JP2000285867A - Discharge lamp device and lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily mount/dismount a discharge lamp device provided with an external electrode. SOLUTION: This lighting system comprises an arc tube 12 sealed with a rare gas and coated with a phosphor 22 on the inner surface thereof and a case main body 25 provided with a lamp holder 26 capable of fitting the arc tube 12. A pair of external electrodes 31 is disposed inside the lamp holder 26. The external electrodes 31 are covered with a resilient holding part 28 utilizing a silicone gel for enhancing impact resistance or vibration resistance and for enhancing heat radiation and contact of the arc tube 12 to the external electrodes 31. The outer surface of the case main body 25 is covered with a shield 33 to suppress noise emission. A sine-wave driven lighting circuit of a lighting device 15 is connected to the external electrodes 31 through a power supply 35. A light guide body 16 is disposed aligning with an illumination opening 27 of a case 14. A display 11 of an automobile meter is illuminated by the light guide body 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a discharge lamp device having external electrodes and a lighting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an external electrode along the longitudinal direction of a glass bulb is coated on the outer surface of a glass bulb in which a fluorescent substance is coated on an inner peripheral surface and a discharge medium is sealed inside the glass bulb. There is known a configuration in which the components are bonded using an adhesive.

[0003]

However, in the configuration in which the external electrode is directly adhered to the outer surface of the glass bulb, there is a case where a positional shift occurs during the operation of attaching the external electrode, and the external electrode may peel off after attaching. However, there is a problem in a method of attaching an external electrode and an insulating method.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a discharge lamp device and an illuminating device having external electrodes that can be easily manufactured.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a discharge lamp device in which a discharge medium is sealed, a phosphor is provided on an inner surface, and a light emitting tube provided with a light transmitting portion; A case provided with an external electrode and an irradiation opening corresponding to the light transmitting portion.

In this configuration, by attaching the arc tube to the case, the external electrode provided on the case is arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the arc tube, and power is supplied to the external electrode to cause discharge between the external electrodes. Accordingly, light is emitted from the light-transmitting portion of the arc tube through the irradiation opening. Since the external electrode is provided inside the case, displacement and peeling of the external electrode are suppressed as compared with a configuration in which the external electrode is attached to the arc tube, and the manufacturing becomes easy.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the discharge lamp device according to the first aspect, the case includes an elastic holding portion having a silicone gel for elastically holding the arc tube.

In this configuration, the arc tube is elastically held, the impact resistance is improved, and the heat dissipation is improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the discharge lamp device according to the first or second aspect, the external electrode is formed of an elastically deformable conductive contact piece.

In this configuration, the arc tube is elastically held, the impact resistance is improved, and the operation of mounting the arc tube is facilitated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a discharge lamp device according to any one of the first to third aspects.
The case includes a shield portion that covers at least a part of the arc tube.

In this configuration, radiation of noise to the outside is suppressed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a discharge lamp device, wherein a discharge medium is sealed, a phosphor is provided on an inner surface, and a light-emitting tube is provided with a light-transmitting portion; A light-transmissive insulating coating covering the external electrodes and a part of the outer surface of the arc tube; and a lamp holder having a power supply portion that comes into contact with the external electrodes.

In this configuration, by attaching the arc tube to the lamp holder, the power supply portion of the lamp holder comes into contact with the external electrode, supplies power to the external electrode, and discharges between the external electrodes. Light is emitted from the light transmitting portion. Since the external electrode is provided by applying a conductive paste to the outer surface of the arc tube, displacement and peeling of the external electrode are suppressed as compared with a configuration in which the external electrode is attached to the arc tube, thereby facilitating manufacture.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighting device, comprising: a discharge lamp device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects; a lighting device for supplying electric power to an external electrode; And a light guide.

In this configuration, claims 1 to 5
Since the discharge lamp device according to any one of the above aspects is provided, an illumination device that illuminates via a light guide by a discharge lamp device having external electrodes is easily manufactured.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a discharge lamp device and a lighting device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a discharge lamp device and a lighting device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device.

1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a lighting device.
The illumination device 10 performs so-called panel illumination for illuminating a display unit 11 that is a meter of an automobile from the back in a planar manner. The lighting device 10 includes an arc tube 12, a case 14 to which the arc tube 12 is mounted, a lighting device 15 electrically connected to the case 14, and a light guide mechanically combined with the case 14. The body 16 is provided.

The luminous tube (lamp) 12 includes a cylindrical luminous tube body 21 which is a light-transmitting glass bulb and is hermetically sealed at both ends. A discharge medium is provided inside the luminous tube body 21. One kind of rare gas or a mixed gas of several kinds of rare gases is sealed at a pressure of, for example, 133 Pa or more and 26.6 Pa or less. The inner wall of the arc tube main body 21 is coated with a phosphor 22 mixed with α-alumina, and a portion where the phosphor 22 is not coated with a predetermined width in the longitudinal direction is a light transmitting portion. (Aperture section) 23 is provided.

