JP2008243415A - Fluorescent lamp and backlight device provided with fluorescent lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluorescent lamp which can solve several problems occurring due to a connecting harness. <P>SOLUTION: The fluorescent lamp is provided with a light emitting tube inside an inner surface of which a phosphor layer is formed and a discharging substance is sealed and a pair of external electrodes which are arranged in separation on an outer circumferential surface of the light emitting tube toward a circumferential direction and extend alongside a tube axis, a lamp side insulation cap which is mounted on one end portion of the light emitting tube and in which an inner cavity is formed, and a power supplying mechanism which supplies power to each of the pair of the external electrodes and is provided with a power supply side insulation cap. Inside the lamp side insulation cap is provided with a conductive connecting terminal for connecting with a power supplying terminal provided on the power supply side insulation cap, and a base end side of the conductive connecting terminal is connected with the external electrode and a top end side is provided with a pinching portion for pinching the power supplying terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluorescent lamp and a backlight device including the fluorescent lamp, and in particular, a fluorescent lamp having a configuration in which a pair of external electrodes are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of an arc tube in which a rare gas is sealed as a discharge gas. And a backlight device provided with the fluorescent lamp.

In a conventional light source for a backlight device, a pair of discharge electrodes are disposed opposite to each other inside a straight tube arc tube having visible light permeability, and mercury is enclosed as a discharge material. A low-pressure mercury fluorescent lamp having a phosphor layer made of a fluorescent material on its inner peripheral surface is used. In recent years, fluorescent lamps used as light sources for backlight devices are required to have a steep rise, that the irradiance of the lamp is not affected by the ambient temperature, and that the load on the environment is small.
In order to meet such demands, in recent years, a straight tubular arc tube in which a rare gas such as xenon gas is sealed as a discharge gas is provided, and a phosphor layer is provided on the inner surface of the arc tube, and the outer periphery of the arc tube A fluorescent lamp having a configuration in which a pair of strip-like external electrodes extending in the tube axis direction and spaced apart in the circumferential direction on the surface is used as a light source for a backlight device is becoming mainstream.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a conventional fluorescent lamp.
The fluorescent lamp 110 includes a straight tubular arc tube 111 made of a visible light transmissive material and having a phosphor layer formed on an inner wall surface. In the inner space of the arc tube 111, for example, a predetermined amount of rare gas containing, as a main component, xenon gas not containing metal vapor such as mercury is sealed as a discharge substance. On the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube 111, a pair of strip-like external electrodes 113 made of a metal material such as aluminum and spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the arc tube 111 and extending along the tube axis direction are disposed.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the insulating cap 114 is fixed to the end of the arc tube 111 by filling the inner cavity with an adhesive 116. Each of the connection terminals 115 is connected to each end portion of the pair of external electrodes 113, and each base end portion 117a of the connection harness 117 to the power feeding mechanism is connected to the lead-out end 115a. Each of 117 extends out of the cap 114. The distal end portion 117 b of each connection harness 117 is connected to a connector 121 installed on the substrate 122 of the power feeding mechanism 120. The front end portion 117 b of the connection harness and the power supply terminal 123 provided on the connector 121 are connected by caulking 124.

  The fluorescent lamp 110 is converted by applying a high frequency high voltage to the pair of external electrodes 113 to generate xenon gas discharge, radiating ultraviolet rays into the arc tube, and irradiating the phosphor layers with ultraviolet rays. Visible light is emitted. According to such a fluorescent lamp 110, since mercury is not used as a discharge substance, the rise after the lighting is steep, the irradiance hardly varies depending on the ambient temperature of the fluorescent lamp, and the load on the environment is small. Has characteristics.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-50219

By the way, this fluorescent lamp 110 is one in which a high frequency high voltage is applied to each of the pair of strip-like external electrodes 113 by the power feeding mechanism 120 via the connection harness 117 extending from the cap 114. As a result, the following problems were encountered in practical use.
In order to ensure electrical connection between the external electrode 113 and the power feeding mechanism 120, connection is required at three locations: the external electrode 113 and the connection terminal 115, the connection terminal 115 and the connection harness 117, and the connection harness 117 and the connector 121. Therefore, the cost and labor required for manufacturing the fluorescent lamp are increased. In addition, since a leakage current is generated due to the stray capacitance of the connection harness, there is a possibility that power is consumed wastefully.

  Furthermore, in particular, when a fluorescent lamp provided with a connection harness 117 is used as a light source for a backlight device, due to the influence of noise generated around the connection harness 117 due to application of a high frequency high voltage, Since the signal used in the tuner and the signal used for the liquid crystal as the display element are adversely affected, there is a possibility that the quality of the image / sound in the backlight device is deteriorated. In particular, in a backlight device having a large display element, it is necessary to dispose dozens of fluorescent lamps in a chamber that accommodates the fluorescent lamps. It is expected to be.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a fluorescent lamp capable of solving various problems caused by the connection harness, thereby reducing the cost and labor required for manufacturing the fluorescent lamp. The purpose of this invention is to reduce power consumption and improve the quality of images and sounds by using the fluorescent lamp as a light source.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a fluorescent lamp according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an arc tube in which a phosphor layer is formed on an inner wall surface and a discharge substance is enclosed, and a circumferential distance on the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube A pair of external electrodes that extend along the tube axis, a lamp-side insulating cap that is attached to at least one end of the arc tube and has an internal cavity, and each of the pair of external electrodes In a fluorescent lamp provided with a power supply mechanism including a power supply side insulating cap for supplying power to
Inside the lamp-side insulating cap, there is provided a conductive connection terminal for connection to a power supply terminal provided inside the power supply-side insulation cap. The conductive connection terminal has a base end side connected to the external electrode. It is connected and the holding | grip part which clamps the said electric power feeding terminal is provided in the front end side, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In the fluorescent lamp of the second invention, the lamp-side insulating cap has a straight tube portion extending along the tube axis direction of the fluorescent lamp, and is bent in a direction orthogonal to the straight tube portion continuously to the straight tube portion. A bending tube portion extending, and the conductive connection terminal includes a horizontal portion extending along the straight tube portion, and a bending portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal portion and extending continuously from the horizontal portion. It is characterized by.

