CN103120029B - modular programmable lighting ballast - Google Patents

Abstract

Lighting ballasts are programmable in terms of input and output parameters. Both operating characteristics and sensed data are used to control ballast parameters. The ballast is configured to recover the heat generated by the lamp into electrical energy. The ballast is constructed in a modular fashion by snapping together the power factor correction circuit block and the ballast control circuit block so that a large number of input voltage and lamp type variations can be achieved with a small number of discrete units.

Description

Modular Programmable Lighting Ballasts

technical field

This invention relates generally to lighting ballasts, and more particularly to improved ballasts for high intensity discharge lighting equipment.

Background technique

Some types of electric lighting, like gas discharge lamps, require a different type of electricity than that usually available directly from the utility mains. Also, such devices often require a different type of power to start than to maintain lighting once started. Additionally, some of the operating benefits result from changing the characteristics of the power supplied from the ballast to the lamp.

Many types of lamps powered by ballasts generate a considerable amount of heat as well as light as an inherent aspect of their operation. In most applications, this heat is undesirable and considered wasteful, thus reducing the overall efficiency of the lighting system of which the tube forms a part.

Depending on the desired application, ballasts operating on different mains input voltages, phases, frequencies etc. may be required. Also, depending on the desired application, it may be necessary to provide ballasts with different electrical characteristics to the lamps they drive. Therefore, ballast suppliers must stock a large number of different parts (or "SKUs (stock keeping units)") that must be ordered and cataloged separately. Consequently, the wide variety of ballasts required for common applications requires electrical equipment suppliers to maintain inventories of many parts, some of which may sit unsold for long periods of time, thus using warehouse space in a suboptimal manner.

Known publications such as US Patent No. 7,129,647 describe some attempts to address some of the above problems, but there remains a need for improved control of the power supplied to the lamp using programmable ballasts.

Contents of the invention

According to the invention, the lighting ballast is programmable in terms of input and output electrical parameters. In one embodiment, the input parameters are programmable so that the ballast can operate on a variety of input voltages (eg, 120 or 240 volts) and phases (eg, single phase, three phase). In another embodiment, the output reference is programmable so that the ballast can provide electrical output to different types of lamps. In yet another embodiment, the output reference is programmable so that the ballast can provide an electrical output selected for a particular application (eg, traditional start or "gentle" start for longer life). In one embodiment, the ballast is programmed automatically based on sensed conditions like temperature, length of day, presence of headlights, and the like. In another embodiment, the ballast is programmed remotely.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the ballast is arranged in such a position that the ballast absorbs heat generated by the lamp it supplies and generates electricity from that heat so as to increase the temperature of the lamp forming a part thereof. The overall efficiency of the lighting system. In one aspect of the invention, a thermoelectric converter charges a capacitor or other storage subsystem so that energy can be reused.

Further, according to the present invention, the ballast is constructed in a modular manner so as to be equipped with a power factor correction (PFC) circuit independently of the ballast control circuit. The PFC circuit is configured to accept power at any of several combinations of mains voltage, amperage, frequency and phase, and to produce a standard intermediate feed output therefrom. The ballast control circuit is configured to accept as input a standard intermediate feed from the PFC circuit and to generate a lamp operating output therefrom. In one aspect of the invention, a number of PFC circuits are provided, each configured to cheaply and efficiently operate with any set of standard mains voltage, frequency and phase combinations for a given lamp power. A number of ballast control circuits are also provided, each configured to correspond to a set of compatible lamps. Both the PFC circuit and the ballast control circuit are configured in modules so that they can be easily assembled into a complete ballast unit.

Description of drawings

The disclosed embodiments have other advantages and features that will be more readily apparent from the detailed description, appended claims, and drawings (or figures), a brief description of which follows.

Fig. 1 is a system block diagram of a luminaire including a ballast and a lamp.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a PFC circuit.

Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of a ballast control circuit.

Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram of a heat recovery circuit.

Fig. 5 is the module structure of the illuminator.

