JP2005108701A - Glow starter and illumination fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a glow starter in which starting characteristics under a dark place condition are improved by shortening a needed time for lighting without arranging a special initial electron emitting means in a discharge vessel 1, and which stably operates during a rated life. <P>SOLUTION: This glow starter comprises a discharge vessel 1, a pair of electrodes 2, 3 sealed in the discharge vessel 1, a discharge medium encapsuled in the discharge vessel 1, and an EL element 8 that can emit by a voltage applied between the pair of the electrodes 2, 3 and arranged at a position where emitted light by this emission is able to reach the discharge vessel 1. The EL element 8 emits the light by the voltage applied between the pair of the electrodes 2, 3, and the emitted light by this light emission reaches inside the discharge vessel 1 and light electrons are emitted, and discharge starts between the pair of the electrodes 2, 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a glow starter for starting a fluorescent lamp or the like and a lighting apparatus using the same.

  A glow starter has been widely used for starting a discharge lamp such as a fluorescent lamp. Since the glow starter tends to require a long lighting time in a dark place, it needs to be improved. In the case of a glow starter, the lighting required time is the sum of a discharge delay time, a glow discharge duration, a closing time, and a pulse generation time. The reason why the required lighting time is long in a dark place is that the discharge delay time becomes long because the supply of initial electrons is insufficient.

Therefore, conventionally, the discharge delay time is improved by means using a radioisotope such as ¹⁴⁷ Pm, ⁸⁵ Kr, and ³ H. However, when radioactive materials are used, there is a problem that facilities that satisfy radiation safety standards for manufacturing and handling and strict management for safe handling are required even if the amount is small.

  For this reason, a means not using a radioisotope is being sought. For example, there is known a technique for improving discharge delay time by supplying initial electrons by photoelectron emission by making afterglow incident on an electrode surface portion in a dark place using a phosphor exhibiting long afterglow properties ( Patent Document 1).

Further, a technique is known in which zinc, which is a metal having a low work function, is deposited on an electrode with a predetermined film thickness as an electrode activator to improve the discharge delay time (see Patent Documents 2 and 3).
JP-A-10-255724 JP 54-64873 A JP 2003-51391 A

  The prior art of Patent Document 1 requires that the cover body used in the glow starter is translucent and cannot be applied to a glow star having a cover body made of a non-translucent material such as aluminum or ceramics. .

  The conventional techniques described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 exhibit a predetermined effect in improving the discharge delay time because even the glow starter having a cover made of a non-translucent material emits initial electrons from zinc. However, the zinc film is scattered due to the influence of spatter associated with glow discharge and the initial electron emission function is impaired, and it is difficult to satisfy the rated life as a glow starter unless the film is specially processed. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and without disposing a special initial electron emission means in the discharge vessel, shortening the lighting time and improving the starting characteristics under dark conditions, An object of the present invention is to provide a glow starter that stably operates during the rated life and a lighting fixture using the same.

  The glow starter according to claim 1 is capable of emitting light by a discharge vessel; a pair of electrodes sealed in the discharge vessel; a discharge medium sealed in the discharge vessel; and a voltage applied between the pair of electrodes. And an EL element disposed at a position where the emitted light by the light emission can reach the inside of the discharge vessel.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the glow starter according to the first aspect, the EL element is a planar body and is arranged in a state of being bent in a shape along the outer surface of the discharge vessel.

  The glow starter according to claim 3 includes: a discharge vessel; a pair of electrodes sealed in the discharge vessel; a discharge medium sealed in the discharge vessel; a lead wire connected to each of the pair of electrodes; Connected to each of the pair of lead wires at the outer position, formed of a curable resin containing a fluorescent material and a dielectric, and capable of emitting light by a voltage applied between the pair of electrodes. And a light-emitting body deposited at a position where light can reach the inside of the discharge vessel.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the glow starter according to the third aspect, the light emitter is supported by a pair of lead wires.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the glow starter according to the third aspect, characterized in that the light emitter is deposited in a planar shape on the inner surface of the cover of the glow star.

