JP2003234091A - Gas discharge lamp and information display system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a surface-emitting gas discharge lamp together with an information display system using the same, which is inexpensive cost in a simple configuration, with even illumination. <P>SOLUTION: There are provided a plurality of linear cathodes 2 and anodes 3 covered with an insulator which are alternately, in almost parallel, formed on a substrate (rear plate) 1, and a third electrode 4 which is so formed in plane as to be covered with an insulator while always grounded. The third electrode 4 is disposed farther from inside surface of a vessel than the linear cathode 2 and the anode 3 are disposed. Thus, a planer emission gas discharge lamp is obtained, in which discharge is allowed in all regions between a plurality of linear cathodes and anodes for even emission, with a simple configuration at a low cost. <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 gas discharge lamp and an information display system using the same, and more particularly to a dielectric barrier gas discharge whose basic feature is that electrodes are not exposed in a discharge space. The present invention relates to a lamp and an information display system configured using the lamp, such as general lighting such as indoor lighting and a back light source of a liquid crystal display.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of a conventional gas discharge lamp,
A structure in which two electrodes (cathode and anode) covered with a dielectric are arranged at both ends of the discharge space, and a gas is discharged by applying a voltage between the electrodes to make the entire discharge space emit light. Is the most basic and well known. This configuration is effective when the discharge space is relatively small.

On the other hand, a method of forming a plurality of linear cathodes and a plurality of linear anodes on the surface of the discharge vessel in order to emit light in a large discharge space region is also well known. However, if a plurality of cathodes and anodes are simply arranged alternately and a voltage is applied,
Discharge and light emission do not occur between all electrodes. Therefore, various ideas are actually made.

As a concrete example, special table 2000-50
0917. In this example, the plurality of linear electrodes has a configuration in which two linear anodes are arranged between two linear cathodes, such as an anode, an anode, a cathode, an anode, an anode, a cathode, and the like. The linear cathodes are provided with protrusions at appropriate intervals, and when a voltage is applied, a delta discharge is positively generated from each cathode protrusion to the adjacent anode. Conversely, discharge between the cathode and anode,
There is a region where no light emission occurs. In addition, neither discharge nor light emission occurs between adjacent anodes.

Another example is a common AC plasma display (AC-PDP). Although the main purpose of AC-PDP is to display information, it is a discharge lamp itself when the entire surface is turned on. In the AC-PDP, a plurality of linear electrodes are alternately arranged such that an anode, a cathode, an anode, a cathode, and so on. However,
The distance between one cathode and two anodes adjacent to each other is not the same, and there are short and long distances, and discharge and light emission when a voltage is applied are short and short distances between electrodes. Only between the cathode and the anode. No discharge or light emission occurs between the cathode and anode at long intervals.

[0006]

However, in any of the conventional examples, it is not possible to discharge or emit light in the entire region between the linear electrodes. Therefore, in order to obtain a uniform light emission source, it is necessary to have a large-scale light emission uniformization function for correcting non-uniform light emission. However, the use of this uniform light emission function causes new problems such as a decrease in light emission efficiency, insufficient brightness, a complicated structure, and an increase in cost.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and discharges in all regions between a plurality of linear cathodes and anodes, and it has a high emission uniformity even though it is an inexpensive and simple structure. An object of the present invention is to provide a gas discharge lamp that emits planar light and an information display system using the same.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a flat discharge vessel having two flat plates facing each other, and alternately on the inner flat surface of one of the two flat plates. A plurality of linear cathodes and anodes, each of which is formed substantially parallel to each other and covered with an insulator, and a flat plate formed so as to be covered with the insulator on one of the two flat plates and always grounded. A third electrode, wherein the third electrode is arranged at a position farther from the inner surface of the container than the plurality of linear cathodes and anodes. It should be noted that the cathode and the anode mean that the potentials can be independently controlled, and the cathodes and the anodes are not limited to the same potential and the bipolar electrodes whose polarities change with time.

As a result, it is possible to obtain a gas discharge lamp which emits light in all areas between a plurality of linear cathodes and anodes and has a low cost and a simple structure, but which has a high emission uniformity and emits planar light.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to display information, on the back surface of a screen control device which controls transmission and non-transmission of visible light,
An information display system characterized by using the above gas discharge lamp as a light source.

