JP2009252365A - Fluorescent lamp and lighting control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for achieving a fluorescent lamp capable of quickly stabilizing brightness. <P>SOLUTION: The fluorescent lamp comprises an arc tube, a plurality of filaments which are provided inside the arc tube and have a different line thickness, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the arc tube, and a lighting control part which, upon receiving a lighting signal instructing lighting, supplies current to the plurality of filaments according to the detection result of the temperature sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluorescent lamp for adjusting the temperature of an arc tube and a lighting control method for the fluorescent lamp.

  Fluorescent lamps are lit when current is supplied to the filaments provided at each end of the arc tube. Depending on the shape of the arc tube, straight tube shape, ring shape, bulb shape with built-in ballast, etc. are categorized. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a bulb-type fluorescent lamp.

  The fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 4 includes a light emitting tube 101 coated with a fluorescent material, a container 102 that houses a lighting circuit that causes the light emitting tube 101 to emit light, and a base 103 that is attached to a socket for a light bulb. .

  At both ends of the arc tube 101, as shown in FIG. 5, a filament 104 and a filament 105 coated with an electron emitting material are provided. Further, the arc tube 101 is filled with an inert gas and mercury.

  In order to light the fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 4, current is supplied to the filament 104 and the filament 105 from the lighting circuit. Then, with the heat generation of each filament, electrons are emitted from the electron emitting material. The emitted electrons collide with mercury in the arc tube 101, and ultraviolet rays are generated by this collision. The generated ultraviolet light is converted into visible light by the fluorescent material applied in the arc tube 101, and the fluorescent lamp is turned on when the visible light is emitted.

  In the fluorescent lamp as shown in FIG. 4, the brightness of visible light emitted from the arc tube depends on the mercury vapor pressure (the amount of mercury vaporized in the arc tube). It is said that it depends on the lowest temperature.

  The temperature that determines the mercury vapor pressure has an optimum value at which the brightness of visible light emitted from the arc tube is maximized.If the temperature of the arc tube exceeds the optimum value due to the heating of the filament, the brightness is Will be reduced. Therefore, a fluorescent lamp for solving such a problem has been proposed, and is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-302589).

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the fluorescent lamp described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the fluorescent lamp described in Patent Document 1 includes an arc tube 201, a ballast 202 that emits light from the arc tube 201, a base 203 attached to a socket, and a housing 204 that houses the ballast 202. .

In the fluorescent lamp described in Patent Document 1, the arc tube 201 has a shape including an exhaust tube 205 having a tip penetrating through the housing 204 and extending in the direction of the base 203. That is, the tip of the exhaust pipe 205 (the place that determines the mercury vapor pressure) exists at a place away from the arc tube 201. Therefore, when the fluorescent lamp is in the lighting state, the temperature at the tip of the exhaust pipe 205 can be suppressed so as not to exceed the optimum value. Therefore, in the arc tube 201, the mercury vapor pressure at which the brightness of visible light is maximized can be maintained, whereby the brightness can be stabilized.
JP 2006-302589 A

  In a fluorescent lamp, not only when the temperature of the arc tube is higher than necessary, but also when the arc tube is not sufficiently warmed, the mercury vapor pressure may be insufficient and the brightness may become unstable. Therefore, if the arc tube is cooled at the start of lighting, there is a problem that it takes time until the brightness is stabilized.

  As one means for solving the above problem, a method is considered in which a larger current is supplied to the filament at the start of lighting than during normal operation. However, the maximum allowable current is determined for the filament in accordance with the wire diameter, and the wire diameter is generally selected based on the current that flows during normal operation. Therefore, the filament may be damaged when a larger current is supplied than usual.

  Although the fluorescent lamp described in Patent Document 1 includes an exhaust pipe that stabilizes brightness, the temperature of the arc tube cannot be increased. Therefore, even if the fluorescent lamp described in Patent Document 1 is used, the above problem cannot be solved.

  An object of this invention is to provide the technique which implement | achieves the lighting control method of the fluorescent lamp which can stabilize brightness quickly, and this fluorescent lamp.

In order to achieve the above object, a fluorescent lamp according to the present invention comprises:
Arc tube,
A plurality of filaments provided inside the arc tube and having different wire diameters;
A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the arc tube;
When a lighting signal for instructing lighting is input, a lighting control unit that supplies current to the plurality of filaments according to a detection result of the temperature sensor;
Have

In addition, a fluorescent lamp lighting control method for achieving the above object
A lighting control method for a fluorescent lamp comprising a plurality of filaments with different wire diameters inside the arc tube,
When a lighting signal for instructing lighting is input, the temperature of the arc tube is detected,
A current is supplied to the plurality of filaments according to the detected temperature of the arc tube.

