JP2002083569A - Fluorescent lamp and high-intensity discharge lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the luminous efficiency of lamps emitting light by discharge, including a fluorescent lamp and an HID (high-intensity discharge lamp). SOLUTION: When a phosphor layer 12 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays UV1 generated by exciting mercury and a rare gas, a phosphor is excited to generate visible light V1 (with wavelengths of about 400 nm or more). Part of the ultraviolet rays UV1 pass through the phosphor layer 12 and irradiate a glass tube 11. Since the glass tube 11 contains an excitation-emissive component, the emissive component is excited by the ultraviolet rays UV1 and thus the glass tube 11 emits near ultraviolet rays UV2 (with wavelengths more than 254 nm) and visible light V2. Part of the near ultraviolet rays UV2 emitted from the glass tube 11 irradiate the phosphor layer 12, and the phosphor in the phosphor layer 12 is excited by the near ultraviolet rays UV2 to emit visible light V3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluorescent lamp and a high intensity discharge lamp (H
ID)].

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Fluorescent lamps and HIDs are widely known as lamps that emit light with high efficiency. The fluorescent lamp is provided with an arc tube in which mercury and a rare gas are sealed and a fluorescent substance is adhered on the inner surface, and discharges in the arc tube to generate ultraviolet rays mainly having a wavelength of 254 nm by excitation radiation of mercury. A fluorescent light is obtained by exciting the phosphor with ultraviolet light and emitting visible light. As a type of the fluorescent lamp, a straight tube type or a ring type has conventionally been generally used, but in addition, a light bulb type, a compact type, and the like have been widely used in recent years.

On the other hand, HID is 100 to 1000 kPa
High-pressure mercury lamp that emits light when discharged in mercury vapor, metal halide lamp that emits light when a metal halide dissociates into metal atoms and halogen atoms upon discharge and emits visible light with the metal atoms, in sodium vapor Is a generic term for high-pressure sodium lamps that emit light when discharged.

[0004]

In such fluorescent lamps and HIDs, low power consumption, high luminous flux, and long life are required as basic performances. ing. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-167 discloses a technique for extending the life of a fluorescent lamp.
In Japanese Patent No. 899, attention has been paid to the fact that when conventional soda glass is used, the luminance of the fluorescent lamp is likely to decrease due to the reaction of sodium eluted from the glass with mercury during the manufacture or operation of the fluorescent lamp, There is disclosed a technique for suppressing a decrease in luminance of a fluorescent lamp using glass in which alkali is less likely to elute than conventional soda glass.

Further, in order to obtain a high luminous flux with low power consumption in a fluorescent lamp, for example, studies have been made to increase the luminance of a phosphor, and the discharge length is reduced by reducing the size of an arc tube. Some development has been done to secure it. The performance of fluorescent lamps and HIDs has been increasing along with such research and development. However, in recent years, demands for these performances have been further increased, and in order to meet the demands, power consumption has been further reduced and high luminous flux has been reduced. There is a demand for a technology that enables the acquisition of the information.

The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object of the present invention is to improve the luminous efficiency of a fluorescent lamp and a lamp that emits light by discharging such as an HID.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in a fluorescent lamp, a glass tube used as a fluorescent tube is made to emit ultraviolet light (peak wavelength 2
54 nm), a glass material containing an excitation light-emitting component that excites and emits ultraviolet light having a wavelength longer than the ultraviolet light. Alternatively, in a fluorescent lamp having a fluorescent tube in which the inner surface of a glass tube is coated with a protective layer made of a metal oxide as a base material and a phosphor layer is coated on the protective layer, the protective layer includes ultraviolet light generated by excitation of mercury. Upon receiving the light, an excitation light-emitting component that excites and emits ultraviolet light having a wavelength longer than the ultraviolet light is included.

According to the above-described fluorescent lamp of the present invention, the excitation ultraviolet light having a peak wavelength of 254 nm, which is generated by the discharge in the mercury vapor in the fluorescent tube, is irradiated to the excitation light-emitting component, so that the ultraviolet light of a longer wavelength and The visible light is excited and emitted, and the ultraviolet light causes secondary emission of visible light in the phosphor layer. By this action, the utilization efficiency of the ultraviolet light emitted from the mercury excitation for the luminous flux is improved. In addition, the luminous flux can be improved by 2% or more as compared with a conventional product that does not include the excited luminescent component. Here, the excitation light-emitting component is a glass material forming a glass tube,
Alternatively, it is preferable to dissolve in a metal oxide serving as a base material of the protective layer in order to maintain a high visible light transmittance of the glass tube or the protective layer.

Further, in the HID, when the outer tube receives ultraviolet light due to the excitation radiation of the light emitting substance sealed in the arc tube, an excitation light emitting component that excites and emits ultraviolet light having a longer wavelength than the ultraviolet light is used. It was formed from the contained glass material. In the above-mentioned fluorescent lamps and HIDs, it is preferable to use oxides of the following elements as the excitation light-emitting component contained in the glass.

