EP1624473A2 - Dielectric barrier discharge lamp with solder-free contacts - Google Patents

Abstract

The lamp has discharge electrodes (15) at least partly separated from the discharge medium in a discharge vessel (11) by a dielectric coating and a contact surface (17) for electrical contacting of the electrodes applied to the lamp externally relative to the discharge vessel. The method involves connecting conductors to the contact surface in a solid state under plastic deformation of the contact surface : An independent claim is also included for a dielectrically inhibited discharge lamp.

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to a method for contacting a dielectrically impeded discharge lamp and a correspondingly contacted lamp.

State of the art

Dielectric barrier discharge lamps are known per se and now extensively documented in the prior art. They are characterized in that at least a part of the discharge electrodes of a discharge medium in the discharge space of the lamp is insulated by a dielectric, in the unipolar case, these are the anodes, in the bipolar case therefore all the discharge electrodes.

Dielectric barrier discharge lamps show because of their long life, excellent switching stability and geometric freedom in the design of the discharge vessel various already successful and promising for the future applications. In particular, in conjunction with a pulsed mode of operation of such dielectrically impeded discharge lamps documented in the prior art, quite good efficiency values can also be achieved.

Currently important areas of application are office automation, in particular linear lamps for scanners, fax machines and the like Devices, and large flat lamps, so-called flat radiators, for backlighting monitors and other graphic displays. However, the invention is not limited to these fields of application. Rather, there are other fields of application, such as in the UV treatment in trade and industry, in general lighting, in lighting design, etc. Other applications may develop in the future.

The discharge electrodes of a dielectrically impeded discharge lamp must be electrically connected to external lines, so be contacted. In this case, often connected to the electrodes or an extension of the electrodes forming metallic interconnects are guided to a contact surface on which an outer lead, so a cable, a contact pin or the like, is soldered. In the case of internal electrodes, the conductor tracks mentioned are guided in a gas-tight manner through a discharge vessel wall and the solder contacts are made outside.

Presentation of the invention

The present invention is based on the technical problem of specifying a dielectrically impeded discharge lamp improved with regard to the contacting of the discharge electrodes and a corresponding method for contacting a dielectrically impeded discharge lamp.

The invention is directed firstly to a dielectrically impeded discharge lamp with a discharge vessel and with discharge electrodes which are at least partially separated by a dielectric layer from a discharge medium in the discharge vessel and with a contact surface for making electrical contact with discharge electrodes which are external with respect to the discharge vessel is attached, as well as a attached to the contact surface for contacting line, characterized in that the line is mounted under plastic deformation of the contact surface in the solid state at the contact surface.

In addition, the invention is directed to a method for contacting a dielectrically impeded discharge lamp with a discharge vessel and with discharge electrodes, which are at least partially separated by a dielectric layer from a discharge medium in the discharge vessel, and with a contact surface for electrically contacting discharge electrodes with respect to is mounted on the discharge vessel on the outside of the lamp, characterized in that the line is brought under plastic deformation of the contact surface in the solid state with the contact surface in connection.

The basic idea of the invention is to produce the electrical contact without thermally melting the metallic material of the contact surface and / or of the part of the line contacting the same. Thus, the invention is intended to offer an alternative to conventional soldering or welding methods. Instead, a good electrical conductive contact by a plastic deformation of at least the contact surface and optionally also the contacting part of the line itself should be made, the respective materials are not thermally melted. They should therefore remain in a fixed aggregate state, ie. H. more precisely, at best, melt to a microscopic extent by frictional effects. However, a "flow" of metallic material in the plastic deformation is not excluded. Furthermore, as explained in more detail below, the additional use of liquid, conductive materials is not excluded, as long as it is not a soldering process, ie the addition of a thermally molten metal is. An example are (also conductive) adhesives, which additionally secure the contact according to the invention and also can further improve the conductivity.

The invention is therefore directed in particular to a contact production by a "cold" pressing or cutting of the contacting line part in the contact surface or vice versa.

