JP2003178718A - Backlight unit using dielectric barrier discharge low- pressure discharge lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To connect electrically the outer electrodes of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamps, at low cost and simply. <P>SOLUTION: Electrical connection of the outer electrodes of each dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp 12 is made by a common flexible conductive layer 72. The flexible conductive layer 72 is formed on the surface of the insulating body 73 where the groove is provided, by which groove the end part of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp 12 is clipped. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a backlight unit capable of simultaneous lighting by electrically connecting external electrodes of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps in parallel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A so-called dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp having electrodes on the outer surface of a tubular glass lamp container,
For example, it is known from Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-126559.

FIG. 12 is an axial sectional view showing the structure of a conventional dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a backlight unit using this dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp.

As shown in FIG. 12, both ends of the tubular glass lamp container 20 are filled with an ionizable filler 50 such as a rare gas or a mixed gas of mercury and a rare gas inside the tubular glass lamp container 20. Are sealed. A phosphor layer 60 and the like are formed on the inner wall surface of the tubular glass lamp container 20 as needed. Electrodes 30 and 40 are provided on the outer surfaces of both ends of the tubular glass lamp container 20, respectively.

The electrodes 30 and 40 have conductive layers 31 and 41 formed on both ends of the tubular glass lamp container 20 by metal deposition or the like, and coiled metal wires 32 and 42 having a spring property are wound around the outer surfaces thereof. It is composed by The coiled metal wires 32 and 42 are in contact with the surfaces of the conductive layers 31 and 41 due to their spring properties and serve as lead wires.

As described above, the dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp 11 having the external electrodes is a tubular glass lamp container 2
Since the electrode is not arranged inside 0, the electrode is not consumed and the life is longer than that of the internal electrode type.

[0007]

However, when a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamps 11 are connected in parallel and lit by one inverter 14 to be used as a light source of a backlight unit, it is shown in FIG. Thus, conventionally, each dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp 1
The tip ends of the coiled metal wires 32 and 42 of No. 1 are connected to the metal plate or the printed circuit board 15 connected to the inverter 14.
The external electrodes of the respective dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps 11 are connected in parallel by welding or soldering. For this reason, it takes a lot of time and labor for manufacturing, and the cost for that is also high.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to electrically connect the external electrodes of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps easily and at low cost. To provide a backlight unit to obtain.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp according to the first invention has a conductive layer as an external electrode at an end thereof. A backlight unit using two or more dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps, characterized in that a flexible conductive layer is used to electrically connect external electrodes of each dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp. To do.

According to the present invention, the common flexible conductive layer is used to electrically connect the external electrodes of the respective dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps to each other, so that the external electrodes are connected to each other as in the conventional case. It is not necessary to solder the wound coiled metal wire to a printed circuit board or the like, and the external electrodes can be electrically connected easily and at low cost. Moreover, since the flexible conductive layer is used, the external electrodes can be connected with a low resistance value.

A second aspect of the present invention is a backlight unit using the above dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp, wherein the flexible conductive layer sandwiches the ends of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps. Is formed on the surface of an insulator having a plurality of grooves for forming the surface.

According to the present invention, the flexible conductive layer is formed on the surface of the insulator in which the end portion of the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp is sandwiched by the groove and the groove is provided. By sandwiching the end of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp in the groove of the insulator, the conductive layer and the flexible conductive layer of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp are brought into contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to electrically connect the external electrodes of each of the dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps with an extremely easy structure.

A third aspect of the present invention is a backlight unit using the above dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp, wherein the flexible conductive layer sandwiches ends of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps. Is formed on the surface of a solid metal having a plurality of grooves for forming the surface.

In the present invention, since the metal solid is used instead of the insulator of the second invention, the cost can be further reduced by the metal solid which is cheaper than the insulator, Further, the heat resistance can be made higher than that of the insulator.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a backlight unit using the above dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp, wherein the flexible conductive layer is at least iron, copper, tin, nickel, silver, aluminum or stainless steel. It is characterized in that it is formed by a simple substance or an alloy using a metal selected from the included metals.

In the present invention, when iron is selected as the metal used for the flexible conductive layer, it is inexpensive, and when copper is selected, it is inexpensive and low-conductivity can be realized, and tin is selected. In that case, since it is cheap and has high plasticity, it is possible to enhance the adhesion with the conductive layer, and when nickel is selected, the resistance value is slightly high, but it is possible to realize low cost and highly reliable conductivity.
If you select silver, you can achieve highly reliable conductivity with a low resistance value, and if you select aluminum, you can achieve highly reliable conductivity with a low resistance value, and since it has plasticity, it can be used as a conductive layer. It is possible to improve the adhesiveness of, and when stainless steel is selected, highly reliable conductivity can be realized.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the backlight unit using the above dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp, wherein the conductive layer is at least a metal tape, a coiled metal wire, a conductive paste, metal vapor deposition, sputtering, It is characterized in that it is formed by any one of metal spraying.

