General Electric Company

József Fülöp

István Würsching

Ferenc Papp

László Bánkuti

Jácint Gergely

József Tökés

János Orbán

Tamás Vásárhelyi

Zsolt Bagoly

Tímea Seszták

Erzsébet Cserteg

Károly Tálosi

Róbert Kardos

Zoltán Nagy

A lamp includes a collar with internal and outer surfaces, where two or more connection pins extend from the internal surface of the collar. At least two connection pins have a head portion distal from the collar internal surface. The head portions include a slot. The lamp includes a light source with at least two external lead-in wires. The lead-in wires are located within respective slots and are mechanically coupled to respective surfaces of the slots in a press-fit manner which may be free of wrapping, winding, twisting, or soldering. A PCB disposed inside the lamp has two opposing surfaces and a rim between the two opposing surfaces. There are conductive surfaces disposed on at least one of the rim and one of the opposing surfaces at positions corresponding to connection pin slots. The PCB is located between connection pins with the conductive surfaces in electrical communication with the lead-in wires.

Device and method for coupling a light source to a printed circuit board in lamps

This compact fluorescent lamp includes a discharge tube arrangement with at least one discharge tube formed of glass and enclosing a discharge volume filled with a discharge gas. A ballast circuit is connected to the electrodes disposed at each end of a continuous arc path for controlling the current in the tube. A substantially spherical portion of an outer envelope encloses the tube arrangement and an elongated end portion encloses the ballast circuit. The end portion of the outer envelope is closed and sealed by a seal formed of the same material as the material of the outer envelope. In the associated method of manufacture, the envelope is separated by cutting along a circumferential line into an upper part and a lower part, the ballast circuit introduced into the lower part and respective lead-in wires and the lead-out wires are short and need not be insulated. The ballast circuit and the discharge tube arrangement are held and supported in the outer envelope by the connecting wires and fixing means.

Compact fluorescent lamp and method for manufacturing

The compact fluorescent lamp comprises a bulb shaped outer envelope enclosing a discharge tube having a coiled configuration and a ballast unit for controlling the current in the tube. The lamp further comprises at least one joint mechanical support and starting aid means for positioning the discharge tube and the ballast unit and reducing a breakdown voltage path of the discharge tube. The at least one mechanical support and starting aid means is made of an electrically conducting material and connected electrically to at least one of the electrodes. The neck portion has a retaining member, and the mechanical support and starting aid means is supported by the retaining member and clamped on the discharge tube at least at a location in a vicinity of a middle section of the arc path. The mechanical support means further comprises at least one support section to provide support against an apex of the outer envelope, and at least one fixing section for fixing of the discharge tube.

Compact fluorescent lamp with mechanical support means and starting aid

There is provided a cap and socket arrangement for compact fluorescent lamps. The lamp comprises a discharge tube arrangement made of glass and having sealed ends being positioned at one end of the lamp. A continuous arc path is formed inside the discharge tube between two electrodes disposed at one end of the lamp. At least one of the sealed ends is also provided with an amalgam fill. The sealed ends of the discharge tube arrangement are received in the cap, and the cap comprises contact members and a protruding fitting member for being received in the socket. The socket has a hollow member for receiving the fitting member of the cap, and contact elements for receiving the contact members of the cap. The fitting member and the socket are provided with matching positioning elements for determining the position of the cap with respect to the socket and thereby determining the spatial position of the electrode with respect to the amalgam. The fitting member of the cap of the lamp may comprise an asymmetric groove and the socket may be provided with an asymmetric key element to be associated with the asymmetric groove of the cap.

Lamp cap and socket arrangement

A bulb-shaped outer envelope for accommodating at least one lamp including a light-emitting body and a control gear is disclosed. The envelope has a substantially spherical section for receiving the light-emitting body, and an elongated end section for receiving at least a part of the control gear components. The elongated end section is provided with a neck section. A substantially tubular neck-extension portion connects to an inner surface portion of and protruding from the neck section. The neck-extension portion is suitable for accommodating a remaining part of the control gear components. In a method for the manufacture of a glass outer envelope, a flare that is normally used in the manufacture of incandescent lamps is turned around by 180&#xb0;, put into a skirted bulbous envelope, melted into the envelope while the skirt is detached and the flare is formed into a neck-extension portion. A self-ballasted compact fluorescent lamp with the bulb-shaped outer envelope is also disclosed. A part of the ballast components are disposed in the neck-extension portion of the outer envelope.

Bulb-shaped outer envelope for lamps, method for manufacture thereof, and compact fluorescent lamp therewith

Compact fluorescent lamp

An electric lamp comprises an inner assembly including a light source and a control gear circuit. An outer envelope encloses the light source and at least a part of the control gear and has a predetermined wall thickness and an end portion. The outer envelope is comprised of two parts separated along a circumferential line. The two parts of the envelope are connectable and sealable to form a uniform outer envelope with a seal region. The seal region has a wall thickness and is merged in a surface portion of the two parts of the envelope so that the surface unevenness of the seal region is not greater than 0.5 millimeters, and the maximum difference of the wall thickness of the seal region with respect to the wall thickness of the outer envelope is not greater than 0.3 millimeters. A method for manufacturing an electric lamp as described above is also disclosed. During connecting, and sealing the two parts of the envelope by a welding process,

Electric lamp with inner assembly and outer bulb and method for manufacturing

A compact fluorescent lamp comprises a discharge tube arrangement with at least one discharge tube. The tube is formed of glass, encloses a discharge volume filled with a discharge gas and has a fluorescent phosphor coating disposed on the inner surface of the tube. The tube forms a continuous arc path and has electrodes disposed at each end of the arc path. The lamp also comprises a ballast circuit connected to the electrodes by lead-in wires and to a supply voltage by lead-out wires for controlling the current in the tube. A bulb shaped outer envelope comprises a substantially spherical portion, which encloses the tube arrangement and an elongated end portion, which encloses the ballast circuit. The end portion of the outer envelope has a neck portion with an open end on a base side for receiving a base shell. The open end of the neck portion is closed and terminated by a closing and neck reinforcing means of a material compatible with the material of the outer envelope, which has a substantially circular opening. The lead-out wires are led through the substantially circular opening to a base shell for connecting said lamp to said supply voltage through a socket. A method for manufacturing a compact fluorescent lamp as described above is also disclosed. In the proposed method the open end of the elongated portion of the outer envelope is closed and terminated with a closing and neck reinforcing means comprising a substantially circular opening for leading through the lead-out wires.

Self-ballasted compact fluorescent lamp and method for manufacturing

A compact fluorescent lamp comprises a discharge tube arrangement with at least one discharge tube. The tube is formed of glass, encloses a discharge volume filled with a discharge gas and has a fluorescent phosphor coating disposed on the inner surface of the tube. The tube forms a continuous arc path and is provided with electrodes disposed at each end of the arc path. The lamp also comprises a ballast circuit connected to the electrodes by lead-in wires and to a supply voltage by lead-out wires for controlling the current in the tube. A bulb shaped outer envelope has a substantially spherical portion enclosing the tube arrangement and an elongated end portion enclosing the ballast circuit. The end portion of the outer envelope having an open end on a base side is closed and terminated by a closing means of the same material as the outer envelope. The closing means is provided with a tubular opening. The lead-out wires are isolated from each other and led through the tubular opening to a base for connecting said lamp to said supply voltage through a socket. A method for manufacturing a compact fluorescent lamp as described above is also disclosed. In the proposed method, the open end of the elongated portion of the outer envelope is closed and terminated with a closing means comprising a tubular opening for leading through the lead-out wires.

