light bulb

Abstract

Disclosed is a light bulb 10 comprising a feedthrough body 26 for receiving conductors 24 through a glass stem 23 of the light bulb 10. The light bulb 10 comprises a light engine 21 disposed within an encapsulated optically transparent surface structure 22, a feedthrough body 26 sealed within and extending through the glass stem 23 that supports the light engine 21, and a plurality of electrically isolated conductive wires 24 extending through and hermetically sealed within the feedthrough body, the conductive wires 24 connecting the light engine 21 to at least one power and signal source.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of lighting technology, and more particularly to a light bulb with a multi-wire airtight feedthrough in a glass stem. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional incandescent light bulb or lamp typically comprises a transparent surface structure, a filament, a central stem, and connecting wires. The surface structure is usually a glass shell in the shape of a sphere and is configured to disperse the light generated by the filament. The filament, typically made of tungsten, is positioned inside the transparent surface structure to generate light. The stem, generally made of glass, is positioned in the center of the surface structure to support the filament. The connecting wires are configured to ensure the supply of electricity through the components of a conventional incandescent light bulb.

[0003] In a conventional incandescent light bulb, there are usually two wires, called lead-in wires, that pass through the glass stem and are configured to connect to the positive and negative ("+" and "-") contacts of a power source located in the base of the incandescent light bulb.

[0004] In contrast, newly developed tunable LED filament lamps typically require more than two wires running through the glass stem. One reason for this is that the light engine of an LED filament lamp, comparable to the filament of a conventional light bulb, includes components such as LEDs, which may be of different colors, as well as communication elements for receiving signals to control the LED light source. Therefore, more than two interconnection lines, typically three to six, for power and signals may be required between the driver and the light engine located within the airtight bulb.

[0005] In conventional incandescent lamps, the lead-in wires are melted or pressed into the molten glass stem during the manufacturing process at temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius. At such high temperatures, it is not possible to separate the wires from one another because the separators would melt during the stem-forming process.

[0006] Moreover, the number of wires that can be fused in a glass stem using conventional methods is currently limited to a maximum of four wires. The wires fused in this manner are also limited in size and material. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] All of the above factors make it difficult or impractical to place the number of wires required by the new lamp within the glass stem using conventional methods.

[0008] Therefore, there is a real need for a light bulb that can accommodate more wire within the glass stem, and a method for manufacturing such a light bulb. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a light engine disposed within a space enclosed by an optically transparent surface structure and a glass stem, the light engine comprising: a glass stem having an interconnected flare and tubular portion, the stem supporting the light engine and fused to the optically transmissive surface structure by the flare; a feedthrough body extending through the glass stem and secured within the tubular portion by fusion, A light bulb is provided that includes a feedthrough body having a plurality of conductors that are electrically isolated from one another, the conductors extending through the glass stem and connecting the light engine to at least one power and signal source.

[0010] The present disclosure is based on the insight that a feedthrough body fixed or fused within a glass stem can be used to accommodate, for example, multiple conductors, such as wires or conductive tracks, electrically isolated from one another, for example, more than four conductors, such as five, six, or even twelve conductors. Thus, more conductors are available for connecting a filament or light engine to a power and signal source, while avoiding the problems associated with conventional lamps. The feedthrough body with the conductors actually forms a single unit, which can be fixed as a whole within the tubular portion of the stem. The bulb according to the present invention reduces the risk of conductors touching each other or being housed within the stem in relatively close proximity to one another after being fixed within the stem. This not only improves the reliability and safety of the bulb, but also allows a relatively large number of current conductors to be routed through the glass stem to the light engine housed within the space, compared to bulbs according to the prior art.

[0011] The lamp according to the invention can be characterized in that the space is hermetically sealed by the light-transmitting surface structure and the glass stem, the feed-through body is fixed in a hermetically sealed manner within the tubular portion over the sealed length, for example by fusion or melting, and the conductor extends in a hermetically sealed manner through the glass stem. By hermetically sealing the space, the lamp has a space filled with a special gas, in which a gas such as neon is trapped, which improves the heat conduction from the light engine to the light-transmitting surface structure and the outside, and therefore the lamp has better performance and maintenance.