The case 14 includes a case body 25 made of a resin having an insulating property. The case body 25 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and has a substantially cylindrical shape inside which the arc tube 12 can be fitted. Are formed. The lamp holder 26 has substantially the same size as the translucent portion 23 and is opened on one surface of the case main body 25, and an irradiation opening 27 is formed.
Further, an elastic holding portion 28 using silicone gel is formed on the case main body 25 along the inner surface of the lamp holder portion 26, and further provided on the inner surface of the elastic holding portion 28 along the longitudinal direction. The pair of external electrodes 31 are provided so as to face each other in the width direction of the lamp holder 26, that is, in the radial direction of the arc tube 12. That is, the external electrodes 31, 31 are covered with silicone gel as a cover material. The outer surface of the case body 25 other than the area where the irradiation opening 27 is provided is covered with a shield 33 having conductivity.

The case 14 is provided with power supply portions 35, 35 electrically connected to the external electrodes 31, 31, and the external electrodes 31, 31 are connected to the lighting device via the power supply portions 35, 35. Connected to 15. The lighting device 15 includes a sine-wave driving lighting circuit.

The so-called external electrode cold cathode fluorescent lamp device is constructed by press-fitting the luminous tube 12 from the irradiation opening 27 to the lamp holder 26 of the case 14 and combining them.

The light guide 16 is a light guide plate having a rectangular plate shape. The light guide 16 has an end surface 37 as an incident surface and faces the display unit 11.
38 is used as an irradiation surface, and a reflection surface portion 39 facing the front surface is provided on the back surface. Then, the end face 37 is aligned with the irradiation opening 27 of the case 14, that is, the light transmitting portion 23 of the arc tube 12, and is mechanically combined with the case 14.

According to the present embodiment, the arc tube 12
Can be easily attached to and detached from the case 14 serving as a lamp holder, and can be securely fixed between the pair of external electrodes 31 and 31. Further, since the external electrodes 31 and 31 are provided on the case 14 side, displacement and peeling of the external electrodes can be suppressed as compared with a configuration in which the external electrodes are attached to the arc tube 12, and manufacturing can be facilitated.

Further, since the external electrodes 31, 31 are provided on the case 14, the withstand voltage portion can be easily and reliably secured.

Since the elastic holding portion 28 made of silicone gel is provided to cover the arc tube 12 and the external electrodes 31, 31,
The elasticity can be improved, the shock resistance and vibration resistance can be improved, and the adhesion between the arc tube 12 and the external electrodes 31, 31 can be improved.
Further, heat dissipation can be improved.

Further, since the case 14 is provided with the shield portion 33 for covering the outer surface, radiation of noise to the outside can be reduced.

Further, by enclosing only a rare gas in the arc tube 12, a rare gas discharge lamp device is constituted, and so-called mercury-free can be realized.

As described above, the configuration of the present embodiment is resistant to shocks and vibrations, can suppress the emission of noise, and can achieve highly uniform panel illumination with the light guide 16. It is suitable for instruments such as in-vehicle meters and backlight light sources for liquid crystal display devices.

Next, a second embodiment of the discharge lamp device and the illumination device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device.

The same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, that is, the display section 11, the arc tube 12, the lighting device 15, and the light guide 16 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In this configuration, the case 41 has a substantially box-shaped resin case body 42 having an insulating property.
On the inside, a lamp holder portion 44 larger than the arc tube 12 into which the arc tube 12 can be inserted from the irradiation opening 43 side is formed. The lamp holder 44 is provided with a pair of external electrodes 46 also serving as an elastic holding portion. Each of the external electrodes 46, 46 is a metal contact piece having a conductive property that can be elastically deformed.
Supported by 42. The arc tube 12 is elastically sandwiched between the external electrodes 46, 46 so that the arc tube 12 can be securely adhered and fixed. Further, an insulating portion 48 formed by applying a silicone resin tape or a silicone resin is formed in a portion where the external electrodes 46 and 46 are close to each other. Also in this configuration, the outer surface of the case main body 42 other than the area where the irradiation opening 43 is provided is covered with a shield portion 49 having conductivity.

The arc tube thus combined
The case 12 and the case 41 constitute a so-called external electrode type cold cathode fluorescent lamp device.

According to the second embodiment,
The arc tube 12 is connected to the external electrode 4 of the case 41 serving as a lamp holder.
It can be easily attached and detached between 6, and 46, and can be securely fixed. Since the external electrodes 46, 46 are provided on the case 41 side, displacement and peeling of the external electrodes can be suppressed as compared with a configuration in which the external electrodes are attached to the arc tube 12, and manufacturing can be facilitated.