  A lighting fixture according to claim 6 comprises: a lighting fixture main body; a glow starter according to any one of claims 1 to 5 provided in the lighting fixture main body; and a fluorescent lamp provided in the lighting fixture main body. It is characterized by that.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the EL element emits light by the voltage applied between the pair of electrodes, the emitted light from the light emission reaches the inside of the discharge container, the photoelectrons are emitted, and a discharge is generated between the pair of electrodes. Since it is started, it does not have special initial electron emission means in the discharge vessel, shortens the time required for lighting and improves the starting characteristics under dark conditions, and operates stably during the rated life. .

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the EL element is a planar body and is bent in a shape along the outer surface of the discharge vessel, the EL element can be easily disposed in the cover body of the glow starter. it can.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the fluorescent material in the luminous body emits light by the voltage applied between the pair of electrodes, and the radiated light due to the light emission reaches the inside of the discharge container, and the photoelectrons are emitted, and the gap between the pair of electrodes. Discharge starts, so there is no special initial electron emission means in the discharge vessel, shortening the time required for lighting and improving the starting characteristics under dark conditions, and the re-operation voltage during the lifetime Stable operation over the lifetime is suppressed.

  According to the invention of claim 4, since the light emitter is supported by the pair of lead wires, the light emitter can be disposed in the cover body of the glow starter without providing a special support member.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the light emitter can be disposed in the cover body without providing a special support member by forming the light emitter on the inner surface of the cover body of the Gloucester in a planar shape.

  According to invention of Claim 6, the lighting fixture provided with the glow starter as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 5 can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing a glow starter as a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the discharge vessel of the glow starter of FIG. 1 as viewed from the side opposite to FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a top view of the discharge vessel of FIG.

  This embodiment is a P-type glow starter. In each figure, 1 is a discharge vessel, 2 is a fixed electrode, 3 is a movable electrode, 5 is a case body, 6 and 6 are P21 type pin caps, 7 and 7 are connected to the fixed electrode 2 and the movable electrode 3, respectively. Lead wire. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a noise prevention capacitor connected between the lead wires 7 is accommodated in the case 5.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a sheet-like EL element, which is disposed in the cover body 1 in a state of being bent in a shape along the outer peripheral surface of the discharge vessel 1. A pair of lead wires 8 a and 8 a are led out from the end of the EL element 8 on the base 6 side, and are connected to the lead wires 7 and 7 of the discharge vessel 1, respectively. The EL element 8 is configured such that when a voltage is applied between the pair of lead wires 8a, 8a, the surface on the discharge vessel 1 side emits light, and the emitted light by the emitted light is discharged into the discharge space in the discharge vessel 1. 1d, in particular, is arranged to reach the fixed electrode 2 and the movable electrode 3.

  The discharge vessel 1 is made of soft glass and includes a glass bulb 1a, a stem portion 1b, and an exhaust tip-off portion 1c, and a discharge space 1d is formed therein. The stem portion 1b is integrated with the glass bulb by sealing the flare stem to the opening end of the glass bulb 1a. The exhaust tip-off portion 1c is formed when the discharge vessel 1 is sealed by tip-off the exhaust pipe formed at the other end of the glass bulb 1a.

  Inside the discharge vessel 1, a mixed gas obtained by mixing neon and a gas composed of at least one of krypton and xenon as a discharge medium is sealed at a pressure of 4000 Pa. The partial pressure ratio of the gas consisting of at least one of krypton, xenon and argon is 2 to 60%, preferably 5 to 60%, optimally depending on the relationship between the discharge start voltage, the reactivation voltage and the total pressure of the sealed gas. It is set within a range of 5 to 20%.