As a result, an information display system having a screen control device using a surface light source with high brightness and high uniformity can be obtained.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is such that a flat discharge vessel having two opposing flat plates and one of the two flat plates are alternately and substantially on the inner plane of one of the flat plates. A plurality of linear cathodes and anodes each formed in parallel and covered with an insulator, and a flat plate formed so as to be covered with an insulator on one of the two flat plates and always grounded. And a third electrode, wherein the third electrode is arranged at a position farther from the inner surface of the container than the plurality of linear cathodes and anodes.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the gas discharge lamp according to the first aspect is characterized in that the difference between the number of linear cathodes and the number of linear anodes is one. Good to do.

Here, as in the invention described in claim 3,
A plurality of linear cathodes and anodes and a third electrode face each other 2
It is preferable that the gas discharge lamp according to claim 1 or 2 is formed on the same flat plate side of the two flat plates.

Alternatively, as in the invention described in claim 4, the plurality of linear cathodes and anodes and the third electrode are formed on different flat plate sides of two facing flat plates. The gas discharge lamp according to claim 1 or 2 is suitable.

Further, as in the invention described in claim 5, in the plurality of linear cathodes and anodes, the distance between each cathode and each anode adjacent thereto is substantially the same. The gas discharge lamp according to any one of items 1 to 4 may be used. .

Particularly, as in the invention described in claim 6, the distance between each linear cathode and the anode is 5 mm or more and 100 mm or less, and the gas discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Is preferred.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the gas discharge lamp according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the linear cathode and the anode have visible transparency. Is preferred.

Then, as in the invention described in claim 8,
The gas discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least a part of the discharge vessel is formed with a phosphor that emits visible light when excited by ultraviolet rays. It is more suitable.

Here, as in the invention described in claim 9,
The gas discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the linear cathode and the linear anode are capable of independently operating potentials.

Then, as in the invention described in claim 10,
The gas discharge lamp according to claim 9, wherein the linear cathode and the linear anode are bipolar electrodes whose polarities change with time.

According to the invention described in claim 11,
At the start of lighting, the same high potential is applied to a plurality of cathodes and anodes to generate discharge between the grounded third electrode,
After that, the gas discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is preferably equipped with a driving system for shifting to a normal discharge between the cathode and the anode.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in order to display information, a light source is provided on the back surface of a screen control device that controls transmission and non-transmission of visible light, and a light source is provided. The information display system is characterized by using the gas discharge lamp of.

The invention according to claim 13 is characterized in that a liquid crystal is used as the screen display device.
2 is the information display system described in 2.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the discharge light emission is performed only during the visible light transmission holding period of the screen display device, and the discharge light emission is stopped during the other periods. Alternatively, the information display system described in 13 is suitable.

Alternatively, as in the invention described in claim 15, the discharge light emission is performed only in a part of the visible light transmission holding period of the screen display device, and the discharge light emission is stopped in the other period. The information display system according to claim 12 or 13 may be used.

The present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

Although the present invention does not limit the material and shape of the discharge vessel, the most realistic one at present is a flat discharge vessel made of glass. In this embodiment, a flat plate discharge vessel made of glass is used.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 and 2 are a plan view and a sectional view of a discharge vessel showing an electrode arrangement of a gas discharge lamp according to the present embodiment, which are the most basic concept of the present invention. The configuration of a plurality of linear cathodes and anodes is shown.
In FIG. 1, 1 is a back plate, and 2 and 3 are linear cathodes and linear anodes, respectively. These linear electrodes are covered with an insulator and are not exposed in the discharge space inside the container. Adjacent electrodes are arranged at substantially equal intervals. Reference numeral 4 is a grounded third electrode, which is arranged on the same substrate side as the other electrodes, at a position farther from the inner surface of the discharge vessel. Reference numeral 5 is a phosphor, and 6 is a sealed gas.

Regarding the linear electrodes, the case of 5 cathodes-4 anodes is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but it is naturally not limited to this, and in the case of a larger number, the number of cathodes and anodes is larger. The number may be the same. However, it is preferable to set the number of cathodes and the number of anodes to different values because stable operation is possible. That is, when the number of linear cathodes is m and the number of linear anodes is n, it is preferable that the difference between m and n is different by one, that is, m−n = ± 1.