[0010] Ti, Zr, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, W,
Tl, Sn, Pb, Bi, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, S
m, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Y
b, Lu The present invention can be further applied to an incandescent light bulb, and by including the above-mentioned excited light-emitting component in a bulb of the incandescent light bulb, utilization efficiency in which radiated light by discharge is used for a luminous flux is improved. Is done.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a view showing the appearance of a compact fluorescent lamp according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In this fluorescent lamp, the fluorescent tube 10 has a base 20.
The fluorescent tube 10 is formed of six straight tubular glass tubes (glass bulbs) 10 each having an inner surface covered with a phosphor layer 12. This fluorescent tube 1
At 0, the six glass tubes 11 have 1 inside by being bridge-joined between adjacent ones at the ends.
The books are connected so as to form a discharge space, and a rare gas such as argon and mercury are sealed in the discharge space. In the fluorescent tube 10, electrodes (not shown) are attached to both ends of the discharge space.

A lighting circuit (not shown) for lighting the fluorescent tube 10 is provided in the base 20. FIG.
It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the fluorescent tube 10 in a circle. Glass tube 11
Is made of soda glass, and the composition of the soda glass contains a component (excitation light-emitting component) that is excited by ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 254 nm and emits light in the ultraviolet and visible regions.

As the excited light-emitting components, 4A, 5A,
An oxide of an element belonging to Group 6A, an oxide of an element belonging to Groups 3B, 4B, and 5B, and an oxide of an element belonging to lanthanoid are given. Specific examples of the “elements belonging to groups 4A, 5A, and 6A” include titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), molybdenum (Mo), and tungsten ( W).

The above "elements belonging to groups 3B, 4B and 5B"
Specific examples of thallium (Tl), tin (Sn),
Lead (Pb) and bismuth (Bi) are mentioned. Specific examples of the “element belonging to the lanthanoid” include lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr),
Neodymium (Nd), Samarium (Sm), Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), Terbium (T
b), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho),
Erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu) are given.

Such a glass tube 11 can be manufactured by adding a powder of an oxide of the above-mentioned element before melting a normal soda glass material, and melting and molding the mixture. The phosphor layer 12 is a layer formed by applying a three-wavelength band phosphor to the inner surface of the glass tube 11.

The thickness of the glass tube 11 and the phosphor layer 12
The preferred range of the thickness of the film will be described later. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the light emission mechanism of the fluorescent lamp. In the fluorescent lamp of the present embodiment, the main mechanism of generating the luminous flux is the same as that of the conventional fluorescent lamp. That is, when a voltage is applied to the electrodes of the fluorescent tube 10 by the lighting circuit, a discharge occurs in a discharge space inside the fluorescent tube 10, and the fluorescent tube 1
0, the mercury and the rare gas are excited and the ultraviolet rays U
V1 (main wavelength: 254 nm) is generated. Then, when the generated ultraviolet ray UV1 is applied to the phosphor layer 12, the phosphor is excited to generate visible light V1 (wavelength of about 400 nm or more). This visible light V1 passes through the glass tube 11 and is radiated to the outside, and becomes the main luminous flux of the fluorescent tube 10.

In the fluorescent lamp of this embodiment, in addition to the main luminous flux, a secondary luminous flux (visible light V2 and visible light V3) is generated as follows. A part of the ultraviolet rays UV1 generated in the fluorescent tube 10 is transmitted through the phosphor layer 12 and irradiated on the glass tube 11, but since the glass tube 11 contains the above-mentioned excited light-emitting component, When the components are excited by the ultraviolet light UV1, the glass tube 11 emits near ultraviolet light UV2 (having a wavelength larger than 254 nm) and visible light V2.

Further, a part of the near-ultraviolet ray UV2 emitted from the glass tube 11 is irradiated on the phosphor layer 12, and the phosphor of the phosphor layer 12 is excited by the near-ultraviolet ray UV2 to emit visible light V3. You. In addition, the excitation light-emitting component is
Since it has almost no function of absorbing visible light and is uniformly dissolved in the glass that is the material of the glass tube 11, transmission of visible light is not hindered. Therefore, the visible light V1, V2,
V3 is transmitted through the glass tube 11 with little attenuation, and forms a luminous flux of the fluorescent lamp.

As described above, in the fluorescent lamp of this embodiment, not only the main luminous flux (visible light V1) but also the main luminous flux (visible light V1).
A secondary luminous flux (visible light V2, V3) due to the excited luminescence component contained in the glass tube 11 is also generated.
The luminous efficiency is improved. Further, in the glass tube 11, since the excited light emitting component is dissolved in the soda glass, compared with the case where the excited light emitting component is dissolved in the quartz glass or the like, two times.
It functions to convert ultraviolet light having a wavelength of around 54 nm into ultraviolet light or visible light having a long wavelength with high efficiency.

If the concentration of the excited light-emitting component contained in the glass tube 11 is too low, the amount of the excited light-emitting component is small. If the concentration is too high, ultraviolet rays are absorbed by self-absorption of the excited light-emitting component. It is preferable to set within an appropriate range. The preferred concentration range of the excited light-emitting component slightly varies depending on the type of the excited light-emitting component, and is described in “4A, 5A,
In the case of an oxide of “element belonging to Group 6A” and an oxide of “element belonging to lanthanoid”, 0.01 wt.
% Or more and 10 wt% or less is preferable.
0.01% in the case of oxides of "elements belonging to Group B and 5B".
It is preferable to set within the range of not less than wt% and not more than 0.5 wt%.

