Realization of a high-efficiency T5 ballast with multi-dimming mechanisms based on lamp arc modeling

The demand of dimmable electronic ballasts for fluorescent lamps is increasing rapidly due to the awareness of high-efficiency and comfortable lighting systems possess better energy-saving effect and the positive impact on the health and working performance of people. A high-power-factor electronic ballast with varied dimming mechanisms for T5 fluorescent lamps is devised in this paper. With functionality of wide dimmable range, the proposed ballast provides flexible and friendly dimming mechanisms for application in modern lighting system. The developed ballast consists of an EMI filter, an active power factor correction (PFC), an inverter power stage with a resonant tank, and a fully isolated dimmer with different control interfaces. By means of wired or wireless transmission protocol, the industrially standard 0 to 10 V_dc control signals are easily interfaced to tune the lamp luminance. Experimental results of the prototype ballast realized for the T5 28W lamps are encompassed to confirm the performance and effectiveness.