JP2002289143A - Fluorescent lamp system and compact self-ballasted fluorescent lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluorescent lamp system which can be further downsized. SOLUTION: A bulb 21 is produced by sequentially connecting U-shaped tubes 23a, 23b and 23c to form a discharge pipe 27. In the bulb 21, a first capillary 28 sealing main amalgam 34, a second capillary 29 for discharge air and a third capillary 31 becoming dummy are respectively arranged at the end of the tubes 23a, 23b and 23c. The third capillary 31 is made shorter than the first capillary 28 and the second capillary 29. Through-holes 44a and 44b are established so that the first capillary 28 and the second capillary 29 are inserted into a circuit board 5 to turn on the bulb 21. The circuit board 5 is fitted with the bulb 21 by inserting the first capillary 28 and the second capillary 29 into the through-holes 44a and 44b. As a result, a packaging space for the circuit board 5 is not reduced, an assembling precision cannot be harder to insert the first capillary 28 and the second capillary 29 into the through-holes 44a and 44b, and a distance between the bulb 21 and the circuit board 5 can be narrowed to fit the circuit board 5 with the bulb 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluorescent lamp device using an arc tube provided with a bulb in which three or more substantially U-shaped tubes are connected to form a discharge path, and a fluorescent lamp device using the same. The present invention relates to a bulb-type fluorescent lamp used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a fluorescent lamp apparatus of this type, for example, three or more substantially U-shaped tubes are sequentially connected to form a bulb having a bent discharge path, and electrodes are provided at both ends of the bulb. A bulb-type fluorescent lamp using an arc tube sealed with a fluorescent lamp is known.

In such a bulb-type fluorescent lamp, there is also a demand for miniaturization of an arc tube of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp and a circuit board provided with a lighting circuit for lighting the arc tube. Therefore, the arrangement relationship between the arc tube and the circuit board is also included as an important design item for miniaturization.

[0004] Therefore, attempts have been made to reduce the length of even the thin tube provided at the end of each thin tube of the bulb of the arc tube as much as possible.

Therefore, a method has been proposed in which the thin tube of each valve is sealed from a pinch seal to a stem seal. This stem seal has a connecting portion of each tube of the valve to which each of the tubes is connected, which is drawn into the inside of each tube, so that even if the end of this tube is apparently cut short, Cracks are less likely to occur in the body, and the end of the thin tube can be shorter than in the case of a pinch seal.

On the other hand, since the pinch seal does not require a stem, the material cost can be reduced. However, in order to further reduce the size of the compact fluorescent lamp, the positional relationship between the thin tube and the circuit board must be further improved. .

There is also known a bulb-type fluorescent lamp in which a through hole is opened in a circuit board and each thin tube of a bulb is inserted into the through hole.

[0008]

However, even in this kind of bulb-type fluorescent lamp, if a through hole for preventing all the thin tubes is provided in the circuit board, the mounting space of the circuit board is reduced. In addition, when the diameter of the circuit board is increased, the length of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp can be reduced, but the width is increased and the size cannot be reduced.

Further, if three or more through-holes are provided in the circuit board, the positional relationship between the through-holes and the thin tube becomes strict, so that strictness is required in assembling accuracy, and further, the circuit board is kept vertical. Because it is necessary to assemble it with
Further, a vicious cycle occurs in which the diameter of the through hole must be increased. As a result, the number of through holes provided in the circuit board is preferably two or less.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fluorescent lamp device which can be downsized and a bulb-type fluorescent lamp using the fluorescent lamp device.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluorescent lamp apparatus comprising: a bulb in which three or more substantially U-shaped tubes are sequentially connected to form a discharge path; A first thin tube provided at one end of the tube and sealing amalgam in the valve, a second thin tube provided at an end of a tube other than the tube provided with the first thin tube and used for exhausting the valve; A third thin tube provided at an end of a tube other than the tube provided with the second thin tube and the first thin tube and shorter than the first thin tube and the second thin tube, and a pair sealed at both ends of the valve. And a circuit board provided with a through-hole through which the first thin tube and the second thin tube of the arc tube are inserted, and a lighting circuit for lighting the arc tube. Things.