A compact fluorescent lamp comprises a discharge tube arrangement with at least one discharge tube. The tube is formed of glass, encloses a discharge volume filled with a discharge gas and has a fluorescent phosphor coating disposed on the inner surface of the tube. The tube forms a continuous arc path and is provided with electrodes disposed at each end of the arc path. The lamp also comprises a ballast circuit mounted on a printed circuit board, which is oriented in a plane substantially parallel to the principal axis of the lamp. The ballast circuit is connected to the electrodes by lead-in wires and to a supply voltage by lead-out wires and controls the current in the tube. A bulb shaped outer envelope has a substantially spherical portion enclosing at least a part of the tube arrangement and an elongated end portion enclosing at least the ballast circuit. The end portion of the outer envelope having an open end on a base side is closed and terminated by a closing means of a material compatible with the material of the outer envelope. The ballast circuit and the discharge tube arrangement are held within the outer envelope and relative to each other in a predetermined position by a holding and protecting shield being oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to the principal axis of the lamp and comprising a receiving and fixing portion for the discharge tube and the printed circuit board of the ballast circuit. A method for manufacturing a compact fluorescent lamp as described above is also disclosed. In the proposed method, the ballast circuit and the discharge tube arrangement are inserted into and attached to a holding and protecting shield.

Compact fluorescent lamp with outer envelope and method for manufacturing

A starting aid in combination with a fluorescent lamp is provided. The lamp comprises a glass discharge tube () which includes a discharge path and is convoluted to have a plurality of discharge tube legs. These legs extend into and are secured in place in a plastic housing. Lamp electrodes () are located at respective end points of a discharge path and disposed in some of the discharge tube legs. The lamp electrodes are connected to means suitable for electrically connecting to a socket. The starting aid comprises an electrical connector disposed in the plastic housing of the florescent lamp. The starting aid has a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to the means suitable for electrically connecting to the socket. The second end is secured to an end portion of an electrodeless discharge tube leg. At least a part of the electrical connector is formed as a spring. A fluorescent lamp system with a starting aid is also provided. The lamp system comprises a ballast unit which controls electrical power received from an external power source. The electrodes () of a sealed lamp unit are connected electrically to the ballast unit and disposed in adjacent tube legs of the sealed lamp unit. A first electrical connector () is connected with one end to the first lamp electrode (). Its other end is secured at least to one of the tube legs located along the discharge path consecutively next to the tube leg in which the second electrode () is disposed. A second electrical connector () with one end is connected to the second lamp electrode (). Its other end is secured at least to one of the tube legs located along the discharge path consecutively next to the tube leg in which the first electrode is disposed.

Starting aid for fluorescent lamp

There is provided a low pressure discharge lamp, which comprises a discharge tube, a lamp base holding the discharge tube, and a base cap () for covering the lamp base. The base cap () also provides mechanical support to the discharge tube. The base cap () comprises tube openings () for receiving end parts of the discharge tube. The base cap () further comprises an adhesive space () adjacent to a tube opening (), the adhesive space containing an amount of adhesive. The adhesive space () is open toward the discharge tube. The adhesive contained in the adhesive space () adheres to an end part of the discharge tube and thereby fixes the discharge tube to the base cap (). The base cap comprises at least one upper transversal member () and at least one lower transversal member (). The transversal members () extend substantially in a plane parallel to a plane of the tube opening () adjacent to the adhesive space (). The upper and lower transversal members () limit the adhesive space () at least partly. There is also provided a method for manufacturing a discharge lamp with a base cap () described. In the method, the adhesive space is at least partly limited with the upper and lower transversal members. According to the method, ends of the discharge tube are inserted into the tube openings () of the base cap (). An amount of adhesive is fed in the adhesive space (), and the adhesive is forced to spill out from the adhesive space () and to contact the ends of the discharge tube. The adhesive is allowed to adhere to an end part of the discharge tube and thereby the discharge tube is fixed to the base cap (). A base cap () having an upper and lower transversal member () as above is also claimed.

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Budapest, Hungary

József Fülöp