With Metal Vapor Patents (Class 313/638)
  • Patent number: 7242144
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high-pressure discharge lamp that uses substantially no mercury and reduces discharge flicker. The high-pressure discharge lamp is kept on with a lamp power of 50 W or lower in a stable state, and the temperature T (° C.) of the electrode at a point at a distance of 0.3 mm from the tip end to the base end in the stable state and the amount A (mol/cc) of free iodine produced when the lamp is turned off after 100 hours of on-time satisfy the formula (1):T2/A>1011.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignees: Harison Toshiba Lighting Corp., Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kato, Hiromichi Kawashima, Kozo Uemura, Toshihiko Ishigami, Mikio Matsuda, Toshio Hiruta
  • Patent number: 7233110
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp comprises a refractory, light-transmitting airtight container defining therein a discharge space with an internal volume of not more than 0.1 cc, electrodes sealed in the container, opposing each other with a distance of not more than 5 mm interposed, and a discharge medium sealed in the container and including a metal halide material and a rare gas. The metal halide includes first and second halide materials. The first halide material contains scandium (Sc) and sodium (Na) halides. The second halide material contains at least one of indium (In) and zinc (Zn) halides. The discharge medium contains substantially no mercury. The load on the wall of the container in a stable state is 50 W/cm2 or more. A/B?0.21 where A represents the intensity of an impurity chromium (Cr) spectrum in lighting spectra, and B represents the intensity of a scandium (Sc) spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: Harison Toshiba Lighting Corp.
    Inventors: Kozo Uemura, Hiromichi Kawashima
  • Patent number: 7190118
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp comprising a substantially cylindrical discharge vessel having an internal diameter Di<2.0 mm and filled with an ionizable filling, wherein two electrodes are present at a mutual distance EA for maintaining a discharge in the discharge vessel, wherein the filling comprises an inert gas, such as Xe, having a pressure at room temperature between 5 and 25 bar, and an ionizable salt, characterized in that said ionizable salt is selected from the group comprising PrI3, NdI3 and LuI3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.
    Inventors: Karst Vaartjes, Marco Haverlag, Josephus Christiaan Maria Hendricx
  • Patent number: 7176626
    Abstract: A method for inhibiting mercury from leaching from a land-filled arc discharge lamp containing a quantity of elemental mercury at least partially convertible to soluble mercury, provides for including within the lamp a quantity of a non-metallic copper-containing compound and an ingredient X, said ingredient X including a noble metal or a noble metal compound selected from the group consisting of silver and compounds of silver, gold and platinum, and a lamp containing same. The inhibiting compound is preferably included with the basing cement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc.
    Inventors: Keith A. Klinedinst, Dennis B. Shinn
  • Patent number: 7164233
    Abstract: An automotive lamp has a sealed envelope of barium silica glass that is essentially free of cadmium and in which a light emitting element is contained. Lead-in wires extend through the envelope and are coupled to the light emitting element. The glass envelope and lead-in wires have respective coefficients of thermal expansion over a temperature range form ambient to 520° C. which closely match one another to minimize stress and cracking of the envelope at the interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2007
    Assignee: Federal Mogul World Wide, Inc.
