JP2003059307A - Bulb shaped fluorescent lamp and luminaire - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a high-output, high-load and small bulb shaped fluorescent lamp with excellent light flux characteristics, keeping a mercury vapor pressure in a proper range by setting the interval between a discharge path and an amalgam to the interval capable of suppressing increase of the temperature of the amalgam itself to a high temperature. SOLUTION: This lamp has a light emission tube including a curved discharge path formed by sequentially connecting plural U-shaped curved bulbs, the amalgam 18 sealed inside a capillary 17a communicating with a middle part in the longitudinal direction of the discharge path, and a connection tube 15 connecting one end part 10b of the U-shaped curved bulb 10 projectingly formed with the capillary 17a sealing the amalgam 18 to the other end part of the other U-shaped curved bulb, wherein an interval La between the amalgam center and the capillary-side outer end of the connection tube 15 is set to 30-70 mm; a cover installed with the light emission tube, having a base; and a lighting circuit housed in the cover.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a compact fluorescent lamp and a lighting fixture.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an example of a fluorescent lamp, as described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-220360, three substantially U-shaped tubes are sequentially connected to form a bent discharge path. There is known a structure of a fluorescent lamp which is miniaturized while securing a discharge path length by forming a bulb having the above and enclosing electrodes at both ends of the bulb.

In such a fluorescent lamp, a main amalgam that controls the mercury vapor pressure in the bulb to an appropriate range during steady lighting, and mercury that adsorbs suspended mercury in the bulb when it is turned off and is adsorbed in the initial lighting stage, including the start-up period. Auxiliary amalgams that give off may be used. The main amalgam is housed in an exhaust thin tube protruding from the end of the bulb at one end of the bulb where the electrode is sealed, and the auxiliary amalgam is located at the end of the bulb in the middle of the bulb. .

However, when the main amalgam is housed in the exhaust thin tube protruding from the end where the electrode of the tubular body at one end of the valve is sealed, the main amalgam is too close to the electrode, so that the heat effect from the electrode is affected. In response to this, the temperature of the main amalgam becomes too high, the mercury vapor pressure is not effectively suppressed, and there is a problem that the luminous flux decreases due to excessive mercury vapor pressure.
There is a problem that the mercury vapor pressure on the tube side of the other end of the bulb away from the main amalgam is difficult to uniformize and stabilize.

Further, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-47893, the main amalgam is housed in a thin tube projecting from the end of the tubular body located in the middle of the three tubular bodies of the valve. Known fluorescent lamps are known. In this fluorescent lamp, the heat effect from the electrode on the main amalgam is reduced, the excessive rise of the temperature of the main amalgam is suppressed, and the mercury vapor pressure is kept in an appropriate range, and moreover, from the main amalgam to each end of the bulb. The distance is shortened almost uniformly so that the mercury vapor pressure inside the bulb is made uniform and stable.

However, if the main amalgam is housed in a thin tube projecting from the end of the tube located in the middle of the three tube bodies of the valve, the main amalgam will be too far from the electrodes and it will be difficult to warm up. , When the ambient temperature of the fluorescent lamp is low and the temperature of the main amalgam itself is low, such as at start-up, the temperature of the main amalgam does not reach the temperature most suitable for its action quickly and the rate of mercury release As a result, there is a problem in that the rising characteristics of the luminous flux are inferior, and it takes time to reach a stable state.

[0007]

As mentioned above,
As described in JP-A-1-220360, when the main amalgam is housed in a thin tube for exhaust that protrudes from the end where the electrode of the tubular body at one end of the valve is sealed,
There are problems that the temperature of the main amalgam becomes too high under the influence of heat from the electrodes, and that the mercury vapor pressure on the tube side at the other end of the bulb away from the main amalgam is difficult to be uniform and stable. Further, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-47893, when the main amalgam is housed in a thin tube protruding from an end of a tube body located at an intermediate portion of the three tube bodies of the valve, There is a problem that the amalgam is too far away from the electrodes to heat up easily, and it takes time for the luminous flux to reach a stable state.

On the other hand, the main amalgam temperature is, for example, 130 ° C. in order to reduce the size of fluorescent lamps in recent years and to increase their output and load.
May exceed the high temperature. 130 like this
In order to optimize the mercury vapor pressure even at a high temperature of ℃ or higher, it is common to employ a method of lowering the mercury vapor pressure characteristic of amalgam. Examples of the method include a method of reducing the amount of mercury in the composition of the main amalgam and indium (I
There is a method of increasing the addition amount of n).

