Starting aid for an electrodeless high intensity discharge lamp
US5248918A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 9, 1992 |
| Grant date | Sep 28, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 9, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J65/048
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
This electrodeless high intensity discharge lamp including a light-transmissive arc tube having spaced wall portions of dielectric material and a first gaseous fill within the arc tube. An excitation coil about the arc tube is energizable with RF current effective to develop a toroidal arc discharge in the first gaseous fill upon a dielectric breakdown of the fill. A starting container is joined to the arc tube and has an end wall constituted by one of said arc-tube wall portions. A second gaseous fill within the starting container has a dielectric strength lower than that of the first gaseous fill. For initiating the rotoidal arc discharge, we provide an arrangement for producing a dielectric breakdown of the gaseous fill within the starting container that develops into an electric discharge that changes the potential at the end wall in such a manner as to cause a dielectric breakdown of the first gaseous fill.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.