    Inventors: Johnny D. Bryant, Paul R. Pumphrey
  • Patent number: 7141932
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp includes a fire-resistant and translucent hermetic vessel containing amounts of scandium halide and sodium halide sealed in the hermetic vessel satisfying the formula of 0.25<a/(a+b)<0.5, where reference character “a” denotes the mass of scandium halide and reference character “b” denotes the mass of sodium halide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignees: Harison Toshiba Lighting Corp., Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Deguchi, Hiromichi Kawashima, Kozo Uemura, Hiroyuki Kato, Nobuhiro Tamura, Seiko Kawashima
  • Patent number: 7138766
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp in which an arc tube is housed within a bulb having a base at one end thereof. The arc tube includes a main tube, two thin tubes that extend one from each end of the main tube, and a pair of electrode inductors. The main tube and the thin tubes are made from translucent polycrystalline alumina and constitute a discharge vessel having a discharge space therein. Lamp power under dimming conditions is set in a range defined by maximum lamp power Wmax [W] and minimum lamp power Wmin [W], with a surface area S [cm2] of the inner surface of the discharge vessel satisfying Wmax/60?S?Wmin/20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Takeuchi, Takashi Maniwa, Yoshiharu Nishiura
  • Patent number: 7116050
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp comprises a discharge container including a discharge space and a pair of sealing sections. A discharge medium containing a metal halide and a rare gas and essentially free from mercury is sealed in the discharge container. A pair of electrodes are arranged to face each other within the discharge space, and the side edge portions on the side of the proximal end portion of these electrodes are held by the sealing sections. The amount of water contained in the metal halide, i.e., the light-emitting material, included in the metal halide lamp essentially free from mercury, i.e., Hg-less metal halide lamp, is controlled to 50 ppm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignees: Harison Toshiba Lighting Corp., Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Tamura, Seiko Kawashima, Takuya Honma, Hiromichi Kawashima, Hiroyuki Kato, Makoto Deguchi
  • Patent number: 7105989
    Abstract: A plasma lamp and method having high efficacy, high color rendering index, and a desirable correlated color temperature with improved color consistency from lamp to lamp. The lamp may include a vaporizable fill material comprising halides of sodium and scandium and a filter formed from a vitreous material containing a dopant. In one aspect, the filter is formed by a glass shroud containing neodymium oxide that reduces the transmission of yellow light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Advanced Lighting Techniques, Inc.
    Inventors: Abbas Lamouri, Juris Sulcs
  • Patent number: 7057349
    Abstract: A metal halide discharge lamp which essentially permits disusing mercury is provided. The metal halide discharge lamp comprises a refractory and transparent hermetic vessel, a pair of electrodes fixed to the hermetic vessel, and a discharge medium sealed in the hermetic vessel and containing a first halide, a second halide, and a rare gas. The first halide is a halide of a metal which achieves a desired light emission. The second halide has a relatively high vapor pressure, being at least one halide of metal which is unlikely to emit a visible light compared with the metal of the first halide and acts as a buffer gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Harison Toshiba Lighting Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiko Ishigami, Kiyoshi Saita, Mikio Matsuda, Toshio Hiruta
  • Patent number: 7045960
    Abstract: A high-pressure discharge lamp for motor vehicle headlamps having a mercury-free ionizable fill which consists of xenon with a cold filling pressure of at least 2000 hPa and metal halides. The discharge vessel has a tubular section (10) which consists of a transparent ceramic and has an internal diameter which is less than or equal to 2 mm and inside which there are arranged electrodes with a spacing less than or equal to 10 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Patent Treuhand-Gesellschaft für elektrische Glühlampen mbH
    Inventor: Klaus Gunter
  • Patent number: 7038385
    Abstract: A mercury-free arc tube for a discharge lamp unit including a closed glass bulb and a pair of electrode rods provided in the closed glass bulb so as to be opposite to each other. The closed glass bulb does not contain mercury as in the related art arc tubes, but contains main light emitting metal halide and starting rare gas enclosed in the closed glass bulb. In accordance with necessity, predetermined buffer metal halide in place of mercury may be enclosed to suppress the lowering of the tube voltage to some extent. In addition, the tube current I is increased to make the tube voltage high. The tube current I (unit: A) and the outer diameter d (unit: mm) of each electrode rod are set to have a relationship of 1.0?I/d?5.0. As a result, though such an increased tube current is used, the electrode temperature is kept in optimum temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Michio Takagaki, Shinichi Irisawa
  • Patent number: 7030559
    Abstract: An arc discharge lamp containing a quantity of elemental mercury at least partially convertible to soluble mercury, provides for including within the lamp a quantity of a non-metallic copper-containing compound and an ingredient X, said ingredient X including a noble metal or a noble metal compound selected from the group consisting of silver and compounds of silver, gold and platinum, and a lamp containing same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc.
