CA2169581C - Fluorescent lamp with end of life arc quenching structure - Google Patents

Fluorescent lamp with end of life arc quenching structure Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2169581C
CA2169581C CA002169581A CA2169581A CA2169581C CA 2169581 C CA2169581 C CA 2169581C CA 002169581 A CA002169581 A CA 002169581A CA 2169581 A CA2169581 A CA 2169581A CA 2169581 C CA2169581 C CA 2169581C
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
fluorescent lamp
tube
lamp
accordance
deposit
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA002169581A
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French (fr)
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CA2169581A1 (en
Inventor
John W. Shaffer
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Osram Sylvania Inc
Original Assignee
Osram Sylvania Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Osram Sylvania Inc filed Critical Osram Sylvania Inc
Publication of CA2169581A1 publication Critical patent/CA2169581A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2169581C publication Critical patent/CA2169581C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01JELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01JELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/70Lamps with low-pressure unconstricted discharge having a cold pressure < 400 Torr
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01JELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02Details
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01JELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02Details
    • H01J61/24Means for obtaining or maintaining the desired pressure within the vessel
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01JELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02Details
    • H01J61/30Vessels; Containers
    • H01J61/302Vessels; Containers characterised by the material of the vessel

Landscapes

  • Vessels And Coating Films For Discharge Lamps (AREA)
  • Discharge Lamps And Accessories Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

A fluorescent lamp comprises a glass tube, an electrode at each end of the tube, a pair of lead wires extending through each sealed end of the tube and joined to one of the electrodes, and a deposit of metal hydride-containing paste disposed in the tube and having a decomposition temperature higher than temperatures within the tube during normal operation of the lamp.

