Gte Products Corporation

Osram Sylvania Inc.

Gte Sylvania Incorporated

English, George J.

Levin, Robert E.

George J English

Harold L Rothwell, Jr

Robert E Levin

William M Keeffe

Michael D Tucker

Stephen J Leadvaro

Andre C Bouchard

Harold L Hough

John A Scholz

Peter R Gagnon

Robert L Garrison

Kirti B Chakrabarti

Charles M Coushaine

Timothy Fohl

Harold H Hall, Jr

John A Bergin

Donald F Garrity, Jr

Thomas Gilligan

Kun Huang

Robert L King

Raymond T Fleming

Thomas J Sentementes

Ralph J Johnson

W Calvin Gungle

Steven C Sidwell

Mark D Beschle

Scott D Jennato

Jean M Evans

Thomas J Gilligan, Iii

Peter J Van Peenen

Harold J Rothwell, Jr

Robert E Lvein

Peter N Wyckoff

Paul A Reiser

Open LED chips may be arranged directly on the surface of a replaceable lamp capsule without intervening packages that reduce overall light emission. The chips may be oriented in such a way that the lamp generates a unique 'donut' shape radiation pattern, which is suitable for a flat and shallow secondary optics to collimate the light into a desired beam pattern, and to reduce the unaesthetic appearance of points of light in an onlooker's view. The LED chips are driven in such a way that one chip fails, the whole lamp fails to avoid a partially lit appearance. At the same time the heat generated by the LED chips may be conducted away by the support structure to possibly vehicle's sheet metal to enhance life of the LED chip. The standardization of this LED lamp makes this product more cost effective thus to be used in broader lighting applications.

Replaceable LED lamp capsule

Open LED chips may be arranged directly on the surface of a replaceable lamp capsule without intervening packages that reduce overall light emission. The chips may be oriented in such a way that the lamp generates a unique &ldquo;donut&rdquo; shape radiation pattern, which is suitable for a flat and shallow secondary optics to collimate the light into a desired beam pattern, and to reduce the unaesthetic appearance of points of light in an onlooker's view. The LED chips are driven in such a way that one chip fails, the whole lamp fails to avoid a partially lit appearance. At the same time the heat generated by the LED chips may be conducted away by the support structure to possibly vehicle's sheet metal to enhance life of the LED chip. The standardization of this LED lamp makes this product more cost effective thus to be used in broader lighting applications.

A lamp capsule for use in a vehicle headlamp includes a lamp envelope having a tubular portion. First and second spaced-apart filaments are mounted in the lamp envelope for emitting light when energized by electrical energy. The lamp capsule further includes one or more light-attenuating axial stripes on the lamp envelope. The axial stripes are positioned on the lamp envelope for blocking light emitted by the first filament and reflected by the second filament. The lamp capsule may further include light-attenuating rings at or near opposite ends of the lamp envelope for defining upper and lower boundaries of a clear region of the lamp envelope. A filament support structure may include support leads located in the plane of the filaments for limiting light blockage and stray reflections.

Vehicle lamps with glare control

Vehicle lamps with improved filament and filament support configurations

A lamp capsule includes a lamp envelope having a tubular portion and a dome closing one end of the tubular portion, a light source mounted in the lamp envelope on or near its central axis for emitting light when energized by electrical energy and a light attenuating coating over the dome. The dome has a shape that traps light emitted by the light source in the direction of the dome. The dome may be shaped such that a dome angle between a tangent to the interior surface of the dome and the central axis of the lamp envelope is 45.degree. or less. The dome may be shaped as a hyperbolic surface of revolution. The lamp capsule is typically used in a vehicle headlamp and provides low glare.

Vehicle lamp with shaped envelope interior providing a light-trapping

The efficiency of a horizontally operated arc discharge lamp has been found to be substantially improved by the application of a transverse magnetic field. The magnetic field moves the arc downward, away from the upper wall of the lamp envelope. The magnetic field moves the arc so that the outer mantel that otherwise would make contact with side walls of the envelope stand away from the envelope wall. With the arc withdrawn from the wall, less energy is lost in heating the envelope, resulting in more energy be directed to the emission of light.

Horizontal HID vehicle headlamp with magnetic deflection

A vehicle headlamp system having optical reflector, lamp capsule, and gasket is disclosed. The vehicle headlamp system uses surfaces formed as part of the optical surface yielding located light source. As a result, the light source is more accurately positioned with respect to the reflector, and a more accurate beam pattern is formed. The lamp capsule is assisted in its location by a spring to force the capsule in proper location. The headlamp system no longer uses an O-ring to provide location, but an improved flat resilient gasket provides a sealing and locking force to maintain proper face to face coupling. The preferred lamp capsule uses a cup to shield light reflected from the press seal. The preferred lamp capsule uses a cup, and pedestal system mounting providing five axes of light source positioning. The preferred lamp capsule uses a clip coupling to join the light source holder to the plastic base.