    Inventors: Keith A. Klinedinst, Dennis B. Shinn
  • Patent number: 6979958
    Abstract: An arc discharge metal halide lamp for use in selected lighting fixtures having a discharge chamber with light permeable ceramic walls of a selected shape about a discharge region of a selected volume. A pair of electrodes are supported in the discharge region separated from one another by a separation length. The separation length is in a ratio to the effective inner diameter that is greater than four. Ionizable materials are provided in the discharge region comprising a quantity of mercury in a ratio to the discharge region volume that is less than 4 mg/cm3, a noble gas, praseodymium halide, and sodium halide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Huiling Zhu, Shin Ukegawa, Hiroshi Nohara, Jakob Maya
  • Patent number: 6972521
    Abstract: A low-pressure gas discharge lamp provided with a gas discharge vessel containing a mercury-free gas filling with an indium compound in an amount of about 1 to 10 microgram per cubic centimeter and a partial pressure in the range from 1.0 to 30 micro bar, and a buffer gas for emitting radiation in a continuous spectrum in the visible and near UVA regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, which low-pressure gas discharge lamp is also provided with electrodes and a ballast for controlling the ignition and operation of the lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Robert Peter Scholl, Rainer Hilbig, Achim Koerber, Johannes Baier
  • Patent number: 6967444
    Abstract: Superior color stability in a miniature HID lamp can be achieved by reducing the size of the lamp, reducing the mercury concentration, reducing the salt concentration and increasing the heat to the lamp seal. In general the result concentrates the salts in the central, lower section of the lamp envelope and displaces them from the hot spot and electrode roots were deleterious chemical reactions can occur that are believed to subsequently reduce lamp performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc.
    Inventors: Susan L. Callahan, Walter P. Lapatovich
  • Patent number: 6946797
    Abstract: A metal halide fill for forming an ionizable fill comprising at least one inert gas, mercury, and at least one halogen, the fill additionally comprising the following constituents: Mn halide and V halide. This fill may in particular be present in the discharge vessel of a metal halide lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: Patent-Treuhand-Gesellschaft für elektrische Glühlampen mbH
    Inventor: Hans Eisemann
  • Patent number: 6946795
    Abstract: A bulb for an electrodeless lamp system uses Sn or halogenide of the Sn as a primary bulb fill for obtaining continued spectrum when it is discharged, and the halogenide of the Sn is SnBr2. Therefore, high photoefficiency and superior color rendering can be obtained, and less ultraviolet ray than that of sulfur is radiated and warm feeling can be obtained visually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Yong-Seog Jeon, Joon-Sik Choi, Hyun-Jung Kim, Hyo-Sik Jeon, Ji-Young Lee, Byeong-Ju Park
  • Patent number: 6943497
    Abstract: In a discharge lamp comprising a discharge vessel surrounded by an outer bulb filled with nitrogen, a hydrogen getter is used comprising more than 80% by weight of Zr and Co and one or more elements chosen from the rare earth elements. The getter effectively removes hydrogen from the outer bulb and is not poisoned by nitrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignees: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., SAES Getters S.p.A.
