1. A discharge lamp lighting device comprising:
an oscillation control circuit that uses a variable capacitance diode to determine an oscillation frequency based on a DC dimming control voltage;
an LC series resonant circuit that is connected to a half bridge circuit or a full bridge circuit;
a hot cathode type discharge lamp that has filaments respectively arranged at both ends; and
a load capacitor that is connected to one ends of the two filaments and determines a filament current on a basis of said oscillation frequency,
wherein:
said LC series resonant circuit has a resonant capacitor that is connected to other ends of the two filaments and determines a tube voltage of said discharge lamp on the basis of said oscillation frequency; and
said oscillation control circuit switches ONOFF current flowing into any of two or more oscillation capacitors including said variable capacitance diode to thereby change said oscillation frequency, and upon dimmed operation, by changing said DC dimming control voltage, changes said oscillation frequency to decrease a tube current of said discharge lamp and also increase said filament current.
2. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, wherein by switching ONOFF said tube current of said discharge lamp at a frequency of 100 to 300 Hz, PWM dimming control of said discharge lamp is performed.
3. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, wherein said oscillation frequency upon rise of an externally supplied power supply voltage is increased.
4. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, comprising a frequency smoothing circuit that gradually change said oscillation frequency before and after lighting of said discharge lamp.
5. The discharge lamp lighting device according to any of claims 1 to 4, comprising:
an overvoltage protection circuit that, on a basis of said tube voltage of said discharge lamp, stops supply of power to the two filaments;
a bias voltage detection circuit that, on a basis of a resistance value of a lower voltage side filament of said discharge lamp, stops the supply of the power to the two filaments;
an overcurrent protection circuit that, on a basis of said tube current and said filament current, stops the supply of the power to the two filaments; and
a leak current protection circuit that, on a basis of a high frequency noise component occurring upon disconnection of any of the two filaments, stops the supply of the power to the two filaments.
6. The discharge lamp lighting device according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein
said oscillation capacitor is configured to parallel connect two or more capacitors including a capacitor that can switch ONOFF current flowing in.
7. The discharge lamp lighting device according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein
said load capacitor is configured to parallel connect two or more capacitors including a capacitor that can switch ONOFF current flowing in.
8. The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 1, comprising two or more LC series resonant circuits, wherein
said LC series resonant circuits are respectively connected to different discharge lamps.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A system for predicting earthquakes comprising:
a first transducer array comprising:
a first plurality of seismometers adapted to detect a plurality of wave movements resulting from dilation of the crust of the Earth prior to an earthquake, wherein said first plurality of seismometers detect said wave movements and convert at least one of said wave movements into a first voltage;
at least one first clock, wherein said at least one first clock is in communication with at least one of said first plurality of seismometers and is adapted to determine a time at which at least one of said first plurality of seismometers detects said wave movements; and
at least one first digitizer, wherein said at least one first digitizer is in communication with at least one of said first plurality of seismometers and is adapted to convert said first voltage into digital data, wherein said at least one first digitizer comprises a first data transmitter;
a communications interface module; and
a data processor, wherein said first data transmitter transmits said digital data and said time to said communications interface module, and said communications module transmits said digital data and said time to said data processor, wherein said data processor is adapted to determine at least one characteristic of at least one of said waves, and said first transducer array is positioned adjacent to a seismically active region and at least about 3 meters below the surface of the crust of the Earth.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one characteristic comprises a direction of at least one of said wave movements.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one characteristic comprises a velocity of at least one of said waves and an amplitude of at least one of said waves.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein said at least one characteristic comprises a direction of at least one of said wave movements.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein said first transducer array further comprises at least one first global positioning receiver, wherein said at least one global positioning receiver is in communication with at least one of said first plurality of seismometers and comprises said at least one first clock, wherein said at least one first global positioning receiver is adapted to determine a location of at least one of said first plurality of seismometers and said first data transmitter transmits said digital data, said time, and said location to said communications interface module, wherein said communications module transmits said digital data, said time, and said location to said data processor.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein said system further comprises a second transducer array, wherein said second transducer array comprises:
a second plurality of seismometers adapted to detect a plurality of wave movements resulting from dilation of the crust of the Earth prior to an earthquake, wherein said second plurality of seismometers detect said wave movements and convert at least one of said wave movements into a second voltage;
at least one second global positioning receiver, wherein said at least one second global positioning receiver is in communication with at least one of said second plurality of seismometers and is adapted to determine a location of at least one of said second plurality of seismometers, wherein said at least one second global positioning receiver comprises a second clock adapted to determine a time at which at least one of said second plurality of seismometers detects said wave movements; and
at least one second digitizer, wherein said at least one second digitizer is in communication with at least one of said second plurality of seismometers and is adapted to convert said second voltage into digital data, wherein said at least one second digitizer comprises a second data transmitter and said second data transmitter transmits said digital data, said time, and said location to said communications interface module, wherein said communications module transmits said digital data, said time, and said location to said data processor, and said second transducer array is positioned adjacent to said seismically active region and at least about 3 meters below the surface of the crust of the Earth.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein said first transducer array is positioned between about 30 kilometers and about 70 kilometers from said second transducer array.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of said first plurality of seismometers is positioned between about 15 meters about 1500 meters from another of said first plurality of seismometers, and at least one of said second plurality of seismometers is positioned between about 15 meters and about 1500 meters from another of said second plurality of seismometers.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein each of said first plurality of seismometers are multi-axis seismometers and each of said second plurality of seismometers are multi-axis seismometers.