Further, since the external electrodes 46, 46 are provided on the case 41 side, and furthermore, the insulating portion 48 is provided in a portion where the external electrodes 46, 46 are close to each other, so that a withstand voltage portion can be easily and reliably secured.

Since the external electrodes 46, 46 themselves have elasticity, the elasticity can be increased, the shock resistance and vibration resistance can be improved, and the adhesion between the arc tube 12 and the external electrodes 46, 46 can be improved. .

Further, since the case 41 is provided with the shield portion 49 for covering the outer surface, radiation of noise to the outside can be reduced.

Further, by enclosing only a rare gas in the arc tube 12, a rare gas discharge lamp device is formed, and so-called mercury-free can be realized.

As described above, the configuration of the present embodiment is resistant to shocks and vibrations, can suppress radiation of noise, and can provide a highly uniform panel illumination with the light guide 16. It is suitable for instruments such as in-vehicle meters and backlight light sources for liquid crystal display devices.

Next, a third embodiment of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a manufacturing process of still another embodiment of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device of the present invention.

The same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, that is, the display unit 11, the arc tube 12, the lighting device 15, and the light guide 16 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

In this configuration, a pair of external electrodes 51 and 51 are formed on the outer surface of the arc tube 12 by applying a conductive paste in a strip shape along the longitudinal direction by printing or the like.

Further, on the outer surface of the arc tube 12, one end of each external electrode 51 is exposed, and the other part of each external electrode 51 is covered, so that an insulating coating having an insulating property and a light transmitting property is provided.
53 are provided. Further, the insulating coating 53 is formed of a silicone coat coated with silicone, a polytetrafluoroethylene tube, or a polyimide resin vapor-deposited film on which a polyimide resin is vapor-deposited. The portion where the external electrode 51 is exposed from the insulating coating 53 is a lamp-side electrode power supply unit 54.

Reference numeral 56 denotes a lamp holder. The lamp holder 56 has a lamp holder main body 57 made of a resin molded product having an insulating property. The lamp holder main body 57 is provided with an arc tube fitting portion 58 into which one end of the arc tube 12 is fitted. Further, a pair of power supply portions 61, 61 exposed to the arc tube fitting portion 58 are attached to the lamp holder body 57. Therefore, the end of the arc tube 12 is connected to the arc tube fitting portion 58.
, The one end of the arc tube 12 is mechanically held, and the external electrodes 51, 51 are pressed against the power supply portions 61, 61, respectively. 51
Are connected to a lighting device 15 having a sine-wave driving lighting circuit.

The other end of the arc tube 12 has a feeder 61,
Lamp holder main body 57 without arc tube fitting part 58 without 61
Is mounted, and the arc tube 12 is mechanically held.

The arc tube thus combined
The so-called external electrode type cold cathode fluorescent lamp device is constituted by 12 and the lamp holders 56 and 63.

According to the present embodiment, the external electrode
Since 51 and 51 are provided integrally with the arc tube 12 by printing or the like, displacement and peeling of the external electrodes can be suppressed as compared with a configuration in which an external electrode is adhered to the arc tube 12, and manufacturing can be facilitated. Also, a withstand voltage portion can be easily and reliably secured.

By mounting the arc tube 12 to the lamp holder 56, the external electrodes 51, 51 can be connected to the power supply portions 61, 61 and connected to a sine-wave driving lighting circuit, and the mounting of the arc tube 12 is facilitated. it can.

Further, by enclosing only a rare gas in the arc tube 12, a rare gas discharge lamp device is formed, and so-called mercury-free can be realized.

Further, by arranging the light guide 16 in accordance with the translucent portion 23 of the arc tube 12, it is possible to provide a highly evenly illuminated panel surface with the light guide 16 and to use such a device as an on-vehicle meter. It is suitable as a light source for backlights of instruments and liquid crystal display devices.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5,
A pair of power supply sections is provided on a lamp holder 56 provided at one end of the arc tube 12.
Although 61 and 61 are provided, as shown in FIG. 6, one power supply unit 61 and 61 connected to the external electrodes 51 and 51 may be arranged on the lamp holders 56 and 63 at both ends, respectively. In this case, the outer electrodes 51 are covered with the insulating coating 53 so that the outer electrodes 51 are exposed at both ends of the arc tube 12.

Further, in each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, at least the power supply portion 61 is provided on the inner surface of the arc tube fitting portion 58 of the lamp holder main body 57 for the lamp holders 56 and 63.
Or an elastic holding portion using silicone gel that covers the entire surface of the end portion of the arc tube 12 to be fitted.