    Inventor: Bennie Josephus De Maagt
  • Patent number: 6940232
    Abstract: An electrodeless fluorescent lamp includes a glass vessel having a retention channel and a vapor chamber for sealedly storing an active vapor therein; a thermal conductive unit disposed within the retention channel; an induction coil supported by the thermal conductive unit within the retention channel, wherein the heating coil is arranged to generate heat towards the vapor chamber for emitting light from the active vapor; and a ventilation arrangement having a ventilation channel enclosed by the glass vessel to extend from the retention channel to an exterior of the glass vessel for ventilating excess heat from the induction coil within the retention channel to outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Fujian Juan Kuang Yaming Electric Limited
    Inventor: Qin Kong
  • Patent number: 6940217
    Abstract: To devise an arrangement with relatively high pressure tightness, in a short-arc super-high pressure mercury lamp which is operated with an extremely high mercury vapor pressure, a light emitting part has a pair of opposed electrodes and is filled with at least 0.15 mg/mm3 of mercury; and side tube parts extend from opposite sides of the light emitting part, and in which the electrodes are partially hermetically sealed and are each welded to a respective metal foil, in the areas in which the electrodes are welded to the metal foils, the electrodes are deformed in the direction perpendicular to the metal foils to a degree of deformation that is at most 10%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Ushiodenki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masanobu Komiya, Yoshitaka Kanzaki, Toyohiko Kumada
  • Patent number: 6897609
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for achieving desired spectral emission characteristics in plasma lamps is disclosed. The apparatus and method use multi-layer thin film optical interference coatings to selectively reflect a portion of the light such that it can be absorbed in the plasma. The multi-layer thin film coating is applied to any surface of the lamp, which substantially surrounds the plasma. The number and thickness of the layers in the coating are selected to ensure that a significant portion of the selected light emitted from the plasma is reflected by the coating and absorbed by the plasma. The properties of the coating, reflectance, transmittance and absorption are determined as a function of plasma and lamp characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: Advanced Lighting Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Krisl, Abbas Lamouri, Leonid Pekker, Paul Morand, Juris Sulcs, Norman L. Boling
  • Patent number: 6888312
    Abstract: An arc lamp assembly which includes in combination a reflector and a light source which is surrounded by said reflector. A dichroic coating on the reflector functions to reflect radiation in the range of about 300 to 600 nm. The light source is an arc lamp which contains a metal halide fill component which includes a mixture of scandium iodide, or other suitable lanthanide, indium iodide and cesium iodide, whereby the lamp assembly emits effective amounts of UV radiation to cure selected chemical compositions. The fill mixture, which contains no sodium component, contributes to improved lamp life and a reduction in passive lamp failure over halide fill mixtures which contain sodium iodide as a fill component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Welch Allyn, Inc.
    Inventor: Dale E. Brabham
  • Patent number: 6873119
    Abstract: A non-rotating electrodeless high-intensity discharge lamp system using circularly polarized microwaves. The lamp system has a first rectangular waveguide to propagate linearly polarized microwaves generated from a microwave source; an input circular waveguide linearly connected to the first rectangular waveguide; a second rectangular waveguide closed at an end thereof, and perpendicularly connected to a circumferential surface of the input circular waveguide; an elliptical waveguide linearly connected to the input circular waveguide such that the major axis of the elliptical waveguide is rotated to a predetermined angle relative to a horizontal surface of the input rectangular waveguide; a second circular waveguide linearly connected to the elliptical waveguide; and a discharge lamp housed in a mesh cover, and supported by the second circular waveguide while being held on a reflecting mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Taewon Electronic Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin-Joong Kim, Jeong-Won Kim, Kyoung-Sub Oh
  • Patent number: 6873109
    Abstract: Disclosed is a metal halide discharge lamp which essentially permits disusing mercury. The metal halide discharge lamp comprises a refractory and transparent hermetic vessel, a pair of electrodes fixed to the hermetic vessel, and a discharge medium sealed in the hermetic vessel and containing a first halide, a second halide and a rare gas, the first halide being a halide of a metal which achieves a desired light emission, the second halide having a relatively high vapor pressure, being at least one halide of a metal which is unlikely to emit a visible light compared with the metal of the first halide, and acting as a buffer gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Harison Toshiba Lighting Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiko Ishigami, Kiyoshi Saita, Mikio Matsuda, Toshio Hiruta
  • Patent number: 6861807
    Abstract: The invention relates to a high-pressure gas discharge lamp, particularly a motorcar lamp, comprising a bulb including at least two neck portions and a vacuum-tight discharge vessel of quartz glass, at least two electrodes projecting into the discharge vessel, and a filling in the discharge vessel which, in the operating state, is in a discharge state. Such lamps are used, in particular, in headlights of motorcars. In order to ensure that the arc of the high-pressure gas discharge lamp generates a higher luminescence in a small area, and the lamp can be used as a light source in motorcar headlights, the discharge vessel of the high-pressure gas discharge lamp in accordance with the invention encloses a discharge space having a width B below 4 mm and a length C below 8 mm, and the filling comprises NaI, ScI3, Xe, ZnI3 and is free of Hg. Surprisingly it has been found that the use ZnI2 in the filling causes the arc to generate a higher luminescence in the area of the arc axis per dimension of the arc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Matthias Born, Rüdiger Jost
  • Patent number: 6853140
    Abstract: A compact fused silica, electroded HID lamp for automotive forward lighting, which contains no mercury. The lamps voltage, approximately 40 volts, is developed in this lamp by vaporizing zinc iodide instead of mercury. A compromise between voltage and luminous flux is achieved through the choice of the sodium scandium (Na:Sc) molar ratio, between 4.5:1 and 6:1 and a zinc iodide (ZnI2) dose of 2 to 6 micrograms per cubic millimeter that permits the lamp to operate within the North America, European and Japanese automotive color specifications for white light. The voltage in the lamp can be controlled according to the zinc iodide doping level without seriously impacting the visible spectrum otherwise provided by the other known dopants in the lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc.
