JP2006196322A - Circular fluorescent lamp and lighting fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a circular fluorescent lamp and a lighting fixture of a structure in which a non-luminous part of the lamp is not conspicuous. <P>SOLUTION: The circular fluorescent lamp is provided with a circular luminous tube 1 with both end parts 2 bent and folded in the same direction, a cap 3 covering the both end parts 2 of the bent and folded luminous tube, and electrodes 6, 7 arranged outside the cap 3 and inside the circular luminous tube 1 adjacent to the both end parts 2. The luminous tube end parts 2 can be formed by bending around 90° against the circle plane of the circular luminous tube 1, or can be formed by bending around 90°on the same plane as the circle plane of the circular luminous tube. A distance of a space part between the luminous tube end parts is preferred to be 0 to 15 mm. By providing such a circular fluorescent lamp, a lighting fixture enabling illumination by a lamp with little light and shade can be obtained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp and a lighting fixture, and more particularly to a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp and a lighting fixture in which a non-light emitting portion is inconspicuous.

  The ring-shaped fluorescent lamp has electrodes at both ends of the arc tube bent in an annular shape, and has a structure in which lead wires coming out from the end portions of the arc tubes are connected to pins provided on the base. The base has a cylindrical structure larger than the outer diameter of the arc tube, and is connected and fixed to both ends of the arc tube, and the lamp appearance has a continuous annular shape.

  In addition to the presence of lead wires introduced into the arc tube at the end of the arc tube where the electrodes are provided, there remains an exhaust tube used to bring the arc tube close to a vacuum. Further, the arc tube end portion is in a state where the phosphor is neatly peeled in order to evacuate the arc tube to a state close to vacuum and to maintain the state.

In recent years, in addition to the conventional annular fluorescent lamps with an outer diameter of 29 mm, double-ring fluorescent lamps with an outer diameter of 20 mm and 16 mm annular fluorescent lamps corresponding to energy saving and resource saving have become widespread. The brightness of the tube surface is also high. Such a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp having a small diameter is described in Patent Document 1, for example.
JP-A-11-3682

  As described above, the surface brightness of the arc tube is increased by reducing the outer diameter of the arc tube. However, as the luminance is increased, the darkness of the non-light emitting portion due to the base component becomes conspicuous. The non-light emitting part is affected by the base component, but the darkness is solved even if the base part is changed to a transparent material because there is a distance from the end of the arc tube where the electrode of the arc tube is sealed. Can not. Furthermore, as the outer diameter of the arc tube becomes smaller, the annular fluorescent lamp becomes compact and thin, the lighting fixture is also thin, and the ceiling direct mounting structure has become mainstream. The ceiling-mounted fixture has a structure that covers the lamp with a white plastic material, and when the lamp is seen through the plastic material, the darkness of the non-light emitting part of the base part can be clearly seen, and the circular fluorescent lamp circle There is room for improvement in aesthetics because of the lack of a part of the circumference.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an annular fluorescent lamp and a lighting fixture having a structure in which a non-light emitting portion of the lamp is not conspicuous.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned object, the present inventor reduced the distance between the ends of the arc tube in which the electrodes are sealed, and does not have a structure in which the base component covers the entire outer diameter of the arc tube. The structure of a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp and a base that can be attached to a part of the outer periphery of the base was examined. The reason why the arc tube end could not be shortened is that the exhaust pipe remaining around the arc tube end protrudes from the end face, and the end face where the exhaust pipe remains contacts the other end face. It is. Therefore, in the present invention, the distance is shortened by adopting a structure in which the end face where the exhaust pipe remains is not in contact with the other end face. Specifically, the exhaust pipe is provided at a position removed from the circumference of the arc tube bent in an annular shape. Furthermore, the material of the base is generally a synthetic resin such as plastic, and the temperature in the vicinity of the electrode becomes high during lamp operation. Therefore, in order to prevent deterioration of the resin, such as discoloration and deformation, the electrode is outside the base. It was arranged in the ring-shaped arc tube, and the electrode did not enter the base.

  That is, the object is to form an annular arc tube whose both ends are bent in the same direction, a base that covers both ends of the bent arc tube, and an outer side of the base that is adjacent to both ends of the arc tube. This is achieved by an annular fluorescent lamp provided with electrodes respectively disposed in the annular arc tube.

The arc tube end may be formed by bending about 90 degrees with respect to the ring plane of the ring-shaped arc tube, or bending about 90 degrees on the same plane as the ring plane of the ring-shaped arc tube. Moreover, it is preferable that the distance of the space part between the said arc tube edge parts shall be 0-15 mm.
Furthermore, a lighting fixture according to the present invention includes the above-described annular fluorescent lamp and a lighting circuit for lighting the annular fluorescent lamp.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an annular fluorescent lamp and a lighting fixture having a structure in which a non-light emitting portion of the lamp is not conspicuous. That is, by providing the exhaust pipe at the end of the arc tube at a position other than the circumference of the ring, the distance of the space where the arc tube is discontinuous can be shortened, and a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp with less brightness and darkness is provided. be able to.

