Single-stage, current-fed push-pull electronic ballast with power factor correction

This paper presents the analysis, design and practical consideration of a single-stage, current-fed push-pull electronic ballast with power factor correction. The power stage of the ballast is derived from combining a buck-boost converter and a current-fed push-pull parallel-resonant series-loaded inverter. The buck-boost semi-stage working in the discontinuous conduction mode functions as a power factor corrector and the inverter semi-stage operated above resonance is employed to ballast the lamp. The proposed electronic ballast can provide isolation, and the driving signals can be applied to the gates directly without the need of galvanic isolation devices. Computer simulation results and experimental measurements are used to verify the theoretical prediction and analytical discussion.