In this configuration, a third thin tube provided at an end of a tube of a bulb having a discharge path formed by sequentially connecting three or more substantially U-shaped tubes, and amalgam in the bulb. It is shorter than the first thin tube to be sealed and the second thin tube for exhausting the valve. Then, a through hole through which the first thin tube and the second thin tube can be inserted is provided on the circuit board for lighting the arc tube, and the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into these through holes.
The circuit board is attached to the arc tube by inserting the thin tube. As a result, without reducing the mounting space of the circuit board, without increasing the assembling accuracy when inserting the first thin tube and the second thin tube into each through hole of the circuit board, each first thin tube of the arc tube can be improved. The circuit board can be attached to the side where the second thin tube and the third thin tube are provided. Therefore, when the circuit board is attached to the arc tube, the space between the arc tube and the circuit board becomes narrower, so that the size can be further reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the fluorescent lamp device according to the first aspect, wherein the third thin tube has the first thin tube and the second thin tube inserted into the through holes of the circuit board. Is shorter than the distance between the arc tube and the circuit board.

In this configuration, the third thin tube provided at the end of the bulb of the arc tube is inserted into the through hole of the circuit board so that the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into the through hole. Is shorter than the distance between the arc tube and the circuit board, when the first thin tube and the second thin tube of the arc tube are passed through the respective through holes of the circuit board, the third thin tube of the arc tube becomes The tip does not touch the circuit board. As a result, the distance between the arc tube and the circuit board when each of the first thin tube and the second thin tube of the arc tube is inserted into each through hole of the circuit board can be reduced without deteriorating the characteristics of the arc tube. Since the length is shorter, the size can be further reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the fluorescent lamp device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the lighting circuit is a side through which the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into the through hole of the circuit board. When the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into the through holes, they are provided at positions not facing the third thin tube, and are provided with a chip component for turning on the arc tube.

In this configuration, the side on which the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into the through hole of the circuit board,
When the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into the through holes, a chip component for turning on the arc tube is provided at a position not facing the third thin tube, so that the thin tube has a certain thickness. Even if the chip components are arranged on the circuit board, the distance between the arc tube and the circuit board when the first thin tube and the second thin tube of the arc tube are inserted through the through hole of the circuit board becomes short. In addition, even a circuit board on which chip components are provided can be downsized.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluorescent lamp device according to any one of the first to third aspects.
The third thin tube is sealed with a pinch seal.

In this configuration, the third thin tube provided at the end of the valve body is sealed with a pinch seal, so that the pinch seal does not need a stem, so that the material cost can be reduced. Manufacturability is improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bulb-type fluorescent lamp, comprising: the fluorescent lamp device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects; And a base attached to the cover.

In this configuration, claims 1 to 4
The same effect is obtained by using any one of the fluorescent lamp devices.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a fluorescent lamp device of a bulb-type fluorescent lamp, (a) is a top view of the fluorescent lamp device, and (b) is FIG. 2 is a developed side view of the fluorescent lamp device, FIG. 2 is a side view of a bulb-type fluorescent lamp, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a third thin tube of a bulb of an arc tube.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a bulb-type fluorescent lamp,
The bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 includes an envelope having a cover 2 and a base 3, and a fluorescent lamp device 6 having an arc tube 4 and a circuit board 5 housed in the envelope. The envelope has an outer shape approximating the standard size of a mini krypton type light bulb, for example, and has a dimension of the height method from the base 3 to the tip of the arc tube 4, that is, the total lamp length is 9 mm.
It is 0 mm or less, for example, 81 mm, and the outer diameter is 40 mm. Hereinafter, the description will be made with the one end side of the cover 2, that is, the base 3 side as the upper side, and the other end side, that is, the arc tube 4 side as the lower side.

The cover 2 has a substantially cylindrical base 11 which expands downward. An annular partition 12 is attached to the lower end of the base 11. Also,
The base 11 and the partition 12 are made of, for example, a heat-resistant synthetic resin such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). Further, the partition body 12 includes a cylindrical tubular portion 13, and a disc-shaped partition plate portion (not shown) is formed inside the tubular portion 13. A plurality of mounting holes (not shown) for mounting the arc tube 4 are formed in the partition plate at equal intervals along the same circumference.

The base 3 is an Edison type E17
The upper end of the base 11 is covered with a mold or the like, and is fixed with an adhesive or a caulking.

