Abstract: A ballast, powered by a power source is used to control operation of a load such as a discharge lamp. The ballast includes a switching network configured to control a supply of power to the load, and a bridge converter network which is configured to receive an input signal from the power source and convert it into a form useable by the switching network. The bridge converter network is integrated into the switching network.

Abstract: A ballast circuit for operating a lamp having preheatable electrodes. The frequency of a high frequency bridge inverter is controlled by a control circuit which has input connections to one of the lamp electrodes for monitoring the electrode temperature. The voltage across the lamp electrode controls oscillation frequency during preheating and ignition.

Abstract: The electronic ballast may be fitted to a wide variety of third party lamps and is usually controlled to allow for a variety of light settings. A simple ballast circuit is provided in which both the ignition and regulation functions are carried out by the same inductor. This removes a switching stage resulting in better efficiency. The ignition energy of the lamp is progressively built up which helps reduce Radio Frequency Interference and reduces Electrical Magnetic Interference and reduces wear on the lamp components.

Abstract: Parallel cathode electrodes extend across the base plate of a display. Each electrode has teeth projecting from both sides, the teeth of adjacent electrodes being closely spaced from one another by a gap that is bridged by a dot of an electron emitter material. A glass screen spaced by a vacuum gap above the base plate carries transparent anode stripes extending transversely of the cathode electrodes and a fluorescent layer of colored phosphors on the anode stripes. A voltage applied between adjacent cathode electrodes and gates conduction via each electron emitter dot. A voltage applied to an anode stripe causes a part of the current from the emitter directly below the stripe to be directed towards the anode, thereby illuminating the phosphor pixel above the emitter.

Abstract: A plasma display panel driving method that permits a high-speed addressing. In the method, a data pulse is applied to address electrodes in an address interval for selecting discharge cells. An auxiliary data pulse is applied to the address electrodes in such a manner to be positioned at the front and rear portions of the data pulse when the data pulse is applied to the address electrodes. A scanning pulse is sequentially applied to scanning/sustaining electrodes.

Abstract: A plasma display panel has a first substrate including a first dielectric layer which covers a plurality of address electrodes; back face barrier ribs, each of which is located between two neighboring address electrodes; a fluorescent layer which covers the back face barrier ribs and the first dielectric layer; and a second substrate including plural pairs of X sustain electrodes and Y sustain electrodes, which are arranged to cross at right angles to the address electrodes, and a second dielectric layer which covers the sustain electrodes. The first substrate is arranged opposite to the second substrate via a discharge space which is filled with gas for radiating ultraviolet rays to make the fluorescent layer emit light and buffer gas, and the thickness of the second dielectric layer in the second substrate is set to be larger at a portion between the X and Y sustain electrodes.

Abstract: One of the objectives of the present invention are to provide smaller, lighter and less expensive structure in a starting device for discharge lamp for car use so as to prevent breakage due to vibrations etc . . . And another objective is to attain simultaneous electrical and structural connections between a high voltage electrode and a coil of a starting transformer. The device having the following constitution realizes the above-mentioned objectives. A starting device for a discharge lamp comprises a socket equipped with a high voltage electrode and a grounding electrode, a bobbin with a core-less structure, a starting transformer comprising a primary coil and a secondary coil wound around the bobbin. A screw electrode is arranged at the center of the end face of the bobbin. One end of the screw electrode is connected to an output terminal of the high voltage side of the secondary coil on the starting transformer.

Abstract: Two closed-loop coils are respectively set at the top or the bottom of a cathode ray tube. These two closed-loop coils serves in a pair as a cancel coil. Each closed-loop coil is positioned so as to make an interlinkage with the magnetic field leakage that escapes from the deflection yoke, a part of the closed-loop coil running almost in parallel to the top or bottom edge of an effective display region of a front panel.

Abstract: A display apparatus including a CRT provided with an electron gun having a focusing electrode which is applied with a dynamic focusing voltage for focusing electrons drawn from a cathode of the CRT is disclosed. The display apparatus includes a dynamic focusing circuit for producing the dynamic focusing voltage by superimposing, on a dc voltage supplied from outside, an ac voltage which has a waveform varying in synchronization with horizontal and vertical deflections of an electron beam flowing to a fluorescent screen on the anode. The display apparatus further includes a compensator for lowering the dc voltage supplied to the dynamic focusing circuit by a predetermined value while a brightness signal indicative of brightness of a screen of the CRT exceeds a threshold value.

Abstract: A method for driving a plasma display panel is provided which is capable of making stable a discharge occurring when sustaining discharge starts and, when same gray shades are displayed, the discharge can be started with exactly same timing to perform the display of same gray shades. In the method, voltages of a scanning electrode and a common electrode during a sustaining period are set so that the discharge occurring with timing when the sustaining discharge starts is an opposite discharge which occurs between the scanning electrode and a data electrode and the timing when the sustaining discharge starts is decided based on a potential difference between electrodes placed opposite to each other.

Abstract: A device for generating a free cold plasma beam having a high-frequency plasma source and a hollow body transparent to electromagnetic radiation, which is provided with at least one gas inlet opening and at least one beam outlet opening is proposed. The high-frequency plasma source is in particular a microwave plasma source or a high-frequency plasma source and initially generates at least within the hollow body a cold gas plasma, which is conducted as a free cold plasma beam via the beam outlet opening from the hollow body and enters the work chamber. The work chamber is under vacuum. The free plasma beam remains bundled in the work chamber and can be used there for cleaning, etching, or plasma coating with a reactive gas.

