A Study on the equivalent model of an External Electrode Fluorescent Lamp based on equivalent resistance and capacitance variation

Abstract

An External Electrode Fluorescent Lamp (EEFL) has longer lifespan, higher power efficiency and higher luminance than a Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL). Moreover, it is easy to drive them in parallel. Therefore, the EEFL is expected to quickly replace the CCFL in LCD backlight systems. However, the EEFL has more complex characteristics than the CCFL with a resistive component, because it has both a resistive component by plasma and a capacitive component by external electrode. In this paper, values of resistance and capacitance are measured at several power levels and at several operating frequencies. They are expressed by a numeral formula based on a linear approximation that represents the equivalent resistance and capacitance as a function of power. Then we made block diagram of the equivalent circuit model using numerical expressions. Simulation waveforms and experimental results are presented to verify the feasibility of the equivalent model.