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Low Cost Electronic Ballast for a 36-W Fluorescent Lamp Based on a Current-
Mode-Controlled Boost Inverter for a 120-V DC Bus Power Distribution

Article  in  IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics · August 2006

DOI: 10.1109/TPEL.2006.876821 · Source: IEEE Xplore

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, VOL. 21, NO. 4, JULY 2006 1099

Low Cost Electronic Ballast for a 36-W Fluorescent

Lamp Based on a Current-Mode-Controlled Boost
Inverter for a 120-V DC Bus Power Distribution
Manuel Rico-Secades, Member, IEEE, Emilio L. Corominas, Member, IEEE, Jorge García, Student Member, IEEE,
Javier Ribas, Member, IEEE, Antonio J. Calleja, Member, IEEE, J. Marcos Alonso, Senior Member, IEEE, and
Jesús Cardesín, Member, IEEE

Abstract—A non-resonant electronic ballast based on one power

switch and on one reactive element-one inductance-is described in
this paper. The special current mode control implementation pro-
vides an intrinsic short-circuit protection and a very simple con-
trol circuitry. Filament heating time, current during the heating
period, and protection against broken tube can be easily imple-
mented with the proposed circuitry. A greenhouse application with
a 120-V dc bus power distribution is presented in this paper. The dc
bus voltage is easily obtained (in this particular application) from
a classical series-connected 12-pulse rectifier in combination with
a transformer with two secondary windings (one in Wye connec- Fig. 1. Global view of the greenhouse lighting structure.
tion and other one in Delta connection). An additional advantage
of this configuration is the high power factor obtained at the input
stage.
Index Terms—Boost inverter, current mode control, electronic
ballast, fluorescent lamp, greenhouse lighting.

I. INTRODUCTION

I N SPECIFIC applications such as greenhouse lighting with

large number of lighting points, critical ambient conditions
(i.e., humidity) and accessibility problems, some design con-
siderations must be taken into account: simplicity, low cost, and
safety operation.
The proposed lighting system has been designed for a huge
number of lamps. The prototype built (greenhouse application)
is composed by 7500 lighting points distributed along a large
warehouse. Critical ambient conditions (mainly humidity)
imply low voltage distribution. Therefore, traditional ac dis-
tribution or typical “multilamp” strategies are not applicable
[8]–[11]. In these references, are focus to multilamp systems
with lamp and inverter physically closer.
In the literature, ballast for large number of lamps can be
found, for instance [9] (10–30 lamps nearly of the main in-
verter). This work proposed a different solution based on a non-
resonant ballast with current control in order to achieve arc sta-
bilization in a different way from above mentioned reference.
A global view of the greenhouse lighting structure is shown
in Fig. 1. The use of a common three-phase transformer and
rectifier, in order to generate the dc bus voltage for the whole
lighting installation, is a very useful solution.
Manuscript received April 28, 2004; revised November 12, 2004. Recom-
mended by Associate Editor R.-L. Lin.
The authors are with the UNIOVI-GEI Group, Universidad De Oviedo, Gijón
E-33204, Spain (e-mail: manuel@ate.uniovi.es).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPEL.2006.876821
0885-8993/$20.00 © 2006 IEEE
Fig. 2. Series-connected 12-pulse rectifier.
With this solution the load is always balanced. The use of
rectifier and power factor correction stage can be avoided for
each electronic ballast circuit. Therefore, the cost of the whole
installation can be reduced. In addition, the ripple of the bus
voltage is very low (due to the 12-pulse rectifier).
A classical three-phase transformer (with two secondary
windings in Wye–Delta connection) and a series connection
of the two rectifiers is shown in Fig. 2. The middle point of
the series connection of the rectifiers is connected to ground in
order to improve the installation safety. Actually, the 120-V dc
bus is a 60 V/ 60 V distribution.
Theoretical waveforms of phase voltage and current
are shown in Fig. 3. The circuit shows a high power
factor 0.989 and a low total harmonic distortion
14.17 . A small filter is enough to verify the interna-
tional normative [1], [2].
The paper is focused in describing a simple electronic ballast
for a fluorescent lamp for this particular application. The pro-
posed circuit is a very simple non resonant solution. The pro-
posal is derived from theoretical studies and analysis developed
in [4]. Details about the behavior of a fluorescent lamp in steady
1100 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, VOL. 21, NO. 4, JULY 2006

(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
The time constant of the circuit can be obtained from the
expression

(10)
Fig. 3. Theoretical waveforms in a phase of the power line.
Thus, an alternate voltage waveform is obtained across the lamp
(the arc voltage of a 36-W fluorescent lamp is around 120 V).
As the lamp is placed in parallel with the inductor the inverter
cannot apply a dc voltage level to the lamp in steady-state op-
eration. The Lamp Crest Factor used in the design is 1.4, in be-
tween the ideal value of a full square wave (1.0) and the sinu-
soidal waveform (1.42). Lamp crest factor is, in any case, below
the recommended value 1.7.