Description

FLUORESCENT LAMP WITH END OF LIFE ARC QUENCHING STRUCTURE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to fluorescent lamps, and is directed more particularly to a fluorescent lamp having therein means for quenching the arc in the lamp at the end of lamp life.
2. Description of the Prior Art Fluorescent lamps are increasingly being used with electronic ballasts that operate the lamp at high frequencies. Often such ballasts are of the "instant start"
type wherein the open circuit voltage is sufficiently high to ignite the lamp directly, without the need for a separate cathode heating current.
The end of lamp life occurs when one of the electrodes is depleted of its emissive coating. At power line frequencies and with low open circuit voltage ballasts, the lamp arc is passively extinguished when the first electrode fails. However, in the case of electronic instant start ballasts, the lamp arc does not necessarily extinguish when the first electrode fails. The open circuit voltage provided by instant start ballasts is sufficiently high to cause the lamp to continue to operate in a "cold cathode"
mode. During cold cathode operation, the cathode voltage rises from around 12 volts to 50 volts, or higher.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in a lamp 2 having electrodes 4, 6 at either end of a glass envelope 8, respectively, upon failure of the first electrode 6, ion bombardment heats the tungsten coil 10, lead wires 12, 14, and any other metallic structures within the glass envelope 8. The heating of the metallic components is to such a high temperature that the components provide sufficient thermionic and secondary electron emission to sustain the arc. Wattage dissipation in the failed lamp end greatly increases. As a result, the end of the envelope 8 heats far above its normal operating temperature. The lead wires 12, 14 within the envelope 8 can become molten and melt through the envelope and/or cause the envelope to crack and sometimes break upon removal of the lamp from a fixture. The excessive heating of the lamp end can also cause damage to a socket or lamp fixture in which the lamp is mounted, or melting of a plastic lamp base.
To alleviate the problem, instant start electronic ballasts have been designed with additional circuitry to sense a rise in lamp voltage, or other events occurring upon cathode depletion, and shut down the system. However, such additional electronic components significantly increase the cost of the ballast. Further, many ballasts which do not .
include such a feature already exist in present lamp installations.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a fluorescent lamp which self-contains means for arc shut-down at the end of life of the lamp, which shut-down means does not include or require additional circuitry or electronic components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a fluorescent lamp having means therein for causing arc shut-down at the end of lamp life.
A further object of the invention is to provide a fluorescent lamp having such means for arc shut-down wherein the shut-down means requires no additional circuitry or electronic components.
With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the invention is the provision of a fluorescent lamp comprising a glass tube, an electrode at each end of the tube, each of the electrodes comprising a pair of lead wires extending through a sealed end of the tube and joined to a coil, and a deposit of metal hydride-containing paste disposed in the tube and having a decomposition temperature higher than temperatures within the tube during normal operation of the lamp.
The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combination of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular devices embodying the invention are shown by way of illustration only and not as limitations of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention, from which its novel features and advantages will be apparent.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a prior art fluorescent lamp;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of an end portion of the lamp of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2, but shows one form of fluorescent lamp illustrative of an embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3, but shows another form of fluorescent lamp illustrative of an alternative embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a fluorescent lamp 2 comprising a glass tube 8. An electrode 4, 6, (one shown in FIG. 3) is disposed at each end of the tube 8. A pair of lead wires 12, 14 extend through each sealed end of the tube and are joined to a coil 10 to form the electrodes. A
deposit 30 of metal hydride-containing paste is disposed in the tube 8 and is provided with a decomposition temperature higher than temperatures within the tube 8 during normal operation of the lamp. During normal lamp operation, the temperature of the paste is preferably maintained at about 150 °C or less. It will be seen that the electrode 6 is similar to that shown in FIG. 2, but has disposed on each of the lead wires 12, 14 the metal hydride-containing deposit 30. The deposit 30 preferably is joined to the lead wires 12, 14 at each end of the tube 8 at a point at which the lead wires 12, 14 emerge from a glass seal 32, that is, at the lead wire-glass seal interface.
In operation, at the end of the lamp life, caused by depletion of the cathode coating at one end of the lamp, the coil 10 in that end of the lamp rises to a temperature much higher than its normal operating temperature and is eventually burned off. The arc then attaches to a lead wire 12 or 14 and raises the temperature of that wire. Heat conducted down the wire thermally decomposes the metal hydride-containing paste deposit 30, and hydrogen is released within the lamp. During this period, the temperature of the paste reaches 650 °C or higher. The presence of hydrogen in the tube 8 raises the voltage required to sustain the discharge well above that provided by instant start ballasts, causing the lamp to go out passively, without significant end heating or glass cracking. The hydrogen release occurs rapidly enough to prevent damage to a fixture retaining the affected lamp.
The quantity of hydrogen released, typically about one Torr-liter from a five milligram deposit, is sufficient to quench the arc in larger fluorescent lamps.
A preferred embodiment of paste is formulated by mixing 40 parts by weight of finely powdered titanium hydride and 60 parts by weight of colloidal alumina suspension in water.
A deposit of this paste, which, when dried, weighs about five milligrams, is applied to the base of each lead wire 12, 14 where the lead wire emerges from the glass seal 32.

Alternative paste embodiments may be used, including binders other than colloidal alumina. ~ Preferably, the binder is inorganic and not subject to outgassing once dried, such as, for example, montmorillonite clays and various silicates.
Referring to FIG. 4, there is illustrated an electrode configuration wherein a glass bead 40 is fixed on the two lead wires 12, 14 and the deposit 30 preferably is disposed on the surface of the glass bead nearest the coil 10, though the deposit may be applied to the sides or surface most removed from the coil.
The preferred metal hydride is titanium hydride, TiHl,~. The metal hydride can be selected from a group including titanium, zirconium, hafnium, alloys of these metals with one another, and alloys of these metals with other metals such as cobalt, iron, nickel, manganese, lanthanum, or combinations of these other metals.
There is thus provided a fluorescent lamp having means therein for causing shut-down at the end of lamp life, which means requires no additional circuitry or electronic components. The costs associated with the shut-down means are trivial and much lower than the cost of providing a shut-down circuit in the ballast,~even though the ballast may survive several lamp lives.

