General Electric Company

Agoston Boroczki

Csaba Horvath

Tamas Panyik

Istvan Csanyi

Viktor Karoly Varga

Mohamed Rahmane

Jianwu Li

Svetlana Selezneva

Robert Baranyi

Gary Robert Allen

James Anthony Brewer

David C Dudik

Rocco T Giordano

Amol S Mulay

Elizabeth A Guzowski

Bernard Patrick Bewlay

Bruce Alan Knudsen

Bruce Richard Roberts

James Scott Vartuli

Raghu Ramaiah

Sairam Sundaram

Andrey Meshkov

Steven Charles Aceto

Sergiy Zalyubovskiy

Peter Horvath

Gabor Farkas

Attila Agod

Zoltan Janki

Christopher Omalley

Janos Kallay

Anna Inczedy

Guy Henry Turner

Shanmugam Venkatachalam Ravi

Garry R Allen

Peter Akos

Istvan Kapas

Venkata Subbaiah Chennamshetty

Natalie Marie Bate

Sandor Sebok

Peter Horváth

Timothy David Russell

Viktor K Varga

The geometry of a High Intensity Discharge (HID) arc tube is controlled to improve lamp color control and temperature distribution. In some embodiments, conical sections located at the transition zones near the electrodes are included to provide funnel-like body-leg interface portions. The body-leg interface portions are shaped so as to advantageously control the temperature distribution along the internal surface of the discharge chamber wall so that it monotonically decreases resulting in a stable local cold spot location at the body-leg interface.

Optimized HID arc tube geometry

A ceramic metal halide lamp according to various embodiments can include a discharge vessel and an ionizable fill. The ionizable fill is sealed within the discharge vessel. The ionizable fill includes an oxygen dispenser to introduce oxygen in a form of a pellet into the discharge vessel in a controlled manner to facilitate a tungsten halogen wall cleaning cycle. The pellet comprises aluminum-oxide and molybdenum-oxide.

High intensity discharge lamps with dosing aid

A high intensity discharge lamp includes an electrically insulating arc tube including a central portion with an interior discharge region and two legs each extending from an end of the central portion. The central portion is a larger size than the legs. Electrical conductors extend through each of the legs and are spaced apart from each other in the discharge region. A light transmitting envelope encloses the arc tube. A frame member is electrically attached to one of the conductors. An ignition aid includes an electrically conductive foil disposed around one of the legs and in electrical contact with the frame member. An electrically conductive crown disposed in electrical contact with the foil is located on or near the central portion.

High intensity discharge lamp with crown and foil ignition aid

A vehicle signal light assembly includes: at least one color mixing light source; a support element configured to support the at least one color mixing light source on a vehicle as a signal light; and a controller configured to selectively drive each color mixing light source to generate light of a selected visually perceived color based on a received control signal. In some such embodiments, each color mixing light source of the vehicle signal light assembly comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) of at least two constituent colors. In some such embodiments, the controller is configured to operate each color mixing light source of the vehicle signal light assembly using time domain multiplexing (TDM) to generate the light of the selected visually perceived color. In some such embodiments, the vehicle signal light assembly comprises a taillight assembly. In some of the embodiments, the vehicle light assembly comprises an ambient or auxiliary lighting, or a dashboard lighting assembly.

Configurable vehicle solid state lighting

An improved light collecting efficiency in a projector type automotive headlamp is achieved by including a curved mirror to re-direct light otherwise absorbed by a rear surface of the blocking cut-off shield in 'low beam' operating mode of the headlamp. When the shield is moved to a second non-blocking position, a mirror segment conforms to the curved surface of the substantially ellipsoidal reflector to maximize lumen output in 'high beam' operating mode of the headlamp. In addition, auxiliary mirror segments may be used to provide a more complete substantially ellipsoidal reflector configuration that maximizes the light collection efficiency. Preferably, the cap holder is purposefully offset in order to position the centerline of the bowed arc of the arc discharge light source in alignment with the optical axis of the optical system in order to maximize light collection efficiency.

Projector type headlamp of maximized light collecting efficiency

A lamp includes a discharge vessel; electrodes spaced apart in the discharge vessel comprising tungsten or tungsten alloy; and a fill sealed within the vessel having a pressure between 50-200 mbar. The fill includes: a starting gas which comprises: xenon, krypton, argon or combinations thereof with the exception of pure argon; optionally radioactive Krwith a maximum activity level of 0.124 MBq/l as part of the starting gas; and a metal halide component. The lamp includes an active tungsten regeneration cycle wherein the fill comprises a species of the tungsten or tungsten alloy of material of the electrodes during lamp operation, wherein the solubility of tungsten or components of tungsten alloy in the tungsten or tungsten alloy species is lower in a gas phase adjacent to the electrodes than at close proximity of the wall of the discharge vessel.

High intensity discharge lamp with improved startability and performance

A High Intensity Discharge lamp and method of making same having an arc tube defining a discharge chamber with opposite ends of the tube each receiving an electrode extending into the discharge chamber and define an axial gap therebetween. A thermal shield extends from each opposite end of the arc tube and defines a radial gap with the tube. The thermal shields in some embodiments extend from end plugs in the arc tube; and, in another embodiment use formed, integrally with one arc tube sections and the tube sections joined.

