The history of the creation of lanterns. How the flashlight was invented. A new stage in the development of street lighting

29.05.2011

Many will find it strange that such a seemingly simple device as everyone is familiar with is a very recent invention. It was invented at the end of the nineteenth century, despite the fact that at that time houses were already almost universally illuminated by electric light bulbs.

Most likely, the creation of a compact portable flashlight was slowed down by the fact that in those days there were no dry batteries. The batteries that existed at that time were containers filled with liquid electrolyte, which were difficult to carry. Therefore, when it comes to this invention, it is worth mentioning Karl Gassner first - it was he who, in 1886, first invented and patented a battery from which, no matter how you look at it, the electrolyte did not leak.

The lamp itself, which became the prototype of modern electric flashlights, was created in 1899 by the American inventor David Maisell. In the same year, he sold his patent to the American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company, which was founded by Conrad Hubert, an emigrant from Belarus. Externally, Maisell's invention was very reminiscent of a modern keychain flashlight, only in an enlarged form - it was a thick cardboard tube into which a light bulb with a lens and a metal reflector was mounted. Inside the tube there were three cylindrical power sources. The first flashlight had a switch that was very unusual in its design - in order to light it, you had to press a metal ring attached to a metal hoop covering the body. This rather inconvenient design was soon replaced by a more ergonomic and reliable switch, invented by Conrad Hubert.

Since the batteries did not have a long service life, the first flashlights shone rather dimly and, unlike modern products, were used not as a source of bright light, but as a flash that could momentarily illuminate something necessary. That's why the Americans got the corresponding name for their portable flashlight: flashlight - a flashing light or a flash of light. But the British gave the pocket electric flashlight a different name - torch, that is, torch. This is most likely due to the fact that these devices arrived in Foggy Albion in an improved form. Of course, it was not yet such a bright LED flashlight, familiar to us now, but still it has undergone significant changes for the better.

All this time, Maissell and Hubert worked together to improve the design of the electric flashlight, but they became famous only when their brainchild was appreciated by the New York police officers - the inventors gave them flashlights for advertising purposes.

Serial production of lanterns, which were produced under the Eveready brand, was established in 1905 by The American Ever Ready Company, to which Hubert renamed his company. Now they are widespread and can be used everywhere.

In 1417, the mayor of London, Henry Barton, ordered lanterns to be hung on winter evenings to dispel the impenetrable darkness in the British capital. After some time, the French took up his initiative. At the beginning of the 16th century, residents of Paris were required to keep lamps near windows that faced the street. Under Louis XIV, the French capital was filled with the lights of numerous lanterns. The Sun King issued a special decree on street lighting in 1667. According to legend, it was thanks to this decree that Louis’s reign was called brilliant.

The first street lamps provided relatively little light because they used ordinary candles and oil. The use of kerosene made it possible to significantly increase the brightness of lighting, but the real revolution in street light occurred only at the beginning of the 19th century, when gas lamps appeared. Their inventor, the Englishman William Murdoch, was initially ridiculed. Walter Scott wrote to one of his friends that some madman was proposing to illuminate London with smoke. Despite such criticisms, Murdoch successfully demonstrated the advantages of gas lighting. In 1807, lanterns of a new design were installed on Pall Mall and soon conquered all European capitals.

St. Petersburg became the first city in Russia where street lights appeared. On December 4, 1706, on the day of celebrating the victory over the Swedes, on the orders of Peter I, street lamps were hung on the facades of the streets facing the Peter and Paul Fortress. The Tsar and the townspeople liked the innovation, the lanterns began to be lit on all major holidays, and thus the beginning of street lighting in St. Petersburg was laid. In 1718, Tsar Peter I issued a Decree on “lighting the streets of the city of St. Petersburg” (the decree on lighting the Mother See was signed by Empress Anna Ioannovna only in 1730). The first street oil lantern was designed by Jean Baptiste Leblond, an architect and “skilled technician of many different arts, of great importance in France.” In the autumn of 1720, 4 striped beauties, made at the Yamburg glass factory, were exhibited on the Neva embankment near the Peter the Great's Winter Palace. Glass lamps were attached to metal rods on wooden posts with white and blue stripes. Hemp oil burned in them. This is how we got regular street lighting.

In 1723, thanks to the efforts of Chief of Police General Anton Divier, 595 lanterns were lit on the most famous streets of the city. This lighting facility was served by 64 lamplighters. The approach to the matter was scientific. The lanterns were lit from August to April, guided by the “tables of the dark hours” that were sent from the Academy.

St. Petersburg historian I.G. Georgi describes this lighting on the streets as follows: “For this purpose, there are wooden pillars painted blue and white along the streets, each of which on an iron rod supports a spherical lantern, lowered on a block for cleaning and pouring oil...”

St. Petersburg was the first city in Russia and one of the few in Europe where regular street lighting appeared just twenty years after its founding. Oil lanterns turned out to be tenacious - they burned in the city every day for 130 years. Frankly speaking, there was not much light from them. In addition, they tried to splash passers-by with hot drops of oil. “Further, for God’s sake, further from the lantern!” - we read in Gogol’s story Nevsky Prospekt, “and quickly, as quickly as possible, pass by. It’s even luckier if you get away with him pouring stinking oil all over your smart frock coat.”

