JP2007184207A - State judging method of discharge lamp, lighting device for discharge lamp, and illumination device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a state judging method of a discharge lamp which is little restricted by the types of filament and which is easy to measure. <P>SOLUTION: The discharge lamp 8 is glow-discharged and a lamp voltage value is detected at that time. Then, deterioration state of the discharge lamp is judged according to this lamp voltage value. For example, when the lamp voltage value exceeds a previously set prescribed value, the discharge lamp is judged to have come to the end of life. Moreover, by informing the result by displaying it and by reducing or stopping output of a lighting device 2, inconveniences caused by the fact that discharge lamp at the terminal period of life continues lighting are prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a state determination method for determining a deterioration state of a hot cathode discharge lamp, a discharge lamp lighting device, and an illumination device.

  It is known that a hot-cathode type discharge lamp has a life when the emitter of the filament is depleted, but is lit by applying a large voltage even if the emitter is depleted or close to it. However, when such a discharge lamp is continuously lit, the filament temperature rises excessively, and the stem may melt or the arc tube may be damaged. In such a case, there is a concern that the discharge lamp may be accidentally dropped from the appliance. Further, if the discharge lamp with no emitter is continuously lit, the lighting device is overloaded and the lighting device may be damaged.

  As a solution to such a problem, there has been proposed a discharge lamp lighting device capable of determining that the discharge lamp has reached the end of its life before the above-described problem occurs. For example, the lamp voltage during lighting is monitored, and when the lamp voltage value rises to a predetermined value or more, it is determined that the end of life state is reached.

  However, such a thing has not enough judgment accuracy. That is, the lamp voltage during normal lighting (arc discharge) is cathode fall voltage + positive column voltage + anode fall voltage. For example, when a 40 W class fluorescent lamp is lit at a high frequency, the cathode fall voltage is about 10 V, positive light The column voltage is about 90 V, the anode drop voltage is about 0 V, and the level of the cathode drop voltage is small. On the other hand, the increase in the lamp voltage at the end of life is based on the increase in the cathode fall voltage due to the wear of the emitter. Therefore, the determination accuracy is not sufficient.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have been proposed as discharge lamp lighting devices including a determination unit that detects and determines characteristics other than the lamp voltage. Furthermore, a method for measuring the disappearance of the filament emitter has also been proposed (Patent Document 3).
JP 2004-221027 A JP-A-2005-243304 Japanese Patent No. 3314463

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the time until the ratio (Rh / Rc) between the cold resistance value (Rc) of the filament and the warm resistance value (Rh) after preheating reaches a predetermined value set in advance, If it is less than the preset allowable minimum time, it is determined that the end of life is reached.

  However, Patent Document 1 is not sufficient in that it is difficult to cope with various discharge lamps. In other words, the type of discharge lamp that is lit by a kind of lighting device is often not one. For example, recent fluorescent lamp lighting devices include a plurality of types of fluorescent lamps such as FL40, FLR40, and FHF32 that are to be lit. For example, even if it is set to FL40, the filament design differs depending on the manufacturer. For this reason, the ratio (Rh / Rc) between the cold resistance value (Rc) and the preheated resistance value (Rh) varies depending on the type and manufacturer of the discharge lamp. However, in the case of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to properly determine the end of life of various filaments because the specification of the filament (the relationship between the temperature resistance value Rh and the remaining amount of emitter, etc.) cannot be handled in advance. It is.

  The technique described in Patent Document 2 detects the filament life by measuring the physical quantity of the filament, specifically the heat capacity, after the discharge lamp is extinguished. However, since the thing of patent document 2 is also judged based on the heat capacity of a filament, it is difficult to adapt to filaments having different specifications.

  The technique described in Patent Document 3 measures the amount of emitter lost by calculating the energy balance of the filament. However, in Patent Document 3, only the amount of disappearance of the emitter of the filament can be measured, and the life of the filament and hence the life of the discharge lamp cannot be estimated. This is because the initial amount of emitter is unknown, and therefore the remaining amount of emitter cannot be determined even if the amount of disappearance of the emitter can be measured. Even if the initial emitter amount is measured, the measurement itself is not easy, and even if measurement is possible, the initial emitter amount differs depending on the individual filament specifications as described above. There is a problem that an initial filament that becomes a reference value must be measured for each discharge lamp.