As shown in the experimental results described later, the total emission light flux (combination of visible light V1, V2, and V3) is obtained by adding an appropriate amount of the excitation light emission component to the glass tube 11.
, The ratio of the secondary luminous flux (visible light V2, V3) to 2% or more. Incidentally, the oxides of the above-listed elements have a unique emission spectrum and have different conditions such as availability.

For example, the emission spectrum of an oxide of an element belonging to the lanthanoid has many relatively sharp emission peaks, and the emission peak positions are widely distributed from the ultraviolet region to the visible region. On the other hand, 3B, 4B, 5B
The emission spectrum of oxides of elements belonging to the group III is 300 to
It has a broad emission peak over the range of 400 nm. Among them, thallium oxide has a high luminous intensity.

Therefore, when setting the glass composition of the fluorescent tube, one or more appropriate element oxides are selected from the above-mentioned element oxides in consideration of these conditions, and the excitation light emission is selected. It may be used as a component. As described above, the fact that the excitation light emitting component can be selected from the above various materials has a great degree of freedom in designing the glass composition of the fluorescent tube, which is advantageous.

Among the oxides of the elements listed above as the excited light-emitting components, from the viewpoint of improving the luminous efficiency, oxides of elements belonging to lanthanoids, particularly gadolinium (Gd) and terbium (Tb) Is promising. The reason is that the oxides of these elements have an emission spectrum suitable for efficiently exciting a phosphor generally used for a fluorescent lamp.

That is, when irradiating the phosphor layer of the phosphor lamp with ultraviolet rays, the conversion efficiency into visible light differs depending on the wavelength of the ultraviolet rays to be irradiated. Here, the emission spectrum of the oxides of these elements is higher than that of a phosphor for a general phosphor lamp in a wavelength range of good UV conversion efficiency.
A large amount of light is emitted at ４００400 nm. The emission spectra of the oxides of these elements show the relative luminous efficiency (Se
nsibility of the human eye)
The relatively large light emission amount (at around 50 nm) is also cited as a reason for obtaining high light emission efficiency.

[Experiment 1]

[0028]

[Table 1]

Sample No. 1 shown in Table 1 Reference numeral 1 denotes a compact fluorescent lamp according to a comparative example. 2 to 6 are compact fluorescent lamps according to the embodiment. Each of these fluorescent lamps has a total length of 145 mm and a glass tube diameter of 1
2.5 mm, rated voltage 32 W. In the fluorescent lamp according to the embodiment, the basic material of the glass tube 11 is a soda glass, whose composition, SiO ₂ is 68 wt%, A
l ₂ O ₃ 1.5 wt%, Na ₂ O 5 wt%, K ₂ O 7
wt%, MgO 5 wt%, CaO 4.5 wt%, S
5 wt% rO, 6 wt% BaO, 1 wt% Li ₂ O
%. Then, TlO (thallium oxide) is added to the soda glass as an excitation light emitting component. Here, the TlO concentration in the glass tube 11 is determined by the values shown in Table 1 (0.001 wt%, 0.01 wt%, 0.1 wt%).
%, 0.3 wt%, 0.5 wt%).

The phosphor layer 12 has a color temperature of 5000K.
Of the three-wavelength light emitting phosphor. On the other hand, the fluorescent lamp according to the comparative example has the same configuration as the fluorescent lamp of the above embodiment except that TlO is not added to the glass tube. For each of the fluorescent lamps according to the examples and comparative examples, the initial luminous flux value and the luminous flux maintenance factor were measured.

Measurement method: Initial luminous flux value (100 h, lm)
Is a value obtained by measuring the luminous flux when the life test of the fluorescent lamp is performed for 100 hours. The luminous flux maintenance rate was determined by the life test (4
The cycle of turning on for 5 minutes and then turning off for 15 minutes is repeated. ) For 4000 hours, the luminous flux was measured, and the measured value was expressed as a ratio to the initial luminous flux value.

Measurement Results and Discussion: Each measurement result is shown in Table 1. Comparing the initial luminous flux values shown in Table 1, the sample No. containing only 0.001 wt% of TlO was not used. In sample 2, sample N containing no TlO
o. Although there is no difference from 1, the content of TlO is 0.01% by weight or more.
Sample No. containing 0.5 wt%. 3-No. In sample No. 6, sample No. The initial luminous flux value is higher by 2% or more than that of 1.
On the other hand, regarding the luminous flux maintenance factor, the sample No. 1 to No. 6
There is little difference between the two.

From the above, it is possible to improve the initial luminous flux by 2% or more without lowering the luminous flux maintenance by adding an appropriate amount of the excited luminous component to the glass tube, and to make the glass tube contain the TlO content. Is
It is understood that the content is preferably 0.01 wt% or more. [Experiment 2] In the sample No. T used for 5
A soda glass having an I / O content of 0.3 wt% and a sample No. The emission spectrum of the soda glass used in No. 1 when irradiated with 254 nm ultraviolet light was measured as follows.

Measuring method: For each soda glass, a test piece having a thickness of 2 mm and a side length of 20 mm was prepared, and as shown in FIG. The emission spectrum from the test piece 31 was measured by the instantaneous spectroscope 33 while irradiating so that the intensity became 0.4 mW / cm ² .