  The fixed electrode 2 and the movable electrode 3 are assembled in advance as an electrode mount on the stem portion 1b. The fixed electrode 2 and the movable electrode 3 are sealed in the discharge vessel 1 by sealing the stem portion 1b to the opening end of the glass bulb 1a. Lead wires 7 connected to the fixed electrode 2 and the movable electrode 3 and sealed by the stem portion 1b are led out of the discharge vessel 1 from the stem portion 1b. Lead wires 7, 7 led out from the stem portion 1b are connected to pin caps 6, 6, respectively.

  The fixed electrode 2 is made of a rod-shaped metal, the base end is sealed to the stem portion 1b, and the movable electrode 3 is made of a rod-shaped metal 3a and a bimetal 3b. The rod-shaped metal 3 a is longer than the fixed electrode 2, and its base end is disposed at a position facing the fixed electrode 2. Further, the bimetal 3b is bent in a U-shape, one end is welded to the distal end side of the bar-shaped metal 3a, and the base end side is in contact with and locked to the bar-shaped metal 3a in the cooled state. .

  An electrode activator having a thickness of 1.0 to 20 μm may be formed on the surface of the bimetal 3b. Examples of the electrode activator include, but are not limited to, a zinc-nickel alloy composed of 90% by mass of zinc and 10% by mass of nickel.

Further, instead of the electrode activator, a phosphor such as Zn ₂ SiO ₄ : Mn or ZnS: Ag may be deposited on the surface of the electrodes 2 and 3 or the surface between the electrodes 2 and 3 of the stem portion 1c. Since the phosphor thus deposited emits light slightly when a predetermined electric field or potential is generated, it is possible to generate a discharge in the glow starter by utilizing this light emission.

  The case body 5 is a means for surrounding the periphery of the discharge vessel in order to mechanically protect the glow starter. The case body 5 can be formed using a material having a required mechanical strength such as metal, synthetic resin, or ceramics. In the present embodiment, a polycarbonate resin made by adding an appropriate amount of titanium oxide fine particles to have an appropriate light diffusion property is molded into a bottomed cylindrical shape. On the outer peripheral surface of the case body 5, a non-slip ridge may be formed so as to be easily picked.

  The cap pins 6 and 6 are attached so as to protrude from both sides of the insulating substrate 9, and lead wires 7 and 7 are connected to the inner surface side of the insulating substrate 9. The insulating substrate 8 is engaged and fixed to the opening end of the case body 5, and the opening end of the case body 5 is closed by the insulating substrate 8. The base pins 6 and 6 may be screw bases such as E17 type depending on the rating of the compatible fluorescent lamp.

  The EL element 8 is a flexible planar light-emitting body having a height of 25 mm, a width of 15 mm, and a thickness of 0.1 mm, and uses the model name “ELG” of Toshiba Corporation. The EL element 8 emits blue-green light when a voltage of 100 V or more is applied through the pair of lead wires 8a and 8a. In this embodiment, the EL element 8 is disposed so as to be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the discharge vessel 1, but the EL element 8 may be disposed in the cover body 1 apart from the discharge vessel 1, For example, it may be disposed close to the inner peripheral surface and the upper surface of one cover, or may be disposed in the internal space of the stem portion 1c. Further, it is not essential that the EL element 8 is disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the discharge vessel 1. If the EL element 8 can be disposed in the cover body 1, even if it has a desired shape such as a flat shape or a rod shape. Good. That is, as long as the emitted light from the light emission of the EL element 8 can reach the discharge space 1d in the discharge vessel 1, the shape and the arrangement position of the EL element 8 are not limited.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the power is turned on to turn on the fluorescent lamp, a voltage is applied between the pair of electrodes 2 and 3 through a lighting circuit in which a choke coil and a filament electrode are connected in series. Since this voltage is also applied to the EL element 8 via the lead wires 8a and 8a, the EL element 8 emits light. Due to the light emitted from the EL element 8, the emitted light from the EL element 8 reaches the discharge space 1d in the discharge vessel 1, and photoelectrons are emitted from the surface of the electrode when mainly irradiated between the pair of electrodes 2 and 3. The For this reason, discharge is easily formed between the pair of electrodes 2 and 3 even under dark conditions. When a discharge is formed between the pair of electrodes 2 and 3, the bimetal 3b is short-circuited by the operation of the bimetal 3b, and then the bimetal 3b is released when the temperature of the bimetal 3b decreases. 3b operates. As a result, a kick voltage is generated in the lighting circuit, and the fluorescent lamp is turned on.