Further, as shown in FIG.
It has a bulb 21 made of glass. For example, a three-wavelength phosphor is formed on the inner surface of the bulb 21. Also,
A rare gas such as argon (Ar) or a sealed gas containing mercury (Hg) is sealed in the valve 21. Further, a pair of electrodes 22a and 22b are sealed at both ends of the bulb 21 by, for example, a pinch seal.

The valve 21 has three or more, for example, three tubes 23a, 23b, 23c of substantially the same shape. Each of the tubes 23a, 23b, and 23c is, for example, a substantially U-shaped glass tube having an outer diameter of about 11 mm and having a substantially cylindrical cross section and having a curved top portion and a top portion. That is, each of these tubes 23a, 23b, and 23c includes a curved bent portion 24 that controls the vapor pressure of mercury, and a pair of parallel straight tube portions 25 that are continuous with the bent portion 24. . In addition, each of these tubes
23a, 23b and 23c have a substantially U-shaped sealing length of about 42 mm, which is the length of the tube between the bent portion 24 and the end in the height direction.

As a result, the vicinity of the adjacent ends of the respective tubes 23a, 23b, 23c are sequentially connected by the communication tube 26 to form one continuous discharge path 27. The communicating pipe 26 is formed by heating and melting the connecting end of each of the pipe bodies 23a, 23b, 23c, and then connecting the openings formed by blowing. And the straight pipe part 2 of each pipe body 23a, 23b, 23c
5 are positioned at equal intervals on the same circumference around the central axis of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1, that is, each of the tubes 23a, 23b, 23c
Are arranged corresponding to the respective vertices of the hexagonal cross section.

Further, each tube 23a, 23b, 23c of the valve 21
Is sealed at one end with a stem seal using a mount or a pinch seal without using a mount. At the other end of the tube body 23a located at one end of the valve 21, a first cylindrical thin tube 28 for sealing amalgam or the like in the valve 21 is protruded in a communicating state. Further, at the other end of the pipe body 23b located in the middle of the valve 21, a cylindrical second thin pipe 29 also called an exhaust pipe for exhaust when forming the valve 21 is protruded in a communicating state. ing. Since the inside of the second thin tube 29 is burned off and sealed in a low pressure state of several hundred Pa, the melt is drawn in at the atmospheric pressure, so that the projecting length of the second thin tube 29 is unavoidably long.

A tube located at the other end of the valve 21
At the other end of 23c, a third thin tube 31, which is a dummy, protrudes in a communicating state. The third thin tube 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape, has a shorter length than the first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 29, and is sealed by a pinch seal. Here, the first thin tube 28 and the third thin tube 31 are connected to the electrodes 22a, 22
b protrudes from the end opposite to the end to be sealed, that is, the end on the non-electrode side. As a result, the third thin tube 31 is sealed under the condition of the atmospheric pressure without enclosing anything inside, so that the molten portion is not drawn into the inside, and the third thin tube 31 is closed.
The protrusion length of 31 can be shortened.

The first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube
29 and the third thin tube 31 are sequentially sealed by fusing during the manufacturing process of the valve 21, and the first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 31 are sealed.
An unsealed part of 29 and the third capillary 31;
That is, after the inside of the valve 21 is exhausted through the second thin tube 29 and the sealed gas is sealed and replaced,
These first thin tube 28, second thin tube 29 and third thin tube 31
Unsealed part of the first capillary 28
Is sealed by fusing.

Further, each of the electrodes 22a and 22b of the bulb 21 has a filament coil 32 as a hot cathode coil. The filament coil 32 is supported by a pair, that is, two linear wells 33a and 33b. These wells 33a, 33b are connected to the outside of the ends of the tube bodies 23a, 23c at both ends via a not-shown dumet wire sealed to the ends of the tube bodies 23a, 23c at both ends, for example, with a pinch seal or the like. It is connected to a wire (not shown) which is led out and connected to the circuit board 5.

The main amalgam 34 as amalgam when the first thin tube 28 is sealed is sealed in the first thin tube 28 of the tube 23a at one end. This Lord Amalgam
Reference numeral 34 denotes an alloy composed of bismuth (Bi), tin (Sn) and mercury (Hg), and is formed in a substantially spherical shape.
In addition, the main amalgam 34 has an operation of controlling the mercury vapor pressure in the bulb 21 particularly during lighting, within an appropriate range. As the main amalgam 34, a material formed of an alloy in which indium (In), lead (Pb), or the like is combined in addition to bismuth and tin may be used. Also,
The mercury content in the main amalgam 34 is about 15%.

