Abstract: A fluorescent lamp produces light having color coordinates within an ellipse (A) about 22 standard deviation of color matching around the color coordinates (b)x=0.344 y=0.302. The luminescent layer of the lamp includes a mixture of: magnesium fluorogermanate activated by manganese as red emitter; calcium halophosphate as white emitter; and a blue emitter preferably strontium pyrophosphate activated by divalent tin. The layer may alternatively be a mixture of red emitting magnesium fluorogermanate and blue emitting barium titanium pyrophosphate. Other blue emitters are also described.

Abstract: An electric lamp, such as an incandescent linear quartz heat lamp, is provided having a vitreous light transmissive envelope having an exterior surface and a light source capable of generating light within said envelope. Disposed on a portion of the exterior surface of the envelope is a diffuse reflective coating, such as a boron nitride coating, for reflecting at least a portion of the light emitted by the source. A protective silica coating encapsulates the reflective coating to protect the reflective coating from things such as abrasion, moisture, and cleaning solvents.

Abstract: The subject invention relates to a copper-steel composite wire suitable for use as inner lead wires in lamp applications. The subject copper-steel composite wire comprises a steel core having a thick copper cladding on the outside thereof such that the composite lead wire exhibits at least 30% IACS electrical conductivity. The application further relates to the use of the subject composite wire in incandescent lamp applications.

Abstract: A light source includes an integral reflective coating on a portion of its envelope for reflecting light back through the source. The light from the source is directed by a reflector toward a focus thereof at which is located an input end of a light guide. The integral reflective coating allows a half ellipsoidal reflector to be used in one embodiment without depreciable loss of light. Accordingly, a pair of light sources can be arranged with a common focus to substantially double the brightness in the light guide. Alternatively, the light sources can provide a primary and redundant arrangement, or used to provide two levels of light in another arrangement. According to another embodiment, a hemispherical reflector is used to obtain unit magnification and increase the angular range through which light may enter the light guide.

Abstract: A retrofit optical assembly is provided for automotive headlamps that includes a multi-planar mirror that cooperates with a tapered end of a light guide to reduce glare. In an asymmetric parabolic reflective surface arrangement, the multi-planar mirror is offset from the longitudinal axis of the light guide to equalize the magnification and image size. This also has the beneficial effect of reducing the amount of light loss outside of the parabola.

Abstract: A compact fluorescent lamp having a lamp envelope with a plurality of lamp ends disposed within a housing or base configuration, utilizes an enhanced adhesive material for securing the lamp envelope to the housing or base that is reflective. The adhesive material has a reflective material added thereto that allows for the light typically absorbed or otherwise lost in the housing, to be reflected back out thereby improving the luminous efficiency of such lamp. The adhesive material is also effective for blocking UV radiation from entering the area in which electronic components of the ballast circuit may be disposed.

Abstract: Glare or stray light from a lamp is controlled by determining the location of a filament relative to a major axis of the ellipsoidal portion of a lamp envelope. Once the maximum deviation of the filament from the major axis has been determined, the lamp may be marked with indicia, or immediately secured to a base to assure the location of the filament in the final assembly of the headlamp. Any stray or glare light is then controlled or directed in a predetermined manner.

Abstract: A metal halide arc discharge lamp includes a sealed outer envelope, an arc tube located within the envelope, a cylindrical shroud positioned around the arc tube, stops positioned at ends of the shroud to capture the shroud therebetween, and conduction wires which both provide electrical energy to the arc tube and mechanically support the arc tube and the shroud. The outside diameter of the shroud is maximized in relation to the inside diameter of the neck of the outer envelope such that the shroud can be inserted through the neck during manufacture of said lamp. In order to reduce electrolytic sodium loss, a conductor wire passing through the shroud in close proximity to the arc tube is surrounded by a ceramic sleeve to electrically insulate the conductor wire from the arc tube, and the stops are ceramic to electrically insulate the shroud from the conductor wires.

Abstract: A solid state method of converting a polycrystalline ceramic body to a single crystal body includes the steps of doping the polycrystalline ceramic material with a conversion-enhancing dopant and then heating the polycrystalline body at a selected temperature for a selected time sufficient to convert the polycrystalline body to a single crystal. The selected temperature is less than the melting temperature of the polycrystalline material and greater than about one-half the melting temperature of the material. In the conversion of polycrystalline alumina to single crystal alumina (sapphire), examples of conversion-enhancing dopants include cations having a +3 valence, such as chromium, gallium, and titanium.

Abstract: A ballast circuit for a gas discharge lamp, of the type having a pair of resistively heated cathodes that are resistively heated both during a cathode pre-heat period prior to lamp turn-on, and during steady state lamp operation, is disclosed. The ballast circuit includes circuitry for providing, on a bus conductor, a d.c. bus voltage with respect to a ground, and a converter, responsive to the d.c. bus voltage, for supplying bidirectional current to a resonant load circuit. The resonant load circuit includes the gas discharge lamp, a resonant capacitor coupled between the lamp cathodes such that its voltage varies with lamp voltage, and a resonant inductor serially coupled to the resonant capacitor and cooperating therewith to set a magnitude, and resonant frequency, of the bidirectional lamp current. Circuitry is provided for powering the resistively heated lamp cathodes, to thereby heat the cathodes.

Abstract: A high intensity metal halide arc discharge lamp, such as an electrodeless lamp wherein RF energy is inductively coupled to the arc discharge, contains a halide of neodymium alone or in combination with other metals such as one or more rare earth metals, Na, Cs and is essentially mercury free (i.e., <1 mg per cc of arc chamber volume).

