Discharge tube having a double-tube type structure

• US 5,359,255 A
• Filed: 07/27/1992
• Issued: 10/25/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK
• Original Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK
• Inventors: Masuda, Naoki, Kawai, Koji, Ishihara, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ESSERMAN, MATTHEW
• Application Number:
  US07/918,759
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 313/25, 313/113, 313/17, 313/242, 313/634
• US Class Current: 313/17
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/34 Double-wall vessels or containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/35 provided with coatings on the walls thereof; Selection of materials for the coatings using coloured coatings H01J61/40; using luminescent coatings H01J61/42
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/247 specially adapted for gas-discharge lamps

Abstract

A discharge tube for emitting light of the present invention includes an inner bulb including a hollow portion for defining therein an arc discharge chamber which encloses therein gas for emitting light, the inner bulb further including a pair of electrodes and a pair of metal members each of which is connected to a corresponding one of the pair of electrodes, the pair of electrodes being projected in the arc discharge chamber from the inner bulb and the pair of metal members being projected outwardly of the inner bulb, the hollow portion having an outer diameter of a first value and an outer tube for sealingly enclosing therein the inner bulb, the outer tube including a small-diameter portion having an outer diameter of a second value which is equal to or smaller than the first value, wherein the inner bulb is held in the interior of the outer tube, with a gap being formed between an outer surface of the inner bulb and an inner surface of the outer tube, in such a manner that the outer tube supports the metal members projected outwardly of the inner bulb.

Claims

1. A discharge tube for emitting light, comprising:

an inner bulb including a bulb wall having an inner surface for defining an arc discharge chamber for enclosing therein gas for emitting light and an outer surface for defining an outer diameter of a first value and a pair of solid portions continuously connected from the bulb wall, each for supporting a corresponding one of a pair of electrodes and corresponding one of a pair of metal members which is connected to the corresponding one of the pair of electrodes, the pair of electrodes being projected in the arc discharge chamber from the pair of solid portions and the pair of metal members being projected outwardly of said inner bulb from the pair of solid portions, the pair of solid portions having an outer surface; and

an outer tube for sealingly enclosing therein the inner bulb, said outer tube including a tube wall having a large-diameter part having an inner surface for defining a large-diameter hollow portion and a small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part continuously connected from the large-diameter part, the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part having an inner surface for defining a small-diameter hollow portion and an outer surface defining a substantially constant outer diameter of a second value which is equal to or smaller than the first value, said inner bulb being enclosed in said outer tube with the metal members projected outwardly of said inner bulb being supported by said tube wall, the large-diameter hollow portion receiving therein an entire part of the bulb wall of said inner bulb with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the bulb wall and the inner surface of the large-diameter part, the small-diameter hollow portion receiving therein at least a part of one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb and the metal member projected from the solid portion with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the part of the solid portion and the inner surface of the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part.

2. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb received in the small-diameter hollow portion has the outer surface for defining a substantially constant outer diameter of a third value, and

wherein the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part of said outer tube has the inner surface for defining the small-diameter hollow portion having a substantially constant inner diameter of a fifth value which is larger than the third value so that a gap of a substantially constant size may be formed between the inner surface of the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part and the outer surface of the solid portion of said inner bulb received in the small-diameter hollow portion.

3. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 2, wherein the large-diameter part of said outer tube has the inner surface for defining an inner diameter of a fourth value which is larger than the first value so that a gap may be formed between the outer surface of the bulb wall of said inner bulb and the inner surface of the large-diameter part of said outer tube.

4. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 3, wherein said outer tube further includes a solid portion which is continuously connected to the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part, the solid portion of said outer tube supporting the metal member projected outwardly from the solid portion of said inner bulb received in the small-diameter hollow portion of said outer tube, to thereby hold said inner bulb in the interior of the large-diameter hollow portion and the small-diameter hollow portion of said outer tube, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the inner bulb and the inner surface of the outer tube.

5. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb extend along a predetermined axis from a pair of positions of the bulb wall defining opposite sides of the arc discharge chamber along the predetermined axis, the bulb wall having an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the annular cross section having the outer diameter defined by the outer surface, the outer diameter varying along the predetermined axis and having the first value at a maximum, the pair of electrodes being projected inside of the arc discharge chamber from the corresponding solid portions along the predetermined axis and the pair of metal members being projected outwardly of said inner bulb from the corresponding solid portions along the predetermined axis,

and wherein the tube wall of said outer tube includes a pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts extending along the predetermined axis from opposite sides of the large-diameter part along the predetermined axis, the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts having a pair of outer surfaces and a pair of inner surfaces for defining a pair of small-diameter hollow portions, each of the pair of small-diameter parts having an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the annular cross section having the outer diameter of the second value which is equal to or smaller than the first value, the second value being substantially constant along the predetermined axis, said outer tube enclosing therein said inner bulb in such a manner that the large-diameter hollow portion receives therein an entire part of the arc discharge chamber of said inner bulb, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the bulb wall of said inner bulb and the inner surface of the large-diameter part of said outer tube, and each of the pair of small-diameter hollow portions receives therein at least a part of a corresponding one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb and a corresponding one of the pair of metal members projected from the corresponding one of the pair of solid portions, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the corresponding solid portion and the inner surface of the corresponding small-diameter hollow portion.

6. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 5,

wherein each of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb has a circular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has the outer diameter of a third value, the third value being substantially constant along the predetermined axis, and

wherein the large-diameter part of said outer tube has an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an inner diameter which is larger than the outer diameter of the bulb wall of said inner bulb at any position along the predetermined axis so that a gap may be formed between the outer surface of the bulb wall of said inner bulb and the inner surface of the large-diameter hollow portion of said outer tube, and each of the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts of said outer tube has an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the annular cross section having an inner diameter of a fifth value, the fifth value being substantially constant along the predetermined axis, the fifth value being larger than the third value so that a gap having a substantially constant size along the predetermined axis may be formed between the outer surface of the part of each of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb received in the corresponding small-diameter hollow portion and the inner surface of the corresponding small-diameter hollow portion of said outer tube.

7. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 5, wherein said outer tube further includes a pair of solid portions each of which is continuously connected to a corresponding one of the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts of the tube wall, each of the pair of solid portions of said outer tube supporting the metal member projected outwardly of a corresponding one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb which is received in a corresponding one of the pair of small-diameter hollow portions directly connected to the each of the pair of solid portions of said outer tube, to thereby hold said inner bulb in the interior of the large-diameter hollow portion and the pair of small-diameter hollow portions of said outer tube, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the inner bulb and the inner surface of the outer tube.

16. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 7, wherein the bulb wall defines the arc discharge chamber of substantially a spherical shape which has the largest annular cross section substantially at its central position with respect to the predetermined axis, the largest annular cross section having the outer diameter of the first value.

17. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second value of the outer diameter of each of the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts is determined dependently on a positional relationship between a tip end of the electrode projected in the arc discharge chamber from the solid portion of said inner bulb and a boundary portion between the bulb wall and the solid portion of the inner bulb.

18. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 7, wherein a thickness of the bulb wall of said inner bulb varies along the predetermined axis for attaining a lens function with respect to light emitted in the arc discharge chamber.

8. A light source for emitting light in a desired direction, comprising:

a discharge tube which includes;

an inner bulb including a bulb wall having an inner surface for defining an arc discharge chamber for enclosing therein gas for emitting light and an outer surface for defining an outer diameter of a first value and a pair of solid portions continuously connected from the bulb wall, each for supporting a corresponding one of a pair of electrodes and a corresponding one of a pair of metal members which is connected to the corresponding one of the pair of electrodes, the pair of electrodes being projected in the arc discharge chamber from the pair of solid portions and the pair of metal members being projected outwardly of the inner bulb from the pair of solid portions, the pair of solid portions having an outer surface; and

an outer tube for sealingly enclosing therein the inner bulb, the outer tube including a tube wall having a large-diameter part having an inner surface for defining a large-diameter hollow portion and a small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part continuously connected from the large-diameter part, the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part having an inner surface for defining a small-diameter hollow portion and an outer surface defining a substantially constant outer diameter of a second value which is equal to or smaller than the first value, said inner bulb being enclosed in said outer tube with the metal members projected outwardly of said inner bulb being supported by said tube wall, the large-diameter hollow portion receiving therein an entire part of the arc discharge chamber of said inner bulb with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the bulb wall of said inner bulb and the inner surface of the large-diameter part of said outer tube, the small-diameter hollow portion receiving therein at least a part of one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb and the metal member projected from the solid portion with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the part of the solid portion of said inner bulb and the inner surface of the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part of said outer tube; and

a reflective mirror for receiving the light emitted from the arc discharge chamber and reflecting the light in a desired direction, said reflective mirror being formed with a support wall having an inner surface extending along a predetermined axis and defining a through-hole for receiving therein the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part of the outer tube of said discharge tube.