B. Ignition Basics

Fig. 4. Power structure of the Boost Inverter.
state, during lamp ignition and warm-up recommendations can
be found in [6] and [7]. Also, an application of this work to
supply HID lamps can be found in [5].
II. THEORETICAL STUDY
During ignition process, the fluorescent lamp behaves like
an open circuit. Therefore, during the OFF stage, the inductor
current circulates through the intrinsic Zener diode of the power
metal–oxide–semiconductor field-transistor (MOSFET) (800 V
in the design example).
The ON stage is similar to the steady state operation. During
this period the current in the inductance (L) increases linearly,
but the lamp current is close to zero. Then both switch current
and inductance current are identical

A. Steady State During ON state

The power structure of the proposed inverter is shown in `` ''
Fig. 4. The circuit operation will be described in the next para- (11)
graphs. When the power switch is ON, the 120-V bus voltage
``No lamp current'' (12)
is applied to the fluorescent lamp. Simultaneously, the current
through inductor (L) increases linearly (13)
(14)
During ON state
(15)
``Steady State Operation''
During OFF state
(1) `` ''
(2) (16)

(3) (17)
``Through Zener diode'' (18)
(4)
``High voltage in the lamp''
(5) (19)
When the power switch is OFF, the current through inductor A high voltage is applied to the lamp simultaneously with a
flows through the fluorescent lamp (steady state operation) controlled heating current through the filament tube.
Thus, the circuit is self-protected against no lamp connection,
During OFF state because if the fluorescent lamp is not present, there is no current
``Normal Steady State Operation'' in the power elements.
RICO-SECADES et al.: LOW COST ELECTRONIC BALLAST FOR A 36-W FLUORESCENT LAMP 1101

applied to the filament during both steady state operation and

ignition process.

D. Design Process
The complete design process can be found in [3] and [4]. A
detailed design process is complex. In [4], a Mathematica de-
sign program has been developed. But the complete description
of this design program is out of the scope of this paper. A sim-
plified design can be done assuming current ripple null in the
inductance and duty cycle equal 0.5 [5]. Equations of this basic
design have been summarized in the next lines.
For an initial approach the steady state current across the in-
ductance is assumed constant
Fig. 5. Basic control circuit based on open collector comparators.

(20)

Equation (20) means the current across the inductor is equal to

current across the lamp. Then, the power in the lamp can be
estimated in a simple way

(21)

In the same way, for a specified switching frequency the

value can be obtained from

(22)

Fig. 6. Basic waveforms in steady state operation. The ripple in the inductance can be easily obtained from design
equations
C. Control Circuit (23)
A very simple and cheap current mode control has been im-
plemented in order to drive the power structure. The basic con-
trol circuit is shown in Fig. 5. Basic waveforms in steady state (24)
operation have been included in Fig. 6. Design has been done assuming the next initial values
The power MOSFET in maintained in ON state until the cur-
rent through it reaches a specified value ( value).
The current through the power MOSFET is sensed using a
simple resistor , and the maximum current switch
( ) is established using an external reference ( con-
trol). A simple open collector comparator is used for this pur-
pose (IC2).
The OFF stage in the power MOSFET starts at this point. These obtained values, are initial valid approaches to the correct
Simultaneously a capacitor is discharged using the ones
above mentioned comparator. Once the capacitor is discharged Inductance
and the switch current falls to zero, the state of IC1 changes
Maximum current in the switch
again, and is charged again.
The OFF time ( value) of the power MOSFET can be Switch off time
easily adjusted with the modification of the limit in the voltage Final values have been adjusted using a Mathematica program
across the capacitor ( control). [4]. In this particular design, the following values for main ele-
Another external reference, and a second open collector com- ments of both circuit and control parameters have been obtained
parator, are used for this purpose (IC1). and used:
So, a and control is easily implemented in this
Inductance
way.
Note that an intrinsic short-circuit protection is present in the Maximum current in the switch
circuit. In addition, a controlled and limited heating current is Switch off time
1102 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, VOL. 21, NO. 4, JULY 2006

Fig. 7. Stability of the operating point with fluorescent lamp variations.