Measurement Results and Discussion FIG. 5 shows the measurement results. In FIG.
o. 1, the symbol □ indicates the sample No. 5 shows the measurement results. In the measurement results of FIG. No. 1 shows almost no emission in the wavelength region longer than 254 nm, whereas Tl
Sample No. containing 0.3 wt. 5 is the wavelength 315
It is recognized that light is emitted in a wide range of wavelengths up to a visible light range around 450 nm with a peak around nm.

From this result, as described with reference to FIG. 3, when the glass containing TlO is irradiated with ultraviolet light UV1 having a peak at a wavelength of 254 nm, ultraviolet light UV2 and visible light V2 are generated. Is supported. In addition, in Experiments 1 and 2, the case where TlO was added as the excited light emitting component was examined. When the oxides of the above-listed elements were added, the same experiment was performed. Was obtained.

Further, when the optimum concentration ranges of these elements were examined, it was found that “elements belonging to groups 4A, 5A and 6A”
Oxides and "elements belonging to lanthanoids"
In the case of the oxide of 0.01 to 10 wt%, "3B, 4
0.01% in the case of oxides of "elements belonging to Group B and 5B".
The range of 0.5 wt% was appropriate. [Experiment 3] Experiment and Discussion on Glass Thickness With respect to a soda glass plate containing 0.3 wt% of an excited light-emitting component (TlO), it was examined how the transmittance of visible light changes depending on the thickness of the glass plate. .

FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the result. From this figure, it is understood that the transmittance is higher as the thickness of the glass plate is smaller. Further, in a glass tube made of a glass material containing 0.3 wt% of T10, it is also examined how the relative luminous intensity changes by changing the wall thickness while fixing the diameter of the glass tube to a constant value (12.5 mm). Was.

FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram prepared based on the results. In FIG. 7, ○ indicates that the thickness of the glass tube is 1 mm and 2 m.
The measured relative luminous intensity when set to m and 3 mm, and the curve shows the relationship between the thickness of the glass tube and the relative luminous intensity estimated based on the measured values. From this figure, the range where the thickness of the glass tube is relatively small (1.5 mm
In the following range, it can be seen that the smaller the thickness is, the higher the relative emission intensity is.

As described above, in consideration of the fact that the transmittance and the relative luminous intensity increase when the thickness is set small in the glass tube containing the excited luminescent component, in the fluorescent lamp according to the present embodiment, the thickness of the glass tube 11 is increased. It is considered that setting the thickness to be small is advantageous for increasing the relative emission intensity. Therefore, in conventional general fluorescent lamps,
Although a glass tube having a thickness greater than 0.62 mm is used for the arc tube, in the fluorescent lamp of the present embodiment, the thickness of the glass tube 11 is set to 0.62 mm or less in order to increase the luminous intensity. Can be said to be advantageous.

[Experiment 4] Experiment and Consideration on Thickness of Phosphor Layer A fluorescent lamp using glass containing 0.3% by weight of an excited light emitting component (T10) and a conventional general soda glass containing no light emitting component were used. With respect to the used fluorescent lamp, the relative luminous intensity was measured by setting the thickness of the phosphor layer to various values within a range of 0 to 40 μm.

FIG. 8 shows the result, and is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the thickness of the phosphor layer and the relative emission intensity. In FIG. 8, when the thickness of the phosphor layer having the highest relative emission intensity is compared, when the general soda glass is used, the relative emission intensity becomes highest when the phosphor layer is 20 μm or more. When soda glass containing T10 is used, the phosphor layer has a thickness of 20 μm.
It can be seen that the relative luminescence intensity is highest at less than m.

From these results, in a general fluorescent lamp,
In order to increase the emission intensity, it is advantageous to make the thickness of the phosphor layer 20 μm or more. On the other hand, in the fluorescent lamp of the present embodiment, the thickness of the phosphor layer is increased
It can be said that it is advantageous to be less than m. [Embodiment 2] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an arc tube of a fluorescent lamp according to this embodiment.

The fluorescent lamp of this embodiment is the same as the fluorescent lamp of the first embodiment, except that a fluorescent tube 40 is used instead of the fluorescent tube 10. In the fluorescent tube 40, a protective layer 43 is interposed between the phosphor layer 42 and the glass tube 41. This protective layer 43 is made of zinc oxide ZnO, titanium oxide TiO ₂ , silicon oxide SiO ₂ , aluminum oxide Al ₂ O ₃
A transparent layer made of a material containing a metal oxide selected from the above as a base material and an excited light emitting component dissolved in the base material. Specific examples of the excited light emitting component include those selected from the oxides of the elements (Ti, Zr...) Described in the first embodiment, and in particular, oxides of the elements belonging to lanthanoids, in particular, gadolinium (Gd ), Terbium (Tb) oxides are promising.

The phosphor layer 42 is the same as the phosphor layer 12 of the first embodiment. Also, the glass tube 41
Does not contain an excited light-emitting component. The protective layer 43 can be formed by the following method.
The powdered material of the excitation light-emitting component is added to the powdered material of the metal oxide serving as the base material of the protective layer 43, and the mixture is melted and pulverized to produce a composite oxide powder. Alternatively, a coating solution is prepared by adding a solvent such as an organic solvent (isopropyl alcohol) and dispersing it in the solvent. Then, the coating liquid is applied to the inner surface of the glass tube 41 using a method such as a spraying method, and dried and fired to form the protective layer 43.