9. The light source as claimed in claim 8, wherein said discharge tube is attached to said reflective mirror in such a manner that the through-hole of said reflective mirror may be positioned within a shadow space area where light having passed through a portion of the inner bulb having a light transmittance of a low value is reaches.

10. The light source as claimed in claim 8,

wherein the one of the pair of solid portions of the inner bulb of said discharge tube received in the small-diameter hollow portion of said outer tube has the outer surface for defining a substantially constant outer diameter of a third value,

wherein the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part of the outer tube of said discharge tube has the inner surface for defining the small-diameter hollow portion having a substantially constant inner diameter of a fifth value which is larger than the third value so that a gap of a substantially constant size may be formed between the inner surface of the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part of said outer tube and the outer surface of the solid portion of said inner bulb received in the small-diameter hollow portion, the large-diameter part of the outer tube having the inner surface for defining an inner diameter of a fourth value which is larger than the first value so that a gap may be formed between the outer surface of the bulb wall of the inner bulb and the inner surface of the large-diameter part of the outer tube,

and wherein said discharge tube is attached to said reflective mirror in such a manner that the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part of the outer tube is inserted into the through-hole along the inner surface of the support wall of said reflective mirror and fixed to the through-hole, the through-hole having a substantially constant inner diameter of a sixth value which is equal to or slightly larger than the second value.

11. The light source as claimed in claim 10, wherein the outer tube of said discharge tube further includes a solid portion which is continuously connected to the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part, the solid portion of the outer tube supporting the metal member projected outwardly of the solid portion of the inner bulb received in the small-diameter hollow portion of the tube wall to thereby hold the inner bulb in the interior of the large-diameter hollow portion and the small-diameter hollow portion of the outer tube, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the inner bulb and the inner surface of the outer tube.

12. The light source as claimed in claim 9, wherein said discharge tube is attached to said reflective mirror in such a manner that the through-hole of said reflective mirror may be positioned within a cone-shaped shadow space area with its generating line connecting a tip end of the electrode projected in the arc discharge chamber from the solid portion of the inner bulb received in the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part of the outer tube and a boundary portion between the bulb wall and the solid portion of the inner bulb.

13. The light source as claimed in claim 8,

wherein the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb extended along a predetermined axis from a pair of positions of the bulb wall defining opposite sides of the arc discharge chamber along the predetermined axis, the bulb wall having an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the annular cross section having the outer diameter defined by the outer surface, the outer diameter varying along the predetermined axis and having the first value at a maximum, the pair of electrodes being projected inside of the arc discharge chamber from the corresponding solid portions along the predetermined axis and the pair of metal members being projected outwardly of the inner bulb from the corresponding solid portions along the predetermined axis, each of the pair of solid portions of the inner bulb having a circular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has the outer diameter of a third value, the third value being substantially constant along the predetermined axis,

wherein the tube wall of the outer tube of said discharge tube includes a pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts extending along the predetermined axis from opposite sides of the large-diameter part along the predetermined axis, the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts having a pair of outer surfaces and a pair of inner surfaces for defining a pair of small-diameter hollow portions, each of the pair of small-diameter parts having an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the annular cross section having the outer diameter of the second value which is equal to or smaller than the first value, the second value being substantially constant along the predetermined axis, said outer tube enclosing therein the inner bulb in such a manner that the large-diameter hollow portion receives therein an entire part of the arc discharge chamber of said inner bulb and each of the pair of small-diameter hollow portions receives therein at least a part of a corresponding one of the pair of solid portions of the inner bulb and a corresponding one of the pair of metal members projected from the corresponding one of the pair of solid portions, the large-diameter part of the outer tube having an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an inner diameter which is larger than the outer diameter of the bulb wall of said inner bulb at any position along the predetermined axis so that a gap may be formed between the outer surface of the bulb wall of the inner bulb and the inner surface of the large-diameter hollow portion of the outer tube, each of the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts of said outer tube having an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the annular cross section having an inner diameter of a fifth value, the fifth value being substantially constant along the predetermined axis, the fifth value being larger than the third value so that a gap having a substantially constant size along the predetermined axis may be formed between the outer surface of the part of each of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb received in the corresponding small-diameter hollow portion and the inner surface of the corresponding small-diameter hollow portion of said outer tube,

and wherein said discharge tube is attached to said reflective mirror in such a manner that one of the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts having the substantially constant outer diameter of the second value is inserted into the through-hole along the inner surface of the support wall and fixed to the through-hole, the through-hole having a substantially constant inner diameter of a sixth value which is equal to or slightly larger than the second value.