In the fluorescent lamps of the first and second inventions, the lamp-side insulating cap and the power-feeding-side insulating cap are joined by sandwiching the power-feeding terminal with the clamping portion.
Further, in the fluorescent lamps of the first and second inventions, the lamp-side insulating cap has a pair of power supply terminals provided on the power-supply-side insulating cap, the base end side being connected to each of the pair of external electrodes. A pair of conductive connection terminals for connecting to each other is provided inside, and each of the pair of conductive connection terminals is attached to one end of the arc tube in an insulated state. .
Furthermore, in the fluorescent lamp according to the first and second inventions, in the cross section in which the lamp-side insulating cap is cut in the tube axis direction, the base end portion of the arc tube is more than the base end portion of the conductive connection terminal. It is mounted on the end of the arc tube so as to be located at the center side.
Furthermore, the conductive connection terminal is characterized in that the width in the direction perpendicular to the tube axis at the base end connected to the external electrode is equal to or greater than the tip of the external electrode connected to the conductive connection terminal. To do.

In addition, the fluorescent lamp of the present invention includes an arc tube in which a phosphor layer is formed on an inner wall surface and a discharge substance is sealed, and a circumferentially spaced apart arrangement on the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube, along the tube axis. A pair of external electrodes extending at the same time, a lamp-side insulating cap attached to at least one end of the arc tube and having an internal cavity, and a power-supplying side insulating cap that supplies power to each of the pair of external electrodes In the fluorescent lamp comprising a power supply mechanism, a power supply terminal for connecting to a conductive connection terminal provided in the lamp-side insulating cap is provided inside the power-supply-side insulating cap, A holding portion for holding the conductive connection terminal is provided on the base end side of the power supply terminal.
Furthermore, the lamp-side insulating cap and the power feeding-side insulating cap are joined by holding the conductive connection terminal in the holding portion.

  Furthermore, the backlight device of the present invention including the fluorescent lamp of the first invention includes a fluorescent lamp group in which a plurality of the fluorescent lamps are arranged in parallel, a light emission port and the fluorescent lamp group. A power supply mechanism including a power supply side insulating cap that is installed outside the chamber and supplies power to the fluorescent lamp; and a sheet body having a light correction function arranged so as to close the light emission port of the chamber, Each of the plurality of fluorescent lamps includes a straight tube portion of the lamp side insulating cap that protrudes outside the chamber through the side surface of the chamber and extends along the tube axis direction of the fluorescent lamp. It is characterized by being joined to each of the power supply side insulating caps in the tube axis direction.

  Further, the backlight device of the present invention having a plurality of fluorescent lamps of the second invention has a fluorescent lamp group in which a plurality of the fluorescent lamps are arranged in parallel, a light emission port and a fluorescent lamp group. A power supply mechanism including a power supply-side insulating cap that is installed outside the chamber and supplies power to the fluorescent lamp, and a sheet body having a light correction function that is disposed so as to close the light emission port of the chamber. Each of the plurality of fluorescent lamps bends in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp, continuously to the straight tube portion of the lamp-side insulating cap that passes through the side surface of the chamber and protrudes outside the chamber. Each of the bent tube portions extending in this manner is joined to each of the power supply side insulating caps in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp.

  Furthermore, the backlight device of the present invention having a plurality of the fluorescent lamps of the second invention is characterized in that the power supply side insulation in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp is provided on a side surface of the chamber through which the lamp side insulating cap penetrates. A cutout portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp for taking out the fluorescent lamp in the reverse direction of the cap is formed.

  According to the fluorescent lamp of the first aspect of the invention, the conductive connection terminal for connecting to the power supply terminal provided in the power supply side insulating cap is provided, and the conductive connection terminal is connected to the external electrode on the base end side. In addition, since the holding portion for holding the power supply terminal is provided on the distal end side, there is no connection harness as in the case of a conventional fluorescent lamp, so that an electrical connection between the external electrode and the power supply mechanism is ensured. As a result, the power supply structure is simplified, and wasteful power is not consumed due to the stray capacitance of the connection harness. Therefore, labor and cost required for manufacturing are reduced as compared with conventional fluorescent lamps. In addition, power saving can be expected.

  According to the fluorescent lamp of the second invention, the lamp-side insulating cap is bent in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis continuously with the straight tube portion extending along the tube axis direction of the fluorescent lamp. A bending tube portion extending, and the conductive connection terminal includes a horizontal portion extending along the straight tube portion, and a bending portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the horizontal portion and extending continuously from the horizontal portion. Therefore, as described above, the power feeding structure is simplified, wasteful power is not consumed, and the total length of the fluorescent lamp in the tube axis direction can be shortened.

