JP2000251841A - Fluorescent lamp and lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aperture type or reflection type fluorescent lamp, wherein a lamp fitting member and a light output direction are positioned, even when the lamp fitting member such as a base or a holder is mounted without being positioned to a light projecting opening. SOLUTION: This fluorescent lamp is provided with a straight tube-shaped bulb 1 sealed with a discharge medium, a phosphor layer 2 having a light projecting opening 3 along the longitudinal-axial direction of the bulb 1 and formed in a bulb inner face, an electrode 7 sealed inside the bulb 1 via lead wires 8, 8, a pinch seal part 4 formed with flat faces 5, 5 in a bulb 1 end part to seal the lead wires 8, 8 for supporting the electrode 7 in the bulb 1 end part, and a mold part 6 formed in either of the flat faces 5 in at least the obverse or reverse of the pinch seal part 4. A light output direction of the fluorescent lamp is determined by the shape of the pinch seal part 4, a fitting member and the light output direction are positioned by mounting the member, such as a base and a holder, and adjustments such as positioning by visual observation is not required thereby.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an aperture-type or reflection-type fluorescent lamp and a lighting device using the fluorescent lamp.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A discharge gas mainly composed of xenon is sealed in a cylindrical glass bulb as a light source of a reading apparatus such as a copying machine, and a fluorescent layer is formed with a light projecting opening on the inner surface of the bulb. An aperture-type rare gas fluorescent lamp is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-97603.

[0003] The rare gas fluorescent lamp has less temperature dependence of the lamp efficiency than the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp, and therefore has an excellent rise of light flux and is suitable as a light source for a reader.

In such an aperture-type fluorescent lamp, the direction of light output from the light projecting opening is determined. Therefore, when the fluorescent lamp is mounted on a reader or the like, the light output direction of the fluorescent lamp must be considered. Must be worn.

Japanese Patent No. 2,686,457 describes a mounting member such as a base or a holder mounted on an aperture type fluorescent lamp. This mounting member is configured to allow the mounting member to slightly rotate with respect to the bulb circumferential direction in consideration of the light output direction of the aperture type fluorescent lamp.

[0006]

The aperture type fluorescent lamp of the prior art requires the mounting position of the mounting member to be visually adjusted to the light emitting opening, and the mounting operation of the mounting member is complicated. .

On the other hand, Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 4-49449 discloses a configuration in which the flat surface of the pinch seal at the end of the bulb is parallel to the direction in which light is emitted from the light projecting opening. According to this configuration, since the mounting member can be mounted so as to be aligned with the flat surface of the pinch seal portion, it is possible to eliminate the work of visually adjusting the position in the light emitting opening.

However, since the flat surface of the pinch seal portion is almost the same, the fluorescent lamp having a light output direction 180 ° symmetrical with respect to the mounting member when the mounting member is simply mounted according to the shape of the flat surface. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the light projecting opening when the apparatus is mounted on a reader or the like.

For example, a mark indicating a light output direction is provided on a part of a base or a holder, and a fluorescent lamp is mounted on a reader in accordance with the mark.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and even if a lamp mounting member such as a base or a holder is mounted without being aligned with the light emitting opening, the mounting member and the light output direction are positioned. It is an object of the present invention to provide an aperture-type or reflection-type fluorescent lamp and a lighting device using the lamp.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluorescent lamp comprising: a straight tubular bulb in which a discharge medium is sealed; and a light emitting opening formed along a longitudinal axis of the bulb and formed on an inner surface of the bulb. An electrode sealed in the bulb via a lead; and a flat surface at the bulb end such that the lead supporting the electrode is sealed at the bulb end. And a molded portion formed on at least one of the front and back flat surfaces of the pinch seal portion.

In this claim and the following claims, the definitions and technical meanings of terms are as follows unless otherwise specified.

The bulb may be made of soft glass such as soda lime glass or lead glass, but may be made of hard glass such as borosilicate glass, semi-hard glass or quartz glass if necessary. Ceramics may be used. In short, any material that satisfies the translucency and airtightness, the heat resistance at the operating temperature of the fluorescent lamp, and the workability is acceptable.

The composition of the discharge medium is selected so that a discharge occurs in the bulb, but a gas mainly composed of a rare gas containing xenon is preferable. In addition to xenon, krypton, neon, argon and the like may be mixed and used as the rare gas. When krypton is used in a mixture with xenon, flicker in brightness can be suppressed.

Xenon excites the phosphor with ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 172 nm generated by low-pressure discharge to emit visible light. The sealing pressure of the rare gas mainly composed of xenon is not particularly limited, but is preferably 133 Pa to 26.6 kPa.

Further, a metal vapor such as mercury vapor and a rare gas such as argon can be used as the discharge gas. When mercury vapor is used as the discharge medium, it is necessary to consider the deterioration of the phosphor layer due to the mercury vapor discharge and the fluctuation of the mercury vapor pressure accompanying the change in the ambient temperature.

