Patent Application
20060001380
This invention relates to high intensity arc discharge lamps and more particularly to high intensity arc discharge metal halide lamps having high efficacy.
Due to the ever-increasing need for energy conserving lighting systems that are used for interior and exterior lighting, lamps with increasing lamp efficacy are being developed for general lighting applications. Thus, for instance, arc discharge metal halide lamps are being more and more widely used for interior and exterior lighting. Such lamps are well known and include a light transmissive arc discharge chamber sealed about an enclosed a pair of spaced apart electrodes, and typically further contain suitable active materials such as an inert starting gas and one or more ionizable metals or metal halides in specified molar ratios, or both. They can be relatively low power lamps operated in standard alternating current light sockets at the usual 120 Volts rms potential with a ballast circuit, either magnetic or electronic, to provide a starting voltage and current limiting during subsequent operation.
These lamps typically have a ceramic material arc discharge chamber bounding a discharge region that usually contains quantities of metal halides such as CeI3 and NaI, (or PrI3 and NaI) and T1I, as well as mercury to provide an adequate voltage drop or loading between the electrodes, and also an inert low ionization potential starting gas. A pair of electrodes is arranged on opposite ends of the discharge tube extending from outside the tube into the discharge region to allow electrical energization to occur in that region. Such lamps can have an efficacy as high as 145 LPW at 250 W with a Color Rendering Index (CRI) higher than 60, and with a Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) between 3000K and 6000K at 250 W.
Referring to
Some remaining portion of access wire 15 in the interior of envelope 11 is bent at an obtuse angle away from the initial direction thereof parallel to the envelope length axis. Access wire 15 with this first bend therein past flare 16 directing it away from the envelope length axis, is bent again to have the next portion thereof extend substantially parallel that axis, and further along bent again at a right angle to have the succeeding portion thereof extend substantially perpendicular to, and more or less cross that axis near the other end of envelope 11 opposite that end thereof fitted into base 12. The succeeding portion of wire 15 parallel to the envelope length axis supports a conventional getter, 19, to capture gaseous impurities. Three additional right angle bends are provided further along in wire 15 to thereby place a short remaining end portion of that wire below and parallel to the portion thereof originally described as crossing the envelope length axis which short end portion is finally anchored at this far end of envelope 11 from base 12 in glass dimple 16′.
A ceramic arc discharge chamber, 20, configured about a bounded or contained region as a shell structure having polycrystalline alumina walls that are translucent to visible light, is shown in one of various possible geometric configurations in
In this structure for arc discharge chamber 20, as better seen in the cross section view thereof in
Chamber electrode interconnection wires, 26a and 26b, of niobium each extend out of a corresponding one of tubes 21a and 21b to reach and be attached by welding to, respectively, access wire 14 at its end portion crossing the envelope length axis and to access wire 15 at its portion first described as crossing the envelope length axis. This arrangement results in chamber 20 being positioned and supported between these portions of access wires 14 and 15 so that its long dimension axis approximately coincides with the envelope length axis, and further allows electrical power to be provided through access wires 14 and 15 to chamber 20.
In addition, a tungsten electrode coil, 32a, is integrated and mounted to the tip portion of the other end of first main electrode shaft 31a by press fitting, so that an electrode, 33a, is configured by main electrode shaft 31a and electrode coil 32a. Electrode 33a is formed of tungsten for good thermionic emission of electrons while withstanding relatively well the chemical attack of the metal halide plasma. Lead-through rod 29a serves to dispose electrode 33a at a predetermined position in the region contained in the main volume of arc discharge chamber 20. This configuration results in lower temperatures in the sealing regions in capillary tube 21a during lamp operation since electrode 33a, in extending through this capillary tube into the chamber discharge region a significant distance, is thereby spaced further from the seal region in capillary tube 21a as is then the discharge arc established between this and the opposite end electrode during operation.