However, when the amount of mercury is reduced, there is a problem that the absolute amount of mercury required during the life of the lamp becomes insufficient and the lamp goes dark early. Further, in the method of reducing the amount of mercury and the method of increasing the amount of In added in this way, although the mercury vapor pressure at high temperature can be optimized, the mercury vapor pressure at room temperature decreases. In addition, there is a problem that the luminous flux rising characteristic at the time of starting lighting is extremely deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to suppress the temperature rise of the amalgam itself to a high temperature so that the mercury vapor pressure does not affect the luminous flux rising characteristic at the time of lighting and starting. The object is to provide a high-output, high-load, small-sized compact fluorescent lamp and a lighting fixture that have good luminous flux rising characteristics by selecting one.

[0011]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A bent discharge path formed by sequentially connecting a plurality of U-shaped bent bulbs, an amalgam enclosed in a thin tube communicating with the middle portion of the discharge path in the longitudinal direction, and a thin tube enclosing the amalgam are projected. It has a connecting portion for connecting one end of the U-shaped bent valve to the other end of another U-shaped bent valve, and the distance between the center of the amalgam and the outer end of the connecting portion on the thin tube side is 30 mm to 70 mm. A bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp, comprising: an arc tube provided so as to be within the range; a cover having the cap attached to the arc tube; and a lighting circuit housed in the cover. Is.

In the present and subsequent claims, the definitions of terms are as described below.

The arc tube is formed by arranging a plurality of U-shaped bent bulbs side by side so as to communicate with each other, thereby forming at least one discharge path therein, and the discharge tube is formed at an end portion of the arc tube. An electrode that causes discharge is sealed in the passage.

The U-shaped bent bulb is preferably made of glass such as lead glass, soda lime glass and borosilicate glass, but other materials such as ceramics may be used as long as they are translucent. Particularly, in consideration of the influence on the environment, it is optimal to form the lead-free glass.

The lead-free glass is a glass which does not substantially contain lead, and may contain lead as impurities. For example, Na ₂ O is 0 to 10% by mass, K ₂ O is 1 to 10% by mass, Li ₂ O is 0 to 3% by mass (however, Na ₂ O and K ₂ O are included.
And 5 to 20% by mass as the total amount of Li ₂ O)
And the like, which has a composition including, and has a softening temperature of 685 ° C. or lower. The glass using K ₂ O and Li ₂ O together with Na ₂ O as a flux has a composition substantially free of lead and has a softening temperature of 6 as compared with conventional soda-lime glass.
It can be lowered to 85 ° C or lower. By applying such a low softening point glass to a glass bulb,
It is possible to lower the heating temperature during bulb processing, and it is possible to suppress the thermal deterioration of the phosphor layer, and consequently the total luminous flux, based on this lowering of the heating temperature. Furthermore, N
By making the amount of a ₂ O 10 mass% or less, N in the glass
It is possible to suppress the coloring due to the a component, and consequently, the reduction of the luminous flux maintenance factor.

The U-shaped bent bulb has a shape in which a bent portion for bending the discharge path into a substantially U shape is provided in an intermediate portion. The bent portion may be formed by bending by softening the glass bulb, or may be formed by joining by molding or a connecting pipe. Further, the bent portion may be bent in a semi-circular shape, or may be formed in a substantially U shape having right-angled portions at both corners of a flat top portion by molding or the like. . In particular, it is preferable to use a U-shaped bent bulb having a tube outer diameter of 8 to 11 mm as a downsized arc tube in order to replace a general incandescent light bulb. The arc tube using the U-shaped bent bulb whose diameter is reduced in this way is suitable for the present invention because the arc tube temperature during lighting easily rises with the increase in the current density accompanying the diameter reduction. is there.

A phosphor layer is directly or indirectly coated on the inner surface of the U-shaped bent bulb, and argon,
An inert gas such as neon or krypton and a discharge medium such as mercury are enclosed. As the phosphor, a three-wavelength fluorescent rare earth metal oxide phosphor, a calcium halophosphate phosphor, or the like can be used.

Examples of the electrode include a hot cathode made of a filament, a ceramic electrode carrying an electron emitting substance, and a cold cathode made of nickel or the like. The tubular bulb may be one that uses rare gas discharge that does not enclose mercury or one that has electrodes outside.