14. The light source as claimed in claim 13, wherein the outer tube of said discharge tube further includes a pair of solid portions each of which is continuously connected to a corresponding one of the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts of the tube wall, each of the pair of solid portions of the outer tube supporting the metal member projected outwardly of the corresponding one of the pair of solid portions of the inner bulb which is received in a corresponding one of the pair of small-diameter hollow portions directly connected to each of the pair of solid portions of said outer tube, to thereby hold the inner bulb in the interior of the large-diameter hollow portion and the pair of small-diameter hollow portions of the outer tube, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the inner bulb and the inner surface of the outer tube.

15. The light source as claimed in claim 14, wherein said discharge tube is attached to said reflective mirror in such a manner that the through-hole of said reflective mirror may be positioned within a cone-shaped shadow space area with its generating line connecting a tip end of one of the pair of electrodes which is projected in the arc discharge chamber from one of the pair of solid portions of the inner bulb received in the one of the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts of the outer tube inserted in the through-hole of said reflective mirror and a boundary portion between the bulb wall and the solid portion of the inner bulb.

19. The light source as claimed in claim 14, wherein the tube wall of the outer tube further has a connecting part for continuously connecting the large-diameter part with the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part, the connecting part having an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an outer diameter of the sixth value, and

wherein a distance L1 defined between the center position of tip ends of the pair of electrodes projected in the arc discharge chamber and the annular cross section of the connecting part along the predetermined axis satisfies an inequality L1<

Fr+(La/2) where Fr represents the focal length of said reflective mirror and La represents a distance between the tip ends of the pair of electrodes, said discharge tube being positioned relative to said reflective mirror in such a manner that the center position of the tip ends of the pair of electrodes is located on a focal point of said reflective mirror.

20. The light source as claimed in claim 14, wherein the outer surface of one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb received in one of the pair of small-diameter cylindrically-shaped parts of said outer tube inserted into the through-hole and a part of the outer surface of the bulb wall adjacent to the one of the pair of solid portions are covered with a light-shielding film, the light-shielding film having an edge on the outer surface of the bulb wall, and

wherein said discharge tube is attached to said reflective mirror in such a manner that the through-hole of said reflective mirror may be positioned within a cone-shaped shadow space area with its generating line connecting a tip end of the electrode projected in the arc discharge chamber from the solid portion of the inner bulb received in the small-diameter cylindrically-shaped part of the outer tube inserted in the through-hole and the edge portion of the light-shielding film.

21. A discharge tube for emitting light, comprising:

an inner bulb including a bulb wall having an inner surface for defining an arc discharge chamber for enclosing therein gas to emit light and an outer surface and a pair of solid portions continuously connected from the bulb wall, each for supporting a corresponding one of a pair of electrodes and a corresponding one of a pair of metal members which is connected to the corresponding one of the pair of electrodes, the pair of solid portions having an outer surface, the pair of solid portions extending along a predetermined axis from a pair of positions of the bulb wall defining opposite sides of the arc discharge chamber along the predetermined axis, the bulb wall having a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has a second outer size defined by the outer surface of the bulb wall, the first outer size varying along the predetermined axis and having a first value at a maximum, the pair of electrodes being projected inside of the arc discharge chamber from the corresponding solid portions along the predetermined axis and the pair of metal members being projected outwardly of said inner bulb from the corresponding solid portions along the predetermined axis; and

an outer tube for sealingly enclosing therein said inner bulb, said outer tube including a tube wall having a large-size part having an inner surface for defining a large-size hollow portion and a pair of small-size parts extending along the predetermined axis from opposite sides of the large-size part along the predetermined axis, the pair of small-size parts having a pair of outer surfaces and a pair of inner surfaces for defining a pair of small-size hollow portions, each of the pair of small-size parts having a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has a second outer size defined by the outer surface of the corresponding small-size part, the second outer size being substantially constant along the predetermined axis and having a second value which is equal to or smaller than the first value, said outer tube enclosing therein said inner bulb in such manner that the large-size hollow portion receives therein an entire part of the bulb wall of said inner bulb, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the bulb wall and the inner surface of the large-size part, and each of the pair of small-size hollow portions receives therein at least a part of a corresponding one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb and a corresponding one of the pair of metal members projected from the corresponding one of the pair of solid portions, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the corresponding solid portion and the inner surface of the corresponding small-size hollow portion.

22. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 21,

wherein each of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb has a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has a third outer size defined by the outer surface of the corresponding solid portion, the third outer size being substantially constant along the predetermined axis and having a third value,

wherein the cross section of each of the pair of small-size parts of said outer tube has a first inner size defined by the inner surface of the corresponding small-size part, the first inner size being substantially constant along the predetermined axis and having a fifth value which is larger than third value so as to form a gap having a substantially constant size along the predetermined axis between the outer surface of the part of each of the pair of solid portions and the inner surface of the corresponding small-size hollow portion,

wherein the large-size part of said outer tube has a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has a second inner size defined by the inner surface of the large-size part, the second inner size varying along the predetermined axis, the second inner size being larger than the outer size of the bulb wall at any position along the predetermined axis so as to form a gap between the outer surface of the bulb wall and the inner surface of the large-size part, and

wherein said outer tube further includes a pair of solid portions each of which is continuously connected to a corresponding one of the pair of small-size parts of the tube wall, each of the pair of solid portions of said outer tube supporting the metal member projected outwardly of a corresponding one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb which is received in a corresponding one of the pair of small-size hollow portions directly connected to the each of the pair of solid portions of said outer tube, to thereby hold said inner bulb in the interior of the large-size hollow portion and the pair of small-size hollow portions of said outer tube, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the inner bulb and the inner surface of the outer tube.

23. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 22, wherein each of the bulb wall of said inner bulb and the tube wall of said outer tube has a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an outer diameter defined by a corresponding outer surface and representative of a corresponding outer size and having an inner diameter defined by a corresponding inner surface and representative of a corresponding inner size, and

wherein each of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb and the pair of solid portions of said outer tube has a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an outer diameter defined by a corresponding outer surface and representative of a corresponding outer size.

24. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 22, wherein each of the bulb wall of said inner bulb and the tube wall of said outer tube has an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the annular cross section having an outer diameter defined by a corresponding outer surface and representative of a corresponding outer size and having an inner diameter defined by a corresponding inner surface and representative of a corresponding inner size, and

wherein each of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb and the pair of solid portions of said outer tube has a circular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the circular cross section having an outer diameter defined by a corresponding outer surface and representative of a corresponding outer size.

25. The discharge tube as claimed in claim 22, wherein the second value of the second outer size of each of the pair of small-size parts is determined dependently on a positional relationship between a tip end of the electrode projected in the arc discharge chamber from the solid portion of said inner bulb and a boundary portion between the bulb wall and the solid portion of the inner bulb.

26. A light source for emitting light in a desired direction, comprising:

a discharge tube which includes;

an inner bulb including a bulb wall having an outer surface and an inner surface for defining an arc discharge chamber for enclosing therein gas to emit light and a pair of solid portions continuously connected from the bulb wall, each for supporting a corresponding one of a pair of electrodes and a corresponding one of a pair of metal members which is connected to the corresponding one of the pair of electrodes, the pair of solid portions having an outer surface, the pair of solid portions extending along a predetermined axis from a pair of positions of the bulb wall defining opposite sides of the arc discharge chamber along the predetermined axis, the bulb wall having a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has a first outer size defined by the outer surface of the bulb wall, the first outer size varying along the predetermined axis and having a first value at a maximum, the pair of electrodes being projected inside of the arc discharge chamber from the corresponding solid portions along the predetermined axis and the pair of metal members being projected outwardly of said inner bulb from the corresponding solid portions along the predetermined axis; and

an outer tube for sealingly enclosing therein said inner bulb, said outer tube including a tube wall having a large-size part having an inner surface for defining a large-size hollow portion and a pair of small-size parts extending along the predetermined axis from opposite sides of the large-size part along the predetermined axis, the pair of small-size parts having a pair of outer surfaces and a pair of inner surfaces for defining a pair of small-size hollow portions, each of the pair of small-size parts having a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has a second outer size defined by the outer surface of the corresponding small-size part, the second outer size being substantially constant along the predetermined axis and having a second value which is equal to or smaller than the first value, said outer tube enclosing therein said inner bulb in such a manner that the large-size hollow portion receives therein an entire part of the bulb wall of said inner bulb, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the bulb wall and the inner surface of the large-size part, and each of the pair of small-size hollow portions receives therein at least a part of a corresponding one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb and a corresponding one of the pair of metal members projected from the corresponding one of the pair of solid portions, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the corresponding solid portion and the inner surface of the corresponding small-size hollow portion; and

a reflective mirror for receiving light emitted from the arc discharge chamber and for reflecting light in a desired direction, said reflective mirror being formed with a support wall having an inner surface extending along the predetermined axis and defining a through-hole for receiving therein one of the pair of small-size parts of the outer tube of said discharge tube.

