US3816054A - Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction - Google Patents

Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3816054A
US3816054A US00356459A US35645973A US3816054A US 3816054 A US3816054 A US 3816054A US 00356459 A US00356459 A US 00356459A US 35645973 A US35645973 A US 35645973A US 3816054 A US3816054 A US 3816054A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
lamp
inleads
inlead
bulb
sleeve
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
US00356459A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
J Baldrige
J Sobieski
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.)
General Electric Co
Original Assignee
General Electric Co
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 General Electric Co filed Critical General Electric Co
Priority to US00356459A priority Critical patent/US3816054A/en
Priority to CA197,284A priority patent/CA1004052A/en
Priority to JP49046045A priority patent/JPS5015546A/ja
Priority to GB1874174A priority patent/GB1421091A/en
Priority to DE2420813A priority patent/DE2420813A1/de
Priority to BE143869A priority patent/BE814487A/xx
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3816054A publication Critical patent/US3816054A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21K—NON-ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES USING LUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING CHARGES OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL; LIGHT SOURCES USING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AS LIGHT-GENERATING ELEMENTS; LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21K5/00—Light sources using charges of combustible material, e.g. illuminating flash devices
    • F21K5/02—Light sources using charges of combustible material, e.g. illuminating flash devices ignited in a non-disrupting container, e.g. photo-flash bulb