When a U-shaped bent valve having a thin tube having an inner diameter of 8 mm or less is used, it is difficult to dispose the filament electrode in the direction orthogonal to the valve axis.
A small electrode using granular ceramics that emits thermionic electrons may be used. This electrode has an average particle size of 0.1 to 10 μm directly on the lead wire or in an electrically conductive container.
Of the granular ceramics, the size is smaller than that of the filament electrode, and the step of decomposing the electron-emitting substance during manufacturing is unnecessary. By using a small electrode made of granular ceramics, an arc tube equipped with a high-intensity lamp type electrode that does not restrict the lamp current like a cold cathode even if it is a U-shaped bent bulb with a thin tube Can be The container for supporting the granular ceramics is not particularly limited in material as long as it has this conductivity, but preferably a transition metal simple substance such as Ta or a conductive material mainly containing an alkaline earth element and a transition metal element is used. It is preferable to use a ceramic material.

Here, the granular ceramics used for the small electrodes
Details. Granular as thermionic material
Ceramics are alkaline earth elements and transition metal elements
It is composed of oxide composite ceramics containing as a main component. Good
It is preferable to use BaO, C as an oxide of an alkaline earth element.
one or more from the group consisting of aO and SrO
Select and use a seed. Further, as a transition metal element, ZrO
_TwoAnd TiO_TwoAnd any one or more of_Two
O₅, Nb_TwoO₅, Ta_TwoO₅, Sc_TwoO_Three, Y
_TwoO_Three, La_TwoO_Three, Dy_TwoO_Three, Ho_TwoO_Three, HfO
_Three, CrO_Three, MoO ₅, WO_ThreeAnd are used. Granular sera
The mix is formed into granules, sponge or lumps
May be. In addition, granular ceramics are
Carbide and / or nitriding on its surface to prevent
It may be covered with a material.

The arc tube is formed by connecting a plurality of tubular bulbs bent in a U shape so that one discharge path communicates with each other. Therefore, it is allowed that the arc tube has various shapes such as double U and triple U.

In the case of the double U-shaped arc tube, an electrode is sealed at one end of the U-shaped bulb and the other end is connected to form a discharge between the electrodes sealed at each one end of the two tubular bulbs. It will happen.

In the case of a triple U-shaped arc tube, electrodes are sealed at one end of two U-shaped bulbs, and the other end is connected to the end of an intermediate bulb where the electrodes are not sealed to form three tubular tubes. A discharge will be generated between the electrodes sealed at each end of the U-shaped bulb on both sides of the bulb.

In either case of double U or triple U, the portion where the thin tube is sealed may be either the end portion where the electrode is sealed or the end portion where the electrode is connected. Further, the sealing of the thin tube may be either a stem seal or a pinch seal.

As the amalgam enclosed in the thin tube of the arc tube, one having a characteristic that the vapor pressure is lower than pure water silver enclosed for performing efficient lighting even at high temperature is used.
In particular, since the arc tube becomes hot when the lamp is lit, it is necessary to select an amalgam having a vapor pressure characteristic suitable for this lighting temperature.However, in the present invention, the amalgam center enclosed in the thin tube and this thin tube are projected. The distance between the one end of the installed U-shaped bent valve and the other end of the other U-shaped bent valve and the one end on the thin tube side is 30 to 70 mm, so that the temperature of the amalgam is excessive. The rise is suppressed, and it is possible to use a composition having a relatively high mercury vapor pressure characteristic. Therefore, the mercury vapor pressure at the start of lighting can be increased, and the luminous flux rising characteristics can be improved. Examples of an amalgam considering vapor pressure characteristics include bismuth (Bi) -indium (In) -mercury (Hg), bismuth (Bi) -tin (Sn) -lead (Pb) -mercury (Hg), (Bi). Examples thereof include, but are not limited to, bismuth-indium (In) -lead (Pb) -mercury (Hg).

The cover directly or indirectly supports the fluorescent lamp. As a means for indirectly supporting, it is preferable to attach a holder having a shape into which both ends of the arc tube can be inserted to the other end opposite to the one end to which the cap of the cover is attached. The light emitting tube is attached to the cover, and the cover has a base. A globe that covers the fluorescent lamp may be attached to the cover. The globe may be light-diffusing or transparent as long as it has light-transmitting properties, and may be patterned or colored. The material of the gloves may be glass or plastic. The shape of the glove is arbitrary,
A so-called “A shape” that is similar to the incandescent light bulbs that are widely used, a so-called G shape that is similar to a sphere,
It is possible to adopt a so-called T-shape having a spherical tip and a cylindrical shape. The total height of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp when the globe is attached is defined as the height including the globe.

