JPH07335385A - Blown-out discharge lamp detecting device, and discharge tube support used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely detect a blown-out discharge tube of a neon sign with a simple work. CONSTITUTION:Discharge tubes 12 are mounted on the base plate 11 of a neon sign, and in at least one of a plurality of discharge tubes connected in series of support 15m for mounting the discharge tubes, a photoelectric converting element 21 is provided on the surface 17 for receiving this discharge tube, and the light from the discharge tube is received thereby. Eelectricity from the photoelectric converting element 21 is sent to a controller. In the controller, the initial current is detected and stored at first, the current from the photoelectric converting element 21 is measured and compared with the initial value at a set test time, and when the current is small, a tube breakage, disconnection of wiring, or transfer failure is found.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a discharge tube disconnection for detecting a failure or a wiring failure of a discharge tube such as a neon tube or an argon tube used in a lighting device such as a neon advertising tower or a neon signboard. Used in the detection device and its detection device,
The present invention relates to a discharge tube support tool that supports a discharge tube in its lighting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a so-called neon sign tower used for advertisements and advertisements, when the discharge tube is cut off, the advertisements and advertisements are not useful and the appearance is bad. It is not preferable to perform the illumination under such a condition. Therefore, if the discharge tube is cut, it is desired to immediately replace the discharge tube. Similarly, if the wiring to the discharge tube is broken, not only advertising and advertising effects will not be obtained, but also there is a possibility of ignition discharge, so that the lighting device or the discharge tube that is broken or broken is connected immediately. The power supply to the operating neon transformer must be stopped.

Conventionally, the primary side current of the neon transformer has been detected in order to detect such an abnormality as the discharge tube being broken, and it has been detected that a failure has occurred when the current has changed.

[0004]

However, when the neon transformer uses a high power factor capacitor or when the body of the neon transformer fails, the change in the primary side current is small and it is difficult to detect an abnormality. Met. Further, the secondary side current changes depending on the weather, and the primary side current also changes accordingly, so that the reliability was low. Further, when the neon discharge tube is lit by the high frequency signal as the high frequency signal, there is a problem that the abnormality cannot be detected due to the change in the primary side current.

An object of the present invention is to provide a discharge tube breakage detecting device which can detect a tube breakage surely and has a simple structure for detecting the same, and a discharge tube supporting tool used therefor. is there.

[0006]

According to the discharge tube breakage detecting device of the invention of claim 5, light from a plurality of discharge tubes in the lighting device is converted into electricity by photoelectric conversion elements, respectively.
The current flowing from these photoelectric conversion elements is detected by the current detection circuit, and the total value of the currents from all the photoelectric conversion elements is detected and compared with a reference value stored in advance, for example, an initial value, by comparison means. If the total value is smaller than the reference value, it is determined to be a failure.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the invention of the fifth aspect, it is determined whether or not the current of each photoelectric conversion element is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and the discharge tube corresponding to the photoelectric conversion element determined to be less than or equal to the predetermined value. Means are provided for cutting off the supply of electric power to the neon transformer to which is connected. Claim 7
In the invention of claim 5, photoelectric conversion elements are further provided for all of the discharge tubes, and a detection current corresponding to each discharge tube in a plurality of discharge tubes lit by one power supply device. The status of the failure is judged from the state of.

The discharge tube breakage detecting device of claim 8 is provided with a photoelectric conversion element for converting the light of the discharge tube into electricity as in the case of the invention of claim 5, which is converted in the invention of claim 8. Is there a transmitter that transmits a unique signal by the power that is received, and the unique signals from these transmitters are received by the receiver, and whether there is a unique signal corresponding to each photoelectric conversion element from the output of that receiver? Whether or not a failure has occurred is determined by determining whether or not the failure has occurred.

On the premise of the invention of claim 8, in the invention of claim 9, the electric power converted by the photoelectric conversion element is accumulated in the charging means and is supplied to the transmitter as operating power through the charging means. Various failure situations are distinguished in addition to the determination of the failure situation whether the delay in detecting the unique signal is fast or slow. Also in the invention of claim 8 or the invention of claim 9, when it is determined that there is a failure, the power supply to the neon transformer of the discharge tube to be supplied to the corresponding discharge tube is cut off.

