Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detection of non-zero-voltage switching operation of a lamp ballast, which has a half-bridge circuit with a first and a second semiconductor switching element, a resonant tuned circuit which is connected to one output of the half-bridge circuit, and a snubber capacitance, which is connected in parallel with one of the semiconductor switching elements. The method has the following method steps: provision of a voltage measurement signal (Vs) which is dependent on a voltage at the output of the half-bridge, evaluation of the voltage measurement signal (Vs) in each case before switching-on times of at least one of the first and second semiconductor switching elements by comparison of the voltage measurement signal (Vs) with a reference value (Vref) for detection of the non-zero-voltage switching operation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a protection circuit for protecting a half-bridge circuit. The protection circuit detects an incorrect response of the half-bridge by monitoring the current of a first switch at a series resistor of a second switch. The protection circuit has a detector for detecting the voltage across the resistor and an evaluation circuit which is designed in such a manner that it evaluates an output signal from the detector after the first switch has been switched on and provides a fault signal at an output when the voltage across the resistor is greater than the threshold voltage.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for data transmission via a transmission path having at least two inductive transformers, which each have a primary winding with a time constant and have a secondary winding. The method includes driving the primary windings to transmit an information event by means of drive signals in such a way that the sum of the drive signals follows an envelope curve with an envelope curve duration. The envelope curve being chosen such that its time profile rises within a rise period from an initial value to a maximum value and falls within a fall period from the maximum value back to the initial value, and the magnitudes of the rise period and of the fall period are longer than the time constants of the primary windings. The time profile of the drive signals being dependent on the information to be transmitted and being chosen such that there is at least one steep flank, whose flank duration is shorter than the time constants of the primary windings.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing electrical current to a lamp, detecting a power supply voltage outage, detecting a return of the power supply voltage, determining how long the power supply voltage outage lasted, and preheating the lamp responsive to determining that the power supply voltage outage lasted greater than a threshold amount of time.

Abstract: A component arrangement has a semiconductor body, a dielectric layer and a planar transformer. The semiconductor body includes a face. The planar transformer includes a primary winding, a first planar winding section, and a second planar winding section, each vertically spaced apart from each other. The first planar winding section forms at least a part of the secondary winding and has a first connection forming a first connection of the secondary winding. The dielectric layer is positioned on the face and isolates the primary winding from the first planar winding section. The second planar winding section is disposed between the first planar winding section and the primary winding.

Abstract: Disclosed is a signal transmitter including a primary winding, a first and at least one second secondary winding which are arranged at a distance from the primary winding in a first direction and are in each case inductively coupled to the primary winding, and each of which has at least two series-connected winding sections, with the at least two winding sections of each of the first and second secondary windings being arranged in at least two different winding levels, and a signal transmission apparatus having a signal transmitter such as this.

Abstract: For monitoring the operation of a gas discharge lamp operated with an AC voltage, a lamp voltage signal is generated which is dependent on the voltage dropped across the gas discharge lamp during operation. Said lamp voltage signal is filtered with an attenuation that is different for a DC component and for a component having the frequency of the AC voltage, whereupon a positive and negative peak value of the filtered lamp voltage signal are determined. For monitoring the gas discharge lamp, an average value of the two peak values is determined and compared with a limit value, and a difference value between the two peak values is determined and compared with a limit value.

Abstract: Disclosed is an actuating circuit and method for actuating a switch regulating the power consumption in a power factor correction circuit having input terminals for applying an input voltage and output terminals for providing an output voltage. The switch is cyclically turned on for an on-time and turned off for an off-time, the on-time having a first on-time period and a second on-time period directly adjacent to the first on-time period. A length for the first on-time period is dependent on the control signal, and a length for the second on-time period is proportional, at least for a prescribed range of values for an instantaneous value of the input voltage, to a quotient with a first first-degree function for the instantaneous value in the denominator and a second first-degree function for the instantaneous value in the numerator, with function values for the first function increasing as the instantaneous value rises.

Abstract: The document describes a method and an actuating circuit for actuating a switch regulating the power consumption in a power factor correction circuit which has input terminals for applying an input voltage and output terminals for providing an output voltage. In this case, the switch is cyclically turned on for an on-time and turned off for an off-time, respectively, with the on-time having a first on-time period and a second on-time period which is directly adjacent to the first on-time period. A length for the first on-time period is in this case dependent on the control signal, and a length for the second on-time period is proportional, at least for a prescribed range of values for an instantaneous value of the input voltage, to a quotient with a first first-degree function for this instantaneous value in the denominator and a second first-degree function for the instantaneous value in the numerator, with function values for the first function increasing as the instantaneous value rises.

Abstract: A switching converter for power factor correction which has-input terminals, an inductive storage element coupled to the input terminals, a rectifier arrangement, a control arrangement, and a damping circuit. The rectifier arrangement is connected to the inductive storage element and has output terminals for providing an output voltage. The control arrangement is configured to control a current drawn by the inductive storage element. The control arrangement is also configured to magnetize the inductive storage element during an actuation period for a magnetization time, demagnetize it for a demagnetization time, and wait a waiting time before a subsequent magnetization time. The damping circuit is coupled to the inductive storage element, and is configured to be activated and deactivated dependent at least in part on a magnetization state of the inductive storage element.

