Patent ID: 8188672

Claim:
A high-pressure discharge lamp system having a high-pressure discharge lamp and a lighting circuit that operates the high-pressure discharge lamp, the high-pressure discharge lamp comprising: a glass envelope including a light emitting part having a discharge space formed therein and a first and a second sealing part oppositely extending from the light emitting part; a first electrode having one end located within the discharge space and another end connected to a first metal foil sealed within the first sealing part; a second electrode having one end located within the discharge space and another end connected to a second metal foil sealed within the second sealing part; and a conductor electrically connected to the second electrode and disposed externally of the envelope, wherein a portion of the conductor is in contact with or in closest proximity to an outer surface of the first sealing part substantially at a single point, the single point being located in an area of the outer surface that corresponds to the first metal foil and that excludes areas of the outer surface sandwiched between two virtual planes each containing one main surface of the first metal foil, and the lighting circuit activates the high-pressure discharge lamp by placing a high-frequency voltage at a predetermined frequency between the first and the second electrodes, the predetermined frequency falling within a range from 10 kHz to 10 MHz, inclusive.