    Inventors: Walter P. Lapatovich, Sharon L. Ernest, Susan L. Callahan, Janice T. Karlotski, Robert J. Karlotski
  • Patent number: 6844679
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high-pressure discharge lamp 100 including a luminous bulb 10 enclosing at least a rare gas and halogen in the bulb and made substantially of quartz glass; and an electrode 12 made substantially of tungsten and disposed in the luminous bulb. The mole number of the halogen is larger than the sum of the total mole number of metal elements (except the tungsten element and the mercury element) that have the property of bonding to the halogen and are present in the luminous bulb 10 and the mole number of the tungsten present in the luminous bulb by evaporation from the electrode 12 during lamp operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Horiuchi, Makoto Kai, Mamoru Takeda, Tsuyoshi Ichibakase, Tomoyuki Seki, Yoshiki Kitahara, Toshio Mori, Yasuo Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6833676
    Abstract: A solid halogen-containing lamp fill material and a method of introducing small amounts of halogen into a HID lamp are disclosed. The solid material may include an admixture of a metal and a metal halide in the form of spheres of high purity, uniform size and uniform composition. Solid lamp fill material and methods of introducing small quantities of one or more metals into a HID lamp are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: Advanced Lighting Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy R. Brumleve
  • Patent number: 6815889
    Abstract: A high-pressure gas discharge lamp (HID [high intensity discharge] lamp) is described which is designed in particular so as to be free from mercury and suitable for use in automobile technology. To achieve improved lamp properties, in particular a substantially equal luminous efficacy compared with lamps of the same power and having a gas filling with mercury, as well as a burning voltage which is as high as possible, a geometry is proposed for the discharge space (2) which raises the temperature of the coldest spot in the lamp to such a degree that the light-generating substances can enter the gas phase to a sufficient extent also without mercury, and in particular in combination with the use of a metal halide as a voltage gradient generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Michael Haacke, Pieter Postma, Paul Hellwig, Juergen Schoeneich, Ralf Muckel
  • Patent number: 6815894
    Abstract: A mercury-free arc tube having a closed glass bulb held between pinch seal portions located at opposite ends of the closed glass bulb and a pair of electrodes provided in the closed glass bulb. The closed glass bulb does not contain mercury (Hg), but contains a main light emitting, a buffer metal halide, and a starting rare gas enclosed in the closed glass bulb. The buffer metal halide includes a halide selected from halides of Ta, Th, Cu, Rb, Nb and Pd. Preferably, at least one of the halides is Ta, Cu, Rb or Nb. The halides serve as a buffer substance and a light emitting substance in substitution for the mercury, and have an ionization potential of about 5 to 8.5 eV and excitation potential of about 4.5 eV or less having emission spectrum in a visible range, and are sealed with the rare gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Michio Takagaki, Shinichi Irisawa
  • Patent number: 6815895
    Abstract: To devise an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp in which even in the case of lamp operation over a long time devitrification of the light emitting part is suppressed, an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp with a silica glass light emitting part in there is a pair of opposed electrodes, a rare gas, a halogen and at least 0.15 mg/mm3 of mercury, by the amount of halogen in the light emitting part being at least 1.0×10−4 &mgr;mol/mm3 and the amount of Mo in the light emitting part being at most 0.5×10−5 &mgr;mol/mm3. Also, such a lamp can have an amount of halogen in the light emitting part of at least 2.0×10−4 &mgr;mol/mm3 with an amount of Mo of at most 1.0×10−5 &mgr;mol/mm3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Ushiodenki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuji Hirao
  • Patent number: 6815893
