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| Xenon Technology |
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Xenon ABCs Xenon Operation Xenon stands for Xenon. Operationally the major difference between an Xenon light source and a halogen light source is that the halogen light source produces visible light via a tungsten filament, and the Xenon light source produces visible light via a plasma discharge.
The components that make up an Xenon light source are quartz arc chamber, tungsten electrodes, chemistry, mercury, xenon gas and a quartz sleeve. All D-Lamp light sources require an electronic ballast to condition vehicle battery voltage for proper operation, and an igniter for starting (D1 has igniter integral in light source base)
The quartz arc chamber contains the plasma discharge Tungsten electrodes provide the starting and ending points for the plasma discharge Chemistry (primarily sodium) provides visible light as it melts and enters the mantle of the plasma discharge. It also controls the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) and the Color Rendering Index (CRI), which are 4200 K and 65 respectively for the D1/D2. Mercury establishes the operating voltage of the light source in conjunction with the xenon fill pressure. Xenon gas provides the inert environment for the plasma discharge to be maintained within the arc chamber. It also helps to establish the instant high lumen output. The doped Quartz sleeve blocks UV transmission from the light source. If the UV transmissions are not blocked, they can pose a health hazard and damage plastic headlamp lenses. Rather than heating a filament, the Xenon bulb consists of a quartz capsule, which contains Xenon gas, Mercury, and Metal Halide salts. The capsule is football shaped and metal electrodes penetrate the capsule at both ends.
The plasma discharge arc is generated and maintained between these two electrodes by a high frequency alternating current. This current is generated and supplied to the Xenon bulb by the Xenon ballast. The ballast electronic unit is responsible for generating the voltage required to create and maintain the plasma discharge arc. The start-up procedure of the Xenon lamp is as follows:
The contributing of Xenon, Mercury, and Metal Halides to the light output during the first several seconds can be seen in the following figure.
The igniter controls the +/-20kV pulse required to initiate the plasma discharge within the arc chamber. The D1 variant utilizes an igniter integral to the light source base. The D2 variant utilizes an igniter integral to the ballast or as a separate package in line between the ballast and light source. A ballast is required to operate the light source. The ballast is designed to accept input voltages from 9-16VDC and condition this to a steady state 35W continuous power during operation based on the light source operating voltage (light source specification nominal operating voltage is 85V AC).
The ballast also controls the run-up of the light source and assures that the system meets the ECE R99 requirements of 25% of the steady state luminous flux in 1 second and 80% in 4 seconds. Three minutes burn recommended to attain steady state in a production environment.
The total Xenon system requirement is 42W input vs. 55W for standard halogen low beam filament Once the light source plasma discharge has been initiated, the ballast controls the system operation by supplying a constant 35W The ballast serves many functions w/in the Xenon system:
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