EP0128553B1 - Single-ended metal halide discharge lamps and process of manufacture - Google Patents

Single-ended metal halide discharge lamps and process of manufacture Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0128553B1
EP0128553B1 EP84106570A EP84106570A EP0128553B1 EP 0128553 B1 EP0128553 B1 EP 0128553B1 EP 84106570 A EP84106570 A EP 84106570A EP 84106570 A EP84106570 A EP 84106570A EP 0128553 B1 EP0128553 B1 EP 0128553B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
envelope
elliptical
shaped
metal halide
electrodes
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
Application number
EP84106570A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0128553A1 (en
Inventor
George J. English
Harold L. Rothwell, Jr.
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
GTE Products Corp
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by GTE Products Corp filed Critical GTE Products Corp
Publication of EP0128553A1 publication Critical patent/EP0128553A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0128553B1 publication Critical patent/EP0128553B1/en
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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J9/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture, installation, removal, maintenance of electric discharge tubes, discharge lamps, or parts thereof; Recovery of material from discharge tubes or lamps
    • H01J9/24—Manufacture or joining of vessels, leading-in conductors or bases
    • H01J9/245—Manufacture or joining of vessels, leading-in conductors or bases specially adapted for gas discharge tubes or lamps
    • H01J9/247—Manufacture or joining of vessels, leading-in conductors or bases specially adapted for gas discharge tubes or lamps specially adapted for gas-discharge lamps
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/04—Electrodes; Screens; Shields
    • H01J61/06—Main electrodes
    • H01J61/073—Main electrodes for high-pressure discharge lamps
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/82—Lamps with high-pressure unconstricted discharge having a cold pressure > 400 Torr
    • H01J61/827—Metal halide arc lamps