Lighting the northern capital was a profitable business, and merchants were willing to do it. They received a bonus for each burning lantern and therefore the number of lanterns in the city began to increase. So, by 1794, there were already 3,400 lanterns in the city, much more than in any European capital. Moreover, the St. Petersburg lanterns (in the design of which such famous architects as Rastrelli, Felten, Montferrand took part) were considered the most beautiful in the world.

The lighting was not perfect. At all times there have been complaints about the quality of street lighting. The lights shine dimly, sometimes they don’t light up at all, they are turned off ahead of time. There was even an opinion that lamplighters saved their oil for porridge.

For decades, oil was burned in lanterns. Entrepreneurs realized the profitability of lighting and began to look for new ways to generate income. From ser. 18th century Kerosene began to be used in lanterns. In 1770, the first lantern team of 100 people was created. (recruits), in 1808 she was assigned to the police. In 1819 on Aptekarsky Island. Gas lamps appeared, and in 1835 the St. Petersburg Gas Lighting Society was created. Spirit lamps appeared in 1849. The city was divided between various companies. Of course, it would be reasonable, for example, to replace kerosene lighting with gas lighting everywhere. But this was not profitable for oil companies, and the outskirts of the city continued to be illuminated with kerosene, since it was not profitable for the authorities to spend a lot of money on gas. But for a long time in the evenings, lamplighters with ladders on their shoulders loomed on the city streets, hastily running from lamppost to lamplight.

An arithmetic textbook has been published in more than one edition, where the problem was given: “A lamplighter lights lamps on a city street, running from one panel to another. The length of the street is a verst three hundred fathoms, the width is twenty fathoms, the distance between adjacent lamps is forty fathoms, the speed of the lamplighter is twenty fathoms per minute. The question is, how long will it take him to complete his work?” (Answer: 64 lamps located on this street can be lit by a lamplighter in 88 minutes.)

But then the summer of 1873 arrived. An emergency announcement was made in a number of metropolitan newspapers that “on July 11, experiments in electric street lighting will be shown to the public along Odesskaya Street, on Peski.”

Recalling this event, one of its eyewitnesses wrote: “... I don’t remember from what sources, probably from newspapers, I learned that on such and such a day, at such and such an hour, somewhere on Peski, they would be shown to the public experiments of electric lighting with Lodygin lamps. I passionately wanted to see this new electric light... Many people walked with us for the same purpose. Soon out of the darkness we found ourselves in some street with bright lighting. In two street lamps, kerosene lamps were replaced by incandescent lamps, which emitted a bright white light.”

A crowd had gathered on a quiet and unattractive Odessa street. Some of those who came took newspapers with them. First, these people approached a kerosene lamp, and then an electric one, and compared the distance at which they could read.

In memory of this event, a memorial plaque was installed at house number 60 on Suvorovsky Avenue.

In 1874, the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences awarded A.N. Lodygin the Lomonosov Prize for the invention of the carbon incandescent lamp. However, without receiving support from either the government or city authorities, Lodygin was unable to establish mass production and widely use them for street lighting.

In 1879, 12 electric lights were lit on the new Liteiny Bridge. “Candles” by P.N. Yablochkov were installed on lamps made according to the design of the architect Ts.A. Kavos. “Russian Light,” as electric lights were dubbed, created a sensation in Europe. Later, these legendary lanterns were moved to the current Ostrovsky Square. In 1880, the first electric lamps began to shine in Moscow. Thus, with the help of arc lamps in 1883, on the day of the Holy Coronation of Alexander III, the area around the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was illuminated.

In the same year, a power plant on the river began operation. Moika near the Police Bridge (Siemens and Halske), and on December 30, 32 electric lights illuminated Nevsky Prospekt from Bolshaya Morskaya Street to Fontanka. A year later, electric lighting appeared on the neighboring streets. In 1886-99, 4 power plants were already operating for lighting needs (the Helios society, the plant of the Belgian society, etc.) and 213 similar lamps were burning. By the beginning of the twentieth century. There were about 200 power plants in St. Petersburg. In the 1910s light bulbs with metal filaments appeared (since 1909 - tungsten lamps). On the eve of the First World War, there were 13,950 street lamps in St. Petersburg (3,020 electric, 2,505 kerosene, 8,425 gas). By 1918, the streets were lit only by electric lights. And in 1920, even these few went out.

The streets of Petrograd were plunged into darkness for two whole years, and their lighting was restored only in 1922. Since the beginning of the 90s of the last century, the city began to pay great attention to the artistic lighting of buildings and structures. Traditionally, masterpieces of architectural art, museums, monuments, and administrative buildings are decorated this way all over the world. St. Petersburg is no exception. The Hermitage, the Arch of the General Staff, the building of the Twelve Colleges, the largest St. Petersburg bridges - the Palace, Liteiny, Birzhevoy, Blagoveshchensky (formerly Lieutenant Schmidt, and even earlier Nikolaevsky), Alexander Nevsky... The list goes on. The lighting design of historical monuments, created at a high artistic and technical level, gives them a special sound.

Walking along the embankments at night is an unforgettable sight! Citizens and guests of the city can appreciate the soft light and noble design of lamps on the streets and embankments of evening and night St. Petersburg. And the masterly illumination of the bridges will emphasize their lightness and severity and create a feeling of the integrity of this amazing city, located on islands and dotted with rivers and canals.

People made an attempt to illuminate the streets at the beginning of the 15th century. London Mayor Henry Barton was the first to take this initiative. By his order, lanterns appeared on the streets of the British capital in winter to help navigate in the impenetrable darkness.

