JP2011060587A - Light source device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light source device to improve utilization efficiency of electroluminescent light. <P>SOLUTION: The light source device is equipped with: a light source 1 to emit light by discharge of xenon gas enclosed inside an arc tube 4; and a water-cooled tube 2 arranged by keeping a predetermined gap surrounding the arc tube 4, and is constituted such that cooling water is introduced into the gap and the cooling water introduced is drained. On an outer perimeter 4a of the arc tube 4, on an inner perimeter 2b of the water-cooled tube 2, or an outer perimeter 2a of the same, fluorescent paint 5 which emits light having a wavelength included in a required wavelength band in the electroluminescent light emitted by the light source 1, excited by irradiation of light having a shorter wavelength than the light of required wavelength, is applied in such a suitable thickness that the light with the required wavelength emitted by electroluminescence from the light source 1 is superimposed by the light emitted by the fluorescent paint 5 by excitation and to be emitted externally. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a water-cooled light source device that emits light by discharge in xenon gas enclosed in an arc tube, and more particularly, to a light source device that attempts to improve the utilization efficiency of light emitted from discharge.

  A conventional light source device of this type has a quartz outer filter and an inner filter doubled around the arc tube of a xenon lamp filled with xenon gas, and this is used to cool the xenon lamp. The water is stored in the upper and lower cooling jackets that circulate water, and the cooling water in the upper cooling jacket flows downstream inside the inner filter and then flows upstream inside the outer filter via the lower cooling jacket. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-315249 A

  However, in such a conventional light source device, in order to extract light in a necessary wavelength band, wavelength selectivity that selectively transmits only light in the necessary wavelength band through at least one of the inner filter and the outer filter. There is a problem in that it is necessary to provide a filter to block light in an unnecessary wavelength band, and only a part of the light emitted and emitted from the light source is used, and the light use efficiency is low.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a light source device that addresses such problems and attempts to improve the utilization efficiency of light emitted from discharge.

  In order to achieve the above object, a light source device according to the present invention is provided so as to surround a light source that emits light by discharge in xenon gas enclosed in an arc tube with a gap of a predetermined interval. A water-cooling tube, and a light source device configured to be able to drain cooling water introduced and introduced into the gap from the outside, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube or the inner peripheral surface or outer periphery of the water-cooled tube A fluorescent coating that emits light having a wavelength included in the necessary wavelength band by being irradiated with light having a shorter wavelength than light in a necessary wavelength band of light emitted from the light source on the surface; The light emitted by excitation of the fluorescent paint is superimposed on the light of the necessary wavelength band for discharge emission, and is applied with an appropriate film thickness so that it can be emitted to the outside.

  With such a configuration, from the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube or the outside by irradiation with light having a shorter wavelength than the light in the required wavelength band among the light emitted by the discharge in the xenon gas sealed inside the arc tube of the light source. Fluorescent paint applied to the inner peripheral surface or outer peripheral surface of a water-cooled tube provided around the arc tube with a predetermined gap so that the introduced cooling water can be drained and drained. Is excited to emit light having a wavelength included in the necessary wavelength band, and the light emitted by excitation of the fluorescent paint is superimposed on the light in the necessary wavelength band to be discharged and emitted by the light source, and emitted to the outside.

  Further, the light in the necessary wavelength band that is emitted by the light source is light having a wavelength of about 340 nm or more. As a result, the fluorescent paint is excited by irradiation with light having a wavelength shorter than 340 nm of the light emitted from the light source to emit light having a wavelength band of about 340 nm or more.

  Furthermore, the light emitted when the fluorescent paint is excited is light having a wavelength of about 340 nm to about 500 nm. Thereby, the fluorescent paint is excited by irradiation with light having a shorter wavelength than the light in the necessary wavelength band among the light emitted from the light source to emit light in the wavelength band of about 340 nm to about 500 nm.