Further, the portion of the first capillary 28 to be sealed is
When the main amalgam is close to 34, this main amalgam is
There is a risk that the main amalgam 34 may be melted into a liquid layer state due to excessive heating, and it is also necessary to form a reduced diameter portion so that the main amalgam 34 does not fall into the tube 23a or to accommodate a glass rod for support. Because of the necessity, the protrusion dimension becomes long.

The electrodes 22a, 22b of the tubes 23a, 23c at both ends.
One of the wells 33a is provided with an auxiliary amalgam (not shown) as an amalgam having the same mercury vapor pressure characteristics as the main amalgam. This auxiliary amalgam has an effect of controlling the mercury vapor pressure in the bulb 21 particularly when the arc tube 4 is turned on within an appropriate range.

Accordingly, the ends of the respective tubes 23a, 23b, 23c of the valve 21 are inserted into the respective mounting holes of the partition 12, and an adhesive such as silicone resin is filled from the inside of the partition 12. As a result, the ends of the tubes 23a, 23b, 23c and the partition 12 are fixed to each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, the circuit board 5 includes a substantially disk-shaped board main body 41 disposed in the base 11 of the cover 2. Relatively large electric components such as an electrolytic capacitor, a film capacitor, a transformer, and an inductor are mounted on both surfaces of the substrate main body 41, that is, on the upper surface on the base 3 side, and a plurality of electric components are mounted on the lower surface on the luminous tube 4 side. And a high-frequency lighting circuit 43 as an inverter circuit for illuminating the arc tube 4 at high frequency by the electric components mounted on both sides thereof. Here, the chip components 42 mounted on the lower surface of the substrate main body 41 are REC (rectifying element, diode bridge),
Chip-shaped electrical components such as transistors and resistors.

For simplification of the drawing, electric components on the upper surface of FIG. 1B are omitted and not shown.

Furthermore, these chip parts 42
41 is a side through which the first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 29 of the arc tube 4 are inserted into the through holes 44a and 44b, respectively.
The third thin tube 31 is mounted at a position where the third thin tube 31 does not come into contact when the second thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 29 are inserted into the respective through holes 44a and 44b.

When the lower surface of the substrate main body 41 is disposed toward the electrodes 22a and 22b of the arc tube 4, the first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 28 of the arc tube 4 are disposed on the substrate body 41. Through holes 44a, 44b through which the thin tubes 29 are inserted are formed. Further, when the first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 29 of the arc tube 4 are inserted into the through holes 44a and 44b, the distance between the end of the arc tube 4 and the substrate main body 41 becomes larger. Arc tube 4
Is larger than the length of the third capillary 31,
Does not contact the lower surface of the substrate body 41.

The substrate main body 41 is connected to the base 11 of the cover 2.
And is fixed by a not-shown locking claw provided inside.

The light bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp 1 thus configured
Is an input power rating of 12 W or less, 9 W of which is about 10% of the loss due to the high-frequency lighting circuit 43, the lighting frequency is 150 kHz, and the use of a three-wavelength light emitting phosphor causes
A total luminous flux of 80 lm is obtained.

When the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 is turned off, power is supplied to the base 3, and a high-frequency lighting circuit 43 applies a lamp lighting voltage between the electrodes 22 a and 22 b at both ends of the bulb 21. The arc tube 4 is turned on.

As described above, the first thin tube 28 for sealing the main amalgam 34 may cause the main amalgam 34 to be heated excessively by the heat at the time of sealing and to be dissolved in a liquid layer state.
In addition, it is necessary to form a reduced diameter portion so that the main amalgam does not fall into the tube 23a or to store a supporting glass rod, so that the protruding dimension becomes longer. Further, since the inside of the second thin tube 29 for exhaust is burned off and sealed in a low pressure state of several hundred Pa, the molten portion is drawn inward due to the atmospheric pressure. The length becomes longer.
Then, the dummy third thin tube 31 can be sealed under the condition of the atmospheric pressure without enclosing anything inside, so that the length can be shortened. This third thin tube 31 could be experimentally burned off at a length of about 4 mm from the end of the pinch seal.

