Discharge tube for a high pressure metal vapor discharge lamp and a method of manufacturing the same

Claim 1

A discharge tube for a high pressure metal vapor discharge lamp, comprising: a translucent alumina tubular body having first and second opposite end portions; first and second end plates comprised of cermet, said cermet having a firing shrinkage factor which is less than a firing shrinkage factor of the translucent alumina tubular body; first and second electrode support members, said first support member being partially embedded in the first end plate and said second support member being partially embedded in the second end plate and each of said first and second electrode support members being located inside of the translucent alumina tubular body, said first end plate being fitted to the first opposite end portion of the translucent alumina tubular body and bonded thereto, said first opposite end portion being located at a lower position than the second opposite end portion when the high pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is in use, wherein bonding of the first end plate to the first opposite end portion is achieved by shrinkage fitting of the first end plate into the translucent alumina tubular body during a simultaneous sintering of the first end plate to the translucent alumina tubular body and a simultaneous bonding of said first electrode support member to said first end plate, said bonding occuring when the translucent alumina tubular body is fired to be translucent, said second end plate being fitted to the second opposite end portion of the translucent alumina tubular body and being bonded thereto, said second opposite end portion being located at a vertically higher position than the first opposite end portion when the high pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is in use.

Claim 6

A method of manufacturing a discharge tube for a high pressure metal discharge lamp, comprising: inserting a first end plate having a partially embedded electrode support member and a partially embedded electric current conductor into a first end portion of a tubular body, the tubular body comprising high purity alumina, such that the electrode support member may be positioned inside the tubular body and the electric current conductor may be positioed outside the tubular body, said first end plate comprising a cermet which has a firing shrinkage factor which is less than a firing shrinkage factor of the high purity alumina, said first end portion of the tubular body being located at a vertically lower position than a second end portion of the tubular body when the high pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is in use; and firing the tubular body with said first end plate positioned therein, wherein when the tubular body is fired to become translucent, said first end plate is simultaneously shrink fitted inside of the tubular body and sealingly bonded to the tubular body by sintering and the partially embedded electrode support member and electric current conductor are simultaneously bonded to said end plate.

Claim 7

A method of manufacturing a discharge tube for a high pressure metal discharge lamp, comprising: inserting a first end plate having a partially embedded electrode support member and a partially embedded electric current conductor into a first end portion of a tubular body, the tubular body comprising high purity alumina, such that the electrode support member may be positioned inside the tubular body and the electric current conductor may be positioed outside the tubular body, said first end plate comprising a cermet which has a firing shrinkage factor which is less than a firing shrinkage factor of the high purity alumina, said first end portion of the tubular body being located at a vertically lower position than a second end portion of the tubular body when the high pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is in use; and firing the tubular body with said first end plate positioned therein, wherein when the tubular body is fired to become translucent, said first end plate is simultaneously shrink fitted inside of the tubular body and sealingly bonded to the tubular body by sintering and the partially embedded electrode support member and electric current conductor are simultaneously bonded to said end plate.