  And the said water cooling tube is provided with respect to the said light source so that attachment or detachment is possible. This makes the water-cooled tube detachable from the light source.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, the outer periphery of the arc tube is irradiated with light having a shorter wavelength than the light in the required wavelength band among the light emitted by the discharge in the xenon gas enclosed in the arc tube of the light source. Cooling water introduced from the surface or outside and applied to the inner peripheral surface or outer peripheral surface of the water-cooled tube that surrounds the arc tube with a predetermined gap so that the introduced cooling water can be drained. The fluorescent paint is excited to emit light having a wavelength included in the necessary wavelength band, and the light emitted by excitation of the fluorescent paint is superimposed on the light of the necessary wavelength band emitted and emitted by the light source. Can be released. Therefore, it is possible to increase the intensity of light in a necessary wavelength band emitted to the outside, and it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of light emitted from the light source.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the fluorescent paint is excited by irradiating light having a wavelength shorter than 340 nm among the light emitted from the light source to emit light having a necessary wavelength band of about 340 nm or more. Can be made. Accordingly, almost all light emitted and emitted by the light source can be used for liquid crystal alignment of a liquid crystal display device, for example.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 3, the wavelength of the wavelength of about 340 nm to about 500 nm is obtained by exciting the fluorescent paint by irradiating light having a shorter wavelength than the light in the necessary wavelength band among the light emitted from the light source. The band light can be emitted. Therefore, for example, the intensity of light in a wavelength band that is optimal for liquid crystal alignment of a liquid crystal display device can be enhanced.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the fluorescent paint is peeled off, the water cooling tube is removed from the light source and reapplied to the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube or the inner peripheral surface or outer peripheral surface of the water cooling tube for repair. Can do. Therefore, the maintenance cost of the light source device with high light use efficiency can be reduced.

It is a fragmentary sectional front view which shows embodiment of the light source device by this invention. It is a graph which shows the spectral distribution of a normal xenon flash lamp. It is a graph which shows the spectral distribution of the xenon flash lamp by this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing an embodiment of a light source device according to the present invention. This light source device emits light by discharge in xenon gas enclosed in an arc tube, and includes a light source 1, a water-cooled tube 2, and a pair of cooling jackets 3A and 3B.

  The light source 1 is, for example, a xenon flash lamp in which a xenon gas is sealed inside a transparent cylindrical quartz arc tube 4, for example, for irradiating a liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal display device to align liquid crystals in a predetermined direction. A light having a suitable wavelength of about 340 nm or more, preferably about 340 nm to about 500 nm is emitted as light in a necessary wavelength band.

  A water-cooled tube 2 is provided surrounding the arc tube 4 of the light source 1 from the outside. This water-cooled tube 2 forms a predetermined gap between the inner peripheral surface 2a and the outer peripheral surface 4a of the arc tube 4, and introduces cooling water into the gap from the outside and introduces cooling. This is a transparent quartz tube for draining water and allowing the light source 1 to be cooled, and is attachable to and detachable from the light source 1. A fluorescent paint 5 is applied to the outer peripheral surface 2 a of the water-cooled tube 2. Thereby, even when the fluorescent paint 5 is peeled off, the fluorescent paint 5 can be re-applied to the peeled portion and easily repaired.

  The fluorescent coating 5 emits light having a wavelength of about 340 nm to about 500 nm when excited by irradiation with light having a wavelength shorter than 340 nm among light emitted from the light source 1. If the coating thickness of the fluorescent paint 5 is too thick, light of about 340 nm or more, preferably about 340 nm to about 500 nm, which is a necessary wavelength band among the light emitted from the light source 1 is absorbed by the fluorescent paint 5. Since it may not be emitted to the outside, an appropriate film thickness is set in advance so that light emitted by excitation of the fluorescent paint 5 can be superimposed on light in a necessary wavelength band to be discharged and emitted by the light source 1 by experiment, and emitted to the outside. The

  A pair of cooling jackets 3A and 3B are detachably provided at both ends of the arc tube 4 of the light source 1. The pair of cooling jackets 3 </ b> A and 3 </ b> B detachably hold both ends of the water-cooled tube 2 to form a gap having a predetermined interval between the outer peripheral surface 4 a of the arc tube 4 and the inner peripheral surface 2 b of the water-cooled tube 2. The water supply port 7 is formed in one cooling jacket 3A so that the cooling water can be drained from the outside by introducing the cooling water into the water channel 6 from the outside as a water channel 6 through which the cooling water passes. A drainage port 8 is formed in 3B. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 9 and 10 denote O-rings for preventing water leakage.

  Since the light source device of the present invention is configured as described above, the cooling water introduced in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 from the water supply port 7 of one cooling jacket 3A is interposed between the arc tube 4 and the water cooling tube 2. After flowing through the formed water channel 6 in the directions of arrows B and C, the water is drained in the direction of arrow D from the drain port 8 of the other cooling jacket 3B. Thereby, the radiant heat radiated | emitted from the light source 1 is absorbed by the cooling water which flows through the outer peripheral surface 4a part of the arc_tube | light_emitting_tube 4, and is excluded outside with a cooling water. Thus, the temperature rise of the light source 1 is suppressed.