Abstract: An optical coupling assembly is useful for coupling a source of light, having high brightness and being non-coherent and focussed at a focal plane, to a plurality of optical light conductors. The coupling assembly includes an elongated light transmissive coupling member which has a central longitudinal axis and is disposed between the focal plane of the light source and leading ends of the optical light conductors. The coupling member includes oppositely flared front and rear end portions and a middle portion disposed along the longitudinal axis, with the middle portion extending between and connected to the front and rear end portions. The coupling member can have either a solid or tubular configuration. The middle portion of the coupling member has cylindrical shape and cross-sectional size of uniform dimensions and being less than the respective cross-sectional sizes of an inlet end of the front end portion and an outlet end of the rear end portion.

Abstract: A method of manufacture for a lamp involves making up, separate from an envelope, a sub-assembly comprising a lead structure and a vitreous body that surrounds it. In one form of this method, particles of vitreous material are pressed into a mold cavity that surrounds the lead structure, thus forming a compact surrounding the lead structure. This compact is sintered in an inert atmosphere, thereby forming the sub-assembly. Thereafter, the sub-assembly is placed in an opening in the envelope, and a hermetic seal is made between the envelope and the vitreous body in the interface region between the envelope and the vitreous body.

Abstract: A solid state process for the bulk conversion of a dense polycrystalline ceramic body to a single crystal body has been accomplished by heating the polycrystalline material to a temperature above one-half of the melting temperature of the material but below the melting point of the material. As the process is a solid state process, no melting of the ceramic body is necessary to convert it to a single crystal. The process has been used to convert a dense polycrystalline alumina body (PCA) containing less than 100 wppm of magnesia to sapphire (single crystal alumina) by heating the PCA to temperatures above 1100.degree. C. but below 2050.degree. C., the melting point of alumina.

Abstract: Disclosed is a ballast circuit arrangement for a gas discharge lamp, which includes a ballast transformer arrangement receptive of an input power signal, having a winding and a serially connected ballast capacitor, and providing an output, ballast voltage that alternates in polarity during successive half cycles. A bypass capacitor is coupled to the winding of the ballast transformer for being charged by the ballast voltage. A voltage for driving the lamp exists on the bypass capacitor. The inventive arrangement includes a pulse transformer having a secondary winding in serial circuit with the lamp for impressing a high voltage, hot restrike starting pulse across the lamp. A hot restrike starting circuit is provided, comprising a starting capacitor coupled across the bypass capacitor, and a circuit for discharging the starting capacitor including a primary winding of the pulse transformer and a serially connected current switch.

Abstract: A discharge lamp having a lamp envelope with at least one sealed end which is disposed in the base member of the discharge lamp includes an excitation arrangement capable to emit light output upon sufficient energization, an energization arrangement disposed in the base member sufficient to excite the lamp envelope. The sealed end of the lamp envelope has a roughened texture disposed around a substantial portion thereof. The texturized region is grit blasted and structurally weaker than the remaining portion of the lamp envelope. At least one sealed end of the lamp envelope is texturized and is effective so as to: shut down the discharge lamp upon the possible occurrence of a high temperature condition and, upon shut down, substantially maintain the envelope fill material within the lamp envelope and base member.

Abstract: A ballast circuit arrangement with hot restrike capabilities includes an input transformer having a primary winding receptive of line power and a secondary winding over which an output voltage is made available. A first capacitor coupled across the secondary winding of the input transformer develops a voltage charge thereon. A resistor and a second capacitor are series connected to one another and are parallel coupled across the first capacitor. A starting aid device is coupled to the secondary winding of the input transformer and produces an output voltage of a predetermined magnitude. The output voltage of the starting aid is coupled to a spark gap device having first, second and third electrodes associated therewith. A first spark gap formed between the second and third electrode is first fired by the output voltage of the starting aid which in turn triggers the firing of a second spark gap formed between the first and second electrodes.

Abstract: A lenticular lens containing a multiplicity of multi-sided lenticules useful with reflector lamps provides improved light distribution by having the lenticules oriented to avoid parallelism with a projected light image and distributed in a plurality of zones or bands concentric about said optical center. The size and light-spreading ability of the lenticules in each zone is selected to provide the desired light distribution. Parallelism is avoided by having the lenticules arrayed in a plurality of wedge-shaped sections circumferentially arranged in a circle around the optical center of the lens and extending through the zones with the lenticules in each section arrayed in a uniform, close-packed hexagonal array of parallel rows with the longitudinal axis of one of the rows being radially aligned with respect to the optical center of the lens, so that none of the sides of the lenticules are parallel to the light source image projected off the reflector.

Abstract: A base for an electrodeless arc discharge lamp having an elongated tubular stem extending through an outer envelope pinch or press seal includes a pair of electrically non-conductive members secured in mating relation to define an upper cavity and a lower axial bore. The lamp is mounted in the base with its pinch seal secured in the cavity and its stem extending into the bore. With the base mounted in a fixture, RF energy is coupled into the lamp to excite a starting aid in the stem via a conductive bushing in the bore.

Abstract: This invention relates to a high pressure sodium vapor discharge lamp the discharge space of which is enclosed by a ceramic vessel having hermetically sealed ceramic end members with electric lead wires connected with electrodes inside the discharge vessel and the discharge vessel contains sodium, noble gas, mercury in a concentration of 0-5 mg/cm.sup.3 and at least one further metal additive having a vapor pressure not exceeding 7.5 torr at 1000K temperature. The discharge lamp according to the invention is further characterized in that the molar fraction of sodium in the total metal additive exceeds 0.5 and the molar fraction of sodium is greater than four times the molar fraction of mercury.