These figures depict various embodiments of the invention for purposes of illustration only. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 illustrates a luminaire 100 including a ballast 110 and a lamp 140 in a block diagram form. In a preferred embodiment, lamp tube 140 is a high intensity discharge lamp such as a metal halide lamp or a high pressure sodium lamp. In other embodiments, other types of lamps that are desired to be controlled by the ballast are used for the lamp 140 . The ballast 110 described in more detail below is in a preferred embodiment a programmable ballast that includes a power factor correction (PFC) circuit 120 and a ballast control circuit 130 . The PFC circuit 120 phase-shift corrects the AC mains power supplied by the utility power provider and then converts it to DC power supplied to the ballast control circuit 130 . The ballast control circuit 130 converts the DC power into a form of power that the lamp 140 can more easily use. For example, mains power may be 120 volts, 60 Hz sine wave single phase power, while it may be desirable for lamp 140 to start with a pulsed high voltage, higher frequency square wave, or modified sine wave in order to trigger and establish A glowing arc, then once the lamp has established the arc and warmed up to operating temperature, transitions to a lower voltage but still higher frequency square wave feed in order to maintain the arc at the desired burning rate. As further detailed below in the discussion of FIGS. 2 and 3 , PFC circuit 120 and ballast control circuit 130 convert the input mains feed to one of those forms available to lamp 140 .

The PFC circuit 120 converts the mains power to filtered DC power that is supplied to the ballast control circuit 130 . In one embodiment, the PFC circuit 120 senses the particular type of mains power connected to the luminaire 100 and is programmable to adjust aspects of the PFC circuit 100's operation accordingly. For example, in one particular embodiment, the PFC circuit 120 is configured to be programmable to operate on a mains feed ranging from 120 volts single phase to 480 volts three phase at a frequency of 50 or 60 Hz. Conventional multi-feed ballast circuits are only designed with components that can operate on several different types of input power, but at reduced efficiency compared to the original intended input. Instead, PFC circuit 120 forms a control loop that modifies its internal operation to achieve substantially the same efficiency over any expected input power waveform within its operating range.

Coupled to the PFC circuit 120 is a ballast control circuit 130 . As described in further detail below in the discussion of FIG. 3 , the ballast control circuit 130 is configured to control the power waveform output to the light tube 140 . Once the lamp type is determined, in one configuration, the ballast control circuit 130 further maintains the lamp power at a constant level to compensate for variations in lamp output due to environmental conditions, aging, and differences between lamps of the same type. Small variances caused by small manufacturing differences between them. Programming the ballast control circuit 130 in this manner is in some applications for aesthetic value (for example, where multiple lamps are used to light a building), and in other applications for increased efficiency and safety Sex, and the purpose of prolonging the life of the lamp tube.

The ballast control circuit 130 is also configured to illuminate the light tube 140 in a variety of ways depending on the application and internal programming of the luminaire 100 . Practice has shown that different ignition waveforms of the lamp tube 140 result in different operating characteristics. While one ignition waveform may follow conventional standards to light the lamp 140, another ignition waveform may be more "gentle" because it allows the lamp 140 to last longer and requires less power surge to start, which This can be a problem in some applications, especially those powered by smaller generators rather than the mains grid. Applications that differ between these operating characteristics may require different priorities. For example, a luminaire 100 installed where it is difficult and expensive to replace an end-of-life light tube 140 may require a milder waveform, while other "light on demand" applications may prioritize brighter illumination from the luminaire 100.

When starting a high intensity discharge lamp for the first time, ie when the gas inside the lamp is cold, it is often much easier to start than to restart when the gas is still hot. The difference in time required for cold triggering and hot retriggering can be considerable. With conventional ballast circuits, thermal retriggering can take up to twenty minutes to complete. As described in more detail below, in one embodiment, a thermistor is placed near the lamp tube. If such a thermal sensor is available, information from it is fed back to the ballast control circuit 130 so that an appropriate wait time can be determined without futile attempts to re-trigger the lamp before it has cooled sufficiently. This thermal information can also be used to ensure that a suitable lamp has been installed for use with the ballast. Depending on the temperature change with operation, if an inappropriate lamp is inserted, a warning flag is raised and used to shut down the system or sound an alarm so that a suitable lamp can be installed. In a corresponding application, it may be desirable to automatically turn on a light tube in response to some sensed condition, such as the presence of a car near a street light. In such conditions, by knowing the lamp temperature, the timing of the command to turn on the light can be adjusted based on whether it is a hot retrigger or a cold retrigger so that the lamp achieves the desired illumination at the desired time.

