Patent ID: 8242678

Claim:
An automotive discharge lamp, comprising: an inner tube including a light emitting unit having a first space therein and seal portions formed on the light emitting unit; a discharge medium containing a first gas enclosed in the first space; a metal foil sealed in the seal portions; electrodes with one end connected to the metal foil and other end extended into the first space; and an outer tube connected to the inner tube to form a second space between the outer tube and the inner tube, wherein the second space has a second gas enclosed therein and the second gas has a pressure of 0.3 atm or less, and an oxygen concentration in the second space is 1.0% or less, wherein the discharge medium does not substantially contain mercury, and the first gas has a pressure of 11 atm or more; and wherein the inner tube is offset downward with respect to the outer tube, and a distance D, determined between a point on an inner surface of the outer tube, which is a greatest distance from a closest point on an outer diameter portion of the light-emitting unit, and the closest point on the outer diameter portion of the light-emitting unit to the point on the inner surface of the outer tube, satisfies 1.5 mm≧D≧0.55 mm.