The discharge tube support of the invention of claim 1 is claim 5.
Which is suitable for the invention of claim 1 to claim 11 and is configured such that the discharge tube is supported by the main body of the support, and the light from the discharge tube supported by the main body is received and converted into electricity. The electric conversion element is attached to the main body. The invention of claim 2 is adapted to the invention of claim 8 described above, in which not only the photoelectric conversion element is provided on the discharge tube support, but also the transmitter is provided.

The discharge tube support according to the invention of claim 14 is suitable for the invention according to claims 5 to 7, and the discharge tube is constructed so that the discharge tube is supported by the main body of the support tool. An optical fiber is attached to the body so that the light from the tube is incident on one end. According to a fifteenth aspect of the invention, in the invention according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, the support of the invention of the fourteenth aspect is used, the other end of the optical fiber is located in the current detection circuit, and the other end of the optical fiber is located. Is provided with a photoelectric conversion element.

[0012]

Embodiment FIG. 1A shows an embodiment of the invention of claim 5. This
This shows the front side of a lighting device such as a neon signboard,
Multiple discharge tubes 12 on one_i(I = 1,2,3,-) is
It is installed. In this example, the discharge tube 12₁Through 12
_FourAre connected in series and lit by one power supply device
It is supposed to be and is folded in two
It is attached. Discharge tube 12_FiveThrough 12₇Connected in series
Parallel to each other, arranged in a zigzag
Has been done. Discharge tube 12₈Is an S-shaped 1
It is a discharge tube of a book. These discharge tubes 12₁Through 12_Four1
Two_FiveThrough 12 ₇, 12₈Respectively as shown in Figure 2A
Neon transformer 14 provided on the back side of the substrate 11₁1
Four₂, 14₃Is connected between both ends of the secondary side of
It A discharge tube, generally a neon tube or an argon tube
Is usually 5 or 6 connected in series or in parallel
Is usually connected to one neon transformer,
is there.

Normal discharge tube support 15_mFixed to substrate 11
These support devices 15_mEach discharge tube 12 on top_iBoth ends of
Is arranged and is supported by wire 15_mFixed on each
Discharge tube 12_iAre attached to the substrate 11. With this invention
Of the plurality of discharge tubes mounted on the substrate 11
At least one discharge for each discharge tube connected to each series.
Solar power that receives the light from each tube and converts it into electricity
A photoelectric conversion element such as a pond or a photodiode is provided.
It In this embodiment, the discharge tube 12 is a series.₁Through 12
_FourDischarge tube 12₁And 12 ₃Photoelectric for each support of
A gas conversion element is attached to each of the discharge tubes 12₁, 12 ₃
It is designed to receive each light from and convert it to electricity.
It In addition, the discharge tube 12₆Even the support at one end of the photoelectric
A gas conversion element is provided for the discharge tube 12₈To the center support of
A photoelectric conversion element is provided. This photoelectric conversion element
Support 15 provided with_mIs equipped with a photoelectric conversion element.
Supports 15 to distinguish them from unsupported supports_mof
The subscript s is attached afterward to distinguish them.

In the discharge tube supporting member 15 _ms , for example, as shown in FIG. 1B, the upper surface of the main body 16 is dented into a cylindrical surface to form a receiving surface 17, and the discharge tube 12 _i is arranged on the receiving surface 17. It In this state, although not shown in the drawing, the discharge tube 12 _i is tied to the main body 16 with a wire, for example,
2 _i is fixed to the discharge tube support of 15 _ms . The lower end of the main body 16 is expanded to both sides to form a fixed portion 18, and the fixed portion 18
Both ends of are fixed and attached to the substrate 11 with screws, for example. In the present invention, a small hole 19 is formed in the center of the receiving surface 17 of the main body 16, and the photoelectric conversion element 21 is housed in the hole 19 so as to face the outside, and the photoelectric conversion element 21 is arranged thereon. That is, the light from the discharge tube 12 _i arranged on the receiving surface 17 is received and converted into electricity. A pair of lead wires 22a and 22b for taking out the electric output converted by the photoelectric conversion element 21 to the outside of the discharge tube support 15 _ms is led to the outside from the lower side of the support 15 _ms . In other words, this discharge tube supporting member 15 _ms is different from the conventional discharge tube supporting member 15 _m in the photoelectric conversion element 2.
1. Only the lead wires 22a and 22b are provided, and other points are the same as the conventional ones. Figure 2
As shown in A, a controller 23 is provided on the back surface of the substrate 11 so that the power supplied to the neon transformers 14 _{1 to} 14 ₃ can be on / off controlled. Lead wires 22a and 22b connected to the photoelectric conversion element 21 of each discharge tube support of 15 _ms are connected to the controller 23, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3A, each photoelectric conversion element 2
1 ₁ to 21 ₄ are exceptionally to the current detection circuit 24 in the controller 23, i.e. are to be able to selectively connect, detects the magnitude of the current supplied from the photoelectric conversion element 21 It has been made possible. The current detected by the current detection circuit 24 is input to the microcomputer 25, and the microcomputer 25 normally controls the blinking of the discharge tube 12 _i through the blinking control circuit 26. Further, the microcomputer 25 is provided with a timer 27 to control the blinking in time. The control such as start and stop can be performed.