Vehicle headlamp assembly

A discharge lamp, such as a neon lamp or a subminiature fluorescent lamp, includes an elongated tubular lamp envelope containing a fill material for supporting a light-emitting discharge and electrodes mounted at opposite ends of the lamp envelope. A light-transmissive conductive coating on the lamp envelope substantially attenuates emission of RF energy. A conductor in electrical contact with the conductive coating couples the conductive coating to a reference potential, such as ground. The conductor may be a metal or conductive silicone strip in electrical contact with the conductive coating along the length of the lamp envelope. The discharge lamp may be connected to a ballast circuit by coaxial cables. The outer conductor of each coaxial cable is connected to the conductive coating to form a continuous RF shield. The conductive coating and/or the metal strip may be used for heating of the discharge lamp.

Discharge lamp having light-transmissive conductive coating for RF

A vehicle headlamp reflector comprises a concave shell having a reflective surface, the shell including multiple vertical panels defining the reflective surface. The panels include at least one panel having therein on the reflective surface multiple vertical ribs defining alternating ridges and grooves. The ridges and grooves are of a rounded configuration, of substantially equal width throughout their lengths, and extend substantially from top to bottom of the panel.

Vehicle headlamp reflector

A nearly pure neon is described along with a method of operating the lamp. A phosphor is coated on the lamp wall. By properly stimulating the neon, ultraviolet light may be emitted, that can stimulate the phosphor to a first light emission. The lamp may then be operated to produce a visible light emission that is the result of neon emission or of intermediate combinations of the neon and phosphor emissions. A single neon lamp may then produce in one instance, an amber color, or in other instance, a red color without the cold environment problems typical of a mercury based lamp. The output efficiency is enhanced when the lamp is formed as an aperture lamp. The narrow source is also useful as a source in reflector and lens systems. High pressure neon lamps offer a small source size, direct color with no filtering, good tolerance of impact and jarring, moderate cost, and increased vehicle styling potential.

Neon fluorescent lamp and method of operating

A method of fabricating a filamented capsule from a tubular blank, and a mold used in such fabrication, is provided wherein a first filament is sealed in a first press seal in one end of the blank, and a preform designed to facilitate insertion and positioning of a second filament is formed in an opposite end of the blank, in a single pressing and blowing step.

Filamented lamp manufacture method

A method of fabricating an arc discharge capsule from a tubular blank, and a mold used in such fabrication, is provided wherein a first electode is sealed in a first press seal in one end of the blank, and a preform designed to facilitate insertion and positioning of a second electrode is formed in an opposite end of the blank, in a single pressing and blowing step.

Method and mold for fabricating an arc tube for an arc discharge lamp

A pulsed light source includes a sealed, ultraviolet-transmissive lamp tube defining a discharge region containing a rare gas or a mixture of rare gases, anode and cathode electrodes sealed into the lamp tube at opposite ends, leads for connecting the electrodes to a pulsed source of electrical energy and a phosphor material located on a surface external to the discharge region. The lamp tube contains mercury in sufficient quantity to cover the cathode electrode when the lamp tube is oriented with the cathode electrode at the bottom. The cathode electrode is protected by the mercury from sputtering that results from ion bombardment. The mercury emits pulsed ultraviolet radiation which stimulates emission of visible light by the phosphor material. Lamp tube pressure is below 200 torr. The light source is operable over a range of pulse widths and duty cycles. The color of light emission is determined by the phosphor. The phosphor can be located on the outer surface of the lamp tube or on a separate glass sleeve.

Pulsed light source

A arc discharge headlamp system is disclosed. An arc discharge headlamp system may be formed with a lamp housing including an enclosed reflector, a double ended arc discharge lamp having a two leads at offset ends, enclosed in the reflector. A first lamp support for the front end of the lamp is coupled to the lamp housing, and a first lead connection for the lamp is coupled through a high potential conductor embedded in the lamp housing. The high potential conductor embedded in the lamp housing extends subsurface to a ballast cavity formed in the lamp housing and enclosing a ballast. The ballast is potted in the cavity to protect it. A second lamp lead extends through a second lamp support to the rear of the lamp housing to be connected to the ballast. The lamp capsule, high potential leads, and ballast are all securely enclosed as a single unit with potential leakage between elements, and with the outside prevented.

Arc discharge headlamp system

A pulsed metal halide arc discharge light source comprising a hermetically sealed light transmissive envelope with an anode and cathode protruding therein and an emissive material including at least one recrystallized metal halide salt covering the cathode. There is no mercury in the emissive material. During an application of a short-duration electrical pulse across the anode and cathode in a preferred embodiment of the invention, bright colored light is emitted from the lamp, the color of such emission being determined in large part by the choice of the metal halide salt or combination of metal halide salts employed in the emissive material and the duration of the electrical pulse, and the temperature of the emissive material remains less than one hundred degrees Centigrade. A lamp in accordance with the invention is particularly well suited for use as a signal lamp, such as a navigational beacon.

Growing community of inventors

Reading, MA, United States of America

George J English