Discharge lamp lighting device and illumination fixture using the same

摘要

[Object] To provide a discharge lamp lighting device capable of reducing electric stress that is placed on each discharge lamp at the start time, and an illumination fixture using the same. [Means for Settlement] A plurality of discharge lamps La are lit by AC power to which DC power of a DC power source E is converted by an inverter circuit including a switching part 1 and a resonant part 2. The discharge lamp lighting device is provided with: a drive part 3 that drives respective switching elements Q1 and Q2 constituting the switching part 1; a control part 4 that controls the drive part 3; and a lighting detection part 5 that detects the start of a semi-lighting state where a part of the plurality of discharge lamps La is lit. When the lighting detection part 5 detects the start of the semi-lighting state, the control part 4 controls the drive part 3 so as to sufficiently increase a frequency of the AC power supplied to each of the discharge lamps La to decrease an inter-terminal voltage of each of the discharge lamps La, and thereby electric stress placed on each of the discharge lamps La is reduced.