Light source device

• US 7,868,526 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2006
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK
• Original Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK
• Inventors: Matsushita, Koji, Ueno, Kazuo, Adachi, Kouzou
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo; Peter J
• Assistant Examiner(s): STERN, JACOB R
• Application Number:
  US11/884,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20080180027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 362 3- 30
• US Class Current: 313/44
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 5/50 Means forming part of the tube or lamps for the purpose of providing electrical connection to it
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 5/62 Connection of wires protruding from the vessel to connectors carried by the separate part
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/68 Lamps in which the main discharge is between parts of a current-carrying guide, e.g. halo lamp
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 63/08 Lamps with gas plasma excited by the ray or stream

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A light source apparatus comprising:

a gas discharge tube generating light with a predetermined wavelength and having stem pins that protrude from a bottom surface thereof;

a lamp container housing said gas discharge tube; and

a base having a surface on which said lamp container is fixed,

wherein said lamp container comprises;

a lamp fixing portion constituting a part of an outer shell of said lamp container;

a light emitting portion allowing light from said gas discharge tube housed therein to pass through toward the exterior of said lamp container;

a heat insulating member housed inside said lamp container, together with said gas discharge tube, said heat insulating member having a first surface being in direct contact with the bottom surface of said gas discharge tube, a second surface being in direct contact with an inner side surface of said lamp fixing portion, and through holes each communicating between the first and second surfaces and housing at least a part of said each stem pin, whereby said gas discharge tube is fixed to a predetermined position of the inner side surface of said lamp fixing portion via said heat insulating portion; and

a first attachment/detachment structure enabling said lamp fixing portion, to which said gas discharge tube is fixed via said heat insulating portion, to be attached and detached, while said gas discharge tube being fixed thereto, with respect to a remaining portion that is fixed to said base and constitutes the outer shell of said lamp container together with said lamp fixing portion.

2. A light source apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lamp container has a box-like shape, defined by:

a lamp container base plate fixed to the base;

a lamp fixing plate extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to said lamp container base plate and to which said gas discharge tube is fixed via said heat insulating member;

a first wall surface plate disposed so as to oppose said lamp fixing plate across said gas discharge tube; and

a second wall surface plate, disposed so as to oppose said lamp container base plate across said gas discharge tube,

wherein said lamp fixing portion is constituted by said lamp fixing plate and said second wall surface plate, and

wherein said first attachment/detachment structure enables said lamp fixing portion to be attached and detached, while said gas discharge tube being fixed via said heat insulating member, with respect to said lamp container base plate and the first wall surface plate in the direction substantially orthogonal to said lamp container base plate.

3. A light source apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said lamp container further comprises:

a pair of third wall surface plates disposed so as to be substantially orthogonal to said second wall surface plate and said lamp fixing plate while opposing each other across said gas discharge tube; and

a second attachment/detachment structure enabling said pair of third wall surface plates to be attached and detached, with respect to said second wall surface plate and said lamp fixing plate.

4. A light source apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a lens disposed at said light emitting portion that transmits light from said gas discharge tube.

5. A light source apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said heat insulating member has a plate-like shape.