Abstract: A current regulator controls the electron emission from a cold cathode using closed-loop feedback from a current sensor in the cathode connection. The regulator circuit includes a cold cathode, a current-sensing element, a current-limiting element, and current-control element. Additionally, the closed-loop current regulator may comprise a reference element for generating the reference level, a circuit power supply and a cathode bias supply. The regulator and cathode may be assembled from separate components, or the entire circuit may be integrated onto a single substrate. In one embodiment, the current level is set by adjusting the reference element directly. In a second embodiment, the current level is set by adjusting the circuit power supply, so that the current level can be set remotely without the need to adjust the reference element directly. The second embodiment is preferably suited for the regulation of beam current in analytical instrumentation.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing auxiliary power to a lighting system for heavy equipment during interruptions of power from a 250 volt direct current (DC) power supply is provided. The DC power supply is the only power source available to discharge lamps provided on the heavy equipment. The energy storage banks are provided between the power supply and a ballast for operating a gas discharge lamp. The energy storage banks store energy and provide the reserved energy to the ballast when the supply voltage to the ballast decreases below a level necessary for sustaining operating of the discharge lamp. The energy storage banks can comprise capacitors arranged in various series and parallel circuits and a blocking rectifier to prevent non-lighting loads on the heavy equipment from draining the energy storage banks.

Abstract: A ballast system in which mixed-mode gate signals are used to control the ballast circuit so as to produce a more straight ballast lines such than only a single solution exists between ballast lines and lamp lines over the whole operating range, whereby a stable of lamp performance is achieved. In a preferred embodiment, symmetric and asymmetric modes are arranged alternatively in every other switching cycle to produce mixed-mode PWM gate signals.

Abstract: A circuit arrangement having at least one electric main switch (T1) with a reference electrode (E), a control electrode (B), and a work electrode (C). A recovery diode (D1; D2) is connected antiparallel to the main flow direction of each main switch (T1). In order to speed up the switch-off process and in particular to reduce the attendant power loss, each main switch (T1) is assigned an electric auxiliary switch (T11; T22), whose work electrode is connected to the control electrode (B) of the associated main switch (T1) and whose reference electrode is connected to the reference electrode (E) of the associated main switch (T1). The capacitor (C11) is disposed between the control electrode of the auxiliary switch (T11; T22) and the work electrode (C) of the associated main switch (T1).

Abstract: A description is given of a method for dimming discharge lamps with dielectrically impeded discharges. A continuous or discontinuous power control can be effected by influencing an electric parameter of a pulsed active-power supply and by means of a suitable electrode structure.

Abstract: For use in a beam index color cathode ray tube (CRT), a multi-beam group electron gun directs first and second groups of vertically aligned electron beams on respective parallel, horizontally aligned color phosphor stripes on the CRT's display screen. Each group of electron beams includes three beams, one for each of the three primary colors of red, green and blue. The first and second electron beam groups are horizontally offset from one another, with the upper, intermediate and lower electron beams in each group tracing the same horizontal phosphor stripe as the beams scan the display screen and with a time delay provided to synchronize the video information of both electron beam groups. A color video signal is provided either to a respective cathode or to a respective segmented conductive portion containing a beam passing aperture in the electron gun's G1 control grid for individually modulating each beam with color video image information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a lamp. A timer (106) reads a rated safe life value from a memory (102) associated with a lamp in a lamp module (104). The memory (102) in the lamp module (104) contains a series of locations in which the rated safe life of the lamp has been stored, and a series of locations for storing the elapsed on time of the lamp. The timer controller (106) reads the series of locations storing the rated safe life of the lamp and verifies the validity of the values using a series of checksums and comparisons between the various values. The timer controller (106) also reads the series of locations storing the elapsed on time for the lamp and verifies the elapsed on time in a similar manner. If either the rated safe on time or the elapsed on time cannot be verified, the lamp is disabled. If both can be verified, and the lamp is enabled until the elapsed on time equals or exceeds the rated safe life.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an AC plasma display panel for achieving improved absolute luminance and luminous efficiency at the same time, which comprises a rear substrate formed with separated sub-pixel spaces defined thereon by closed shape barrier ribs for forming color pixels respectively composed of three sub-pixels of red, green and blue phosphor layers disposed in a delta configuration in those sub-pixel spaces, and a front substrate formed with sustain electrodes having projections or wings respectively sticking out or extended over each sub-pixel to face a wing of the neighboring sustain electrode.

Abstract: Induction lamp system comprising a power supply unit, which can supply a high-frequency altenating voltage, a power supply cable connected to the power supply unit and an induction lamp connected to the power supply cable. The lamp is provided with an induction coil, and at least one electronic component is arranged between the induction coil and the power supply cable. The electronic component together with the induction coil and the power supply cable have a combined impedance Z. According to the invention, and due to the properties of the electronic component, it holds that the absolute value of the imaginary component Im(Z) of the impedance Z is smaller than the real component Re(Z) for any arbitrary length of the power supply cable.