Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus to make a discharge vessel for a sodium high-pressure discharge lamp

US5192239A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
5References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 1, 1991
Grant dateMar 9, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 1, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J61/825
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The method is suitable to make sodium high-pressure discharge lamps operag operating under saturated condition. After placing and melt-sealing a first electrode system into the discharge vessel, sodium is introduced in the form of NaN.sub.3 through the second end of the vessel. Upon heating of the second end, and due to heat conduction, the NaN.sub.3, collected at the first end, dissociates, resulting in a sudden pressure rise due to liberation of nitrogen within a vacuum. As soon as the nitrogen has dissipated, noble gas to cool the first end is introduced, and the second melt seal is then made. The noble gas may, at the same time, form an ignition gas, or a gas mixture for the discharge lamp. One or more half-finished lamps are preferably held in a holder structure which has vertical bores leaving a gap of between 0.2 to 3 mm between the wall surface of the bore and the vessel and, as such, are introduced into a vacuum furnace, where the pressure can be monitored.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.