INDUCTIVELY COUPLED DIELECTRIC BARRIER DISCHARGE LAMP

• US 20110297844A1
• Filed: 06/03/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Access Business Group International LLC (Alticor Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Access Business Group International LLC (Alticor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Vecziedins, Karlis, Miles, Michael E., Schwannecke, Joshua K., Meekhof, David A., Stoner, William T. Jr., Norconk, Matthew J., Bylsma, Richard B., Squires, Donovan L., Lilley, Matthew J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,493,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/432.R
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/283 using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/325 Irradiation devices or lamp constructions
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3222 Units using UV-light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3223 Single elongated lamp located on the central axis of a turbular reactor
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/326 Lamp control systems
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/005 Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/006 comprising a software program or a logic diagram
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/008 comprising telecommunication features, e.g. modems or antennas
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/02 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/06 pH
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/11 Turbidity
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/40 Liquid flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/04 Disinfection
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 5/54 supported by a separate part, e.g. base
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 5/62 Connection of wires protruding from the vessel to connectors carried by the separate part
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 65/046 the field being produced by using capacitive means around the vessel
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 65/048 the field being produced by using an excitation coil

Abstract

A dielectric barrier discharge lamp assembly for a fluid treatment system. The lamp assembly can include an inductive secondary, first and second electrodes coupled to the inductive secondary, and a lamp including a dielectric barrier interposed between the first and second electrodes. The dielectric barrier can define a discharge chamber including a discharge gas, and one of the first and second electrodes can extend within the discharge chamber. The inductive secondary can be adapted to receive power from a nearby inductive primary to promote a dielectric barrier discharge in the discharge chamber. The resulting dielectric barrier discharge can generate ultraviolet light for the treatment of air or water, or for other applications.

Claims

1. A lamp assembly comprising:

an inductive secondary adapted to receive power from an inductive primary, the inductive secondary being separable from the inductive primary;

first and second electrodes electrically coupled to the inductive secondary, the first and second electrodes being spaced apart from each other; and

a lamp including a dielectric barrier interposed between the first and second electrodes, wherein the inductive secondary is adapted to receive power from the inductive primary and adapted to supply the power to the first and second electrodes to promote a dielectric barrier discharge in the lamp.

2. The lamp assembly of claim 1 wherein the dielectric barrier defines a discharge chamber including a dielectric gas.

3. The lamp assembly of claim 1 wherein one of the first and second electrodes extends at least partially within the lamp.

4. The lamp assembly of claim 1 further including a secondary housing to at least partially circumferentiate the inductive secondary, the secondary housing being adapted to at least partially interfit with a corresponding primary housing.

5. The lamp assembly of claim 1 further including an electrically permitable sleeve spaced apart from the lamp to allow a fluid therebetween.

6. The lamp assembly of claim 5 further including a conductive element electrically connected to the second electrode and substantially encompassing the sleeve to induce a generally radially oriented electric field in the lamp assembly.

7. The lamp assembly of claim 1 wherein the inductive secondary defines an outer radius less than an inner radius defined by the inductive primary, the inductive secondary and the inductive primary being substantially coaxial.

8. The lamp assembly of claim 1 wherein the inductive secondary defines an inner radius greater than an outer radius defined by the inductive primary, the inductive secondary and the inductive primary being substantially coaxial.

9. The lamp assembly of claim 1 further including a pulse driver circuit electrically connected between the inductive secondary and the first and second electrodes to convert a first voltage received by the inductive secondary into a second voltage applied across the first and second electrodes.

10. A fluid treatment system comprising:

a base station including an inductive primary adapted to generate a time-varying current, the base station defining a fluid flow path; and

a lamp assembly adapted to be removably supported by the base station, the lamp assembly including an inductive secondary, first and second spaced apart electrodes, and a dielectric barrier interposed between the first and second electrodes to promote a dielectric barrier discharge in response to a time-varying current in the inductive primary, wherein the dielectric barrier discharge generates germicidal light for treating a fluid in the base station fluid flow path.

11. The fluid treatment system of claim 10 wherein the dielectric barrier defines a dielectric chamber including a discharge gas.

12. The fluid treatment system of claim 11 wherein one of the first and second electrodes extends within the dielectric chamber.