Ceramic arc tube for a discharge lamp and method of making same

A method of forming a discharge lamp and the resultant discharge lamp include providing an arc tube having first and second ends offset from a central arcuate or curvilinear portion of the discharge chamber formed between the arc tube ends. Electrodes extend from the first and second ends and at least partially into the discharge chamber which is locally substantially rotationally symmetric, i.e., substantially circular cross-section over a length thereof. Preferably, the arc tube and discharge chamber have a curvilinear conformation where the first and second ends are located below the central portion of the arc tube and associated discharge chamber in horizontal orientation during operation. Terminal ends of the electrodes preferably follow a local axis of the curvilinear conformation. The wall thickness of the discharge chamber may be alternatively constant or non-constant along a longitudinal extent thereof.

Arc shaped discharge chamber for high intensity discharge automotive lamp

A high intensity discharge light source includes an arc tube having a longitudinal axis and discharge chamber formed therein. The light source includes first and second electrodes having inner terminal ends spaced from one another along the longitudinal axis. Each electrode extends at least partially into the discharge chamber. The discharge chamber is deformed so that its internal geometry is substantially rotationally asymmetric about its longitudinal axis, and is substantially mirror-symmetric relative to a plane spanned by the longitudinal axis and by another transverse axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and is vertical in a horizontal arc tube orientation, as well as substantially mirror-symmetric relative to a central plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. In a preferred embodiment of the disclosure the discharge lamp is of a single ended construction and the arc tube of the lamp is of double ended configuration, the discharge lamp having proximal and distal end electric lead wires to connect the arc tube to the lamp base, and the distal end electric lead wire is running below and parallel to the longitudinal discharge chamber axis in a horizontal lamp orientation, and its lateral direction coincides with the lateral direction of the central convex portion of the laterally complex concave-convex-concave deformed surface portion all along the longitudinal axis of the discharge chamber.

Discharge chamber for high intensity discharge lamp

A high intensity discharge light source includes an arc tube having a longitudinal axis and a main central discharge chamber formed therein. The arc tube includes first and second electrodes having inner terminal ends spaced from one another along the longitudinal axis. Each electrode extends at least partially into the main central discharge chamber or reaches the end portions of the main central discharge chamber. The arc tube includes first and second sub-chambers located at opposite ends of a main central discharge chamber. The sub-chambers are located entirely axially outward from the inner terminal ends of the electrodes to form cold spot locations for the dose pool outside the main central discharge chamber.

Compact metal halide lamp with salt pool container at its arc tube endparts

A compact mercury-free high intensity discharge (HID) lamp particularly suitable for automotive headlamp application has a pair of spaced and opposing electrodes sealed in a transparent enclosure defining an arc chamber. An outer transparent envelope has a first and second textured light scattering stripe on its interior surface on substantially opposite sides thereof extending continuously from one electrode to the other. The stripes widen the cross-sectional luminance distribution of the arc discharge image and make the image of the arc straighter while keeping light scattering losses at minimum so that the reduced arc peak luminance is still at the desired level. In other versions, a plurality of textured light scattering stripes of smaller widths are employed to replace a single wider light scattering stripe.

Compact high intensity discharge lamp with textured outer envelope

A first exemplary embodiment of an automotive discharge lamp assembly includes an integrated high intensity discharge lamp and driver assembly having a high voltage starter/igniter and a ballast unit contained in a common housing with a high intensity discharge lamp burner extending therefrom. A separate automotive headlamp optical assembly is mechanically and electrically joined to the integrated high intensity discharge lamp and driver assembly. The joining assembly includes snap-fit clamps received on one of (i) the headlamp assembly and (ii) the integrated lamp and driver assembly, and received in a recess/groove on the other of (i) the headlamp optical assembly and (ii) the integrated lamp and driver assembly. Another exemplary embodiment includes at least one bayonet pin extending outwardly from one of (i) the integrated lamp and driver assembly and (ii) the headlamp optical assembly for operative receipt in a recess or groove formed in the other component.

Integrated low wattage automotive discharge lamp

A high intensity discharge lamp automotive headlamp system is provided for three different lighting functions. The headlamp system is a single unit that provides for low beam, high beam, and daylight running light (DRL) functions. Two optical components are used to easily and effectively switch between the different modes of operation. The first optical component is a shutter that selectively blocks a portion of the light beam output. Secondly, either a single lens or lens portions can be moved either within the light beam path or into the light beam path to alter the divergence.

Three-mode integrated headlamp

A lamp is provided having an arctube having a light-transmitting envelope. The arctube is surrounded by a gaseous medium confined by a containment envelope such as a hermetic shroud. The gaseous medium is preferably He or Hor Ne or another gas whose thermal conductivity is greater than that of Nat 800&#xb0; C., or a mixture thereof, to help cool the arctube. The inside and/or outside of the shroud may be coated with a diffusion barrier. To help cool the hot spot of the arctube the gap between the shroud and the envelope can be made small, the portion of the shroud wall near the arc can be thickened, the arctube can be offset above the longitudinal axis of the shroud, and the return lead of the arctube can be located between the shroud and the arctube.

Gas-filled shroud to provide cooler arctube

A high intensity discharge lamp, in certain embodiments, includes a uniquely shaped shoulder and dimensions selected to reduce stress and associated cracking. The uniquely shaped shoulder has a variable diameter, such as, e.g., a cup-shaped geometry, a curved funnel-shaped geometry, or a conical-shaped geometry. The selected or optimized dimensions may include a tip-to-neck distance, a tip-to-wall distance, and an internal diameter of the lamp. The selected or optimized dimensions also may include a uniform wall thickness, an arc gap distance, and an electrode thickness. These dimensions and shapes are selected to reduce undesirably high maximum stresses and temperatures in the lamp. As a result, the lamp is able to provide higher performance with a longer life due to a decreased risk of stress cracking during rapid start up and steady state operation.

Growing community of inventors

Budapest, Hungary

Agoston Boroczki