US1403079A

US1403079A - Electric-arc lamp

Info

Publication number: US1403079A
Application number: US174103A
Authority: US
Inventors: Heany John Allen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1917-06-11
Filing date: 1917-06-11
Publication date: 1922-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 1939-01-10

Description

J. A. HEANY.

ELECTRIC ARC LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE n. 1911.

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

by declare the followin PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ALLEN HEANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC-ABC LAMP.

1,403,079. Specification of Application filed June 11,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN ALLEN HEANY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Arc Lamps; and I do hereto be a full, clear, and exact description 0 the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to electric arc lamps operating on very low wattages and at the ordinary commercial voltages and maintaining high efiiciencies even in the smaller sizes ranging as low as ten or fifteen candle power. To this end, the invention comprises a lamp, involving a container or envelope, preferably adapted for connection in the ordinary incandescent lam socket and containing an inert gas, prefera 1y under diminished pressure, and two electrodes, between which the arc is established and maintained, connected to suitable lead wires, at least one of which electrodes comprises a body portion of highly refractory oxide which is a nonconductor of electricity, but which incandesces at a high temperature, and having a terminal made of an admixture of refractory oxide and refractory metal, the body ortion of said electrode being surrounded y a coil of highl refractory metallic wire, which is connecte to the terminal aforesaid, to serve as a ballast resistance, a luminant body per se, and a heating element, the coacting electrode bein normally in contact with the terminal of t e other electrode and preferably mounted u on a thermostat which operates to separate t e electrodes to proper arcing distance, when the current passes through the lamp.

In the accompanying drawing, the figure illustrates a lamp embodying the preferred form of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the globe or bulb of the lamp, which is preferably in the form usually employed in incandescent filament lamps, adapted for the usual socket connection, which bulb is exhausted of air and supplied with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, argon, or the like, preferably under diminished pressure. The bulb is provided with the usual form of glass neck 2, carrying the usual lead wires connected to the lamp terminals, to one of which lead wires is attached by means of :1

Le te Paten Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

1917. Serial No. 174,103.

lead 3, a wire coil 4 made of highly refractory metal such as tungsten, which coil surrounds and supports a rod-like element 5 of highly refractory non-conductive material, such as thorium oxide, to the end of which is secured a terminal 6 formed of an intimate admixture of highly refractory oxide w or oxides and finely divided and preferably highly refractor metal, such as tungsten, dispersed throug out the same to render said terminal conductive. formed by mixing the refractory material of which it is made with a dissipating'binder, moulding the plastic mass into the desired form and then sintering the same to drive off the binder and harden the rod. The terminal 6 is formed in the same way and is provided with a depression having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the electrode. The terminal is placed on the electrode so that the end of the electrode extends into the depression, after which the terminal is fused to the electrode. The end of the coil 5 is fused to said terminal 6.

The coacting electrode may, if desired, be formed substantially like that described, but preferably consists of a ball-like element 7 of highly refractory metal, such as tungsten orv tungsten alloy, or a composition of the same eneral character as terminal 6 of the opposite electrode. Said electrode 7 is secured to the lower end of the thermostat 8, which in turn is connected to the opposite lead wire of the lamp. The thermostat is adjusted to hold the arcing ends of the electrodes normally in contact and to separate the electrodes to proper arcing distance when the lamp is operating.

When current is turned into the lamp, it enters by way of lead 3, passes through the ballast and heating coil 4, thence to terminal 6, to electrode 7 in contact therewith, through the thermostat 8, back to the other terminal of the lamp. The effect of the passage of the current is to highly heat the wire coil 4, raise the same to incandescence, and at the same time to raise the temperature of the refractory oxide rod 5 to the point where said rod becomes incandescent. The heat developed acting upon thermostat 8 causes the same to move electrode 7 away from the terminal (3 of the opposite electrode and establish an arc between said terminals. When the arc is established, it is maintained with a steady brilliancy and quality approximating thatof sunlight, and is augmented by the The electrode 5 is.

incandescence of the refractory wire coil 4 and the rod-like body portion 5 of refractory oxide.

What I claim is z- 1. An arc lamp comprising a container, having suitable circuit connections, an electrode attached to one of said connections including a body portion formed of highly refractory oxide laving a terminal of a mixture of refractory oxide and refractory metal and a heating and ballast coil of refractory metal surrounding said iefractory material and connected to the terminal, a second electrode normally in contact with the terminal of the first electrode, and means for moving said electrodes apart to establish an arc therebetweeni- 2. An arc lamp comprising a container, having suitable circuit connections, an electrode attached to one of said connections including a body portion formed of highly refractory oxide having a terminal of a mixture of refractory oxide and refractory metal and a heating and ballast coil of refractory metal surrounding said refractory material and connected to the terminal, a second elecan electrode in said container formed of a mixture of a highly-refractory oxide and refractory metal, a second electrode normally in contact with said first electrode circuit connections for said electrodes including a ballast coil of refractory metal enveloping a core of refractory oxide, and means for moving said electrodes apart to establish an arc therebetween.

4. An arc lamp comprising a container, an electrode in said container formed of a mixture e-i'ii-g'rlflyaremetery oxide and re fractory metal, a second electrode normally in contact with said first electrode, circuit connections for said electrodes including a ballast coil of refractory metal enveloping a core of refractor oxide, a thermostat adapted to move sai electrodes apart to establish an are.

In testimony whereof I aflix m si nature.

JOHN ALLEN E NY.