Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Automotive Lighting Reutlingen Gmbh

Lars Dabringhausen

Michael Haacke

Juergen Mertens

Xaver Riederer

Anton Duschl

Christian Johann

Markus Gerhard

Thomas Jaiser

Heinz Helmut Huedepohl

A light source () with a gas-discharge lamp includes a control module () with a driver circuit, an ignition module () for producing a substantially high voltage, and a gas-filled burner () in which an electric arc is ignited and maintained between two electrodes (). The control module (), ignition module (), and burner () are attached to a mutual support system () and combined in a single unit. Lighting equipment () for a motor vehicle includes at least one light source ().

Light source with gas discharge lamp

A lampis described comprising a burnerfixed to a lamp base. An operating circuitis arranged within the lamp basefor supplying electrical power to the burner. The operating circuitis electrically connected to at least one elongate contact path elementextending within the base. The contact path elementis supported within the baseand comprises a first portionfixed within the base and a second portionslidably received within the base. The contact path elementis fixed to the operating circuitat a position arranged in longitudinal direction from the second portion. This allows a manufacturing method, where the contact path element is fixed to the operating circuitat a position arranged in longitudinal direction from the second portion, so that a longitudinal movement of the second portion is possible to compensate for manufacturing tolerances.

Discharge lamp with contact paths within the base

A lighting assembly () includes an electronic driver circuit () and a discharge lamp (). The discharge lamp () is driven with a steady-state average power of 20-30 W. It includes a discharge vessel () of a maximum inner dimension ID of less than 3 mm with two electrodes (). A discharge vessel filling comprises a rare gas and a metal halide composition provided in an amount per volume of the discharge vessel () of less than 13.2 &#x3bc;g/&#x3bc;l. Electrical energy is supplied as an alternating current Iwhere pulses (-) are superimposed. The pulses occur in a time interval of 20% of a half-cycle time before or after a polarity change of the alternating current I. During the pulses the current Ireaches the current value of at least 1.2 times the RMS value of the current I.

High efficiency lighting assembly

The invention describes a method of driving a gas-discharge lamp () according to conditions in a specific region (R) of the lamp (), which gas-discharge lamp () comprises a burner () in which a first electrode () and a second electrode () are arranged on either side of a discharge gap, which lamp () is realised such that the position (PCs) of a coldest spot during an AC mode of operation is in the vicinity of the first electrode (), which method comprises the steps of initially driving the lamp () in the AC mode of operation; monitoring an environment variable of the lamp (), which environment variable is indicative of conditions in a specific region (R) of the lamp (); switching to a temporary DC mode of operation at a DC power value on the basis of the monitored environment variable, whereby the first electrode () is allocated as the anode; and driving the lamp () in the DC mode of operation until the monitored environment variable has returned to an intermediate environment variable threshold value (T). The invention also describes a gas-discharge lamp and a driver for a gas-discharge lamp.

Method of driving a gas-discharge lamp

A lamp () is described comprising a burner () fixed to a lamp base (). The lamp base () comprises a metal housing part (). The metal housing part () comprises a contact sheet element () made out of a different metal material. Electrical contacts are provided within the base (), including an electrical ground contact (). A contact spring () is provided for contacting the electrical ground contact () to the metal housing part (). The contact spring () is arranged to press against the contact sheet element () to provide electrical ground connection to the metal housing part ().

Ground connection to a lamp housing

The invention describes a method of driving an arc-discharge lamp (), which method comprises the steps of detecting a mechanically induced fluctuation in luminous flux of the lamp () occurring as a result of a physical displacement of the discharge arc (), determining a characteristic () of the mechanically induced fluctuation in luminous flux of the lamp (), and adjusting the lamp power on the basis of the determined characteristic () to suppress the mechanically induced fluctuation in luminous flux of the lamp (). The invention further describes a driver () for an arc-discharge lamp (), which driver comprises a detecting means () for detecting a mechanically induced fluctuation in luminous flux of the lamp () occurring as a result of a physical displacement of the discharge arc (), a determination unit () for determining a characteristic () of the mechanically induced fluctuation in luminous flux of the lamp (); and an adjustment unit () for adjusting a lamp power (Pc) on the basis of the determined characteristic () to suppress the mechanically induced fluctuation in luminous flux of the lamp (). The invention also describes a lighting assembly () comprising a high-intensity gas-discharge lamp () and such a driver () for driving the lamp () according to the inventive method.

Method of driving an arc-discharge lamp

It is provided a burner for automotive lamps, particularly HID lamps, comprising a discharge vessel for generating light by means of a discharge arc. A glass body for protecting the discharge vessel comprises a shaft for being inserted into a socket. The shaft comprises at least one insulation pocket for receiving a rib of the socket and for insulating the first electrode outside the glass body. Due to the insulation pocket the glass body may provide an umbrella-like dielectric increasing the minimum necessary way for a high voltage discharge arc to the uncovered part of the first electrode at the proximal end of the shaft. Due to the improved insulation effect by means of the insulation pocket, the height of the shaft of the glass body may be significantly reduced leading to a reduced height of the burner without impairing the insulation of the burner.

Growing community of inventors

Baesweiler, Germany

Lars Dabringhausen