Fig. 9. Duty cycle versus lamp resistance.

Fig. 10. Stability of the operating point with inductance variations during man-
ufacturing process.
Fig. 8. Switching frequency versus lamp resistance.

For a 36-W fluorescent lamp the constant values in the model

Notice how these values match satisfactorily with the initial ap- are
proaches related before. The value had to be slightly de-
creased because the simplified design provides a higher output
power to the lamp.
Figs. 7–9 show the actual power-versus-load inverter be-
haviour and, simultaneously, the fluorescent lamp characteristic The operating point can be obtained as the intersection of both
over the same diagram. These diagrams have been obtained characteristics.
using the mathematical program mentioned above The stability of the operation point with fluorescent lamp vari-
ations is shown in Fig. 7. In the theoretical design, the operating
point has been established in order to deliver 36 W in the lamp.
(25) The inverter with this control mode behaves like a power
source. Therefore, fluctuations in lamp behaviour (from new
lamp to old lamp) imply low fluctuation in the power level (only
Note that, both lamp voltage and lamp current
a few Watts) (see Fig. 7).
are function of the control parameters ( and ), the
Switching frequency and duty cycle stability again lamp re-
circuit elements (L), the bus voltage and the lamp resis-
sistance have been obtained and represented in Figs. 8 and 9.
tance .
The stability of the operating point with inductance varia-
In a similar way, the fluorescent lamp characteristic has been
tions, due to manufacturing process (variation of 10%), and with
modeled as follows [3]:
the dc bus voltage fluctuation (variation of 10 %), are shown in
Figs. 10 and 11. With the considered fluctuations, the power de-
livered to the lamp is modified in 1–2 W around the operating
(26) point.
RICO-SECADES et al.: LOW COST ELECTRONIC BALLAST FOR A 36-W FLUORESCENT LAMP
Fig. 11. Stability of the operating point with dc bus voltage fluctuation.
Fig. 12. Theoretical waveforms during ignition process (not in scale).
E. Ignition Process Detail and Comments
The waveforms during ignition phase are shown in Fig. 12.
This figure is not scaled, and it is only intended to explain
quantitatively the role of the parasitic MOSFET Zener diode
during warm-up. Duty cycle and switching frequency during
warm-up are different to the steady-state ones. Experimental
ignition waveforms have been included in Fig. 16.
Two different comments can be done about the current im-
posed for the ballast across the fluorescent lamp filament.
During warm-up stage, the lamp filament is only heated
during the MOSFET ON stage; the ignition voltage is applied
1103
only during the OFF stage. As it has been stated previously,
in the ignition process, the ON stage is similar to the steady
state operation. Also the current in the inductance (L) increases
linearly, but the lamp current is close to zero. The designed
current during warm-up stage is low (only 190 mA) and the
ignition voltage depends on the parasitic MOSFET Zener diode
and bus voltage
Filament current can be increased easily modifying the
reference in the control circuit during the warm-up stage. Also
the ignition voltage can be modified with the parasitic MOSFET
Zener voltage value.
The OFF stage is different. The lamp behaves like an open
circuit. Thus the filament heating current flows trough the in-
trinsic Zener diode of the MOSFET.
The prototype has been tested (several samples) using
ON–OFF cycles of 3 s ON and other 3 s OFF. The filament
in the tested lamp broke after 3000–4000 ON–OFF cycles.
The circuit performs alike a resonant circuit without filament
heating (Instantaneous ignition).
A drawback of this circuit happens during ON period of
steady state operation, due to the additional filament current
across the filament derived from the placement of the inductor.
This situation is similar in a resonant ballast (with the addi-
tional current across the parallel capacitor) but in this case, this
situation takes place only during half a cycle of operation. In
any case, no significant life reduction has been observed over
the installation for this reason.
An improvement of this ballast can be done using an external
filament heating circuit, and also avoiding the circulation of the
inductor current across the lamp filament in steady-state. This
improvement implies additional circuit complexity and it needs
the inclusion of an additional no-lamp protection circuit. The
filament current is one of the drawbacks in the behaviour of this
simple and economical circuit.
The intrinsic Zener diode of the power MOSFET plays an im-
portant role during filament heating time. The filament heating
current is maintained constant due to the implemented control
method. The heating time finishes when the ignition voltage es-
tablished with the Zener diode is reached, due to heating current
maintained in the lamp.
Different heating times can be obtained by changing the
Zener voltage or/and the heating current value. With Zener
voltage values below 600 V, the heating time is maintained
indefinitely, and the ignition period never finishes. A no ignition
protection circuitry has been included in order to limit this time
to 1.5 s. Without this protection circuitry, the destruction of the
power MOSFET happens after 1–2 min without ignition.
The power MOSFET transistor selected (Thomson BUK
456–800-A), has been satisfactorily tested in the laboratory, in
order to support the additional power during warm-up. Power
MOSFET of 600, 800, and 1200 V have been tested during
laboratory work with different results. In one of the tests done,
using the 600-V version of this MOSFET, the warm-up period
can be maintained until actuation of no-lamp protection circuit,
without avalanche problems in the MOSFET transistor. The
1104 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, VOL. 21, NO. 4, JULY 2006