Next, light emission of the light source device configured as described above will be described.
FIG. 2 shows the spectral distribution of a normal xenon flash lamp. When such a light source 1 is used to perform liquid crystal alignment of a liquid crystal display device, for example, light having a wavelength band of about 340 nm or more, preferably about 340 nm to about 500 nm is required. Applied. In this case, in particular, light having a wavelength shorter than 340 nm adversely affects the alignment of the liquid crystal, and thus is usually removed by a wavelength selective filter. For this reason, only a part of the light emitted from the light source 1 is discharged, and the light use efficiency is low.

  Therefore, the light source device according to the present invention irradiates the outer peripheral surface 2a of the water-cooled tube 2 surrounding the outer side of the arc tube 4 with unnecessary light having a wavelength shorter than 340 nm among the light emitted from the light source 1. The fluorescent paint 5 that emits light having a wavelength of about 340 nm to about 500 nm when excited is emitted, and the wavelength emitted by the fluorescent paint 5 being excited by light having a necessary wavelength band of about 340 nm to about 500 nm that is discharged by the light source 1 is about 340 nm. It is applied with an appropriate film thickness so that light of about 500 nm is superimposed and emitted to the outside. Accordingly, the fluorescent paint 5 is excited by irradiation with light having a wavelength shorter than 340 nm among the light emitted from the light source 1 to emit light having a wavelength of about 340 nm to about 500 nm. As a result, light having a wavelength of about 340 nm to about 500 nm emitted from the light source 1 is superimposed on light having a wavelength of about 340 nm to about 500 nm which is emitted when the fluorescent paint 5 is excited, and the light intensity in the same wavelength band is enhanced. Thus, a spectral distribution as shown by a solid line in FIG. 3 is obtained. In addition, the broken line in the figure is a spectral distribution of a normal xenon flash lamp, and is shown for comparison.

  Thus, according to the light source device of the present invention, the fluorescent paint 5 is excited by the light in the necessary wavelength band among the light emitted and emitted from the light source 1 and the unnecessary light having a shorter wavelength than previously discarded. Thus, it is possible to use both light in a wavelength band substantially equal to the necessary wavelength band obtained in this way, and it is possible to improve the light utilization efficiency.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the fluorescent paint 5 is applied to the outer peripheral surface 2a of the water-cooled tube 2 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fluorescent paint 5 is not limited to the outer peripheral surface 4a of the arc tube 4 or the water-cooled tube. It may be applied to the inner peripheral surface 2b.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the fluorescent paint 5 was excited by irradiation of light with a wavelength shorter than 340 nm and emitted light having a wavelength of about 340 nm to about 500 nm, the present invention is not limited to this. The fluorescent paint 5 is not limited to this, and any fluorescent material can be used as long as it emits light having a wavelength included in the necessary wavelength band by being excited by irradiation with light having a wavelength shorter than that of the necessary wavelength band. Also good.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the water-cooled tube 2 is detachably provided to the light source 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fluorescent paint 5 is applied to the outer peripheral surface 2a of the water-cooled tube 2. In some cases, the water-cooled tube 2 may be fixed to the light source 1.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Light source 2 ... Water cooling tube 2a ... Outer peripheral surface of water cooling tube 2b ... Inner peripheral surface of water cooling tube 4 ... Arc tube 4a ... Outer peripheral surface of arc tube 5 ... Fluorescent paint

Claims (4)

A light source that emits light by discharge in xenon gas sealed inside the arc tube and a water-cooled tube that surrounds the arc tube with a gap of a predetermined interval, and introduces cooling water into the gap from the outside And a light source device configured to be able to drain the introduced cooling water,
The required wavelength excited on the outer peripheral surface of the arc tube or the inner peripheral surface or outer peripheral surface of the water-cooled tube by irradiation with light having a shorter wavelength than the light in the required wavelength band among the light emitted from the light source. Apply a fluorescent coating that emits light of the wavelength included in the band with an appropriate film thickness so that the light emitted by excitation of the fluorescent coating is superimposed on the light in the required wavelength band that is emitted by the light source. A light source device characterized by that.   2. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the light having a wavelength band necessary for discharge light emission by the light source is light having a wavelength of about 340 nm or more.   The light source device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light emitted when the fluorescent paint is excited is light having a wavelength of about 340 nm to about 500 nm.   4. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the water-cooled tube is detachably attached to the light source.

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