Method and Apparatus For Reduction of Excess Current During Initial Firing of Arc Lamp Circuits

摘要

Arc lamps, including low-pressure arc lamps, are coupled to drive circuitry operable to provide drive signals that reduce or eliminate excess current when the lamp arc is struck. The drive circuitry controls the rate at which a lamp can fire by actively controlling the rate the voltage pulse increases. Prior to enabling the drive pulse burst, the frequency is shifted only part of the way towards the normal operating frequency in a single step, then allowed to approach the normal operating frequency in a fashion that is selected based at least in part upon the specific type of lamp being used. Typically, the rate of change of the frequency is linear.