US3602755A - U-shaped fluorescent lamp with improved envelope-bracing means - Google Patents

U-shaped fluorescent lamp with improved envelope-bracing means Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3602755A
US3602755A US4482A US3602755DA US3602755A US 3602755 A US3602755 A US 3602755A US 4482 A US4482 A US 4482A US 3602755D A US3602755D A US 3602755DA US 3602755 A US3602755 A US 3602755A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
envelope
collars
fluorescent lamp
base members
base
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 - Lifetime
Application number
US4482A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Frederick W Hoeh
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.)
Philips North America LLC
Original Assignee
Westinghouse Electric 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 Westinghouse Electric Corp filed Critical Westinghouse Electric Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3602755A publication Critical patent/US3602755A/en
Assigned to NORTH AMERICAN PHILIPS ELECTRIC CORP. reassignment NORTH AMERICAN PHILIPS ELECTRIC CORP. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/30—Vessels; Containers
    • H01J61/32—Special longitudinal shape, e.g. for advertising purposes
    • H01J61/325—U-shaped lamps

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to electric lamps and has particular reference to an improved U-shaped fluorescent lamp.
  • Fluorescent lamps having U-shaped envelopes are well known in the art and are becoming quite popular in the industry since they provide compact high-intensity light sources and thus reduce the size of the lighting fixtures.
  • marketing tests have shown that the legs of such lamps have a tendency to flex, particularly when the lamp is being installed into its fixture. There is, accordingly, a potential danger that such flexing may cause the envelope to break and injure personnel handling the lamp. Maintaining the base pin-to-base pin spacing of the finished lamp within established tolerances is also difficult due to many variables that influence the envelopebending operation and the relative position of the envelope legs.
  • braces of this type achieve the desired purpose, they are not entirely satisfactory since variations in the dimensions of the envelope and looped portions of the brace may cause the brace to fit too tightly or too loosely on the lamp. If it fits too loosely the brace may shift position on the lamp and allow the pin-to-pin spacing to change.
  • brace is of a predetermined length
  • lamps having envelope legs that deviate from the nominal leg-to-leg spacing have to be compressed or spread apart before the lamp will accommodate the brace and permit the latter to be slipped onto the lamp. This, obviously, is undesirable since it strains the bent portion of the glass envelope.
  • Braces which are formed to interfit with metal shells of specially designed base members are also known in the art but are also not entirely satisfactory since they will not accommodate lamps having legs that deviate from the normal leg-to-leg spacing. Such lamps thus also have to be distorted to fit the brace. Alternatively, a series of braces of different lengths must be stocked and each brace custom-fitted with each lamp during assembly.
  • the aforesaid problems and disadvantages are eliminated in accordance with the present invention by utilizing a harness that is made from stifl' wire and is terminated at each end by a bent segment that is shaped and dimensioned to fit within the cavity of a conventional fluorescent lamp base between the end wall of the base and the sealed end of the glass envelope.
  • the harness extends through aligned openings in the collar portions of the respective bases and the bent end segments are securely locked within the base cavities by the cement which joins the bases to the sealed ends of the envelope.
  • the end segments of the harness are preferably of arcuate configuration and are made slightly smaller than the inside dimensions of the cylindrical base collars so that there is a sufficient amount of play between the harness and the respective bases to compensate for variations in the leg-to-leg spacing of the envelope.
  • the hamess-base assembly can thus be fitted onto and cemented to the sealed-in lamp without distorting the envelope in any way. Once the basing cement is cured, the harness is rigidly joined to the base structures and remains in fixed position on the lamp.
  • FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a U-shaped fluorescent lamp embodying the improved reinforcing harness and structure of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the wire harness used in the lamp shown in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the based ends of the lamp shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the manner in which the arcuate ends of the harness are interlocked with the respective bases;
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view through the based ends of the lamp along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the based ends of a U- shaped fluorescent lamp that is provided with the harness depicted in FIG. 5, the base members being shown in cross section to illustrate the interlocked juncture of the harness and the respective bases.
  • FIG. 1 there is shown a U-shaped fluorescent lamp 10 which embodies the preferred form of the present invention and consists of a tubular vitreous envelope 11 that is bent to form a pair of spaced leg portions 12 and 13 of the same length.
  • the envelope leg 12 is hermetically sealed by a conventional tubulated mount comprising a glass stem 14 and a pair of lead wires 16 that are sealed through the stem and sup port a cathode 18.
  • the other envelope leg 13 is sealed by a nontubulated mount consisting of a glass stem 15, lead wires 17 and a cathode 19.
  • plastic base members 20 and 21 are fastened to the sealed ends of the envelope legs 12 and 13 by rings of cured basing cement C and the outer ends of the lead wires 16 and 17 are connected to two pairs of spaced contact pins 22 and 23 anchored in the end walls of the respective bases.
  • the inner surface of the envelope 11 is coated with a layer P of suitable ultraviolet-responsive phosphor and the envelope is evacuated and charged with a measured amount of mercury and a suitable fill gas such as a mixture of neon and argon at a pressure of a few millimeters of mercury in the usual fashion.
  • the cathode 18 and 19 are conventional and consist of tungsten wire coils that are coated with a suitable electron-emissive material.
  • the base members 20,21 need not be made of plastic and well-known metal bases with insulated pin inserts can be used.
  • a rigid elongated bracing member such as a harness 24 of stiff wire that is mechanically interlocked with the base members 20 and 21 and securely holds the leg portions 12 and 13 of the envelope 11 and contactpins 22,23 in the desired spaced-apart relationship.
  • the harness 24 has a substantially straight medial section 25 that is terminated by curved end segments 26 and 27 of semicircular configuration that are disposed in a common plane and have a predetermined center-to-center dimension :c".
  • the semicircular end segments 26 and 27 of the harness 24 are located within the cavities formed by the end walls and the cylindrical sidewalls or collars of the-respective base members 20 and 21 and are sandwiched between the end walls of the bases and the sealed ends of the envelope 11.
  • the curvature and dimensionsof these semicircular segments 26,27 are such that they are slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical collars of the respective bases 20,21.
  • the arcuate ends 26,27 of the harness 24 will thus be spaced inwardly a small distance from the base collars, as shown.
  • the portions of the straight medial section 25 of the harness 24 immediately adjacent the curved ends 26 and 27 extend through apertures 28 and 29 in the collar portions of the bases and 21, respectively. These apertures are aligned with one another and are so located that the medial portion of the harness 24 is in line with the two sets of base pins 22 and 23 (as shown in FIG. 4).
  • the curved end segments 26 and 27 span diametrically-opposed portions of the base collars, as will be noted in FIGS. 3 and 4 and are thus restrained by the base collars and prevented from inadvertently contacting the leads 16,17 and the staked inner ends of the base pins 22,23.
  • the medial segment 25 of the harness 24 does not have to be straight-it can be shaped as desired as long as it is of the proper length to provide the required pin-to-pin spacingflt can also comprise a metal stamping rather than a preformed wire member.
  • harness 24 is mechanically interlocked with the base members 20 and 21 by virtue of the interfitting of the semicircular end segments 26 and 27 with the associated base collars, a stronger and more rigid juncture can be provided by placing the arcuate end segments 26,27 of the harness 24 in contact with the basing cement C that extends around the inner peripheries of the base collars so that the cement, when subsequently cured and hardened, bonds the harness to the respective bases and provides an integral structure.