After some time, the French also made an attempt to illuminate the city streets. At the beginning of the 16th century, to illuminate the streets of Paris, residents were required to install lighting lamps on their windows. In 1667, Louis XIV issued a decree on street lighting. As a result, the streets of Paris were illuminated with many lanterns, and the reign of Louis XIV was called brilliant.

The first street lights in history used candles and oil, so the lighting was dim. Over time, the use of kerosene in them made it possible to slightly increase the brightness, but this was still not enough. At the beginning of the 19th century, gas lamps began to be used, which significantly improved the quality of lighting. The idea to use gas in them belonged to the English inventor William Murdoch. At the time, few people took Murdoch's invention seriously. Some even considered him crazy, but he was able to prove that gas lamps have many advantages. The first gas lamps in history appeared in 1807 on Pall Mall. Soon the capital of almost every European state could boast of the same lighting.

As for Russia, street lighting appeared here thanks to Peter I. In 1706, the emperor, celebrating the victory over the Swedes near Kalisz, ordered lanterns to be hung on the facades of houses around the Peter and Paul Fortress. Twelve years later, lanterns illuminated the streets of St. Petersburg. They were installed on Moscow streets on the initiative of Empress Anna Ioannovna.

A truly incredible event was the invention of electric lighting. The world's first incandescent lamp was created by Russian electrical engineer Alexander Lodygin. For this he was awarded the Lomonosov Prize of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. A few years later, American Thomas Edison introduced a light bulb that provided better illumination and was also inexpensive to produce. Undoubtedly, this invention displaced gas lamps from city streets.

Flashlight, flashlight- small, portable for individual use. In the modern world, pocket flashlights are understood primarily as electric flashlights, although there are mechanical (converting muscle force into electrical), chemical (light source is a chemical reaction) and using open fire.

After the German entrepreneur Paul Schmidt invented the dry battery, he pioneered mass production of the DAIMON electric flashlights, patented in 1906.

Characteristics of flashlights

Almost all flashlights currently sold are LED [ ] . To describe and compare the properties of flashlights, the following main characteristics are used: luminous flux, operating mode, beam color, focusing ability or beam shape, beam range, battery life, protection from moisture, protection from mechanical influences, explosion safety when working in gassy or dusty environments. environments There is an ANSI FL1-2009 standard that describes and unifies methods for measuring and publishing the essential characteristics of hand-held flashlights. Luminous flux and flashlight operating time are mutually contradictory requirements; the greater the luminous flux, the faster the batteries are discharged. The weight of batteries or accumulators cannot be increased without losing convenience; for example, for headlamps, weight is extremely important. The operating mode can be with stabilization of the luminous flux, sometimes with the ability to select it, and then the operating time is known exactly, or in the mode of a smooth decrease in brightness as the discharge occurs, an obsolete scheme that is unpleasant for the eyes. The most optimal shape of a light spot is a uniformly illuminated circle without a bright center, with a smooth decrease in brightness at the edges. Sharp brightness limits tire your eyesight during long periods of work. The ability to focus allows you to change the range of the flashlight, but also with a choice - either to illuminate a distant object well, but with a narrow beam, or to create the same illumination near with a wide beam. Some flashlights have a mode of operation with a colored beam, usually red, this can significantly extend the operating time. The flickering mode serves the same purpose, and it also allows you to attract attention (SOS mode).

Varieties

Tourist

LED flashlight

The largest group of lanterns. This category includes almost any flashlight that does not have a specially designated function.

Security Guard Lantern

A flashlight that combines the functions of a flashlight and a police baton.

Tactical

A special category of flashlights for special forces, army and other law enforcement agencies. They have increased reliability. They, as a rule, can be mounted on a weapon using standard weapon mounting elements - Picatinny rail, Weaver rail and others like that. In such cases, they are often equipped with an external power button connected to the flashlight via a wire.

Emergency

A flashlight included with equipment used in emergency situations. As a rule, electric, although chemical emergency lights are also found in marine kits. The emergency flashlight must have a significant shelf life without loss of performance.

For snorkeling

LED underwater light with and without lens

Distribution of luminous flux from flashlights with and without lens

The flashlight is designed for immersion to significant depths, maintaining absolute waterproofness, which is ensured by design features (sealing O-shaped rubber or silicone rings with sealing lubricant). It should produce a significant luminous flux with minimal scattering on the suspension, which is ensured by both the balance of light intensity in the central spot and side illumination and the temperature of the light. Thus, at ~2700-3000K the reflection from turbidity particles in water is less than at a high color temperature of ~5000-6000K. The aquatic operating environment, on the one hand, increases the requirements for corrosion resistance of the flashlight body, on the other hand, it simplifies cooling. Failed lithium-ion batteries, emitting gas in a completely sealed case, can create an explosion hazard. If there is a loop that is worn on the wrist, it should be easily removed with one hand (i.e., be rubber, not rope), which is dictated by scuba diving safety requirements.

Shakhtyorsky

Railway

In addition to the direct lighting function, it allows you to send color signals (red, yellow, green) using light filters or colored lamps. Initially, special kerosene lamps were used, replaced by lamp lanterns. LED models are currently being produced.

Electrodynamic

Flashlight "Bug", USSR, late 1980s. Early "Bugs" were produced in a metal case.

The electrodynamic flashlight is equipped with a built-in dynamo. The advantage of such a flashlight is its autonomous operation without replaceable power sources - galvanic cells or batteries. Due to the presence of a dynamo, such a lamp is usually operated manually by the user by rotating or pressing a handle connected to the dynamo, which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, which powers the light source.