Fig. 13. Detail of the no ignition protection circuitry.

Fig. 15. Experimental lamp voltage, current and power obtained on the
prototype.

Fig. 14. Single switch inverter ballast prototype.

final choice was a power MOSFET with an intrinsic Zener

diode of 800 V.
A conventional glow to arc evolution follows this heating pe-
riod, until the steady state operation is reached (see Fig. 10). Fig. 16. Lamp voltage during ignition process.

F. Protection
The circuit has intrinsic protections against short circuit and A BUK 456–800-A Power MOSFET from Thomson has been
against tube absence. Also, if a lamp filament is broken, the selected as a power switch. A classical E20 core with N27 mate-
oscillation of the inverter stops in a natural way. rial from SIEMENS has been used to implement the inductance
There is only one case in which the circuit is not self-pro- of the circuit ( 8.9 mH).
tected: a broken lamp (or faulty lamp) with intact filament op- The control circuitry has been implemented using conven-
eration. tional components and comparators (LM393). The main char-
In this case, the heating period is maintained continuously acteristics of the circuit are as follows.
with an important power quantity dissipated in the intrinsic Input Voltage:
Zener diode (with a sure switch destruction).
A very simple no ignition circuit protection has been incor- Input voltage
porated in the ballast and it is shown in Fig. 13.
Ripple of the input voltage %
If the Zener voltage is maintained during 1.5 s, a small SCR
short-circuits the capacitor and therefore, the OFF time Lamp Parameters (Measured Over the Prototype):
lasts indefinitely (the circuit oscillation stops until the system
re-connection). A simple peak detector and a DIAC have been Fluorescent lamp Philips TLD
used for this purpose. Heating current
RMS Lamp voltage
III. PROTOTYPE
Maximum Lamp voltage
A complete greenhouse system has been built and tested, fol-
Lamp Crest factor
lowing the design rules above mentioned.
The photography of the proposed inverter ballast is shown in RMS Lamp current
Fig. 14. Output power
RICO-SECADES et al.: LOW COST ELECTRONIC BALLAST FOR A 36-W FLUORESCENT LAMP
Fig. 17. Possible circuit improvement using and external filament heating
circuit.
Circuit Performance:
Input Power
Efficiency %
Switching frequency
Duty Cycle
The concordance between theoretical design and experimental
measurements is really very good. This concordance is due to
friendly input voltage values and circuit simplicity.
The experimental lamp voltage, current and power in steady
state operation are shown in Fig. 15. Again, it is important to
emphasize that the voltage applied to the lamp has no dc level.
As the lamp is in parallel with the inductor, the inverter cannot
apply a dc voltage level to the lamp in steady-state. Finally, the
experimental lamp voltage during ignition is shown in Fig. 16.
During ignition process, all the current stored in the inductor
(0.84 A) is dissipated in the 800 V parasitic zener diode of the
MOSFET. The current discharges linearly during 9.3 S [es-
timated from (11) to (19)]. During the rest of the time
(design value of 19.8 S), the inductor current is zero. During
ignition, the time can be easily estimated (from above men-
tioned equations) assuming a zero initial value and a linear in-
crease of the inductor current. The estimated time is around
62 S. A theoretical estimated period of 81.8 S is coherent
with measurements obtained in Fig. 16.
With this values, an estimated average power of 37 W needs to
be dissipated during ignition in parasitic MOSFET zener diode.
Normal ignition happens more or less in 800 S. During this
time, the parasitic MOSFET zener diode must support this 37-W
peak of power. The no-lamp protection circuit has been cali-
brated to disconnect the control if lamp does not ignite in 1.5 s.
In laboratory experiments with broken lamps, this condition has
been satisfactorily tested. Without any lamp protection circuitry,
the destruction of the power MOSFET takes place after several
minutes without ignition.
IV. CONCLUSION
A non-resonant electronic ballast based on one power switch
and one reactive element—one inductance—has been described
in this paper.
1105
The special current mode control implementation provides an
intrinsic short circuit protection and a very simple control cir-
cuitry. Filament heating time, current during heating period and
the protection against broken tube can be easily implemented
with the proposed circuitry.
In addition, high stability of the delivered power to the lamp,
with dc bus voltage fluctuations, dispersion in fluorescent lamp
characteristics and inductance variations, has been theoretically
obtained and experimentally verified. A typical greenhouse ap-
plication with a 120-V dc bus power distribution has been shown
in this paper. A classical series-connected 12-pulse rectifier, in
combination with a transformer with two secondary windings
(one in Wye connection and other one in Delta connection), have
been used in this application. By means of this configuration,
high power factor and an adequate dc bus voltage value can be
easily obtained.
The main limitation is the excessive filament current during
ON switching period. But in any case, no significant life reduc-
tion has been observed on the tested prototypes. A possible im-
provement of this circuit is suggested for future works in Fig. 17.
REFERENCES