As the phosphor layer, one that emits visible light when excited by ultraviolet rays emitted by the discharge of the discharge medium is used.

The phosphor layer is formed directly or indirectly on the inner surface of the bulb. Indirect means that, for example, a transparent protective layer of a metal oxide layer mainly composed of metal oxide particles having high visible light reflectance or alumina fine particles is formed on the inner surface of the bulb, and the inner surface thereof is formed. Forming a phosphor layer on the side.

As the phosphor used in the phosphor layer, 3
A wavelength-emitting phosphor, a calcium halophosphate phosphor, or the like can be used. When the discharge gas is xenon and a fluorescent lamp is used as a light source for reading, LaPO ₄ :
A green light-emitting phosphor such as Ce or Tb may be used.

Further, a non-fluorescent substance such as a binder and an electron-emitting particle can be mixed in the fluorescent layer in addition to the fluorescent substance.

The light projecting opening means a region formed along the long axis direction of the bulb so that the visible light emitted from the phosphor layer is projected to the outside of the bulb. In general, if the light projection opening is a so-called aperture in which the phosphor layer is not formed, the visible light can be efficiently projected to the outside of the bulb, but is not limited thereto. For example, a so-called reflective type in which a reflective layer is formed on the inner surface or outer surface of the bulb except for the light projecting opening and the phosphor layer is formed on the entire circumference of the bulb may be used.

The electrode may be in the form of a hot cathode or a cold cathode as long as it is sealed in the bulb, but is not particularly limited due to the nature of the invention. In addition to the configuration in which the pair of electrodes are sealed in the bulb, the configuration in which one is sealed in the bulb and the other is formed on the outer surface of the bulb is also included.

The pinch seal portion is formed by crushing and sealing a heated and softened valve end so as to have a flat surface with a lead wire for supporting an electrode therebetween by a processing jig.

The mold portion is formed on one of the front and back sides of the flat surface of the pinch seal portion. It is preferable that the mold portion is formed simultaneously with the processing jig at the time of forming the pinch seal portion. It does not matter. Further, the mold portion may be formed on both front and back surfaces, but it is necessary to make the fluorescent lamp an asymmetric shape so that the light output direction of the fluorescent lamp is determined by the shape of the pinch seal portion. The mold part may be formed in the pinch seal part at both ends of the fluorescent lamp,
You may form only in the pinch seal part of one end.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the mold section is formed on at least one of the front and back flat surfaces of the pinch seal section formed at the bulb end, the light output direction of the fluorescent lamp is pinch sealed. It is possible to determine by the shape of the part, and by mounting a lamp mounting member such as a base or a holder, the mounting member and the light output direction are positioned, and adjustment such as visual alignment is unnecessary.

A fluorescent lamp according to a second aspect of the present invention is a straight tubular bulb in which a discharge medium is sealed; and a phosphor layer formed on the inner surface of the bulb with a light projecting opening along the longitudinal direction of the bulb. An external electrode formed in an outer surface area excluding a light-emitting opening of the bulb; a pinch seal formed with a flat surface at at least one end of the bulb; and at least one of front and rear sides of the pinch seal And a mold portion formed on the flat surface of the above.

The external electrode is preferably formed of a conductive material on the outer surface of the bulb along the longitudinal direction, but is not limited to this. The external electrode may be formed by attaching a thin plate or mesh of a conductive metal such as aluminum to the outer surface of the valve with an adhesive, or by applying a conductive paste, drying and firing. When a conductive metal mesh is used for the external electrode, it is necessary to suppress the visible light transmittance to such an extent that visible light does not flicker near the electrode through the mesh.

In forming a pair of external electrodes, the pair of external electrodes is formed so as to sandwich the light projecting opening. When the light emitting opening is formed by the non-forming region of the phosphor or the opening of the reflector layer, it is desirable, but not essential, to align one side edge of the external electrode with the side edge of the light emitting opening. .

The external electrode may have a transparent insulating coating formed on the outside thereof. This transparent insulating coating is preferably formed on the entire outer surface of the bulb. When a pair of external electrodes is used, if the transparent insulating coating is formed on the entire outer surface of the bulb, the insulation between the two electrodes can be improved. This transparent insulating coating can be applied by a method of dip coating and solidifying a transparent silicone resin, or a method of applying a heat-shrinkable tube such as a transparent fluororesin having excellent heat resistance.

When a high-frequency voltage is applied between the pair of external electrodes, a so-called silent discharge is generated through the bulb.