In the USSR, electrodynamic flashlights with a built-in dynamo and an incandescent lamp were produced without any trademark. The common people were nicknamed “bugs” for their characteristic sound when working. These “bugs” were equipped with a spring handle.

Modern self-charging flashlights use LEDs as light sources. Self-charging flashlights with incandescent lamps are actually not produced. Today, the market offers a wide segment of self-charging flashlights, which are equipped with the function of charging mobile phones and radios.

The disadvantages of such flashlights include the following properties:

Design complexity
Noise during mechanical charging
Short operating time between charges (with a battery - 10-30 minutes)

Batteries

Powerful spotlight

Battery-powered flashlights

In battery-powered flashlights, the power source is galvanic cells, or batteries. First patent for a portable device with (English) was issued on January 10, 1899, the first commercially available devices date back to 1922.

Battery-powered flashlights

Rechargeable flashlights use a built-in nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, lead-acid or lithium-ion battery as the power source.

Sources of light

Incandescent lamps

The classic incandescent lamp has a number of disadvantages: low luminous efficiency, short service life, low mechanical strength. Currently, it is practically driven out of use. However, the lamp has a high color rendering index, due to which it is still used in some areas (for example, in medical lamps that should not distort the colors of body tissue).

Halogen lamp

Improved incandescent lamps. The principle of radiation is the same - heating the filament by electric current. The differences lie in the gases filling the lamp bulb. The composition of these gases may differ for different lamps.

It has slightly better performance properties than a conventional incandescent lamp. Gives a significant luminous flux. There are a number of disadvantages: relatively high cost, short service life, high energy consumption, the need to carry spare lamps with you, otherwise there is a risk of being left in the dark, which is unacceptable, for example, for speleologists. Even not very powerful flashlights can get very hot. This is due to the low efficiency of the lamps, as a result of which approximately 90% of the energy is emitted in the so-called “thermal” (infrared) spectrum, which is invisible to the human eye.

LEDs

LEDs are primarily characterized by high radiation efficiency in the visible region of the spectrum, in contrast to incandescent lamps. The LED produces a significant luminous flux, has a very long service life (usually at least 30 thousand hours of continuous operation, in contrast to approximately 50 hours of an incandescent or halogen lamp), low energy consumption, and light weight flashlights with significant brightness. The low weight is due to the high energy efficiency of LEDs and, accordingly, the need to use fewer batteries, which make up a significant part of the flashlight’s weight. The disadvantages include the somewhat unnatural emission spectrum of older LED models. However, modern high-quality LEDs have such high color rendering that they are practically indistinguishable from incandescent lamps. LEDs are also available with a color temperature of 3,000-4,000 K, which is approximately the same as a halogen lamp.

In general, LED flashlights are currently the most convenient for use at home or in other places where a super-powerful luminous flux is not required.

Both an array of ultra-bright 5 mm indicator LEDs and high-power LEDs (Varton, Cree, Philips, Seoul Semiconductor, OSRAM, etc.) with a power of up to 30 W are used. The luminous flux of hand-held LED flashlights reaches 18,000 lumens.

HID

High-intensity discharge. Most of these flashlights use arc gas-discharge metal halide lamps, but there are also models with pure xenon lamps. The most powerful flashlights. The service life of xenon lamps is usually 1,000-3,000 hours. The luminous flux of such flashlights ranges from 500 to 5,000 lumens (for comparison: the luminous flux of a conventional 100-watt incandescent lamp is 1,000-1,500 lumens). The main advantage: a powerful beam of light that can well illuminate objects at a distance of up to several kilometers. The main disadvantage: extremely high cost, significant (2-3 seconds) delay when turning on, often some parts of the flashlights get quite hot during operation, which can cause some discomfort. If you direct a beam of light at a flammable material, a fire may occur (this also applies to powerful incandescent lamps).

Flashlight(from Greek Φανάρι) - a portable or stationary artificial light source. A device for illuminating individual areas of space at night.

Types of lanterns

Artificial light sources- technical devices of various designs and with various methods of energy conversion, the main purpose of which is to produce light radiation (both visible and with different wavelengths, for example, infrared). Light sources mainly use electrical energy, but chemical energy and other methods of generating light (for example, triboluminescence, radioluminescence, etc.) are also sometimes used. Unlike artificial light sources, natural light sources are natural material objects: the Sun, auroras, fireflies, lightning, etc.

History of the development of artificial light sources

Ancient times - candles, torches and lamps

The very first source of light used by people in their activities was the fire (flame) of a campfire. With the passage of time and increasing experience in burning various combustible materials, people discovered that more light could be obtained by burning some resinous woods, natural resins, oils and waxes. From the point of view of chemical properties, such materials contain a larger percentage of carbon by mass, and when burned, sooty carbon particles become very hot in the flame and emit light. Subsequently, with the development of metal processing technologies and the development of methods for rapid ignition using flint, it was possible to create and significantly improve the first independent light sources that could be installed in any spatial position, carried and recharged with fuel. And also certain progress in the processing of petroleum, waxes, fats and oils and some natural resins made it possible to isolate the necessary fuel fractions: refined wax, paraffin, stearin, palmitine, kerosene, etc. Such sources were primarily candles, torches, oil, and later oil lamps and lanterns. From the point of view of autonomy and convenience, light sources that use the energy of fuel combustion are very convenient, but from the point of view of fire safety (open flame), emissions of incomplete combustion products (soot, fuel vapor, carbon monoxide) gas) pose a known hazard as a source of ignition. History knows a great many examples of large fires caused by oil lamps and lanterns, candles, etc.