[0012] The technical solution of the present disclosure may be characterized by the use of a feed-through tube or sleeve as a feed-through body that is fused within and penetrates the glass stem. Typically, the conductor is then embodied as a connecting conductive wire. The connecting wire is then installed or embedded within the feed-through tube and sealed. This means that multiple wires will not be exposed to high temperatures, for example, above 1400 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the wires can be made of cheaper materials, such as copper instead of tungsten. Another advantage of this solution is that the wires can be made thinner and individually insulated, allowing more wires to be housed within the feed-through tube and sealed within the glass stem.

[0013] The bulb has a glass stem having a first coefficient of thermal expansion and a feedthrough body having a second coefficient of thermal expansion, the first coefficient of thermal expansion and the second coefficient of thermal expansion being |2.5×10 -6 / K| or less, for example, |1×10 -6 / K|. Limiting the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients between the stem and the feed-through body makes the bulb more reliable by offsetting the risk of damage, such as breaking the fixed connection between the stem and the feed-through body. Furthermore, a more reliable hermetic sealing of the space is obtained.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the feed-through tube is made of metal. Metal is a highly suitable material for the feed-through tube because it can withstand the high temperatures required to seal the tube within the glass stem while ensuring a gas-tight seal between the tube and the glass stem. In specific embodiments of the present disclosure, metals include kovar, vacovit, tungsten, molybdenum, (Cr)NiFe, and Al2O3, all of which are readily available materials that can be used to form the tube sealed within the glass stem.

[0015] In contrast, in another embodiment of the present disclosure, the feedthrough body is made from ceramic or glass. Ceramic materials can also withstand high temperatures. Examples of ceramics include Al2O3 (which has a melting point of 2072°C) or SiAlON (which has a melting point of 2745°C). Types of glass that have a higher transition or melting temperature than the glass used for the bulb stem include fused quartz or fused silica glass (melting point 1650°C).

[0016] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the conductive wires are hermetically sealed within the feed-through tube using a resilient and adhesive sealing compound. The sealing compound helps ensure hermeticity between the feed-through tube and each conductive wire. Therefore, the sealing compound must exhibit sufficient resilience and adhesiveness to the feed-through tube and wire insulation to compensate for the mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients between the feed-through tube material and the wire material. A resilient and adhesive sealing compound is suitable for this purpose.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the sealing compound includes one of an adhesive and an epoxy. Specifically, the sealing compound may include an epoxy resin, amorphous silica, oxybis(ethyleneoxy)bis(propylamine), titanium dioxide, butyl 2,3-epoxypropyl ether, non-fibrous aluminum oxide, and bisphenol-A epichlorohydrin. These compounds have suitable properties for hermetically sealing the conductive wire within the feed-through tube.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, multiple conductive wires are individually insulated with an insulating layer having a thermal expansion coefficient that matches that of the conductive wires. Because the conductive wires are installed in a feed-through tube that is already sealed within the glass stem, the wires do not need to withstand the high temperatures required to melt the wires within the glass stem, and therefore a very thin insulating material can be applied to each wire. This thin insulating layer ensures that the conductive wires are well insulated from each other, allowing multiple conductive wires to be installed within the feed-through tube, thereby addressing the need for new lamps that require more connecting wires.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the insulating layer is made of one of Mylar and silicone. Because each wire is individually insulated with a very thin insulating layer, similar to the design used in Litz wire, there is no need to maintain separation between the wires within the feed-through tube before and after sealing. This makes the installation or embedding of the wires much easier.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the diameter of the plurality of conductive wires is in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm. Because the conductive wires are not exposed to temperatures of 1400 degrees Celsius, which corresponds to the temperature of melting glass, a diameter in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm is sufficient to provide the necessary electrical and mechanical properties of the wire.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of conductive wires is three or more, for example, six or nine. This is especially advantageous for new types of bulbs or lamps that require at least four connecting wires to connect the filament or light engine to a power and signal source, thereby allowing the bulb or lamp to be controlled in various ways to provide more lighting operating modes as desired by customers.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the feed-through tube has an inner diameter ranging from 1.0 mm to 3.5 mm. The feed-through tube has an inner diameter large enough to accommodate the required number of wires. The inner diameter may be selected based on the diameter of the conductive wires and the number of wires installed within the feed-through tube. The feed-through tube typically has a wall thickness ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 mm to ensure that the feed-through tube has adequate thermal insulation properties to adequately protect the conductive wires passing through the feed-through tube from the heat generated during the fastening / sealing process.