A configuration in which one is an external electrode and the other is an internal electrode is also permitted. In this case, the internal electrodes are sealed at one end or both ends of the bulb. May be used. In addition, a valve sealed from one end of the valve along the central axis of the valve is also included.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the mold section is formed on at least one of the front and back flat surfaces of the pinch seal section formed at the bulb end, the light output direction of the fluorescent lamp is pinch sealed. It is possible to determine by the shape of the part, and by mounting a lamp mounting member such as a base or a holder, the mounting member and the light output direction are positioned, and adjustment such as visual alignment is unnecessary.

According to a third aspect, in the fluorescent lamp according to the first or second aspect, the flat surface of the pinch seal portion is orthogonal or parallel to a light output direction radiated from the light projecting opening. .

The flat surface of the pinch seal portion is determined by the crushing direction of the processing jig in the crush-sealing step. The flat surface of the portion can be formed so as to be orthogonal or parallel to the light output direction.

It is to be noted that the flat surface of the pinch seal may be formed at an oblique angle such as 60 ° with respect to the light output direction radiated from the light projection opening, depending on the shape of the device to be mounted.

According to the fluorescent lamp of the third aspect, the first aspect.
Or, in addition to the effect of 2, since the light output direction is determined by the flat surface of the pinch seal portion, the light output direction of the fluorescent lamp can be easily recognized, and a lamp mounting member such as a base or a holder is mounted on the basis of the flat surface. Therefore, the mounting work of the mounting member is further facilitated.

The lighting device of claim 4 is the lighting device of claims 1 to 3
A fluorescent lamp according to any one of the above, and an apparatus main body to which the fluorescent lamp is mounted.

The illuminating device may be a general illuminating device in addition to a device used for a reading device or a display device used in a copying machine, a facsimile, or the like. When a fluorescent lamp is used as a display element, it can be used as a display device.

The apparatus body may be provided with a fluorescent lamp lighting device, but is not essential. As the fluorescent lamp lighting device, a device that outputs a high-frequency voltage is used, and the output waveform may be a pulse shape instead of a sine wave.

According to the illumination device of the fourth aspect, it is possible to provide an illumination device having the functions of the first to third aspects.

[0041]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the fluorescent lamp of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the fluorescent lamp of FIG. 1 taken along the line II-II. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the fluorescent lamp of FIG. It is a perspective view.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a straight tubular bulb made of soda lime glass, and a phosphor layer 2 is formed on the inner surface of the bulb. The phosphor layer 2 has a non-phosphor-forming region parallel to the bulb major axis direction, and this portion functions as a light projecting opening 3.

A rare gas mainly composed of xenon is sealed in the bulb 1 at a pressure of several hundreds to several tens of kPa, and is crushed and sealed so that pinch seal portions 4 are formed at both ends. The pinch seal portion 4 has flat surfaces 5 formed on both sides.

The pinch seal portion 4 is formed by crush sealing so that the flat surfaces 5 and 5 are orthogonal to the light output direction in which visible light is emitted from the light projecting opening 3.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a molding portion, which is molded so as to form irregularities on one surface of the flat surface 5 of the pinch seal portion 4 simultaneously with pinch seals at both ends of the valve.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the mold section 6 as viewed from the long axis direction of the bulb 1. In addition to the shape shown in FIG. 4, the mold portion 6 may be formed on the flat surfaces 5, 5 on both surfaces as long as the shape is asymmetric as shown in FIG. 5.

Reference numeral 7 denotes an electrode, which is composed of a filament coated with an emitter material. A pair of lead wires 8 supporting the electrode 7 is sealed to the pinch seal portion 4.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an attachment member attached to the end of the fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. The mounting member is a base having a hollow shape.
A fitting portion 10 is formed on the bottom surface of the device to fit the pinch seal portion 4 and the mold portion 6 so as to face each other.

The base 9 is formed by connecting the lead wires 8 to the base pins 11 provided at the end of the base 9 and then fitting the pinch seal 4 and the mold 6 to the fitting 10 of the base 9. Are attached to the end of the valve 1 so as to fit, and are fixed by a silicone adhesive or the like.

According to the fluorescent lamp of this embodiment, the base 9
It is not necessary to position the light projecting opening 3 formed in the bulb 1 when mounting the base 9, and by mounting the base 9, the positioning of the base 9 and the light output direction can be reliably performed. Further, by providing the fitting 9 on the base 9, a structure in which a so-called loose base of dropping of the base does not easily occur can be obtained.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of a rare gas fluorescent lamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
3 is a sectional view of a tube of the fluorescent lamp of FIG.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical valve having an outer diameter of 12 m.
m, formed of borosilicate glass having a tube length of 300 mm.

On the inner surface of the valve 1, LaPO ₄ : Ce,
A phosphor layer 2 is formed by applying a Tb phosphor as a main component, and a xenon gas of 40 kPa is sealed therein and sealed by a pinch seal portion 4. Flat surfaces 5 are formed on the front and back surfaces of the pinch seal portion 4 as in the first embodiment. In addition, the pinch seal portion 4 is
A flat surface 5 with respect to a light output direction in which visible light is emitted from
5 are formed by crushing and sealing so as to be orthogonal to each other, and an uneven mold portion is formed on one surface of the flat surface 5.

