Electric lamp and discharge devices – With gas or vapor – Three or more electrode discharge device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-12
2001-11-06
Day, Michael H. (Department: 2879)
Electric lamp and discharge devices
With gas or vapor
Three or more electrode discharge device
C313S631000, C313S231010, C361S120000, C361S129000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06313581
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical discharge tube in which electrical discharges are repeatedly induced between an electrical discharge face at a forward end of an upper discharge electrode and an electrical discharge face at a forward end of a lower discharge electrode which are opposed to each other at the center in an airtight cylinder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-335042 discloses an electrical discharge tube used for a ballast circuit to ignite an HID (high intensity discharge) lamp of a vehicle and also used for an igniter circuit to ignite a back side lamp of a liquid crystal projector.
As shown in
FIGS. 37 and 38
, this electrical discharge lamp is provided, in the traverse direction at the center of the inside wall of the airtight cylinder
10
, with a plurality of main electrical discharge trigger wires
80
which are arranged at predetermined intervals, while the main electrical discharge trigger wires
80
rise in the vertical direction in parallel with the axis of the airtight cylinder
10
. On the upper inside wall of the airtight cylinder
10
between the main electrical discharge trigger wires
80
, there are sub-electrical discharge trigger wires
90
which rise in the vertical direction in parallel with the axis of the airtight cylinder
10
, and upper ends of these sub-electrical discharge trigger wires
90
are serially connected with the metalized face
40
formed on the upper end face of the airtight cylinder
10
. In the same manner, on the lower inside wall of the airtight cylinder
10
between the main electrical discharge trigger wires
80
, there are sub-electrical discharge trigger wires
90
which rise in the vertical direction in parallel with the axis of the airtight cylinder
10
, and the lower ends of these sub-electrical discharge trigger wires
90
are serially connected with the metalized face
40
formed on the lower end face of the airtight cylinder
10
.
In this electrical discharge tube, it is possible to prevent the electrical insulation between the main discharge trigger wires
80
and the sub-discharge trigger wires
90
, which are arranged on the inner wall of the airtight cylinder
10
, from being deteriorated by sputtering such as carbon particles which are created in the process of discharging from the electrical discharging face
23
at the forward end of the upper discharge electrode, the electrical discharging face
25
at the forward end of the lower discharge electrode, the main electrical discharge trigger wires
80
and the sub-electrical discharge trigger wires
90
and which adhere to the center of the inner wall of the airtight cylinder
10
. Further, in this electrical discharge tube, it is possible to repeatedly and stably induce electrical discharges between the electrical discharging face
23
and the electrical discharging face
25
at a predetermined electrical potential over a long period of time.
In general, in an igniter circuit which uses the commercial power source as a power source and performs an electrical discharge synchronizingly with the frequency of that power source, an electrical discharge gap is arranged at the side of the secondary coil opposite to the primary coil of the transformer.
However, there are some ballast circuits or igniter circuits including electrical resistors, coils, or the similar parts mounted at a high density, which are uses for igniting the HID lamp or the like, as mentioned abode. In such a circuit, the electrical discharge tube constituting an electrical discharge gap is arranged close to the primary booster coil in the circuit, and the direction of the winding of the primary booster coil is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the main electrical discharge trigger wires
80
and the sub-electrical discharge trigger wires
90
.
Therefore, the main electrical discharge trigger wires
80
and the sub-electrical discharge trigger wires
90
are affected by the magnetic field generated by the primary booster coil, and an electrical current is generated by the electromagnetic induction caused by the main electrical discharge trigger wires
80
and the sub-electrical discharge trigger wires
90
. Being affected by the electrical current, the electrical potential of electrical discharges repeatedly induced between the electrical discharge face
23
and the electrical discharge face
25
cannot be stabilized, that is, the electrical potential of electrical discharges fluctuate and, further, the electrical discharge starting voltage initially generated between the electrical discharge face
23
and the electrical discharge face
25
is raised.
The above ballast circuit used for igniting the HID lamp of a vehicle is embedded and fixed in resin such as urethane resin or epoxy resin so that the circuit can be protected from impact and vibration, and the electrical discharge tube composing the ballast circuit is surrounded by the dielectric resin.
Therefore, the electrical discharge tube is affected by the dielectric resin. Accordingly, it is impossible to effectively converge electrons of the corona discharge upon the sub-electrical discharge trigger wires
90
of the electrical discharge tube. Further, the electrical discharge starting voltage initially generated between the electrical discharge face
23
and the electrical discharge face
25
is raised.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been accomplished to solve the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical discharge tube which is not affected by the magnetic field generated by the primary booster coil in the ballast circuit or the igniter circuit and also which is not affected by the resin of the dielectric body surrounding the electrical discharge tube, so that electrical discharges at a predetermined electrical potential can be repeatedly induced and the electrical discharge starting voltage initially can be kept constant for a long time.
According to the present invention, there is provided a first electrical discharge tube which comprises: a cylindrical body, made of insulating material, having an inner surface and having upper and lower end faces defining respective upper and lower openings; upper and lower metallized layers formed on the respective upper and lower end faces of the cylindrical body, the upper and lower metallized layers being substantially parallel to each other; upper and lower electrodes for airtightly closing the respective upper and lower openings by means of the metallized layers, the upper and lower electrodes having respective electrical discharge faces between which an electrical discharge gap is defined; a first electrical discharge trigger wire formed as a loop on the inner surface of the cylindrical body and extending substantially parallel to the first and second metallized layers along a first surface located within a range of the electrical discharge gap; one or more second electrical discharge trigger wires formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical body and extending from the upper metallized layer to a fourth surface located between a second surface including the electrical discharge face of the upper electrode and the upper metallized layer; and one or more other second electrical discharge trigger wires formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical body and extending from the lower metallized layer to a fifth surface located between a third surface including the electrical discharge face of the lower electrode and the lower metallized layer.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a second electrical discharge tube, which comprises: a cylindrical body, made of insulating material, having an inner surface, and having upper and lower end faces defining respective upper and lower openings; upper and lower metallized layers formed on the respective upper and lower end faces of the cylindrical body, the upper and lower metallized layers being substantially parallel to each other;
Day Michael H.
Paul & Paul
Shinko Electric Industries Co. Ltd.
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