Hamamatsu-Photonics K.k.

Kouzou Adachi

Yoshinobu Ito

Ryotaro Matui

Tomoyuki Ikedo

Koji Matsushita

Kazuo Ueno

The present invention relates to a light source apparatus with a structure that enables the brightness of a gas discharge tube to be stabilized and facilitates gas discharge tube maintenance work. The light source apparatus has a gas discharge tube, a lamp container housing the gas discharge tube, and a base on which the lamp container is fixed. The gas discharge tube is fixed via a heat insulating member to a portion of an outer shell of the lamp container, and the heat insulating member functions to reduce heat transfer between the lamp container and the gas discharge tube to reduce the influence of temperature change, outside the lamp container, on the gas discharge tube. The lamp container also has an attachment/detachment structure for enabling attachment and detachment of the portion of the outer shell on which the gas discharge tube is fixed via the insulating member, with respect to the remaining portion of the outer shell, and whereby the attachment/detachment structure facilitates gas discharge tube maintenance work.

Light source device

The present invention relates to a light source apparatus with a structure that improves the positioning precision of a gas discharge tube and facilitates gas discharge tube maintenance work. The light source apparatus has a lamp container housing the gas discharge tube, and an insulating socket member that is fixed in a state of being positioned with respect to the lamp container and that is housed in the lamp container together with the gas discharge tube. The insulating socket member has a plane contacting portion put in plane contact with a stem portion of the gas discharge tube, and a pin socket member into which at least one of stem pins, held in the stem portion is inserted in an electrically contacting state. By the corresponding stem pin being inserted in the pin socket member, the gas discharge tube is fixed in a manner enabling attachment and detachment with respect to the insulating socket member, and the precision of positioning of the gas discharge tube with respect to the lamp container is thereby improved dramatically. Also, because the insulating socket member fixes the gas discharge tube in a detachable state, detachment of the gas discharge tube is facilitated and consequently, exchange of the gas discharge tube and other maintenance work are facilitated.

Light source device including a gas discharge tube, a housing, and an insulating socket member

A flange portion is integrally formed with a stem which forms a sealing envelope for a gas discharge tube. Accordingly, operation for building and fixing the flange portion is not necessary, so that lamp assembly operation is simplified, and mass production is facilitated. In addition, when a gas discharge tube is to be fixed to an external stem setting portion, lamp setting is enabled at higher precision by utilizing positioning holes formed in the flange portion in advance.

Gas discharge tube

In a gas discharge tube in which a sealed envelope at least a part of which transmits light is filled with a gas, and electric discharge is generated between anode and cathode sections disposed within the sealed envelope, so as to emit predetermined light outside from the light-transmitting part of the sealed envelope, the anode section is mounted on an insulating anode support member, an insulating electrode support member having an opening for exposing the anode section is mounted on a surface surrounding the anode section, a focusing electrode having a focusing opening projecting toward the anode section is further mounted at the front face of the opening, and the cathode section is disposed on the anode support member or focusing electrode support member so as to be spaced from the focusing opening.

Gas discharge tube having precise electrode arrangement

In the gas discharge tube of the present invention, for elongating the life of the discharge tube itself while lowering the assembling temperature, a side tube itself is formed from glass, and a metal is employed in a joint between a stem and the side tube. Namely, a metal-made first peripheral portion provided in the stem and a metal-made second peripheral portion provided in the side tube are utilized in the joint. As a result, the discharge tube itself can be made smaller.

In a gas discharge tube in accordance with the present invention, a side tube is formed from a metal, the outer periphery of the stem is provided with a joint portion made of a metal, and the latter is joined to a metal-made joint portion of the side tube by welding, whereby the assembling is made easier by welding, while the gas discharge tube itself can attain smaller dimensions. Also, since the side tube is small and made of a metal, its handling improves greatly. Further, since side tube is formed from a metal, the gas discharge tube is encouraged to have a wider range of processed forms and attains a prospect for mass production.

Gas discharge tube having sealed envelope with metallic portion and light projection glass window

While high heat is generated in the anode section in the gas discharge tube in accordance with the present invention during its use, the heat is transmitted to the stem by way of the anode support plate due to a configuration in which the anode support plate abuts against the stem, and is released outside from the stem, whereby the cooling efficiency of the anode section is improved. Since the anode section employs not a floating structure including stem pins interposed therein but a configuration in which it is seated on the stem by way of the anode support plate, the anode section is stabilized on the stem, whereby the resistance to vibration improves. Also, for assembling the anode section into a sealed envelope, it will be sufficient if the anode support plate is mounted on the stem, which contributes to improving the easiness in assembling the gas discharge tube.

In a gas discharge tube in accordance with the present invention, one or both of the inner wall face and outer wall face of a side tube body are provided with a coating made of a glass material or ceramics. As a result, the side tube body can be made of various materials regardless of properties of the gas filling the inside, whereby the gas discharge tube can have a wider range of processed forms and smaller dimensions at the same time, and its mass production can freely be carried out.

Growing community of inventors

Hamamatsu, Japan

Kouzou Adachi