In the present invention, all the discharge tubes are turned on in the state where they are not in normal operation, and the total value of the currents supplied from all the photoelectric conversion elements 21 _{1 to} 21 ₄ in that state is measured. In this measurement, in a normal state, the total current value is first measured, and the measured value, that is, the initial value is stored in the storage unit 28 as a reference value. Further, a keyboard 29 for setting a time for this test is provided.
Through the night time, and when the lighting device is not operated, that is, when the neon signboard is turned off, an appropriate time is set and input as the test time. In addition, an input for changing the lighting control can be made as necessary.

To perform this test, as shown in FIG. 3B,
First, set the time to be tested as the initial setting, and
All of the discharge tubes are turned on, the current flowing in the photoelectric conversion element 21 at that time is detected, the total value of the respective currents is obtained, and this is stored in the storage unit 28 as a reference value (initial value) (S).
₁ ). After that, as a normal operation mode, that is, as a conventional operation without a test, the blinking control of the discharge tube is started at a predetermined time, and the blinking control is stopped at another predetermined time. (S ₂ ). During this normal operation mode, check whether the test time has come (S
₃ ) If it is not the test time, return to the normal operation mode (S
₂ ). At the test time, all the lamps of the discharge tube are turned on, and the sum of the currents flowing through the photoelectric conversion elements 21 _{1 to} 21 ₄ is calculated (S ₄ ). The total value of the measured currents and the initial value, that is, the reference value stored in the storage unit 28 are compared, and if they are equal, the process returns to the normal operation mode of step S ₂ . If they are not equal to each other, that is, if it is usually less than the reference value, it is determined that one of the discharge tubes is cut or a disconnection occurs, and further, which of the photoelectric conversion elements the current has decreased, or It is checked whether or not it has become almost zero, and the supply of power to the transformer connected to the discharge tube emitting the light detected by the photoelectric conversion element is stopped (S ₅ ). In addition, maintenance personnel, if necessary, in other words automatically telephone contact repairers (S _6).

As is clear from the above description, it is necessary to measure and store the initial values of the currents of the photoelectric conversion elements 21 _{1 to} 21 ₄ in advance. The example shown in FIG. 1A is an example in which the driving AC power of the discharge tube 12 _i is lit at a low frequency such as commercial power supply. In this case, as described above, It suffices to provide one photoelectric conversion element for each discharge tube, and in that case, it is better to provide the photoelectric conversion element closer to the central portion than both ends of the series of discharge tubes. The reason is that the farther from the electrode, the weaker the light emitted when there is an obstacle.

In some cases, the discharge tube may be lit with AC power having a high frequency such as 20 KHz instead of the low driving frequency as described above. In such a case, even if one of the discharge tubes is burnt out, the other discharge tube may be lit by weak light, but not necessarily strong, or may be lit by weak light, even if broken. Therefore, the failure detection for the high-frequency driven neon signboard is performed by, for example, as shown in FIG.
All discharge tubes 12 _{1 to} 12 attached to this lighting device
For each of the _eight , a support tool 15 _{ms including the} photoelectric conversion element 21 is used as one support tool.