A portion of first main electrode shaft 31a is spaced from tube 21a by a molybdenum coil, 34a, having one end thereof welded to the interior end of cermet rod 29a that is positioned in frit 27a. Since tungsten rod 31a with electrode coil 32a mounted thereon to form electrode 33a must be placed in the corresponding end of capillary tube 21a and then positioned to extend into the discharge region in arc discharge chamber 20a selected distance after the fabrication of that chamber has been completed, the inner diameter of capillary tube 21a must have inner diameters exceeding the outer diameter of the electrode coil 32a. As a result, there is a substantial annular space between the outer surface of tungsten rod 31a and the inner surfaces of capillary tube 21a which must be taken up in part by the provision of molybdenum coil 34a around and against the corresponding portion of tungsten rod 31a to complete the interconnections thereof and reduce the condensation in these regions of the metal halide salts occurring in chamber 20 during lamp operation. A typical diameter for both interconnection wire 26a and cermet rod 29a is 0.9 mm, and a typical diameter of electrode shaft 31a is 0.5 mm.
Similarly, in
These electrode arrangements have “compromise” properties components in the seal regions within capillary tubes 21a and 21b, these being outer electrode parts of cermet rods 29a and 29b which provide good thermal expansion matching to the polycrystalline alumina but which are expensive to manufacture. The exposure length of each of outer electrode portions 26a and 26b must be limited thus requiring the presence of the bridging middle part of the electrode arrangement, typically a cermet rod as above or possibly a molybdenum wire or rod, between such outer electrode portion and the corresponding tungsten electrode portion. Special welding techniques such as laser welding are necessary to join the ends of tungsten electrode rods 31a and 31b to the ends of cermet rods 29a and 29b, respectively. Furthermore, as a brittle materials cermet rods 29a and 29b cannot be resistance welded to outer lamp parts and so they are affixed to the corresponding ones of interconnection wires 26a and 26b with corresponding ones of niobium sleeves 28a and 28b by use of laser welding.
Care must also taken to ensure that the melted sealing frits 27a and 27b flow completely around and beyond the corresponding niobium rods to thereby form a protective surface over the niobium against the chemical reactions due to the halides preventing condensation of salts. The frit flow length inside the corresponding capillary tube needs to be controlled very precisely. If the frit length is short, the niobium rod portion of the electrode is exposed to chemical attack by the halides. If this length is excessive, the large thermal mismatch between the frit and the solid middle electrode portion molybdenum, tungsten or cermet rod following inward from the niobium rod leads to cracks in the sealing frit or polycrystalline alumina, or both, in that location.
In these circumstances, of course, other ceramic arc discharge chamber constructions for ceramic metal halide lamps that make use of different sealing methods or structural arrangements have been resorted to. These include methods such as direct sintering of polycrystalline alumina to the electrode arrangement, the use of cermets in and about electrode arrangements or substituting other alternative materials in such electrode arrangements, frit position limiters and graded temperature coefficient of expansion seals, or even the use of new arc tube materials that enable straight sealing of the tube body to a single material electrode such as molybdenum or tungsten.
However, these alternative methods have not yet been able to demonstrate an overall advantage with respect to improved lamp performance, lower cost, or compatibility with simpler lamp factory processes. Thus, a further alternative structural arrangement has been used in which a metal lid is welded to the electrode arrangement in an air-tight joint and a metal pipe or sleeve over the outside of the chamber capillary tube in which the electrode arrangement is positioned is sealed against this lid with a first melted and then resolidified frit seal. Such a configuration, however, prevents the escape of gases during formation of this frit seal leading to voids therein and increasing pressures that result in repositioning parts of the molten frit perhaps even violently. Thus, there is a desire to provide another sealed electrode structure for the arc discharge chamber that avoids cracks in some portion thereof due to thermal mismatches between materials and voids in sealing materials to thereby provide an more reliable structure at lower costs.