  On the other hand, as a technique different from the determination of the life of the discharge lamp, a technique is known in which the cumulative lighting time of the discharge lamp is detected and a replacement notice is made, or a decrease in luminous flux during the life is compensated. In order to compensate for the decrease in luminous flux, it is often desirable to reduce the lamp power at the beginning of the discharge lamp and gradually increase the lamp power as the cumulative lighting time elapses so as to make the luminous flux almost constant. Are known.

  Conventionally, timer means is generally used as means for detecting the cumulative lighting time. However, in the case of using the timer means in this way, there is a problem that a timer reset is required when replacing the discharge lamp, and the actual deterioration state of the discharge lamp does not match, in addition to requiring the timer means. .

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for determining the state of a discharge lamp that is less likely to be limited by the type of filament, and therefore has a wide application range and is easy to implement.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a discharge lamp lighting device and a lighting device that are less restricted by the type of the discharge lamp and the like and can determine the deterioration state of the discharge lamp or estimate the cumulative lighting time.

  The discharge lamp state determination method according to claim 1 is characterized in that a hot cathode discharge lamp is glow-discharged and a deterioration state of the discharge lamp is determined according to a lamp voltage value at the time of glow discharge.

  A discharge lamp glows when it is discharged in a state where thermionic emission from the filament is insufficient. The cathode fall voltage value at the time of glow discharge is larger than that at the time of arc discharge. For example, a normal fluorescent lamp of 40 W class has a value of 100 V or more. Therefore, in the present invention and the following invention, the time of glow discharge means a state in which thermionic emission from the filament is small and the lamp voltage is much higher than in the arc discharge in which the same discharge current flows. In such a glow discharge state, the ratio of the cathode fall voltage to the lamp voltage is larger than that during arc discharge, and fluctuations in the cathode fall voltage are easily captured. The reason why the cathode fall voltage fluctuates is that the cathode fall voltage value is determined by the secondary electron emission coefficient (γ coefficient) of the filament, but since the emitter has a large γ coefficient, the emitter remains sufficiently in the filament. Has a small cathode fall voltage value. However, when the number of emitters decreases, tungsten or the like, which is the filament base material, has a smaller γ coefficient than that of the emitters. The present inventor found that the relationship between the discharge lamp having a filament with a worn-out emitter and the increase in lamp voltage (cathode drop voltage) is largely different due to the difference in specifications in the filament of a normal hot cathode discharge lamp. However, it was found that the lamp voltage value (the cathode fall voltage value, which is a component thereof) rises uniformly and greatly as the emitter decreases. As a result, it was confirmed that the worn state and depleted state of the filament emitter, that is, the end-of-life state of the discharge lamp can be determined according to the lamp voltage value (change in the cathode fall voltage value) regardless of the specification of the filament.

  In the invention described in claim 1 and the following invention, it is preferable that the discharge current flowing during the glow discharge of the discharge lamp is as small as possible. The reason for this is that since the cathode fall voltage during glow discharge is large, it is preferable that the cathode fall voltage is small in order to reduce power loss and reduce emitter wear. As a slight degree, it is 10 mA or less, preferably 5 mA or less in the FL40 class discharge lamp. Generally, it is good to set between about 1 / 10th to 1000th of the rated lamp current.

  The filament heating current at the time of glow discharge is basically unnecessary, but may be present as long as it does not shift to arc discharge.

  Furthermore, the measurement time for determination should be shorter for the same reason as the discharge current at the time of glow discharge. If it is less than 2 seconds, the wear of the emitter can be reduced. Considering the measurement accuracy, it is preferably between 0.3 seconds and 1.5 seconds.

  3. The discharge lamp state judging method according to claim 2, wherein the lamp voltage value when the hot cathode discharge lamp is glow-discharged with a minute discharge current is Vlg, and the lamp when arc discharge is performed with the same minute discharge current. The voltage value is Vla, and the deterioration state of the discharge lamp is determined according to the lamp voltage value (Vlg−Vla).