According to the present invention, when a metal tape or a coiled metal wire is selected as the conductive layer, it is possible to easily and reliably form a stable external electrode whose conductivity and shape are not easily changed during lamp lighting. When conductive paste is selected, external electrodes can be easily formed on the surface of a glass lamp container having a complicated shape, when metal vapor deposition is selected, dense and uniform thin external electrodes can be formed, and when sputtering is selected. Can form a dense and uniform external electrode, and when metal spraying is selected, the conductivity and shape hardly change with time, and a thick film external electrode can be formed on the surface of a glass lamp container having a complicated shape.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is a backlight unit using two or more dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps provided with conductive rubber as external electrodes. It is characterized in that the electrical connection between the external electrodes is made by a conductive rubber integrated with the external electrodes.

According to the present invention, the electric connection between the external electrodes of each dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp is made by the common conductive rubber, so that the external electrodes are wound around as in the conventional case. It is not necessary to solder the coiled metal wire to a printed circuit board or the like, and the external electrodes can be electrically connected easily and at low cost. Moreover, since the conductive rubber is used, the external electrodes can be connected with a low resistance value.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is a backlight unit using two or more dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps each having an electrically conductive layer at an end as an external electrode, wherein each dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge is used. It is characterized in that the electrical connection between the external electrodes of the lamp is made by a conductive rubber.

According to the present invention, a dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp having a conductive layer as an external electrode at its end portion can be electrically connected to the external electrode by the conductive rubber.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is a backlight unit using the above dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp, wherein the conductive rubber inserts ends of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps. Is characterized by having a plurality of insertion holes.

In the present invention, a plurality of insertion holes for inserting the ends of the plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps are provided in the conductive rubber, so that the dielectric barrier discharge type low voltage is inserted. By inserting the end portion of the discharge lamp into this insertion hole, the outer electrode of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp and the conductive rubber come into contact with each other. The external electrodes of the discharge type low pressure discharge lamp can be electrically connected.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view showing a structure of a main part of a backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a radial cross-sectional view of an electrode portion, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which external electrodes of a dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp are assembled in a backlight unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, both ends of the tubular glass lamp vessel 21 are filled with an ionizable filler 50 such as a rare gas or a mixed gas of mercury and a rare gas inside the tubular glass lamp vessel 21. The part is sealed. A phosphor layer 60 and the like are formed on the inner wall surface of the tubular glass lamp container 21 as needed. Conductive layers 71 and 81 are provided on the outer surfaces of both ends of the tubular glass lamp container 21, and the conductive layers 71 and 81 form electrodes 70 and 80, respectively.

The conductive layers 71 and 81 are obtained by closely winding metal tape around the outer surfaces of both ends of the tubular glass lamp container 21, or by closely winding metal wires in a coil shape.
It is formed by providing a conductive paste, metal vapor deposition, sputtering, metal spraying, or the like. Both ends of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp 12 on which the electrodes 70 and 80 are formed are fixed by insulators 73 and 83 via flexible conductive layers 72 and 82, respectively.

Since both ends of the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp 12 have the same structure, only one end will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the insulator 73 is composed of an upper portion and a lower portion. The dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp 12 is composed of the upper part and the lower part.
A groove having a semicircular cross section is provided on each of the lower surface of the upper portion and the upper surface of the lower portion so as to sandwich the end portion thereof.

The flexible conductive layer 72 is attached to the lower surface of the upper portion and the upper surface of the lower portion of the insulator 73 in which the groove is provided. As the material of the flexible conductive layer 72,
A simple substance or an alloy of a metal selected from metals including at least iron, copper, tin, nickel, silver, aluminum, stainless steel and the like is used. For example, tin foil, tin foil with holes for cost reduction, mesh-shaped metal, and the like are used.

As shown in FIG. 3, the insulator 73 is provided with a plurality of grooves in the upper portion and the lower portion, respectively, in order to connect the external electrodes of the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamps 12 in parallel. At the same time, a common flexible conductive layer 72 is attached to the entire surface on the side where the grooves of the upper portion and the lower portion are provided.

With this structure, the end portions of the plurality of dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamps 12 are sandwiched by the grooves in the upper portion and the lower portion of the insulator 73, so that each dielectric The conductive layer 71 of the barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp 12 is connected in parallel through the flexible conductive layer 72 in the upper portion and the flexible conductive layer 72 in the lower portion.