FIG. 4 shows the process of failure detection in this case.
Show. The initial setting is the same as in the case of FIG.
The initial value, that is, all discharge tubes
Light up and measure the current for each discharge tube,
This initial value is used as a reference value (S₁). Next, the normal operation mode
Run (S₂), Monitor the test time
(S ₃), At the test time, turn on all discharge tubes and
Read the output current value of the photoelectric conversion element corresponding to each discharge tube of
Take away (S_Four). Each measured current value and first measured
Compared to the initial value, that is, the reference value (S_Five), That low
Check whether there is a current or almost 0 (S₇), Electric
If no current is detected, the photoelectric conversion element
In the series of connected discharge tubes that are detecting
Check the current value of the other discharge tube and confirm that the current value is low.
Therefore, if only one discharge tube has almost zero discharge
It is judged that the pipe is cut (S₈). Also, the current value is
A series of discharge tubes connected to the one detected as
If the current cannot be detected at all, or if it is almost 0, then
High-frequency AC power is supplied to a series of discharge tubes.
It is determined that the neon transformer has become abnormal (S₉).
On the other hand, the current is detected
The current of all discharge tubes is lower than the initial value.
Is the location of the connected discharge tube.
It is determined that the line has been broken (S_Ten).

When the determination is made in any of steps S _{8 to} S _{10 in} this way, it is determined that the discharge tube has been cut off, and the supply of power to the neon transformer which supplies power to those series. Then, the maintenance person is automatically informed by telephone, for example (S ₁₁ ). In this way, the failure status can be determined from the current detection status of each photoelectric conversion element.

Next, the light from the discharge tube is converted into electricity, the transmitter is operated by the converted electric power, and the photoelectric conversion element, that is, the discharge tube emitting the light detected by the photoelectric conversion element, is unique. An embodiment of the invention of claim 8 for transmitting a signal will be described. In this case, the shape of the lighting device is almost the same as that shown in FIG. 1A,
A transmitter that operates by the output of the photoelectric conversion element is provided. Its transmitter is shown by the same reference numerals to portions corresponding to FIG. 1B in FIG. 5A for example, support 15 _ms of the main body 16
A transmitter 31 is provided inside. Further, in this embodiment, the rectangular plate-shaped photoelectric conversion element 2 is formed on the receiving surface 17 of the main body 16.
3 are provided, and the outputs of these photoelectric conversion elements 21 are supplied as the operating power of the transmitter 31.

The transmitter 31 transmits a signal peculiar to the discharge tube holder 15 _ms to which it is attached. For example, in FIG.
As shown in B, starting from the synchronizing signal bs having a fixed number of clocks, a pattern of 1 or 0 is generated for each clock cycle, and the pattern is a unique pattern according to each discharge tube mounting support. At the same time, the carrier frequency of the carrier wave that carries the carrier wave is 100 KHz, 101
KHz and 102KHz are different. This may be distinguished by changing only this carrier frequency, only the patterns of 1 and 0 may be distinguished, or both may be combined and distinguished.

As a transmitter for generating such a unique signal, for example, a cyclic shift register 32 is provided as shown in FIG. 6A, and the shift register 32 is shifted by a clock from a clock generator 33, and As the initial value, the 1, 0 pattern from the ID switch 34 is set in the shift register 32. That is, the pattern represented by the ON / OFF state of the ID switch 34 is repeatedly sent from the shift register 32. The pattern of the shift register 32 is supplied to a modulator 35, and a high frequency signal from a high frequency oscillator 36 is amplitude-modulated, FS-modulated, or phase-modulated and sent to a terminal 37, which is not shown in the figure. A receiver 38 (Fig. 2A) provided connected to the controller 23 through a line.
Sent). The output of the photoelectric conversion element 21 is supplied as the operating power of this transmitter, that is, the shift register 32, the clock generator 33, the modulator 35, and the high frequency oscillator 36. As shown in FIG. 5A, the operator of the switch 34 is provided on the body 16 of the discharge tube support so that the ID switch 34 can be freely set. Further, for example, a variable resistor 39 for changing the oscillation frequency of the high frequency oscillator 36 is provided, and a dial 41 for adjusting it is also provided on the main body 16.

The failure detection processing in this case is performed by the processing procedure shown in FIG. 6B. That is, only the test time is set in the initial setting, and the next normal operation mode is entered (S ₁ ). In this normal operation mode (S ₂ ), it is periodically checked whether the test time has come (S ₃ ), and when the test time comes, all the discharge tubes are turned on (S ₄ ). After a lapse of a certain time, each transmitter 31 is operated by the output from each photoelectric conversion element at this time, and a signal specific to the discharge tube support to which the transmitter 31 is attached is generated.
However, if the discharge tube is cut and does not emit light, or if the light is weak and sufficient electric power cannot be obtained from the photoelectric conversion element 21 and the transmitter 31 does not operate, the photoelectric conversion element that supports the discharge tube is changed. No unique signal is sent from the transmitter provided.

Therefore, the unique signals from all the transmitters 31 received by the receiver 38, in this example, the ID code consisting of 1 and 0 patterns, all of which are determined to be 15 _ms for each discharge tube support, are detected. It is checked (S ₅ ), and if all the ID codes given to all the discharge tube supporting devices 15 _ms are detected, the process goes to the normal operation mode of step S ₂ . However, if even one of the ID codes is not detected, it is determined that the discharge tube supported by the discharge tube supporting device to which the transmitter corresponding to the ID code that is not detected is disconnected has been discharged. stopping the supply of power to the transformer which supplies power to the tube (S _6).
In addition to automatically contact with such as a telephone to maintenance personnel that can, if necessary (S _7).

Next, all transmitters for generating the respective unique signals are set.
Installed on all discharge tubes and operated with high frequency power
An embodiment of the invention of claim 9 suitable for detecting a failure of a lighting device.
explain. In this case, as shown in FIG.
Discharge tube support provided with photoelectric conversion element 21 for electric tube
15_msAre supported by using at least one. Also discharge
The tube support is shown in FIG. 7A with the same reference numerals as in FIG. 5A.
The photoelectric conversion element 21 and the transmitter 31.
A capacitor 43 as an electric means is provided,
When a predetermined charge is accumulated in 43 and reaches a predetermined voltage, the transmitter 3
1 is activated. That is, as shown in FIG. 7B
When the amount of light incident on the photoelectric conversion element 21 is large,
As shown by the line 44, the output voltage of the capacitor 43 is compared.
To quickly rise and the operation level E of the transmitter 31₁In time
T₁Reach by. However, if it is incident on the photoelectric conversion element 21,
When the amount of light emitted is weak, the condenser 43
Output voltage gradually rises, the operating voltage of the transmitter 31
E₁Time to reach T ₂Is T₁Much later.
Paying attention to this point, whether the ID code comes from the transmitter 31,
Not only does it come, but the delay time of ID code is fast
Make sure to judge the failure situation by considering how slow it is
To do.

That is, the processing is performed as shown in FIG. 8, but in the setting of the test time in the initial setting, all the discharge tubes disappear, and the electric charge of the capacitor 43, which is each charging means, becomes almost 0 for a certain period of time. Set the time at night when it is dark and the surroundings are dark. The normal operation mode is the same, and it is further determined during the normal operation mode whether the test time has come, the normal operation mode is normally operated, and all the discharge tubes are lit at the test time. After a certain time, that is, after a time longer than T ₂ time in FIG. 7B, all the unique IDs are transmitted from all transmitters.
It is checked whether or not the code is detected, and at the same time, the detection delay time of each ID code, that is, the time from the lighting of the discharge tube to the detection of the ID code is also measured. If all the ID codes are detected, it is delayed in the detection, that is, T ₁ in FIG. 7B.
Determine that more delay there is (S _8), If there is no delayed return to the normal operating mode of the step S _2. However, if there is even one delay, the light quantity of the discharge tube attached to the discharge tube support to which the transmitter transmitting the delayed ID code is attached is small, and it is generally connected to the discharge tube. all series of discharge tubes Similarly amount is reduced with a delay detection of the ID code, this state is determined and the wiring is disconnected for the discharge tube (S _9).

On the other hand, if there is a transmitter that cannot detect the ID code in step S ₅ , the reason that could not be detected, that is, the light quantity has almost disappeared is the series of discharge tubes connected to the discharge tube. Only one of them is examined (S ₁₀ ), and only one of the discharge tubes connected in series has a light intensity of almost zero, and the others have a weak light intensity, and the discharge tube with no light intensity is discharged. It is determined that it has run out (S ₁₁ ). On the other hand, if the ID code is not detected from all the discharge tubes that form a series, not only one discharge tube that has almost no light intensity in the series, the multiple discharge tubes that form the series are displayed. On the other hand, it is determined that the neon transformer supplying power is abnormal (S ₁₂ ). In this way, the failure status is determined according to the presence / absence of the received ID code and the quick / slow detection status, and based on this, the discharge tube in failure or a transformer connected to various wirings, or to stop the supply of power to the fault transformer automatically perform a contact to the maintenance personnel (S _13).

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 2B,
The discharge tube support 15 _ms may be as shown in FIG. 4A. That is, in this case, the optical fiber 47 is accommodated in the hole 19 formed in the main body 16,
One end face of the is exposed to the outside through the hole 19 so that the light from the discharge tube 12 _i is incident on the one end face. The other end of the optical fiber 47 passes through the lower end of the main body 16 and further through the substrate 11, is guided to the outside, is disposed in the current detection circuit 24, and the light emitted from the other end of the optical fiber 47 is a photoelectric conversion element. 21 is made incident.

In the discharge tube breakage detecting device using this discharge tube support, the controller 23 side shown in FIG. 3A is shown in FIG. 9B.
As shown in FIG. 5, the photoelectric conversion elements 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ are provided near the controller 23 and the current detection circuit 24, and the discharge tube support 15 corresponding to the photoelectric conversion elements 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ is provided. _{The other ends of} the optical fibers 47 derived from _ms are positioned. The failure detection process is performed in the same manner as the above case.

[0032]

As described above, according to the discharge tube support of the invention of claim 1, since the photoelectric conversion element that supports the discharge tube and receives the light is attached, the discharge tube support is provided. If you install the discharge tube using the, you can easily detect the presence or absence of a failure in the discharge tube by using the output from the photoelectric conversion element, it is very convenient, especially for installing a conventional lighting device. It is sufficient to perform almost the same work as the above work, and it is only necessary to make extra wiring associated with the photoelectric conversion element.

Similarly, in the invention of claim 2, since the transmitter for generating the unique signal is attached to the discharge tube supporting member, the discharge tube is also not required to be attached to the discharge tube supporting member. It becomes possible to detect the failure. The same applies to the discharge tube supporting device of claim 3. Further, a switch and a dial for setting the unique signal are provided so that the unique signal can be changed for each discharge tube support, and the unique signal can be easily given as desired.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the invention, there is provided the support according to the first aspect.
The effect similar to that of the support tool can be obtained, and since the light of the discharge tube is incident on the photoelectric conversion element through the optical fiber, even if the high voltage of the discharge tube leaks due to an accident, the photoelectric conversion element and the current detection circuit There is no possibility that a high voltage will be applied to 24. According to the discharge tube breakage detection device of each of the fifth to thirteenth and fifteenth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to reliably detect the breakage of the discharge tube, which has been difficult to detect in the past. Moreover, the detection can be automatically performed. Further, it is possible to determine the failure status, that is, whether the tube is broken, the wire is broken, or the transformer is broken, depending on the detected current or the state of the unique signal. In addition, by detecting which discharge tube has failed and notifying it, it is possible to easily and quickly restore and repair it. In other words, it is difficult to find out which discharge tube has failed when it fails, but this can be done automatically,
You can immediately know the type of discharge tube to be replaced.

Further, by automatically shutting off the power supply to the defective portion, it is possible to prevent an abnormal condition such as a fire from occurring or damage the transformer and other parts even if the abnormal condition is not reached. It becomes possible to do. In the invention of claim 8, the wiring of the power supply line for the transmitter for generating the unique signal is not necessary, and the work of the construction is simple in that respect as well, and the detection based on the presence or absence of the unique signal is performed in this way. Can be detected more reliably than the detection of current.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a view showing a front surface of an illuminating device to which the discharge tube breakage detecting device of the invention of claim 5 is applied, B is an example of the discharge tube supporting member, and an embodiment of the invention of claim 1; FIG.