As the base, a screw type called E type is usually used, but it is not limited to this as long as it can be attached to a socket to which a base of E26 type or E17 type is attached. Further, the mouthpiece need not be directly attached to the cover, and may be indirectly attached to the case or a part of the cover may constitute the mouthpiece.

The lighting circuit is housed in the cover and is preferably of the inverter type, but is not limited to this due to the nature of the invention. The lighting circuit is directly or indirectly attached to and housed in the cover.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the center of the amalgam enclosed in the thin tube and the U formed by projecting the thin tube are provided.
The distance between the one end of the U-shaped bent valve and the other end of the other U-shaped bent valve is one end on the side of the thin tube is 30.
Since it is from mm to 70 mm, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the amalgam heated by the discharge of the discharge path of the connecting portion passing near the amalgam from becoming too high, and it is possible to use the amalgam having a high mercury vapor pressure characteristic.

As a result, it is possible to keep the mercury vapor pressure during lighting in an appropriate range, suppress the loss of efficiency, and improve the luminous flux rising characteristics.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the outer end of one end of a U-shaped bent valve having a thin tube containing an amalgam projecting from the one end is connected to the other end of another U-shaped bent valve. The distance between the connecting portion to be connected and the outer end on the thin tube side is 20 mm to 60
The bulb-type fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent lamp is provided so as to be within a range of mm.

According to the present invention, as in the invention according to claim 1, the distance between the center of the amalgam and the outer end on the thin tube side of the connecting portion in the vicinity thereof, including the length of the thin tube, is 3
The outer end of one end of the U-shaped bending valve having the amalgam-encapsulated thin tube projecting is set while being set to 0 mm to 70 mm,
The distance between the adjacent outer end of the connecting portion and the thin tube side, which does not include the length of the thin tube, was set to 20 mm to 60 mm, so that the temperature of the amalgam is surely optimized and the thin tube is required. Since the length is not longer than the above, manufacturing can be facilitated. It is desirable that the thin tube has a protrusion length of about 15 mm or less, preferably 10 mm or less from the outer end to the tip of the one end of the U-shaped bent valve in order to secure a space for arranging storage parts in the cover. .

That is, the thin tube is located inside the cover when the arc tube is attached to the cover, but since the length of this thin tube is within 15 mm, it is sufficient even in a narrow space inside the cover. In addition, it is possible to prevent the cover from becoming large in size, reduce the risk that the thin tube will be damaged during the assembly process for assembling the arc tube to the cover, and improve the workability of such assembly process. Can be planned.

The invention according to claim 3 has a plurality of thin tubes,
The amalgam is enclosed in a thin tube projecting from the other end of a U-shaped bent bulb that seals one end of a pair of electrodes disposed at both ends of the discharge path in one end. It is the bulb-type fluorescent lamp according to claim 1.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned claim 1 or 2 is provided.
The amalgam and the distance between the discharge path in the vicinity of the connecting portion as in the invention according to the invention are set to a distance at which the mercury vapor pressure can maintain an appropriate range, and the amalgam is provided in a thin tube relatively close to one of the electrodes. , The amalgam can be easily heated by the electrode at the time of starting. Therefore, the luminous flux rising characteristics can be further improved.

The invention according to claim 4 relates to claims 1 to 3.
A lighting fixture comprising: the light bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp according to any one of items 1 and 2, and a fixture body to which the light bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp is attached.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lighting fixture in which a compact incandescent lamp is replaced with a compact fluorescent lamp.

[0038]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
~ It demonstrates based on FIG. In these figures, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

1 to 4 show a light bulb shaped fluorescent lamp 1 according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 1 is a development view of a light emitting lamp,
2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a front view of the light bulb type fluorescent lamp 1, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of a globe of the light bulb type fluorescent lamp 1 seen through.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 is
It includes a cover 3 having an E26 base 2, a light-transmitting globe 4, an arc tube 5 accommodated in the globe 4, and a lighting circuit 6 accommodated in the cover 3. The envelope including the cover 3 and the globe 4 is formed in an outer shape that is close to the standard size of a general lighting bulb.

That is, the total height H1 of the bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp 1 including the base 2 is about 110 mm to 125 mm, and the diameter of the bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp 1, that is, the outer diameter D1 of the globe 4 is 5.
0 mm to 60 mm, outer diameter D2 of the cover 3 is 40 mm
The maximum width D3 of the arc tube 5 in the horizontal direction in FIG. 3 is 32 mm.
It is formed to about 43 mm. The general lighting bulb is defined in JIS C 7501. Hereinafter, the mouthpiece 2 side will be described as the lower side and the globe 4 side as the upper side.