13. The fluid treatment system of claim 10 wherein the lamp assembly is operable to radiate ultraviolet light.

14. The fluid treatment system of claim 10 wherein the inductive secondary defines an outer radius less than an inner radius defined by the inductive primary, the inductive secondary and the inductive primary being substantially coaxial.

15. The fluid treatment system of claim 10 wherein the inductive secondary defines an inner radius greater than an outer radius defined by the inductive primary, the inductive secondary and the inductive primary being substantially coaxial.

16. The fluid treatment system of claim 10 wherein the base station is operable to sense a characteristic of the fluid.

17. The fluid treatment system of claim 16 wherein the lamp defines an output and wherein the base station includes a microcontroller to vary the lamp output based on the sensed characteristic of the fluid.

18. The fluid treatment system of claim 17 wherein the lamp output includes a luminescent intensity at one or more germicidal wavelengths

19. The fluid treatment system of claim 10 wherein the inductive primary is operable in a power transfer mode and operable in a communication mode.

20. The fluid treatment system of claim 16 wherein the lamp assembly includes an RF antenna and an associated memory tag for communication with the inductive primary.

21. The fluid treatment system of claim 10 further including a pulse driver circuit electrically connected between the inductive secondary and the first and second electrodes to convert a first voltage received by the inductive secondary into a second voltage applied across the first and second electrodes.

22. A method for forming a lamp assembly, comprising:

providing a dielectric barrier defining a dielectric chamber adapted to contain a discharge gas;

providing an inductive secondary adapted to generate an alternating current in response to a time-varying electromagnetic field, the inductive secondary including first and second electrodes; and

interposing the dielectric barrier between the first and second electrodes to form a self-contained lamp assembly adapted to receive power from a primary coil separable from the secondary coil.

23. The method of claim 22 further including applying a luminescent layer to the dielectric barrier to radiate ultraviolet light.

24. The method of claim 22 further including seating the self-contained lamp assembly within a secondary housing, the secondary housing being adapted to removably interfit with a corresponding primary housing.

25. A method of operating a lamp assembly, comprising:

providing a base station including an inductive primary;

providing a lamp assembly including an inductive secondary, first and second spaced apart electrodes, and a lamp including a dielectric barrier interposed between the first and second electrodes; and

generating a time-varying current in the inductive primary having a frequency greater than 100 kHz to induce a dielectric barrier discharge in the lamp.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the generating step includes generating a time-varying current in the inductive primary having a frequency between approximately 300 kHz and 600 kHz.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the time-varying current induces a pulsed driving voltage across the first and second electrodes.

28. The method of claim 25 further including varying the frequency as a function of a lamp output.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the lamp output includes a luminescent intensity at one or more germicidal wavelengths.

30. The method of claim 25 further including defining with the time-varying current one of a duty cycle and a pulse width and varying the one of the duty cycle and the pulse width as a function of a lamp output.

31. The method of claim 25 further including converting a first time-varying voltage induced in the inductive secondary into a second time-varying voltage and applying the second voltage across the first and second electrodes to induce a dielectric barrier discharge in the lamp.

32. A base station for a fluid treatment system having a fluid flow path, the base station including:

an inductive primary adapted to provide a source of wireless power to a lamp assembly having an inductive secondary;

a driver circuit electrically coupled to the inductive primary and adapted to drive the inductive primary with a time-varying voltage; and

a fluid sensor adapted to detect a fluid characteristic in the fluid flow path, wherein the driver circuit is adapted to control the time-varying voltage in the inductive primary based on the detected fluid characteristic.

33. The base station of claim 32 wherein the lamp assembly includes one of a dielectric barrier discharge lamp, a gas discharge lamp, an incandescent lamp and a light emitting diode.

34. The base station of claim 32 wherein the fluid characteristic includes one of flow rate, temperature, pH, turbidity, total organic content, total dissolved solid content, hardness and combinations thereof.

35. The base station of claim 32 further including a lamp sensor adapted to detect a lamp output, the driver circuit being operable based on the detected lamp output.

36. The base station of claim 35 wherein the lamp output includes a luminescent intensity at one or more germicidal wavelengths.

37. The base station of claim 36 further including a microcontroller adapted to control operation of the driver circuit based on the detected fluid characteristic and the detected lamp output.