Compact metal halide lamp with salt pool container at its arc tube endparts
| Title: | Compact metal halide lamp with salt pool container at its arc tube endparts |
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| Patent Number: | 8,203,269 |
| Publication Date: | June 19, 2012 |
| Appl. No: | 12/793470 |
| Application Filed: | June 03, 2010 |
| Abstract: | A high intensity discharge light source includes an arc tube having a longitudinal axis and a main central discharge chamber formed therein. The arc tube includes first and second electrodes having inner terminal ends spaced from one another along the longitudinal axis. Each electrode extends at least partially into the main central discharge chamber or reaches the end portions of the main central discharge chamber. The arc tube includes first and second sub-chambers located at opposite ends of a main central discharge chamber. The sub-chambers are located entirely axially outward from the inner terminal ends of the electrodes to form cold spot locations for the dose pool outside the main central discharge chamber. |
| Inventors: | Boroczki, Agoston (Budapest, HU); Horvath, Csaba (Budapest, HU); Panyik, Tamas (Budapest, HU) |
| Assignees: | General Electric Company (Schenectady, NY, US) |
| Claim: | 1. A high intensity discharge light source comprising: an arc tube having a longitudinal axis and a main central discharge chamber fowled therein; first and second electrodes having inner terminal ends spaced from one another along the longitudinal axis and each electrode extending at least partially into the main central discharge chamber or at least reaching reduced diameter end portions of the main central discharge chamber with its inner terminal end; first and second sub-chambers disposed at opposite, first and second axial ends of the main central discharge chamber, each sub-chamber located entirely axially outward of the inner terminal ends of the electrodes, wherein the main central discharge chamber has a cross-sectional dimension substantially the same as or wider thancross-sectional dimensions of the first and second sub-chambers; a reduced dimensional region adjacent each end of the main central discharge chamber that separates the respective first and second sub-chambers from the main central discharge chamber; and first and second sealing portions at opposite, first and second axial ends of the arc tube. |
| Claim: | 2. The high intensity discharge light source of claim 1 , wherein the sub-chambers have generally spheroidal conformations. |
| Claim: | 3. The high intensity discharge light source of claim 2 , wherein the main central discharge chamber has smaller cross-sectional dimension than the first and second sub-chambers. |
| Claim: | 4. The high intensity discharge light source of claim 1 , wherein there is only one of first and second sub-chambers is present and making the arc tube of the lamp asymmetrical relative to a central plane that is located basically halfway between the two inner terminal ends of the electrodes in the main central discharge chamber and being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arc tube. |
| Claim: | 5. The high intensity discharge light source of claim 1 , wherein the wall of the arc tube has a substantially constant wall thickness along the length of the central portion of the arc tube between the first end to the second end sealing portions. |
| Claim: | 6. The high intensity discharge light source of claim 1 wherein the arc tube has a different wall thickness along the length of the main central discharge chamber than around the first and second sub-chambers. |
| Claim: | 7. The high intensity discharge light source of claim 1 wherein the discharge chamber portion of the arc tube is substantially symmetrical about the longitudinal axis. |
| Claim: | 8. The high intensity discharge light source of claim 1 wherein the discharge chamber portion of the arc tube is substantially mirror-symmetric relative to a plane located halfway between the inner terminal ends of the electrodes and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. |
| Claim: | 9. A method of controlling a location of a cold spot in a high intensity discharge light source comprising: providing an arc tube having a longitudinal axis and a main central discharge chamber formed therein; orienting first and second electrodes having inner terminal ends spaced from one another along the longitudinal axis and each electrode extending at least partially into the main central discharge chamber or at least reaching reduced diameter end portions of the main central discharge chamber with its inner terminal end; forming first and second sub-chambers at opposite ends of a main central discharge chamber, wherein the sub-chambers are located entirely axially outward of the terminal ends of the electrodes, wherein the main central discharge chamber has a cross-sectional dimension substantially the same as or wider than cross-sectional dimensions of the first and second sub-chambers; forming a reduced dimensional region adjacent each end of the main central discharge chamber that separates the first and second sub-chambers from the main central discharge chamber; and providing first and second sealing portions at opposite, first and second axial ends of the arc tube. |
| Claim: | 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming the sub-chambers in a generally spheroidal conformation. |
| Claim: | 11. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming the main central discharge chamber to be slightly smaller in cross-sectional dimension than the first and second sub-chambers. |
| Claim: | 12. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming the arc tube of the lamp to have only one of first and second sub-chambers present and to make the arc tube to be asymmetrical relative to a central plane that is located basically halfway between the two inner terminal ends of the electrodes in the main central discharge chamber and being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arc tube. |
| Claim: | 13. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming a substantially constant wall thickness along the length of the central portion of the arc tube between the first end to the second end sealing portions. |
| Claim: | 14. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming the wall thickness along the length of the main central discharge chamber to be different from the first and second sub-chamber wall thicknesses. |
| Claim: | 15. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming the discharge chamber portion of the arc tube to be substantially symmetrical about the longitudinal axis. |
| Claim: | 16. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming the discharge chamber portion of the arc tube to be substantially symmetrical relative to a plane located halfway between the inner terminal ends of the electrodes and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. |
| Claim: | 17. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming a reduced dimensional region adjacent each end of the main central discharge chamber that separates the sub-chamber from the main central discharge chamber. |
| Claim: | 18. An automotive discharge lamp comprising: a light transmissive arc tube enclosing a main central discharge chamber; inner terminal ends of first and second electrodes at least partially received in the main central discharge chamber or adjacent to it and are separated by an arc gap; first and second sub-chambers located at first and second ends of the main central discharge chamber, the chamber being substantially symmetrical about the longitudinal axis and substantially mirror-symmetric relative to a plane located halfway between the inner terminal ends of the electrodes and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; and wherein the first and second sub-chambers extend axially to inner terminal ends of the electrodes. |
| Claim: | 19. The automotive discharge lamp of claim 18 , wherein a main central discharge chamber is slightly wider in cross-sectional dimension than the first and second sub-chambers. |
| Claim: | 20. The automotive discharge lamp of claim 18 , wherein a main central discharge chamber is similar in cross-sectional dimension to sub-chambers. |
| Claim: | 21. The automotive discharge lamp of claim 18 wherein a main central discharge chamber is slightly smaller in cross-sectional dimension to sub-chambers. |
| Claim: | 22. The automotive discharge lamp of claim 18 wherein there is only one of first and second sub-chambers is present. |
| Claim: | 23. The automotive discharge lamp of claim 18 , wherein a wall thickness along the length of the main central discharge chamber is different than a wall thickness around the first and second sub-chambers. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 313/623 |
| Patent References Cited: | 6646380 November 2003 Kubon et al. 6815889 November 2004 Haacke et al. 7348731 March 2008 Haacke et al. 2004/0056600 March 2004 Lapatovich et al. 2005/0116608 June 2005 Haacke et al. 2006/0255742 November 2006 Haacke et al. 484 511 January 1970 100 12 827 September 2000 1 174 904 January 2002 |
| Other References: | PCT/US2011/038497 International Search Report and Written Opinion (mailed Aug. 31, 2011). cited by other |
| Primary Examiner: | Patel, Vip |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Fay Sharpe LLP |
| Accession Number: | edspgr.08203269 |
| Database: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| Language: | English |
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