This thesis proposes a new electronic ballast for fluorescent lamp using high frequency resonant converter to regulate the lamp light output with high efficiency and long lamp life. The proposed converter operates at hundreds of kilohertz resonant frequency and adopts zero voltage switching scheme, which results in nearly zero device switching loss. This ballast has high luminous efficacy[1m/watt] due to high frequency operation. Besides the power saving merit, it provides reduced weight and size, little acoustic noise and flicker, and low EMI as well. In addition, the proposed converter has the ability to adjust the lamp light output to almost any level thus more energy saving is possible. The proposed electronic ballast satisfies almost all of the requirements for starting, dimming, and long lamp life with simple structure compared with that of conventional ones.
Operational principle, detailed analysis and design rules are described throughly in this paper. Simulations and experiments are carried out for FL40T12 fluorescent lamp drive to verify the proposed converter operation and characteristics.