[0023] The bulb may be characterized in that the feedthrough body is made of an electrically insulating material and the conductor is a conductive track provided on the surface of the feedthrough body. The provision of such a conductive track can be easily and conventionally achieved via screen printing, paste application to provide a thick film, such as 0.1 to 1 mm thick, or via physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), chemical solution deposition (CSD), or lithography to provide a thin film, such as typically 0.001 to 0.1 mm thick. Suitable materials for use as the conductive track are, for example, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, or cermets. Suitable cermets are, for example, refractory oxides comprising alumina and a metal, typically 0.1 to 0.2 volume fractions of tungsten or molybdenum, or aluminum nitride and about 40% to about 50% by weight of aluminum metal. Additionally, the lamp may be characterized in that the track is made of copper or a cermet material, the cermet material containing alumina and / or aluminum nitride as refractory oxides and aluminum, molybdenum and / or tungsten as metals. These materials are suitable for this purpose. The fusion and / or sealing of the tubular portion of the glass stem with the bar / rod-shaped feedthrough body on which the conductive track is deposited ensures a reliable and gas-tight passage of the conductor through the glass stem.

[0024] The bulb may be characterized in that the feedthrough body is made of ceramic or glass, and the conductor is a conductive track, e.g., a solid rod or bar, provided on the outer surface of the feedthrough body. This bar- or rod-shaped feedthrough body is fixed or sealed within the tubular portion of the stem to achieve the desired conductor passage through the glass stem. Optionally, as an alternative or additional method of passing the conductor through the stem, a solid bar or rod provided with a conductive track is the first feedthrough body, and the conductive track serves as a substitute for multiple loose electrical wires and is fixed or sealed within a second feedthrough body, i.e., a feedthrough tube. The combined feedthrough structure of the first and second feedthrough bodies can then be sealed within the tubular portion of the glass stem as a single unit to pass the conductor through the glass stem as desired.

[0025] The lamp may be characterized in that the feed-through body is made of ceramic or glass, the glass stem has a first melting point Tm1, and the feed-through body has a second melting point Tm2, ​​where Tm2-Tm1≧75° C. Such a minimum or larger temperature difference facilitates sealing of the feed-through carrier at the tubular portion of the glass stem, because it reduces the risk of excessive deformation of the feed-through body and therefore reduces the risk of mutual contact between conductors and / or damage, such as breakage of the conductors.

[0026] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a light bulb according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is provided, the method comprising: I) fixing the feedthrough body within the tubular portion of the glass stem, for example by melting or gluing; II) providing a plurality of conductors in the feedthrough body, the conductors being electrically isolated from one another; III) connecting a plurality of conductors to light engine contacts supported by the glass stem; IV) placing the light engine within a space surrounded by optically transparent surfaces; V) closing the space by assembling the glass stem and the optically transparent surface structure by fusing the optically transparent surface to the flared portion of the glass stem.

[0027] Considering that the sealing compound for sealing the conductive wire within the feedthrough body may not be able to withstand the relatively high temperatures involved in securing the feedthrough body within the glass stem, e.g., by melting and sealing, the method of the present disclosure first seals the feedthrough body within the glass stem. The conductive wire is then installed and sealed within the feedthrough tube at a suitable temperature. The sequence given in steps I and II eliminates concerns that the conductive wire will be damaged if exposed to high temperatures. Alternatively, for example, if a feedthrough carrier is used with conductive tracks deposited thereon, steps I and II may be performed in reverse order.

