General Electric Company

Joseph C Oberle

Louis Robert Nerone

David Joseph Kachmarik

Michael Solomon Idelchik

Vito J Arsena

Curtis E Scott

Edward John Thomas

Frederick Hetzel

Spiro Vamvakas

David O Wharmby

Robert S McFeely

Michael M Minarczyk

Clarence J Harsa

Mahomed Hanif Girach

Steven John Everest

Brian M Ronald

An integrated lamp/lamp electronics unit includes a lamp having a first end with first end electrical terminals, and a second end with second end electrical terminals. An end cap having an interior section is placed into electrical connection with the first end electrical terminals at the first end of the lamp. Lamp electronics are configured to control operation of the lamp and are connected only to the second end electrical terminals. The lamp electronics are carried on a circuit board having a configuration substantially matching the second end of the lamp portion. The circuit board is placed within the interior of a lamp electronics end cap, and the end cap is attached in a permanent relationship to the second end of the lamp.

Integral lamp

A plurality of lighting ballasts ( ) draw power from a single DC bus signal. A power factor correction circuit ( ) rectifies and smoothes AC power to produce the DC bus signal. In order to prevent damage to the ballast ( ) when a lamp ( ) dies or is removed, the ballast ( ) includes an AC switch that senses damaging conditions and responds by changing a resonant frequency of the ballast ( ). The AC switch operates in 2-3 second cycles. While it is operative, it shunts current away from inductors ( ) of the ballast ( ) causing a resonant frequency of the ballast ( ) to change. At the end of the cycle, the switch turns off, but if a load fault is still present in the ballast ( ) it activates again. Preferably, the AC switch has a response time of approximately 500 &mgr;s.

Multiple ballasts operable from a single DC bus

A fluorescent lamp assembly that has a planar configuration with an open area defined within the lamp tube. A low profile, integral common housing encloses a ballast and a portion of the lamp structure within the open area of the lamp tube. The housing mechanically secures the lamp tube and contains an electrical connector allow the lamp electronics to plug into an electrical main. The electronics and the lamp are contained in a common structure so they can be used, handled, and discarded as a single unit.

Integral housing for low profile fluorescent lamp

A lamp/lamp electronics unit includes a lamp and a lamp electronics end cap configuration. The lamp electronics end cap configuration includes a lamp electronics end cap having an interior section and a set of pins extending from a surface of the end cap Lamp electronics are configured to control operation of the integral lamp, and are located within the interior of the lamp electronics end cap At least one electrical connection exists between the lamp electronics end cap and the lamp electronics

Lamp electronic end cap for integral lamp

A coil assembly for an electrodeless fluorescent lamp comprises a hollow ferrite core 30, and a coil 31. The core is retained on a base 32 by a coil former 34 surrounding the core. The core 30 is retained in the former 34 by a circlip 33 or projections. The coil 31 is wound on the former. Pins 36 to which the coil is soldered connect the coil to an energizing circuit.

Coil assembly for an electrodeless fluorescent lamp

Disclosed is an electrodeless, low pressure gas discharge lamp. The lamp includes a vitreous envelope containing a metal vapor and an inert gas. The envelope is shaped with an external chamber for receiving an electrical excitation circuit. The excitation circuit is effective for exciting the metal vapor to emit light with electromagnetic fields that are passed through the vitreous envelope from outside, to inside, the envelope. A circuit supplies electrical power from power mains to the excitation circuit. A transparent, electrically conductive coating is disposed on the inner surface of the vitreous envelope for suppressing electromagnetic interference on the power mains. An electrically conductive coating is disposed on the outer surface of the vitreous envelope; it is capacitively coupled to the inner conductive coating, via a wall of the vitreous envelope, and is maintained at a suitable potential for suppressing electromagnetic interference on the power mains. The outer conductive coating comprises a matrix of a contiguous, inorganic, glass layer bonded to an exterior surface of the vitreous envelope, and conductive particles embedded in the matrix in a sufficiently dense manner to form a conductive coating.

Electrodeless lamp with external conductive coating

A gas discharge lamp ballast with an indicator of operability of the ballast is disclosed. The ballast circuit comprises circuitry for providing a d.c. bus voltage on a bus conductor with respect to a ground, and a resonant load circuit. The resonant load circuit includes lamp terminals for connecting to a removable gas discharge lamp, a resonant inductor, and a resonant capacitor. The resonant inductor and resonant capacitor are selected to set a magnitude, and resonant frequency, of a bidirectional current in the lamp. Further included is a converter circuitry, including first and second serially connected switches coupled between the bus conductor and the ground, and providing to the resonant load circuit, at a node coupled between the first and second switches, a voltage that alternates between first and second voltage levels. Circuitry for generating first and second switch-control signals for alternately switching into conduction the first and second switches, including circuitry responsive to a feedback signal representing a current in the resonant load circuit, are further included. The ballast circuit, moreover, includes overload detection circuitry for detecting if voltage applied to the lamp terminals exceeds an overload level; and circuitry for indicating, in response to such an overload condition being detected by the overload detection circuitry, probable operability of the ballast circuit.

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Chagrin Falls, OH, United States of America

Joseph C Oberle