Patent ID: 7777429

Claim:
A discharge lamp lighting circuit comprising: an inverter circuit which has two output ends, and which outputs an AC voltage between said two output ends; a series resonant circuit which comprises a capacitor, at least one inductor and at least one transformer, and which supplies AC power to said discharge lamp, wherein said capacitor, said at least one inductor and said at least one transformer are coupled in series between said two output ends of said inverter circuit; a driving portion which drives said inverter circuit; and a controlling portion which provides said driving portion with a control signal for controlling said inverter circuit, said controlling portion comprising: a first signal producing portion which produces a first signal indicative of a phase of a current flowing through said series resonant circuit based on a voltage at a detection point in said series resonant circuit; and a second signal producing portion which produces a second signal indicative of a phase of the AC voltage output from said inverter circuit, said controlling portion producing the control signal on the basis of a phase difference between the first and second signals, wherein one component of said inductor, said transformer, and said capacitor which comprise the series resonant circuit, is coupled between one of said two output ends, and said detection point.