Resonant Filter Applications in Electronic Ballast

Fbio E. Bisogno, lysson R. Seidel, Rodolfo Holsbach, Ricardo N. do Prado, Member, IEEE
Electronic Ballasts Research Group - GEDRE
Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
UFSM - PPGEE - DELC - NUPEDEE
97105-900 - Santa Maria - RS - Brazil - Fax +55.55.220.8030
e-mail: rnprado@ieee.org

in three classes: 1) instant start, 2) rapid start, and 3) switchstart [4][5]. The lamp starting has an important function in the
useful lamp life of fluorescent lamps.

AbstractIn this paper is presented an analysis of the

resonant filter used in electronic ballast through the phase angle
from the input resonant filter current to the input resonant filter
voltage. The proposed analysis allows evaluate the resonant filter
characteristics. The main characteristics that will be analyzed
are: lamp starting, soft commutation, dc current in the lamp,
resonant filter influence in the converters and lamp pre-heating.
This work allows a choice of the best filter to employ in electronic
ballast for fluorescent lamps.

B.

Possibility to Accomplish Soft Commutation:

Generally the converters used in the voltage inversion
process are the half-bridge and push-pull converters. These
converters may realize soft commutation (ZVS) since the
switching frequency is higher then the resonant frequency,
thus the current is lagged from the resonant filter voltage
(negative phase angle).

KeywordsFiltrers; electronic ballast; lighting.

I. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, a great amount of the electric energy used
worldwide is consumed in the form of artificial lighting, and
any improvement in the efficiency of illuminating systems is
desirable. The converters used in electronic ballast generally
generate a square waveform, which through resonant filter
content the necessaries conditions of the fluorescent lamp
operation. The electronic ballast design depends almost totally
of the filter design guarantying the success in the fluorescent
lamps performance.

C. DC Current in the Lamp:

To supply a fluorescent lamp in DC current, a device to
stabilize the current is necessary, and the polarity must be
continuously inverted. This technique is not usual in electronic
ballast.
D. Impact of the Resonant Filter in the Converters:
The series resonant capacitor impedance must be high to
ensure that the resonant filter not interfere in the converter
(used in power-factor correction).

This work presents an overview of resonant filter [1][7]

through the analysis of the phase angle form the input current
to voltage of the resonant filter. This analysis allows evaluate
the characteristics of the filter involving: 1) lamp starting, 2)
soft commutation (ZVS), 3) direct current absence in the
lamp, and 4) the size of parallel and series resonant capacitor
[2].

E. Lamp Pre-Heating:
Additional circuits or parallel capacitor with the lamp are
used to pre-heating the filaments guaranteeing the lamp
starting.
III. OUTPUP RESONANT FILTER
The main filters are shown in Fig.1 [6]. An analysis of
resonant filters based on phase angle from voltage to current
input filter is made that it uses the fundamental approximation.
The lamp power in steady state and lamp starting must be
satisfied through the proposed analysis.

This paper is organized in the following sections: Section

II desirable features of resonant filters to supply fluorescent
lamps; Section III output resonant filters; Section IV
performance of the resonant filters; and Section V some
conclusions are drawn based on the analysis carried out.
II.

DESIRABLE FEATURES OF RESONANT FILTERS TO

SUPPLY FLUORESCENT LAMPS
This section presents the necessaries characteristics in
fluorescents lamps presented separately [3].

A. Development of the Analysis:

The phase angle methodology uses the following
approximation:

A. Lamp Starting
The low-pressure discharge fluorescent lamp needs a high
voltage in the starting process. The lamp starting is classified

Fundamental approximation;

The fluorescent lamp is represented by an equivalent

resistance [8];

The filters components are ideal.

This work is being sponsored by Cnpq Brasil.

0-7803-7420-7/02/$17.00 2002 IEEE

348

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)
Figure 1. Resonant filters circuits:a) LC series, b) L series C parallel, c) C series LC parallel, d) LC series C parallel, e) LC series L parallel, f) L serie LC
parallel, g) LC series LC parallel..

The development of the analysis follows the procedure

below:

LS (CS , ) =

Step 1: Determination of the resonant filter and lamp input

impedance;

C s R tan() + 1
2 C S

(1)

where:

Step 2: Solution of the input impedance angle;

Step 3: Input resonant filter voltage is considered as
reference (zero angle), therefore the angle of the input
current is finding;

phase angle from the input resonant filter voltage to

the input resonant filter current;

Step 4: The power in the lamp is obtained through the real

power of the resonant circuit. Fluorescent lamp is
considering as equivalent resistor and all remainders
components is considered ideal;

operational angular frequency;

R equivalent lamp resistance.