Gas lanterns

Main article: Gas lamp

Further progress and development of knowledge in the field of chemistry, physics and materials science allowed people to also use various combustible gases, which give off more light during combustion. Gas lighting was quite widely developed in England and a number of European countries. A particular convenience of gas lighting was that it became possible to illuminate large areas in cities, buildings, etc., due to the fact that gases could be very conveniently and quickly delivered from a central storage facility (cylinders) using rubberized hoses (hoses), either steel or copper pipelines, and also easily cut off the flow of gas from a simple turn of the shut-off valve. The most important gas for organizing urban gas lighting was the so-called “illuminating gas”, produced by pyrolysis of the fat of marine animals (whales, dolphins, seals, etc.), and somewhat later produced in large quantities from coal during coking of the latter in gas lighting plants.

One of the most important components of the illuminating gas, which gave the greatest amount of light, was benzene, discovered in the illuminating gas by M. Faraday. Another gas that found significant use in the gas lighting industry was acetylene, but due to its significant tendency to ignite at relatively low temperatures and high concentration flammability limits, it did not find widespread use in street lighting and was used in miners' and bicycle "carbide" lamps. Another reason that made it difficult to use acetylene in the field of gas lighting was its exceptional high cost compared to lighting gas.

In parallel with the development of the use of a wide variety of fuels in chemical light sources, their design and the most advantageous method of combustion (regulation of air flow), as well as the design and materials to enhance the output of light and power (wicks, gas glow caps, etc.) were improved. To replace short-lived wicks made from plant materials (hemp), they began to use impregnation of plant wicks with boric acid and asbestos fibers, and with the discovery of the mineral monazite, they discovered its remarkable property of glowing very brightly when heated and promoting the complete combustion of the illuminating gas. In order to increase the safety of use, the working flame began to be enclosed with metal mesh and glass caps of various shapes.

The emergence of electric light sources

Further progress in the field of invention and design of light sources was largely associated with the discovery of electricity and the invention of current sources. At this stage of scientific and technological progress, it became quite obvious that in order to increase the brightness of light sources, it was necessary to increase the temperature of the area emitting light. If, in the case of combustion reactions of various fuels in air, the temperature of the combustion products reaches 1500-2300 °C, then when using electricity, the temperature can be significantly increased. When various conductive materials with a high melting point are heated by electric current, they emit visible light and can serve as light sources of varying intensities. The following materials were proposed: graphite(carbon thread), platinum, tungsten, molybdenum, rhenium and their alloys. To increase the durability of electric light sources, their working fluids (spirals and filaments) began to be placed in special glass cylinders (lamps), evacuated or filled with inert or inactive gases (hydrogen, nitrogen, argon, etc.). When choosing a working material, lamp designers were guided by the maximum operating temperature of the heated coil, and the main preference was given to carbon (Lodygin's lamp, 1873) and subsequently to tungsten. Tungsten and its alloys with rhenium are still the most widely used materials for the manufacture of incandescent electric lamps, since under the best conditions they can be heated to temperatures of 2800-3200 °C. In parallel with the work on incandescent lamps, during the era of the discovery and use of electricity, work was also begun and significantly developed on an electric arc light source (Yablochkov candle) and on light sources based on a glow discharge. Electric arc light sources made it possible to realize the possibility of obtaining light fluxes of colossal power (hundreds of thousands and millions of candelas), and light sources based on glow discharge - unusually high efficiency. Currently, the most advanced light sources based on an electric arc are krypton, xenon and mercury lamps, and those based on a glow discharge in inert gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton and xenon) with mercury vapor and others. The most powerful and brightest light sources currently are lasers. Very powerful light sources are also a variety of pyrotechnic lighting compositions used for photography, illumination of large areas in military affairs (photo bombs, flares and flare bombs).

Types of light sources

Electric: Electric heating of incandescent bodies or plasma. Joule heat, eddy currents, flows of electrons or ions. Various forms of energy can be used to produce light, and in this regard, we can indicate the main types (in terms of energy utilization) of light sources.

Nuclear: isotope decay or nuclear fission.

Chemical: combustion (oxidation) of fuels and heating of combustion products or glowing bodies.

Electroluminescent: direct conversion of electrical energy into light (bypassing the conversion of energy into heat) in semiconductors (LEDs, laser LEDs) or phosphors that convert the energy of an alternating electric field into light (with a frequency usually from several hundred Hertz to several Kilohertz), or convert it into light electron flow energy (cathode luminescent

Bioluminescent: bacterial light sources in living nature.

Application of light sources

Light sources are in demand in all areas of human activity - in everyday life, in production, in scientific research, etc. Depending on a particular area of application, a variety of technical, aesthetic and economic requirements are imposed on light sources, and sometimes preference is given to one or the other another parameter of the light source or the sum of these parameters.

History of the electric lantern

- The evolution of the fire and man’s dream of a portable fire.

In those distant times, when there was already a fire, people were looking for ways to create a portable (portable) light source. At first it was a tree branch set on fire in a fire, then torches, candles and kerosene lamps appeared, which are with us to this day.

These portable light sources had problems - safety, impracticality, and the release of harmful substances.