[1] Limits for harmonic current emissions (equipment input current 16 A
per phase), IEC 61000-3-2 Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC),
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[2] Limits for harmonic current emissions (equipment input current 16 
A), IEC 61000-3-4 Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), 2005.
[3] E. L. Corominas, J. M. Alonso, A. J. Calleja, J. Ribas, and M. Rico
Secades, “Analysis of tapped-inductor inverter as low-power fluores-
cent lamp ballasts supplied from a very low input voltage,” in Proc.
30th Annu. IEEE Power Electron. Spec. Conf. (PESC’99), 1999, pp.
1103–1108.
[4] E.L. Corominas, “Alimentación de Lámparas Fluorescentes Compactas
Desde Muy Baja Tensión: Aportaciones a la Optimización del Sistema
Electrónico,” Ph.D. dissertation, Univ. Oviedo, Gijon, Spain, 1999.
[5] J. G. Garía, “Balastos Electrónicos No Resonantes Para Lámparas de
Alta Intensidad de Descarga: Aportaciones en el Circuito de Arranque
y en Las Etapas de Calentamiento y Régimen Permanente,” Ph.D. dis-
sertation, Univ. Oviedo, Gijon, Spain, Jul. 2003.
[6] C. Meyer and H. Nienhuis, Discharge Lamps. Eindhoven, The
Netherlands: Philips Technical Library, 1988.
[7] J. R. Coaton and A. M. Marsden, Lamps and Lighting. New York:
Wiley, 1997.
[8] M. A. D. Costa, M. L. Landerdahl Jr., and R. N. do Prado, “Independent
multi-lamp electronic ballast,” in Proc. 37th IAS Annu. Meeting, Oct.
2002, vol. 2, no. 13–18, pp. 1065–1070.
[9] R. Gules, I. Barbi, and E.M. Simoes, “A 1.2 kW electronic ballast for
multiple lamps, with dimming capability and high-power-factor,” in
Proc. Appl. Power Electron. Conf. Expo. (APEC’99), Mar. 1999, vol.
2, pp. 720–726, 2.
[10] F. T. Wakabayashi and C. A. Canesin, “Dimmable electronic ballast
with high power factor SEPIC preregulator, for multiple tubular fluo-
rescent lamps,” in Proc. Power Electron. Spec. Conf. (PESC’04), Jun.
2004, vol. 5, no. 20–25, pp. 4043–4049.
[11] T.-F. Wu, Y.-C. Liu, and Y.-J. Wu, “High-efficiency low-stress elec-
tronic dimming ballast for multiple fluorescent lamps,” IEEE Trans.
Power Electron., vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 160–167, Jan. 1999.
Manuel Rico-Secades (M’88) was born in Oviedo,
Spain, in 1961. He received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. de-
grees in electrical engineering from the University of
Oviedo, Gijón, Spain, in 1986 and 1989, respectively.
Since 1986, he has been with the Electrical and
Electronic Department, University of Oviedo, where
he is currently a Full Professor. His research interests
include industrial electronics and power electronics,
especially resonant converters, electronics ballast,
discharge lamp modeling, dc-to-dc converters, power
factor correction topologies and industrial control.
1106
Dr. Rico-Secades received the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society Merito-
rious Paper Award for 1996. He is currently a member of the UNIOVI-GEI
Group (Evaluated as Group of excellence by “Principado de Asturias” in Spain).
Emilio L. Corominas (M’97) was born in Oviedo,
Spain, in 1965. He received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. de-
grees in electrical engineering from the University of
Oviedo, Gijón, Spain, in 1992 and 1999, respectively.
In 1993, he joined the Electrical and Electronic
Department, University of Oviedo, where he is
currently an Associate Professor. His research
interests include high-frequency electronic ballasts,
discharge lamp modeling, high-frequency switching
converters, power factor correction converters, and
industrial control systems.
Jorge García (S’01) was born in Madrid, Spain, in
1975. He received the M. Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in