In addition to the temperature sensor as described in the preceding paragraph, other sensors are used in conjunction with the ballast control circuit 130 in various embodiments. Daylight sensors are used not only for traditional day/night determinations, but also for day length determinations and, accordingly, dimming of lights during periods of expected least traffic in remote areas. Another light sensor targeting the road adjacent to the luminaire 100 senses approaching vehicles and increases brightness to assist the driver in remote areas during periods of least expected traffic. In an alternative embodiment, a remote sensor, such as located near another luminaire, communicates with luminaire 100 to give advance warning of an approaching vehicle so that full illumination is achieved before the approaching vehicle reaches the area illuminated by luminaire 100. .

The ballast control circuit 130 includes a processor 135 . In some embodiments, luminaire 100 also includes data device port 150 and sensor port 160 . Data device port 150 is configured to interface with a computer, terminal or other data device as may be desired for various applications. Sensor port 160 is configured to interface with environmental and other sensors as described below. Both ports 150 and 160 have data connections to the ballast control circuit 130 to allow programmable control and communication using the processor 135, as well as to the PFC circuit 120 (or, in an alternative embodiment, the ballast 130) so that ports 150 and 160 can supply power appropriate to each connected device to the devices connected thereto. For example, in one application, a motion sensor is connected to sensor port 150 . Instead of sensors that need to include capabilities like threshold determination, hysteresis setting, timing functions, etc., in such applications, use inexpensive "dumb" motion sensors, and such additional functionality through processing already on the ballast Capabilities are implemented, for example, via processor 135 .

Both ports 150 and 160 are general purpose for use with a variety of connected devices. Additional flexibility is achieved through ports that can be configured for bidirectional or unidirectional communication under any of a number of conventional communication protocols. In one embodiment, each port 150, 160 includes Universal Serial Bus (USB), Ethernet, WiFi (802.11) and single wire bus connections associated with its automatic detection at any given time.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a circuit diagram of PFC circuit 120 is shown. For simplicity of description, this circuit diagram includes only the main functional components used in the discussion herein; those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that, in accordance with best practice in the field of electrical engineering, components such as those used for noise filtering, safety, etc. are also included. Those and other subsystems and components like that.

The PFC circuit 120 includes a mains connection 210 to the utility grid. In general industrial lighting applications, a single phase AC feed of between 208 and 277 volts is provided to HID luminaires. Conventional PFC circuits that include a range of acceptable input voltages have widely varying efficiencies over those input voltages, essentially "releasing" energy in the form of heat for non-optimal input voltages within the acceptable range. After initial filtering and surge protection represented by filter circuit 212 , power from mains connection 210 is provided to conventional full wave bridge rectification circuit 214 . Filter circuit 212 also prevents any EMI (electromagnetic interference) generated within PFC circuit 120 and any circuits or devices connected to DC OUT. Bridge rectifier 214 , choke coil 222 and capacitive charge pump subcircuit (hereafter referred to simply as “capacitor”) 232 reduce AC fluctuations to provide a regulated DC voltage of 450 volts fed to ballast control circuit 130 . Diode 224 is included to prevent reverse current flow.

In addition to these components, a digital signal controller integrated circuit 230 is also included in the PFC circuit 120 . In one embodiment, a Texas Instruments (TI) series TMS320-series device is used for the DSC IC 230, but other integrated circuits may also be used. DSC IC 230 is configured to accept as input both the input waveform 236 and the output waveform, and, according to programming as described below, finds the operating frequency that best suits the input line conditions in order to make the PFC circuit 120 work more efficiently. A more efficient workload drives the circuit less, causing less heat to be released than would otherwise be possible.

In a conventional PFC, the FETs (eg, 226 ) operate at a preset frequency best suited for a given mains 210 input voltage like 277 volts, and the DC OUT is a bus voltage like 450 volts. The frequency of the FET sets the current from eg choke 222 so that capacitor eg 232 remains effectively charged stably. If the input voltage deviates from design criteria, eg, 208 volts instead of 277 volts, the PFC must operate longer to maintain the charge in capacitor 232 due to the drop in input voltage and the resulting change in current. By operating longer, the FET226 necessarily releases more energy as heat, which is generally considered undesirable.

By providing the input rail waveform 236 and the DC OUT waveform 238 as inputs to the DSC IC 230, the DSC IC 230 is programmed so that it can select a different switching frequency at which the FET switch 226 cycles more efficiently. Specifically, by monitoring the DC OUT waveform 238, the DSC IC 230 determines the voltage drop and drain of circuits and devices connected to the DC OUT. DSC IC 230 adjusts the operating frequency of FET 226 to the most efficient value for charging capacitor 232 while extracting energy from DC OUT and capacitor 232. In a preferred embodiment, DC OUT monitoring is performed on the input side of capacitor 232; in an alternative embodiment, DC OUT monitoring is performed on the output side of capacitor 232.

