Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Edward H Hooper

Raymond A Smith

Paul G Kennedy

Roy G Anderson

An RF source is periodically pulsed for exciting an electrodeless light bulb in an on-off mode so as to intermittently drive the bulb to a high peak power operating point where light generation efficiency is relatively high, while maintaining a relatively low average power input. Pulse rate and duration are optimized to minimize light flicker while maximizing light emission efficiency.

Excitation circuit for an electrodeless lamp including a pulsed power

A coil extension of the RF coupling coil, surrounding an electrodeless light bulb containing an inert gas and selected chemical elements, generates a voltage at the distal end thereof which is higher than that which appears across the RF coupling coil proper, and wherein the high voltage from the distal end of the coil extension is returned to the light bulb through a point contact electrode located in relatively close proximity to the low voltage end of the RF coupling coil.

Integral igniter for electrodeless lamps

A method and apparatus for exciting an electrodeless light bulb containing material including an inert gas and one or more chemical elements which generate a light emitting torus of plasma when excited by an RF signal and which includes two separate excitation coils oriented about the bulb so that the planes of each of the coils are mutually oriented 90.degree. with respect to each other, and wherein each of the coils are driven by respective RF excitation voltages having mutually different frequencies, for example, a difference of 4%, so as to excite the material enclosed within the bulb and cause a stirring action of the fill and effect a pulsating emission of light and rotation of the torus similar to that produced by physical rotation of the bulb itself.

Precession of the plasma torus in electrodeless lamps by non-mechanical

An excitation circuit for an electrodeless light bulb which includes an RF source, a driver amplifier, and a load matching network and where the frequency of the RF energy generated by the source is swept over a predetermined frequency range in a controlled manner by a programmable frequency controller to cover the entire range of possible load match tuning conditions so that the electrodeless bulb will be substantially matched at all times to the source at some frequency in the sweep range.

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Baltimore, MD, United States of America

Edward H Hooper