The cover 3 has a cover body 3a made of a heat resistant synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PBT). The cover body 3a is shown in FIG.
It has a substantially cylindrical shape that expands upward in the middle, and E2 is attached to the lower end.
A cap 2 of 6 shape or the like is put on and fixed by adhesion or caulking.

The globe 4 is transparent or has a light diffusing property, such as milky white, and is made of glass or synthetic resin into a smooth curved surface having substantially the same shape as the glass bulb of a general lighting bulb. It is fitted and fixed inside the opening at the upper end of the cover 3. The globe 4 can be combined with another member such as a diffusion film to improve the brightness uniformity.

Such a globe 4 and a valve 7 described later
By combining with, the light output emitted in the direction of the base 2 is increased, and a light distribution characteristic close to that of a general lighting bulb can be obtained.

The lighting circuit 6 is horizontal, that is, the arc tube 5.
Is provided with a disk-shaped circuit board 6a arranged perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the plurality of parts (electrical parts) on both surfaces of the circuit board 6a, that is, the lower surface on the side of the base 2 and the upper surface on the side of the arc tube 5. An inverter circuit (high-frequency lighting circuit) that performs high-frequency lighting is configured by mounting 6b and 6c.

The circuit board 6a is substantially disc-shaped, and has a diameter (maximum width dimension) of 1.2 times or less of the maximum width D3 in the direction in which the valves 7 to be described later are arranged side by side, and is formed, for example, about 40 mm. Has been done.

Of the plurality of components 6b and 6c, the circuit board 6
On the lower surface of a, a component 6b such as an electrolytic capacitor and a film capacitor having relatively weak heat resistance is mounted, and on the upper surface of the circuit board 6a, a chip-shaped REC (having relatively small heat resistance and a small thickness) ( Rectifiers, rectifiers, diode bridges), transistors, resistors, and other components 6c having a package thickness of about 2 mm to 3 mm are mounted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the arc tube 5 has a bulb 7, and a phosphor (phosphor layer) 8 is formed on the inner surface of the bulb 7.
Is formed, and a rare gas such as argon and mercury are enclosed as a filling gas in the bulb 7, and a pair of electrodes 9, 9 are sealed by pinch seals at both ends of the bulb 7.

The valve 7 is a three U-shaped bent valve 1.
U-shaped bent valve 1 having 0, 11, 12
0, 11, 12 have, for example, a pipe outer diameter of 8 mm to 11 m.
m, the pipe inner diameter is 6 mm to 9 mm, and the wall thickness is 0.7 mm to 1.
A tube having a cross section of 0 mm made of glass and having a substantially cylindrical shape, and having a length dimension of 110 mm to 130 mm is formed into a substantially U shape having a top portion P which is smoothly curved at an axially intermediate portion thereof. That is, each U-shaped bent valve 1
0, 11, and 12 are bent portions 1 that are smoothly inverted in a U shape.
3 and a pair of straight pipe portions 14, 14 that are parallel to each other and that are continuous with both ends of the bent portion 13.

Both ends of the U-shaped bent valve 11 in the middle of the valve 7 and one ends of the U-shaped bent valves 10 and 12 at both ends of the valve 7 are sequentially connected by a connecting pipe 15. One continuous discharge path 16 is formed.
The height H2 of the bulb 7 is 50 mm to 60 mm, and the discharge path length is 200 mm to 300 mm.

Then, in a state where the bulb 7 is incorporated in the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1, each U-shaped bent bulb 1 is provided.
The top portions P of the bent portions 13 of 0, 11, and 12 are located at equal intervals on one circumference of a central axis whose longitudinal direction is the vertical direction in FIG. 1 of the bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp 1, and The straight tube portions 14 of the U-shaped bent bulbs 10, 11, 12 are also located at equal intervals on a predetermined circumference centered on the central axis of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1. That is, each U-shaped bent valve 1
Straight pipe portions 14 of 0, 11, and 12 are arranged corresponding to the respective sides of the triangular section. Further, each straight pipe portion 14 is formed such that the distance between the straight pipe portions 14 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction is smaller than the outer diameter of the U-shaped bent type valves 10, 11, 12. There is.