However, it is not preferable to make the third thin tube 31 too short because the risk of causing defects such as cracks during manufacturing increases. Further, since a chip component 42 such as a transistor or a resistor having a height of about 2 mm is usually mounted on the lower surface of the board main body 41 of the circuit board 5, the length of the third thin tube 31 is set to 2 mm or less. Is meaningless. Therefore, it is safe to reduce the length of the third thin tube 31 to about 4 to 6 mm.

Here, when transistors are mounted as chip components 42 on the lower surface of the substrate main body 41 of the circuit board 5,
Although this transistor is located very close to the arc tube 4, the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 on which this transistor is mounted is heated to an ambient temperature of 35 ° C. with a downlight fixture of an insulation construction type.
Since the temperature of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 is lower than 150 ° C., the reliability can be ensured.

That is, the first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 2 are inserted into the through holes 44a and 44b opened in the substrate body 42 of the circuit board 41.
9 is inserted so that the third thin tube 31 does not come into contact with the lower surface of the substrate body 41 of the circuit board 5 when the third thin tube 31 is inserted.
Is smaller than the length of each of the first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 29, so that the space for mounting the chip components 42 of the circuit board 5 can be reduced without reducing The circuit board 5 can be easily attached to the electrodes 22a and 22b of the arc tube 4 without increasing the assembly accuracy when inserting the first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 29 into the holes 44a and 44b. Therefore, the distance between the light emitting tube 4 and the circuit board 5 when the circuit board 5 is attached to the light emitting tube 4 can be shortened without lowering the characteristics of the light emitting tube 4, so that the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 can be used. It can be smaller.

Further, even if the third thin tube 31 is too short, the temperature of the high-frequency lighting circuit 43 of the circuit board 5 becomes too high when the arc tube 4 is turned on, causing a failure. For this reason,
Since the upper limit of the junction temperature of Si is set at about 150 ° C. in the current semiconductor technology, it is necessary to suppress the temperature to that temperature or lower. Therefore, the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 can be structurally and thermally reduced because the lamp power of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 is about 12 W or less when the lamp length of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 is 90 mm or less. That is the limit.

Further, the first thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 29 are inserted into the through holes 44a and 44b of the circuit board 5,
These first thin tube 28 and second thin tube 29 are inserted into through holes 44a, 44
When the chip component 42 is mounted at a position where the third thin tube 31 does not face the substrate main body 41 of the circuit board 5 when the chip component 42 is inserted through the circuit board 5, the chip component 42 having a somewhat thicker dimension is attached Even if it is mounted, the first through holes 44a and 44b of the circuit board 5
The distance between the arc tube 4 and the circuit board 5 when the thin tube 28 and the second thin tube 29 are inserted can be shortened. Therefore, the compact fluorescent lamp 1 using the circuit board 5 on which the chip component 42 is mounted can be further reduced in size.

As shown in FIG. 3, after the evacuation of the second evacuation tube 29, the main amalgam 34 is introduced into the second evacuation tube 29.
Is sealed and the second thin tube 29 is sealed, so that the thin tube having a large protruding length can be made only the second thin tube 29. In this case, the through holes 43a of the circuit board 5 can be reduced, and the size can be further reduced.

The second capillary 29 has a main amalgam 34
It is preferable to provide a reduced diameter portion so as not to move.

Since the third thin tube 31 is formed by a pinch seal, a stem is not required in the case of the pinch seal, so that material costs can be reduced and manufacturability can be improved.

Next, FIGS. 4 to 6 show a second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a top view of a bulb-type fluorescent lamp.
Shows a bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp, (a) is a side view of the bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp, (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an electrode of the bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp, and FIG. 6 is a graph of luminous flux rising characteristics of the bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp. It is.

The bulb of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1
21 is a total of 4 types, each having two types with different top curvature curvature.
Adjacent ends of the substantially U-shaped pipes 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d are sequentially connected to each other by a communication pipe 26 to form one continuous discharge path 27.
And the discharge length is about 16 cm. The light-emitting tube 4 of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 is provided with each tube 23a,
The inner diameter of 23b, 23c, and 23d is 10 mm or less, specifically, 6 mm in inner diameter.

The light-emitting tube 4 of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1
Are housed in the glove 51 while being attached to the cover 2. The globe 51 is transparent or milky white having light diffusivity, and is formed of glass or synthetic resin into a substantially spherical shape approximating the shape of a glass sphere of a mini krypton type bulb.

