Glow-discharge starter
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorJohannes A. J. M. van Vliet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a glow-discharge starter (10) having a bimetallic electrode (11) and a rare gas. According to the invention the glow-discharge starter also comprises a reversible getter (13) which, when the temperature increases, gives off a gas and, when the temperature decreases, absorbs the gas and the value of the gas pressure also determines the electric conductivity of the glow-discharge starter. A glow-discharge starter is thereby obtained in which undesired breakdown of the glow-discharge starter can be prevented by controlling the gettering temperature.
Claims6
A glow-discharge starter comprising a bimetallic electrode and a counter electrode and at least a rare gas, characterized in that the glow-discharge starter comprises a reversible getter which, when the temperature increases, gives off a gas and, when the temperature decreases, absorbs said gas and an increase of the pressure of said gas results in a smaller electric conductivity of the glow-discharge starter.
A discharge lamp comprising a glow-discharge starter as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the discharge lamp comprises a discharge path between two main electrodes and the glow-discharge starter is in such thermal contact with said discharge path that during operation of the lamp the gas pressure in the glow-discharge starter assumes a value at which the breakdown voltage of the glow-discharge starter is larger than the peak value of the lamp voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.