NIEDERDRUCK-ENTLADUNGSLAMPE

A fluorescent light source of small physical size and high brightness is provided by making the vitreous envelope of cylindrical configuration and providing it with an inserted partition assembly that is coated with phosphor and longitudinally extends from the hermetically sealed end of the envelope to its flat end wall or face. The partition assembly preferably comprises a series of radiallyextending sheet metal panels that divide the envelope interior into a series of interconnected sectors that define a discharge channel which forces the discharge to follow a retroverted path through the envelope. One end of the partition assembly is seated against the flat end wall of the envelope and its opposite end is seated in keyed interlocked relationship with a disc-like support member that is held in place by the lead-in conductors and has channels which receive the ends of the partition panels. The discharge is prevented from bypassing the partition panels by soft gaskets of felt-like material that are sandwiched between the end edges of the partition panels and the abutting end wall of the envelope and disc-like support member, respectively. In an alternative embodiment, flanged partition panels and a non-channeled support member are used to prevent the discharge from bypassing the partition assembly. A fluorescent lamp having several independently-operable discharges rather than a single discharge is also provided by mounting the required number of paired electrodes at the sealed end of the envelope and employing a partition assembly that defines a corresponding number of separate discharge channels or paths.