Next, another structure of the main part of the backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp will be described with reference to the radial sectional views of FIGS.

In FIGS. 4 to 6, the flexible conductive layer 72 is provided only on the lower surface of the upper portion of the insulator 73, and the flexible conductive layer 72 is not provided on the lower portion. We are working to further reduce costs. Of course, the flexible conductive layer 72 may be provided only on the upper surface of the lower portion.

In addition, in FIG. 4, the cross-sectional shape of the groove in the lower portion is V-shaped, and in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional shape of the groove is V-shaped in both the upper portion and the lower portion. Further, in FIG. 6, the cross-sectional shape of the groove on the upper side is U-shaped, and the cross-sectional shape of the groove on the lower side is V-shaped.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the common flexible conductive layer 72 is used to electrically connect the external electrodes of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamps 12 to each other. As described above, it is not necessary to solder the coiled metal wire wound around the external electrodes to the printed circuit board or the like, and the external electrodes can be electrically connected easily and at low cost. Further, since the flexible conductive layer 72 is used, the external electrodes can be connected with a low resistance value.

Further, according to the present embodiment, a flexible conductive material is formed on the surface of the insulators 73 and 83 in which the ends of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp 12 are sandwiched by the grooves. Since the layer 72 is formed, the insulator 7 is formed.
Dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp 12 in 3,83 grooves
Since the conductive layer 71 and the flexible conductive layer 72 of the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp 12 are brought into contact with each other by sandwiching the end portions of the dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp 12, the dielectric barrier discharge type of the dielectric barrier discharge type The external electrodes of the low-pressure discharge lamp 12 can be electrically connected.

In this embodiment, in order to bring the flexible conductive layer 72 into contact with the end of the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp 12, the flexible conductive layer 72 is made of an insulator 73,
Although it is formed on the surface where the groove of 83 is provided, a solid metal may be used instead of the insulators 73 and 83. The shape of the groove provided in the solid metal may be the same as the shape of the groove of the insulator 73 shown in FIGS. 2 to 6. With such a configuration, it is possible to further reduce the cost by using a metal solid that is cheaper than the insulator, and to increase the heat resistance as compared with the insulator.

Further, one end of the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp 12 is brought into contact with the flexible conductive layers 72 and 82, respectively, and fixed by the insulators 73 and 83 or a metal body to form one light source unit. As the backlight unit, one or two or more light source units may be equipped.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 7 is an axial sectional view showing a structure of a main part of a backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp according to a second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a radial cross-sectional view of the electrode portion, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main part of the backlight unit.

The basic structure of the dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp 13 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is the same as that of the dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp 12 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 in the first embodiment. However, the conductive layers 71 and 81 are not formed at both ends of the tubular glass lamp container 21. The electrodes 90 and 100 are formed by fixing both ends of the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp 13 with conductive rubbers 91 and 101 instead of the insulators 73 and 83. . It should be noted that, in addition, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted here.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the conductive rubber 9
Reference numerals 1 and 101 have a plurality of cylindrical insertion holes for inserting and fixing the ends of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps 13, respectively. By inserting the end of the into this insertion hole,
The conductive rubbers 91 and 101 act as external electrodes of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp 13 and also serve to electrically connect the external electrodes of each dielectric barrier low-pressure discharge lamp 13. ing.

Next, another structure of the main part of the backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp will be described with reference to the axial sectional view of FIG. 10 and the radial sectional view of FIG.

The dielectric barrier low-pressure discharge lamp 12 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and conductive layers 71 and 81 are formed at both ends as external electrodes.
Are formed.

The conductive layers 71 and 81 are obtained by closely winding metal tape around the outer surfaces of both ends of the tubular glass lamp container 21, or by closely winding metal wires in a coil shape.
It is formed by providing a conductive paste, metal vapor deposition, sputtering, metal spraying, or the like.

Both ends of the dielectric barrier low-pressure discharge lamp 12 on which the conductive layers 71 and 81 are formed are made of conductive rubber 9.
It inserts in the cylindrical insertion hole provided in 2, 102, and is fixed. The conductive rubbers 92 and 102 are basically the same as the conductive rubbers 91 and 101 shown in FIG. 7, but have a configuration in which the diameter of the insertion hole is expanded by the conductive layers 71 and 81. There is.