[0028] In one embodiment of the method of the present disclosure, the space is hermetically sealed by the optically transparent surface structure and the glass stem, the feedthrough body is sealingly fixed within the tubular portion over the sealing length in an airtight manner, and the conductor extends through the glass stem in an airtight manner, and the method further includes filling the optically transparent surface structure with gas via a gas supply tube and sealing the space by hermetically sealing the tubular portion.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes the step of blocking the gas supply tube to obscure the feedthrough body and reduce light scattering.

[0030] The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be best understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate identical parts or parts that perform equivalent functions or operations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1]1 shows a schematic diagram of an incandescent lamp according to the prior art. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a light bulb according to the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating a close-up view of a feedthrough body disposed within a glass stem and cross-sectional views of several examples of feedthrough bodies with conductors sealed therein, according to the present disclosure; [Figure 3B] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating a close-up view of a feedthrough body disposed within a glass stem and cross-sectional views of several examples of feedthrough bodies with conductors sealed therein, according to the present disclosure; [Figure 3C] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating a close-up view of a feedthrough body disposed within a glass stem and cross-sectional views of several examples of feedthrough bodies with conductors sealed therein, according to the present disclosure; [Figure 4A] 1 shows a schematic enlarged detailed view of a feedthrough body having conductive tracks on its outer surface in accordance with the present disclosure; [Figure 4B] 1 shows a schematic enlarged detailed view of a feedthrough body having conductive tracks on its outer surface in accordance with the present disclosure; [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram in flow chart format that illustrates generally one embodiment of a method for manufacturing a light bulb according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] Embodiments contemplated by the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The disclosed subject matter should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, the illustrated embodiments are presented as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a prior art incandescent light bulb 10. The bulb 10 includes a filament 11 disposed within a space 9 hermetically sealed by a light-transmitting surface structure 12 and a glass stem 13. The filament 11 is typically made of tungsten or a suitable external metallic material and functions to conduct electricity and emit light. The gas-sealed light-transmitting surface structure 12 is typically spherical in shape and functions to protect the internal components of the bulb 10. The globe 12 is generally made of a hard glass, such as soda-lime glass, to withstand higher temperatures.

[0034] The bulb 10 further comprises a stem 13 made of glass, which functions to protect the wire 14 disposed within the stem 13 and to support and elevate the filament 11 in a spatial direction within the globe 12 so as to disperse the light with a spatial light distribution.

[0035] A wire 14, often called a lead-in wire, connects the filament 11 to a power source (not shown) located within the base 15 of the lamp bulb 10, and passes electrical current from the base 15 to the filament 11. The wire 14 is typically made from nickel-plated copper.

[0036] While traditional incandescent light bulbs 10 often have two wires 14, newly developed tunable light bulbs may require more wires, e.g., three to six or even ten interconnecting lines for connecting to power and signal lines.

[0037] A light bulb according to the present disclosure will now be described with reference to Figures 2, 3A-3C, and 4A-4B.

[0038] Figure 2 schematically illustrates a light bulb 20 according to the present disclosure. Figure 3A schematically illustrates an enlarged view 30 of a feedthrough body, and in Figures 3A-3B, a feedthrough tube is disposed within the glass stem with a conductive wire sealed within the feedthrough tube. Figure 3B schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view 40 of another embodiment of a feedthrough tube with a conductive connecting wire sealed within. Figure 3C schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view 40 of yet another feedthrough configuration.

[0039] 2 and 3A, the light bulb 20 may include one or more filaments, such as light-emitting diode (LED) filament 21, as a light engine 21a, disposed within a space 19 hermetically sealed by a light-transmitting surface structure 22 and a stem 23. The filament 21 is supported by a glass stem 23, which includes a flare 231 and a tubular portion 232. A plurality of conductive wires 24, 24b are configured to connect the filament 21 to at least one signal and power control (not shown) disposed at or within a base 25 of the light bulb 20.

