EP1659617B1 - Light source - Google Patents

Abstract

The illuminant has proximal and distal burner connections (19, 20), which are diametrically connected with respective proximal and distal end areas of a bulb (17) from a burner. Supply lines (23, 24) are led into the bulb via a U-shaped squeezer and are connected with the respective connections. The squeezer has an additional open space (26) into which the connection (19) and burner are inserted. An independent claim is also included for a reflector lamp comprising an outer jacket built as a reflector.

Description

The invention relates to a luminous means with an elongated piston formed from transparent material, comprising a burner arranged in the interior of the piston, sealed burner connections comprising a proximal burner port and a distal burner port, each diametrically away from the burner in the longitudinal direction of the piston in a proximal and distal end region protrude the piston, and leads, which are passed over a pinch in the piston and connected there to the burner terminals, comprising according to the features of the preamble of claim 1 and a reflector lamp, in particular metal halide vapor reflector lamp comprising the inventive lighting means. A generic lamp and a corresponding reflector lamp are known for example from US 2001 / 0003411A1.

A discharge tube, referred to herein as a burner, is conventionally housed in an elongate piston formed of transparent material, the elongate piston (conventional pinch-seal piston of FIG. 4) being sealed by a pinch seal. By this crushing conventionally, the leads are also supplied to the power supply of the burner. However, the supply lines must be passed over a sufficient minimum sealing length through this pinch to ensure a reliable seal between the material of the piston and the supply lines. This minimum sealing length requires that the piston is designed to be comparatively long in terms of its overall external dimensions, with a shorter piston, in particular a shorter length, between a socket-facing outer end of the piston and the center of the burner (light center length) being desired for a very wide variety of applications ,

In order to achieve the shortest possible light center length or to avoid an extension of the piston due to the sealing problem of the leads in a pinch, other solutions include the sealing of the elongated piston or the contacting of the burner, such as a seal of a piston open at the end (Conventional, with ceramic disc sealed piston of FIG. 5) by using a ceramic disc using special sealing materials known. However, such a seal is complicated and expensive and can only be combined with glasses as material for the piston, which have a high expansion coefficient. However, glasses with a high coefficient of expansion generally have a low softening temperature and are not particularly suitable for compact discharge lamps; rather, the glass bulb around the burner must be provided with a considerable extension in order to avoid too much heating by sufficient distance from the burner.

The object of the present invention, in contrast, is to specify the most compact possible bulbs of the type mentioned, which can be produced with reasonable effort.

This object is achieved with a lamp according to the features of claim 1. According to a particular aspect of the present invention, the luminous means may be provided for use with a reflector lamp, wherein due to the compact design of the luminous means also an installation in marketable compact reflector lamps is achieved for the first time. Advantageous developments are specified in the subclaims.

According to a fundamental consideration, an additional space open to the interior of the piston, in particular additional burner space, is created on the piston in the area of the pinch, at least partially immersed in the parts of the burner or the proximal burner connection. This allows a reduction of the total length. According to a further basic consideration, in the projection onto the longitudinal plane of the piston defined by the pinch, the additional space communicating with the interior of the piston in the proximal end region of the piston is further away from the burner than entry points of the supply lines into the interior of the piston Piston. Viewed in projection on the longitudinal plane of the piston, the supply lines do not enter the end but laterally relative to the interior of the piston. Viewed in the longitudinal direction of the piston, the additional space overlaps at least in some areas with the pinch required for the sealing of the leads.

In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the pinch can have a substantially U-shaped basic shape.

In a preferred embodiment, the pinch comprises two outer sections and a connecting portion, wherein the leads are guided by the outer sections.

The connecting portion is dimensioned in its extension in the longitudinal extension of the piston preferably shorter than the outer portions. Preferably, the outer portions are formed in their extension in the longitudinal extent of the piston compared to the connecting portion at least twice, preferably 4 to 10 times, in particular 7 to 8 times as long.

In a specific embodiment, the additional space tapers in a direction facing away from the burner substantially funnel-shaped.

At least in its region facing the burner, perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the piston, the additional space can have a substantially circular or oval cross-sectional shape.

The additional space may have in its extension in the longitudinal extent of the piston has a length which is in the order of the inner diameter of the piston outside the additional space preferably in the range of 80 to 120% of this diameter. The inner diameter of the additional space in an extent transverse to the longitudinal extent of the piston may be in the range of 30 to 70%, preferably about 50 to 55% of the inner diameter of the piston outside the additional space.