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT A glass sleeve is positioned around one inlead of a photoflash lamp, so that the second inlead is bare for a greater distance from the filament (or other ignition means) than is the sleeved inlead.
  • the unsleeved inlead burns back farther than the sleeved inlead, thus causing a relatively large electrical path between the exposed parts of the burnedback inleads and reducing the likelihood of them becoming shorted either directly together or by metal fragments in the flashed lamp.
  • the invention is in the fluid of photoflash lamps of the type in which a pair of inleads carry a filamentor other electrical ignition means inside a bulb containing combustible material such as shredded metal foil and a combustionsupporting gas such as oxygen.
  • Electronic firing circuits employing transistor devices, have been developed for sequentially flashing, one at a time, a plurality of flash lamps in the form of a multiple-flash array. All of the lamps at the front side of the array are flashed without moving or turning the array.
  • An example of such a multiple-flash array, having five flash lamps on each side, is described in US. Pat. Nos. 3,598,984 to Stanley Slomski and 3,598,985 to John Harnden and William Kornrumpf.
  • An example of an electronic firing circuit for a multiple-flash lamp array is described in US. Pat. No. 3,676,045 to Donald Watrous and Paul Cote.
  • the circuit functions, basically, by sequencing past open-circuit flashed lamps,
  • An open-circuit flashed lamp by comparison, normally has a resistance, between its lead-in wires, of a few hundred ohms or greater. If a lamp, upon being flashed, becomes a shorted lamp (as described above having a low resistance of, for example, several ohms or less, the circuit will thereafter apply each succeeding firing pulse to the shorted flashed lamp, and no further good lamps connected in the circuit can be flashed. Thus, the need is evident for a flash lamp design that will almost invariably provide an open circuit'upon flashing.
  • Objects of the invention are to provide improved photoflash lamps, and to provide photoflash lamps which will almost invariably provide an open circuit upon flashing.
  • the invention comprises, briefly and in a preferred embodiment, a photoflash lamp of the type having a pair of lead wires extending into a bulb containing combustible metal and a combustion-supporting gas, there being a filament or other flash ignition means connected across the inlead wires within the bulb.
  • a sleeve such as glass, or other electrical and thermal insulation means, is provided around one of the inleads near the filament so that the second inlead is more exposed to heat of combustion of the flashing lamp, for a greater distance from the filament or other ignition means than is the sleeved inlead.
  • the insulating means of the invention performs several functions: it causes unequal burn-back of the inleads during lamp flashing, and thereafter functions as an electrical insulator between the burned-back inleads to cause a large separation between the exposed ends thereof, and it prevents direct shorting of the burned-back inleads with one another.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a photoflash lamp in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the filament mount of the lamp of FIG. I before the lamp is flashed;
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mount of FIG. 2, showing its condition after the lamp has been flashed:
  • FIG. 4 shows a prior artfilament mount arrangement, viewed the same as in FIGS. 2 and 3, after the lamp has been flashed.
  • the lamp shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing is generally the same as that shown in FIG. 5 of US. Pat. No. 3,506,385 to Kurt Weber and George Cressman, and comprises a tubular envelope 11, preferably made of a borosilicate glass or other suitable vitreous material having a stem press seal 12 at one end thereof through which a pair of lead wires 13,14 extend from the exterior to the interior of the bulb 11 in a mutually parallel spaced apart manner.
  • a bead 16 of glass or other suitable vitreous material secures the inlead portions 17 and 18 of the leads l3 and 14 in spaced relationship to each other within the bulb 11, and a filament l9 coated with suitable primer ignition material is held near the ends thereof by the ends 21 and 22 of the inleads l7 and 18 at a distance above the bead 16.
  • primer material may be applied over the inlead ends 21 and 22, instead of or in addition to being coated on the filament 19.
  • the bulb 11 is substantially filled with a loose mass of filamentary or shredded metal wire or foil 23, of zirconium or hafnium or other suitable combustible metal. Air is exhausted from the bulb 11, and the bulb is filled with oxygen at a pressure of at least several atmospheres, such as about 5 to 10 atmospheres, and the bulb is sealed off at an exhaust tip 24 at the other end thereof from the stem press seal 12.
  • the lamp may be coated with the usual lacquer or plastic protective coatmg.
  • one of the inleads I7 is provided with electrical and thermal insulating means 26 extending from the bead 16 to near the end 21 to which the filament 19 is attached.
  • the electrical and thermal insulating means 26 extending from the bead 16 to near the end 21 to which the filament 19 is attached.
  • the means 26 is a sleeve of glass or other vitreous material surrounding the inlead 17 in the position shown, and the bottom end of the sleeve 26 preferably is attached to the bead 16 such as by heat-seal bonding, or by seating the lower end of the sleeve 26 in a recess in the bead 16.
  • the sleeve 26 may rest on the top surface of the bead l6, and held in place by the surrounding and engulfing mass of combustible material 23.
  • the insulating member 26 instead of being a glass sleeve as just described, may be in the form of glass or other insulating material applied onto and around the inlead 17 in the position shown in the drawing. In a lamp construction not having a bead 16, the insulating member 26 may extend downwardly and against or sealed to the bottom 27 of the inner bulb surface adjacent to the inlead 17, as indicated at numeral 27.
  • the insulating member 26 may be provided on the'other inlead 18 instead of on 17 as shown.
  • members 26 of differing lengths or configurations can be provided on both inleads l7 and 18 in accordance with the principles of the invention.
  • FIG. 2 clearly illustrates the relationship of the insulating member 26 with respect to the glass bead 16, inleads 17 and 18, and filament 19, before the lamp is flashed.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates how, upon the lamp being flashed, the filament 19 has been consumed, the upper end of the inlead 17 has been burned back to a point at or near the top of the insulator 26, as indicated by numeral 28, and the other (uninsulated) inlead 18 has burned back to a point at or near the top of bead 16, as indicated by numeral 29, usually in the form of a globule.
  • the exposed burned-back ends 28 and 29 of the inleads are asymmetrically (vertically) offset from each other and are considerably farther apart from each other, for example three-sixteenths of an inch or more in a typical FlashBar array type of flash lamp, than would be the spacing between them, of about one-sixteenths of an inch or less in the same lamp without the insulating member 26, thus providing a longer electrical path between them and reducing the likelihood of a shorted lamp.
  • FlG As is illustrated by FlG.
  • the diameter of the support bead 16 is sufficiently large with respect to the inner diameter of the bulb 11, and is sufficiently near the bottom stem press portion 12 of the bulb, that there is very little likelihood of any uncomsumed metal fragments in a flashed lamp falling around and below the bead 16 and making a shorting contact between the inleads 17 and 18 beneath the bead 16.
  • the invention achieves the objective of providing a flash lamp construction which will almost invariably provide an open circuit upon flashing, rather than a short circuit.
  • comprehensive testing has shown that the likelihood of shorted lamps occurring upon flashing is only about one lamp out of morethan ten thousand lamps flashed.
  • the invention can be useful in preventing the inleads from directly shorting in flash lamps not containing metal combustible material. Also, the objectives of the invention can be met, at least in part, by a semicylinder or other shape of the electrical insulating means 26 arranged between the inleads and along the adjacent to or against one of the inleads.
  • a photoflash lamp of the type having a bulb, a pair of inleads extending inside said bulb in substantially mutually parallel spaced apart relationship with each other, and flash ignition means connected between said inleads within said bulb, said bulb containing combustible material ignitable by said flash ignition means, wherein the improvement comprises insulating means arranged between said inleads and along and adjacent to at least part of the length of one of said inleads so that, upon flashing of the lamp and burning back of the inleads, there will be a longer electrical path between the burned-back inleads than would be the case with out said insulating means.
  • a lamp as claimed in claim 1 in which said combustible material comprises a loose mass of metal in filamentary form, and in which said bulb contains a combustion-supporting gas.
  • a lamp as claimed in claim 1 inwhich said flash ignition means is positioned substantially laterally across said inleads, and in which said insulating means comprises a sleeve positioned around and along a portion of said one inlead.
  • a lamp as claimed in claim 3 including inlead support means of vitreous material surrounding and holding said inleads at a position spaced from said flash ignition means, said sleeve on said one inlead extending from the surface of said inlead support means to a point near said flash ignition means.
  • a lamp as claimed in claim 4 including means for holding said sleeve by said inlead support means.
  • a lamp as claimed in claim 5 in which said sleeve is bonded to said inlead support means.
  • a photoflash lamp of the type having a bulb, a pair of inleads extending inside said bulb in substantially mutually parallel spaced apart relationship with each other, and flash ignition means connected across said inleads within said bulb, said bulb containing a loose mass of filamentary combustible metal and a combustion-supporting gas, wherein the improvement comprises a sleeve of insulating material positioned around and along at least a portion of the length of a first one of said inleads between its point of entry into the bulb and said flash ignition means so that the second inlead is more greatly exposed to the heat of flash combustion for a greater distance from said flash ignition means than is said first inlead, so that when the lamp is flashed said second inlead burns back farther than does said first inlead, thereby causing an offset, relatively long electrical path between the exposed parts of the burned-back inleads thus reducing the likelihood of a conductive path occurring thereacross.
  • a lamp as claimed in claim 9 including a bead of vitreous material positioned within said bulb and surrounding and holding said inleads at a position spaced from said flash ignition means, said sleeve extending from the surface of said bead to a point near said flash ignition means.
  • a lamp as claimed in claim 10 including means for holding said sleeve by said bead.
  • a lamp as claimed in claim 11 in which said sleeve is bonded to said bead.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)
  • Vessels And Coating Films For Discharge Lamps (AREA)
US00356459A 1973-05-02 1973-05-02 Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction Expired - Lifetime US3816054A (en)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00356459A US3816054A (en) 1973-05-02 1973-05-02 Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction
CA197,284A CA1004052A (en) 1973-05-02 1974-04-10 Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction
JP49046045A JPS5015546A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1973-05-02 1974-04-25
GB1874174A GB1421091A (en) 1973-05-02 1974-04-29 Photoflash lamps
DE2420813A DE2420813A1 (de) 1973-05-02 1974-04-30 Fotoblitzlampe
BE143869A BE814487A (fr) 1973-05-02 1974-05-02 Lampe-eclair