By dissolving the excited light emitting component in the base material in this manner, the metal oxide (ZnO, T
iO ₂ , SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ ) and the metal oxide of the excited light emitting component form a composite oxide. As a method of coating the mixed powder on the inner surface of the glass tube 41, in addition to the above wet method, an electrostatic coating method or a sol-gel method using a solution in which a metal alkoxide is dissolved in an organic solvent is used. Is also conceivable.

By providing the protective layer 43 containing the excited light emitting component as described above, the effect of increasing the luminous flux maintenance rate by the base material in the protective layer 43 and the improvement of the luminous efficiency by the excited light emitting component are as described below. You can get both effects. Since the base material in the protective layer 43 does not easily transmit sodium diffused from the glass to the phosphor layer 12, the phosphor layer 12 suppresses the reaction of mercury with the sodium in the glass and blackening. At the same time, the effect of increasing the luminous flux maintenance rate by suppressing the deterioration of the phosphor is exhibited. On the other hand, the excitation light-emitting component has a light-emitting efficiency improving effect. As in the first embodiment, the luminous efficiency improvement effect is not only due to the luminous flux based on the visible light excitation radiation in the phosphor layer 42 due to the 254 nm ultraviolet light, but also to the luminescence due to the excitation luminescence component contained in the protective layer 43. Light flux is generated, and the luminous efficiency is improved accordingly.

That is, a part of the ultraviolet light generated by the discharge in the fluorescent tube 40 passes through the phosphor layer 42 and passes through the protective layer 43.
To excite the excited light-emitting component contained in the protective layer 43. As a result, near-ultraviolet rays and visible light are excited and emitted from the protective layer 43, and a part of the near-ultraviolet rays emitted from the protective layer 43 is irradiated on the phosphor layer 42. Excites and emits visible light.

Further, in the protective layer 43, since the excited light emitting component is dissolved in the base material, the visible light transmittance of the protective layer 43 is not impaired by the excited light emitting component. The action of exciting and emitting near-ultraviolet light and visible light by the above-mentioned excited light-emitting component is obtained because the excited light-emitting component is dissolved in the base material to form a composite oxide as described above. It is considered that such an effect cannot be obtained simply by mixing the metal oxide of the base material and the metal oxide of the excited light emitting component as particles.

The appropriate range of the content of the excited light emitting component in the protective layer 43 is the same as that described in the first embodiment, and the case where the oxide of the “element belonging to the group 4A, 5A, or 6A” is used. , And in the case of oxides of “elements belonging to lanthanoids”, 0.01 to 10 wt%, “3B, 4B,
In the case of an oxide of "an element belonging to the group 5B,"
A range of 0.5 wt% is appropriate.

The thickness of the protective layer 43 is suitably from 1 to 30 μm. Here, it is assumed that the glass tube 41 does not contain an excitation light emitting component. However, as a modification, both the protective layer 43 and the glass tube 41 may contain an excitation light emitting component. In addition, since a material such as TiO ₂ has both a mercury permeation preventing function and an excitation light emitting function, it is considered that the same effect as in the present embodiment can be obtained by using the material alone. In addition to the extremely small excitation light emission due to self-absorption, only very limited types of materials can be used as the material of the protective layer, and the method of manufacturing the protective layer is also limited. On the other hand, when the base material and the excited light-emitting component are used in combination as in this embodiment, the self-absorption of the excited light can be suppressed to a small level, and the types of materials that can be selected as the base material and the excited light emission As there are many combinations with the types of materials that can be selected as components,
When designing the composition of the protective layer, it is advantageous in that the material can be selected in a wide range and the method of manufacturing the protective layer can be variously selected.

Regarding the combination of the kind of the base material and the kind of the excited light emitting component, silicon oxide or aluminum oxide is used as the base material, and one or both of gadolinium oxide and terbium oxide are used as the excited light emitting component. It may be preferable to use them in combination. [Embodiment 3] In this embodiment, high intensity
When applying to discharge lamp (HID),
A description will be given by taking a fluorescent mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp and a high-pressure sodium lamp as examples.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a fluorescent mercury lamp. This fluorescent mercury lamp is one type of a high-pressure mercury lamp. As shown in FIG.
It is composed of an outer tube 53 and the like. The arc tube 51 is made of transparent quartz glass, has electrodes 54 at both ends, and has mercury and argon gas sealed therein.

The outer tube 53 has a structure in which a phosphor layer 56 is adhered to the inner surface of a glass tube 55 provided so as to surround the arc tube 51. The arc tube 51 emits visible light by discharging in high-pressure (100 to 1000 kPa) mercury vapor.
In No. 1, ultraviolet light is also emitted, and the phosphor layer 56 of the outer tube 53 receives this ultraviolet light and excites and emits visible light.

Here, the glass tube 55 of the outer tube 53 is provided with the same excited light emitting components (Ti, Ti) as those described in the first embodiment.
Zr: an oxide of an element). Thus, the outer tube 53 has the same function and effect as the fluorescent tube 10 described in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. That is, part of the ultraviolet light from the arc tube 51
The glass tube 55 is irradiated through the phosphor layer 56,
The excitation light-emitting component contained in the glass tube 55 is excited by this ultraviolet light, and emits long-wavelength ultraviolet light and visible light. Then, when the ultraviolet light emitted from the glass tube 55 is applied to the phosphor layer 56, visible light is excited and emitted.