  • This construction is shown in FIG. 3 and is preferred since it provides an arrangement wherein the harness 24 is rigidly joined to the respective base members 20 and 21 by the overlying rings of basing cement C.
  • Assembly of the wire harness 24 with the bases 20 and 21 is readily accomplished by depositing the rings of cement C into the base collars to the proper depth, slipping the arcuate ends of the harness into the bases through the sidewall apertures 28 and 29 to form a base-harness assembly, and then placing the bases on the respective sealed ends of the envelope 11 and curing the cement C in the usual manner by heating.
  • SPECIFIC EXAMPLE As a specific example, satisfactory results have been obtained in the case of a 40-watt T12 fluorescent lamp having a U-shaped envelope with a nominal leg-to-leg spacing (centerto-cent'er) of l52.4 mm. by using conventional phenolic plastic bases having an inner collar diameter of approximately 34 mm. and a wire harness fabricated from stainless steel wire that had a diameter of 1.27 mm., an overall length of approximately 185 mm., and semicircular end segments that had radii of 15.5 mm. and were spaced 152.4 mm. apart (center to center dimension 1" in FIG. 2).
  • the holes 28 and 29 in the base collars had a diameter of approximately 2.5 mm. and their lower edges were substantially flush with the inner surface of the end walls of the bases.
  • FIGS. 5 and 6 there is shown an alternative embodiment wherein the brace consists of a rigid wire harness 30 having a straight medial section 31 that is terminated by circular segments 32 and 33 which are disposed in a common plane and are slightly smaller than the base collars. Since the base engaging portions of the harness 30 are circular in configuration, they cannot be assembled with the base members 20a and 21a (FIG. 6) by inserting the ends of the harness through apertures in the prefilled bases as in the embodiment above described.
  • each of the base members 20a and 21a are provided with slots 34 and 35, respectively, that are aligned with one another and extend from the peripheries of the base collars toward the ends of the bases a sufficient distance to accommodate the straight section 31 of the harness 30 immediately adjacent thecircular ends 32,33.
  • the ends 32 and 33 are thus simply slipped into the slotted bares 20a and 21a and rings of basing cement C are deposited around the inner periphery of the base collars and over the adjacent surfaces of the circular ends 32 and 33, thus forming a hamess-base assembly that is placed onto the sealed ends of the envelope leg portions 12a and 13a.
  • the cement is then cured by heat to provide a U-shaped fluorescent lamp 10a that has envelope leg portions 12a and which are securely joined together by a wire harness 30 that is bonded to and thus constitutes an integral part of the base structures as in the case of the preferred embodiment described previously.
  • bracing structure is such that it permits the use of conventional type bases, automatically compensates for variations in the leg-spacing dimensions of the bent envelopes and becomes an integral part of the base structures during the normal sequence of lampmaking operations.
  • a rigid elongated member joining said envelope leg portions and having end segments that extend through openings in the walls of the respective base members into said base cavities and are in interlocked relationship with the interior surfaces of said base members.
  • each of said base members are fastened to the respective ends of said envelope leg portions by a body of cured cement
  • portions of the interlocked end segments of said rigid elongated member are joined to the respective base members by the associated body of cured cement.
  • each of said base members comprise a cylindrical collar that encircles the adjoined end of the associated envelope leg portion
  • said body of cured cement extends around the inner periphery of the respective base collars
  • said rigid elongated member comprises a wire harness having arcuate end segments that span diametrically-opposed parts of the respective base collars and are joined to said collars by said cement.
  • said wire harness has a substantially straight medial segment and semicircular end segments that are disposed in a common plane, and
  • said wire harness extends through substantially aligned apertures in the collars of the respective base members.
  • said wire harness has a substantially straight medial segment and circular end segments that are disposed in a common plane
  • said wire harness extends through substantially aligned slots in the collars of the respective base members that extend MT from the collar peripheries toward the end walls of said base members.