electrical engineering from the University of Oviedo,
Gijón, Spain, in 2000 and 2003, respectively.
In December 1999, he became a Researcher in the
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department,
University of Oviedo, developing electronic systems
for lighting and electronic switching power supplies.
Since 2002 he has been an Assistant Professor of
electronics. His research interests include dc/dc con-
verters and PFC stages, switching power supplies,
HF inverters for discharge lamps, and electronic starters for HID lamps.
Javier Ribas (S’97–M’04) was born in Milwaukee,
WI, in 1971. He received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees
from the University of Oviedo, Gijón, Spain, in 1995
and 2001, respectively.
In 1996, he became an Assistant Professor
with the University of Oviedo and since 2002 has
been an Associate Professor. His research inter-
ests include dc/dc converters, electronic lighting
systems, switching power supplies, inverters, and
high-power-factor rectifiers.
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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, VOL. 21, NO. 4, JULY 2006
Antonio J. Calleja (S’96–A’98–M’04) was born in
León, Spain, in 1964. He received the B.Sc., M.Sc,
and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Oviedo,
Gijón, Spain, in 1987, 1995, and 2000, respectively.
Since 1995, he has been an Assistant Professor at
the University of Oviedo. His research interests are
switching-mode power supplies, high-power-factor
rectifiers, high frequency electronic ballast, and
ozone generation systems.
Dr. Calleja is a member of the International Ozone
Association (IOA).
J. Marcos Alonso (S’94–A’95–M’98–SM’03)
received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical
engineering from the University of Oviedo, Gijón,
Spain, in 1990 and 1994, respectively.
From 1990 to 1999, he was an Assistant Professor
with the Electrical and Electronic Department,
University of Oviedo, where since 1999 he has been
an Associate Professor. He is the primary author for
more than 40 journal and international conference
papers in power and industrial electronics, and has
co-authored more than one hundred. He holds four
Spanish patents with one under review. His research interests include high-fre-
quency electronic ballasts, discharge lamp modeling, power factor correction
topologies, high frequency switching converters, and power converters for
electrostatic applications and industrial control systems.
Dr. Alonso received the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society Meritorious
Paper Award in 1996. He is an active member of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE), where he usually collaborates as transactions
paper reviewer, conference session chairman, among other positions. Since
October 2002 he has served as an Associate Editor of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS
ON POWER ELECTRONICS in the field of Lighting Applications. He is presently
serving as a Guest Editor for the Special Issue on Lighting Applications, to be
published in the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS in May 2007.
He is also a member of the International Ozone Association (IOA).
Jesús Cardesín (S’01–A’03–M’04) was born in
Oviedo, Spain, in 1970. He received the M.Sc. and
Ph.D. degrees from the University of Oviedo, Gijón,
Spain, in 1995 and 2002, respectively.
In 1999, he joined the Electrical and Electronic
Department, University of Oviedo, where he is
currently Assistant Professor. His research inter-
ests include dc/dc converters, electronic lighting
systems, switching power supplies, inverters, and
high-power-factor rectifiers.