A cylindrical thin tube 17 also called an exhaust pipe is provided at one axial end of each U-shaped bent valve 10, 11, 12.
a, 17b, and 17c are provided so as to project in a communicating state. However, the thin tubes 17a and 17c of the U-shaped bent valves 10 and 12 at both ends in the lateral direction of the valve 7 are provided so as to project at the end (non-electrode side) opposite to the end where the electrode 9 is sealed. There is. Exhaust in the valve 7 is performed through each of the thin tubes 17a to 17c or a part of these thin tubes 17a to 17c, and after the enclosed gas is filled and replaced, each thin tube 1
It is sealed by fusing 7a to 17c. The thin tube 17 closest to the electrode 9 among these thin tubes 17a to 17c
a (or thin tube 17c), that is, U at the end of the valve 7
End 10a in which the electrode 9 of the V-shaped bent valve 10 is sealed
The main amalgam 18 is sealed in the thin tube 17a at the end 10b on the opposite side (non-electrode side) when the thin tube 17a is sealed. This main amalgam 18 is bismuth,
It is an alloy composed of indium and mercury, is formed in a substantially spherical shape having a diameter larger than that of the opening of the thin tube 17a, and has a function of controlling the mercury vapor pressure in the bulb 7 within an appropriate range. The main amalgam 18 may be formed of an alloy that combines tin and lead in addition to bismuth and indium. Here, in order to improve the luminous flux rising characteristic at the time of starting lighting, the amalgam temperature is set to 25
0.01 Pa or more at 100 ° C., and 0.1 at 100 ° C.
Select one that exhibits mercury vapor pressure characteristics of 4 to 1.0 Pa
It is desirable to use. Further, the mercury content of the amalgam is 3.0% by mass or more based on the total mass of the amalgam,
It is advantageous to have high mercury vapor pressure properties.

Under this mercury content condition, in the binary bismuth (Bi) -indium (In) amalgam,
The indium content is 30 to 35 with respect to the total mass of the amalgam.
Within the mass% range, bismuth (Bi) -lead (Pb)-
Indium (In) amalgam, bismuth (Bi) -tin (Sn) -indium (In) amalgam, bismuth (Bi) -lead (Pb) -tin (Sn) -indium (I
n) In a ternary or quaternary amalgam such as amalgam, the indium content is based on the total mass of the amalgam,
It is advantageous from the standpoint of the luminous flux rising characteristics that the mercury vapor pressure characteristic is enhanced by setting the content within the range of 0 to 5.0 mass%.

If necessary, an auxiliary amalgam 19 may be arranged in the bulb 7 to adsorb the floating mercury in the bulb when the lamp is turned off and to release the adsorbed mercury in the initial stage of lighting including the start-up.

The electrode 9 has a filament coil 9a consisting of a triple coil formed by triple winding a tungsten (W) wire, and the filament coil 9a is fixed by a bead stem 9b.
The wells 9c are supported by c and each well 9c is a U-shaped bent valve 1
The U-shaped bent valve 10, 11, 1 is connected via the Dumet wire sealed to the glass at the axial ends of 0, 11, 12
2 is connected to a wire 9d led to the outside. The dumet wire is sealed by a pinch seal portion 20 at the end of the valve. Then, when the bulb 7 is incorporated in the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1, the wire 9 d is connected to the lighting circuit 6.

As shown in FIG. 2, the center of the spherical main amalgam 18 enclosed in the thin tube 17a, one end of the U-shaped bent valve 10 projecting the thin tube 17a, and the intermediate U-shaped shape. An outer end (a lower end in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the connecting pipe 15 that connects the other end of the bent valve 11 to the thin pipe 17a;
The first interval La of is set to 30 mm to 70 mm.

Further, the outer end (lower end in FIG. 2) of the U-shaped bent valve 10 in which the thin tube 17a is projectingly provided, and the connecting tube 1 described above.
5 to the outer end (lower end in FIG. 2) of 20
It is set to mm to 60 mm. The second interval Lb is an interval in which the length of the thin tube 17a is excluded from the first interval La. That is, the length from the axial end of the U-shaped bent valve 10 to the outer end of the connecting pipe 5 is hardly changed, and the thin tube 1
By increasing the protrusion length Lc of 7a, the first interval La is increased.
If the above condition is satisfied, the space occupied by the thin tube 17a in the cover 3 is enlarged, and the cover 3 is enlarged.
In order not to make only the length of the thin tube 17a longer than necessary, the second interval Lb is set so that the protruding length L of the thin tube 17a is L.
It is set under the condition that c is 15 mm or less.