Landscapes

  • Vessels And Coating Films For Discharge Lamps (AREA)
  • Common Detailed Techniques For Electron Tubes Or Discharge Tubes (AREA)
US4482A 1970-01-21 1970-01-21 U-shaped fluorescent lamp with improved envelope-bracing means Expired - Lifetime US3602755A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US448270A 1970-01-21 1970-01-21

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3602755A true US3602755A (en) 1971-08-31

Family

ID=21711023

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US4482A Expired - Lifetime US3602755A (en) 1970-01-21 1970-01-21 U-shaped fluorescent lamp with improved envelope-bracing means

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US3602755A (fr)
JP (1) JPS508859B1 (fr)
BE (1) BE761739A (fr)
DE (1) DE2101967A1 (fr)
NL (1) NL7100569A (fr)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3753027A (en) * 1970-03-20 1973-08-14 Philips Corp Discharge lamp arrangement
US3904916A (en) * 1971-03-15 1975-09-09 Duro Test Corp End cap structures for fluorescent lamps
US4319162A (en) * 1979-02-13 1982-03-09 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Fluorescent lamp having a convoluted tubular envelope of compact tridimensional configuration
US4740873A (en) * 1981-09-17 1988-04-26 Gte Products Corporation Energy saving "U" shaped fluorescent lamp
US4771370A (en) * 1987-06-29 1988-09-13 Gte Products Corporation Leg strap for U-shaped lamp
US4906891A (en) * 1987-05-25 1990-03-06 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Low-pressure discharge lamp and electrical base structure

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5483370U (fr) * 1977-11-15 1979-06-13

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3753027A (en) * 1970-03-20 1973-08-14 Philips Corp Discharge lamp arrangement
US3904916A (en) * 1971-03-15 1975-09-09 Duro Test Corp End cap structures for fluorescent lamps
US4319162A (en) * 1979-02-13 1982-03-09 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Fluorescent lamp having a convoluted tubular envelope of compact tridimensional configuration
US4740873A (en) * 1981-09-17 1988-04-26 Gte Products Corporation Energy saving "U" shaped fluorescent lamp
US4906891A (en) * 1987-05-25 1990-03-06 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Low-pressure discharge lamp and electrical base structure
US4771370A (en) * 1987-06-29 1988-09-13 Gte Products Corporation Leg strap for U-shaped lamp

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE761739A (fr) 1971-07-19
JPS508859B1 (fr) 1975-04-08
NL7100569A (fr) 1971-07-23
DE2101967A1 (de) 1971-07-29

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US3602755A (en) U-shaped fluorescent lamp with improved envelope-bracing means
US4864184A (en) Lamp construction and method of manufacture
US4308650A (en) Method of making a mercury dispenser, getter and shield assembly for a fluorescent lamp
US4319162A (en) Fluorescent lamp having a convoluted tubular envelope of compact tridimensional configuration
US2200954A (en) Electric device
US4126810A (en) Ceramic base for glass halogen lamps
US2946909A (en) Discharge device
US2453986A (en) Circular electric lamp
US3748519A (en) Tubular heat lamp having integral gettering means
US3466489A (en) Incandescent lamp
US5847510A (en) High pressure discharge bulb
US4324998A (en) Base and terminal-pin assembly for an electric lamp
US3510719A (en) Bent end electric lamp
US3218495A (en) Arc tube mount and component therefor
US4771370A (en) Leg strap for U-shaped lamp
US4208606A (en) Filament-support means for a tubular incandescent lamp
US3356884A (en) Electrode starting arrangement having a coiled heating element connected to the retroverted portion of the electrode
EP0156385A2 (fr) Positionnement d'électrodes et projet de capsule pour lampes à puissance basse à halogène métallique à bout unique
JP2004502278A (ja) 押圧封止部内で緊締されたフィラメント脚部を有するハロゲン白熱ランプ
US5296780A (en) Arc discharge lamp having cementless right-angle base members
US3733508A (en) Halogen-cycle incandescent lamp having an improved filament mount assembly
US2451900A (en) Electrical discharge device and base
US5896003A (en) Compact fluorescent lamp and method for manufacturing the same
US3376456A (en) Electric discharge lamp having a resiliently suspended fragile member therein that decreases the diffusion length of the discharge
US3544830A (en) Quartz-halogen lamp and method of making

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: NORTH AMERICAN PHILIPS ELECTRIC CORP.

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:004113/0393

Effective date: 19830316