[0040] A feedthrough body 26, tube, or sleeve 26b, which may be made of glass, metal, or ceramic, is disposed within and secured to the glass stem 23 and is configured to accommodate a plurality of conductors 24, shown as wires 24b. FIG. 2 shows an example of a feedthrough body, tube, or sleeve 26b configured to accommodate five conductive wires 24b, with one common neutral wire and four lead wires for each conductive lead wire 24b electrically connected to a corresponding LED filament 21. However, it can be contemplated by those skilled in the art that more or fewer wires 24b may be disposed within the feedthrough tube 26b, e.g., seven wires 24b as shown in FIG. 3B.

[0041] The feedthrough carrier 26, shown as a metal tube 26b, may be melted together, for example during manufacture of the glass stem 23, over a sealing length SL in a sealing region 233 of the tubular 232 portion of the glass stem 23. Optionally, a pre-fabricated glass stem 23 may be provided with a feedthrough path, in which case the feedthrough tube 26b will be tightly fitted and sealed to provide gas tightness and / or ingress protection in accordance with ingress protection code standards.

[0042] The airtightness between the feed-through tube 26b and the glass stem 23 can be maintained by selecting an appropriate combination of materials for the glass and the tube. As an example, the commonly known combination of materials prescribed for incandescent lamps may be used.

[0043] By way of example, the feedthrough tube 26b may be made of one of a group of metals including kovar, vacovit, tungsten, molybdenum, (Cr)NiFe, and Al2O3, while the stem 23 may be made of glass, such as soda-lime glass. Examples of glasses suitable for the stem are shown in Table 1.

[0044] [Table 1]

[0045] A plurality of conductive wires 24, which may include lead-in power wires and signal lines, are mounted or embedded within the feed-through tube 26b. To ensure airtightness between the feed-through tube 26b and the wires 24b, a sealing compound 41, as shown in FIG. 3B, may be filled within the feed-through tube 26b and around the wires 24b.

[0046] A suitable sealing compound 41 exhibits sufficient elasticity and adhesion to the insulating layer 42 around the feed-through tube 26b and wire 24b, as described below with reference to Figure 3B, to compensate for the mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients between the material of the feed-through tube 26b and the material of the insulating layer 42 of the wire 24b. By way of example, one of the group including epoxy resin, amorphous silica, oxybis(ethyleneoxy)bis(propylamine), titanium dioxide, butyl 2,3-epoxypropyl ether, non-fibrous aluminum oxide, bisphenol-A epichlorohydrin resin may be used as the sealing compound 41.

[0047] To ensure electrical isolation between the conductive wires 24b, each wire 24b is individually insulated with a very thin insulating layer 42, similar to Litz wire. The insulating layer 42 may be made of Mylar or silicone, for example. As a result, it is not necessary to maintain separation between the wires 24b within the feed-through tube 26b before or after sealing the wires 24b.

[0048] The insulating layer 42 has a coefficient of thermal expansion that matches that of the wire 24b. For example, Mylar has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is 1.7×10 -5 It has a coefficient of thermal expansion that matches [in / in / °C] (ASTM-D696).

[0049] The advantage of using copper wire is that it can be soldered directly to the power source and filament in the bulb base 25, which is advantageous compared to conventional bulbs where the wire 14 in the glass stem 13 can only be welded.

[0050] Mylar has a melting temperature of about 250°C, which provides sufficient resistance for the assembly process as described below.

[0051] The individually insulated wires help ensure hermeticity, thereby limiting the mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients between the insulation layer and the wire material. The length of the wire insulation layer and wire interface is also advantageous for sealing.

[0052] The idea is that the feed-through tube 26b is first sealed within the glass stem 23 before the wire 24b is embedded within the feed-through tube 26b. The conductive wire 24b is then embedded or installed within the sealed feed-through tube 26b. In this way, the wire 24b is not exposed to temperatures equivalent to glass melting of approximately 1400°C. As a result, the diameter of the wire 24b may be reduced relative to conventional feed-throughs through glass.