FIG. 2A is a view showing the back surface of FIG. 1A, and B is a front view showing an example of a lighting device to which the invention of claim 7 is applied.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram showing a simplified structure of the photoelectric conversion element and the controller in the discharge tube cutting device according to the first aspect of the present invention, and B is a flow chart showing the detection processing procedure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the pipe breakage detecting device of the invention of claim 7;

5A is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a discharge tube supporting member of the invention of claim 2; FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of a specific signal in the embodiment of the discharge tube cutting device of the invention of claim 8;

FIG. 6A is a block diagram showing a specific example of the transmitter 31 in FIG. 5A, and B is a flow chart showing an example of a failure detection processing procedure in an embodiment of the discharge tube burn-out detection device of the invention of claim 8;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the discharge tube support of the invention of claim 4, and B is a view showing an example of the relationship between the charging means 43 and the incident light amount.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in an embodiment of the discharge tube breakage detecting device according to the invention of claim 9;

9A is a front view showing an embodiment of a discharge tube support according to the invention of claim 14, and B is an optical fiber, a photoelectric conversion element, and a controller of a discharge tube breakage detecting device according to the invention of claim 15. FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship example.

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A discharge tube support comprising: a main body for supporting a discharge tube; and a photoelectric conversion element attached to the main body for receiving light from the discharge tube supported by the main body and converting the light into electricity. Ingredient 2. The discharge tube supporting device according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting unit attached to the main body, which operates by an output of the photoelectric conversion element and transmits a unique signal. 3. The discharge tube support according to claim 2, further comprising means for setting the specific signal. 4. A charging means for charging the output of the photoelectric conversion element, and a means for activating the transmitting means when the electric power of the charging means exceeds a predetermined value. Discharge tube support described. 5. A plurality of opto-electric conversion elements that respectively receive light from a plurality of discharge tubes in the lighting device and convert it into electricity, and a current detection circuit that detects a current flowing from each of the opto-electric conversion elements. Discharge comprising means for detecting a total value of currents flowing from the photoelectric conversion elements and comparing with a prestored reference value; and means for judging failure if the total value is smaller than the reference value. Tube break detector. 6. A means for determining whether or not a current flowing from each of the photoelectric conversion elements is below a predetermined value, and a power conversion device to which a discharge tube corresponding to the photoelectric conversion element determined to be below the predetermined value is connected. 6. A discharge tube breakage detecting device according to claim 5, further comprising means for cutting off power supply. 7. The photoelectric conversion element is provided for each of all the discharge tubes in the lighting device, and a detection current corresponding to each of the discharge tubes in a plurality of discharge tubes lighted by one power supply device. 6. The discharge tube breakage detecting device according to claim 5, further comprising means for determining a failure status from the state of. 8. A plurality of opto-electrical conversion elements for respectively receiving light from a plurality of discharge tubes in an illuminating device and converting it into electricity, and operating by electric power from each of these opto-electrical conversion elements to generate a unique signal respectively. A transmitter for transmitting, a receiver for receiving the characteristic signals from these transmitters, and means for judging whether or not there is a failure depending on the presence or absence of the characteristic signals corresponding to the photoelectric conversion elements from the receiver, A discharge tube breakage detection device comprising. 9. The photoelectric conversion element is provided for all discharge tubes in the lighting device, and charging means is provided between the output side of each photoelectric conversion element and the corresponding transmitter, respectively. 9. The discharge tube breakage detecting device according to claim 8, further comprising means for determining a failure status based on the presence or absence of the unique signal and whether the detection delay of the unique signal is fast or slow. 10. The discharge tube breakage detection device according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising means for cutting off the supply of electric power to the discharge tube that has been determined to be defective. 11. The discharge tube breakage detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the photoelectric conversion element is attached to a support tool that supports the discharge tube. 12. The discharge tube breakage detection device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the photoelectric conversion element and the transmitter are attached to a support tool that supports the discharge tube. 13. A means for automatically checking whether or not there is a failure by lighting all of the discharge tubes when the lighting device is not performing lighting operation in a dark environment. 11. The discharge tube breakage detection device according to 11 or 12. 14. A discharge tube supporting device comprising: a main body supporting the discharge tube; and an optical fiber attached to the main body so that light from the discharge tube supported by the main body is incident on one end surface thereof. . 15. An optical fiber is attached to a support for supporting the discharge tube so that light from the discharge tube is incident on one end surface, and the other end of the optical fiber is positioned in the current detection circuit. 8. The discharge tube breakage detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the photoelectric conversion element is provided so as to receive light emitted from the other end of the optical fiber.