  According to the present invention, the lighting controller can supply the maximum allowable current to the filament having a large wire diameter when the arc tube is cold. By performing such control, the arc tube is heated by the discharge current, and the arc tube temperature rapidly rises. As a result, the brightness of the fluorescent lamp can be quickly stabilized.

  The fluorescent lamp of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the fluorescent lamp of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fluorescent lamp of the present embodiment includes a light emitting tube 1 coated with a fluorescent material, filaments 2 to 5 coated with an electron emitting material, and lighting for causing the light emitting tube 1 to emit light. It has a control unit 6 and a temperature sensor 7 that detects the temperature of the arc tube 1.

  The arc tube 1 has the same shape (bulb shape) as the arc tube 101 shown in FIG. 3, and an inert gas and mercury are enclosed inside, and a temperature sensor 7 is attached outside.

  The filaments 2 to 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the filament 2 and the filament 3 are attached to one end of the arc tube 1, and the filament 4 and the filament 5 are attached to the other end. One of the filaments 2 and 3 is connected via an introduction line 11. Further, one of the filaments 4 and 5 is connected via an introduction line 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the introduction line 11 is connected to the introduction line 14 via the capacitor 10.

  In the present embodiment, the filaments 2 and 4 have the same wire diameter. The filaments 3 and 5 have the same wire diameter and are larger than the filaments 2 and 4. That is, the filaments 3 and 5 have a larger maximum allowable current than the filaments 2 and 4.

  The lighting control unit 6 includes a lighting circuit 61, a lighting circuit 62, and a control circuit 63.

  The lighting circuit 61 is a circuit that executes and stops current supply to the filaments 2 and 4 based on the control of the control circuit 63, and is connected to the filament 2 via the lead-in line 13 and connected to the filament 4 via the lead-in line 16. It is connected.

  The lighting circuit 62 is a circuit that executes and stops current supply to the filaments 3 and 5 based on the control of the control circuit 63, is connected to the filament 3 through the introduction line 12, and is connected to the filament 5 through the introduction line 15. It is connected to the.

  The lighting circuit 61 and the lighting circuit 62 are configured by a rectifier circuit that rectifies an alternating current input from an alternating current power source, an inverter circuit that converts a direct current output from the rectifier circuit into an alternating current having a predetermined frequency, and the like. The output current is designed not to exceed the maximum allowable current of the filament to which the current is supplied. In the lighting circuit 61 and the lighting circuit 62, a sharable configuration (for example, a rectifier circuit) may not be provided individually.

  Based on the value detected by the temperature sensor 7, the control circuit 63 causes the lighting circuit 61 and the lighting circuit 62 to execute or stop supplying the current to the filament.

  Next, the lighting operation of the fluorescent lamp of this embodiment will be described. Here, it is assumed that the lighting circuit 61 and the lighting circuit 62 both stop supplying current to the filament.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the lighting operation of the fluorescent lamp of the present embodiment.

  When a lighting signal for instructing lighting is input to the control circuit 63 (step S1), the control circuit 63 acquires a value (detected value) detected by the temperature sensor 7 (step S2). Then, the control circuit 63 compares the detected value with a predetermined reference value (step S3). This reference value is based on the temperature of the arc tube 1 necessary to stabilize the brightness of the fluorescent lamp (the brightness of visible light emitted from the arc tube 1) at the position where the temperature sensor 7 is attached. It is assumed that

  When the value detected by the temperature sensor 7 is lower than a predetermined reference value, the control circuit 63 causes the lighting circuit 62 to supply current to the filament (step S4). On the other hand, when the value detected by the temperature sensor 7 is lower than a predetermined reference value, the control circuit 63 causes the lighting circuit 61 to supply current to the filament (step S5).

  The control circuit 63 causes the value detected by the temperature sensor 7 to be a predetermined reference until a turn-off signal indicating a turn-off instruction is input after either the lighting circuit 61 or the lighting circuit 62 is supplied with current. A lighting circuit for executing current supply is determined according to the comparison result (step S6).

  In the operation of step S4, the control circuit 63 may cause both the lighting circuit 61 and the lighting circuit 62 to supply current. In this case, since the heating value of the filament is larger than when only the lighting circuit 62 performs current supply, the temperature of the arc tube 1 can be increased more quickly.

