Patent ID: 7919926

Claim:
A method of igniting a metal halide lamp driven by a high frequency ballast, said ballast including an oscillator for selectively providing power to the lamp, said method comprising: providing an ignition pulse train to the lamp for a first period, wherein providing the ignition pulse train comprises: enabling oscillations of the oscillator to provide power to the lamp for an ignition pulse period; thereafter determining whether the lamp has ignited; thereafter disabling the oscillator for an inter-pulse cooling period if the determining indicates that the lamp has not ignited; repeating said enabling oscillations of the oscillator, said determining whether the lamp has ignited, and said disabling the oscillator a predetermined number of times; thereafter determining whether the lamp has ignited; thereafter disabling the oscillator for an additional cooling period if said determining indicates that the lamp has not ignited; and repeating the above if the lamp has not ignited.