[0053] The wires 24b may have a diameter in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm. The number of wires 24b housed within the tube 26b may depend on the inner diameter of the tube. For a five-channel color filament bulb, at least five wire 24b feedthroughs are required, which can be achieved with an inner diameter of the tube between 1.0 mm and 3.5 mm.

[0054] The above-mentioned hermeticity of each pair of the glass stem and the feed-through tube, the feed-through tube and the sealing compound, the sealing compound and the wire insulation layer around the conductive wire, and the wire insulation layer and the wire itself helps to ensure hermetic embedding or embedding of the multiple conductive wires 24b within the feed-through tube 26b while ensuring mutual electrical isolation between the wires 24b.

[0055] 3C shows a schematic cross-sectional view 40 of an alternative feedthrough structure by which conductors 24 can extend through the stem. The alternative feedthrough structure includes a first feedthrough body 26a, i.e., a solid bar or rod 26a, provided with conductive tracks 24a as conductors 24, which serve as a substitute for loose electrical wires and are secured or sealed within a second feedthrough body, i.e., a feedthrough tube 26b. The first feedthrough body 26a is secured within the second feedthrough body 26b by a potting material 41. This combined feedthrough structure, including the first and second feedthrough bodies 26a and 26b, can then be sealed as a single unit within the tubular portion of the glass stem to allow conductors 24 to be threaded through the glass stem as desired.

[0056] 4A-4B schematically show an enlarged view 30 of the glass stem 23 with the mounted / supported LED light engine 21a, i.e., a plurality of, i.e., five, LED filaments 21, and a feedthrough carrier 26, a glass bar 26a in FIGS. 4A-4B, disposed within the glass stem 23. The feedthrough carrier has a plurality of, i.e., seven, conductive tracks 24a disposed thereon as conductors 24, in this case by screen printing, but alternatively, the conductive tracks can be obtained, for example, by lamination, PVD, CVD, CSD, or by lithographic methods. FIG. 4B schematically shows a more detailed view of a portion of the feedthrough carrier sealed within the stem as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4A. The glass of the glass stem 23 is composed of a first glass, i.e., glass 220, having the properties shown in Table 1. The glass bar feedthrough body 26a is composed of a second glass, i.e., glass 342, having the properties shown in Table 1. The matched properties of the first and second glasses allow the glass bar feedthrough body 26a and conductive tracks 24a to be properly hermetically sealed within the tubular portion 232 of the glass stem over the sealing length SL shown in FIG. 4A. Mounted on the glass stem is a helical-shaped LED light engine 21a with multiple independently controllable LED filaments 21, each connected to a corresponding conductive track 24a on the feedthrough body 26a (connections not shown, but conveniently achieved by a male-female plug-like structure). The conductive tracks 24a are made of copper metal. The stem 23 with supported light engine 21a shown in FIG. 4A is a suitable alternative to the stem and supported light engine shown in the lamp of FIG. 2.

[0057] FIG. 5 illustrates, in flow chart form, one embodiment of a method 50 for manufacturing a light bulb according to the present disclosure.

[0058] In view of the high temperatures required to fuse the feedthrough tube within the glass stem, as a first step 51 of the method 50 of the present disclosure, the feedthrough carrier is secured, eg, fused, within the glass stem.

[0059] Subsequently, in step 52, a plurality of conductive wires are fed into the feed-through tube and then connected to light engine contacts, such as contacts on each of the plurality of filaments. Alternatively, steps 51 and 52 may be performed in reverse order.

[0060] Following steps 51 and 52, in step 53 the light engine is placed within the space bounded by the light-transmitting surface and the glass stem.

[0061] Thereafter, in step 54, the glass stem, now with the tube secured / sealed therein and the conductive wire in place within the tube, is assembled with the optically transparent surface structure, as in conventional methods, for example, by fusion bonding by melting the flare of the stem to the optically transparent surface structure.

