| 摘要 |
A lighting system is provided which is utilized in lower temperature environments, such as refrigeration units and the like which uses specially constructed neon tubes to reduce the size of the lighting system while emitting sufficient white light to adequately light the refrigeration unit. The process of manufacturing the neon tube includes attaching electrodes to open ends of a glass tube having in interior phosphate coating. Current is applied until the glass tube is raised to a predetermined temperature, and the contents of the tube are evacuated. Cleaning gas is injected into the glass tube and the glass tube is again evacuated. The glass tube is then filled with mercury and a neon and argon gas mixture and sealed. The resulting white light-emitting neon tubes, which have a diameter of six to eight millimeters, are positioned within an elongated cavity of a frame of the lighting system. The neon tubes are positioned substantially parallel to one another within the central cavity such that each has a different angle of orientation relative to a longitudinal axis of the frame. Two opposite ends of the frame are hermetically sealed with caps having connectors which allow electrical connection between the neon tube and a power supply. In a first embodiment of the present invention, the frame is removably mounted coplanar, or horizontal, to a refrigeration unit shelf. In a second embodiment, the frame is positioned a predetermined distance from and perpendicular to a refrigeration unit shelf by mounting the frame to a refrigeration unit mullion.
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