current drawn by the said electronic HID ballast; b) a first gated triac connected in series between said auxiliary lighting quartz lamp and said power input and said secondary coil providing voltage according to a current drawn by said electronic HID ballast through said primary coil; c) a second gated triac coupled between said first gated triac and said current transformer such that said first gated triac is rendered to a non-conductive state only when current is drawn by said high intensity gaseous discharge (HID) lamp and rendered to a conductive state only when no current is drawn by said high intensity gaseous discharge (HID) lamp so as to supply power from said power input to said auxiliary lighting quartz lamp only when no current is drawn by said high density gaseous discharge (HID) lamp; and d) an auxiliary lamp ballast connected in series to the auxiliary quartz lamp.