  The invention according to claim 2 further improves the determination accuracy. That is, although it is a lamp voltage at the time of glow discharge, this lamp voltage includes a positive column voltage. The magnitude of the positive column voltage value is somewhat dependent on the type of discharge lamp. For example, it varies depending on the discharge path length of the discharge lamp, the bulb outer diameter, the sealed gas, and the like.

  For this reason, the lamp voltage value at the time of glow discharge differs depending on the type of the discharge lamp, which may affect the state determination. Therefore, the present invention intends to eliminate or reduce the influence on the state determination due to the difference in the positive column voltage value.

  Lamp voltage = cathode drop voltage + positive column voltage + anode drop voltage. If the discharge current is the same, the positive column voltage and the anode drop voltage do not change during glow discharge or arc discharge. Therefore, by determining the deterioration state of the discharge lamp according to the lamp voltage value Vlg when glow discharge is performed and the lamp voltage value Vla when arc discharge is performed, the positive column voltage component is not involved in the determination. It is what.

  The voltage Vla at the time of arc discharge may be measured subsequent to the lamp voltage value Vlg at the time of glow discharge every time the state is determined, or a previously measured value may be stored.

  Further, the discharge current value at the time of glow discharge and that at the time of arc discharge need not be the same in a strict sense, and a discrepancy that allows a large difference between the error range and the positive column voltage value is allowed.

  A discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 3 is a variable output lighting device capable of supplying filament preheating power and lighting power to a hot cathode type discharge lamp; voltage detecting means for detecting a lamp voltage value of the discharge lamp; Control means for controlling the output of the lighting device so that the electric lamp glow discharges, and for determining the deterioration state of the discharge lamp according to the lamp voltage value from the voltage detection means at the time of glow discharge. It is characterized by comprising.

  In the invention described in claim 3 and the following invention, the definitions or technical meanings of terms are as follows. A hot-cathode discharge lamp has a preheated filament and can be used for general lighting, sterilization, decoration, etc., and has a straight tube shape, circular shape, square shape, etc. What is called a so-called compact type may be used.

  The lighting device may be an iron / copper type or an electronic type, but an electronic type is advantageous in that the output can be easily changed. Various circuit systems can be adopted even with an electronic system. For example, an inverter type system including a switching device that switches at a high frequency and a resonance circuit has a switching frequency, a switching on-duty, or an input direct current. The output value can be easily changed by means such as changing the voltage value. However, the present invention is not limited to the inverter type, and the above-described iron / copper type or other types may be used as long as the output can be changed as defined by the present invention.

  The control means may be anything as long as it can control the output of the lighting device and can determine the state of the discharge lamp according to the lamp voltage value, but has a memory, IC, microcomputer, DSP (digital signal processor) What is arithmetically processed by, for example, is advantageous in terms of processing speed and miniaturization.

  The timing at which the discharge lamp is glow-discharged to determine the deterioration state is not particularly limited, but is preferably just before the discharge lamp is started and lit. This is because if it can be determined that the end of life is reached before lighting, it is possible to prevent inconvenience caused by lighting the end-of-life discharge lamp. Further, from the viewpoint of preventing power loss and emitter wear, it is preferable to determine the deterioration state intermittently, such as once every several times or once every several tens of times, not every start. Further, it may be performed at a timing different from the start. In order to perform such fine control, it is preferable to use the microcomputer and the DSP.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the discharge lamp lighting device causes glow discharge of the discharge lamp and detects the lamp voltage value at that time. And the deterioration state of a discharge lamp is determined according to this lamp voltage value. For example, when the lamp voltage value exceeds a preset predetermined value, it is determined that the discharge lamp has a life. Moreover, the result is displayed and notified, or the output of the lighting device is reduced or stopped to prevent inconvenience caused by continuing the lighting of the end-of-life discharge lamp.

  The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 4 is a variable output lighting device for lighting a hot cathode discharge lamp; voltage detection means for detecting a lamp voltage value of the discharge lamp; The output of the lighting device is controlled so that glow discharge occurs, and the lamp voltage value Vla detected by the voltage detection means during glow discharge is subtracted from the lamp voltage value Vla when arc discharge is performed with the same minute discharge current as during glow discharge. And a control means for determining the deterioration state of the discharge lamp according to the voltage value (Vlg−Vla).