Further, the electrodes 22a and 22b of the bulb 21
It is provided at each end of the tubes 23a and 23d. The auxiliary amalgam is formed by attaching a metal foil near the electrodes 22a and 22b in the bulb 21. This metal foil is made of a base metal that adsorbs mercury, and the melting point of the base metal is lower than the temperature of the base metal during the lighting of the arc tube 4.

Specifically, this auxiliary amalgam is a
The inner wells 52 having a diameter of 0.6 mm and located in the valve 21 in the 21 wells 33a and 33b are plated with a base metal to form a plated portion 53, which is sealed in the valve 21. As a result, these plated portions 53 become auxiliary amalgams, so that the wells 33a and 33b themselves have the function of auxiliary amalgam. Therefore, these electrodes 22a, 22d are easily placed in the tubes 23a, 23d having an inner diameter of 6 mm.
2b can be configured. Note that these plating portions 53 have a melting point of 8
It is preferably at least 00 ° C.

The base metal is a metal having a high melting point and forming an alloy with mercury. Specifically, when the auxiliary amalgam is placed at a position about 3 mm from the filament coil 32 in the vicinity of the electrodes 22a and 22b, the base metal is formed. The temperature exceeds 300 ° C.
Then, since the melting point of indium is 156 ° C., this indium is melted, so that gold or silver is suitable as the base metal.

Here, the auxiliary amalgam may be formed by plating on another metal processed into a foil shape. In this case, it is preferable that the other metal does not react and oxidize with mixed oxygen remaining in the arc tube 4 at a high temperature while the arc tube 4 of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 is turned on.

When the mercury vapor pressure in the arc tube 4 is controlled by the main amalgam 34 and the auxiliary amalgam, the mercury released from the auxiliary amalgam immediately after the arc tube 4 is turned on emits light by density diffusion. It moves into the tube 4 and the light output of the arc tube 4 increases rapidly.

When the auxiliary amalgam obtained by plating indium on a stainless steel plate is used, the melting point of indium is as low as 156 ° C., so that when the arc tube 4 is turned on, the indium dissolves into a liquid. Aggregates. At this time, the dissolved indium flows out and the electrode
When the wells 33a and 33b of 22a and 22b are made of nickel, they react with the wells 33a and 33b to form an intermetallic compound. And this intermetallic compound has no action of adsorbing mercury and does not function as an auxiliary amalgam.

When only a part of the stainless steel plate is plated with indium, even if the indium is melted while the arc tube 4 is turned on, the indium does not flow to the wells 33a, 33b side of the electrodes 22a, 22b. Do not form.

On the other hand, each tube 23a, 23 of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1
The tube diameters of b, 23c, and 23d were generally about 10 to 15 mm, and the inner diameter was 8 mm or more. Therefore, in order to further reduce the size of the compact fluorescent lamp 1, it is effective to use a bulb 21 having thinner tubes 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d. When the foil of the auxiliary amalgam is used by bending, the indium is easily aggregated inside the bent side of the auxiliary amalgam, so that it is easy to use for the thin tubes 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d in terms of space.

However, when the auxiliary amalgam foil is used by bending it, when the arc tube 4 is further reduced in size, it becomes difficult to plate indium on a part of the auxiliary amalgam foil. There is a problem that the melted indium flows into the wells 33a and 33b.

Since the time for turning on the light bulb-shaped light emitting lamp 1 and the time for turning off the light bulb-shaped light emitting lamp 1 are generally one cycle per day,
The time from when the light bulb-shaped light emitting lamp 1 is turned off to when the light bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp 1 is turned on next is within 24 hours. As a result, if the area of the auxiliary amalgam is reduced, the amount of mercury adsorbed within a certain period of time is reduced. It is preferable that the base metal of the auxiliary amalgam does not agglomerate in order to be adsorbed.

As a result, the inner wells 52 of the arc tube 4
By forming a plated portion 53 by plating a base metal on the base material and using the plated portion 53 as an auxiliary amalgam, the rising characteristics of the luminous flux shown in FIG. 6 could be obtained. As a result,
Compared to the bulb-type fluorescent lamp using the arc tube 4 without the auxiliary amalgam, the luminous flux can be increased much more stably in a stable state.

Further, by forming a plating portion 53 serving as an auxiliary amalgam on the inner wells 52 of the arc tube 4, the auxiliary amalgam does not deteriorate when the arc tube 4 is turned on, and the auxiliary amalgam is reduced in size. So you can
Thinner tubes 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d can be used, and the compact fluorescent lamp 1 can be made smaller.

