JPS61176047A - Low pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the distance between an electrode and an outer tube and make an electrode type fluorescent lamp compact by airtightly sealing the bottom of the outer tube without the outer tube base recessed section at the lower part of a crimp section in which the outer tube base bottom section and the end of an electrode sealing section are enclosed airtightly. CONSTITUTION:An outer tube 1 and its base bottom section 2 that form the airtight space of a low pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp are sealed and two inner tubes 3 are arranged in the airtight space. An electrode 4 is enclosed internally on one end of each of the inner tubes 3 and the other end is opened in the airtight space. The electrode ends of the respective inner tubes 3 are arranged in an order and are covered with outer tube base material 2'. When the crimp section between the inner tube 3 and member 2' is heated and is softened, pressure is applied in the horizontal direction by a crimp device 11. Then, when the entire member 2' formed in a preset shape is heated by a burner 12 and is softened, the flat outer tube base bottom section 2 is obtained using a trowel 13. Moreover, the peripheral section of the outer tube base bottom section and the outer tube 1 are fused. As a result, the distance between the electrode 4 and outer tube 1 is reduced by the crimp section 9 and an electrode type fluorescent lamp is made compact.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp suitable for a small compact fluorescent lamp.

[Background of the invention]

In recent years, for the purpose of energy saving, compact fluorescent lamps that can be attached to normal incandescent lamp sockets have been used in place of inefficient incandescent lamps. There are various types of compact fluorescent lamps, and the one shown in Figure 8 is one of them, and is a compact fluorescent lamp with a double inner and outer tube structure. In FIG. 8, the outer tube 1 and the outer tube base 2 form an airtight space, and an electrode 4 is hermetically sealed to one end of each of the two inner tubes 3 in the airtight space, and the other end is hermetically sealed to one end of the two inner tubes 3. An open end 5 is formed for each space within the tube 1.

A phosphor 6 is coated on the inner surface of each inner tube 3, and a small amount of mercury and a rare gas of several Torr are sealed in the outer tube 1. The diffusion film 7 in FIG. 8 is provided to obtain a diffused luminous flux from the present compact fluorescent lamp, and there are also compact fluorescent lamps that do not have the above-mentioned diffusion film 7. 8 is an exhaust pipe, and 9 is a crimp portion formed during the manufacturing process. A low-pressure mercury vapor discharge is caused between each of the electrodes 4, and the ultraviolet rays produced by the discharge are converted into visible light by the phosphor 6 on the inner surface of the inner tube 3.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-130039 discloses a method for manufacturing the compact fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 8, in which the outer tube base 2 and the inner tube 3 are bonded together by softening and pressing the respective glass materials. It describes how to search. The advantages of the above method are that it is inexpensive and suitable for mass production.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a method of crimping the outer tube base 2 and the inner tube 3 in the above-mentioned known example. The outer tube base 2 and the inner tube 3 are connected by connecting them by inserting the outer tube base 2 and a part of the inner tube 3 into the outer tube by inserting the tube into the electrode end, softening by heating, and crushing a part of the outer tube base 2 and the inner tube 3 using a crimping machine 11. Thereafter, the outer tube 1 and the outer tube base 2 are welded together to complete a self-ballasted fluorescent lamp as shown in FIG. Therefore, in the completed compact fluorescent lamp, a crimped portion 9 is formed below the electrode 4, and an outer tube base recess 10 formed by the brim of the outer tube base 2 is formed. Part 2
There is a distance of around 32 cabinets between the two.

Since the purpose of compact fluorescent lamps is to replace incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent lamps, they are generally required to be compact.

However, since the conventional compact fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 8 has the above-mentioned outer tube base recess 10, a distance including the outer tube base recess 10 is required between the electrode 4 and the outer tube base 2, resulting in a small size. development was being prevented.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to obtain a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp that is a small compact fluorescent lamp.

[Summary of the invention]

- The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to the present invention includes an outer bulb and an outer bulb base forming an airtight space, and at least two electrodes each contained at one end within the airtight space, and the other end is contained within the airtight space. In a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having two inner tubes that are each open, the outer tube base does not have an outer tube base recess below the crimped portion where the outer tube base and the electric scratched end of the inner tube are airtightly crimped. By airtightly welding the part and the outer bulb, the distance between the electrode and the base of the outer bulb is shortened, and the size of the compact fluorescent lamp is reduced.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 5 show each step of the method for connecting the inner tube and the base of the outer tube in the above embodiment. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a self-ballasted fluorescent lamp manufactured using a nearly flat outer tube base 2 without an outer tube base recess.