An advantage of the invention is that compared to soldering and welding process time and thus costs are saved because the contacts according to the invention relatively quickly and (apart from, for example, additional conductive adhesive) can be produced purely mechanically. However, the soldering methods introduced for the dielectrically impeded discharge lamps considered here require relatively extensive heating. Since the contact surface is often mounted on other lamp parts with significant heat capacity, such as on glass walls of the discharge vessel, the conventional soldering associated with considerable heating and cooling times. It may also be advantageous by interaction with other lamp parts or process steps to dispense with a heating step. Finally, the expenditure on equipment is lower, because it can be limited to the mechanical manipulation.

Preferably, the part of the line which touches the contact surface, that is to say a contact pin of a lamp socket or of a lamp socket, of a piece of wire attached to a cable end or the like, is hook-shaped. The hook shape has the advantage of a geometry-related spring action, which can be useful in pressing in favor of plastic deformation on the one hand. Secondly, the hook-shaped part, hereinafter referred to as a hook for short, can be firmly clamped and / or hooked on demand as a result of this spring effect. The elasticity of the contact hook also has the advantage of being able to compensate for dimensional tolerances well.

In particular, the leg adjacent to the contact surface of the hook can be used for contacting and projecting after contacting at an acute angle from the contact surface. The free end of this leg "scrapes" during contact making over the contact surface or digs into this under plastic deformation, especially in a movement in the leg direction, ie in the sense of re-hooking. For the sake of illustration, reference is made to the exemplary embodiment.

Preferred materials for the hook or generally the contacting part of the contacted line are semi-hard to spring-hard alloys, in particular Cu alloys.

In a further preferred embodiment, a plastic holder for the hook, such as a silicone tube piece, is provided. This plastic holder can also have insulating functions, such as to prevent surface sliding discharges or breakdowns. Furthermore, he, and therefore the term holder, can greatly facilitate the handling of the hook or a plurality of hooks and support their elastic properties.

This is especially true but not only if the hook or, as also preferred in this invention, is inserted for fixing between clamping walls of the lamp / are. Due to the clamping, the hook can be fixed to the one hand and, secondly, a pressure force for the plastic deformation during the contacting itself can be generated. The hook or hooks can be clamped together with the plastic holder.

Instead of the plastic holder which can already be handled during installation, the hook or hooks can be cast or glued even after the plastic deformation.

If the part of the line used for making contact, in particular a hook part, bears directly against a pump stalk or another part of the discharge vessel, then a favorable combination effect can be achieved by simultaneously using this part as the auxiliary starting electrode. For the sake of illustration, reference is made to the exemplary embodiment and to the disclosure content of EP 1 329 944 A2, which is also illustrative of other aspects of the invention.

This prior art also illustrates another preferred aspect of the present invention, namely that the contact surface on an inner surface a protruding wall portion of the discharge vessel is mounted, in particular on a pipe projection.

Furthermore, it is preferred that the hook or another part of the line used for the contact preparation has a pointed or rounded, in any case convex, metal edge, with which the part digs into the contact surface during contact production.

The invention is primarily directed to lamps having a tubular elongate discharge vessel. In particular, the mentioned clamping walls can be a tube projection of the discharge vessel on the one hand and the pumping stems of the discharge vessel on the other hand, which enclose between them an annular gap in which the hook is clamped. In this case, a further line is preferably clamped with a hook-shaped part in the annular gap attached to a contact surface and the two hooks and the two contact surfaces are provided with respect to the annular gap at circumferentially offset positions.

The invention is also directed, as mentioned, to a method for contacting a dielectrically impeded discharge lamp, wherein the described features are also to be understood as process features. In particular, the line may have a hook attached to the contact surface and the hook can be brought into contact with the contact surface under a contact surface deforming displacement relative to the contact surface. Alternatively or additionally, the dielectrically impeded discharge lamp may comprise a tubular elongate discharge vessel and the hook may be connected to the contact surface under a contact surface deforming rotation about the longitudinal axis of the discharge vessel relative to the contact surface. During the rotational movement and / or during the insertion movement, the contacts or the conductor can also be in a z. B. locking fixation are introduced.

Brief description of the drawings

Figur 1

zeigt eine schematische Schnittansicht eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels eines Teils einer erfindungsgemäßen kontaktierten dielektrisch behinderten Entladungslampe.

Figur 2

zeigt einen Schnitt durch die Lampe gemäß Figur 1 in einer ersten Position während der Herstellung der Kontaktierung.

