General Electric Company

Current Lighting Solutions, LLC

Tamas Panyik

Csaba Horvath

Agoston Boroczki

Istvan Csanyi

Zoltan Janki

Raghu Ramaiah

István Maros

Balazs Nagy

Janos Kallay

Roland Csongvai

A lighting system including a plurality of lighting elements; a housing with a top surface having an interface portion and an inner surface portion supporting the lighting element; a heat sink mounted onto the interface portion and configured to dissipate heat generated by the lighting elements; and a fixing element configured to secure the heat sink to the interface portion.

Lighting system with modular heat management apparatus

A high intensity discharge lamp includes an electrically insulating arc tube. A sealed shroud encloses the arc tube. An electrically conductive frame member is disposed inside the shroud and is electrically connected to an electrical conductor that extends in the arc tube. Electrically conductive foil is fastened to the frame member and forms a closed loop that encircles a leg of the arc tube by an angle in a range of at least 270 degrees to 360 degrees. The foil can be connected to the frame member and to itself. A distance from an outer surface of a flange of the arc tube leg to a proximal edge of the foil can range from 1.5 to 8 mm. A width of the foil can range from 1 mm to 4 mm.

High intensity discharge lamp with ignition aid

A high intensity discharge lamp includes an electrically insulating arc tube including a central portion with an interior discharge region and two legs each extending from an end of the central portion. The central portion is a larger size than the legs. Electrical conductors extend through each of the legs and are spaced apart from each other in the discharge region. A light transmitting envelope encloses the arc tube. A frame member is electrically attached to one of the conductors. An ignition aid includes an electrically conductive foil disposed around one of the legs and in electrical contact with the frame member. An electrically conductive crown disposed in electrical contact with the foil is located on or near the central portion.

High intensity discharge lamp with crown and foil ignition aid

An improved light collecting efficiency in a projector type automotive headlamp is achieved by including a curved mirror to re-direct light otherwise absorbed by a rear surface of the blocking cut-off shield in 'low beam' operating mode of the headlamp. When the shield is moved to a second non-blocking position, a mirror segment conforms to the curved surface of the substantially ellipsoidal reflector to maximize lumen output in 'high beam' operating mode of the headlamp. In addition, auxiliary mirror segments may be used to provide a more complete substantially ellipsoidal reflector configuration that maximizes the light collection efficiency. Preferably, the cap holder is purposefully offset in order to position the centerline of the bowed arc of the arc discharge light source in alignment with the optical axis of the optical system in order to maximize light collection efficiency.

Projector type headlamp of maximized light collecting efficiency

A method of forming a discharge lamp and the resultant discharge lamp include providing an arc tube having first and second ends offset from a central arcuate or curvilinear portion of the discharge chamber formed between the arc tube ends. Electrodes extend from the first and second ends and at least partially into the discharge chamber which is locally substantially rotationally symmetric, i.e., substantially circular cross-section over a length thereof. Preferably, the arc tube and discharge chamber have a curvilinear conformation where the first and second ends are located below the central portion of the arc tube and associated discharge chamber in horizontal orientation during operation. Terminal ends of the electrodes preferably follow a local axis of the curvilinear conformation. The wall thickness of the discharge chamber may be alternatively constant or non-constant along a longitudinal extent thereof.

Arc shaped discharge chamber for high intensity discharge automotive lamp

A high intensity discharge light source includes an arc tube having a longitudinal axis and discharge chamber formed therein. The light source includes first and second electrodes having inner terminal ends spaced from one another along the longitudinal axis. Each electrode extends at least partially into the discharge chamber. The discharge chamber is deformed so that its internal geometry is substantially rotationally asymmetric about its longitudinal axis, and is substantially mirror-symmetric relative to a plane spanned by the longitudinal axis and by another transverse axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and is vertical in a horizontal arc tube orientation, as well as substantially mirror-symmetric relative to a central plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. In a preferred embodiment of the disclosure the discharge lamp is of a single ended construction and the arc tube of the lamp is of double ended configuration, the discharge lamp having proximal and distal end electric lead wires to connect the arc tube to the lamp base, and the distal end electric lead wire is running below and parallel to the longitudinal discharge chamber axis in a horizontal lamp orientation, and its lateral direction coincides with the lateral direction of the central convex portion of the laterally complex concave-convex-concave deformed surface portion all along the longitudinal axis of the discharge chamber.

Discharge chamber for high intensity discharge lamp

A high intensity discharge light source includes an arc tube having a longitudinal axis and a main central discharge chamber formed therein. The arc tube includes first and second electrodes having inner terminal ends spaced from one another along the longitudinal axis. Each electrode extends at least partially into the main central discharge chamber or reaches the end portions of the main central discharge chamber. The arc tube includes first and second sub-chambers located at opposite ends of a main central discharge chamber. The sub-chambers are located entirely axially outward from the inner terminal ends of the electrodes to form cold spot locations for the dose pool outside the main central discharge chamber.

Compact metal halide lamp with salt pool container at its arc tube endparts

A discharge lamp such as a shrouded metal halide lamp is designed to reduce the potential for arcing under hot restart or restrike voltages. A stepped conformation of the pinch seal region limits arcing within the shroud while different dimensions of stems in the base increase the distance between outer lead wires in the base to prevent arcing externally of the shroud.

Metal halide lamp shrouding

A first exemplary embodiment of an automotive discharge lamp assembly includes an integrated high intensity discharge lamp and driver assembly having a high voltage starter/igniter and a ballast unit contained in a common housing with a high intensity discharge lamp burner extending therefrom. A separate automotive headlamp optical assembly is mechanically and electrically joined to the integrated high intensity discharge lamp and driver assembly. The joining assembly includes snap-fit clamps received on one of (i) the headlamp assembly and (ii) the integrated lamp and driver assembly, and received in a recess/groove on the other of (i) the headlamp optical assembly and (ii) the integrated lamp and driver assembly. Another exemplary embodiment includes at least one bayonet pin extending outwardly from one of (i) the integrated lamp and driver assembly and (ii) the headlamp optical assembly for operative receipt in a recess or groove formed in the other component.

Integrated low wattage automotive discharge lamp

A high intensity discharge lamp automotive headlamp system is provided for three different lighting functions. The headlamp system is a single unit that provides for low beam, high beam, and daylight running light (DRL) functions. Two optical components are used to easily and effectively switch between the different modes of operation. The first optical component is a shutter that selectively blocks a portion of the light beam output. Secondly, either a single lens or lens portions can be moved either within the light beam path or into the light beam path to alter the divergence.

Growing community of inventors

Budapest, Hungary

Tamas Panyik