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a process for manufacturing a single-ended metal halide discharge lamp and to such a lamp.
  • tungsten or tungsten halogen lamps do have certain desirable features such as low cost, desirable colour features enhancing skin tones and do not require a special power source, several undesirable features are unfortunately also present.
  • structures employing a tungsten source do not generate enough blue light, tend to undesirably generate large amounts of heat which necessitates expensive and cumbersome cooling devices located adjacent the light source, and tend to exhibit a relatively short life such as an operational period of about 10 to 20 hours.
  • screen illumination is limited due to the inability to increase surface luminance much beyond 3400°K while the mechanical body structure is rigid leading to destruction during operation by chemical means and by vibration or shock.
  • metal halide discharge lamps as a light source.
  • a common form of high pressure metal halide discharge lamps is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,161,672.
  • a double-ended arc tube or an arc tube having electrodes sealed into diametrically opposite ends is employed in conjunction with an evacuated or noble gas filled outer envelope.
  • such structures are relatively expensive to manufacture and are obviously not appropriate for use in projectors or other optic lens-type apparatus.
  • a single-ended metal halide arc discharge is known from GB-A-2 103 872 and, in particular, Figure 5 of said document.
  • the electrodes have a rod-like shape and protrude parallel to each other into the elliptical shaped interior of a fused silica envelope.
  • This lamp has electrodes without spherical balls thereon and does not disclose a seasoning step.
  • Figure 1 illustrates a low wattage metal halide lamp having a body portion 5 of a material such as fused silica.
  • This fused silica body portion 5 is formed to provide an elliptical-shaped interior portion 7 having a major and minor diametrical measurement, "X" and “Y” respectively, in a ratio of about 2:1.
  • the elliptical-shaped interior portion 7 preferably has a height "Z" substantially equal to the minor dimensional measurement "Y".
  • Each of the electrodes 9 and 11 includes a metal rod 13 with a spherical ball 15 on the end thereof within the elliptical-shaped interior portion 7.
  • the electrodes 9 and 11 are positioned within the elliptical-shaped interior portion 7 in a manner such that the end of the spherical balls 15 of the electrodes 9 and 11 is substantially equally spaced from the interior portion 7 insofar as the major and minor axes "X" and "Y" and also substantially at the midpoint of the height "Z".
  • a metal-bearing mercury fill is disposed within the elliptical-shaped interior portion 7.
  • mercury dosed with a metal halide such as sodium and scandium along with argon is an appropriate fill for a low wattage metal halide discharge lamp.
  • a 50-watt discharge lamp having an elliptical-shaped interior portion 7 with a volume of about.1 Cm 3 was filled with about 3.0 mgms of mercury, 1.9 mgms of sodium and scandium in a molar ratio of about 20:1 and argon at a pressure of about 200 torr.
  • Operational testing provided an initial lumen output of about 3100 lumens with a lumen maintenance of about 84% after 160 hours of operational life.
  • Figure 2 of the drawings illustrates the electrodes 9 and 11 each having a spherical ball 15 thereon and spaced along the major axis "X" and substantially equal distance from the walls 17 of the interior portion 7.
  • the body portion 5 is preferably vertically positioned such that the spherical balls 15 are located one above the other.
  • a gas flow pattern is provided, as indicated by the arrows, wherein cool gas tends to flow down the outside wall 17 of the interior portion 7 and is drawn into the elliptical-shaped arc or plasma column 22 at the bottom electrode 11.
  • the spherical ball 15 of the bottom electrode 11 provides a spherical extension, which will be explained hereinafter, and, in turn, produces gas flow pinching or a venturi action 20 at the arc terminus of the spherical ball 15 of the bottom electrode 11. In this manner, arc terminus wandering is minimized. Also, the gas atoms are heated in the plasma column 22, and the upper electrode 9 acts as a deflector which spreads the hot gases reaching the top of the body portion 5 of the elliptical-shaped arc tube. Moreover, infrared measurements of the temperature of the wall 17 during operation of the arc tube indicate less than a 20% temperature variation at a wall temperature of about 1100°C.
  • the above-described elliptical-shaped interior portion 7 and the elliptical-shaped arc 22 provide a convection current flow 21 (Figure 2) which is substantially uniform and free from undesired turbulence such that arc stability, which is particularly important in projectors and lens systems, is provided.
  • protuberances 24 of ( Figure 4) are of a size which depends upon the local material properties and the field strength and gas flow properties. Moreover the growth formation also appears to be a function of the electrode size and temperature. Thus, the lower the operating temperature the longer the seasoning time required.
  • a 0.017-inch tungsten rod having a ball 15 thereon of about 0.025-inch was operated in a 100-watt metal halide filled discharge lamp drawing about 1.6 amperes of current. After about 15 minutes of "seasoning" at normal operational conditions, it was found that the arc stabilized and one or more protuberances appeared on the surface of the spherical balls 15 of the electrodes 9 and 11. Thus, the surface breakup into platelets and formation of the protuberances on the spheroid balls 15 inhibits any wandering of the arc and enhances the light source.
  • an arc source such as a metal halide discharge lamp
  • a metal halide discharge lamp provides a point source relative to a tungsten source.
  • a 100-watt metal halide discharge lamp exhibits a plasma having a minimum luminance intermediate the spherical balls 15 and a maximum luminance at or near the spherical balls 15.
  • the plasma column is normally about 1 to 2 mm in diameter and about 3 mm in length.
  • a tungsten source is about 2.5 mm in diameter and 8 mm in length with the luminance varying in a sinusoidal manner over the length of the tungsten source.
  • Table I showing a comparison in luminance, efficacy and size of a tungsten source, a high pressure xenon source and a metal halide lamp source:
  • the tungsten source at 300 watts provides about 33 lumens per watt as compared with 65 UW for a 100-watt metal halide lamp. Also, tests in a 35 mm projection system indicate an output of about 10,000 lumens from the 300-watt tungsten source is equivalent to that of the 6,500 lumens from the 100-watt metal halide lamp source.
  • the long wavelength radiation and the misdirected visible light of the tungsten source tends to be absorbed as heat by the film of a projector.
  • the tungsten lamp generates about 270 watts of heat as compared to about 90 watts or about 1/3 thereof by the metal halide lamp and associated power supply.
  • the xenon source shows a relatively high luminance capability but a relatively low efficacy capability.
  • a lumen output of the xenon source which is comparable to that provided by a 100-watt metal halide lamp would necessitate a xenon source of about 200 watts in order to compensate for a relatively poor efficacy capability.
  • a xenon source has a relatively small diameter, about 0.5 mm in the example, as compared with a metal halide lamp, about 1.0 mm, which greatly and undesirably reduces the tolerances or variations in positioned location of the arc source when employed with a reflector in a projection system. In other words, positional adjustment of an arc source in a xenon lamp is much more critical than in a metal halide discharge lamp system.
  • a single-ended metal halide discharge lamp wherein electrodes are disposed within an elliptical-shaped interior portion of a fused silica envelope.
  • This elliptical-shaped envelope interior in conjunction with an elliptical-shaped arc therein, provides a substantially isothermal operational condition of the fused silica envelope forming the discharge lamp.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Vessels And Coating Films For Discharge Lamps (AREA)
  • Discharge Lamp (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Electron Tubes, Discharge Lamp Vessels, Lead-In Wires, And The Like (AREA)
  • Discharge Lamps And Accessories Thereof (AREA)
  • Developing Agents For Electrophotography (AREA)
  • Projection Apparatus (AREA)
EP84106570A 1983-06-09 1984-06-08 Single-ended metal halide discharge lamps and process of manufacture Expired EP0128553B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US50277283A 1983-06-09 1983-06-09
US502772 1983-06-09