[0062] The bulb may then be optionally filled with gas and sealed in step 55, and then the gas supply tube may be plugged in step 56.

[0063] The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed above, but can be modified and extended by those skilled in the art without the need to apply inventive skills and beyond the scope of the present disclosure as disclosed in the appended claims for use in any data communication, data exchange, and data processing environment, system, or network.

Claims

1. a light engine disposed within a space enclosed by the optically transparent surface structure and the glass stem, a light engine, the glass stem comprising an interconnected flare and tubular portion, the stem supporting the light engine and fused to the optically transmissive surface structure by the flare; a feedthrough body extending through the glass stem and secured within the tubular portion by fusion, the feedthrough body is provided with a plurality of conductors electrically isolated from one another, the conductors extending through the glass stem and connecting the light engine to at least one of a power source and a signal source; A light bulb comprising: The feedthrough body is made of ceramic or glass, the glass stem has a first melting point Tm1, and the feedthrough body has a second melting point Tm2, ​​and Tm2-Tm1≧75°C. light bulb.

2. the space is hermetically sealed by the optically transparent surface structure and the glass stem; the feedthrough body is sealingly fixed within the tubular portion in an airtight manner over a sealing length; 10. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the conductor extends through the glass stem in an airtight manner.

3. 2. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the glass stem has a first coefficient of thermal expansion and the feedthrough body has a second coefficient of thermal expansion, the first coefficient of thermal expansion and the second coefficient of thermal expansion having a difference of |1×10 / K| or less.

4. A light bulb as described in claim 1, wherein the feed-through body is a feed-through tube and the conductor is a conductive wire extending through the feed-through tube in an airtight manner.

5. 5. The lamp of claim 4, wherein the feed-through tube is made of metal, ceramic, or glass.

6. 5. The lamp of claim 4, wherein the plurality of conductive wires are hermetically sealed within the feed-through tube using a resilient and adhesive sealing compound.

7. 7. The light bulb of claim 6, wherein the sealing compound comprises one of an adhesive and an epoxy, preferably the sealing compound comprises at least one of the group comprising epoxy resin, amorphous silica, titanium dioxide, non-fibrous aluminum oxide, oxybis(ethyleneoxy)bis(propylamine), butyl 2,3-epoxypropyl ether, bisphenol-A epichlorohydrin resin.

8. A light bulb as described in claim 4, wherein the plurality of conductive wires are individually insulated with an insulating layer having a thermal expansion coefficient matching that of the conductive wires.

9. 9. The light bulb of claim 8, wherein the insulating layer is made of one of Mylar and silicone.

10. 2. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the feedthrough body is a feedthrough carrier made of an electrically insulating material, and the conductor is a conductive track provided on a surface of the feedthrough carrier.

11. 11. The lamp of claim 10, wherein the feedthrough carrier is made of ceramic or glass, and the conductors are conductive tracks provided on the outer surface of the feedthrough carrier.

12. 11. The lamp of claim 10, wherein the track is made of copper or a cermet material containing alumina and / or aluminium nitride as refractory oxides and aluminium, molybdenum and / or tungsten as metals.

13. a plurality of conductors extending through the glass stem and connecting the light engine to at least one power source and at least four signal sources; 10. The light bulb of claim 1.

14. A method for manufacturing a lamp according to claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of: I) fixing a feedthrough body within a tubular portion of a glass stem; II) providing the feedthrough body with a plurality of conductors electrically isolated from one another; III) connecting the plurality of conductors to light engine contacts supported by the glass stem; IV) placing the light engine within a space surrounded by optically transparent surfaces; V) closing the space by assembling the glass stem and the optically transparent surface structure by fusing the optically transparent surface to the flared portion of the glass stem.

15. the space is hermetically sealed by the optically transparent surface structure and the glass stem, the feedthrough body is fixed in a sealed state in a sealed manner within the tubular portion over a sealed length in a sealed manner, and the conductor extends through the glass stem in a sealed manner; The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of filling the space with a gas through the tubular portion before hermetically sealing the tubular portion.

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