An electric flashlight using an incandescent lamp was soon the answer to all these shortcomings.

- Thomas Edison and Karl Gessner became part of the history of creating the world's first electric flashlight using an incandescent lamp.

1866- French inventor Georges Leclanche created the first prototype of an electric battery. It was a glass vessel filled with an ammonium chloride solution, where a chemical reaction took place and electrical energy appeared on the electrodes of a zinc anode and a carbon cathode, which was surrounded by a mixture of crushed magnesium dioxide and coal. This electric battery had a number of disadvantages: it was fragile, heavy and very dangerous.

1879- Thomas Edison, an outstanding inventor, invented the world's first incandescent lamp, which had a carbon filament.

1886- The National Carbon Company (NCC), which was created to produce carbon parts much needed for batteries, began producing carbon rods for dry electric batteries. This company in the future became the main supplier of batteries for electric lights.

1887- Carl Gessner created the first portable electric battery from zinc. It was the first electric battery to contain the chemicals inside a zinc container.

The electric flashlight has come a long way from its simple beginnings to today's modern LED flashlights - it truly is a revolution in portable lighting.

1998- The Eveready ® company is celebrating a significant anniversary, 100 years of production of lanterns and lighting products.

Nowadays, you won’t surprise anyone with an electric flashlight that can be recharged repeatedly, where there are no batteries inside, there are reliable, repeatedly rechargeable batteries - these are rechargeable batteries lanterns .

Using LEDs as a light source allows you to save energy on batteries or accumulators significantly! Now, the electric light lasts not for hours, but for days!

With the advent in the production of miniature current sources - batteries and very reliable light sources - LEDs, it became possible to produce miniature-sized flashlights - key fobs.

Most electric lights fall into two main categories:

Manual lanterns, headlamps, bike lights, camping lights and keychain lights.

2. According to the type of food, they are divided into:

Battery operated, rechargeable flashlights, batteryless flashlights and dynamo flashlights.

With the advent of modern materials in our lives, the housings of electric flashlights began to be made of very durable plastics, sometimes covered with rubber for comfortable convenience, or light aviation aluminum alloys, with recesses (notches) on the handle of the flashlight that are easy to hold in the hand.

New technologies in the production of light sources make it possible to create electric ones of very different shapes and colors, keeping up with the times, which take into account very important factors for a flashlight: the needs and requests of customers, convenience, practicality, reliability, safety.

Result: The electric flashlight appeared in our lives thanks to such very important inventions in our lives as the electric battery and the incandescent lamp, which we still use in everyday life.

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Operating modes: 100% -140 lumens up to 5 hours light range 60 m 30% -40 lumens up to 44 hours light range 20 m 10% -15 lumens up to 72 hours light range 6 m "Strobe" mode - up to 39 hours "Low" mode light" 100% -22 lumens up to 35 hours "Red light" mode - up to 52 hours Impact resistance -1 meter Waterproof housing IPX-4 Maximum operating time: 72 hours Weight without batteries: 52 g Ultra-bright LED CREE XPG-R5 Battery type: AAA battery (3 pcs) Quick and convenient switching between different operating modes of the flashlight using a button: long press for 1.5 s - change the glow mode; short press - change the operating mode Custom mode allows the user to independently adjust the brightness level of the flashlight, there is also a strobe mode Included: elastic head strap, AAA size batteries - 3 pcs Life is too short to adjust it to the rhythm of the sun - adjust it her dream! And even if you want something “strange”, for example, to go down into a bottomless well or squeeze into a narrow, dirty crevice, do not deny yourself the pleasure. The Vista LT headlamp will help you disperse the darkness and feel confident on the ground, underground and in the air. By the way, the degree of moisture protection of the case is IPX-4 (if anyone doesn’t know), which means that the case protects the contents from water splashes from any direction. So it’s probably not worthwhile to drop it into the water. IP is an international standard for protecting electrical and electrical equipment from harmful environmental influences. Six operating modes of the flashlight allow you to quickly adjust it to the brightness you need at the moment. The design uses an ultra-bright CREE XPG-R5 LED, providing a luminous flux of 140 lumens. The super-bright category usually includes LEDs that operate at relatively low currents of the order of several tens of milliamps (like conventional indicator LEDs), but have, as the name suggests, increased brightness. Ultra-bright LEDs, unlike high-power ones, do not require any heat dissipation systems, since the power they dissipate is insignificant. High beam modes, in addition to 100% luminous flux -140 lumens, operating time - up to 5 hours, light range 60 m, include even more economical modes: 30% -40 lumens up to 44 hours, light range 20 m 10% -15 lumens up to 72 h light range 6 m Low beam is useful if you need to save batteries, or for searching for things in a tent with friends sleeping around: 100% -22 lumens up to 35 h Strobe mode (up to 39 hours) is often used by cyclists on dark roads, as "beacon" for motorists. “Red light” mode - operating time up to 52 hours. Red light is used as a night, tactical mode - it does not blind the eyes. In addition, it can be used as a rear “marker” on a bicycle. Lighting modes are switched by a long (1.5 s) press, operating modes by a quick press. The wide strap does not put pressure on your head and holds the flashlight securely. The beam angle is adjustable. The flashlight weighs 52 grams without batteries. The kit includes three batteries (AAA type).