Equation (1) is function of CS and . Series capacitor value

CS is defined with usual value and is obtained by

Step 5: The equations of the resonant filters components

are determined as function of the phase angle;

V 2

( P ) = arctan ac 1
P R

Step 6: The lamp starting and steady state are graphically

analyzed as function of phase angle;
Step 7: The phase angle determination that guarantees the
lamp starting through a high power in the lamp;

(2)

where:

Step 8: Component values are determined with the phase

angle determined in step 7.
The main equations for each resonant filter are shown
below:

P lamp power in steady state;

Vac fundamental component of input resonant filter

voltage.

2)L Series C Parallel Resonant Filter: Parallel Capacitor

value is defined by

1)LC Series Ressonant Filter: Design equation of filter

inductor is given by

349

C P ( P, ) =

and series inductor is given by

1
P R 1 + tan 2 ( )

1
R
Vac 2

(3)
R LP 3 tan ( ) + LP
2

LS (C S , C P , ) =

Series inductor value is defined by

LS (CS , ) =

C s R tan() + 1

)]

LP 2 P R 2 1 + tan 2 ( ) Vac 2 2

Vac 2 R 2 C P 2 2 + LP 2 Vac 2 R 2 C P 2
Vac 2 R 2 = 0

(5)

(6)

LS ( LP , C P , ) =

LP R
R )2

(10)

R LP 2 tan ( ) + R LP

[L

(R C

2 + R C P LP 2
P

L P 2 R 2
1
+
2
2 2
C
S
R

(11)

Phase angle is determined graphically as shown in

Fig.2.(h) or (i).
IV. PERFORMANCE OF THE RESONANT FILTERS
An analysis of performance of the resonant filters will be
made through an example, that shows the power delivered in
the starting and steady-state to the lamp as function of the
phase angle.

R CS tan( ) + R 2 C S

7)LC Series LC Parallel Resonant Filter: Parallel inductor

value is obtained by (5).
Series capacitor value is given by

4)LC Series C Parallel Resonant Filter: Parallel Capacitor

value is given by (3).
Series inductor is obtained by

Phase angle is determined graphically as shown in the

Fig.2.(f) or (g).

Phase angle is determined graphically as shown in the

Fig.2.(b) or (c).

CP

LP 2 2 + R C P LP 2

(R C

CS expression is function of , CP and LP.

(9)

R LP 2 2 tan( ) + R LP

LS ( LP , C P , ) =

R LP 2 3 tan ( )

C S 2 1 R 2 C P 2 2

R 2 LP 2 R R C P LP 2

LS (CS , C P , ) =

6)L Series LC Parallel Resonant Filter: Parallel inductor

value is given by (5).
Series capacitor value is obitained by

Series capacitor value is determined by

LP 2 2 + R C P LP 2 R

Phase angle is determined graphically as shown in the

Fig.2.(e).

Parallel inductor value is given by a second order

expression and therefore it has two values for each design.
This expression is function of and CP.

C S ( L P , C P , ) =

(4)

2 C S

3)C Series LC Parallel Resonant Filter: Parallel Inductor

value is defined by following expression

+ R R C S L P 2

Phase angle is determined graphically as shown in

Fig.2.(a) that must guarantees the lamp starting through a high
power in the lamp.

{[

CS 2 LP 2 R 2

(7)

The examples have the following data:

Input: Half-bridge voltage waveform, peak-to-peak voltage
VPP=155 V, exception in the project of LC series filter that it
has VPP=600 V, due it not have real values in the design for
this voltage level.

C S 2

Phase angle is determined graphically as shown in the

Fig.2.(d).
5)LC Series L Parallel Resonant Filter: Expression of LP is
defined by

Output: Power P=40 W; equivalent lamp resistance in the

steady-State R=250 ; equivalent lamp resistance in the start
process RP=1000.R.

1
Vac 2 R 2
LP ( P, ) =
P R 1 + tan 2 ( ) Vac 2

The graphics representing the steady state and starting of

lamp as function of phase angle are shown in Fig.2. The LC
series resonant filter has just one phase angle that satisfies the
lamp power in steady state. The filters have a range that

(8)

350

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

(h)

(i)
Figure 2. Graphic of lamp power as function of phase angle: a) L series C parallel; b) C series LC parallel (solution 1); c) C series LC parallel
(solution 2); d) LC series C parallel; e) LC series L parallel; f) L series LC parallel (solution 1); g) L series LC parallel (solution 2); h) LC series
LC parallel (solution 1); i) LC series LC parallel (solution 2).