According to a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the piston can be dimensioned so that the distance between the burner center and an outer edge of the pinch (light center length) facing away from the burner is smaller than in the case of conventional lamps with a light center length L 1 or L 2. L "is (L <L 'or L <L", given the same wattage).

For example, with a 20 watt lamp, the conventionally required Light Center Length of 22 mm can be significantly reduced, so that a light center length <22 mm can be achieved in this exemplary power range.

As a transparent material for the elongated piston is preferably quartz glass, hard or soft glass, in particular aluminum silicate tempered glass into consideration.

According to a further preferred aspect, the feed lines comprise a proximal feed line and a distal feed line, wherein the proximal feed line comprises two oppositely directed turns.

The burner connections can either be integrally formed with the supply lines or connected electrically conductively via contact points.

According to a particular idea of the present invention, the burner may be formed as a ceramic burner, in particular of polycrystalline aluminum oxide (PCA).

However, according to an alternative idea of the present invention, the burner may also be made in quartz technology.

The illuminant according to the invention can, what is also claimed, in a reflector lamp, in particular metal halide vapor reflector lamp comprising an outer envelope formed as a reflector with a neck region, which is covered by a transparent cover, used or used on an optical axis within this envelope become.

The invention will be explained below with regard to further features and advantages with reference to the description of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1

eine Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Reflektorlampe in Schnittansicht

Fig. 2

die Reflektorlampe nach Fig. 1 in einer hierzu orthogonalen Schnittansicht

Fig. 3

eine perspektivische Prinzipansicht einer Ausführungsform eines erfindungsgemäßen Leuchtmittels

Fig. 4

eine Schnittansicht eines Leuchtmittels mit Quetschung nach dem Stand der Technik

Fig. 5

eine Schnittansicht eines Leuchtmittels mit keramischer Dichtscheibe nach dem Stand der Technik

Fig. 6

das bereits anhand der Fig. 1, 2 und 3 veranschaulichte Leuchtmittel

Fig. 7

eine gegenüber der in Fig. 6 gezeigten Ausführungsform modifizierte Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Leuchtmittels

Hereby show:

Fig. 1

an embodiment of a reflector lamp according to the invention in sectional view

Fig. 2

the reflector lamp of FIG. 1 in a sectional view orthogonal thereto

Fig. 3

a perspective basic view of an embodiment of a lamp according to the invention

Fig. 4

a sectional view of a bulbs of the prior art

Fig. 5

a sectional view of a lamp with ceramic sealing disc according to the prior art

Fig. 6

already illustrated with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 bulbs

Fig. 7

a comparison with the embodiment shown in Fig. 6 modified embodiment of the illuminant according to the invention

In Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a light bulb with a pinch 25 'according to the prior art (conventional pinch seal pistons) is shown. An elongated, substantially cylindrically shaped piston 17 'is hermetically sealed by the pinch 25'. In the interior of the piston 17 'is a burner 18' with burner ports 19 ', 20'.
The burner connections 19 ', 20' must be sufficiently far away from the burner 18 'because of the strong heating in the region of the burner 18'. The burner ports 19 ', 20' projecting diametrically opposite, in each case into a proximal end region 21 'or distal end region 22', are electrically conductively connected to supply points of the burner 18 'with leads 23', 24 'at contact points 36', 37 '. The supply lines 23 ', 24' simultaneously form a mechanical fixation of the burner 18 'within the interior of the piston 17'. Relatively problematic is the implementation of the leads 23 ', 24' in the interior of the piston 17 '. For this purpose, the leads 23 ', 24' through the already mentioned pinch 25 'are passed, wherein the leads 23', 24 'in regions in the form of a thin molybdenum foil 40' are formed to a secure seal between the piston made of quartz glass usually 17 'and the pinch 25' to ensure over long periods of operation. However, a disadvantage lies in the resulting overall length of the piston 17 ', in particular the large distance between the center of the burner 18' and an outer edge 33 'of the pinch 25' (light center length L ').

To shorten this length is already known from the prior art, as shown in FIG. 5, a light bulb 16 "with a piston 17" conventional, sealed with ceramic disc piston, in which the light center length L "shortened by dispensing with a pinch The piston 17 "is hermetically sealed here not by a pinch but by a ceramic disk 38" with the aid of sealing means 39 "or sealing paste between the piston and ceramic disk 38" The supply lines 23 ", 24" do not have to be guided by a pinch but can be performed gas-tight through the ceramic disc 38 ". However, the electrical and mechanical connection between the supply lines 23 ", 24" and burner connections 19 ", 20" of a burner 18 "is difficult, and in order to ensure a sufficiently reliable seal between piston, sealing means 39" and ceramic disk 38 ", it is necessary for the piston Soft glass can be used, which withstands the heat produced by the burner 18 "much worse. For this purpose, an enlargement 41 "must be provided around the burner 18" in order to avoid overheating of the piston 17 ". Overall, the enlargement 41" and the ceramic disk 38 "overall result in considerably higher production costs.