Blue, red, blue - choose any one for yourself! Chemical light sources are not a full-fledged flashlight. However, multi-colored, sealed, durable glow sticks that do not require additional batteries can be effectively used in emergency or emergency situations for illumination or signaling by tourists, speleologists, cyclists or scuba diving enthusiasts. They can serve as beacons when moving along the sides of roads at night, mark a parking lot, provide light in a tent, and are ideal for decorating outdoor holidays. To activate the stick, you need to bend it in several places, so as to break the glass flask with the catalyst located inside and shake it. Thus, we mix chemical substances previously isolated from each other and trigger a catalytic reaction, as a result of which energy is released. The duration of the glow depends on the ambient temperature (the higher the temperature, the brighter the glow, but the faster the reaction occurs). Sticks do not require special care or careful storage, so they can accompany you everywhere.

Operating modes: 100% -250 lumens up to 2.5 hours 30% -130 lumens up to 5 hours Light range -160 m Shock resistance -1.5 meters Waterproof housing IPX-6 Maximum operating time: 5 hours Weight without battery: 108 g Type Batteries: Li-ion 18650 battery (1 piece - not included) Durable aluminum body with anodized coating inside and outside, which ensures corrosion resistance Quick and convenient switching between different operating modes of the flashlight using a button

Weight: 187 g. Technology: REACTIVE LIGHTING or CONSTANT LIGHTING. Beam shape: wide, mixed. Power: 2600mAh Li-ion battery (included) or 2 x AAA/LR03 batteries (not included). Charging time: 5 hours. Compatible with batteries: lithium or alkaline. Water resistance: IP X4. USB cable 30 cm included. Updated PETZL NAO rechargeable headlamp with REACTIVE LIGHTING technology The NAO headlamp automatically adjusts brightness depending on environmental conditions. More convenience, completely hands-free and light output from 7 to 575 lumens. The high-capacity lithium-ion battery is suitable for frequent use. REACTIVE LIGHTING Mode: The built-in sensor measures ambient light and automatically adapts the brightness and shape of the flashlight beam. This technology increases the operating time of the flashlight and completely frees your hands. Maximum luminous flux: 575 lumens. Lithium-ion battery: - works well at low temperatures; - convenient to charge via USB connector (compatible with any USB chargers: from the network, from a computer, from a solar battery, from a car cigarette lighter, etc.); - charge indicator; - if necessary, can be replaced with two AAA/LR03 batteries (performance decreases). CONSTANT LIGHTING mode provides uniform brightness over a certain operating time. VA operating modes: - MAX POWER priority; - operating time priority MAX AUTONOMY. Locking function to prevent accidental activation. The adjustable elastic strap fits comfortably on your head. An additional cable (supplied separately) allows you to remove the battery from your head and put it in your jacket pocket when using in the cold. The flashlight's performance can be adjusted using the Petzl OS software, which is available for download at www.petzl.com. Mode Brightness Range Operating time Reserve mode REACTIVE LIGHTING Maximum operating time 7-290 Lm 10-80 m about 12 h 30 min 1 hour/20 Lm Maximum brightness 7-575 Lm 10-135 m about 6 h 30 min CONSTANT LIGHTING Maximum operating time 120 lm 60 m 8 h Maximum brightness 430 lm 130 m 1 h 30 min

Power: 80 W Gas consumption: 38 g/h Fuel: liquefied gas Weight without case: 149 g Weight with case: 183 g Case size: 5.7 × 5.7 × 11 cm Lightweight Compact Bright For threaded and collet gas cylinders cylinders (when using an adapter) Possibility to hang the lamp Piezo ignition and a convenient case for transporting the lamp Included: lamp with shade and piezo ignition, 3 replaceable grids, plastic case, instruction manual If you are given a star, it will show the way only on a cloudless night. The "Pulsar" Track gas lamp is free of these restrictions. Its brightness is enough for preparing dinner, it creates a cozy atmosphere at the table, and hanging a lamp in a clearing, you will receive a beacon for lost or lagging comrades and a bait for new friends.

Operating modes: 100% -600 lumens up to 1.5 hours 30% -170 lumens up to 5 hours Light range -250 m Impact resistance -1.5 meters Waterproof housing IPX-6 Maximum operating time: 5 hours Weight without battery: 123 g Type battery: 18650 lithium-ion battery (1 pc) Universal microUSB port for charging the battery Durable aluminum housing with anodized coating inside and outside, which ensures corrosion resistance Quick and convenient switching between different operating modes of the flashlight using a button Custom mode allows the user to independently adjust the brightness level of the flashlight, there is also a strobe mode Included: 1 lithium-ion battery 18650, 1 mini-USB charging cable

3 operating modes: maximum, medium, flashing Ultra-bright CREE Q5 LED Maximum luminous flux up to 180-200 lumens Weight with battery: 700 g Batteries (included): Li-ion battery 3.7 W 2200 mAh Charger for Li-ion batteries included Waterproof housing IPX-5 Dimensions: Length: 236 mm Head diameter: 54 mm Tail diameter: 31 mm

Operating modes: 100% -230 lumens up to 1.5 hours 30% -50 lumens up to 5 hours Light range -50 m Shock resistance -1.5 meters Waterproof housing IPX-6 Maximum operating time: 5 hours Weight without batteries: 60 g Type battery: AAA battery (3 pcs) (included) Durable aluminum case with anodized coating inside and outside, which ensures corrosion resistance Quick and convenient switching between different operating modes of the flashlight using a button Custom mode allows the user to independently adjust the brightness level of the flashlight , also has a strobe mode

Ultra-bright CREE XP-G LED Maximum luminous flux 220 lumens Batteries (not included): 3 pcs type D Weight without batteries: 330 g Weight with batteries: 748 g Aluminum housing IPX-5 waterproof housing

Headlamp 1 W with a beacon on the back of the head. Article: 1019 Weight: 102 g Description 50 lumens. This 1W headlamp features an anodized aluminum housing and a waterproof battery compartment with an additional red light located on the back of the head. Rear IC controller - 2 lighting modes. Front IC controller -3 lighting modes. Adjustable front light tilt and adjustable straps. Equipped with ultra bright LED. Ideal for any event. Comes with 3 AAA batteries.

Characteristics: Luminous flux: 60 lumens LEDs: 4 Ultrabright LED (adjustable) Maximum operating time: 110 hours Power: AAA (3pcs) (included) Weight: 101 g with batteries Operating time and modes: 4 Ultrabright LED maximum: operating time 1 -105 h, maximum range 35 m flash mode: operating time 5-110 h, maximum range 35 m medium: operating time 10-99 h, maximum range 18 m economical: operating time 31-97 h, maximum range 12 m

Material: Thermoplastic rubber Zipper grip in the form of a cord loop with a glow-in-the-dark rubber tip. After charging for 5-30 minutes, the tip glows in the dark for 30 minutes. Fits on the zipper puller or directly on the lock

Light and Optics White light: Luminous flux, LED: 2300 lm Luminous flux, OTF: 1800OTF lm Light range: 130 m Warm light: Luminous flux, LED: 2140 lm Luminous flux, OTF: 1675OTF lm Light range: 125 m Peak luminous intensity : 4200 cd Diode: Cree XHP50 Optics: TIR optics Stabilization of constant brightness, regardless of frost and low battery charge: Full Central spot: 70° Side illumination: 120° Light spot diameter at a distance of 5 meters: 7 m Shock-resistant glass with sapphire and anti-glare coating: yes Dimensions and Weight Length: 110 mm Head diameter: 29 mm Body diameter: 24.5 mm Weight (without power): 65 g Body and body durability Body material: Aircraft aluminum Anti-abrasion coating: Premium type III hard anodizing 400HV Matte non-slip surface: yes Housing color: Matte black Dust and water resistance standard: IP68 (highest) Safe immersion depth: 10 m Two sealing O-rings for better water resistance: yes Operating temperature: -25..+40 °C Impact-resistant leading edge: Edge Material: Super Hard Titanium Stainless Steel Aluminum Encapsulated Electronics Protection: Yes Shock Resistance: 10m Robust Spring System for Power Protection: Yes Removable Steel Clip: Yes Trapezoidal Threads for Long Life: Yes Nyogel 760G Lubricant (USA): Yes yes Possibility of installation vertically, like candles: yes Modes and Electronics Power supply: 1×18650 Li-Ion 3200 mAh White light. Operating time and modes: Turbo2 = 1800 lm (1 h), Turbo1 = 900 lm (1 h 40 min), 390 lm (4 h), 165 lm (10.5 h), 30 lm (50 h), 5.5 lm (12 d), 1.5 lm (40 d), 0.15 lm (200 d), 3 Strobe Warm light. Operating time and modes: Turbo2 = 1675 lm (1 h), Turbo1 = 840 lm (1 h 40 min), 390 lm (4 h), 150 lm (10.5 h), 28 lm (50 h), 5 lm (12 d), 1.4 lm (40 d), 0.14 lm (200 d), 3 Strobe Number of modes: 11 Mode switching type: Side button Button type: Electronic Instant on for quick access: Yes Operating time for maximum mode: 1 h Operating time for minimum mode: 200 days Efficient heat dissipation from the LED through the copper board: Yes Improved heat dissipation for electronics: Yes Constant temperature control of the diode and electronics: Yes Springs made of special material for higher efficiency: Yes Firefly mode with record-breaking long operating time: Yes Automatic memorization of the last switched on mode: Yes Special signal (Strobe): Yes Ability to save individual user settings: Yes Built-in low power indication: Yes Built-in high temperature indication: Yes LED color indication: Yes Battery charge indicator: Yes Protection driver against excessive power discharge for safe use of unprotected batteries: Yes Advanced electronic protection against incorrect power installation: Yes Flicker-free, smooth light output: Yes Can be used with flat contact batteries: Yes Protection against accidental activation: Yes Bright light with constant brightness thanks to powerful electronics and active temperature control without timers Multi-flashlight “10 in 1” for various activities: car, fishing, hunting, home, work, city, picnic, bicycle, hike, trip Effective TIR optics and no “tunnel vision” effect even after long-term use Side button for convenient one-handed operation and easy switching of modes with advanced controls Colored status indication and ultra-low current consumption in the off state - more than 25 years Comfortable mount for securely fixing the flashlight - it will not slip even while running Durable housing without long, unreliable wires rubber connectors and extra blocks Magnet on the back cover, removable clip and the possibility of vertical installation for multifunctional use Absolute protection against the penetration of water, dirt and dust - the flashlight continues to work even at a depth of 10 meters Delivery set: clip, plastic holder, 2 o-rings. , head mount, hand mount, magnetic USB charger, 18650 Li-ion battery (3200 mAh)

Pocket camping lamp. Article: 1014 Weight: 95 g Description 9 LEDs, 30 lumens, IC controller - 4 lighting modes, 4 AA batteries included.