  Also in the present invention, the lamp voltage value Vla at the time of arc discharge may be measured each time it is determined, or it may be stored once measured.

  The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 4 causes the discharge lamp to glow discharge and detects the lamp voltage value Vlg at that time. Further, the difference (Vlg−Vla) from the lamp voltage value Vla when arc discharge is performed in the state where the same discharge current as in glow discharge is applied. And the deterioration state of a discharge lamp is determined according to this value (Vlg-Vla). For example, when the voltage value (Vlg−Vla) exceeds a predetermined value set in advance, it is determined that the discharge lamp has a lifetime. And the result is alert | reported by a display, or the output by a lighting device is reduced thru | or stopped, and the inconvenience by the end-of-life discharge lamp continuing lighting is prevented.

  The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 3 or 4, the control means estimates the cumulative lighting time based on the result of determining the deterioration state of the discharge lamp.

  The cumulative lighting time means the total time when the discharge lamp is actually turned on. The cumulative lighting time is closely related to the decrease in the luminous flux emitted from the discharge lamp. Recently, there has been proposed a lighting device that suppresses the light output at the initial stage of the discharge lamp and increases the light output as the cumulative lighting time elapses, thereby making the light output substantially constant during the life of the discharge lamp.

  The present invention estimates the cumulative lighting time based on the lamp voltage value during glow discharge, and does not require any special timer or timer resetting means. In the present invention, the correspondence relationship between the lamp voltage value and the cumulative lighting time is stored in advance, and the cumulative lighting time of the discharge lamp is estimated from the detected lamp voltage value. Then, the estimation result is displayed, or the output of the lighting device is controlled so as to compensate for the decrease in light output based on the estimation result. At the same time, when it is determined that the discharge lamp has a lifetime, the output of the lighting device may be reduced or stopped.

  The invention of claim 6 is a lighting fixture main body, a hot cathode type discharge lamp mounted on the lighting fixture main body, and the discharge lamp lighting device according to any one of claims 3 to 5 for lighting the discharge lamp. , A lighting device comprising

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a discharge lamp state determination method that can determine the deterioration state of the discharge lamp in a wide range of filament specifications.

  According to invention of Claim 2, the state determination method of the discharge lamp which can improve determination accuracy more can be provided.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a discharge lamp lighting device that can deal with a wide variety of types of discharge lamps and can easily determine the deterioration state of the discharge lamp.

  According to invention of Claim 4, the discharge lamp lighting device which can improve the precision of deterioration state determination more can be provided.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a discharge lamp lighting device capable of estimating and displaying the cumulative lighting time based on the determination result of the deterioration state of the discharge lamp and controlling the light output.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an illuminating device that has the same effect as the discharge lamp lighting device according to any one of the third to fifth aspects.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a method for determining a deterioration state of a discharge lamp and a discharge lamp lighting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of a discharge lamp lighting device, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing steps of an embodiment of a discharge lamp deterioration state determination method, and FIG. 3 is a relationship between lamp voltage and filament emitter consumption. FIG.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes a DC power supply device obtained by rectifying and smoothing a commercial power supply voltage, and a lighting device 2 composed of a half-bridge type high frequency inverter circuit is connected to the DC power supply device 1. In the lighting device 2, a series circuit of a pair of MOS FETs 3 and 4 is connected to the DC power supply device 1 as a switching element. The pair of FETs 3 and 4 are alternately turned on and off at a high frequency in accordance with a signal from the driving means 5 to switch the output voltage of the DC power supply device 1. A series circuit of a DC cut capacitor 6, a resonance and current limiting inductor 7, and a hot cathode discharge lamp 8 which is a fluorescent lamp is connected in parallel with the drain / source of one FET 4. A resonance and starting capacitor 9 is connected between a pair of filaments on the non-power supply side of the discharge lamp 8. The inductor 7 and the resonance capacitor 9 form a series resonance circuit, which is supplied with a high-frequency switching output and outputs a resonance voltage. Therefore, the output of the series resonant circuit can be changed according to the switching frequency and the on-duty.