  Since the glow starter of the present embodiment is provided with the EL element 8 that can be obtained at a relatively low cost, the time required for lighting can be shortened without arranging special initial electron emission means in the discharge vessel. The starting characteristics under dark conditions can be improved. Further, since the EL element 8 is disposed outside the discharge vessel 1, it can operate stably over the rated life as compared with the case where the initial electron supply source is provided inside the discharge vessel 1. Is possible.

  While the fluorescent lamp discharge path and the EL element 8 are connected in parallel during the lighting of the fluorescent lamp, the EL element 8 has a higher impedance than the fluorescent lamp discharge path. It does not emit light as before the starter discharge.

  FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view showing a glow starter as a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The glow starter of this embodiment is characterized in that a light emitter 10 that emits light by an electric field is disposed instead of the EL element 8 of the first embodiment.

The light emitting body 10 is formed of a curable resin having high insulating properties such as a silicone resin or a fluororesin, and is powdery fluorescent material made of a phosphor such as Zn ₂ SiO ₄ : Mn or ZnS: Ag before being cured. A material and a powdery dielectric made of barium titanate (BaTiO ₃ ) or the like are added to the inside of the stem portion 1b across the pair of lead wires 7 and 7.

  When the light emitter 10 contains a dielectric, the light emitter 10 acts as a dielectric. Thereby, when a voltage is applied between the pair of lead wires 8a, 8a, the electric capacity of the light emitter 10 is increased and the fluorescent material emits light. The luminous body 10 is disposed so that the emitted light from the light emitted from the fluorescent material reaches the discharge space 1 d in the discharge vessel 1, particularly the fixed electrode 2 and the movable electrode 3.

  The operational effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment except that the light emitter 10 emits light in place of the EL element 8 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway front view showing a glow starter as a third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The glow starter of this embodiment is characterized in that a light emitter 10 that emits light by an electric field is formed on the inner surface of the insulating substrate 5 in place of the EL element 8 of the first embodiment.

  The light emitter 10 is formed in layers on the inner surface side of the insulating substrate 5.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing the structure of the light emitter 10 attached to the glow starter of FIG. The light emitter 10 has a four-layer structure including a base electrode layer 10a, a dielectric layer 10b, a phosphor layer 10c, and a transparent conductor layer 10d. The light emitter 10 is laminated and formed in advance on the insulating substrate 5 before the cap pin 6 is attached by screen printing or the like. It is a thing.

The base electrode layer 10a is formed from pasty carbon fine particles. The dielectric layer 10b is formed mainly of fine particles made of barium titanate (BaTiO ₃ ) or the like. The phosphor layer 10c is formed with a film thickness of 40 to 50 μm mainly composed of phosphor powder such as Zn ₂ SiO ₄ : Mn or ZnS: Ag. The transparent conductor layer 10d is made of an ITO film having a thickness of several μm. In addition, an insulating layer 10e made of alumina or the like is formed so as to cover the region where the base electrode layer 10a and the leading edge of the transparent conductor layer 10d are close to each other.