As a guideline for the shape of the outer tube base portion 2 that is close to the above-mentioned plane, the distance between the crimp portion 9 and the brim-shaped lowest surface of the outer tube base portion 2 shall be 5 mm or less. When comparing the compact fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 1 with a conventional compact fluorescent lamp, it is found that there is almost no outer tube base recess 10 shown in FIG.
The total length of the outer tube is more than 10++m shorter than the conventional product. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the electrode ends of two inner tubes 3 are aligned and covered with a cylindrical outer tube base member 2', and the inner tubes 3 and outer tube base member 2' are crimped together. After heating and softening the desired part, pressure is applied from the horizontal direction using a crimping machine 11 as shown in FIG. 3, and the part is crimped and connected to form the shape shown in FIG. 4. Next, the outer tube base member 2 is heated using a burner 12 or the like.
The entire outer tube base member 2' is heated, and in a softened state, the cylindrical portion of the outer tube base member 2' is expanded into a brim shape using a trowel 13 to form a planar outer tube base portion 2 as shown in FIG. do. By welding and sealing the peripheral edge of the planar outer tube base 2 and the outer tube 1, a self-ballasted fluorescent lamp as shown in FIG. 1 is completed.

The above process is an example, and the work of expanding the cylindrical outer tube base member 2' shown in FIG. 4 is performed without using the trowel 13 shown in FIG. The entire cylindrical portion may be rotated around the cylindrical axis, and the resulting centrifugal force may be used to expand the softened cylindrical portion. Further, after welding the outer tube base portion 2 with a flange shown in FIG. 9 and the inner tube 3, the outer tube base portion 2 is further softened and the brim is expanded to form a shape without the outer tube base concave portion as shown in FIG. 5. It may be a method.

Although the compact fluorescent lamp having the above structure is inexpensive and suitable for mass production, since it has the crimp portion 9 in its structure, it is unavoidable that the total length of the compact fluorescent lamp is increased by the height of the crimp portion 9. Considering this point, maintaining the distance between the electrode 4 and the outer tube base 2 between 15 mm and 25 mm is the easiest condition for manufacturing.

In other words, it is difficult to make the distance from the electrode 4 to the base part 2 of the outer tube less than 15 mm due to the crimping part 9, and if the distance exceeds 25 mm, there will be an unnecessarily large gap inside the outer tube. The effect of downsizing the tube shape cannot be expected much.

Another embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIG. , an extension tube bent into a mouth shape is welded as an extension part 14 to the open end 5 of one inner pipe 3, and the opposite open end of the extension part 14 is opposed to the open end 5 of the other inner pipe 3. and place the extension part 14
The inner surface is coated with fireflies and luminous substances. Although the size of the outer bulb of the self-ballasted fluorescent lamp having the above structure is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the lamp efficiency can be increased.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing still another embodiment, in which the outer tube base concave portion is eliminated and at the same time, the collar portion of the outer tube base portion 2 is formed into a concave curved shape along the outer tube wall.

In a compact fluorescent lamp using the outer tube base 2 having such a shape, the height of the outer tube can be further shortened (and the shape of the outer tube can be made smaller). , can be easily realized by changing the shape of the iron 13 shown in FIG.

Note that the shapes of the outer tube, the inner tube, or the base of the outer tube of the compact fluorescent lamps shown in each of the above embodiments are not limited to the shapes shown in the drawings.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to the present invention includes an outer tube and an outer tube base forming an airtight space, and at least two electrodes each contained in one end of the airtight space, and the other end is enclosed in the airtight space. In a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having two inner tubes each open into a space, there is no outer tube base recess below the crimped part where the outer tube base and the electrode sealing end of the inner tube are airtightly crimped. By hermetically welding the tube base and the outer tube, a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp without a concave portion at the outer tube base can be obtained, and therefore a compact fluorescent lamp with a small outer tube shape can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 5 show each step of the method for connecting the inner tube and the base of the outer tube in the above embodiment. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a conventional bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp. Partial sectional view showing the lamp, No. 9
The figure is a partial sectional view showing the process of connecting the inner tube and the base of the outer tube in the conventional example. l...Outer tube 2...Outer tube base 2'.
...Outer tube base member 3...Inner tube 4...Electrode
9...Crimp part 10...Outer tube base recess

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) An outer tube and an outer tube base forming an airtight space, and two inner tubes each containing at least two electrodes at one end in the airtight space and opening the other end into the airtight space. In a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp, the outer tube base and the outer tube are hermetically welded to each other, and there is no outer tube base recess below the crimped portion where the outer tube base and the electrode sealing end of the inner tube are airtightly crimped. A low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp characterized by: (2) The distance of the base of the outer tube from the electrode is 15 mm or more.
The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the length is 25 mm. (3) An outer tube and an outer tube base forming an airtight space, and two inner tubes each containing at least two electrodes at one end within the airtight space and opening the other end into the airtight space. In a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp, the electrode end of each inner tube and one end of the cylindrical outer tube base member are softened and crimped, and then the other end of the outer tube base member is softened and expanded to form an outer tube base. A method for manufacturing a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp, characterized in that the outer edge of the base portion of the outer tube is hermetically welded to the outer tube.