Figur 3

zeigt einen Figur 2 entsprechenden Schnitt durch die Lampe aus Figur 1 in einer zweiten Position während der Herstellung des Kontaktes.

Figur 4

zeigt eine schematische Darstellung des in Figur 1 eingekreisten Ausschnitts zur Veranschaulichung der Erfindung.

Figur 5

zeigt einen Figur 1 in der Perspektive entsprechenden Ausschnitt eines zweiten Ausführungsbeispiels für eine erfindungsgemäße Lampe einschließlich eines Teils eines Sockels.

Figur 6

zeigt einen in Figur 5 skizzierten Schnitt G-G ausschnittsweise.

Figur 7

zeigt einen Kontakthaken entsprechend Figur 5 in Einzeldarstellung.

Figur 8

zeigt den Kontakthaken aus Figur 7 in Draufsicht.

In the following, an embodiment of the invention will be explained, wherein the features disclosed may also be essential to the invention in other combinations and, in each case, like the features in the above description, implicitly relate to both the device category and the method category of the invention.

FIG. 1

shows a schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of a portion of a contacted dielectrically impeded discharge lamp according to the invention.

FIG. 2

shows a section through the lamp of Figure 1 in a first position during the production of the contact.

FIG. 3

shows a figure 2 corresponding section through the lamp of Figure 1 in a second position during the manufacture of the contact.

FIG. 4

shows a schematic representation of the circled in Figure 1 section to illustrate the invention.

FIG. 5

shows a Figure 1 in perspective corresponding section of a second embodiment of a lamp according to the invention including a part of a base.

FIG. 6

shows a sketched in Figure 5 section GG detail.

FIG. 7

shows a contact hook according to Figure 5 in an individual view.

FIG. 8

shows the contact hook of Figure 7 in plan view.

Preferred embodiment of the invention

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a part of a lamp contacted according to the invention. This is the left end of a LINEX tubular dielectrically impeded discharge lamp according to FIG. 1 for scanning and copying applications. For further illustration, see cited in the cited prior art EP 1 329 944 A2, in which this lamp, apart from the contacting according to the invention, is explained in detail.

A tubular discharge vessel 11 contains an unspecified discharge medium, a so-called ignition pad 12 which is explained in more detail in the cited prior art and which sits on the inside of a pump stem 14 of the discharge vessel 11. On the inner surfaces of the outer shell of the discharge vessel 11 discharge electrodes 15 are mounted in a conventional manner with silver paste with a dielectric layer 32, which are passed through a gas-tight at the base of the pump stem 14, the discharge vessel 11 final disc cover. The outermost, d. H. 1, ends of the electrodes 15 terminate in contact surfaces designated 17, which could be conventionally used as solder pads. These are slightly wider and stronger than the electrodes 15, but are equally made of silver paste, i. H. were painted as a viscous suspension and then dried by a thermal treatment and baked. The contact surface 17 can be seen even more clearly in the schematic FIG. This figure 4 corresponds to a larger view of the circled in Figure 1 bottom left area.

In one of left in Figure 1 accessible and about the longitudinal axis 13 rotationally symmetrical annular gap between a supernatant of the discharge vessel 11 outside and the pump stem 14 inside a plastic holder 19, namely a silicone tube, accurately inserted. The silicone tube piece holds wire hooks 16 from a semi-hard to feather-hard Cu alloy, z. B. Wieland L 49 (according to DIN 17664: CuNi9Sn2, US: C 72500).

The spring hooks 16 are held with a straight, abutting the pump stem 14 piece through the plastic holder 19 on the pumping stem 14 and the left thereof in a manner not shown in Figure 1 connected to a cable line. One in Figure 1 right over the plastic holder 19th projecting piece is bent outwards and forms a contact surface 17 at an acute angle touching legs.

The details of the contact are shown in more detail in FIG. The plastic holder 19 is inserted with the hook 16 from the left in the aforementioned gap, the hooks 16 can yield elastically due to their hook shape. The hooks are then held by the plastic holder 19 on the pumping stem 14 and moved along the contact surfaces 17 parallel to the longitudinal axis 13 to the right.