1 and 2, an embodiment of a reflector lamp according to the invention is shown in two mutually orthogonal sectional views. The reflector lamp initially comprises an outer shell 13 designed as a reflector 11 with a neck region 12, the shell 13 being covered by a transparent cover 14. The transparent cover 14 can serve purely as a cover or form a lens to achieve a desired focusing of the light. On a central optical axis A, a lighting means 16 is arranged. The light-emitting means 16 comprises a piston 17, which is formed here from hard glass, and is closed gas-tight at its end facing the neck region 12 of the reflector lamp by a pinch seal 25. In the interior of the piston 17 is a burner 18, which is formed in the present embodiment as a ceramic burner. The burner 18 forms a metal halide vapor discharge tube, although it has not been conventionally possible to place ceramic torches of a metal halide lamp in a reflector lamp with a reflector of about 50 mm (2 inches) diameter (MR 16 or ES 50), as described in particular in DE 102 33 073 B3 to use. The piston 17 according to the invention is characterized by a very compact design, ie a short design along the optical axis A, which is achieved by forming an additional space 26 open to the interior of the piston 17 in the region of the pinch 25 in a proximal end region 21 of the piston 17 is, in the burner 18 or parts of the burner, namely burner ports 19, 20 immerse at least partially. In this way, the distance from a burner 18 facing away from the outer edge 33 of the pinch 25 and the center of the burner 18 (light center length) can be shortened.

Specifically, the burner comprises 18 aligned parallel to the optical axis A, ie diametrically opposed burner ports 19, 20, namely a proximal burner port 19, which dips with its end into the additional space 26, and an opposite distal burner port 20. The pinch 25 is - different in the prior art shown in FIG. 5 - not as a flat cuboid portion of the piston 17, but as a flat, substantially U-shaped body. The pinch 25 in the presently illustrated embodiment includes a first outer portion 30 and a second outer portion 31, which are interconnected via a connecting portion 32. By the outer portions 30, 31 are leads 23, 24 gas-tight, which enter at entry points 28, 29 from the pinch 25 out in the interior of the piston 17. The entry points 28, 29 are located in projection on the optical axis A and on the longitudinal extent of the piston 17 closer to the burner 18 than the bottom of the additional space 26. Thus, the leads 23, 24 do not occur on the bottom side, but laterally into the interior of the piston 17 one. The supply lines 23, 24 comprise a proximal supply line 23 and a distal supply line 24. The proximal supply line 23 has a first bend 34 and a second bend 35 within the piston 17. The first bend 34 and second bend 35 are directed against each other. The first bend 34 is designed as a U-shaped 180 ° bend. The opposing second bend 35 is formed as a bent 90 ° bend and is electrically conductively connected to the proximal burner port 19 within the additional space 26 via a contact point 36. The distal lead 24 is guided on the opposite side of the pinch 25 through the second outer portion 31 and extends parallel to the lateral surface of the Piston into a distal end portion 22 of the piston, where it is electrically connected via a contact point 37 with the distal burner port 20. The spacing of the contact points 36, 37 from the center of the burner 18 is due to the due to the enormous heat generation sufficiently long to be sized burner ports 19, 20. If the burner connections 19, 20 are made too short, adequate sealing over the service life of the burner 18 at the burner connections 19, 20 can not be ensured.

The leads 23, 24 may be passed through the pinch 25 as circular in cross-section conductor when the piston 17 is formed of tempered glass. If, on the other hand, the piston 17 is made of quartz glass, the circular feed lines 23, 24 in the region of the pinch 25 are replaced in regions by thin foil, preferably molybdenum foil (see FIG.

The lighting means 16 is normally connected to the reflector 11 with a ceramic cement together with a base 42. The leads 23 and 24 are electrically connected to the contact pins of the base 42.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a luminous means 16 according to the invention in a perspective basic view, which essentially corresponds to the embodiment illustrated with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The additional space 26 tapers in a substantially funnel shape in the direction away from the burner 18. It has a length in the direction of the optical axis A, which is in the order of magnitude of the diameter of the piston 17 or even larger than the diameter of the piston 17 is dimensioned.