10. The system of claim 5, wherein a number of said at least one first digitizers; said at least one first clocks; and said at least one first global positioning receivers employed in said system is the same as a number of said first plurality of seismometers employed in said system.
11. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one first global positioning receiver comprises a global positioning satellite receiver.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said first plurality of seismometers are multi-axis seismometers.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein said first transducer array is positioned between about 3 meters and about 100 meters below the surface of the crust of the Earth.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of seismometers comprises a filter adapted to discriminate between said wave movements resulting from dilation of the crust of the Earth and movements resulting from at least one other event.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein a number of said at least one first digitizers employed in said system is the same as a number of said first plurality of seismometers employed in said system.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein a number of said at least one first clocks employed in said system is the same as said number of said first plurality of seismometers employed in said system.
17. A method of predicting earthquakes comprising the steps of:
positioning a first transducer array adjacent to a seismically active region and at least about 3 meters below the surface of the crust of the Earth, wherein said first transducer array comprises:
a first plurality of seismometers;
at least one first clock, wherein said at least one first clock is in communication with at least one of said first plurality of seismometers; and
at least one first digitizer, wherein said at least one first digitizer is in communication with at least one of said first plurality of seismometers;
detecting a plurality of wave movements resulting from dilation of the crust of the Earth prior to an earthquake and converting at least one of said wave movements into a first voltage;
discriminating between said wave movements resulting from dilation of the crust of the Earth and movements resulting from at least one other event, wherein the step of discriminating comprises the step of filtering out wave movements having a frequency below a first predetermined frequency;
determining a time at which said wave movements are detected by at least one of said first plurality of seismometers;
converting said first voltage into digital data;
transmitting said digital data and said time from said at least one first digitizer to a communications interface module;
transmitting said digital data and said time from said communications interface module to a data processor; and
determining a likelihood of at least one future earthquake based on a number of said wave movements detected over a predetermined period of time.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:
determining a velocity and an amplitude of said waves; and
determining an approximate magnitude of said at least one future earthquake based on said velocity and said amplitude of said waves.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:
determining a direction of said wave movements; and
determining an approximate location of said at least one future earthquake based on said direction of said wave movements.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:
determining a velocity and an amplitude of said waves; and
determining an approximate magnitude of said at least one future earthquake based on said velocity and said amplitude of said waves.
21. The method of claim 17, wherein said first transducer array further comprises at least one first global positioning receiver in communication with at least one of said first plurality of seismometers, wherein said at least one first global positioning receiver comprises said at least one first clock, and said method further comprises the steps of:
determining a location of at least one of said first plurality of seismometers which detected said wave movements;
transmitting said digital data, said time, and said location to said communications interface module; and
transmitting said digital data, said time, and said location to said data processor.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:
positioning a second transducer array adjacent to said seismically active region and at least about 3 meters below the surface of the crust of the Earth, wherein said second transducer array comprises:
a second plurality of seismometers;
at least one second global positioning receiver, wherein said at least one second global positioning receiver is in communication with at least one of said second plurality of seismometers and comprises a second clock; and
at least one second digitizer, wherein said at least one second digitizer is in communication with at least one of said second plurality of seismometers;
detecting a plurality of wave movements resulting from dilation of the crust of the Earth prior to an earthquake and converting said wave movements into a second voltage;
determining a time at which said wave movements are detected by at least one of said second plurality of seismometers;
determining a location of at least one of said second plurality of seismometers which detected said wave movements;
converting said second voltage into digital data; and
transmitting said digital data, said time, and said location from said at least one second digitizer to said communications interface module.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein said first transducer array is positioned between about 30 kilometers and about 70 kilometers from said second transducer array.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein at least one of said first plurality of seismometers is positioned between about 15 meters and about 1500 meters from another of said first plurality of seismometers, and at least one of said second plurality of seismometers is positioned between about 15 meters and about 1500 meters from another of said second plurality of seismometers.
25. The method of claim 22, wherein each of said first plurality of seismometers are multi-axis seismometers and each of said second plurality of seismometers are multi-axis seismometers.
26. The method of claim 17, wherein each of said first plurality of seismometers are multi-axis seismometers.
27. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of advising at least one government official of the at least one future earthquake.
28. The method of claim 17, wherein said first transducer array is positioned between about 3 meters and about 100 meters below the surface of the crust of the Earth.
29. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of discriminating further comprises the step of filtering out wave movements having a frequency above a second predetermined frequency.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein said first predetermined frequency is about 180 Hertz and said second predetermined frequency is about 360 Hertz.