27. The light source as claimed in claim 26, wherein said discharge tube is attached to said reflective mirror in such a manner that the one of the pair of small-size parts of the outer tube having the substantially constant outer size of the second value is inserted into the through-hole along the inner surface of the support wall of said reflective mirror along the predetermined axis and fixed to the through-hole of said reflective mirror, the through-hole having a substantially constant inner size of a sixth value which is equal to or slightly larger than the second value.

28. The light source as claimed in claim 27,

wherein each of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb has a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has a third outer size defined by the outer surface of the corresponding solid portion, the third outer size being substantially constant along the predetermined axis and having a third value,

wherein the cross section of each of the pair of small-size parts of said outer tube has a first inner size defined by the inner surface of the corresponding small-size part, the first inner size being substantially constant along the predetermined axis and having a fifth value which is larger than the third value so as to form a gap having a substantially constant size along the predetermined axis between the outer surface of the part of each of the pair of solid portions and the inner surface of the corresponding small-size hollow portion,

wherein the large-size part of said outer tube has a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has a second inner size defined by the inner surface of the large-size part, the second inner size varying along the predetermined axis, the second inner size being larger than the outer size of the bulb wall at any position along the predetermined axis so as to form a gap between the outer surface of the bulb wall and the inner surface of the large-size part, and

wherein said outer tube further includes a pair of solid portions each of which is continuously connected to a corresponding one of the pair of small-size parts of the tube wall, each of the pair of solid portions of said outer tube supporting the metal member projected outwardly of a corresponding one of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb which is received in a corresponding one of the pair of small-size hollow portions directly connected to each of the pair of solid portions of said outer tube, to thereby hold said inner bulb in the interior of the large-size hollow portion and the pair of small-size hollow portions of said outer tube, with a gap being formed between the outer surface of the inner bulb and the inner surface of the outer tube.

29. The light source as claimed in claim 28, wherein each of the bulb wall of said inner bulb and the tube wall of said outer tube has a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an outer diameter defined by a corresponding outer surface and representative of a corresponding outer size and having an inner diameter defined by a corresponding inner surface and representative of a corresponding inner size,

wherein each of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb and the pair of solid portions of said outer tube has a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an outer diameter defined by a corresponding outer surface and representative of a corresponding outer size, and

wherein the through-hole of said reflective mirror has a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an inner diameter defined by the inner surface of the support wall and representative of the inner size of the through-hole.

30. The light source as claimed claim 28, wherein each of the bulb wall of said inner bulb and the tube wall of said outer tube has an annular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the annular cross section having an outer diameter defined by a corresponding outer surface and representative of a corresponding outer size and having an inner diameter defined by a corresponding inner surface and representative of a corresponding inner size,

wherein each of the pair of solid portions of said inner bulb and the pair of solid portions of said outer tube has a circular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis, the circular cross section having an outer diameter defined by a corresponding outer surface and representative of a corresponding outer size, and

wherein the through-hole of said reflective mirror has a circular cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an inner diameter defined by the inner surface of the support wall and representative of the inner size of the through-hole.

31. The light source as claimed in claim 28, wherein said discharge tube is positioned relative to said reflective mirror in such a manner that the center position of tip ends of the pair of electrodes projected in the arc discharge chamber of the inner bulb is located on a focal point of said reflective mirror.

32. The light source as claimed in claim 31, wherein the tube wall of the outer tube further has a connecting part for continuously connecting the large-size part with the one of the pair of small-size parts inserted in the through-hole, the connecting part having a cross section along a plane perpendicular to the predetermined axis which has an outer diameter of the sixth value, and

wherein a distance L1 between the center position of the tip ends of the pair of electrodes projected in the arc discharge chamber and the cross section of the connecting part along the predetermined axis satisfies an inequality L1<

Fr+(La/2) where Fr represents a focal length of said reflective mirror and La represents a distance between the tip ends of the pair of electrodes.

33. The light source as claimed in claim 32, wherein said discharge tube is attached to said reflective mirror in such a manner that the through-hole of said reflective mirror may be positioned within a cone-shaped shadow space area with its generating line connecting a tip end of one of the pair of electrodes which is projected in the arc discharge chamber from one of the pair of solid portions of the inner bulb received in the one of the pair of small-size parts of the outer tube inserted in the through-hole of said reflective mirror and a boundary portion between the bulb wall and the solid portion of the inner bulb.