  Embodiments of a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp and a lighting apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. All reference numerals described in the figure are common numerals. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is an arc tube, 2 is an end of an arc tube for sealing an electrode, 3 is a base, 4 is a base pin, 5 is a lead wire, 6 and 7 are electrodes (filament electrodes), 8 Is a space where the ring circumference of the arc tube 1 is discontinuous, 10 is a lighting fixture, 11 is a fixture body, 12 is a lighting circuit for lighting a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp, 13 is a mounting member, and 14 is a resin transparent It is a light cover.

  1A and 1B are diagrams showing an embodiment of an annular fluorescent lamp according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a side view. 2A and 2B are views showing a state in which the base is removed from the annular fluorescent lamp of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2A is a plan view and FIG. 2B is a side view. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the arc tube 1 is curved in an annular shape, and both ends thereof are bent outside the circumference of the arc tube 1 to form arc tube end portions 2 for sealing the electrodes. Form. In this embodiment, the arc tube end 2 is bent about 90 degrees with respect to the ring plane of the arc tube 1. In this way, the arc tube end portion 2 for sealing the electrode has a structure that does not exist on the circumference of the arc tube 1. On the other hand, the electrodes 6 and 7 are arranged not in the arc tube end 2 but in the annular arc tube 1 outside the base 3 and adjacent to each arc tube end 2. As a result, the base 3 can be placed at a distance from the vicinity of the electrode where the temperature becomes high during lamp lighting, and even when the base 3 is made of synthetic resin, deterioration such as discoloration and deformation can be prevented.

  The annular fluorescent lamp having the structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 was manufactured by the following method. First, the inner surface of a straight glass tube is washed and dried, and then a protective film and a phosphor are applied and dried by a known method. Thereafter, the binder contained in the protective film and the phosphor layer is baked by a known method. The phosphor adhering to the end portion 2 of the fired glass tube is wiped off by a known method, and the electrodes 6 and 7 connected to the lead wire 5 prepared in advance by a known method are sealed at both end portions 2. Stop. The peripheral portion where the electrode is provided is processed at one end 2 where the electrode 6 is sealed, and is bent about 90 degrees. Similarly, the other end 2 that seals the electrode 7 is bent by about 90 degrees in the same direction. Thereafter, the entire glass tube is heated and processed into an annular shape so that the bent tube end 2 is positioned in a direction of about 90 degrees with respect to the ring plane. At this time, the distance between the bent tube end portions 2, that is, the space portion 8 where the ring circumference is discontinuous is set to 10 mm in this example. Thereafter, activation of the electrode, exhaust in the glass tube, enclosure with a rare gas, and enclosure with mercury are performed by a known method, and the arc tube 1 is produced. A base 3 having a base pin 4 is attached to the arc tube 1. The base 3 and the arc tube 1 may be bonded with either a silicone adhesive or a cement adhesive. In addition, in the space part 8, in order to hold stably between the pipe end parts 2, the buffer member which is not illustrated can be provided.

  When the annular fluorescent lamp according to this example was turned on using a lighting device, the darkness of the non-light emitting part in the discontinuous 10 mm space 8 was not noticeable and there was almost no sense of incongruity. In addition, the lamp seen through the plastic material was similarly uncomfortable.

  3A and 3B are views showing another embodiment of the annular fluorescent lamp according to the present invention, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view and FIG. 3B is a side view. 4A and 4B are views showing a state where the base is removed from the annular fluorescent lamp of FIG. 3, wherein FIG. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a side view. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the arc tube 1 is curved in a ring shape, and both end portions thereof are bent outside the circumference of the arc tube 1, and arc tube end portions 2 for sealing the electrodes are formed. Form. In this embodiment, the arc tube end 2 is bent about 90 degrees in the same plane as the ring plane of the arc tube 1. In this case, as viewed from the side, the lamp thickness can be made as thin as the outer diameter of the arc tube. Although the direction of the arc tube end portion 2 is directed to the outside of the ring in this embodiment, it can be directed to the inside of the ring. In this way, the arc tube end portion 2 for sealing the electrode has a structure that does not exist on the circumference of the arc tube 1. On the other hand, the electrodes 6 and 7 are arranged not in the arc tube end 2 but in the annular arc tube 1 outside the base 3 and adjacent to each arc tube end 2. As a result, the base 3 can be placed at a distance from the vicinity of the electrode where the temperature becomes high during lamp lighting, and even when the base 3 is made of synthetic resin, deterioration such as discoloration and deformation can be prevented.