Therefore, according to the light bulb type fluorescent lamp 1, the main amalgam 18 is enclosed in the thin tube 17a closest to the one electrode 9, while the main amalgam 18 is discharged in the discharge tube in the connecting tube 15 in the vicinity thereof. Since the main amalgam 18 can be easily warmed at the time of starting by improving the luminous flux rising characteristic, the distance is increased by the first distance La from
As described above, since the excessive temperature rise of the amalgam 18 can be suppressed, the mercury vapor pressure can be kept within an appropriate range.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as seen through the globe 4. This bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp 1A has a triangular (delta) arrangement of three U-shaped bent bulbs 10 to 12 of the bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp 1 according to the first embodiment, and a tube axis of each curved portion 13 thereof. Is characterized in that it has been changed to a parallel arrangement in which they are arranged in parallel so that they are substantially parallel to each other.

Also in this light bulb type fluorescent lamp 1A, similar to the light bulb type fluorescent lamp 1 according to the first embodiment, the first and second intervals La, L with respect to the main amalgam 18 are provided.
By setting b, it is possible to obtain substantially the same operational effects as the above-mentioned compact fluorescent lamp 1.

FIG. 6 is a development view of the bulb 7B of the light bulb shaped fluorescent lamp 1B according to the third embodiment of the present invention. This bulb 7B has a distance Ld from the outer end of the non-electrode end portion 10b of the U-shaped bent bulb 10 at the left end in FIG. 6 to the outer end of the connecting pipe 15 according to the first embodiment. It is characterized in that it is formed shorter than the interval Lb of 1 while the thin tube 17aa enclosing the main amalgam 18 is formed longer than the thin tube 17a according to the first embodiment. In this case, the protrusion length Lc of the thin tube 17aa is set to 20 mm or less, preferably 15 mm or less for manufacturing.

According to this valve 7B, the length of the thin tube 17aa of the U-shaped bent valve 10 is different from that of the other thin tubes 17b and 17b.
Although formed longer than c, the distance from the center of the main amalgam 18 to the outer end (lower end in FIG. 6) of the connecting pipe 15 is within the first distance La and the non-electrode of the U-shaped bent valve 10 is formed. If the distance Lc from the outer end of the side end portion 10b to the outer end of the connecting pipe 15 is within the second distance Lb, the high temperature of the main amalgam 18 is the same as in the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 according to the first embodiment. It is possible to suppress the temperature rise to 1) and maintain the mercury vapor pressure within an appropriate range, and at the same time, it is possible to improve the rising characteristics of the light flux.

FIG. 7 is a development view of the bulb 7c of the light bulb shaped fluorescent lamp 1C according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The valve 7c has a pipe diameter (outer diameter) of 7.5 mm to 9.5, for example.
mm, wall thickness 0.6 mm to 0.8 mm, height 45 mm
~ 55mm 4 U-shaped bent valves 21, 22, 2
These three U-shaped bent valves 21 to 24 are connected to each other by connecting the three communication pipes 15 with each other and bending the three communication pipes 15 at substantially right angles.
It is characterized in that is arranged in a rectangle.

That is, in the bulb 7c, the U-shaped bent bulb 22 or 23 in which the electrode 9 is not sealed is added to the bulb 7 shown in FIG. The valve 7 is equivalent to the addition of the discharge path length.
The height H3 of c is lower than the height of the bulb 7 of FIG. 1, for example, 45 mm to 55 mm, and the discharge path length is the same as that of the bulb 7 of FIG. 1, for example, 280 mm to 350 mm.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, since the valve 7c is formed in a rectangular plane shape, the maximum rectangular width D4 thereof is D4.
Can be suppressed to, for example, 35 mm to 40 mm, and the cover 3 and the glove 4 can be prevented from becoming large.
Moreover, the electric power of the arc tube is 9 to 11 W, and the total luminous flux is 700 lm.
The above is formed. Note that reference numeral 21 in FIGS.
Reference numerals a, 21b, 21c, and 21d are exhaust thin tubes.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a lighting fixture L to which the bulb-type fluorescent lamp 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is attached, for example. The luminaire L is a downlight embedded in the ceiling S, and is provided with a socket T to which a millikrypton light bulb which is a small incandescent light bulb is mounted. The socket T has the first embodiment. The base 2 of the light bulb shaped fluorescent lamp 1 can be attached, and the small incandescent light bulb can be replaced with the highly efficient and long life light bulb shaped fluorescent lamp 1. As the light bulb type fluorescent lamp, a light bulb type fluorescent lamp 1A shown in FIG. 5 or a light bulb type fluorescent lamp provided with bulbs 7B and 7C shown in FIG. 6 or 7 may be used.