The further procedure will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. 2 shows a sectional view transversely to the longitudinal axis 13. The outermost ring in FIG. 2 is the projection of the discharge vessel 11, the ring of the plastic holder 19 drawn therein and the inner ring of the pump stems 14. FIG. 2 shows the situation during this insertion. Namely, the cuts through the hook 16 in Figure 2 left and right are still horizontal, the contact surfaces 17 are up and down, so oriented vertically.

FIG. 3, which is a corresponding section, shows the hooks 16 rotated by 90 ° with respect to FIG. 2, so that they come to lie with their outermost ends on the contact surfaces 17. FIG. 4, in turn, schematically shows the detail circled in FIG. 1, namely an extreme end of a contact hook 16 on a contact surface 17, which is attached to the inside of the projection of the discharge vessel 11. It can be seen schematically that an outer edge of the hook 16 has cut into the silver contact surface 17, due to the rotation shown in Figures 2 and 3. In addition, the plastic holder 19 together with the hook 16 or the hook 16 itself can still be retracted somewhat axially, so in Figure 1 and Figure 4 to the left, so that the hooks 16 even better "hooked" in the contact surface 17, ie in dig in the silver layer. Figure 4 tries to illustrate that can result in a proper form fit by pressing. Proving forces of about 30 - 35 N.

Depending on the constitution of the silver layer and the applied force, it can also lead to actually not problematic damage to the contact surface. If one chooses particularly strong hooked and cut contacts, one will tolerate significant scratches here. If one puts more emphasis on one within the scope of the invention quite possible and thus also one. one's own benefit of releasability of contact and reusability, one may be more cautious.

Figures 5 to 8 show a second embodiment of the invention. In this second embodiment, it is a likewise tubular dielectrically impeded discharge lamp, but with an actual lamp base, one of which, according to the figures left part in Figure 5 is shown. Corresponding parts are each designated by 10 increased reference numerals. Incidentally, FIG. 5 shows a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1.

A right continuing tubular gas discharge vessel is designated 21 and terminates in a bore of a generally designated 29 socket. The pedestal 29 also takes on a here about the projection of the discharge vessel 21 protruding pumping stems 24. The opposite left side of the base 29 has a plug connection socket 30 with contact pins 31. The contact pins 31 are straight extensions of a designated in the right-hand portion 26 hook-shaped contact element that is explained in more detail in Figures 6 to 8. This contact hook 26 is, as in Figure 1, partially to the pumping stem 24, here, however, without a plastic holder in the sense of the holder 19 of Figure 1, and is bent back from it obliquely, with its outermost end to a not shown contact surface on the Inside the supernatant of the discharge vessel 21 to get. This results, as Figure 5 shows, here an angle of 32 ° to the longitudinal axis.

FIG. 5 shows the orientation and plane of the section GG shown in FIG. One recognizes there a voltage applied to the pump stem 24 lower Section through the contact hook 26 and at the designated here by 27 contact surface fitting or pushed into this upper end.

Figures 7 and 8 show one of the two contact hooks 26 of Figure 5 in Figure 5 corresponding side view and in plan view. The angle drawn in FIG. 5 at 32 ° is here 45 °, the difference of 13 ° being the result of the pressing-in of the contact hook 26 explained below in the annular gap between the discharge vessel supernatant and the pump stalk already mentioned with reference to FIG. Incidentally, the contact hook 26 runs in Figures 5, 7 and 8 to the left to a straight piece, which forms one of the contact pins 31 of Figure 5. Otherwise carries the expiring in this contact pin 31 straight part of the contact hook two in Figure 8 top and bottom recognizable lateral clamping plates, which, as Figure 7 shows, are slightly bent. These clamping plates are used for securing the contact hook 26 after pressing into correspondingly shaped slots in the base 29 of Figure 5. The base 29 is in this case a plastic injection molded part, in which the corresponding contact plates can dig well.

The base 29 is pre-assembled with the two contact hooks 26 and then pushed from the left (in the orientation of Figure 5) on the discharge vessel 21, wherein the contact hooks 26 penetrate into said annular gap. Then, the already explained with reference to Figures 2 and 3 rotation. If necessary, the base can still be slightly withdrawn to make the contact hooks 26 cut even better into the contact surface 27. In addition, the cavity which can be seen around the contact hooks 26 in FIG. 5 can be filled with silicone in order to mechanically secure this connection and for electrical insulation reasons.