  In the fluorescent lamps of the first and second inventions, in particular, the base end side is connected to each of the pair of external electrodes, and a pair of conductive properties for connecting to each of the pair of power supply terminals provided on the power supply side insulating cap. If the lamp-side insulating cap provided with the connection terminal is attached to one end of the arc tube with each of the pair of conductive connection terminals insulated from each other, it is attached to the fluorescent lamp. The number of the lamp-side insulating caps is one so that the pair of conductive connection terminals are not short-circuited with each other, but each of the two lamp-side insulating caps is connected to each end of the fluorescent lamp. The labor and cost required for manufacturing the fluorescent lamp can be reduced as compared with the case where the fluorescent lamp is mounted.

In the fluorescent lamps of the first and second inventions, in particular, in the cross section in which the lamp-side insulating cap is cut in the tube axis direction, the base end portion is closer to the center side of the arc tube than the base end portion of the conductive connection terminal. When mounted on the end of the arc tube so that it is located, the entire conductive connection terminal is housed inside the lamp-side insulating cap, so that the exposure of the high voltage part is avoided and the clamping part is damaged. There are advantages such as preventing.
In the fluorescent lamps of the first and second inventions, in particular, the width in the direction perpendicular to the tube axis at the base end connected to the external electrode is equal to or greater than the tip of the external electrode connected to the conductive connection terminal. In this case, since the conductive connection terminal and the external electrode can be connected with a desired connection strength, there is no fear that the conductive connection terminal is detached from the external electrode.

  Further, according to the fluorescent lamp of the present invention, the power supply side insulating cap is provided with a power supply terminal for connection to a conductive connection terminal provided on the lamp side insulating cap. Since the clamping portion for clamping the conductive connection terminal is provided on the end side, the lamp-side insulating cap and the power-feeding-side insulating cap can be easily joined. Can be powered.

According to the backlight device of the present invention having a plurality of fluorescent lamps of the first invention, by not using a connection harness, there is no possibility of leakage current, so that wasteful power consumption is reduced and power saving is achieved. Is not adversely affected by noise, and it is expected that the quality of images and sounds will be improved.
Moreover, each of the plurality of fluorescent lamps protrudes from the lamp side insulating cap through the side surface of the chamber to the outside of the chamber and extends along the tube axis direction of the fluorescent lamp. Since it is joined to each of the power supply side insulating caps in the tube axis direction, the proportion of non-light emitting portions disposed in the chamber is reduced, so that a desired light emitting area can be obtained without excessively increasing the overall length of the chamber. Can be secured.

  According to the backlight device of the present invention including a plurality of fluorescent lamps according to the second aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of fluorescent lamps has a straight pipe portion that penetrates the side surface of the chamber and protrudes outside the chamber of the lamp-side insulating cap. Since each of the bent tube portions that are bent and extend in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp is joined to each of the power supply side insulating caps in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp, Since the power supply side insulating cap is not disposed along the tube axis direction, the overall length of the backlight device in the tube axis direction can be further shortened.

  In the backlight device of the present invention having a plurality of fluorescent lamps according to the second aspect of the present invention, the side surface of the chamber through which the lamp-side insulating cap penetrates is perpendicular to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp in the direction opposite to the feeding-side insulating cap. When a notch extending in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp is formed for taking out the fluorescent lamp, it is easy to arrange the fluorescent lamp inside the chamber and the life is exhausted. The fluorescent lamp can be easily replaced.

[Fluorescent lamp of the first invention]
The fluorescent lamp according to the first aspect of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the fluorescent lamp of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 1 cut along a line AA ′ or XX ′ in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a configuration in the vicinity of the end of the fluorescent lamp.

  In the fluorescent lamp 1, a phosphor layer 12 made of a phosphor such as lanthanum phosphate and having an annular cross section in the radial direction is formed on the inner wall surface of a straight tube arc tube 11 made of a visible light transmitting material such as glass. ing. The inner space of the arc tube 11 does not contain a metal vapor such as mercury, for example, xenon gas, or a mixed gas formed by mixing xenon gas and a rare gas such as neon or argon, for example, 10 kPa to 30 kPa, preferably 16 kPa to 20 kPa.

A pair of strip-like external electrodes 13 made of a metal material such as aluminum or silver are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube 11 so as to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction and extend along the tube axis direction. Each of the pair of strip-like external electrodes 13 is formed, for example, by a screen printing method in the case of silver, or by a method such as adhesion of an aluminum foil in the case of aluminum.
Further, the surface of the external electrode 13 excluding the connection portion between the external electrode 13 and the conductive connection terminal 3 is covered with an external electrode protective film 17. As the material of the external electrode protective film 17, for example, a frit glass paste is formed by screen printing and fixed by baking. The frit glass used here preferably has translucency after firing. The components of the frit glass are bismuth oxide, boron oxide, zinc oxide, and the like, and silicon oxide or a compound of silicon oxide is added as a filler as necessary. Further, depending on the use temperature, it can be coated with Teflon (registered trademark) resin, acrylic resin or the like.

  Each of the pair of conductive connection terminals 3 is connected to the distal end portion 13a of each of the pair of external electrodes 13, and each of the external electrodes 13 and each of the conductive connection terminals 3 are electrically connected. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the external electrodes 13 and each of the conductive connection terminals 3 are made conductive by filling a conductive adhesive 14 made of epoxy resin, silver powder, or the like between them. The base end portion 3 a of the connection terminal 3 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube 11 in a state of being bonded and fixed by the conductive adhesive 14. Specifically, each of the external electrodes 13 and each of the conductive connection terminals 3 are formed on the lower side of the base end portion 3a of the conductive connection terminal 3 by an insulating coating material 15 such as polypropylene resin (PP resin). In a state in which the distal end portion 13 a of 13 enters, the distal end portion 13 a of the external electrode 13 and the proximal end portion 3 a of the conductive connection terminal 3 are covered so as not to be exposed to the outside of the insulating coating material 15. In the case where the external electrode 13 is made of silver, the external electrode 13 can be chemically treated by using an adhesive containing a silver component as compared with an adhesive containing a metal component other than silver contained in an epoxy resin. There is an advantage that it is possible to avoid deterioration due to reaction.