It is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the particular constructions herein disclosed and/or shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications or equivalents within the scope of the claims.
Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

Claims (9)

1. A fluorescent lamp comprising:
a glass tube;
an electrode at each end of said tube; each of said electrodes comprising a pair of lead wires extending through a sealed end of said tube and joined to a coil; and a deposit of metal hydride-containing paste disposed in said tube and having a decomposition temperature higher than temperatures within said tube during normal operation of said lamp.
2. The fluorescent lamp in accordance with claim 1 wherein said deposit is disposed on each lead wire of each of said pairs of lead wires.
3. The fluorescent lamp in accordance with claim 2 wherein said deposit is disposed on said lead wires at a lead wire-glass seal interface.
4. The fluorescent lamp in accordance with claim 1 wherein a glass bead is disposed on each pair of lead wires and said deposit is disposed on said glass bead.
5. The fluorescent lamp in accordance with claim 4 wherein said deposit is disposed on said glass bead at the juncture of said glass bead and said lead wires extending therefrom.
6. The fluorescent lamp in accordance with claim 1 wherein said metal hydride contained in said paste is a selected one from a group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, a titanium-zirconium alloy, a titanium hafnium alloy, and a zirconium-hafnium alloy.
7. The fluorescent lamp in accordance with claim 1 wherein said metal hydride comprises an alloy consisting of a selected one from a group consisting of titanium, zirconium, and hafnium, and a selected one from a group consisting of cobalt, iron, nickel, manganese, and lanthanum.
8. The fluorescent lamp in accordance with claim 1 wherein said metal hydride comprises titanium hydride.
9. The fluorescent lamp in accordance with claim 8 wherein said paste comprises 40 parts by weight of said titanium hydride and 60 parts by weight of colloidal alumina suspension in water, said titanium hydride being in finely powdered form.
CA002169581A 1995-02-17 1996-02-15 Fluorescent lamp with end of life arc quenching structure Expired - Fee Related CA2169581C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US38999595A 1995-02-17 1995-02-17
US08/389,995 1995-02-17

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2169581A1 CA2169581A1 (en) 1996-08-18
CA2169581C true CA2169581C (en) 2006-11-14

Family

ID=23540604

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002169581A Expired - Fee Related CA2169581C (en) 1995-02-17 1996-02-15 Fluorescent lamp with end of life arc quenching structure

Country Status (7)

Country Link
JP (1) JP2980548B2 (en)
KR (1) KR100400615B1 (en)
CN (1) CN1087489C (en)
CA (1) CA2169581C (en)
DE (1) DE69608586T2 (en)
HU (1) HU219695B (en)
IN (1) IN186954B (en)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5585693A (en) * 1995-02-17 1996-12-17 Osram Sylvania Inc. Fluorescent lamp with end of life arc quenching structure
US6281626B1 (en) * 1998-03-24 2001-08-28 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Cold emission electrode method of manufacturing the same and display device using the same
EP1104008B1 (en) 1999-06-08 2006-03-08 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Fluorescent lamp
DE10218827A1 (en) * 2002-04-26 2003-11-06 Patent Treuhand Ges Fuer Elektrische Gluehlampen Mbh Low-pressure discharge lamp with switch-off device at the end of its service life
US7999470B2 (en) * 2004-12-21 2011-08-16 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6258539A (en) * 1985-09-09 1987-03-14 Matsushita Electronics Corp Manufacture of rapid-start fluorescent lamp
US5057751A (en) * 1990-07-16 1991-10-15 General Electric Company Protective coating for high-intensity metal halide discharge lamps
US5098326A (en) * 1990-12-13 1992-03-24 General Electric Company Method for applying a protective coating to a high-intensity metal halide discharge lamp
US5210461A (en) * 1992-02-18 1993-05-11 Gte Products Corporation Arc discharge lamp containing mechanism for extinguishing arc at end-of-life
US5585693A (en) * 1995-02-17 1996-12-17 Osram Sylvania Inc. Fluorescent lamp with end of life arc quenching structure

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN1087489C (en) 2002-07-10
IN186954B (en) 2001-12-22
DE69608586T2 (en) 2001-02-15
HU219695B (en) 2001-06-28
JP2980548B2 (en) 1999-11-22
HUP9600359A3 (en) 1999-11-29
DE69608586D1 (en) 2000-07-06
JPH08250066A (en) 1996-09-27
KR100400615B1 (en) 2003-12-18
CN1141498A (en) 1997-01-29
HU9600359D0 (en) 1996-04-29
CA2169581A1 (en) 1996-08-18
KR960032574A (en) 1996-09-17
HUP9600359A2 (en) 1996-11-28

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Effective date: 20130215