    Abstract: The present invention provides a metal halide lamp having a ceramic arc tube vessel that includes a discharge arc tube member and thin tube members, the discharge arc tube member including taper parts and a main tube part in the middle in a longitudinal direction, the taper parts and the main tube part having a larger outside diameter than an outside diameter of ends of the discharge arc tube in a longitudinal direction, and the thin tube members each being fit to the respective ends of the discharge arc tube, where a minimum curvature radius R is set to be 0.3 mm or more at each transitional area of an external surface between each taper part and a corresponding end of the discharge arc tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kakisaka, Kazuo Takeda, Takashi Maniwa, Yoshiharu Nishiura
  • Patent number: 6812644
    Abstract: Arc tube (10) has a bulbous body (12) with a hollow center portion (14) and opposite ends (16, 18). Each of these ends has a cylindrical terminal-receiving section (20, 22) extending therefrom. The hollow center portion (14) has an internal length A and an internal diameter B that provides an aspect ratio of less than 5 and an outer surface area to inner surface area ratio, measured in square units, of less than 1.5. Electrodes (24) and (26) are hermetically sealed in the terminal-receiving sections (20, 22). The lamp uses less than 7 mgs of mercury. The low pressure operation allows the use of the arc tube in lamps without a shroud and the low mercury allow the lamp to pass TCLP requirement and be conventionally landfilled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc.
    Inventors: Nikolay Natchev, Lori R. Brock, Harold L. Rothwell, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6809478
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp for an automobile headlight is provided, which includes an arc tube in which a pair of tungsten electrodes are provided at both ends and a metal halide as a main component of a luminescent material and xenon gas as a buffer gas are sealed, wherein the tungsten electrodes contain not more than 0.4 wt % of thorium oxide, the metal halide contains scandium iodide, and a pressure of the xenon sealed in the arc tube is at least 0.4 MPa. This makes it possible to provide a long-life metal halide lamp for an automobile headlight that can achieve a further improved lumen maintenance factor and other life characteristics during 2000 hours or more of lighting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Yoshida, Hideaki Kiryu
  • Patent number: 6800998
    Abstract: In a discharge lamp comprising a discharge vessel surrounded by an outer bulb filled with nitrogen, a hydrogen getter is used comprising more than 80% by weight of Zr and Co and one or more elements chosen from the rare earth elements. The getter effectively removes hydrogen from the outer bulb and is not poisoned by nitrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Bennie Josephus De Maagt
  • Publication number: 20040189207
    Abstract: A metal vapor discharge lamp, comprises: a translucent ceramic envelope, the envelope comprising a center bulb for defining a discharge space and side tubes, the center bulb and the side tubes being integrally molded; a pair of current suppliers extending through hollows of the side tubes respectively, each of the current suppliers comprising an electrode and a lead-in wire, a first end of the electrode being disposed in the discharge space, a second end of the electrode being connected with the lead-in wire; a sealant for hermetically sealing open ends of the side tubes; and a light-emitting metal contained in the discharge space. An inner wall and an external wall of a seamless boundary portion between the center bulb and each of the side tubes have the smallest curvature radius of Ri mm and Ro mm, respectively. The center bulb has an inner diameter of D mm. The lamp has an electric power of P watts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Publication date: September 30, 2004
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mikio Miura, Shunsuke Kakisaka, Yoshiharu Nishiura
  • Publication number: 20040183446
    Abstract: The invention relates to a mercury-free high-pressure discharge lamp for use in a vehicle headlight. The ionizable filling of the high-pressure discharge lamp according to the invention comprises exclusively xenon and the halides of the metals sodium, scandium, indium and zinc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Publication date: September 23, 2004
    Applicant: PATENT-TREUHAND-GESELLSCHAFT FUR ELEKTRISCHE GLUHLAMPEN mbH
