A RESONANT INVERTER FOR ELECTRONIC BALLAST APPLICATIONS

Electronic ballasts must provide enough open circuit voltage to start the fluorescent lamp and current limiting while the lamp is running. Resonant inverters may be utilized in electronic ballasts because of their load-dependent characteristics. The three basic types of resonant inverters, the series-loaded, parallel-loaded, and the series-parallel-loaded, are compared using fundamental approximation techniques for their applicability in electronic ballasts operating from a low voltage source. A parallel-loaded resonant inverter operating slightly above its resonant frequency is selected because of the high voltage gains possible. Operation above the resonant frequency allows zero-voltage turn on of the semiconductor devices. Zero-voltage turn off can be achieved with the addition of lossless snubber capacitors. Experimental results from a lab prototype are used to verify the design procedure.