On the outer surface of the bulb 1, a pair of strip electrodes 12, 12 are formed with an adhesive layer 3 interposed therebetween. The strip electrodes 12, 12 are made of aluminum tape, and are connected to a lighting device (not shown) by a power supply terminal (not shown) provided at one end of the bulb 1.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a light projecting opening, which is formed by applying the phosphor layer 2 so as to form a slit along the longitudinal direction of the bulb 1. The opening angle θ of the light projecting opening 5 with respect to the center of the bulb 1 is about 60 °. A pair of electrodes 1
Reference numerals 2 and 12 are attached so that their opposing one side edges coincide with the side edges of the light emitting opening 5.

A frequency of 3 is applied between the pair of strip electrodes 12.
A high frequency voltage of 0 kHz and a voltage of 2.5 kV is applied.
This voltage causes a so-called silent discharge between the strip electrodes.

The fluorescent lamp of this embodiment has a base 9 shown in FIG.
A holder (not shown) having the fitting portion is mounted, and has the same operation as the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual sectional view showing an image reading apparatus according to the third embodiment.

Reference numeral 13 denotes the fluorescent lamp of the embodiment, 14 denotes light receiving means, 15 denotes signal processing means, 16 denotes an original mounting surface,
7 is a reflection plate, 18 is a case.

The light emitted from the light projecting portion of the fluorescent lamp 13 is applied to an original (not shown) via the original mounting surface 16.

The light receiving means 14 is arranged to receive the light reflected from the document surface. The signal processing unit 15 processes the output signal of the light receiving unit 14 to form an image signal.
The document placing surface 16 is made of transparent glass, on which the document is placed. The reflection plate 17 directs the light emitted from the fluorescent lamp 13 to the document placing surface 16. The case 18 houses the above components.

The fluorescent lamp 13 and the light receiving means 14 and the original placing surface 16 relatively scan each other. That is, as one or both of them move in the opposite direction, the light receiving means 14 sequentially receives the reflected light from the document surface in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction. The image reading apparatus according to the present embodiment is applicable to OA equipment such as a copying machine, an image scanner, and a facsimile.

[0064]

According to the fluorescent lamps of the first and second aspects, since the mold portion is formed on at least one of the front and back flat surfaces of the pinch seal portion formed at the bulb end, the light output of the fluorescent lamp is obtained. The direction can be determined by the shape of the pinch seal portion. By mounting a lamp mounting member such as a base or a holder, the mounting member and the light output direction are positioned, and adjustment such as visual alignment is unnecessary.

According to the fluorescent lamp of the third aspect, the first aspect is the first aspect.
In addition to the effects of (2) and (3), since the light output direction is determined by the flat surface of the pinch seal portion, the light output direction of the fluorescent lamp can be easily recognized, and the lamp mounting member such as a base or a holder can be mounted on the basis of the flat surface. Therefore, the mounting work of the mounting member is further facilitated.

According to the illumination device of the fourth aspect, it is possible to provide an illumination device having the effects of the first to third aspects.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a fluorescent lamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of the fluorescent lamp of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the fluorescent lamp of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the mold section of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a modification of the mold section of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an attachment member attached to an end of the fluorescent lamp of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing a rare gas fluorescent lamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a sectional view of a tube of the fluorescent lamp of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a conceptual cross-sectional view illustrating an image reading apparatus according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bulb, 2 ... Phosphor layer, 3 ... Light emitting opening, 4 ... Pinch seal part, 5 ... Flat surface, 6 ... Mold part, 7 ... Electrode,
8 Lead wire.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A straight tubular bulb in which a discharge medium is sealed; a phosphor layer formed on the inner surface of the bulb having a light projecting opening along a longitudinal axis of the bulb; and a lead wire in the bulb. A pinch seal formed with a flat surface at the end of the valve such that a lead wire supporting the electrode is sealed at the end of the valve; A mold portion formed on at least one of the front and back flat surfaces. 2. A straight tubular bulb in which a discharge medium is sealed; a phosphor layer formed on the inner surface of the bulb having a light emitting opening along a longitudinal direction of the bulb; and a light emitting opening of the bulb. An external electrode formed in the outer surface region excluding the portion; a pinch seal portion formed with a flat surface at at least one end of the bulb; and a pinch seal portion formed on at least one of the front and back flat surfaces of the pinch seal portion. And a molded part. 3. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein a flat surface of the pinch seal portion is orthogonal or parallel to a light output direction radiated from the light projecting opening. 4. A lighting device comprising: the fluorescent lamp according to claim 1; and a device main body to which the fluorescent lamp is mounted.