Patent Grant
7375456
This invention relates to lamps and more particularly to arc discharge lamps. Still more particularly, it relates to increased structural stability for arc discharge lamp mounts.
Mounts for arc discharge lamps generally employ the arc tube itself, a tubular shroud, strapping for supporting the arc tube and shroud and electrical lead-ins for connection to a power source. It is often necessary or expedient to manufacture the various pieces of the lamp, such as the mount, the base and the outer envelope in different locations and ship them to yet another location for final assembly into a lamp. It is important to maintain the tolerances and the electrode positioning built into the mount during shipping so that automated assembly of the mount to the lamp envelope can easily be accomplished. The automated assembly includes the step of inserting the electrical lead-ins into ferrules that are sealed into a lamp envelope. Because one of the electrical lead-ins is generally much longer than the other, it has been difficult to maintain the desired spacing integrity between the lead-ins during packaging, shipping, unpacking and assembly.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to obviate the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to enhance the structural integrity of arc discharge mounts.
These objects are accomplished, in one aspect of the invention, by a mount for a high intensity discharge lamp comprising: an arc discharge tube having a central body with first and second opposed ends; a first electrode in said first end and a second electrode in said second end, said first electrode projecting into said central body and having a first electrode terminus extending from said first end, said second electrode projecting into said central body and having a second electrode terminus extending from said second end; an arc generating and sustaining medium in said body; a tubular shroud surrounding said arc discharge tube; two shroud clips, one positioned at each end of said tubular shroud, each shroud clip comprising an arcuate portion engaging the periphery of said tubular shroud and a transverse portion spanning the diameter of said tubular shroud and grasping and positioning one of said first and second ends of said arc tube; an electrical lead-in connected to said second electrode and extending therefrom; an offset electrical lead-in connected to said first electrode, said offset electrical lead-in comprising a first section extending transversely to said first electrode, a second section extending parallel to said tubular shroud, a third section extending toward said tubular shroud, and a fourth section extending parallel to said shroud; and an offset electrical lead-in retaining clip affixed to said shroud and said fourth section of said offset lead-in retaining clip.
The retaining clip that is attached to the shroud and the fourth section of the offset electrical lead-in maintains the critical spacing between the electrical lead-ins during packing, shipping, unpacking and assembly into a lamp.
For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, advantages and capabilities thereof, reference is made to the following disclosure and appended claims taken in conjunction with the above-described drawings.
Referring now to the drawings with greater particularity, there is shown in
A tubular shroud 28, for example, of quartz or glass, surrounds the arc discharge tube 12. Two shroud clips 30, 32 are provided, one positioned at each end 34, 37 of the tubular shroud 28. Each shroud clip comprises an arcuate portions 30a, 32a that engage the periphery of the tubular shroud and a transverse portion 30b shown in
An offset electrical lead-in 36 is connected to the first electrode terminus 24, and comprises a first section 36a extending transversely to the first electrode terminus 24, a second section 36b extending parallel to the tubular shroud 28, a third section 36c extending toward the tubular shroud 28, and a fourth section 36d extending parallel to the shroud.
An offset electrical lead-in retaining clip 38 is affixed to the shroud 28 and the fourth section 36d of the offset electrical lead-in 36.
The offset electrical lead-in retaining clip 38 is shown more clearly in
The addition of the offset electrical lead-in retaining clip 38 securely fixes the desired position of the offset electrical lead-in and maintains its desired position during packing, shipping, unpacking, and subsequent assembly into a lamp.
While there have been shown and described what are present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1403905 | Mar 2004 | EP |
| 1507276 | Feb 2005 | EP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20060226782 A1 | Oct 2006 | US |