Further, the cathode and the anode mean that the potentials can be independently controlled, and they are not limited to the same potential and the bipolar electrodes whose polarities change with time.

Regarding the material of the linear electrode, various metals such as Ag, Ni and Al, and ITO which is a transparent conductor were tried, but in any case, the present invention is not limited and effective. However, when aiming for a uniform light source of visible light, IT is used for the linear electrode material.
It is more preferable to use O. Regarding the width and thickness of the linear electrode, it is preferable that the width is as thin as possible, but if the width is thin, the electric resistance becomes high, and sufficient luminance cannot be obtained during discharge,
Problems such as occur.

Moreover, it is difficult to limit the numerical value because the type and pressure of gas and the properties of the dielectric covering the electrode are also related, but within the range of the implementation, metal or IT is used for the electrode.
When O is used, the width is 0.1 mm to 5 mm and the thickness is 0.1.
About 10 μm to 10 μm was available. Further, the width and the thickness of each linear electrode are not limited to be the same. For example, when the width of each of the two ends of the linear cathode in the present embodiment is set to about 50% of that of the others, it is more suitable for uniforming the overall brightness.

Next, regarding the distance between the adjacent linear electrodes, it is preferable that the distance is large in order to realize high luminous efficiency. However, it becomes difficult to discharge and emit light with all the linear electrodes, which is a basic function. in addition,
Achieving high brightness also becomes difficult. A distance between the electrodes of 5 mm to 100 mm was available in the range of execution.

Regarding the gas to be enclosed, 100% Xe,
Xe30% -Ar70%, Ne90% -Ar10%, Xe100%
+ Hg, Xe30% -Ar70% + Hg, Ne90% -Ar10%
It carried out about 6 kinds of + Hg. As an example, the above six types were carried out, but there is no particular limitation on the type of gas as long as it contains at least a rare gas. The usable gas pressure range was about 10 torr to 200 torr.

Next, regarding the distance between the substrate on which the linear electrodes are formed and the other substrate, that is, the internal height of the discharge vessel, at least 1 mm is required. It was not possible to emit light. Further, considering the brightness of the discharge lamp, the usable range was about 10 mm or less.

With the above structure, by applying a voltage having an appropriate driving waveform between the electrodes through the common cathode and the common anode, discharge and light emission are generated between all the linear electrodes, that is, a uniform light emitting source is obtained. Could be realized. As for the drive waveform, a pulsed or distorted sine wave was used.
It is not limited to this.

Further, when the non-lighted state is changed to the lighted state, the same high voltage is applied to the linear cathode and the anode when the voltage is applied in order to generate the discharge between all the linear electrodes simultaneously with the voltage application. It is preferable to apply a different voltage between the linear cathode and the anode after generating a charged particle in the discharge container by causing a discharge between the third electrode and the third electrode which is grounded.

(Embodiment 2) FIGS. 3 to 5 are sectional views of a discharge vessel showing an electrode structure different from that of (Embodiment 1). That is, in FIG. 3, the cathode and the anode are formed on the front plate side and the third electrode is formed on the back plate side, and in FIG. 4, the cathode and the anode are formed on the back plate side and the third electrode is formed on the front plate side. In this case, FIG. 5 shows the case where the cathode and the anode and the third electrode are both formed on the front plate side. In any case, it is possible to realize a uniform and stable surface light emitting source by discharging and emitting light between all cathodes and anodes, which is the object of the present invention.

However, when the third electrode in FIGS. 4 and 5 is on the front plate side, it is necessary to form this electrode with a material having a high transmittance for visible light in order to take out the emitted light to the outside. In this embodiment, ITO is used and good results are obtained.

Also in the case where the cathode and the anode are arranged on the front plate side, the so-called transparent electrode is preferable for the same reason as described above, but it is not necessarily limited to this.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a case where the gas discharge lamp of the present invention is used as a back light source of a transmissive liquid crystal display will be described. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The gas discharge lamp of the present invention, which can realize a surface light source with high brightness and high light emission uniformity, is suitable as a back light source of a liquid crystal display.

ON of each pixel in the liquid crystal display
The liquid crystal serving as an OFF switch changes its state about every 16.7 ms in order to display moving image information.
However, since the liquid crystal itself cannot react sharply,
In the case of a moving image, it is generally an unclear image with a tail.