To determine the optimum frequency, in one embodiment, DSC IC 230 uses predetermined/scaled values from a stored table determined by input mains waveform 236. In another embodiment, DSC IC 230 uses the DC OUT waveform as feedback in a control loop configuration. DSC IC 230 monitors DC OUT waveform 238 for a certain amount of voltage drop, and when such a drop is detected, begins cycling FET 226 at a predetermined frequency. The DC OUT waveform 238 is again monitored and when the voltage is restored, the FET 226 is turned off. DSC IC 230 records the duration of this operation and the current FET 226 frequency. The operation is repeated the second time a voltage drop is indicated, unless the DSC IC 230 arbitrarily fine-tunes the FET 226 frequency lower or higher. Record the duration of the operation again and compare it to the previously recorded duration. If the new duration is longer, nudge the frequency in the opposite direction; if the duration is shorter, nudge the frequency again in the same direction. This operation is repeated to shorten the duration that FET 226 is on (ie, is on to shunt current from the anode of diode 224 to ground) as long as the conventional use of the PFC circuit (eg, synchronizing power factor) is maintained within acceptable limits.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , a circuit diagram of the ballast control circuit 130 is shown. As with Figure 2, for simplicity of description, this circuit diagram includes only the main functional components used in the discussion herein; those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that, in accordance with best practice in the field of electrical engineering, components such as those used for noise filtering are also included. , security, etc., such as those other subsystems and components.

The input from the PFC circuit 120 provides DC power to the ballast control circuit 130 . The ballast control circuit 130 includes a digital signal controller integrated circuit 320 (also used in some embodiments as the processor 135 referenced in FIG. 1 ). In one embodiment, a Texas Instruments (TI) series TMS320-series device is used for the DSC IC320, but other integrated circuits may be used, including sharing the DSC IC230 in the PFC120. The DSC IC320 outputs the desired waveform for the lamp characteristic of interest through integrated features like rapidly changing the frequency of the PWM signal in a controlled manner emulating a sinusoidal output. The waveform output of the DSC IC 320 is connected to a conventional dual gate amplifying driver 322 that amplifies the waveform to operate the FET switch 326 that provides power to the lamp 330. In some applications, switch 326 is implemented with multiple banks of FET switches (2, 4, 6, etc.) as needed to achieve the desired power management capabilities.

It is desirable to vary the waveform according to the current lamp state (on/off/dimmed level), lamp type, lamp power, etc. The advantage of this design is that any desired waveform can be generated by the DSC IC320, changing frequency, amplitude, wave shape, current, voltage, dead time, etc. as desired for the lamp characteristics of interest.

In another embodiment where only a single waveform shape is desired for the lamp, dual gate amplifying driver 322 is replaced by a self-oscillating dual gate driver (not shown) conventionally coupled to other components (not shown), to generate a waveform of the desired shape. The frequency of the waveform is input from the DSC IC 320 via conventional means like PWM signals, serial commands, or analog command signals.

In another embodiment of the preceding circuit, the inputs to DSC IC 320 are waveform sensors 332 and 334 that report the characteristics of the waveform on lamp tube 330. For example, in one embodiment, waveform sensor 334 is a signal indicative of the current flowing through lamp tube 330 as detected by a shunt sensor (not shown). DSC IC 320 is programmed so that it can monitor the characteristics of the power supplied to lamp 330 via sensors 332 and 334 and make adjustments as necessary to maintain any desired parameters within predetermined ranges.

For example, unless a lamp is being dimmed, its wattage should not change. In reality, however, the wattage of a lamp changes as it ages due to chemical changes and electrode corrosion within the lamp that alter its electrical resistance. To maintain constant power over the life of the lamp, the DSC IC 320 processes the power of the lamp 330 as input and adjusts the waveform characteristics as necessary to maintain constant power over time.

In some applications, changes along one direction may be primarily of interest, for example, requiring increased power as the tube ages and naturally dims. In yet other embodiments, there may be some constraints that must be observed, eg, maintaining supply power below a threshold voltage to prevent premature failure of the lamp. Programming the DSC IC 320 makes it easy to make changes according to any such desired considerations. By recording such changes over time on a daily basis, it is also possible to gather information about lamp life expectancy and related aspects which may be of interest especially where the effort or cost of lamp replacement is high.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , a circuit diagram of a heat recovery circuit 410 is shown. As with the previous figures, for simplicity of description, this circuit diagram includes only the main functional components used in the discussion herein; those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that, in accordance with best practice in the Other subsystems and components such as those of filtering, security, etc.