The fluorescent mercury lamp of the present embodiment can obtain excellent luminous efficiency by such an operation as compared with the case where the excitation light emitting component is not added to the glass tube. Further, in the present embodiment, the excitation light-emitting component is contained not in the luminous tube 51 made of quartz but in the outer tube 53 made of glass, which also contributes to the improvement of luminous efficiency. In other words, when the excitation light-emitting component is contained in glass, compared with the case where it is contained in quartz glass, the excitation ultraviolet light (peak wavelength 254 nm) of mercury is converted into ultraviolet light or visible light having a long wavelength with relatively high efficiency. Can be. Furthermore,
Borosilicate glass contains components such as aluminum oxide and boron oxide, and these components surround and isolate the excited light-emitting components in the glass, thereby suppressing self-absorption of the excited light. It also works.

In this case, the phosphor layer 56 is provided on the outer tube 53.
Has been described, but also in a high-pressure mercury lamp in which the outer tube is not provided with a phosphor layer, the same excitation light emitting component (Ti,
By dissolving Zr: an oxide of the element, the luminous efficiency can be improved to some extent. That is, even when the outer tube is not provided with the phosphor layer, the outer tube excitation light-emitting component has the effect of being excited by ultraviolet light from the light-emitting tube to emit visible light, and the excitation light-emitting component is contained in the glass tube. Excellent luminous efficiency can be obtained as compared with the case where no chromium is added.

Next, a metal halide lamp and a high-pressure sodium lamp will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating an example of a metal halide lamp. This metal halide lamp is the same as the above-described fluorescent mercury lamp in that it comprises an arc tube 61 made of transparent quartz glass, a base 62, an outer tube 63, and the like. Metal (eg, scandium (Sc) and sodium (N
In addition to the halide of a), mercury is sealed as a starting gas and mercury as a buffer gas for maintaining electric characteristics and arc discharge at an optimum temperature, and the outer tube 63 is provided with a phosphor layer. Not.

Here, the outer tube 63 is made of borosilicate glass in which the same excited light-emitting components (oxides of Ti, Zr...) As described above are dissolved. In such a metal halide lamp, a metal halide is dissociated into a metal atom and a halogen atom as a result of discharge in the arc tube 61, and the metal atom excites and emits visible light to emit luminous flux. Is obtained.

However, since ultraviolet light is also emitted in the arc tube 61 along with the discharge, the excitation light-emitting component contained in the outer tube 63 excites and emits visible light by the ultraviolet rays. Therefore, by this action, the total luminous flux increases as compared with the case where the excitation light emitting component is not added. That is, excellent luminous efficiency is obtained. FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating an example of a high-pressure sodium lamp.

This high-pressure sodium lamp is provided with an arc tube 7
1, a base 72, an outer tube 73, and the like. The appearance is similar to the fluorescent mercury lamp, but the light emitting tube 7
A polycrystalline alumina ceramics tube is used for 1, and inside the arc tube 71 together with sodium as a luminous substance,
Xenon gas as a starting gas and mercury as a buffer gas are sealed, and the outer tube 73 is not provided with a phosphor layer.

Here, the outer tube 73 is formed of soda glass in which the same excited light emitting components (Ti, Zr... Element oxides) are dissolved. Basically, in such a high-pressure sodium lamp, visible light is excited and emitted as discharge occurs in sodium vapor in the arc tube 71, and a luminous flux is obtained. However, since a small amount of ultraviolet light is also emitted from the arc tube 71, the excitation light-emitting component contained in the outer tube 73 is excited by the ultraviolet light to excite and emit visible light. By this action, the total luminous flux is increased as compared with the case where no excitation light emitting component is added, and excellent luminous efficiency can be obtained.

[Embodiment 4] A case where the present invention is applied to an incandescent lamp will be described. Typical incandescent lamps are general lighting lamps and halogen lamps. General lighting bulbs are equipped with a bulb made of soft soda glass or hard borosilicate glass, in which an inert gas (nitrogen, argon, krypton, etc.) is sealed, and an electrode consisting of a lead wire and a tungsten filament. Is provided.

A halogen bulb generally uses a bulb made of quartz, in which a halogen substance is sealed together with an inert gas, and a lead wire and an electrode composed of a tungsten filament are provided. The incandescent lamp of the present embodiment is
In a general lighting bulb or a halogen bulb, the same excited light-emitting components (oxides of Ti, Zr... Elements) as those described in the first embodiment are dissolved in the glass of the bulb material.

That is, in the case of a glass bulb, a bulb is formed using a material obtained by adding an excitation light emitting component to a glass material, and in the case of a quartz bulb, a bulb is formed using a material obtained by adding an excitation light emitting component to SiO _2. I do. Among the oxides of the above elements, oxides of elements belonging to the lanthanoids are generally preferred as the excited light emitting component. The reason is that, as described in the embodiment, the light emission amount is relatively large in the wavelength region (near 550 nm) where the human eye's relative luminous efficiency is high.