  By forming the light emitter 10 in a layered manner on the inner surface side of the insulating substrate 5 as described above, the light emitter 10 can be easily formed, and the advantageous effect of being simultaneously connected to the cap pins 6 and 6 is achieved. Have

  In addition, the arrangement | positioning position of the light-emitting body 10 will not be restrict | limited as long as the emitted light by the light emission of the light-emitting body 10 can reach | attain the discharge space 1d in the discharge vessel 1. FIG. In addition to being attached to the pair of lead wires 7, the light emitter 10 may be formed in a planar form on the inner surface of the cover body 5, the surface of a noise prevention capacitor (not shown), or the like. In this case, it is necessary to electrically connect the light emitter 10 formed in a planar shape and the pair of lead wires 7 and 7.

  FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a fluorescent lamp pendant as an embodiment of the lighting fixture of the present invention.

  In the figure, 11 is a lighting fixture body, and 12 and 13 are glow starters. The luminaire main body 11 includes a chassis 11a, a shade 11b, fluorescent lamps 11c and 11d, a lamp holder 11e, a nightlight 11f, a ballast 11g, a changeover switch 11h, a pendant cord 11i, a cord holder 11j, a hooking ceiling cap 11k, and the like. Yes. The chassis 11a accommodates a ballast 11g and a changeover switch 11h inside, a lamp holder 11j is fixed to the peripheral edge of the side surface, and the shade 1b is supported on the upper surface. The fluorescent lamps 11c and 11d are supported by the chassis 11a through a lamp holder 11e. The nightlight 11f is exposed from the lower surface of the chassis 11a. The pendant cord 11i is led out from the upper surface of the chassis 11a via the cord holder 11j. The cord holder 11j directly enables the length of the pendant cord 11i. The hook ceiling cap 11k is connected to the tip of the pendant cord 11i, and is electrically connected to the hook ceiling body installed on the ceiling of the room and mechanically supported, whereby the luminaire main body 11 is suspended from the ceiling.

  The glow starters 12 and 13 are mounted inside the chassis fluorescent lamp 11a, have their heads exposed to the outside from the chassis 11a, and individually start the fluorescent lamps 11c and 11d.

1 is a partially cutaway front view showing a glow starter as a first embodiment of the present invention. The rear view which shows the state which looked at the discharge container of the glow starter of FIG. 1 from the opposite side to FIG. The top view of the discharge vessel of FIG. The partially notched front view which shows the glow starter as the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The partially notched front view which shows the glow starter as the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The expanded sectional view which shows the structure of the light-emitting body 10 adhered to the glow starter of FIG. The partial cross section front which shows the fluorescent lamp pendant as one Embodiment of the lighting fixture of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Discharge container, 2 ... Fixed electrode, 3 ... Movable electrode, 5 ... Cover body, 7 ... Lead wire, 8 ... EL element, 10 ... Luminescent body.

Claims (6)

A discharge vessel;
A pair of electrodes sealed in a discharge vessel;
A discharge medium enclosed in a discharge vessel;
An EL element that can emit light by a voltage applied between a pair of electrodes, and is disposed at a position where radiation emitted by the light emission can reach the inside of the discharge vessel;
A glow starter characterized by comprising: 2. The glow starter according to claim 1, wherein the EL element is a planar body and is arranged in a state of being bent in a shape along the outer surface of the discharge vessel. A discharge vessel;
A pair of electrodes sealed in a discharge vessel;
A discharge medium enclosed in a discharge vessel;
A lead wire connected to each of a pair of electrodes;
Connected to each of the pair of lead wires at a position outside the discharge vessel, is formed of a curable resin containing a fluorescent material and a dielectric, and can emit light by a voltage applied between the pair of electrodes. A luminescent material deposited in a position where the emitted light from can reach the discharge vessel;
A glow starter characterized by comprising: 4. The glow starter according to claim 3, wherein the light emitter is supported by a pair of lead wires. 4. The glow starter according to claim 3, wherein the light emitter is formed in a planar form on the inner surface of the cover body of the glow star. A lighting fixture body;
A glow starter according to any one of claims 1 to 5 disposed in a luminaire body;
A fluorescent lamp disposed in the luminaire body;
The lighting fixture characterized by comprising.

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