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00356459A US3816054A (en) 1973-05-02 1973-05-02 Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3816054A true US3816054A (en) 1974-06-11

Family

ID=23401501

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00356459A Expired - Lifetime US3816054A (en) 1973-05-02 1973-05-02 Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US3816054A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS5015546A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE814487A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA1004052A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE2420813A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1421091A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3865537A (en) * 1974-03-06 1975-02-11 Gte Sylvania Inc Moisture indicator for photoflash lamp
US3897196A (en) * 1974-02-21 1975-07-29 Gte Sylvania Inc Photoflash lamp with sealed bead
US3919750A (en) * 1974-02-21 1975-11-18 Gte Sylvania Inc Method of making photoflash lamp ignition mount structure with shaped bead
US3930784A (en) * 1974-12-19 1976-01-06 General Electric Company Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction
US3945697A (en) * 1973-10-15 1976-03-23 Gte Sylvania Incorporated Method of manufacturing a photoflash lamp having an indicator-insulator
DE2542458A1 (de) * 1974-09-25 1976-04-15 Gte Sylvania Inc Elektrisch zuendbare fotoblitzlampe
US4008040A (en) * 1975-11-24 1977-02-15 Gte Sylvania Incorporated Photoflash lamp and method of making same
US4009987A (en) * 1973-05-01 1977-03-01 U.S. Philips Corporation Electric lamp having an internal switching mechanism
US4040777A (en) * 1975-04-28 1977-08-09 General Electric Company Flash lamp array having shorting lamps
US4049369A (en) * 1975-12-29 1977-09-20 Gte Sylvania Incorporated Photoflash lamp and multilamp unit with electrostatic protection
US4155736A (en) * 1976-12-01 1979-05-22 General Electric Company Method of making a non-shorting photoflash lamp
US4249887A (en) * 1977-12-30 1981-02-10 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Photoflash lamp having gap-fire ignition mount, and method of making the mount
US4696641A (en) * 1986-08-11 1987-09-29 Gte Products Corporation Primer material and photoflash lamp