  The conductive connection terminal 3 is made of a material excellent in conductivity and heat resistance so that a high-frequency high voltage is applied to the external electrode satisfactorily by the power feeding mechanism, and is not excessively hot when the lamp is turned on. In particular, it is preferable to be composed of phosphor bronze or a plate obtained by applying phosphor plating bronze to Ni plating. Further, in order to facilitate connection with the external electrode 13, the external electrode 13 is made of silver, and when an epoxy resin and silver powder are used as the conductive adhesive 14, it is made of a phosphor bronze plate. Preferably it is. The conductive connection terminal 3 and the external electrode 13 are not limited to a method using the conductive adhesive 14 but may be electrically connected by a connection method such as soldering.

  The conductive connection terminal 3 has a width in the direction perpendicular to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp 1 as compared with the external electrode 13. For example, the width of the external electrode 13 is 0.2 to 1 mm. On the other hand, it has a width of 1 to 2 mm. Thus, by making the width of the conductive connection terminal 3 in the direction perpendicular to the tube axis larger than that of the external electrode 13, there are advantages such as ensuring the necessary connection strength and preventing the connection of the conductive connection terminal. is there. In addition, the thickness of the conductive connection terminal 3 is 0.1 to 0.3 mm while the thickness of the external electrode 13 is 3 to 10 μm in order to easily connect to the external electrode 13. Is preferred.

  As shown in FIG. 3, such a conductive connection terminal 3 has a proximal end 3 a on the distal end side of a plate-like portion 31 connected to the distal end portion 13 a of the external electrode 13 via the conductive adhesive 14. A pinching portion 32 for elastically pinching a power feeding terminal provided on a power feeding side insulating cap described later is formed. As shown in the C partial enlarged view in FIG. 3, the sandwiching portion 32 is formed integrally with the plate-like portion 31 and is spaced apart in the direction orthogonal to the tube axis and extends along the tube axis direction. The holding part constituting members 33 and 34 are provided. Each of the sandwiching portion constituting members 33 and 34 has convex portions 33a and 34a protruding so as to be close to the opposing sandwiching portion constituting member so as to face each other on the same straight line in the direction orthogonal to the tube axis. Is arranged. The distance between the opposing convex portions 33a and 34a is smaller than the outer diameter of the power supply terminal when a power supply terminal described later is not sandwiched, for example, the outer diameter of the power supply terminal is 0.5 to 1 mm. On the other hand, it is about 0.4 to 0.8 mm.

  An insulating straight tubular lamp-side insulating cap 4 is attached to one end of the arc tube 11 so as to extend along the tube axis direction. The lamp-side insulating cap 4 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the lamp-side insulating cap 4 with an adhesive 16 such as an epoxy resin type or an acrylic resin type, for example. It is fixed to one end.

  The lamp-side insulating cap 4 has an outer appearance formed in a straight tube shape, and a barrel portion 41 extending along the tube axis direction. The barrel portion is thicker than the barrel portion 41 so that the width of the internal cavity is narrowed. 41, and a guide portion 42 that is formed integrally with 41 and that is opposed to the tube axis in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis and that extends along the tube axis direction.

  Such a lamp-side insulating cap 4 has a total length longer than that of the conductive connection terminal 3 so that the conductive connection terminal 3 does not protrude outwardly, and its base end portion 4a is conductive in the tube axis direction. It is preferable that it is disposed closer to the center of the arc tube than the base end portion 3 a of the conductive connection terminal 3. For example, the total length in the tube axis direction of the conductive connection terminal 3 is 10 to 15 mm, whereas the total length in the tube axis direction of the lamp-side insulating cap 4 is 15 to 20 mm. By doing so, there are advantages such as avoiding the exposure of the high voltage portion and preventing the holding portion 32 from being damaged.

  Since the lamp-side insulating cap 4 can be easily bonded to the arc tube 11 and needs to be excellent in insulation, for example, the arc tube 11 is made of soda-based glass. When the agent is an epoxy resin, it is preferably composed of an insulating material such as polycarbonate, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate. In such a lamp-side insulating cap 4, a melted insulating material is poured into the mold using a mold having the above-described guide portion 42 in the internal cavity and a desired shape such that the appearance is formed into a straight tubular shape. Later, it is formed by cooling the insulating material.

  The adhesive 16 used to fix the lamp-side insulating cap 4 to the end of the arc tube 11 is an annular gap between the inner peripheral surface of the lamp-side insulating cap 4 and the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube 11. In this case, it is necessary to prevent filling in the entire circumferential direction. That is, particularly when a fluorescent lamp is used in a high humidity environment, moisture contained in the atmosphere enters between the inner peripheral surface of the adhesive layer 16 and the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube 11, This is because when the conductive connection terminals 3 are electrically connected to each other, an undesirable creeping discharge may occur between the conductive connection terminals 3. Therefore, in order to avoid conduction of each of the conductive connection terminals 3, as shown in FIG. 2, an adhesive layer 16 is provided between the conductive connection terminals 3 located on the same circumference. A region that is not formed (adhesive defect region 16a) is preferably formed.

