Flash array having shielded switching circuit
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRichard Blount, Paul T. Cote, Edward C. Zukowski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multiple flash lamp array contains a sequentially switching lamp flashing circuit in the form of a printed circuit on a surface of a circuit board. A metal shield is provided over the other surface of the circuit board to reduce the possibility of accidental flashing of lamps by electrostatic voltage, which flashing tends to occur particularly when high voltage types of lamps are used in the array. Preferably, the shield is connected electrically to a lead-in wire of each lamp in the array, and also is connected electrically to a conductive reflector member positioned near the other side of the circuit board from the shield.
Claims17
A multiple flash lamp array comprising a plurality of flash lamps of the electrically fired type, a circuit board having circuitry on one side thereof for sequentially firing said lamps, and means for electrically connecting said lamps to said circuitry, wherein the improvement in said array comprises an electrically conductive and substantially planar shield forming part of said array and located in substantially adjacent face-to-face relation with at least part of the opposite side of said circuit board to reduce the likelihood of said lamps being fired by electrostatic charges applied to said array.
A multiple flash lamp array comprising a circuit board, a plurality of flash lamps of the electrically fired type and each having first and second lead-in conductors, first and second circuit runs on one side of said circuit board, means for electrically connecting said first circuit run in common to the first lead-in conductors of all of said lamps and for electrically connecting said second circuit run to the second lead-in conductor of each of a lesser number of such lamps whereby said first circuit run has larger stray capacitance to ground than said second circuit run, and an electrically conductive and substantially planar shield located in substantially adjacent face-to-face relation with at least part of the opposite side of said circuit board, and means for electrically connecting said shield to said first circuit run thereby to increase further the stray capacitance to ground of said first circuit run and to reduce the likelihood of said lamps being fired by electrostatic charges applied to said array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.