[0068]

According to the fluorescent lamp device of the first aspect, the third thin tube of the bulb, in which three or more substantially U-shaped tubes are sequentially connected, is the first thin tube for sealing amalgam, and If it is shorter than the second thin tube for exhaust, when the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into the through holes provided in the circuit board for lighting the arc tube and this circuit board is attached to the arc tube, The circuit board can be attached to the arc tube without reducing the mounting space of the circuit board and without increasing the assembly accuracy when inserting the first thin tube and the second thin tube into each through hole of the circuit board. When the circuit board is attached to the arc tube, the space between the arc tube and the circuit board can be reduced, and the size can be further reduced.

According to the fluorescent lamp device of the second aspect,
In addition to the effect of the fluorescent lamp device according to claim 1, the third thin tube is made shorter than the distance between the light emitting tube and the circuit board in a state where the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted through the through hole of the circuit board. For example, when attaching a circuit board to the arc tube,
Since the tip of the third thin tube of the arc tube does not contact the circuit board, the distance between the arc tube and the circuit board when the circuit board is mounted on the arc tube can be reduced without deteriorating the characteristics of the arc tube. Because it can be shorter, it can be more compact.

According to the fluorescent lamp device of the third aspect,
In addition to the effects of the fluorescent lamp device according to claim 1 or 2,
A position on the side through which the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into the through hole of the circuit board, and which does not face the third thin tube when the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into the through hole. By disposing a chip component that turns on the arc tube, the distance between the arc tube and the circuit board when the circuit board is mounted on the arc tube can be shortened. it can.

According to the fluorescent lamp device of the fourth aspect,
In addition to the effects of the fluorescent lamp device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, if the third thin tube of the bulb is sealed with a pinch seal, the pinch seal does not need a stem, so that material cost can be reduced and manufacturability can be reduced. Can be improved.

According to the bulb-type fluorescent lamp according to the fifth aspect, the same effect can be obtained by using the fluorescent lamp device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a fluorescent lamp device according to a first embodiment of a bulb-type fluorescent lamp of the present invention. (a) Top view of fluorescent lamp unit (b) Expanded side view of fluorescent lamp unit

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the same bulb-type fluorescent lamp.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a third thin tube of the bulb of the fluorescent lamp device.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a compact fluorescent lamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the bulb-type fluorescent lamp of the above. (a) Side view of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp (b) Cross-sectional view of the electrodes of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a lighting time of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp and a relative light output.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 bulb-type fluorescent lamp 2 cover 3 base 4 arc tube 5 circuit board 6 fluorescent lamp device 21 bulb 22a, 22b electrode 23a, 23b, 23c tube 27 discharge path 28 first thin tube 29 second thin tube 31 third thin tube 34 Main amalgam 42 Chip parts 43 High frequency lighting circuit 44a, 44b Through hole

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A bulb in which three or more substantially U-shaped tubes are sequentially connected to form a discharge path, provided at one end of one of the tubes to seal amalgam in the bulb. A first thin tube, a second thin tube provided at an end of a tube other than the tube provided with the first thin tube for exhausting a valve;
A third thin tube provided at an end of a tube other than the tube provided with the second thin tube and the first thin tube and shorter than the first thin tube and the second thin tube, and a pair sealed at both ends of the valve. And a circuit board provided with a through-hole through which the first thin tube and the second thin tube of the arc tube are inserted, and a lighting circuit for lighting the arc tube. A fluorescent lamp device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the third thin tube is shorter than the distance between the arc tube and the circuit board when the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted into the through holes of the circuit board, respectively. Item 7. The fluorescent lamp device according to Item 1. 3. The lighting circuit is a side on which a first thin tube and a second thin tube are inserted into a through hole of a circuit board, and the first thin tube and the second thin tube are inserted through the through hole. And a chip component which is disposed at a position not facing the third thin tube and turns on the arc tube.
Or the fluorescent lamp device according to 2. 4. The fluorescent lamp device according to claim 1, wherein the third thin tube is sealed with a pinch seal. 5. A fluorescent lamp device according to claim 1, further comprising: a cover for supporting an arc tube of the fluorescent lamp device and accommodating a circuit board of the fluorescent lamp device; and being attached to the cover. A bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp, comprising: