Claims
- 1. A microwave powered electrodeless lamp comprising,
- a bulb containing a discharge forming fill which is supported by a bulb stem for rotative motion about an axis of rotation,
- microwave power generating means for providing microwave power which is coupled to the fill in said bulb,
- rotary blower means-primarily for cooling said microwave power generating means, said rotary blower means having an axis of rotation which is substantially coincident with the axis of rotation of said bulb, and
- a rotary motor for imparting rotative motion to both said bulb and said blower means about said substantially coincident axes of rotation.
- 2. The lamp of claim 1 wherein said microwave power generating means and said rotary blower means are located in a common housing which is pressurized by air provided by said blower means.
- 3. The lamp of claim 2 wherein said blower means is a unit which comprises an impeller without a surrounding housing.
- 4. The lamp of claim 1 wherein said rotary motor has first and second shaft portions which are substantially co-linear but extend in opposite directions, said first shaft portion being coupled to said bulb stem and said second shaft portion being coupled to said rotary blower means.
- 5. The lamp of claim 4 wherein said first shaft portion of said rotary motor and said bulb stem are cemented to each other, thus forming an integral unit.
- 6. The lamp of claim 5 wherein said second shaft portion of said rotary motor is cemented to said blower means.
- 7. A microwave powered electrodeless lamp comprising,
- a bulb containing a discharge forming fill which is supported by a bulb stem for rotative motion about an axis of rotation,
- microwave power generating means for providing microwave power which is coupled to the fill in said bulb,
- rotary pump means for providing cooling liquid to said microwave power generating means, said pump means having an axis of rotation which is substantially coincident with the axis of rotation of said bulb, and
- a rotary motor for imparting rotative motion to both said bulb and said pump means about said substantially coincident axes of rotation.
- 8. The lamp of claim 7 wherein said rotary motor has first and second shaft portions which are substantially co-linear but extend in opposite directions, said first shaft portion being coupled to said bulb stem and said second shaft portion being coupled to said rotary pump means.
- 9. A microwave powered electrodeless lamp comprising,
- a bulb containing a discharge forming fill which is supported by a bulb stem for rotative motion about an axis of rotation,
- microwave power generating means for providing microwave power which is coupled to the fill in said bulb,
- means for providing cooling gas directed at said bulb which includes a rotary compressor as the source of said cooling gas, said rotary compressor having an axis of rotation which is substantially coincident with the axis of rotation of said bulb, and
- a rotary motor for imparting rotative motion to both said bulb and said compressor about said substantially coincident axes of rotation.
- 10. The lamp of claim 9 wherein said rotary motor has first and second shaft portions which are substantially co-linear but extend in opposite directions, said first shaft portion being coupled to said bulb stem and said second shaft portion being coupled to said compressor means.
- 11. A microwave powered electrodeless lamp comprising,
- a bulb containing a discharge forming fill which is supported by a bulb stem for rotative motion about an axis of rotation,
- microwave power generating means for providing microwave power which is coupled to the fill in said bulb,
- first rotary blower means for providing cooling air to said microwave power generating means, said rotary blower means having an axis of rotation which is substantially coincident with the axis of rotation of said bulb,
- second rotary blower means for providing cooling air to said bulb, said second rotary blower means having an axis of rotation which is substantially coincident with the axis of rotation of said bulb, and
- a rotary motor for imparting rotative motion to all of said bulb, said first rotary blower means and said second rotary blower means about said substantially coincident axes of rotation.
- 12. A microwave powered electrodeless discharge lamp, comprising:
- a bulb containing a discharge forming fill which is supported by a bulb stem, the bulb stem defining a first axis of rotation for the bulb;
- a source of microwave power;
- a coupling structure configured to couple the microwave power to the fill in the bulb;
- a blower configured to provide cooling air primarily to the source of microwave power, the blower having a second axis of rotation for the blower; and
- a single motor for rotating both the bulb about the first axis of rotation and the blower about the second axis of rotation.
- 13. The discharge lamp as recited in claim 12, wherein the source of microwave power comprises a magnetron and wherein the coupling structure comprises a waveguide coupled to a microwave cavity, wherein the bulb is disposed the microwave cavity, the magnetron provides the microwave power to the waveguide, and the microwave power is coupled to the fill in the bulb via a coupling slot in the waveguide.
- 14. The discharge lamp as recited in claim 12, wherein the first axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation are substantially coincident.
- 15. The discharge lamp as recited in claim 14, wherein the source of microwave power and the blower are located in a common housing which is pressurized by the cooling air provided by the blower.
- 16. The discharge lamp as recited in claim 15, wherein the blower comprises an impeller without a surrounding housing.
- 17. The discharge lamp as recited in claim 12, wherein the motor comprises first and second shaft portions which are substantially co-linear but extend in opposite directions, and wherein the first shaft portion is coupled to the bulb stem and the second shaft portion is coupled to the blower.
- 18. The discharge lamp as recited in claim 17, wherein the first shaft portion of the motor and the bulb stem are cemented to each other to form an integral unit.
- 19. The discharge lamp as recited in claim 18, wherein the second shaft portion of the motor and the blower are cemented to each other.
- 20. A method of operating a microwave powered electrodeless discharge lamp, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a bulb containing a discharge forming fill;
- providing a source of microwave power;
- coupling the microwave power from the source of microwave power to the fill in the bulb;
- cooling the source of microwave power with air from a blower; and
- rotating both the bulb and the blower with a single motor.
- 21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the step of rotating comprises rotating both the bulb and the blower about a substantially coincident axis of rotation.
Government Interests
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-FG01-95EE23796 awarded by the Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in this invention.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
57-55058 |
Apr 1982 |
JPX |