Abstract: A switch-mode converter. One embodiment provides an inductive energy storage element. A rectifier arrangement is coupled to the inductive energy storage element for providing an output voltage. A switching arrangement regulates the inductive energy storage element on the basis of a control signal. A controller arrangement is configured to generate the control signal on the basis of the output voltage. The controller arrangement has a discrete-time band rejection filter and a frequency measuring arrangement.

Abstract: A method for operating a fluorescent lamp which is connected to a series resonant circuit with a resonant circuit inductance and a resonant circuit capacitance. The method includes applying an excitation AC voltage at an excitation frequency to the series resonant circuit using a half bridge circuit, which has an output to which the series resonant circuit is coupled, and which has a first and a second switch which are alternately switched on and off on the basis of a frequency signal. A current flowing through the resonant circuit is monitored for the presence of a critical operating state. The switched-on times of the first and second switches are shortened in comparison to switched-on times which are predetermined by the frequency signal, upon detection of a critical operating state.

Abstract: A drive circuit for at least one fluorescent lamp has a half-bridge circuit for production of a supply voltage a resonant tuned circuit coupled to the half-bridge circuit and to which the at least one fluorescent lamp can be connected, a diagnosis circuit with a resistance element coupled to the resonant tuned circuit, at least one current/voltage converter connected to the resistance element that produces at least one measurement voltage from a current flowing through the resistance element, and an evaluation circuit which is connected to the current/voltage converter and is supplied with the at least one measurement voltage and to a method for diagnosis of a fluorescent lamp.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for encoding a plurality of bits into a plurality of pairs of simultaneous electrical pulses.

Abstract: A method is disclosed herein for transmitting data via a transmission path with at least two inductive transformers which respectively have a primary winding with a time constant and a secondary winding. The method comprises actuating the primary winding in order to transmit an information event by means of actuating signals such that the sum of the actuating signals follows an envelope with an envelope time. The envelope is chosen such that its time profile rises within a rise time from an initial value to a maximum value and falls within a fall time from the maximum value back to the initial value. The time profile of the actuating signals is dependent on the information to be transmitted and is chosen such that there is at least one steep edge present whose edge time is shorter than the time constants of the primary windings.

Abstract: An actuation circuit is provided for a switch controlling the power consumption in a switch-mode converter which has input terminals for applying an input voltage and output terminals for providing an output voltage. The actuation circuit comprises a first input for supplying a voltage measurement signal which is dependent on the output voltage, an error signal generation circuit which generates an error signal by comparing the voltage measurement signal with a reference signal, a filter arrangement which is supplied with the error signal and which generates a first control signal, and an actuation signal generation circuit which is supplied with the first control signal and which provides an actuation signal for the switch on the basis of the first control signal.

Abstract: A signal transmitting device and a method for transmitting via a signal transmitting device is disclosed. In one embodiment the transmitting device comprises a first resonant circuit with a resonant circuit inductance and a resonant circuit capacitance and a second resonant circuit with a resonant circuit inductance and a resonant circuit capacitance, a coupling element which couples the first resonant circuit to the second resonant circuit, a first excitation circuit, coupled to the first resonant circuit, and at least one further excitation circuit coupled to the second resonant circuit.

Abstract: A method and related apparatus drives a first semiconductor switching element, the load path of which is connected in series with a load path of a second semiconductor switching element in a half-bridge circuit and which is driven in the on state or in the off state according to switching signals transmitted via a transmission channel. The method includes detection of a load current through the half-bridge circuit, and repetition of the previous switching signal if the load current exceeds a predetermined maximum threshold value.

Abstract: The invention relates to a component arrangement which has the following features: a semiconductor body (10), a dielectric layer (20) which is applied to one face of the semiconductor body (10), a planar transformer with a primary winding (40) and a secondary winding (30), which are isolated from one another by the dielectric layer (20) and are arranged at a distance from one another in a vertical direction with respect to the one face of the semiconductor body, a first planar winding section (31) and a second planar winding section (32) of the secondary winding (30), which are arranged at a distance from one another in the vertical direction and are electrically conductively connected to one another, with a first connection (34) of the first winding section (31) forming a first connection of the secondary winding, and a first connection (36) of the second winding section (32) forming a second connection of the secondary winding.

Abstract: A component arrangement has a semiconductor body, a dielectric layer and a planar transformer. The semiconductor body includes a face. The planar transformer includes a primary winding, a first planar winding section, and a second planar winding section, each vertically spaced apart from each other. The first planar winding section forms at least a part of the secondary winding and has a first connection forming a first connection of the secondary winding. The dielectric layer is positioned on the face and isolates the primary winding from the first planar winding section. The second planar winding section is disposed between the first planar winding section and the primary winding.