  In the present embodiment, when the arc tube 1 is cold when the lamp is lit (the value detected by the temperature sensor 7 is lower than the reference value), the lighting control unit 6 is maximally allowed for the filaments 3 and 5. A current can be supplied. By performing such control, the arc tube 1 generates a large amount of heat due to the discharge current, so that the temperature of the arc tube 1 rises rapidly. As a result, the brightness of the fluorescent lamp can be quickly stabilized.

  In this embodiment, the control circuit 63 causes the lighting circuit 61 to supply current to the filaments 2 and 4 when the temperature of the arc tube 1 reaches a value sufficient to stabilize the brightness. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent the temperature of the arc tube 1 from becoming higher than necessary, thereby maintaining a stable brightness.

  In the present embodiment, the case of a light bulb type fluorescent lamp has been described. However, the present invention can be applied not only to a light bulb type fluorescent lamp but also to a straight tube type or a ring type fluorescent lamp. Moreover, in this embodiment, although it was set as the structure provided with two sets of filaments from which wire diameter differs, in this invention, the number of filaments in particular is not restrict | limited, A structure of two or more sets may be sufficient.

It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the fluorescent lamp of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the state which attached the filament to the arc_tube | light_emitting_tube in the fluorescent lamp of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the lighting operation of the fluorescent lamp of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance of a lightbulb-type fluorescent lamp. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a state where a filament is attached to an arc tube in the bulb-type fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 3. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the fluorescent lamp of patent document 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 101, 201 Light-emitting tube 2-5, 104, 105, Filament 6 Lighting control part 7 Temperature sensor 10 Capacitor 11-16 Introductory line 61, 62 Lighting circuit 63 Control circuit 102 Container 103, 203 Base 202 Stabilizer 204 Housing 205 Exhaust pipe

Claims (7)

Arc tube,
A plurality of filaments provided inside the arc tube and having different wire diameters;
A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the arc tube;
When a lighting signal for instructing lighting is input, a lighting control unit that supplies current to the plurality of filaments according to a detection result of the temperature sensor;
A fluorescent lamp. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein
The lighting control unit
A plurality of lighting circuits that individually execute and stop current supply for the plurality of filaments;
When the lighting signal is input, a control circuit that causes the plurality of lighting circuits to execute the current supply according to a detection result of the temperature sensor;
Fluorescent lamp with The fluorescent lamp according to claim 2,
The plurality of filaments comprises a first filament and a second filament having a larger wire diameter than the first filament,
The plurality of lighting circuits include a first lighting circuit that executes and stops current supply to the first filament, and a second lighting circuit that executes and stops current supply to the second filament. ,
The control circuit causes the current supply to be executed by one or both of the first lighting circuit and the second lighting circuit according to a value detected by the temperature sensor when the lighting signal is input. , Fluorescent lamp. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 2,
The plurality of filaments comprises a first filament and a second filament having a larger wire diameter than the first filament,
The plurality of lighting circuits include a first lighting circuit that executes and stops current supply to the first filament, and a second lighting circuit that executes and stops current supply to the second filament. ,
When the lighting signal is input, the control circuit causes the current supply to be executed by one or both of the first lighting circuit and the second lighting circuit according to a value detected by the temperature sensor. This is a fluorescent lamp that is periodically performed until an extinguishing signal indicating that the extinguishing is instructed. A lighting control method for a fluorescent lamp comprising a plurality of filaments with different wire diameters inside the arc tube,
When a lighting signal for instructing lighting is input, the temperature of the arc tube is detected,
Supplying current to the plurality of filaments according to the detected temperature of the arc tube;
Fluorescent lamp lighting control method. In the lighting control method of the fluorescent lamp according to claim 5,
When the plurality of filaments are composed of a first filament and a second filament having a larger wire diameter than the first filament, depending on the temperature of the arc tube detected when the lighting signal is input A lighting control method for a fluorescent lamp, wherein a current is supplied to one or both of the first filament and the second filament. In the lighting control method of the fluorescent lamp according to claim 5,
When the plurality of filaments are composed of a first filament and a second filament having a wire diameter larger than that of the first filament, depending on the temperature of the arc tube detected when the lighting signal is input. A method for controlling the lighting of a fluorescent lamp, wherein a current is supplied to either or both of the first filament and the second filament periodically until a turn-off signal indicating turn-off is input. .

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