Ushio America, Inc.

Randal S Kincade

Holger Claus

Steven Osowski

The present invention is a hybrid sealing technique. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, an unsealed lamp body is heated and a partial pinch seal is performed on a first side of the lamp body at an outer junction area. Then, a shrink seal is applied which completes the sealing process at the first side of the lamp body by sealing an inner junction area on the same side of the lamp body. The present invention retains the benefits of the shrink seal, but alleviates the difficulty associated with holding the electrode assemblies in place when performing a traditional shrink seal. In addition, the machine which holds the electrode assemblies in place is greatly simplified.

Hybrid sealing technique

The present invention provides an arc path formed in a lamp body. In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, the lamp body has a plurality of closely spaced, parallel vanes which form an arc path. In one embodiment, the lamp body comprises a bottom and top plate, and a front and back sealing member. The bottom plate may be a flat plate which can be made of quartz or other suitable material. The plate has a plurality of vanes machined into it out to its edges. Alternatively, the vanes may be separate and sealed onto the bottom plate. The top plate is sealed to the bottom plate. The front and back sealing members are sealed to the plates to complete the seal of the lamp body. In another embodiment, the bottom plate is a solid block of quartz or other suitable glass material, which can have the vane pattern machined onto it stopping short of the edges. The solid block is then sealed at the top and outside edges by the top plate, without the need for front and back sealing members. In another embodiment, a solid block of quartz or other suitable glass material has holes drilled completely through it. The material left between the holes at the front and back ends forms a septum. Every other septum is machined back to provide clearance for the arc as it moves through the arc path and turns the corner at the end of each hole. The front and back ends are then sealed to complete the lamp body. In one embodiment, the top and bottom plates are designed to emit differing wavelengths of light. In another embodiment, the bottom plate is mirrored or has a highly reflective coating, which provides increased output from a single side of the lamp. In yet another embodiment, the lamp emission can be focused on a single point using a plurality of lenses.

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Irvine, CA, United States of America

Randal S Kincade