  In parallel with the discharge lamp 8, voltage detection means 10 for detecting the lamp voltage is provided. The output of the detection means 10 is input to the analog / digital converter 11, and the output of the analog / digital converter 11 is input to the calculation means 12.

  The calculation means 12 is configured by an IC, a microcomputer, a digital signal processor, and the like, and includes a calculation unit 12a, a storage unit 12b, a time measuring unit 12c, and an interface 12d. The storage unit 12b stores, for example, the relationship between the lamp voltage Vlg shown in FIG. 3 and the amount of consumed emitter of the filament. Here, the amount of consumption of the emitter is expressed as a percentage, assuming that the state in which the filament is deposited over the entire predetermined range is 0%, and the state in which the emitter deposition amount in the predetermined range is zero is 100%. The storage unit 12b stores an execution sequence for determining the deterioration state of the discharge lamp 8 and the like. The computing means 12 controls the output of the lighting device 2 and determines the state of the discharge lamp 8 based on the output of the detecting means 10 in comparison with the contents of the storage unit 12b.

  The computing means 12 has a function of controlling the driving means 5 of the lighting device 2 based on the determination result to change the frequency, on-duty, etc. of the output signal.

  Next, the steps of the discharge lamp state determination method using the discharge lamp lighting device in the present embodiment and the operation of the discharge lamp lighting device will be described.

  First, the DC power supply device 1 is turned on by a switch or the like (not shown). The calculation means 12 controls the driving means 5 to preheat the filaments of the hot cathode discharge lamp 8 and generate glow discharge that causes a minute discharge current to flow between the pair of filaments of the discharge lamp 8. Is controlled (FIGS. 2-21). The lamp voltage value at that time is input from the voltage detection means 10 to the calculation means 12 via the analog / digital converter 11 (FIGS. 2-22).

  In this embodiment, a 40 W class fluorescent lamp (FHF32) is used as the discharge lamp 8 and glow discharge is performed by limiting the discharge current to 3 mA with the filament not preheated or slightly preheated. The calculating means 12 determines the deterioration state of the discharge lamp 8 based on the relationship between the detected lamp voltage value Vlg and the previously input data shown in FIG. 3, for example (FIGS. 2-23).

  In the present embodiment, the end of life is set when the lamp voltage value Vlg is 470 V or more, and it is normal when the lamp voltage value Vlg is less than that. Therefore, if the lamp voltage value Vlg is 470 V or more and it is determined that the discharge lamp 8 is at the end of its life, the calculation means 12 stops the operation of the lighting device 2, that is, stops the output of the drive means 5 and discharges the discharge lamp. Do not light 8 start. If it is less than the predetermined value (470 V), the output of the lighting device 2 is controlled to shift from glow discharge to arc discharge, and normal lighting is performed. Alternatively, the determination operation may be terminated and the discharge lamp 8 may be turned on again through a start sequence.

  In the present embodiment, the storage unit 12b of the computing unit 12 may store the relationship between the lamp voltage and the cumulative lighting time instead of or simultaneously with the data relating to the life determination. In this case, when it is determined that the light output has decreased according to the cumulative lighting time, the output of the lighting device 2 is controlled so as to compensate for the light output decrease by controlling the output of the driving means 5. be able to.

  The voltage detection means 10 and the calculation means 12 can also serve as a lamp mounting detection means, a light output stabilization means during normal lighting, and the like.

  Next, another embodiment of the method for determining the deterioration state of the discharge lamp and the discharge lamp lighting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing another embodiment of the discharge lamp lighting device according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing steps of another embodiment of the discharge lamp deterioration state determination method according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a lamp voltage Vlg. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the lamp voltage at the time of glow discharge and arc discharge, and FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the lamp voltage value (Vlg−Vla) and the emitter consumption. It is a figure which shows the relationship with quantity.

  First, the relationship between the lamp voltage at the time of glow discharge and the amount of consumption of the emitter was measured for 40 W class fluorescent lamps and different types of fluorescent lamps FHF32, FLR40, FL40 by using a discharge lamp lighting device as shown in FIG. The result was as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that the lamp voltage value Vlg varies depending on the types of fluorescent lamps FHF32, FLR40, and FL40 even with the same amount of consumed emitter. The reason for this is thought to be as already described.