According to the fluorescent lamp 1 of the first invention as described above, since the conductive connection terminal 3 for connecting to the power supply terminal in the power supply side insulating cap is provided, the conductive connection terminal 3 and the power supply terminal are connected. Since the electrical connection between the external electrode 13 and the power feeding mechanism can be ensured only by an extremely simple work of connecting, the structure for feeding power to the external electrode 13 is simpler than that of a conventional fluorescent lamp. Therefore, the cost and labor required for manufacturing can be reduced.
In addition, since a connection harness is not used unlike conventional fluorescent lamps, adverse effects due to leakage current, noise, and the like caused by using the connection harness can be avoided.
Further, since the holding portion 32 for holding the power supply terminal is formed on the tip side of the conductive connection terminal 3, the conductive connection terminal 3 and the power supply terminal can be firmly connected, and the fluorescent lamp is turned on. There is no fear that the conductive connection terminal 3 and the power supply terminal are disconnected.
Furthermore, since each of the pair of conductive connection terminals 3 arranged inside the lamp-side insulating cap 4 can be insulated from each other, the number of the lamp-side insulating caps 4 attached to the arc tube 11 is one. Therefore, the labor and cost required to manufacture the fluorescent lamp can be reduced.

[Fluorescent lamp of the second invention]
Hereinafter, the fluorescent lamp according to the second aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the fluorescent lamp of the second invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration in the vicinity of the end of the fluorescent lamp of the second invention. 4 and 5, the same components as those of the fluorescent lamp of the first invention are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The fluorescent lamp 2 of the second invention is different from the fluorescent lamp of the first invention in the shape of the lamp-side insulating cap, and the other configuration is common to the first invention. The lamp-side insulating cap 5 extends along the tube axis direction and is bent in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis continuously with the straight tube portion 51 attached to one end of the arc tube. And a bent pipe portion 52 that extends. The bent pipe portion 52 is formed with a guide portion 57 for arranging the holding portion 56 of the conductive connection terminal 53 so that the internal cavity is narrowed by being thicker than other portions.

  The conductive connection terminal 53 extends parallel to the straight tube portion 51 of the lamp-side insulating cap 5 along the tube axis direction, and continues to the horizontal portion 54 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis. The horizontal end portion 54 a is connected to the distal end portion 13 a of the external electrode 13 by the conductive adhesive 14. . The clamping portion 56 formed at the tip of the bent portion 55 of the conductive connection terminal 53 has the same configuration as that in FIG.

  According to such a fluorescent lamp 2 of the second invention, it can be expected that basically the same effect as the fluorescent lamp of the first invention is obtained. In addition, the lamp-side insulating cap 5 has a straight tube portion 51 attached to one end of the arc tube 11, and a bent tube portion 52 that is continuous with the straight tube portion 51 and bends and extends in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis. Since the overall length in the tube axis direction of the lamp-side insulating cap 5 can be shortened, the overall length in the tube axis direction can be shortened as compared with the fluorescent lamp of the first invention.

[Backlight device]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the backlight device of the present invention. The fluorescent lamp used in the backlight device of FIG. 6 has the same configuration as that of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of connection between the fluorescent lamp and the power feeding mechanism in the backlight device shown in FIG. 6.
The backlight device 60 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is partitioned by a housing 62 having an opening in the light emitting direction and a light control sheet 63 provided to close the opening 62c in the light emitting direction of the housing 62. Inside the chamber 61 having an internal space, for example, a fluorescent lamp group 10 is arranged in which the tube axes of the six fluorescent lamps 1 are arranged in parallel so as to form the same plane. Note that the number of fluorescent lamps can be increased or decreased as necessary.

  The chamber 61 is formed with openings 68 as many as the number of fluorescent lamps on each of two opposing side surfaces 62a and 62b, and an opening for passing the lamp-side insulating cap 4 in the fluorescent lamp 1 on one side surface 62a. 68a is formed, and an opening 68b for passing the end of the arc tube 11 in the fluorescent lamp 1 is formed on the other side surface 62b opposite to the one side surface 62a. On the bottom surface of the chamber 62, a reflection sheet 67 made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for reflecting the visible light emitted from the fluorescent lamp 1 in the direction of the light control sheet 63 is provided.

  The light control sheet 63 is for uniformizing the emitted light from the fluorescent lamp group and improving the luminance. From the fluorescent lamp group 10 side, the diffusion plate 64, the diffusion sheet 65, and the directivity control sheet 66 are arranged in this order. It is arranged overlapping. The diffusing plate 64 is formed of a diffusing object made of, for example, a polycarbonate resin having an uneven surface, and has a property of diffusing and transmitting the radiated light from the fluorescent lamp group 10. A light shielding material having a low light transmittance such as titanium is uniformly kneaded, and the luminance distribution of the transmitted light is made uniform.

  The diffusion sheet 65 is formed by applying a diffusing agent or a concavo-convex process on the surface of a base material formed of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, or the like. This is for further diffusing the transmitted light. The directivity control sheet 66 is formed of a prism sheet made of, for example, polyolefin resin, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, or polyethylene terephthalate resin, and directivity is given to the light transmitted through the diffusion sheet 65 by providing directivity. This is for improving the luminance of the light transmitted through the control sheet 66.

  A power supply mechanism 7 for supplying power to each fluorescent lamp 1 of the fluorescent lamp group 10 is provided outside the chamber 61 and in the vicinity of the side surface 62a provided with the opening 68a through which the lamp-side insulating cap 4 passes. Yes. In the power supply mechanism 7, the same number of fluorescent lamps 1 as the number of fluorescent lamps 1 on the substrate 75, that is, each of the six power supply side insulating caps 71 are spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the distance between the fluorescent lamps 1 adjacent to each other in the fluorescent lamp group 10. Are installed in parallel. Each of the power supply side insulating caps 71 has a horizontal portion 73 extending along the tube axis direction and a horizontal portion 73 continuous to the tube axis and orthogonal to the tube axis, as shown in the D partial enlarged sectional view in FIG. And a bent portion 74 that bends and extends in the direction, and includes a power supply terminal 72 having a cross section in the tube axis direction formed in an L shape. A bent portion 74 of each power supply terminal 72 is fixed by solder 76 on a substrate 75 electrically connected to a high voltage transformer (not shown) via a power supply line 77.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fluorescent lamp has a configuration in which a lamp-side insulating cap 4 is attached only to one end of the arc tube 11. In the fluorescent lamp 1, one end where the lamp-side insulating cap 4 is mounted passes through an opening 68 a formed in one side surface 62 a facing the chamber 61, and a part of the lamp-side insulating cap 4 is in the chamber 61. And the other end not provided with the lamp-side insulating cap 4 passes through the opening 68 b formed in the other side surface 62 b of the chamber 61 and protrudes outward of the chamber 61. Thus, it is arranged in the internal space of the chamber 61. In order to avoid damaging the arc tube 11 by the fluorescent lamp 1 coming into contact with the chamber 61 at the periphery of each of the openings 68a and 68b provided on the side surfaces 62a and 62b facing each other of the chamber 61, respectively. In addition, an annular cushioning member 69 made of urethane resin is disposed.

  The lamp-side insulating cap 4 protruding from the one side surface 62a of the chamber 61 is such that the distal end surface 4b of the lamp-side insulating cap 4 is the base end surface of the power supply-side insulating cap 71, as shown in the enlarged D sectional view of FIG. 7a between the pair of sandwiching portion constituting members 33 and 34 constituting the sandwiching portion 32 of the conductive connecting terminal 3, as shown in the enlarged view of the portion E in FIG. The horizontal portion 73 of the power supply terminal 72 provided on the power supply side insulating cap 71 is pushed in, and the power supply terminal 72 is firmly fixed to the holding portion 32 by the elastic force urged by the pair of holding portion constituting members 33 and 34. ing. By doing so, since the conductive connection terminal 3 and the power supply terminal 72 are electrically connected in the tube axis direction, the electrical connection between each of the external electrodes 13 of the fluorescent lamp 1 and the high-voltage transformer connected to the power supply mechanism 7 is achieved. Secure connection.

According to the backlight device 60 of the present invention as described above, since the fluorescent lamp without the connection harness is used, basically, it is possible to realize power saving by not generating a leakage current. In addition, even when a large number of fluorescent lamps 1 are installed in the chamber 61, the influence of noise can be minimized, so that the quality of images and sounds can be improved.
Moreover, since the conductive connection terminal 3 in the lamp-side insulating cap 4 protruding to the outside of the chamber 61 is connected to the power-feeding terminal 72 provided on the power-feeding-side insulating cap 71 disposed outside the chamber 61, Since most of the light emitting portion of the fluorescent lamp 1 can be disposed in the chamber 61, a desired light emitting area can be ensured without excessively increasing the overall length of the chamber 61 in the tube axis direction.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing another configuration example according to the backlight device of the present invention. The backlight device shown in FIG. 8 uses the fluorescent lamp of the second invention, and other configurations except the characteristic chamber configuration for arranging the fluorescent lamp of the second invention are shown in FIG. It is common with the backlight device shown in
The chamber 81 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is partitioned by a casing 82 having an opening 82c in the light emitting direction and a light control sheet 63 provided so as to close the opening of the casing 82 in the light emitting direction. An internal space for arranging fluorescent lamp groups is provided. The number of the fluorescent lamps 2 through which the end portion including the lamp-side insulating cap 5 of the fluorescent lamp 2 passes through one of the two side faces 82a and 82b facing each other passes through the casing 82. The other side surface 82b is formed with the same number of openings 88b as the number of fluorescent lamps through which the end of the fluorescent lamp 2 that does not include the lamp-side insulating cap 5 passes. Thereby, the one side surface 82a of the housing 82 is formed in a comb shape by alternately arranging the notch portions 88a and the convex portions 89a extending in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis.

  Each of the six fluorescent lamps 2 has an end portion on the side including the lamp-side insulating cap 5 disposed in each of the six cutouts 88a provided on one side surface 82a of the chamber 81. The end portion not provided with is inserted into each of the openings 88 b provided on the other side surface 82 b of the chamber 81. In each of the fluorescent lamps 2, the straight pipe part 51 of the lamp-side insulating cap 5 is brought into contact with the bottom part of the notch part 88 a, and a bent part 52 continuous to the straight pipe part 51 is provided outside the chamber 81. It is arrange | positioned in the chamber 81 in the state extended in the orthogonal direction with respect to the pipe axis along the side surface 82a.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of connection between the fluorescent lamp 2 and the power feeding mechanism 7 in the backlight device 80 shown in FIG. Each of the lamp-side insulating caps 5 attached to the fluorescent lamp 2 has a distal end surface 52a of the bent tube portion 52 with respect to each of the power-feeding side insulating caps 71 installed on the substrate 75. It is connected in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis while being in contact with or close to 71a. Each of the power supply side insulating caps 71 is a rod-shaped power supply terminal that is electrically connected to the substrate 75 by solder 76 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis, as shown in the F partial enlarged sectional view in FIG. 90. The power supply terminal 90 is connected to the conductive connection terminal 53 by being sandwiched by a sandwiching portion 56 formed at the tip of the bent portion 55 of the conductive connection terminal 53.

According to the backlight device 80 shown in FIG. 8 as described above, basically the same effect as that of the backlight device 60 shown in FIG. 6 can be obtained, and the lamp-side insulating cap 5 is L-shaped. And is connected to the power supply side insulating cap 71 in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis, so that the power supply side insulating cap 71 is not disposed in the tube axis direction. Compared with the case where the lamp side insulating cap is used, the length corresponding to the entire length of the power supply side insulating cap 71 is shortened from the total length in the tube axis direction of the backlight device, so that a necessary light emitting area is secured. The backlight device can be reduced in size.
In addition, since the notch 88a extending in the direction perpendicular to the tube axis is formed on one side surface 82a of the chamber 81, the fluorescent lamp 2 whose life has expired can be easily replaced with a new one. That is, in order to remove the fluorescent lamp 2 from the chamber 81, the end of the fluorescent lamp 2 on the side provided with the lamp-side insulating cap 5 is lifted upward to join the lamp-side insulating cap 5 and the power supply-side insulating cap 71. Although it is necessary to cancel the state, the notch 88a is provided in the side surface 82a of the chamber 81 in which the lamp-side insulating cap 5 is disposed, thereby preventing the fluorescent lamp 2 from being lifted upward. Therefore, the fluorescent lamp 2 can be replaced smoothly.

  In the fluorescent lamp of the present invention, as described above, the configuration in which the sandwiching portion is provided in the conductive connection terminal disposed inside the lamp-side insulating cap has been described. The configuration shown in FIG. It can also be. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another configuration example of the fluorescent lamp of the present invention.

The straight tubular lamp-side insulating cap 4 has a rod-like shape extending in the tube axis direction. The base end portion 100a is connected to the distal end portion 13a of the external electrode 13 of the fluorescent lamp 1, and the distal end side is the lamp side. A conductive connection terminal 100 protruding outside the side insulating cap 4 is disposed. Inside the straight tubular power supply side insulating cap 71, a holding portion 101 for holding the conductive connection terminal 100 is provided on the proximal end side, and a horizontal portion 103 extending along the tube axis direction, and a tip of the horizontal portion 103 A distal end portion 104a continuously extending in the direction orthogonal to the tube axis and extending from the power supply side insulating cap 71 and having a bent portion 104 fixed to the substrate 75 by, for example, solder 76, in the tube axis direction. A power supply terminal 102 having an L-shaped cross section is disposed. The sandwiching portion 101 of the power supply terminal 102 is located inside the power supply side insulating cap 71 without protruding outside the power supply side insulating cap 71.
The lamp-side insulating cap 4 is disposed in a state in which the front end surface 4b is in contact with or close to the base end surface 71a of the power supply-side insulating cap 71, and the conductive connection terminal 100 protruding outside the lamp-side insulating cap 4 is connected to the power supply side. The power supply side insulating cap is inserted into the inner cavity of the insulating cap 71 and fixed by the elastic force of the clamping portion 101 provided in the power supply terminal 102 as shown in the enlarged G partial view in FIG. 71 is connected.

  According to the fluorescent lamp having the configuration shown in FIG. 10 and the backlight device in which the fluorescent lamp is arranged in the chamber, basically the same effects as those of the fluorescent lamp and the backlight device described above can be obtained.

  The fluorescent lamp of the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the lamp-side insulating cap is attached only to one end of the arc tube as described above, and each of the lamp-side insulating caps may be attached to both ends of the arc tube. it can. In this case, only one conductive terminal is disposed in each of the lamp-side insulating caps attached to both ends of the fluorescent lamp, and the power-supply-side insulation is disposed on both ends with the fluorescent lamp sandwiched in the tube axis direction. Each of the caps has only one power supply terminal, and the lamp side insulating cap and the power supply side insulating cap are joined at both ends of the fluorescent lamp.

It is a perspective view which shows the outline of a structure of the fluorescent lamp of 1st invention. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 1 in the orthogonal direction with respect to the tube axis. It is an expanded sectional view which shows roughly the structure of the edge part vicinity of the fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of a structure of the fluorescent lamp of 2nd invention. It is an expanded sectional view which shows roughly the structure of the edge part vicinity of the fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of a structure of the backlight apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the example of a connection of the fluorescent lamp and electric power feeding mechanism in the backlight apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of the other structural example which concerns on the backlight apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the example of a connection of the fluorescent lamp and electric power feeding mechanism in the backlight apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the outline of the other structural example of the fluorescent lamp of this invention. It is a partial cross section figure which shows the outline of a structure of the conventional fluorescent lamp.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fluorescent lamp 10 Fluorescent lamp group 11 Arc tube 12 Phosphor layer 13 External electrode 14 Conductive adhesive 15 Insulating coating material 16 Adhesive 17 External electrode protective film 2 Fluorescent lamp 3 Conductive connection terminal 31 Plate-shaped part 32 Clamping part 33 , 34 Clamping part constituting member 4 Lamp side insulating cap 41 Body part 42 Guide parts 43, 44 Convex part 5 Lamp side insulating cap 51 Straight pipe part 52 Bent pipe part 53 Conductive connection terminals 54, 55 Horizontal part 56 Clamping part 57 Guide unit 60 Backlight device 61 Chamber 62 Case 63 Light control sheet body 64 Diffusion plate 65 Diffusion sheet 66 Directivity control sheet 67 Reflection sheet 68 Opening 69 Buffer member 7 Feed mechanism 71 Feed side insulating cap 72 Feed terminal 73 Horizontal portion 74 Bent part 75 Substrate 76 Solder 77 Feed line 80 Backlight device 81 Chamber 82 Housing 88a Notch 88b Opening 89a Convex part 90 Power supply terminal 100 Conductive connection terminal 101 Holding part 102 Power supply terminal 103 Horizontal part 104 Bending part 110 Fluorescent lamp 111 Light emitting tube 113 External electrode 114 Cap 115 Connection terminal 116 Adhesive 117 Connection harness 120 Power supply mechanism 121 Connector 122 Substrate 123 Feeding terminal 124 Caulking

