US 3,942,068 AGranted

Electrodeless light source with a termination fixture having an improved center conductor for arc shaping capability

AssigneeGTE Laboratories Incorporated

InventorsPaul Osborne Haugsjaa, William Henry McNeill, Robert James Regan, Joseph Martin Lech

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Abstract

An electrodeless lamp is excited in a termination fixture by high frequency power, the lamp being located within the fixture at the end of an inner conductor whose end is shaped such as to inhibit the arc of the lamp from attaching to the lamp envelope. In one embodiment, the inner conductor end is shaped as a hollow helical coil which generates an axial and azimuthal electric field component to create a torodial arc within the lamp. In another embodiment the inner conductor end is cup-shaped to provide a field shielding effect which distributes the field strength more uniformly across the end of the inner conductor.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A light source including:

a. a source of power at a high frequency,
b. an electrodeless lamp having an envelope made of a light transmitting substance and a volatile fill material enclosed within the envelope, the fill material emitting light upon breakdown and excitation;
c. a termination fixture having an inner conductor and an outer conductor disposed around the inner conductor, the conductors having a first end which couples power to the lamp and a second end which is coupled to the source;
and
d. the inner conductor having means at the first end thereof for controlling the electric field strength in a region adjacent to the interior wall of the envelope to inhibit the formation of an arc within the region.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.