The base 29 thus fulfills with respect to the holder a much simpler constructed plastic holder 19 of Figure 1 corresponding function. Into the therein provided connector socket 30, a device-side Plug are inserted directly, whereby the discharge lamp is fully connected.

The exemplary embodiments show that a lamp according to the invention is delivered with contacts already made in the manner according to the invention and only the leads or contact pins contacted in this way are connected to a socket, an electronic device or the like. However, in other embodiments, the contacted lamp may only be present when installed in a socket or device and the contacts have been made.

Claims (14)

Dielectric barrier discharge lamp comprising a discharge vessel (11, 21) and discharge electrodes (15) at least partially separated by a dielectric layer from a discharge medium in the discharge vessel (11, 21)
and a contact surface (17, 27) for electrically contacting discharge electrodes (15), which contact surface (17, 27) is mounted externally with respect to the discharge vessel (11, 21),
and a line (16, 26) attached to the contact surface (17, 27) for contacting,
characterized in that the conduit (16, 26) under plastic deformation of the contact surface (17, 27) in the solid state on the contact surface (17, 27) is mounted. Dielectric barrier discharge lamp according to Claim 1, in which the line (16, 26) has a hook (16, 26) attached to the contact surface (17, 27). A dielectrically impeded discharge lamp according to claim 2, wherein said hook (16, 26) has a leg attached to said contact surface (17, 27) oriented at an acute angle to said contact surface (17, 27). Dielectric barrier discharge lamp according to one of the preceding claims, in which a part of the line (16, 26) attached to the contact surface (17, 27) consists of a semi-hard to spring-hard alloy, in particular Cu alloy. Dielectric barrier discharge lamp according to one of the preceding claims, at least claim 2, wherein the hook (16, 26) by a plastic holder (19) is held or potted or glued. Dielectric barrier discharge lamp according to one of the preceding claims, at least claim 2, wherein the hook (16, 26) is clamped between walls of the lamp. Dielectric barrier discharge lamp according to Claim 6, in which one limb of the hook (16, 26) bears against a pump stalk (14, 24) of the discharge vessel (11, 21). Dielectric barrier discharge lamp according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the contact surface (17, 27) is attached to an overhanging wall of the discharge vessel (11, 21) which is one of the clamping walls at its inner side with respect to the two clamping walls , A dielectrically impeded discharge lamp according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lead (16, 26) contacts the contact surface (17, 27) with a convex metal edge. Dielectric barrier discharge lamp according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a tubular elongate discharge vessel (11, 21). Dielectric barrier discharge lamp according to claims 6, 7, 8 and 10, wherein the clamping walls are a tube projection of the discharge vessel (11, 21) on the one hand and the pump stems (14, 24) of the discharge vessel (11, 21) on the other hand, between them an annular gap in which the hook (16, 26) is clamped, wherein a further line (16, 26) with a hook-shaped part in the annular gap clamped on a contact surface (17, 27) for contacting discharge electrodes (15) is mounted and the two hooks (16, 26) and the two contact surfaces (17, 27 ) are provided with respect to the annular gap at circumferentially offset positions. Method for contacting a dielectrically impeded discharge lamp with a discharge vessel (11, 21) and with discharge electrodes (15) which are at least partially separated by a dielectric layer from a discharge medium in the discharge vessel (11) and with a contact surface (17, 27) for electrically contacting discharge electrodes (15), which contact surface (17, 27) is mounted on the outside of the lamp with respect to the discharge vessel (11, 21),
characterized in that the conduit (16, 26) under plastic deformation of the contact surface (17, 27) in the solid state with the contact surface (17, 27) is brought into connection. The method of claim 12, wherein the conduit (16, 26) has a hook (16, 26) attached to the contact surface (17, 27) and the hook (16, 26) under a displacement deforming the contact surface (17, 27) relative to the contact surface (17, 27) with the contact surface (17, 27) is brought into connection. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the dielectrically impeded discharge lamp comprises a tubular elongated discharge vessel (11, 21) and the hook (16, 26) under a contact surface (17, 27) deforming rotation about the longitudinal axis (13) of the discharge vessel (11, 21) is brought into conductive connection with the contact surface (17, 27) relative to the contact surface (17, 27).

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