Many HID tubes generate a considerable amount of heat as well as light, and if such heat is not considered desirable (for example, heating the space in which the tube is placed), such heat is wasted energy and degrades the lamp. The overall efficiency of the tube. In a simplified embodiment for illustration purposes, the heat recovery circuit 410 includes a thermocouple 450 positioned over a light tube 430 and a capacitor 440 . The heat generated by the lamp tube 430 heats the thermocouple 450 and the energy thus generated is stored in the capacitor 440 as electrical energy. In practice, a Seebeck Effect device is more efficient than a conventional thermocouple and is used to generate electricity from the heat above the lamp tube 430, and a storage system circuit rather than just a capacitor 440 is used to regenerate the energy The electric energy is stored in the way of introducing into the lamp tube circuit to supplement the electric energy provided by the ballast control circuit 130 . In fact, the lamp socket (not shown) absorbs more heat from the lamp than would simply escape into the air; the heat recovery circuit 410 includes a thermocouple 450 connected directly or integrated with the lamp socket. In one embodiment, thermocouple 421 is a conventional T-type thermocouple; in an alternative embodiment, other known means of converting heat or temperature differences into electrical energy are used.

Referring now to FIG. 5 , the luminaire 500 preferably consists of a ballast 510 having separate modules providing the PFC circuit 120 and the ballast control circuit 130 . As mentioned above, traditional lighting ballasts are sold in a number of different configurations based on differences in the characteristics of the input mains and the lamps they are intended to drive. The ballast 510 includes a connector 520 that snaps the PFC circuit 120 and the ballast control circuit 130 together to form the complete ballast 510 . In fact, it has been found that by making the PFC circuit 120 operable at a specific subset of the mains 210 power parameters (for example, one for 120-240 volt single phase, another for 240 volt three phase, and a third for 480-600 volt three-phase), and by making the ballast control circuit targetable to a specific subset of lamp types (for example, one for mercury vapor lamps, another for metal halide lamps, and a third for work on high pressure sodium lamps), it is possible to combine inexpensive PFC and control subsystems as required in many possible combinations. Using the example given, the non-modular approach requires nine discrete ballasts to manage the input voltage and lamp type combinations described above, while the modular approach requires only three PFC circuits and three ballast control circuits (a total of six products). The benefits of such a modular approach are even greater as the differences become larger. For five input possibilities and five lamp types, the non-modular approach requires 25 different ballasts, while the modular approach requires only ten products (five each for PFC and ballast control circuits). By providing the PFC circuit 120 and ballast control circuit 130 in a unit with separate housings that snap together to form the complete ballast 510, dealers supplying such components can offer customers a full range of components with fewer parts in stock. ballast capacity.

In one embodiment, the standalone module PFC 120 and the standalone ballast control module 130 are connected together via an external connection 520 . Connector 520 is a male/female connector in one embodiment, and a connector to a backplane in an alternative embodiment. Mains input power 210 is supplied to PFC module 120 . PFC 120 filters and conditions the power, and supplies DC output power to connector 520 . The ballast control module 130 receives DC power from the connector 520 , generates a desired waveform, and supplies it to the lamp tube 140 .

In another embodiment, the connector 520 not only provides power from the PFC 120 to the ballast control module 130, but also provides bi-directional communication signals between the modules so that resources like microprocessors and sensors can be shared.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration, but it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate that many modifications and changes can be made in light of the above disclosure.

Portions of the description describe embodiments of the invention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used by those skilled in the data processing arts to effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Although these operations are described functionally, computationally, or logically, they should be understood as being implemented by computer programs or equivalent circuits, microcode, and the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules, without loss of generality. The described operations and their associated modules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof.

Any of the steps, operations or processes described herein can be performed or realized using one or more hardware or software modules alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium comprising computer program code executable by a computer processor to perform any or all of the steps, operations or processes described .