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0128553A1 EP0128553A1 (en) 1984-12-19
EP0128553B1 true EP0128553B1 (en) 1989-12-27

Family

ID=23999352

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP84106570A Expired EP0128553B1 (en) 1983-06-09 1984-06-08 Single-ended metal halide discharge lamps and process of manufacture

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0128553B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS609048A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA1255746A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (2) DE3480889D1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH01161660A (ja) * 1987-12-17 1989-06-26 Toshiba Corp メタルハライドランプ
US4998036A (en) * 1987-12-17 1991-03-05 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Metal vapor discharge lamp containing an arc tube with particular bulb structure
JP2630642B2 (ja) * 1988-11-28 1997-07-16 東芝ライテック株式会社 小形メタルハライドランプ
JP2583129B2 (ja) * 1989-08-23 1997-02-19 株式会社小糸製作所 放電電球の製造方法

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2524768A1 (de) * 1974-06-12 1976-01-02 Philips Nv Elektrode fuer eine entladungslampe
GB2013394A (en) * 1977-12-27 1979-08-08 Gen Electric Metal vapour discharge lamps

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1463056A (en) * 1973-01-19 1977-02-02 Thorn Lighting Ltd Electric discharge lamp
NL7514124A (nl) * 1975-12-04 1977-06-07 Philips Nv Werkwijze voor het ouderen van een gasontladings- lamp.
US4275329A (en) * 1978-12-29 1981-06-23 General Electric Company Electrode with overwind for miniature metal vapor lamp
US4254356A (en) * 1979-04-23 1981-03-03 General Electric Company Inlead and method of making a discharge lamp
JPS57165945A (en) * 1981-03-24 1982-10-13 Sylvania Electric Prod Metal halide arc discharge lamp
GB2103872A (en) * 1981-07-22 1983-02-23 Gen Electric Co Plc Electric discharge lamp seals
US4415829A (en) * 1981-08-13 1983-11-15 Gte Products Corporation Direct current operable arc lamp

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2524768A1 (de) * 1974-06-12 1976-01-02 Philips Nv Elektrode fuer eine entladungslampe
GB2013394A (en) * 1977-12-27 1979-08-08 Gen Electric Metal vapour discharge lamps

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA1255746A (en) 1989-06-13
JPH0542770B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1993-06-29
DE128553T1 (de) 1985-04-11
DE3480889D1 (de) 1990-02-01
EP0128553A1 (en) 1984-12-19
JPS609048A (ja) 1985-01-18

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