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2071369A (en) * 1934-01-24 1937-02-23 Harry A Williams Flash lamp
US3556699A (en) * 1968-02-05 1971-01-19 Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co Discharge ignition type photoflash lamp

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5026754Y2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) * 1971-05-29 1975-08-09

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2071369A (en) * 1934-01-24 1937-02-23 Harry A Williams Flash lamp
US3556699A (en) * 1968-02-05 1971-01-19 Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co Discharge ignition type photoflash lamp

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4009987A (en) * 1973-05-01 1977-03-01 U.S. Philips Corporation Electric lamp having an internal switching mechanism
US3945697A (en) * 1973-10-15 1976-03-23 Gte Sylvania Incorporated Method of manufacturing a photoflash lamp having an indicator-insulator
US3897196A (en) * 1974-02-21 1975-07-29 Gte Sylvania Inc Photoflash lamp with sealed bead
US3919750A (en) * 1974-02-21 1975-11-18 Gte Sylvania Inc Method of making photoflash lamp ignition mount structure with shaped bead
US3865537A (en) * 1974-03-06 1975-02-11 Gte Sylvania Inc Moisture indicator for photoflash lamp
DE2542458A1 (de) * 1974-09-25 1976-04-15 Gte Sylvania Inc Elektrisch zuendbare fotoblitzlampe
US3930784A (en) * 1974-12-19 1976-01-06 General Electric Company Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction
US4040777A (en) * 1975-04-28 1977-08-09 General Electric Company Flash lamp array having shorting lamps
US4008040A (en) * 1975-11-24 1977-02-15 Gte Sylvania Incorporated Photoflash lamp and method of making same
US4049369A (en) * 1975-12-29 1977-09-20 Gte Sylvania Incorporated Photoflash lamp and multilamp unit with electrostatic protection
US4155736A (en) * 1976-12-01 1979-05-22 General Electric Company Method of making a non-shorting photoflash lamp
US4249887A (en) * 1977-12-30 1981-02-10 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Photoflash lamp having gap-fire ignition mount, and method of making the mount
US4696641A (en) * 1986-08-11 1987-09-29 Gte Products Corporation Primer material and photoflash lamp

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2420813A1 (de) 1974-11-21
BE814487A (fr) 1974-09-02
CA1004052A (en) 1977-01-25
GB1421091A (en) 1976-01-14
JPS5015546A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1975-02-19

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US3816054A (en) Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction
GB1103682A (en) Improvements in and relating to photographic flashlight devices
US3602619A (en) Photoflash lamp
US3884615A (en) Flash Lamp Mount Construction
US3873260A (en) Photoflash lamp
US3873261A (en) Photoflash lamp
US3666394A (en) Multiflash lamp unit
US4097220A (en) Flash lamp array having shorting lamps
US3627459A (en) Flashbulb
US4049369A (en) Photoflash lamp and multilamp unit with electrostatic protection
US3897196A (en) Photoflash lamp with sealed bead
US3941555A (en) Non-shorting photoflash lamp
US3016727A (en) Flash lamp
US3459487A (en) Temperature sensitive devices
US3930784A (en) Photoflash lamp having non-shorting construction
US1985459A (en) Flash light
CA1141729A (en) Photoflash unit with inverted flashlamps
US2740281A (en) Flash lamp
US2386672A (en) Photoflash lamp
US4014638A (en) Photoflash lamp with electrostatic protection and method of making photoflash units
US4008040A (en) Photoflash lamp and method of making same
GB1222626A (en) Flash lamps
US3123993A (en) flash lamp
US4388065A (en) Combustion flash bulb
US4039273A (en) Photoflash lamp providing after-flash shorting