US1694836A - Mercury vapor lamp - Google Patents

Description

Dec. ll, 1928.

W. ULBRICH MERCURY VAPOR LAMP Filed March 23, -1927 Patented Dec. 11, 1928.

UNIT-ED STATES WILHELM ULBRICIL OF JENA, GERMANY.

MERCURY varon, LAMP.

Application nled March 23, 1927, Serial No. 177,710, and in Germany March 29, 1926.

Fo;v igniting mercury va or lamps they are tilted in such a manner t at-the mercury lows from one pole, for instance out of the anode body filled with mercury, through the lighting tube towards the other pole to the cathode, so that a conductive connection between the two poles is only established throu h the mass of mercury. It has, however, een found that in most cases ignition does not take place immediately and that it' is necessary to tilt the lam Several times, before the arc is establishe in the tube, and that owing -to the considerable mass of mercury which iows in the tube when this is done, the arc is apt to be ru tured again and extinguished on the lamp eing tilted back again into the burning position, through the mass of mercury floodin back again, s o that it is -necessary to tilt the amp again for causing ignition.

These drawbacks are overcome according to the present invention by the mercury not bein conveyed from one hole to another in a fu l stream occupying a large art of the tube, for causing ignition, but eing conveyed to the other pole only in one or more fine streams.

A lamp constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which a mercury vapor lamp is represented, having two anode bodies partially filled with mercury and one cathode body filled with mercury. Fig. 1 bein a plan view of thelamp,v Fig. 2 a si e elevation of the same, Fig. 3 a view of the single cathode end 'with lamp in the tilted position,

gig. 4 a view of the lamp when burning, an

Fig. 5 a partial longitudinal section through a second construetlonal form whose omitted part corresponds with the right hand part of Figure 4.

According to the invention an arrangement is provided, by which for igniting the lamp the mercury is conveyed from one pole, in the exam le shown the mercury out of the anode bo y a, in a fine stream to the other pole, in the example shown to the mercury 60 1n the cathode body b.

For this purpose in or on the illuminating tube c in a known manner conducting means are provided, for instance Gutters or fine tubes d, which extend along the greater part of the illuminating tube c. Preferably in 'ticularly in the case of so-called high resthe vicinity of the anode bodies a or in the same a wall e is provided which Vpartly shuts oil the illuminating tube c or the connection between the latter and the anode body and from which the fine tubes d start. By this means there will be a certain damming up of the mercury level at the starting point ol the fine tubes, as is indicated at 7, thus ensuring that, on the lamp being tilted, there will l bea prolonged flow of mercury through the fine tubes d.

The ine tubes are so arranged that, when the lamp is burning, they lic outside the are which after a short period of time, more parsure lamps, separates from the wall o the illuminating tube and is constricted to a luminous band A of relatively small crosssectional area, as is indicated in Figure 4. For this purpose the conducting means, for instance the line tubes d, are placed as near as possible to the wall of the illuminating tube, in the example shown the lower wall of the said tube, their ends being in this case slightly bent upwards and inwards, as in-l so dicated at d', for ensuring, on the lamp being tilted, that the jets of mercury emerging at d will be directed to the other pole, in the example shown the mercury of the cathode body. By this arrangement an arcuate jet of mercury is produced, which, even when mercury gradually accumulates 'in the neighbourhood of the cathode, still makes ignition possible. In Fig. 3 g represents the jet of mercury emerging from the line tube d. On the lamp being tiltedfor igniting it, the line jets g of mercury emerging from the ine tubes d immediately establish the conductive connection and 1n a relatively short space of time the interior space of the lamp will have become conductive owing to ionization or the like, so that the arc is established and the lamp can be tilted back into the burning position. As only a relatively small quantity of mercur passes out through the fine 100 tubes and ignltion takes place remarkably rapidly, there will not be such a backward rush of mercury, on the lamp being tilted back into theburning position that the arc which has been established will be ruptured 105.

again and extinguished. Owing to the fact that the conductive means for the fine ow of mercury for ignition purposes do not extend right up to the other pole and are so arranged that they lie outside the range of the arc, there is no danger of these parts being in any way changed, for instance by being fused, owing to the high temperature ofthe arc.

This arrangement is of course just as applicable, when instead of a mercury cathode a. metallic cathode is used, on to which the fine jets of mercury are conveyed.v The arrangement may of course also be such that the conducting means for the fine jets of mercury start from the cathode and lead to the anode and also such that the lie outside the illuminating tube instead o within it, as in the example shown, only opening into the interior of the illuminating tube in the vicinity of the other pole.

In the constructional form shown in Fig. 5, the wall which dams back the mercury and forces it to enter the conducting means, for instance the fine tube l is approximately 'horizontal, as shown at 7:.. This constructional form has the special advantage that, when the lamp is returned from the tilted into the burning position, the mercury contained in the illuminating tube c will How back to the last drop into the anode body a.

What I- claim is:

1. A mercury vapor lamp comprising in combination an illuminating tube capable of being tilted, anode and cathode bodies on the said illuminating tube, constituting the poles, at least one container in the said anode and cathode bodies for containing mercury, fine tubes extending longitudinally of the said illuminating tube from the pole vessel containing the mercury to the vicinity of the other ole, and means at the junction of the fine tu es and .the pole vessel containing the mercury for obstructing the flow of the mercury, on the lamp being tilted, and allowing it only to enter the fine tubes.

2. A mercury vapor lamp comprisin in combination an illuminating tube capabl of being tilted,`anode and cathode bodies on the said illuminating tube, constituting the poles, at least one container in the said anode and cathode bodies for containing mercury, line tubes extending longitudinally of the said illuminating tube from the pole vessel containing the mercur to thefvicinity of the other pole, obstructing walls at the junction of the fine tubes and the pole vessel containing the mercury and an opening in each wall for the connection of the line tubes for the urpose of allowing the mercury, when the amp is tilted only to enter the iine tubes.

3. A mercury vapor lamp comprisin in combination an illuminating tube capablyz of being tilted, anode and cathode bodies on the said illuminating tube, constituting the poles, at least one container in the said anode and cathode bodies for containing mercury, fine tubes positioned in the illuminating tube at Y one side of the same and extending from the pole4 vessel containing the mercury to the vicinity of the other pole and having this end bent for enabling an arcuate jet of mercury to be formed and for ensuring a good contact with the lastnamed pole, obstructin walls at the junction of the line tubes and t e pole vessel containing the mercury and an opening in each wall for the connection of the fine tubes for the purpose of allowing the mercury, when the lamp is tilted only to enter the fine tubes.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. l

WILHELM ULBRICH.

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