Compact electrodeless fluorescent lamp with improved cooling

• US 6,555,954 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2000
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Maya, Jakob, Popov, Oleg A., Chandler, Robert, Shapiro, Edward K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashok
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, GLENN D
• Application Number:
  US09/616,167
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 313/45, 313/46, 313/27, 313/47, 313/160, 313/161, 313/485, 315/248, 315/344
• US Class Current: 313/485
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 65/042 by an external electromagnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 65/048 the field being produced by using an excitation coil

Abstract

The present invention comprises a compact electrodeless fluorescent lamp that includes a transparent envelope containing a fill of inert gas along with a vaporizable metal such as mercury. An induction coil is operated by a driver circuit, and is positioned inside of a reentrant cavity in the envelope with an adjacent permeable magnetic field manipulation structure having a shunting surface ending at a shunting surface periphery. A thermally and electrically conductive primary cooling structure is positioned adjacent the magnetic field manipulation structure to extend within the shunting surface periphery while being separated from the induction coil thereby. A further component cooling structure is provided to at least partially enclose the driver circuit connected to the induction coil.

Claims

1. An electrodeless compact flourescent lamp for use in a lighting fixture, the lamp comprising:

a bulbous transparent envelope with a reentrant cavity provided in this envelope;

an inert gas and vaporizable metal provided in the envelope;

a phosphor coating on the inner surface of walls of the envelope;

an enclosure secured between the envelope and a lamp holder engagement structure;

induction coil positioned in the reentrant cavity, the coil for forming a plasma in the envelope to produce ultraviolet radiation to excite the phosphor coating, the phosphor coating generating visible light under such excitation;

a magnetic field manipulation structure of a magnetically permeable material positioned adjacent the induction coil and having a cross section along a plane parallel to that of the shunting surface that has a toroidal shape to fit within the induction coil with an extended disk-shaped base so as to be positioned between the induction coil and the primary cooling structure, the disk-shaped base having at least in part a shunting surface ending at a shunting surface periphery, said magnetic field manipulation structure concentrating and orienting a magnetic field; and

a primary cooling structure of a thermally and electrically conductive material having a plate portion, and having a tube portion positioned adjacent to the magnetic field manipulation structure to be separated thereby from the induction coil, the plate portion extending so as to be substantially within the shunting surface periphery.

2. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the magnetic field manipulation structure is formed of at least one ferrite material.