Therefore, the liquid crystal is in a certain state of 16.7 m.
A liquid crystal information display system in which the gas discharge lamp is turned on for a specific time Xms (X is a positive real number of 16.7 ms or less) in s and the discharge is stopped for the remaining (16-X) ms. did. This is because the gas discharge lamp of the present invention has a shorter electrode distance than that of the conventional cold cathode straight tube lamp used for the back light source, and thus such rapid blinking is possible.

Specifically, when X = 5 to 15 ms was set and the liquid crystal information display system was implemented, it was 500 cd / m.
We were able to achieve both a sufficient brightness of ² and a very crisp image. The gas discharge lamp performance is X =
Although it was possible for about 1 ms, if the lighting period was shortened to this point, the brightness of the information display screen was insufficient.

As described above, the gas discharge lamp of the present invention is
An information display system, which is a better liquid crystal display, can be used by using a screen display device such as liquid crystal for discharge light emission only in a part of the visible light transmission holding period and stopping discharge light emission in other periods. realizable.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a gas discharge lamp having a plurality of linear electrodes covered with a dielectric, it is possible to cause discharge and light emission between all electrodes, resulting in a complicated structure. It is possible to realize uniform planar light emission without providing a uniform light emission uniforming function. That is, an advantageous effect that a gas discharge lamp with high light emission uniformity and an information display system using the same can be provided by an inexpensive and simple configuration without sacrificing high brightness and high light emission efficiency is obtained. To be

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a discharge container showing an electrode arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a discharge vessel showing an electrode arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a discharge vessel showing an electrode arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a discharge vessel showing an electrode arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a discharge vessel showing an electrode arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 substrate 2 linear cathode 3 linear anode 4 Third electrode 5 phosphor 6 enclosed gas

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hiroko Imamura             1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric             Sangyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Jun Kuwata             1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric             Sangyo Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2H091 FA41Z FB07 FD06 FD12                       FD22 LA03 LA12 LA13 LA18

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A flat discharge vessel having two flat plates facing each other, and a plurality of wires formed alternately and substantially parallel to each other on an inner plane of one of the two flat plates and covered with an insulator. -Shaped cathode and anode, and a third electrode which is formed in a planar shape on one of the two flat plates so as to be covered with an insulator and is always grounded, wherein the third electrode is A gas discharge lamp arranged at a position farther from the inner surface of the container than the plurality of linear cathodes and anodes. 2. The gas discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the difference between the number of linear cathodes and the number of linear anodes is one. 3. The gas discharge according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of linear cathodes and anodes and a third electrode are formed on the same flat plate side of the two flat plates facing each other. lamp. 4. The gas discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of linear cathodes and anodes and the third electrode are formed on different flat plate sides of the two flat plates facing each other. . 5. The gas discharge according to claim 1, wherein in the plurality of linear cathodes and anodes, the distance between each cathode and each anode adjacent thereto is substantially the same. lamp. 6. The distance between each linear cathode and the anode is not less than 5 mm and not more than 100 mm.
A gas discharge lamp according to any one of 1. 7. The gas discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the linear cathode and the anode have visible transparency. 8. The gas discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein a phosphor that emits visible light when excited by ultraviolet rays is formed at least partially on the inner surface of the discharge vessel. . 9. The gas discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the linear cathode and the linear anode are capable of operating potentials independently of each other. 10. The gas discharge lamp according to claim 9, wherein the linear cathode and the linear anode are bipolar electrodes whose polarities change with time. 11. At the start of lighting, the same high potential is applied to a plurality of cathodes and anodes to generate a discharge with a third electrode that is grounded, and then shift to a normal discharge between the cathode and the anode. The gas discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a driving system for driving the gas discharge lamp. 12. Visible light transmission for displaying information,
An information display system, characterized in that the gas discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is used as a light source on the back of a screen control device that controls non-transmission. 13. The information display system according to claim 12, wherein a liquid crystal is used as the screen display device. 14. The information display system according to claim 12, wherein the discharge light emission is performed only during the visible light transmission holding period of the screen display device, and the discharge light emission is stopped during the other periods. 15. The information according to claim 12, wherein the discharge light emission is performed only in a part of the visible light transmission holding period of the screen display device, and the discharge light emission is stopped in the other period. Display system.