In the configuration in which the elastic holding portion using the silicone gel is provided, the adhesion between the power supply portion 61 and the external electrode 51 can be improved, the elasticity can be increased, and the shock resistance and vibration resistance can be improved. As well as improving heat dissipation.

Further, the power supply portions 61, 61 are formed by elastically deformable metal contact pieces, so that the elastic holding portion can be connected to the power supply portion.
61, 61 can also be formed integrally. In this configuration, the electrical connection can be easily and surely secured by press-fitting the arc tube 12 between the power supply portions 61, 61. Further, in this configuration, insulation can be ensured by forming an insulating portion in a portion where the power feeding portions 61 and 61 are close to each other.

Further, by providing the lamp holders 56 and 63 with a shield for covering the outer surface of the lamp holder main body 57, radiation of noise to the outside can be reduced.

As described above, the provision of the elastic holding portion enhances resistance to shock and vibration, and the provision of the shield portion can suppress the emission of noise. Further, the light guide 16 can provide highly uniform panel lighting. Thus, a configuration suitable for instruments such as an on-vehicle meter and a light source for a backlight of a liquid crystal display device can be realized.

[0060]

According to the discharge lamp device of the first aspect, by attaching the arc tube to the case, the external electrode provided on the case is arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the arc tube.
By supplying power to the external electrodes and discharging between the external electrodes, light can be emitted from the light transmitting portion of the arc tube through the irradiation opening. Since the external electrode is provided inside the case, displacement and peeling of the external electrode can be suppressed as compared with a configuration in which the external electrode is attached to the arc tube, and manufacturing can be facilitated.

According to the discharge lamp device of the second aspect,
In addition to the effect of claim 1, the case is provided with an elastic holding portion having a silicone gel for elastically holding the arc tube, so that the arc tube is elastically held, the impact resistance can be improved, and the heat dissipation is improved. Can be improved.

According to the discharge lamp device of the third aspect,
In addition to the effects of claim 1 or claim 2, the external electrode is formed by a contact piece having a conductive property that can be elastically deformed, so that the arc tube can be elastically held, the shock resistance can be improved, and the arc tube can be improved. Installation work can be facilitated.

According to the discharge lamp device of the fourth aspect,
In addition to the effects described in any one of the first to third aspects, the case includes the shield portion that covers at least a part of the arc tube, so that radiation of noise to the outside can be suppressed.

According to the discharge lamp device of the fifth aspect,
By attaching the arc tube to the lamp holder, the power supply section of the lamp holder comes into contact with the external electrode, supplying power to the external electrode and discharging between the external electrodes, so that light can be emitted from the light transmitting section of the arc tube. Since the external electrode is provided by applying a conductive paste to the outer surface of the arc tube, displacement and peeling of the external electrode can be suppressed as compared with a configuration in which the external electrode is adhered to the arc tube, and manufacturing can be facilitated.

According to the illumination device of the sixth aspect, since the discharge lamp device of any one of the first to fifth aspects is provided, an illumination device for illuminating via a light guide by a discharge lamp device having external electrodes is provided. Can be easily manufactured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a discharge lamp device and a lighting device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a manufacturing process of still another embodiment of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a manufacturing process of still another embodiment of the discharge lamp device and the lighting device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Lighting device 12 Arc tube 14, 41 Case 15 Lighting device 16 Light guide 22 Phosphor 23 Translucent part 27 Irradiation opening 28 Elastic holding part 31, 46, 51 External electrode 33, 49 Shield part 53 Insulating coating 56, 63 Lamp holder 61 Power supply

Claims (6)

[Claims] An arc tube enclosing a discharge medium, a phosphor provided on an inner surface thereof, and having a light-transmitting portion; an external electrode forming a pair sandwiching the arc tube; and an irradiation opening corresponding to the light-transmitting portion. And a case provided with: a discharge lamp device. 2. The discharge lamp device according to claim 1, wherein the case includes an elastic holding portion having a silicone gel for elastically holding the arc tube. 3. The discharge lamp device according to claim 1, wherein the external electrode is formed by an elastically deformable conductive contact piece. 4. The discharge lamp device according to claim 1, wherein the case includes a shield portion that covers at least a part of the arc tube. 5. An arc tube in which a discharge medium is sealed, a phosphor is provided on the inner surface, and a translucent portion is provided; an external electrode having a conductive paste applied to the outer surface of the arc tube; A light-transmitting insulating coating covering a part of the outer surface;
A lamp holder having a power supply portion for contacting an external electrode. 6. A discharge lamp device according to claim 1, further comprising: a lighting device for supplying power to an external electrode;
A light guide arranged along the light-transmitting portion along an end thereof.