In the incandescent lamp according to the present embodiment, basically, when the electrode is energized, the filament becomes high temperature and emits visible light to generate a luminous flux as in the conventional case. Since the emitted light also contains a small amount of ultraviolet light, the excitation light-emitting component contained in the bulb is excited by the ultraviolet light and emits visible light. The visible light emission increases the total luminous flux as compared with the case where the excitation light emitting component is not added, thereby obtaining excellent luminous efficiency. It is considered that such an effect is larger when the excitation light emitting component is added to the glass bulb than when the excitation light emitting component is added to the quartz bulb.

[0067]

As described above, in the fluorescent lamp of the present invention, when the glass tube used as the fluorescent tube receives ultraviolet light (peak wavelength 254 nm) excited by mercury, the glass tube has a longer wavelength than the ultraviolet light. Or a glass material containing an excitation light-emitting component that excites and emits ultraviolet light, or the inner surface of a glass tube is covered with a protective layer mainly composed of a metal oxide, and a phosphor layer is formed on the protective layer. In a fluorescent lamp having a coated fluorescent tube, the protective layer contains an excitation light-emitting component that emits ultraviolet light having a longer wavelength than the ultraviolet light when the ultraviolet light is excited by the excitation of mercury. The efficiency of utilization of the ultraviolet light by the excitation of the luminous flux is improved, and the luminous flux is improved by 2% or more as compared with the conventional product which does not contain the excited luminescent component.

Further, in the HID, when the outer tube receives ultraviolet light due to the excitation radiation of the luminous substance sealed in the arc tube, an excitation light-emitting component that excites and emits ultraviolet light having a wavelength longer than the ultraviolet light is used. By using the contained glass material, the utilization efficiency in which the ultraviolet rays generated by the excitation of mercury are used for the luminous flux is improved. Furthermore, in incandescent light bulbs,
By including the excited light-emitting component in the bulb of the incandescent lamp, the utilization efficiency of the light emitted by the discharge to the luminous flux is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of a compact fluorescent lamp according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a fluorescent tube of the fluorescent lamp, which is cut into a circle.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a light emission mechanism of the fluorescent lamp.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a method for measuring an emission spectrum in Experiment 2.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an emission spectrum as a measurement result of Experiment 2.

FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the thickness of a glass plate and the transmittance of visible light, which is the result of Experiment 3.

FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the thickness of the glass tube and the relative luminous intensity, which is the result of Experiment 3.

FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram showing a result of Experiment 4 and showing a relationship between a thickness of a phosphor layer and a relative light emission intensity in a fluorescent lamp.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an arc tube of the fluorescent lamp according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fluorescent mercury lamp according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a metal halide lamp and a high-pressure sodium lamp according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 fluorescent tube 11 glass tube 12 fluorescent layer 40 fluorescent tube 41 glass tube 42 fluorescent layer 43 protective layer 51 light emitting tube 53 outer tube 54 electrode 55 glass tube 56 fluorescent layer 61 light emitting tube 63 outer tube 71 light emitting tube 73 outer tube