With such a structure, the conductive rubbers 92, 102 can be made to have the conductive rubbers 92, 102 by inserting the end of each dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp 12 into this insertion hole.
The external electrodes of each dielectric barrier low-pressure discharge lamp 12 are electrically connected.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the common conductive rubber 91 or 101 is used for the electrical connection between the external electrodes of the plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamps 13 having no conductive layer at their ends. By doing so, it is not necessary to solder the coiled metal wire wound around the external electrodes to the printed circuit board or the like as in the conventional case, and the external electrodes can be electrically connected easily and at low cost. . Further, since the conductive rubbers 91 and 101 are used, the external electrodes can be connected with a low resistance value.

Further, according to the present embodiment, also in the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp 12 having the conductive layer at the end, the conductive rubber 9 having the same electrical connection between the external electrodes is used.
By using 2 or 102, the external electrodes can be electrically connected easily, at low cost, and with low resistance.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the conductive rubber 91, 101 or 92, 102 is provided with the insertion hole for inserting the end portion of the dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp 13 or 12. Thus, by inserting the end of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp into this insertion hole, the external electrodes of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp and the conductive rubber come into contact with each other, It is possible to electrically connect the external electrodes of each dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp with an extremely easy configuration.

[0051]

As described above, according to the backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp according to the present invention, the electric potential between the external electrodes of each dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp is improved. Since the connection is made by the common flexible conductive layer, the coil-shaped metal wire wound around the external electrode is not soldered to the printed circuit board etc. unlike the conventional case, and it is easy, low cost, and low in resistance value. The external electrodes can be electrically connected.

Moreover, since the common conductive rubber is used to electrically connect the external electrodes of each dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp, the external electrodes can be electrically connected easily and at low cost with a low resistance value. Can be connected to each other.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view in the tube axis direction showing a configuration of a main part of a backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a radial cross-sectional view of an electrode portion of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which external electrodes of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp according to the first embodiment are assembled in a backlight unit.

FIG. 4 is a radial cross-sectional view showing another configuration of the main part of the backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp.

FIG. 5 is a radial cross-sectional view showing still another configuration of the main part of the backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp.

FIG. 6 is a radial cross-sectional view showing still another configuration of the main part of the backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp.

FIG. 7 is an axial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of a backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a radial cross-sectional view of an electrode portion of the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an axial cross-sectional view showing another configuration of a main part of a backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp.

FIG. 11 is a radial cross-sectional view showing still another configuration of the main part of the backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp.

FIG. 12 is an axial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a backlight unit using a conventional dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp.

[Explanation of symbols]

11,12,13 Dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp 14 Inverter 15 Printed circuit board 20,21 Tubular glass lamp container 30, 40 electrodes 31, 41 Conductive layer 32,42 coiled metal wire 50 filler 60 phosphor layer 70,80 electrodes 71, 81 conductive layer 72,82 Flexible conductive layer 73,83 insulator 90,100 electrodes 91, 101 Conductive rubber 92,102 Conductive rubber 110, 120 electrodes

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masami Takagi             1 Hari, 5-2 Asahi-cho, Imabari-shi, Ehime Prefecture             Son Toshiba Lighting Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3K013 AA04 AA06 BA02 CA02 CA07                       CA09 CA12 CA16 DA09

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A backlight unit using two or more dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps, each of which has a conductive layer at an end as an external electrode, between the external electrodes of each dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp. A backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp, characterized in that the electrical connection of the above is performed by a flexible conductive layer. 2. The flexible conductive layer is formed on the surface of an insulator having a plurality of grooves for sandwiching the ends of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps. A backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp according to claim 1. 3. The flexible conductive layer is formed on the surface of a solid metal body having a plurality of grooves for sandwiching the ends of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps. A backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp according to claim 1. 4. The flexible conductive layer is at least iron,
4. A single substance or an alloy of a metal selected from metals including copper, tin, nickel, silver, aluminum and stainless steel.
A backlight unit using the dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp according to any one of 1. 5. The conductive layer is at least a metal tape,
The dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is formed by any one of a coiled metal wire, a conductive paste, a metal vapor deposition, a sputtering, and a metal spray. Backlight unit used. 6. A backlight unit using two or more dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamps having conductive rubber as external electrodes, comprising: an electric discharge between external electrodes of each dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp. A backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge low-pressure discharge lamp, characterized in that the conductive rubber is electrically connected to an external electrode. 7. A backlight unit using two or more dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamps, each of which has a conductive layer at an end as an external electrode, between the external electrodes of each dielectric barrier discharge type low pressure discharge lamp. A backlight unit using a dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamp, characterized in that the electrical connection of the above is performed by a conductive rubber. 8. The dielectric barrier according to claim 6, wherein the conductive rubber has a plurality of insertion holes into which end portions of a plurality of dielectric barrier discharge type low-pressure discharge lamps are inserted. Backlight unit using a discharge type low pressure discharge lamp.