[0067]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the center of the amalgam enclosed in the thin tube and one end of the U-shaped bent valve projecting the thin tube are connected to another U-shaped tube. Since the distance between the one end of the connecting portion connected to the other end of the curved valve and the thin tube side is 30 mm to 70 mm, the temperature of the amalgam heated by the discharge of the discharge path of the connecting portion passing near the amalgam is high. It is possible to prevent the temperature from becoming too high and to easily warm the amalgam at the time of starting.

As a result, the mercury vapor pressure can be maintained within an appropriate range and the luminous flux rising characteristics can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 2, as in the invention of claim 1, the distance between the center of the amalgam and the outer end of the connecting portion in the vicinity thereof on the thin tube side, and the length of the thin tube is The distance La including is set to 30 mm to 70 mm, and the distance between the one end outer end of the U-shaped bending valve in which this amalgam-encapsulated thin tube is projecting and the thin tube side outer end of the connecting portion in the vicinity thereof, The interval Lb not including the length of the thin tube is 20 mm ~
Since it is set to 60 mm, the temperature of the amalgam is surely optimized, and the thin tube is not made longer than necessary, so that the manufacturing ease can be improved.

That is, although the thin tube is located in the cover when the arc tube is attached to the cover, the length of this thin tube is about 15 mm or less, so that it is sufficient even in a narrow space in the cover. In addition, it is possible to prevent the cover from becoming large in size, reduce the risk that the thin tube will be damaged during the assembly process for assembling the arc tube to the cover, and improve the workability of such assembly process. Can be planned.

According to the third aspect of the invention, as in the first or second aspect of the invention, the distance between the amalgam and the discharge path in the connecting portion in the vicinity of the amalgam is maintained, and the mercury vapor pressure is maintained within an appropriate range. Since the amalgam is sealed in a thin tube relatively close to one of the electrodes, the amalgam can be easily heated by the electrode at the time of starting. Therefore, the luminous flux rising characteristics can be further improved.

According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to provide a lighting fixture in which a compact incandescent lamp is replaced with a compact fluorescent lamp.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a development view of an arc tube of a light bulb shaped fluorescent lamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a bulb-type fluorescent lamp including the arc tube shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the globe of FIG. 3 when seen through.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp according to the second embodiment of the present invention when seen through a globe.

FIG. 6 is a development view of an arc tube of a light bulb shaped fluorescent lamp according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a development view of an arc tube of a light bulb shaped fluorescent lamp according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a front view of the arc tube shown in FIG. 7 bent into a rectangle.

9 is a plan view of the globe of the bulb-type fluorescent lamp including the light emitting tube shown in FIG. 7, as seen through the globe.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of a lighting fixture according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Light bulb type fluorescent lamp 2 Base 3 Cover 4 Globe 5 Arc tube 6 Lighting circuit 7, 7A, 7B, 7C Bulb 8 Phosphor film 9 Electrode 10, 11, 12, 21, 22, 23, 24 U-shaped bent bulb 13 U-shaped bent portion 14 Straight portion 15 Communication tube 16 Discharge path 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d Thin tube 18 Main amalgam 19 Auxiliary amalgam

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A bent discharge path formed by sequentially connecting a plurality of U-shaped bent bulbs, an amalgam enclosed in a thin tube communicating with an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the discharge passage, and the amalgam enclosed therein. A U-shaped bent valve having a thin tube projecting therefrom has a connecting portion for connecting one end to the other end of another U-shaped bent valve, and connects the center of the amalgam and the outer end of the connecting portion on the thin tube side. An arc tube provided so that the interval is within a range of 30 mm to 70 mm; a cover having the cap attached to the arc tube and a lighting circuit housed in the cover; A self-ballasted fluorescent lamp. 2. A U projecting a thin tube enclosing amalgam.
The outer end of one end of the V-shaped bent valve and this U
The bulb-shaped bulb according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion connected to the other end of the V-shaped bent valve is provided such that a distance between the connecting portion and the outer end of the thin tube side is within a range of 20 mm to 60 mm. Fluorescent lamp. 3. A U having a plurality of capillaries and enclosing one of a pair of electrodes respectively disposed at both ends of a discharge path in one end.
The amalgam is enclosed in a thin tube protruding from the other end of the V-shaped bent valve.
The described bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp. 4. A lighting fixture comprising: the light bulb type fluorescent lamp according to claim 1; and a fixture body to which the light bulb shaped fluorescent lamp is attached.