    Inventors: Dirk Grundmann, Conrad Schimke
  • Publication number: 20040124777
    Abstract: A solid halogen-containing lamp fill material and a method of introducing small amounts of halogen into a HID lamp are disclosed. The solid material may include an admixture of a metal and a metal halide in the form of spheres of high purity, uniform size and uniform composition. Solid lamp fill material and methods of introducing small quantities of one or more metals into a HID lamp are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Inventor: Timothy R. Brumleve
  • Publication number: 20040124778
    Abstract: A solid halogen-containing lamp fill material and a method of introducing small amounts of halogen into a HID lamp are disclosed. The solid material may include an admixture of a metal and a metal halide in the form of spheres of high purity, uniform size and uniform composition. Solid lamp fill material and methods of introducing small quantities of one or more metals into a HID lamp are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Inventor: Timothy R. Brumleve
  • Patent number: 6741034
    Abstract: A lamp assembly that comprises a hollow arc discharge light source having a center arc chamber containing an arc generating and sustaining medium and first and second ends with an electrode receiving capillary extending from each end and arrayed along a longitudinal axis. The ends are cylindrical in cross-section. An electrode structure is positioned in each of the capillaries and each of these electrode structures comprises a proximal electrode end projecting into the interior of the center arc chamber, a distal end projecting exteriorly of said capillary and an intermediate section therebetween. A first area of the intermediate section is sealed to the capillary in an hermetic manner and a second area of the intermediate section is exposed to the medium. A tubular shroud surrounds the light source and is coaxial with the longitudinal axis. The shroud has two ends. A pair of spring clips, one at each end of said shroud, mount the light source within the shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc.
    Inventor: John A. Scholz
  • Patent number: 6737808
    Abstract: The invention relates to a metal halide lamp having a nominal power of more than 100 W, comprising a discharge vessel with a ceramic wall. The discharge vessel encloses a discharge space having an ionizable filling which, in addition to Hg, contains a quantity of iodide of Na, Tl, Ho and Ca. Two electrodes each having an electrode tip at a mutual distance EA are arranged inside the discharge vessel. The discharge vessel has a cylindrical part with an internal diameter ID and extends through at least the distance EA. According to the invention, the relation EA/ID<1 is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Josephus Christian Maria Hendricx, Nancy Jean Caruso, Kurt Jan Augusta Peelaers, Veronique Emeralda Duivelshof
  • Patent number: 6734630
    Abstract: A metal halogen electrodeless illumination lamp including a microwave generator coupled via a coupling means with a microwave cavity which contains a discharge bulb, and a microwave screen its function being performed by some part of the microwave cavity walls, which is transparent to optical radiation The discharge bulb contains a fill mixture of metal halogens, such as Bi halide, a mixture of Sn and Al and a mixture of their compounds, which emits visible optical radiation featuring a molecular spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignees: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Joon-Sik Choi, Hyung-Joo Kang, Hyo-Sik Jeon, Yong-Seog Jeon, Han-Seok Kim, Yuri Brodsky, Vladimir Vdovin, Sergei Golubev, Nikolai Kovalev, Yuri Kalyazin, Yuri Korotchkov, Andrei Perminov
  • Patent number: 6731067
    Abstract: An apparatus for improving the performance of a ceramic metal halide (CMH) lamp includes an interior chamber (12) disposed within an outer envelope (10). In a preferred arrangement, two legs (14, 16) extend laterally in opposite directions from the chamber. Each leg encloses an electrode/leadwire assembly (22, 24). The electrode/leadwire assembly is constructed from a single continuous piece of wire, preferably tungsten, which forms a shaft or mandrel (50). One end of the mandrel supports an electrode tip (52) which is also preferably made from tungsten. The mandrel also supports an overwind component (54) at a predetermined position. In a desired arrangement, the overwind component is made from molybdenum. The single or one-piece mandrel negates the need for a welded shank assembly resulting in a stronger and more stable lamp that is less expensive to manufacture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James R. Woodward, James T. Dakin
  • Patent number: 6724145
    Abstract: The invention provides an arc tube with improved chromaticity and start-up characteristics that does not contain mercury, and provides a vehicle headlamp equipped with a metal halide lamp that contains no mercury in the arc tube. Among other improvements, the evaporation of low melting point metal halides is promoted and the start-up characteristics of the arc tube are improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: Stanley Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Muto, Shigeru Shibayama, Hiroharu Shimada, Isamu Sato, Shinya Omori, Yasuhisa Yaguchi, Naoyuki Matsubara, Yoshifumi Takao, Toshiyuki Nagahara
  • Publication number: 20040051460
    Abstract: A discharge bulb including an arc tube 16 having a light-emitting tube portion 20a and shroud glass 18 surrounding the arc tube 16 in a tubular form. An inert gas and metal halides are sealed in a discharge space 24 inside the light-emitting tube portion 20a, which is mercury-free. Xenon gas is filled in an annular space 34 between the arc tube 16 and the shroud glass 18. Heat is restrained from being transmitted from the light-emitting tube portion 20a to the shroud glass 18 through the annular space 34. An increase in the heat loss and the temperature rise of the shroud glass 18 are restrained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaya Shido, Masayuki Umehara, Shinichi Irisawa
  • Publication number: 20040021420
    Abstract: A lamp unit for emitting near-infrared light by electric discharge, has: a hollow discharge tube; a cesium halide enclosed in the hollow of the discharge tube; a near-infrared penetration filter covering around the discharge tube. The cesium halide may include at least one of cesium iodide and cesium bromide. Also, an indium halide and thallium halide may further be enclosed in the hollow discharge tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2003
    Publication date: February 5, 2004
    Inventors: Toshiaki Tsuda, Hitoshi Takeda, Masaya Shido, Shinichi Irisawa
  • Patent number: 6670759
    Abstract: An electrodeless discharge lamp includes an envelope filled with a luminescent material to be excited to emit light and a filling material that substantially does not discharge to emit light. The filling material stabilizes a discharge of the luminescent material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Katase, Tsuyoshi Ichibakase, Katsushi Seki
  • Patent number: 6661175
    Abstract: A solid halogen-containing lamp fill material and a method of introducing small amounts of halogen into a HID lamp are disclosed. The solid material may include an admixture of a metal and a metal halide in the form of spheres of high purity, uniform size and uniform composition. Solid lamp fill material and methods of introducing small quantities of one or more metals into a HID lamp are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Advanced Lighting Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy R. Brumleve
  • Patent number: RE38807
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high pressure discharge lamp which is provided with a discharge tube containing a pair of electrodes therein and being filled with mercury, an inert gas and a halogen gas, the amount of the mercury filled being 0.12 to 0.35 mg/mm3, the halogen gas being at least one gas selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I and being present in an amount of 10?7 to 10?2 ?mol/mm3, and the electrodes being mainly composed of tungsten, and the tungsten as a material of the electrodes contains not more than 12 ppm of potassium oxide (K2O). In such a high pressure discharge lamp, blackening of the discharge tube due to the potassium oxide (K2O) contained in the tungsten, and decrease in illumination maintenance can be prevented, thus providing a high pressure discharge lamp with a long lifetime, a lighting optical apparatus using the high pressure discharge lamp as a light source, and an image display system using the lighting optical apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyosi Takeuti, Yoshiki Kitahara, Takeharu Tsutsumi