  This embodiment is suitable for the case where the difference in the lamp voltage value Vlg due to the difference in the type of the discharge lamp is to be minimized.

  In FIG. 4, the same or corresponding parts as in FIG. In the present embodiment, a preheating transformer 13 is provided as filament preheating means of the discharge lamp 8, and a series circuit of the preheating transformer 13, a capacitor 14 and a switch 15 is provided in parallel with the drain / source of one FET 4. The outputs A and B of the preheating transformer 13 are supplied corresponding to the filaments A and B of the discharge lamp 8. Therefore, the resonance capacitor 9 ′ does not share the filament preheating action.

  The capacitor 14 is used for adjusting the impedance with respect to the switching frequency, that is, for adjusting the output of the preheating transformer, but it is not always necessary.

  The switch 15 is controlled to be turned on and off at a timing described later by the calculation means 12 '.

  Reference numeral 16 denotes current detection means for detecting the lamp current of the discharge lamp 8 and is provided in series with the discharge lamp 8. The detection signal of the current detection means 16 is input to the calculation means 12 via the analog / digital converter 11 '. The current detection means 16 can also be used as a lamp mounting detection means, a start detection means, a light output stabilization means during normal lighting, and the like.

  Next, the steps of the discharge lamp state determination method using the discharge lamp lighting device in the present embodiment and the operation of the discharge lamp lighting device will be described.

  First, when the DC power supply device 1 is turned on, the calculation means 12 'controls the drive means 5 with the switch 15 turned off to apply a high voltage to the discharge lamp 8 to cause glow discharge (FIG. 5-51). . The discharge current at the time of glow discharge is detected by the current detection means 16 and input to the calculation means 12 'via the analog / digital converter 11'. The calculation means 12 ′ controls the discharge current to a constant value (eg, 3 mA) (FIG. 5-52), and the lamp voltage value Vlg at this time is supplied via the voltage detection means 10 and the analog / digital converter 11 ′. Input (Fig. 5-53). The lamp voltage value Vlg is stored in the storage unit 12b '.

  Next, the calculation means 12 'turns on the switch 15 to start preheating of the filament (FIGS. 5-54). As a result, when the filament is heated, thermoelectrons are emitted from the filament and arc discharge is started (FIG. 5-55). When the process proceeds to arc discharge, the lamp voltage value Vlg of the discharge lamp 8 rapidly decreases because the cathode effect voltage decreases. This is shown in FIG.

  The calculation means 12 ′ detects the discharge current value during arc discharge via the current detection means 16 and the analog / digital converter 11 ′, and controls the current value to be constant at 3 mA as in the case of glow discharge (FIG. 5-56). Then, the lamp voltage value at this time is detected via the voltage detecting means 10 and the analog / digital converter 11 '(FIG. 5-57).

  Next, an operation of subtracting the lamp voltage value Vla at the time of arc discharge from the lamp voltage value Vlg at the time of glow discharge is performed (FIG. 5-58), and how is the calculated value (Vlg−Vla) with respect to a predetermined value? It is determined whether or not there is (FIG. 5-59). In the present embodiment, the end of life is set when the lamp voltage value (Vlg−Vla) is 350 V or higher, and normal is set when the lamp voltage value (Vlg−Vla) is lower than that. Therefore, when the discharge lamp 8 is determined to have a life, the calculation means 12 'stops the operation of the lighting device 2' and does not start the discharge lamp 8. If it is less than the predetermined value (350 V), arc lighting is performed as it is, and the discharge current is increased to a predetermined value to perform normal lighting.

  Incidentally, for the fluorescent lamps FHF32, FLR40, and FL40 of different types in the discharge lamp lighting device of FIG. 4, the results of measuring the relationship between the lamp voltage during glow discharge and the amount of consumption of the emitter are as shown in FIG. As is clear from FIG. 8, the difference between the discharge lamps is much smaller than that in the case of FIG. This is also because the positive column voltage, which differs depending on the type of discharge lamp, is excluded from the determination factors as described above.

  Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the lamp voltage value (Vlg−Vla) and the cumulative lighting time.

  In the present embodiment, the calculation means 12 ′ of the discharge lamp lighting device in FIG. 4 stores the relationship between the lamp voltage value (Vlg−Vla) and the cumulative lighting time shown in FIG. 9 in advance. In addition to the above-described life determination of the discharge lamp 8, the calculation means 12 'performs an operation of estimating the cumulative lighting time from the lamp voltage value (Vlg−Vla) instead of the life determination.

  Then, the lighting device 2 ′ displays the estimation result of the cumulative lighting time, or separately stores the dimming data for compensating the cumulative lighting time and the luminous flux reduction, and increases the light according to the passage of the lighting time based on this data. Can be controlled.

  Next, an embodiment of a lighting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the case of FIG. 10, the lighting device is a ceiling-mounted lighting fixture. Reference numeral 100 denotes a lighting fixture body, 101 denotes a socket provided in the lighting fixture body 100, 102 denotes a reflector, 103 denotes a hot cathode discharge lamp mounted on the socket 101, and 104 denotes a discharge lamp built in the lighting fixture body 100. It is a lighting device.

  The illuminating device having such a configuration can estimate the end of life or the cumulative lighting time of the filament and thus the discharge lamp 103, thereby causing inconvenience or unexpected extinction by continuously lighting the discharge lamp 103 in the end of life state. Less.

The circuit diagram which shows one Embodiment of the discharge lamp lighting device by this invention The figure which shows the step of one Embodiment of the deterioration state determination method of the discharge lamp by this invention. Diagram showing the relationship between lamp voltage and filament emitter consumption The circuit diagram which shows other embodiment of the discharge lamp lighting device by this invention The figure which shows the step of other embodiment of the deterioration state determination method of the discharge lamp by this invention. The figure which showed the relationship between lamp voltage Vlg and emitter consumption, about three types of fluorescent lamps Diagram showing the relationship between lamp voltage during glow discharge and arc discharge The figure which shows the relationship between a lamp voltage value (Vlg-Vla) and emitter consumption. The figure which shows the relationship between lamp voltage value (Vlg-Vla) and accumulation lighting time. The perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the illuminating device by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... DC power supply device 2, 2 '... Lighting device, 3, 4 ... MOS type FET, 8, 103 ... Hot cathode type discharge lamp, 10 ... Voltage detection means, 12, 12' ... Control means, 16 ... Current Detection means.

Claims (6)

  A method for determining a state of a discharge lamp, characterized in that a hot-cathode discharge lamp is glow-discharged and a deterioration state of the discharge lamp is determined according to a lamp voltage value at the time of glow discharge.   A lamp voltage value when a hot cathode discharge lamp is glow-discharged with a minute discharge current is Vlg, a lamp voltage value when an arc discharge is performed with the same minute discharge current is Vla, and a lamp voltage value (Vlg−Vla). ) To determine the deterioration state of the discharge lamp according to the method. A variable output lighting device for lighting a hot cathode discharge lamp;
Voltage detecting means for detecting a lamp voltage value of the discharge lamp;
Control means for controlling the output of the lighting device so that the discharge lamp performs glow discharge, and for determining the deterioration state of the discharge lamp according to the lamp voltage value from the voltage detection means during glow discharge;
A discharge lamp lighting device comprising: A variable output lighting device for lighting a hot cathode discharge lamp;
Voltage detecting means for detecting a lamp voltage value of the discharge lamp;
When the output of the lighting device is controlled so that the discharge lamp performs glow discharge with a minute discharge current, and arc discharge is performed with the same minute discharge current as during glow discharge from the lamp voltage value Vlg detected by the voltage detection means during glow discharge. Control means for determining the deterioration state of the discharge lamp according to the lamp voltage value (Vlg−Vla) obtained by subtracting the lamp voltage value Vla of the lamp;
A discharge lamp lighting device comprising:   The discharge lamp lighting device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the control means estimates a cumulative lighting time based on a deterioration state of the discharge lamp. A lighting fixture body;
A hot cathode discharge lamp mounted on the luminaire body;
A discharge lamp lighting device according to any one of claims 3 to 5 for lighting the discharge lamp;
An illumination device comprising:

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