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to apparatus for performing the operations herein. Such apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes and/or may comprise a general-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program can be stored on a tangible computer readable storage medium or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions and coupled to a computer system bus. Also, any computing system referred to in this specification may include a single processor, or may be an architecture employing a multi-processor design for increased computing power.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to a computer data signal embodied by a carrier wave, wherein the computer data signal comprises any embodiment of the computer program product or other data combination described herein. The computer data signal is the product of residing on a tangible medium or carrier wave and modulated or otherwise encoded in a carrier wave, tangible, and transmitted according to any suitable method of transmission.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been chosen primarily for purposes of legibility and instruction rather than to delineate or constrain the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not to be limited by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that follow from the application upon which they are based. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the present invention is intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention.

Claims (17)

1. A luminaire comprising: light tube; processor; a ballast operatively connected to said lamp, the ballast comprising a power factor correction circuit and a ballast control circuit, the power factor correction circuit configured to operate at an operating frequency, receive mains power, and operate based on said frequency generating intermediate power; and a ballast control circuit configured to receive the intermediate power and generate lamp power based on the control waveform; wherein said processor is capable of adjusting said operating frequency, sensing said mains supply, calculating an optimum operating frequency based on said mains supply and a stored table of values containing a set of values, and adjusting said operating frequency to said the most suitable operating frequency; and Each of said values in said stored table of said values is the most suitable operating frequency for supplying a specified mains supply. 2. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the processor is capable of adjusting both the control waveform and the operating frequency. 3. The luminaire of claim 1, further comprising: a data port configured to communicate with the processor and with external devices; Wherein the processor adjusts the control waveform or the operating frequency based on information obtained from the data port. 4. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: sensing the intermediate power supply; calculating an optimum operating frequency based on the intermediate power supply; and and adjusting the working frequency to the most suitable working frequency. 5. A luminaire as claimed in claim 4, wherein said power factor correction circuit achieves substantially the same efficiency over a range of potential characteristics of said mains supply. 6. The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: sensing a set of at least one operating condition of the light tube; calculating a desired waveform required to maintain a desired lamp parameter within a desired range based on a set of calculations of the at least one operating condition; and adjusting the control waveform to the desired waveform. 7. A luminaire as claimed in claim 6, wherein: An operating condition in the set of at least one operating condition is the power of the lamp; and The desired lamp parameter is also the power of the lamp. 8. The luminaire of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to: recording a set of said at least one operating condition of said lamp in a data file; and The desired waveform is calculated based on the data file. 9. A method for providing a lamp power supply for a lamp, comprising the steps of: generating intermediate power from the mains supply using the power factor correction circuit based on the operating frequency of the power factor correction circuit; generating lamp power from said intermediate power supply using the ballast control circuit based on a control waveform of the ballast control circuit; sensing the mains power; and selecting, with a processor, the most appropriate operating frequency based on the mains power and a stored table of values comprising a set of values; Wherein adjusting and setting the working frequency is the most suitable working frequency; and Each of said values in said stored table of said values is the most suitable operating frequency for supplying a specified mains supply. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein during said adjusting said processor adjusts both said control waveform and said operating frequency. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of: sending information from an external device to the processor using a data port; Wherein the processor adjusts one of the control waveform and the operating frequency based on the information. 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of: sensing the intermediate power supply; and using the processor to calculate an optimum operating frequency based on the intermediate power supply; Wherein the adjustment sets the working frequency to the most suitable working frequency. 13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of: sensing a set of at least one operating condition of the light tube; and calculating, with the processor, a desired waveform required to maintain a desired lamp parameter within a desired range based on the set of at least one operating condition; wherein said adjusting sets said control waveform to said desired waveform. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of: recording a set of said at least one operating condition of said lamp in a data file; and The desired waveform is calculated based on the data file. 15. A luminaire comprising: light tube; processor; a ballast operatively connected to the lamp, the ballast including a power factor correction circuit and a ballast control circuit, the power factor correction circuit being configured to receive mains power and generate intermediate power; and the ballast control circuitry configured to receive said intermediate power supply and generate lamp power using a dual gate amplifying driver driven by a control waveform; wherein said processor is capable of adjusting said control waveform, sensing a set of at least one operating condition of said lamp, and calculating, based on said set of at least one operating condition, what is required to maintain a desired lamp parameter within a desired range. the desired waveform, and adjust the control waveform to the desired waveform. 16. A luminaire as claimed in claim 15, wherein: An operating condition in the set of at least one operating condition is the power of the lamp; and The desired lamp parameter is also the power of the lamp. 17. The luminaire of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to: recording a set of said at least one operating condition of said lamp in a data file; and The desired waveform is calculated based on the data file.