US3707649A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Intermittent arc illumination source
Assignee: DENVER RESEARCH INST
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Filing: 1970-07-20
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Granted: 1972-12-26
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Expires: 1990-07-20
Abstract
Abstract An intermittent arc illumination source which utilizes a xenon short arc lamp operated in a pulse mode by a controlled discharge circuit operating from a low voltage alternating current source. The high current, high energy pulses are intermittently produced for conduction through the lamp at a rate sufficiently rapid to make the resulting bursts of illumination appear continuous to the human eye.
Inventors
- 👤 James P Kottenstette
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 19:45
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05B; H05B41/00; H05B41/14; H05B41/30; H05B41/34; G; G03; G03B; G03B21/00; G03B21/10; G03B21/11; G03B21/14; G03B21/20; G03B21/2006; G03B21/2026; G03B21/2053; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S315/00; Y10S315/05
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
192 words
An intermittent arc illumination source devoid of a separate DC power source comprising: a xenon lamp having at least cathode and anode electrodes spaced apart to define a spark gap therebetween; pulse generating means including charge storage capacitors connected across said cathode and anode of the lamp and said means being connected to a source of relatively low power AC electrical energy operating in the frequency range of from 30 to 800 pulses per second, said generating means being operative in response to a triggering signal generated as a function of the frequency of said AC source to produce intermittent DC electrical pulses between the anode and cathode which establish arcs intermittently therebetween and provides a peak current flow thereacross of not less than approximately 50 amperes; and, triggering means including a full wave rectifier means connected to said generating means operative to initiate the pulses produced by the latter in timed relation to the frequency of said AC source to produce pulses at a predetermined rate between approximately 30 and 800 pulses per second and of a duration of not longer than approximately 0.01 of the time interval between each pulse.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
192 words
An intermittent arc illumination source devoid of a separate DC power source comprising: a xenon lamp having at least cathode and anode electrodes spaced apart to define a spark gap therebetween; pulse generating means including charge storage capacitors connected across said cathode and anode of the lamp and said means being connected to a source of relatively low power AC electrical energy operating in the frequency range of from 30 to 800 pulses per second, said generating means being operative in response to a triggering signal generated as a function of the frequency of said AC source to produce intermittent DC electrical pulses between the anode and cathode which establish arcs intermittently therebetween and provides a peak current flow thereacross of not less than approximately 50 amperes; and, triggering means including a full wave rectifier means connected to said generating means operative to initiate the pulses produced by the latter in timed relation to the frequency of said AC source to produce pulses at a predetermined rate between approximately 30 and 800 pulses per second and of a duration of not longer than approximately 0.01 of the time interval between each pulse.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
52 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 1 in which: a starting transforming means is interposed betweEn the pulse generating means and the xenon lamp to raise the voltage level of the pulses to a value sufficient to initially strike an arc between the said lamp anode and cathode.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
65 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 1 in which: the pulse generating means consist of a capacitive energy storage means which is alternately charged from the relatively low power AC electrical energy source and discharged through the anode and cathode electrodes of the lamp to produce DC pulses thereacross said alternate charge and discharge cycles being controlled by the triggering means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 1 in which: the triggering means consists of a full wave rectifying bridge whose output is selectively switched into the pulse generating means by a first electrically controlled switch, and a second electrically controlled switch which selectively connects the output of the pulse generating means to the lamp.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
72 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 2 in which: the xenon lamp has three electrodes spaced apart to define a spark gap therebetween, said electrodes functioning as a cathode, starting electrode, and anode respectively; and, a portion of the pulse generating means output is passed through the starting electrode and the remainder of the said output is directed to the anode without passing through said starting transforming means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 3 in which: an inductor is connected to the energy storage means cooperating therewith to induce a greater charge into said energy storage means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 3 in which: the capacitive energy storage means consists of first and second capacitors in parallel with an output being taken across each capacitor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
51 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 4 in which: the first electrically controlled switch is cyclically activated by a predetermined voltage level of the rectifying bridge output; and the second electrically controlled switch is cyclically activated by a predetermined voltage level of the pulse generating means output.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 5 in which: that portion of the pulse generator output directed to the anode is passed through an inductor whose size is chosen to effect critical damping of the pulse.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 5 in which: a capacitor is connected between the lamp starting electrode and anode which is adapted to sustain an arc between the electrodes for the duration of the pulse
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
51 words
The intermittent arc illumination source as set out in claim 7 in which: an isolating diode is connected between the two capacitors and adapted to allow both of said capacitors to be charged from a common path but not to allow the second capacitor to be discharged into the first capacitor.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-12-26 | 1976-06-26 | 1976-12-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-12-26 | 1980-06-26 | 1980-12-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-12-26 | 1984-06-26 | 1984-12-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |