Electric lamp with ellipsoidal shroud

• US 5,610,469 A
• Filed: 03/16/1995
• Issued: 03/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Dakin, James T., Parham, Thomas G., Bergman, Rolf S.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patidar, Jay M.
• Application Number:
  US08/405,123
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 313/25, 313/112, 313/113, 313/634, 313/635, 313/110
• US Class Current: 313/25
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/34 Double-wall vessels or containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/40 by light filters; by coloured coatings in or on the envelope
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/827 Metal halide arc lamps

Abstract

An electric lamp includes a sealed outer envelope, an arctube located within the envelope, a shroud separate from the arctube having an ellipsoidally-shaped reflecting portion positioned around the arctube, and a coating disposed on the reflecting section of the shroud for reflecting light having predetermined wavelengths emitted by the arctube. The ellipsoidal shape of the shroud is effective for reflecting the light substantially back toward the arctube. Particularly when the coating is a color correcting coating, the shape of the reflecting section is tailored to maximize reflection of radiation at selected wavelengths back toward the arc of the arctube.

Claims

1. An electric lamp comprising:

a sealed light-transmissive lamp envelope having an interior space;

a light source capable of generating light within said envelope;

a shroud separate from said light source and in non-sealing communication with said light source and having a reflecting section disposed about said light source, said reflecting section being separated from said light source by a separating space;

a coating disposed on said reflecting section of said shroud for reflecting light having predetermined wavelengths emitted by said light source; and

wherein said reflecting section has an ellipsoidal shape effective for reflecting said light having predetermined wavelengths back substantially toward said light source and wherein said separating space is in fluid communication with said interior space of said envelope, said ellipsoidal shape of said reflecting section having a major longitudinal axis, said ellipsoidal shape being uniform such that if two halves of said ellipsoidal shape are defined by a plane in the middle of the reflecting section, said plane being perpendicular to said axis, said two halves will be mirror images of one another.

2. The lamp according to claim 1, wherein said shroud is disposed within said envelope, wherein said light source is centrally located within the space defined by said reflecting section, and wherein said reflecting section has a longitudinal axis and said light source has a longitudinal axis and said two axes are coincident.

3. The lamp according to claim 1, said shroud defining and having an interior space, said shroud having generally open ends and the interior space of the shroud being in fluid communication with the interior space of the envelope.

4. The lamp according to claim 1, said shroud having cylindrically-shaped end sections.

5. The lamp according to claim 4, said lamp having a base, said lamp further comprising supporting means for supporting said shroud about said light source, said supporting means cooperating with said cylindrically-shaped end sections of said shroud and with said base.

6. The lamp according to claim 1, wherein said coating reflects a portion of visible radiation emitted by said light source for correcting color of light output from said lamp.

7. The lamp according to claim 6, wherein said coating is an optical interference filter made of alternating layers of tantala and silica.

8. The lamp according to claim 1, wherein said coating reflects infrared radiation emitted by said light source for raising a temperature of said light source and thereby increasing its efficacy.

9. The lamp according to claim 8, wherein said coating is an optical interference filter made of alternating layers of tantala and silica.

10. The lamp according to claim 1, wherein said light source is a metal halide arctube having a bulb portion surrounding an arc discharge zone.

11. The lamp according to claim 10, wherein said reflecting section of said shroud is effective for reflecting said light having the predetermined wavelengths substantially back toward said bulb portion of said arctube.

12. The lamp according to claim 11, wherein said shroud is a quartz shroud.

13. The lamp according to claim 12, wherein said shroud is disposed within said envelope and has cylindrically-shaped end sections.

14. The lamp according to claim 13, wherein said end sections have generally open ends.

15. The lamp according to claim 14, said lamp having a base, said lamp further comprising supporting means cooperating with said end sections and with said base for supporting said shroud about said metal halide arctube and within said envelope.

16. The lamp according to claim 15, wherein said coating reflects a portion of visible radiation emitted by said light source for correcting color of light output from said lamp.

17. The lamp according to claim 16, wherein said reflecting section of said shroud is effective for reflecting said light having the predetermined wavelengths substantially back toward said arc discharge zone of said arctube.