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A fluorescent lamp comprising a fluorescent tube in which mercury and a rare gas are sealed in a glass tube whose inner surface is covered with a phosphor layer, and an electrode for causing a discharge in the fluorescent tube. A fluorescent lamp characterized by being formed of a glass material containing an excitation light-emitting component that emits ultraviolet light having a longer wavelength than the ultraviolet light when receiving ultraviolet light by excitation of mercury. 2. The fluorescence according to claim 1, wherein the excitation light-emitting component emits visible light together with ultraviolet light having a longer wavelength than the ultraviolet light when the ultraviolet light is excited by mercury. lamp. 3. A first luminous flux composed of visible light emitted by the phosphor layer when the phosphor layer receives ultraviolet light generated by the excitation of mercury in the total luminous flux emitted from the fluorescent lamp. And a second luminous flux composed of visible light emitted by the excitation light-emitting component in the glass material when the ultraviolet light is excited by the mercury excitation and the excitation light-emitting component is excited to emit the ultraviolet light. And a third luminous flux composed of visible light that is received by the phosphor layer and excited and emitted by the phosphor layer. The sum of the luminous flux of No. 2 and the third luminous flux is
2. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent lamp occupies 2% or more of the total luminous flux. 4. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein said glass tube has a thickness of 0.62 mm or less. 5. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the phosphor layer is less than 20 μm. 6. A fluorescent lamp including a fluorescent tube in which mercury and a rare gas are sealed in a glass tube whose inner surface is covered with a phosphor layer, and an electrode for causing a discharge in the fluorescent tube. , Titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, thallium, tin, lead,
It is formed of a glass material containing an oxide of an element selected from bismuth, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. Features fluorescent lamp. 7. The glass material forming the glass tube includes titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, lanthanum, cerium,
Praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium,
7. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 6, wherein an oxide of an element selected from gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium is contained in an amount of 0.01 wt% or more and 10 wt% or less. . 8. The glass material forming the glass tube may contain an oxide of an element selected from thallium, tin, lead and bismuth in an amount of 0.01 wt% or more and 0.5 wt% or less. 7. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 6, wherein: 9. A fluorescent tube having an inner surface covered with a protective layer mainly composed of a metal oxide, a phosphor layer coated on the protective layer, and mercury and a rare gas sealed therein. A fluorescent lamp including an electrode that causes discharge, wherein the protective layer contains an excitation light-emitting component that, when receiving ultraviolet light generated by mercury excitation, excites and emits ultraviolet light having a longer wavelength than the ultraviolet light. A fluorescent lamp. 10. The fluorescence according to claim 9, wherein the excitation light-emitting component emits visible light together with ultraviolet light having a longer wavelength than the ultraviolet light when receiving the ultraviolet light by the excitation of mercury. lamp. 11. A first luminous flux composed of visible light emitted by the phosphor layer when the phosphor layer receives ultraviolet light generated by the excitation of mercury in the total luminous flux emitted from the fluorescent lamp. And a second luminous flux composed of visible light emitted by the excitation light-emitting component in the protective layer when the ultraviolet light generated by the excitation of mercury is received by the excitation light-emitting component in the protective layer; And a third luminous flux composed of visible light that is received by the phosphor layer and excited and emitted by the phosphor layer. The sum of the luminous flux of No. 2 and the third luminous flux is
The fluorescent lamp according to claim 9, wherein the fluorescent lamp occupies 2% or more of the total luminous flux. 12. A fluorescent tube having an inner surface covered with a protective layer mainly composed of a metal oxide, a phosphor layer coated on the protective layer, and mercury and a rare gas sealed therein. In a fluorescent lamp including an electrode that causes discharge, the protective layer includes titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, thallium, tin, lead,
A fluorescent lamp containing an oxide of an element selected from bismuth, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. 13. The protective layer includes titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, lanthanum, cerium,
Praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium,
13. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 12, wherein an oxide of an element selected from gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium is contained in an amount of 0.01 wt% or more and 10 wt% or less. . 14. The protective layer contains an oxide of an element selected from thallium (Tl), tin (Sn), lead (Pb) and bismuth (Bi) in an amount of 0.01 wt% or more and 0.5 wt% or more. 13. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 12, wherein: 15. An arc tube in which a luminous substance which emits visible light and ultraviolet light when excited by electric discharge is sealed, and an outer tube which is provided so as to surround the arc tube and whose surface is covered with a phosphor layer. In the high-intensity discharge lamp provided, the outer tube is formed of a glass material containing an excitation light-emitting component that emits ultraviolet light having a longer wavelength than the ultraviolet light when receiving ultraviolet light by excitation of the light-emitting substance. A high-intensity discharge lamp characterized in that: 16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the excitation light-emitting component emits visible light together with ultraviolet light having a longer wavelength than the ultraviolet light when receiving the ultraviolet light by the excitation of the light-emitting substance. High-intensity discharge lamp. 17. A total light beam emitted from the high-intensity discharge lamp includes a first light beam composed of visible light excited by the light-emitting substance, and an ultraviolet light beam excited by the light-emitting substance. A second luminous flux composed of visible light that is received by the excitation light-emitting component therein and that is excited and emitted by the excitation light-emitting component; and that the excitation light-emitting component in the outer tube receives ultraviolet light generated by the excitation of the light-emitting substance. 16. The high-intensity discharge according to claim 15, wherein the phosphor layer receives an ultraviolet component which is excited and emitted by the component, and includes a third luminous flux composed of visible light which is excited and emitted by the phosphor layer. lamp. 18. An arc tube in which a light emitting substance which is excited by discharge and emits visible light and ultraviolet light is sealed, and an outer tube which is provided so as to surround the arc tube and whose surface is covered with a phosphor layer. In the high-intensity discharge lamp comprising: the outer tube is titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, thallium, tin, lead,
It is formed of a glass material containing an oxide of an element selected from bismuth, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. High-intensity discharge lamp characterized. 19. A high-intensity discharge lamp comprising: a light-emitting tube in which a light-emitting substance that is excited by discharge and emits visible light and ultraviolet light is enclosed; and an outer tube provided so as to surround the light-emitting tube. The high-intensity discharge lamp, wherein the outer tube is formed of a glass material containing an excitation light-emitting component that emits visible light when receiving ultraviolet light generated by excitation of the light-emitting substance. 20. Among the total luminous flux emitted from the high-intensity discharge lamp, a first luminous flux composed of visible light by excitation of the luminous substance and an ultraviolet light by excitation of the luminous substance are included in the outer tube. 20. The high-intensity discharge lamp according to claim 19, further comprising a second luminous flux composed of visible light that is received by the excitation light-emitting component and is excited and emitted by the excitation light-emitting component. 21. A high-intensity discharge lamp comprising: a light-emitting tube in which a light-emitting substance that is excited by discharge and emits visible light and ultraviolet light is sealed; and an outer tube provided so as to surround the light-emitting tube. The outer tube is made of titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, thallium, tin, lead,
It is formed of a glass material containing an oxide of an element selected from bismuth, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. High-intensity discharge lamp characterized. 22. A tube made of a material having glass or quartz as a base material, wherein at least one kind of luminescent material selected from a rare gas, an inert gas, and a tungsten halide is sealed, and an electrode formed of a lead wire and a tungsten filament. The incandescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the material includes an excitation light-emitting component that emits visible light when receiving ultraviolet light by excitation of the light-emitting substance.