Pulse generating means for starting discharge lamps

Claim 1

IN A STARTING APPARATUS FOR A DISCHARGE LAMP HAVING A DISCHARGE CIRCUIT CONNECTED ACROSS SUPPLY TERMINALS FOR CONNECTION TO AN AC POWER SOURCE, SAID DISCHARGE CIRCUIT INCLUDING A STABLILIZING COIL MEANS WITH ONE END LEAD THEREOF CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID SUPPLY TERMINALS AND A DISCHARGE LAMP CONNECTED BETWEEN THE OTHER END LEAD OF SAID STABILIZING COIL MEANS AND THE OTHER SUPPLY TERMINAL, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A PULSE VOLTAGE GENERATING CIRCUIT HAVING A SATURABLE REACTOR SWITCH ELEMENT AUTOMATICALLY RESPONSIVE TO A PREDETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS VALUE DURING EVERY HALF CYCLE OF A SOURCE VOLTAGE WITH ONE END THEREOF CONNECTED TO SAID ONE OF SAID SUPPLY TERMINALS, SAID SATURABLE REACTOR SWITCH ELEMENT EFFECTING A SWITCHING ACTION AUTOMATICALLY AT A CERTAIN VOLTAGE-TIME INTEGRAL DURING EVERY HALF CYCLE OF SOURCE VOLTAGE, A CAPACITOR WITH ONE END THEREOF CONNECTED TO A TAP DEFINING A CONTROL SECTION BETWEEN THE TAP AND SAID ONE END LEAD OF SAID STABILIZING COIL MEANS AND THE OTHER END THEREOF CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID SATURABLE REACTOR SWITCH ELEMENT AT A JUNCTION POINT, AND A CURRENT-LIMITING IMPEDANCE ELEMENT CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID JUNCTION POINT AND SAID OTHER SUPPLY TERMINAL, WHEREIN BY OPERATION OF SAID SWITCH ELEMENT DURING A HALF CYCLE OF SAID SOURCE VOLTAGE, DISCHARGE OF SAID CAPACITOR IS CONTROLLED SO AS TO GENERATE A PULSE VOLTAGE ACROSS THE CONTROL SECTION OF SAID STABILIZING COIL MEANS AND SAID PULSE VOLTAGE IS SUPERIMPOSED ON SAID SOURCE VOLTAGE TO BE APPLIED TO SAID DISCHARGE LAMP.