Metal Halide Lamp Time Relay with Long Cooling Delay Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing time relays fail to meet the specific time delay requirements for metal halide lamps, as they have a short delay time, insufficient current capacity, and lack a state indicator, making them unsuitable for prolonging the service life and providing intuitive control for large-power metal halide lamps.
Innovation Solution
A time relay with a control circuit comprising a buck regulator rectifier circuit, outage detection circuit, timing control circuit, tank circuit, and relay output circuit, which includes a long time delay feature, high current capability, and a state indicator, ensuring proper secondary electrification timing and load control for metal halide lamps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If existing time relay is used, then the device complexity is low, but the time delay duration is insufficient (only 3 minutes) to meet the cooling requirement of metal halide lamp (20 minutes)
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit is divided into five independent functional modules: buck regulator rectifier circuit, outage detection circuit, timing control circuit, tank circuit, and relay output circuit. Each module performs a specific function, allowing the system to achieve long time delay capability while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank circuit pre-charges a capacitor during the electrification state before the outage occurs. When the lamp is turned off, this pre-charged capacitor provides the necessary power to maintain the timing control circuit operation for the full 20-minute cooling period, enabling long time delay without requiring continuous external power.
2Power
If existing time relay is used, then the manufacturing cost is low, but the working current capacity is insufficient (below 5A) to control large-power metal halide lamp
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit separates the control function from the power switching function. The timing control circuit operates at low power to generate control signals, while the relay output circuit handles the high current (above 5A) required for large-power metal halide lamps. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The relay output circuit acts as an intermediary between the low-power control circuit and the high-power lamp load. It translates the low-power control signals into high-current switching capability, enabling the system to control large-power lamps without requiring the entire control circuit to handle high currents, thus maintaining ease of manufacture.
3Ease of operation
If existing time relay is used, then the device structure is simple, but there is no state indicator to show the time delay control process, making it inconvenient to use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses different colored indicator lamps (red and green) to visually represent different operational states of the time relay. The red indicator shows when the lamp is off and cooling is required, while the green indicator shows when the lamp can be restarted. This visual feedback system improves ease of operation without adding significant complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The indicator lamps are automatically controlled by the circuit states themselves. The outage detection circuit and timing control circuit automatically drive the appropriate indicator based on the current operational state, eliminating the need for separate control mechanisms and minimizing the added complexity while providing intuitive user feedback.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The time relay effectively prolongs the service life of metal halide lamps by ensuring adequate cooling time, supports large-power loads, and provides a convenient state indicator for user monitoring, addressing the limitations of existing solutions.
Implementation Method 1
a buck regulator rectifier circuit A, two poles of an AC input end of the buck regulator rectifier circuit A are respectively connected with the phase wire terminal L and the neutral wire terminal N
Implementation Method 2
buck regulator rectifier circuit A
Implementation Method 3
a tank circuit D and a relay output circuit E; two poles of an AC input end of the buck regulator rectifier circuit A are respectively connected with the phase wire terminal L and the neutral wire terminal N, and loading voltage or unloading voltage at a DC output end of the buck regulator rectifier circuit A is controlled by electrification or outage of the phase wire terminal L and the neutral wire terminal N
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
A time relay used for metal halide lamp and similar loads includes a control circuit, wherein the control circuit includes a buck regulator rectifier circuit A, an outage detection circuit B, a timing control circuit C, a tank circuit D and a relay output circuit E; the buck regulator rectifier circuit A is connected with the relay output circuit E, and the outage detection circuit B is connected with the buck regulator rectifier circuit A; the tank circuit D is connected with the buck regulator rectifier circuit A, and energy is stored when voltage is loaded at the direct current output end of the commutating and voltage-stabilizing circuit A; the timing control circuit C is connected with the relay output circuit E, at the instant that the direct current output end is converted from loading into unloading voltage, the tank circuit D supplies electricity to the timing control circuit C, the outage detection circuit B outputs a voltage unloading signal to the timing control circuit C, the timing control circuit C enters a long time delay timekeeping process, and the situation that an output contact K1 of the relay is prohibited to be closed until the timekeeping process is finished is controlled by the control circuit C through the relay output circuit E. The requirement for time delay of the metal halide lamp and similar loads is met and the metal halide lamp and similar loads can be effectively protected.