IP Library Granted Patent US 7,741,779
Granted Patent B2
US 7,741,779 · App. 12/160,744 · Granted Jun 22, 2010

Metal vapor discharge lamp and illumination apparatus

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,741,779
App. No.
12/160,744
Granted
Jun 22, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A metal vapor discharge lamp and a lighting fixture are downsized without causing breakage of an outer tube because of optimization of a positional relation among the outer tube ( 34 ), an inner tube ( 32 ), and an arc tube ( 40 ). The metal vapor discharge lamp has the arc tube, the inner tube housing the arc tube, and the outer tube housing the inner tube. The positional relation satisfies the relation of 2×A+B≧1.06. In a cross section of the lamp (the cross section of the arc tube is unshown for convenience), A (mm) represents the shortest distance between the arc tube and the inner tube along a line in a radial direction of the inner tube, and B (mm) represents a distance between the inner tube and the outer tube on a line segment C that is extension of the line.

Claims (17)

1. A metal vapor discharge lamp including an arc tube, an inner tube housing the arc tube, and an outer tube housing the inner tube, the arc tube having a pair of electrodes therein that oppose each other substantially in line, wherein

the following relational expression is satisfied:

2× A+B≧ 1.06;

A≧0.3,

where

A represents, in millimeters, a shortest distance between the arc tube and the inner tube along a line in a radial direction of the inner tube, and

B represents, in millimeters, a distance between the inner tube and the outer tube along the line, and

the following relational expressions are further satisfied:

α≦5; and

β≦2.5

where

α represents, in millimeters, a distance between the arc tube and the inner tube in a cross section 2 in which the distance between the arc tube and the inner tube is shortest, the cross section 2 being taken perpendicularly to an imaginary line that connects the pair of the electrodes, the cross section 2 being present between the pair of the electrodes, α being defined by the following relational expression:

α=(Inside Diameter of Inner Tube in Cross Section 2−Outside Diameter of Arc Tube in Cross Section 2) 2, and

β represents, in millimeters, a distance between the inner tube and the outer tube in a cross section 1 in which the distance between the inner tube in a cross section 1 in which the distance between the inner tube and the outer tube and the outer tube is shortest, the cross section 1 being taken perpendicularly to the imaginary line that connects the pair of the electrodes, the cross section 1 being present between the pair of the electrodes, β being defined by the following relational expression:

β=(Inside Diameter of Outer Tube in Cross Section 1−Outside Diameter of Inner Tube in Cross Section 1)/2.

2. A lighting fixture including a metal vapor discharge lamp and a reflector that reflects, in a desired direction, light emitted from the metal vapor discharge lamp, wherein

the metal vapor discharge lamp is a metal vapor discharge lamp as defined in claim 1 .

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Mar 6, 2009
From: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 022363/0306 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2008
From: TAKEDA, KAZUO; MORIMOTO, HIROJI
To: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 021551/0349 →