Abstract: A lighting system comprising: an AC power line; an electronic ballast including structure for receiving and interpreting commands transmitted on the power line to control dimming of a fluorescent lamp, the ballast including structure defining an individual address, the ballast including structure for initiating an arc to start the fluorescent lamp, for limiting current through the fluorescent lamp after the arc is initiated, and for dimming the light output of the fluorescent lamp; and a control element spaced apart from the electronic ballast and including structure for sending commands on the power line in a format that the ballast is capable of interpreting, the control element including structure for sending an address with the command, the ballast including structure for comparing the sent address with its individual address and responding to the command if the sent address matches its individual address.

Abstract: An inverter circuit operating from line utilizes minimum, lower rating switches to operate at higher frequency, while maintaining substantially unity power factor and lower input current harmonics. The input rectified DC is transferred to a storage capacitor using a buck-boost regulator in which the current in inductor is always maintained discontinuous and proportional to the instantaneous input voltage. Filtering this input current will give substantially sinusoidal current at the input. The second switch in the buck-boost regulator and an additional third switch contributes to the necessary half bridge for an inverter. The inverter, which can be self oscillating or driven from a control circuitry, can give higher frequency, high voltage AC output with ability to control the load power hence provide for dimming, e.g. for a fluorescent lamp.