351

the instant start is possible, as it is shown in Fig. 2. This range

can be positive or negative, but only negative phase angle
ensure soft-commutation. The C series LC parallel resonant
filter, L series LC parallel resonant filter and LC series LC
parallel resonant filter have two solutions due second order
expressions of the inductor design.

2) LC Series L Parallel Resonant Filter

i Ls (t )
X (t ) = i Lp (t )

A comparative analysis among the resonant filters is

shown in the Table 1 with respective characteristics
performance that it is described in section II.

VCs (t )

Waveforms obtained through equating using state space

employing the Mathcad software is shown in Fig.3. Resonant
filters are classified according to its order. State space matrix
for each filter is presented below.

R
L
S
A=
1
CS

iLs (t )
VCp (t )

1
CP

1
LS
0

(16)

3) L Series LC Parallel Resonant Filter

1
LS
0

1
B = LS
0

(12)

i Ls (t )
X (t ) = i Lp (t )

A= 0

VCp (t )

LS
1

R CP

0
A=

2) L Series C Parallel Resonant Filter

X (t ) =

R
LS
R

LP

1
LS
B= 0

A. Second Orden Resonant Filters

1) LC Series Resonant Filter

iLs (t )
X (t ) =
VCs (t )

R
LS
R
A=
LP
1
CS

1
B = LS
0

1
CP

1
LS
1
LP
1

R CP

1
CP

(17

1
LS
B= 0

(13)

3) C Series LC Parallel Resonant Filter

X (t ) =

i Lp (t )
VCp (t )

1
LP
1
R (C S + C P )

0
A=

1
C S + CP

C. Fourth Order Resonant Filter

1)LC Series LC Parallel Resonant Filter
(14)

iLs (t )

0
CS
B=
CS + CP

B.

X (t ) =

iLp (t )
VCs (t )
VCp (t )

1
LS
B= 0
0
0

Third Order Resonant Filters

1) LC Series C Parallel Resonant Filter

iLs (t )
X (t ) = VCp (t )
VCs (t )

0
1
A=
CP
1
CS

1
LS
1

R CP

1
LS

A=

0
0

(15)

1
LS
B= 0

352

1
LS

1
CP

1
CS
1
CP

1
LS
1
LP

1
R CP

(18)

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

(h)

(i)

(j)

(k)

(l)

(m)

(n)

Figure 3. Example waveforms obtained from Mathcad software: a) LC series in steady state; b) LC series on start; c) L series C parallel in steady
state; d) L series C parallel on start; e) C series LC parallel in steady state; f) C series LC parallel on start; g) LC series C parallel in steady state;
h) LC series C parallel on start; i) LC series L parallel in steady state; j) LC series L parallel on start; k) L series LC parallel in steady state; l) L
series LC parallel on start; m) LC series LC parallel in steady state; n) LC series LC parallel on start.

considerations that prove the appropriate application of LC

series C parallel resonant filter in electronic ballast.

V. CONCLUSION
The resonant filter is very important in design of the
electronic ballast. The design success of electronic ballast
depends of the performance of the resonant filter used.

TABLE I.

This paper presents an analysis using phase angle that

allows showing the main equations to resonant filter design,
graphic of lamp power as function phase angle, state space
matrix for each resonant filter, and waveforms that allow the
analysis of the characteristics of each filter.

Series

COMPARISON AMONG THE RESONANT FILTERS.

LC

Parallel

Application defines which filter is the best. In electronic

ballast application, the analysis shows that the LC series C
parallel is the best choice. Other filter can be appropriate in
particular applications, e.g., when the input voltage source has
a high value, the filter LC series can be used, or when the
voltage source does not have DC component, the L series C
parallel can be used.
The features of the presented resonant filters can be used
according the desirable applications. This paper shows some

353

LC

LC

LC

LC

LC

LC

Instant Start

no

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

Soft-Commutation

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

Instant Start and SoftCommutation

no

yes

no

yes

no

yes

yes

DC Current absence

yes

no

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

Large Series Capacitor

no

no

no

yes

no

no

yes

Small parallel
Capacitor

no

yes

yes

yes

no

no

yes

All desirable features

above

no

no

no

yes

no

no

no

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