By providing the additional space 26 according to the invention, it is possible to use a lamp with a ceramic burner based on a metal halide vapor discharge lamp in a commercially available reflector lamp with about 50 mm (2 inches) diameter of the standard MR 16 or ES 50.

6, the illuminant according to the invention already described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in the size comparison to the bulbs according to the state the technique of FIG. 4 and 5, in particular for illustrating the significantly shorter light center length L, shown again. In the embodiment according to FIG. 6, the piston 17 is made of tempered glass.

FIG. 7 shows a further embodiment of the luminous means 16 according to the invention in size comparison with the luminous means according to FIGS. 4 to 6 in a further modified embodiment, namely with a quartz glass bulb 17. The construction of the luminous means 16 according to FIG. 7 essentially corresponds to the structure of the luminous means according to FIG. 6. In order to achieve sufficient tightness in the passage of the leads 23, 24 through the pinch 25 according to the invention, the supply lines 23, 24 expediently have a sufficiently long dimensioned Molybdenum foil section 40. With molybdenum foil, a sufficiently tight seal of the pinch 25 can be ensured even over very long periods of operation.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

11

reflector

12

neck

13

shell

14

Transparent cover

16

Lamp

17

piston

18

burner

19, 20

torch connections

21

proximal end region (piston)

22

distal end area (piston)

23, 24

leads

25

bruise

26

additional space

28, 29

entry points

30, 31

external sections

32

connecting portion

33

outer edge (contusion)

34, 35

bends

36, 37

contact points

38 "

ceramic disc

39 "

sealant

40

molybdenum foil

41 "

extension

42

base

A

optical axis

L

light center length

Claims (14)

1. Lighting means having an elongated bulb (17) formed from transparent material, which comprises

   - a burner (18) arranged in the interior of the bulb (17),

   - sealed burner connections, comprising a proximal burner connection (19) and a distal burner connection (20), which project in each case diametrally away from the burner (18) in longitudinal direction of the bulb (17) into a proximal and distal end region (21, 22) of the bulb (17), and

   - supply leads (23, 24) which are guided into the bulb via a deformation (25) and are connected there to the burner connections (19, 20),

   characterised in that projected onto the longitudinal plane of the bulb (17) defined by the deformation (25), an additional space (26) connected to the interior of the bulb (17) in the proximal end region (21) of the bulb (17) lies further away from the burner (18) than entry points (28, 29) of the supply leads (23, 24) into the interior of the bulb (17).
2. Lighting means according to claim 1, characterised in that the deformation (25) has a U-shaped basic shape.
3. Lighting means according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the deformation (25) comprises two outer-lying sections (30, 31) and a connecting section (32), wherein the supply leads (23, 24) are guided through the outer-lying sections (30, 31).
4. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the outer-lying sections (30, 31) in longitudinal extension of the bulb (17) compared to the connecting section (32) are designed to be at least twice as long, preferably four to ten times as long, in particular about seven to eight times as long.
5. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the additional space (26) is tapered essentially like a funnel in a direction facing away from the burner (18).
6. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the additional space (26) has an essentially circular or oval cross-sectional shape at least in its region facing the burner (18) vertically to the longitudinal extension of the bulb (17).
7. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the maximum internal diameter of the additional space (26) vertically to the longitudinal extension of the bulb compared to the average internal diameter of the bulb (17) in the remaining interior of the bulb (17) is between 30 and 70%, preferably about 50 to 55% of this diameter.
8. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the bulb (17) has dimensions so that the distance L between burner centre (18) and an outer edge (33) of the deformation (25) facing away from the burner (18) (light centre length) is less than the corresponding distance L' or L" for a traditional lamp of the same wattage.
9. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the transparent material of the elongated bulb (17) is quartz glass, hardened glass or soft glass.
10. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the supply leads comprise a proximal supply lead (23) and a distal supply lead (24), wherein the proximal supply lead (23) comprises two bends (34, 35) in opposite directions.
11. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the burner connections (19, 20) are designed in each case to be integral with the supply leads (23, 24) or are connected in electrically conducting manner via contact points (36, 37).
12. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the burner (18) is designed as a ceramic burner, in particular made from polycrystalline aluminium oxide (PCA).
13. Lighting means according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the burner (18) is designed by means of quartz technology.
14. Reflector lamp, in particular metal-halogen vapour reflector lamp, comprising an outer shell (13) designed as a reflector (11) with a neck region (12) and which is closed by a transparent cover (14), and a lighting means (16) according to one of claims 1 to 13 mounted on an optical axis (A) within the shell (13).

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