Claims (11)

An arc tube in which a phosphor layer is formed on the inner wall surface and in which a discharge substance is encapsulated, a pair of external electrodes disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube and spaced apart in the circumferential direction and extending along the tube axis; A lamp-side insulating cap attached to at least one end of the arc tube and having an internal cavity; and a power feeding mechanism including a power-feeding side insulating cap that feeds power to each of the pair of external electrodes. In fluorescent lamps,
Inside the lamp-side insulating cap, there is provided a conductive connection terminal for connecting to a feeding terminal provided inside the feeding-side insulating cap,
The conductive connecting terminal is a fluorescent lamp characterized in that a proximal end side is connected to the external electrode, and a holding portion for holding the power feeding terminal is provided on a distal end side. The lamp-side insulating cap includes a straight tube portion extending along the tube axis direction of the fluorescent lamp, and a bent tube portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the straight tube portion continuously to the straight tube portion,
The conductive connection terminal includes a horizontal part extending along the straight pipe part, and a bent part extending in a direction orthogonal to the horizontal part continuously from the horizontal part. The described fluorescent lamp.   3. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lamp-side insulating cap and the power-feeding-side insulating cap are joined to each other by sandwiching the power-feeding terminal in the sandwiching portion.   The lamp-side insulating cap has a pair of conductive connection terminals for connecting to each of a pair of power supply terminals provided on the power supply-side insulating cap, the base end side of which is connected to each of the pair of external electrodes. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the pair of conductive connection terminals is attached to one end of the arc tube in a state of being insulated.   The lamp-side insulating cap is attached to the end of the arc tube so that the base end of the lamp-side insulating cap is located closer to the center of the arc tube than the base end of the conductive connection terminal. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent lamp is provided.   The conductive connection terminal is characterized in that the width in the direction perpendicular to the tube axis at the base end connected to the external electrode is equal to or greater than the tip of the external electrode connected to the conductive connection terminal. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1 or 2. An arc tube in which a phosphor layer is formed on the inner wall surface and in which a discharge substance is encapsulated, a pair of external electrodes disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube and spaced apart in the circumferential direction and extending along the tube axis; A lamp-side insulating cap attached to at least one end of the arc tube and having an internal cavity; and a power feeding mechanism including a power-feeding side insulating cap that feeds power to each of the pair of external electrodes. In fluorescent lamps,
Inside the power supply side insulating cap, a power supply terminal for connection to a conductive connection terminal provided inside the lamp side insulating cap is provided,
A fluorescent lamp characterized in that a clamping portion for clamping the conductive connection terminal is provided on the proximal end side of the power supply terminal.   The fluorescent lamp according to claim 7, wherein the lamp-side insulating cap and the power-feeding-side insulating cap are joined by sandwiching the conductive connection terminal in the sandwiching portion. A backlight device comprising a plurality of the fluorescent lamps according to claim 1 or 7,
A fluorescent lamp group in which a plurality of the fluorescent lamps are arranged in parallel, a chamber having a light emission port and the fluorescent lamp group are arranged, and a power supply side installed outside the chamber and supplying power to the fluorescent lamp A power supply mechanism including an insulating cap, and a sheet body having a light correction function disposed so as to close the light emission port of the chamber,
Each of the plurality of fluorescent lamps includes a straight tube portion of the lamp side insulating cap that protrudes outside the chamber through the side surface of the chamber and extends along the tube axis direction of the fluorescent lamp. A backlight device, wherein the backlight device is joined to each of the power supply side insulating caps in a tube axis direction. A backlight device comprising a plurality of fluorescent lamps according to claim 2,
A fluorescent lamp group in which a plurality of the fluorescent lamps are arranged in parallel, a chamber having a light emission port and the fluorescent lamp group are arranged, and a power supply side installed outside the chamber and supplying power to the fluorescent lamp A power supply mechanism including an insulating cap, and a sheet body having a light correction function disposed so as to close the light emission port of the chamber,
Each of the plurality of fluorescent lamps is bent in a direction perpendicular to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp, continuously to a straight tube portion of the lamp-side insulating cap that protrudes outside the chamber through the side surface of the chamber. Each of the extending bent tube portions is joined to each of the power supply side insulating caps in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp.   The side surface of the chamber through which the lamp-side insulating cap passes is orthogonal to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp for taking out the fluorescent lamp in the direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the fluorescent lamp and in the opposite direction of the power supply-side insulating cap. The backlight device according to claim 10, wherein a notch extending in a direction is formed.

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