Device for the controlled switching of a lamp, use of the device and corresponding operating method

1. An apparatus for switching a lamp on and off, having a power supply input and a switched power supply output, the apparatus being designed, in the switched-on state, to output a supply voltage entering at the power supply input, unchanged in terms of amplitude and frequency, to the outside via the power supply output, characterized by a digital control input, in response to which the power supply output is switched, and by a load current monitoring device, which is designed to monitor the load current drawn via the power supply output and to disconnect the power supply output in the event of the load current falling below a minimum load current, in which the load current monitoring device only begins to monitor the load current once a predetermined time (t T , t V ) has elapsed after the lamp has been switched on.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , in which the predetermined time (t V ) begins with a current threshold value being exceeded after starting of the lamp.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , in which the predetermined time (t T ) begins with starting of the lamp.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , in which the predetermined time (t V ) begins with a current threshold value being exceeded after starting of the lamp.

5. An apparatus for switching a lamp on and off, having a power supply input and a switched power supply output, the apparatus being designed, in the switched-on state, to output a supply voltage entering at the power supply input, unchanged in terms of amplitude and frequency, to the outside via the power supply output, characterized by a digital control input, in response to which the power supply output is switched, and by a load current monitoring device, which is designed to monitor the load current drawn via the power supply output and to disconnect the power supply output in the event of the load current falling below a minimum load current, and having a switch-on current limiting device which is designed to limit the load current drawn once the lamp has been switched on by an impedance increase in the apparatus.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , having an electronic switch for switching the power supply output, in which the switch-on current limiting device is designed to slowly switch the electronic switch on in order to limit the load current drawn by the connected lamp by the increased internal resistance of the electronic switch during the switch-on process.

7. An apparatus for switching a lamp on and off, having a power supply input and a switched power supply output, the apparatus being designed, in the switched-on state, to output a supply voltage entering at the power supply input, unchanged in terms of amplitude and frequency, to the outside via the power supply output, characterized by a digital control input, in response to which the power supply output is switched, and by a load current monitoring device, which is designed to monitor the load current drawn via the power supply output and to disconnect the power supply output in the event of the load current falling below a minimum load current, in which the load current monitoring device is also designed, when monitoring the load current drawn via the power supply output, to disconnect the apparatus in the event of a maximum load current being exceeded, and in which the load current monitoring device only begins to monitor the load current once a predetermined time (t T , t V ) has elapsed after the lamp has been switched on.