Patent ID: 8174193

Claim:
A vehicular discharge lamp comprising: an outer tube; a light emitting tube disposed in the outer tube and is made of quartz glass; and a pair of electrodes disposed in the light emitting tube, wherein the light emitting tube comprises: a light emitting portion in which mercury-free encapsulated gas comprising noble gas and metal halides is sealed; and a pair of pinch seal portions connected to the light emitting portion on the opposite sides of the light emitting portion, each of the pinch seal portions being sealed with a molybdenum foil, wherein the pair of electrodes comprises: sealed portions sealed in the pair of pinch seal portions of the light emitting tube; protruding portions connected to one ends of the respective sealed portions and protrude into the light emitting portion of the light emitting tube; and welded portions connected to the other ends of the respective sealed portions and are welded to the respective molybdenum foils, wherein each of the sealed portions is segmented into: a first intermediate region positioned in the middle of the electrode in an axial direction; two end regions configured as both end portions of the sealed portion in the axial direction; and two second intermediate regions positioned between the first intermediate region and the end regions, respectively, wherein concave or convex fabrication portions are formed at least in the second intermediate regions, and wherein a ratio of formation area of the fabrication portions in the first intermediate region to an area of an outer peripheral surface of the first intermediate region is set to be smaller than that of the formation area of the fabrication portions in the second intermediate regions to an area of outer peripheral surfaces of the second intermediate regions, the second intermediate regions include at least three concaves or convexes with a pitch between respective concaves or convexes that is smaller than a pitch between respective concaves or convexes included in the first intermediate region.