  The annular fluorescent lamp having the structure shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that when the glass tube was processed into an annular shape, the direction of the bent tube end was different. The distance between the bent tube ends, that is, the space 8 where the ring circumference is discontinuous was also set to 10 mm in this example.

  When the annular fluorescent lamp according to this example was turned on using a lighting device, the darkness of the non-light emitting part in the discontinuous 10 mm space 8 was not noticeable and there was almost no sense of incongruity. In addition, the lamp seen through the plastic material was similarly uncomfortable.

  In the first and second embodiments, the distance between the bent tube end portions 2, that is, the space portion 8 where the ring circumference is discontinuous is set to 10 mm. A similar annular fluorescent lamp is manufactured by increasing this distance by 1 mm. The light was turned on, and the darkness of the non-light emitting part was examined. As a result, there was no problem when the distance of the space 8 was up to 15 mm. However, when the distance of the space 8 was 16 mm, the non-light emitting portion became dark and uncomfortable. I began to feel dark. The discomfort increased when the distance of the space 8 was 17 mm or more. Therefore, it is preferable that the distance of the space 8 where the ring circumference is discontinuous is 15 mm or less. The distance of the space portion 8 may be 0 mm, but it is more preferable to provide some distance, for example, a distance of about 1 mm, in order to avoid interference between both electrodes.

  FIG. 5 is a side view showing an embodiment of a lighting fixture provided with an annular fluorescent lamp according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the lighting fixture directly attached to the ceiling will be described as an example. However, the lighting fixture is not limited to this, and can be applied to a hanging lighting fixture and other lighting fixtures. In the present embodiment, the annular fluorescent lamp 1 of the first embodiment is used. As illustrated, the lighting fixture 10 includes an annular fluorescent lamp 1, an appliance main body 11, and a lighting circuit 12 for lighting the annular fluorescent lamp 1. The annular fluorescent lamp 1 is connected to the lighting circuit 12 by a cap pin of the cap 3. The annular fluorescent lamp 1 is attached to the instrument body 11 by a plurality of attachment members 13 and is covered with a translucent cover 14 made of resin.

  According to the present invention, since the base 3 is disposed outside the ring-shaped arc tube 1, the ring-shaped fluorescent lamp having a substantially uniform brightness without the darkness of the non-light-emitting portion that has conventionally occurred in the base part is provided. Lighting equipment can be provided.

  As described above, the annular fluorescent lamp of the present invention includes an annular arc tube 1 whose both ends 2 are bent in the same direction, a base 3 that covers both ends of the bent arc tube 2, and the base 3. The electrodes 6 and 7 are respectively disposed in the annular arc tube 1 that is outside and adjacent to both arc tube end portions 2, so that the darkness of the non-light emitting portion of the lamp is inconspicuous. An annular fluorescent lamp can be obtained. The distance of the space portion 8 between the arc tube end portions 2 is preferably 0 to 15 mm, and more preferably 1 mm to 15 mm. As the fluorescent lamps become thinner and the appliances become thinner, the darkness of the base is conspicuous in the conventional products. However, according to the lighting fixture equipped with the annular fluorescent lamp of the present invention, the light emitting part and the non-light emitting part Since the difference in luminance is eliminated, illumination with a lamp with less brightness is possible, which is advantageous in terms of aesthetics.

  The present invention relates to a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp and a lighting fixture, and particularly relates to a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp and a lighting fixture in which a non-light emitting portion is inconspicuous, and has industrial applicability.

It is a figure which shows one Example of the ring-shaped fluorescent lamp which concerns on this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. It is a figure which shows the state which removed the nozzle | cap | die from the annular fluorescent lamp of FIG. 1, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the ring-shaped fluorescent lamp which concerns on this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. It is a figure which shows the state which removed the nozzle | cap | die from the annular fluorescent lamp of FIG. 3, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. It is a side view which shows one Example of the lighting fixture provided with the ring-shaped fluorescent lamp which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light emission tube 2 Light emission tube edge part 3 Base 4 Cap pin 5 Lead wire 6, 7 Electrode 8 Space part where ring circumference of arc tube is discontinuous

Claims (5)

  An annular arc tube with both ends bent in the same direction, a base covering the ends of both bent arc tubes, and an inside of the annular arc tube adjacent to the ends of the arc tube outside the base An annular fluorescent lamp comprising an electrode disposed on each of the electrodes.   2. The annular fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein an end of the arc tube is bent about 90 degrees with respect to an annular plane of the annular arc tube.   2. The annular fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the arc tube end portion is bent at about 90 degrees in the same plane as the ring plane of the annular arc tube.   The ring-shaped fluorescent lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the distance between the end portions of the arc tube is 0 to 15 mm.   An illumination fixture comprising: the annular fluorescent lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and a lighting circuit for lighting the annular fluorescent lamp.

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