The present invention provides an arc discharge metal halide lamp for use in selected lighting fixtures having a discharge chamber with visible light permeable walls bounding a discharge region through which walls a pair of electrode assemblies are supported with interior ends thereof positioned in the discharge region spaced apart from one another. These electrode assemblies each also extend through a corresponding capillary tube affixed to the walls to have exterior ends thereof positioned outside the arc discharge chamber. At least one of these electrode assemblies comprises an electrode discharge structure located at the interior end thereof, the electrode discharge structure having a discharge region shaft extending into the capillary tube corresponding thereto to be in electrical contact with an interconnection shaft either directly or through an intermediate connection with the interconnection shaft having a portion extending outside of that corresponding capillary tube to provide the exterior end of this electrode assembly which is in direct contact with a sealing cap provided over the end of the tube. Such an arrangement can also be provided for the other electrode assembly.
The interconnection shaft is sealed in the corresponding capillary tube with a sealing frit with this shaft either having the other end of a helical coil wound there about or being provided by an extended end of the helical coil. A spatial volume occupying structure can be used to reduce the amount needed of such frit.
In a typical arc discharge tube structure sufficient to form a reliable sealing of the electrode in each of the polycrystalline alumina material capillary tubes extending from the remainder of the polycrystalline alumina material arc discharge tube, each of the electrical conducting leads, the sealing frit and the polycrystalline alumina need to have similar thermal expansion coefficients to thereby reduce thermal stresses in the sealing regions of the arc discharge tube resulting from the large temperature increases occurring during lamp operation. The use of niobium metal cap assemblies in connection with each of the electrodes in these sealing regions will result in significantly lower thermal stresses therein over temperature changes as its thermal expansion coefficient is similar to that of polycrystalline alumina. Placing the niobium metal cap assembly outside the arc tube capillary can eliminate the possibility of chemical reaction between the niobium and metal halide fill materials.
One such cap assembly electrode arrangement is shown in
Sealing frit 27a with a thermal expansion coefficient chosen to match that of polycrystalline alumina and niobium, at least at the operating temperature of arc discharge chamber 20, is used to complete this electrode seal by sealing the gap between polycrystalline alumina capillary tube 21a and cap 40a. Some excess frit resolidifies outside of cap 40a in the gas passageway space between it and chamber electrode interconnection wire 26a′ at which the spot weld is absent as shown by the convex curve on the upper side of chamber electrode interconnection wire 26a′ at cap 40a. Preventing reactions between the metal halide salts and cap 40a of niobium metal requires having sealing frit 27a distributed such that it conformably covers the inner surface of that cap. This glass frit also seals the gap or passageway between cap 40a and molybdenum coil 34a′ of the electrode formed by this coil and tungsten metal rod 31a′. During the arc discharge chamber sealing process, melted frit 27a should flow inwardly in the interior channel of polycrystalline alumina capillary tube 21a from its outer end sufficiently to cover 2 to 4 turns of molybdenum coil 34a′ as wrapped about extended tungsten rod 31a′. The coverage of the end of molybdenum coil 34a′ will prevent metal halide salts from accumulating on the inner surface of cap 40a over the duration of lamp operation such that lamp performance will not change over time. The same electrode sealing arrangement can be provided at the other end of arc discharge chamber 20 in connection with capillary tube 21b.
Sealing frit 27a with a thermal expansion coefficient chosen to match that of polycrystalline alumina and niobium, at least at the operating temperature of arc discharge chamber 20, is again used to complete this electrode seal by sealing the gap between polycrystalline alumina capillary tube 21 a and cap 40a. As before, preventing reactions between the metal halide salts and the cap 40a of niobium metal requires having sealing frit 27a distributed such that it conformably covers the inner surface of that cap. This glass frit also seals the gap or passageway between cap 40a and linear wire 26a″ of the electrode formed by this coil and its extended linear portion. During the arc discharge chamber sealing process, frit 27a should flow in the interior polycrystalline alumina capillary tube 21a inwardly from its outer end sufficiently to cover 2 to 4 turns of molybdenum coil 34a″ as wrapped about extended tungsten rod 31a so as to also cover the end of that rod to again prevent metal halide salts from accumulating on the inner surface of cap 40a over the duration of lamp operation. Here, too, this same electrode sealing arrangement can be provided at the other end of arc discharge chamber 20 in connection with capillary tube 21b.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
