JP2750989B2 - Bending equipment for thin tube lamps - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for bending a thin tube lamp into, for example, a U-shape when manufacturing a long thin tube lamp used as a backlight or the like mounted on the back side of a liquid crystal screen. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a back-up light mounted on the back side of a liquid crystal display surface, for example, an elongated tube lamp bent into a U-shape is used. Conventionally, as a means of manufacturing such a non-linear thin tube lamp, a glass thin tube whose hollow is open to the outside is subjected to a bending process, and then an electrode is attached and an impurity gas is discharged to a vacuum state. A method of performing a sealing step, or a method of bending a straight glass tube which has been fitted with an electrode, discharged of an impure gas, and vacuum-sealed has been adopted.

[0003]

In the method of first performing the bending process, not only the exhaust efficiency at the time of discharging the impure gas is deteriorated, but also the mounting of the electrode, the discharge of the impure gas, and the vacuum sealing are performed. There is a drawback that the post-processing equipment used is complicated, and since the post-processing equipment is usually a dedicated machine only for a fixed bending shape, many types of thin tubes with different bending shapes are used. When manufacturing a lamp, there were problems such as high cost.

Further, in the method of bending after mounting electrodes, discharging impurity gas, and performing vacuum sealing, since the bending is performed manually by an operator,
There is a problem that the bent shape is not constant and defective products are easily generated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is intended to reduce the variation in shape and the occurrence of defective products by using a straight tube lamp which has been fitted with electrodes, discharged with impure gas and vacuum sealed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of performing bending without causing any bending.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a holding member for holding one end portion of a long and thin tube lamp so as to be non-movable in a longitudinal direction, and a second end portion of the thin tube lamp. A structure in which a guide member for guiding and supporting the portion freely in the longitudinal direction is assembled so as to rotate relative to the support shaft, and a heater for heating the thin tube lamp is provided at a position separated from the support shaft of the guide member. did.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the position of the holding member for holding the thin tube lamp, the mounting position of the heater, and the position of the guide member for guiding the thin tube lamp are sequentially arranged in a straight line, and the direction in which they are arranged. And the relative posture of the holding member and the guide member is changed so that the direction from the heater to the support shaft is substantially perpendicular.

[0008] In this state, a linear thin tube lamp which has been fitted with electrodes, discharged of impure gas and vacuum-sealed, is held at one end by a holding member so as to be non-movable in the longitudinal direction and at the other end. The side portion is guided by the guide member so as to be freely movable in the length direction, and further, the portion between the both end portions is mounted so as to be heated by the heater.

After that, when the holding member and the guide member are relatively rotated about the support shaft, a portion between the straight portion on the guide position side of the guide member with respect to the heater of the thin tube lamp and the portion between the holding position side with the heater with respect to the heater. Are relatively changed in direction, so that the portion softened by heating by the heater of the thin tube lamp undergoes bending deformation.

Since the heater rotates together with the guide member relative to the holding member so as to draw a circle around the support axis, the position of the thin tube lamp heated by the heater is different from the holding position by the holding member. Relative movement in the direction away.
Therefore, the portion that is softened and bent by the heating of the heater is hardened by the decrease in temperature accompanying the separation of the heater, maintains a bent shape, and is newly heated by the relative movement of the heater. The part softens and undergoes bending deformation.

As described above, the bending while heating with the heater is continuously performed from the holding position of the holding member of the thin tube lamp toward the guiding position of the guide member, and as a result, the thin tube lamp draws an arc. It is partially bent to form a shape.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. The elongated tube lamp a bent by the apparatus of the first embodiment is obtained by performing the steps of mounting electrodes, discharging of impure gas, and vacuum sealing in a device (not shown) while maintaining the linear shape.

The base 2 supports two pairs of rollers 3 for guiding a thin tube lamp a passed between the corresponding outer peripheral grooves so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. The guide member 1, which is a component of the present invention, is constituted by the roller 3 and the roller 3.

The base 2 of the guide member 1 is provided with a slider 6 which reciprocates in parallel with the guide direction of the roller 3 while being guided by the guide bar 5 by driving of the air cylinder 4. 6 is provided with a heater 7 composed of a coil-shaped conductive wire that generates heat when energized so as to move integrally with the center of the coil aligned with the guide direction of the roller 3.

A support shaft 8 is provided at a lateral position of the heater 7, that is, at a position deviated from the guide direction of the roller 3, which is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism such as a motor. A holding member 10 having a holding portion 12 for holding the thin tube lamp a non-movably at the tip of an arm 11 is fixed to the support shaft 8 so that the holding member 10 is integrally rotated by fixing the base end of the arm 11. Installed.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. First, by rotating the holding member 10 together with the support shaft 8, as shown in FIG. 1A, the holding portion 12 of the holding member 10
And guides a straight tube lamp a between the rollers 3 and 3 and penetrates through the heater 7. Further, one end of the tube lamp a is held in the holding portion. Hold at 12.

In this state, the heater 7 is caused to generate heat and the heater 7 is driven by driving the air cylinder 4 as shown in FIG.
(A) is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the thin tube lamp a as indicated by a chain line, and the portion of the thin tube lamp a near the support shaft 8 is heated and softened over a certain range.

When the holding member 10 is rotated together with the support shaft 8 after softening the thin tube lamp a, the portion of the thin tube lamp a held by the heater 7 from the heater 7 is guided by the roller 3 from the heater 7. By changing the direction with respect to the straight portion on the side where the thin tube lamp a is bent, bending occurs in the softened portion of the thin tube lamp a.

Since the thin tube lamp a is pulled toward one end held by the holding portion 12 as the holding member 10 rotates, the portion of the thin tube lamp a heated by the heater 7 is the roller 3. And relatively moves to the other end guided. Accordingly, the bent portion of the thin tube lamp a is cured by moving away from the heater 7 so that the temperature is lowered and the curved shape is maintained. In addition, the portion which has approached the heater 7 and entered the hollow portion is newly heated and softened, and bends as the holding member 10 rotates.

As described above, the bending while being heated by the heater 7 is continuously performed from the holding position by the holding portion 12 to the guide position by the roller 3 in the longitudinal direction of the thin tube lamp a. As a result, the thin tube lamp a is bent into a semicircular shape as shown in FIG. 1C through the state shown in FIG.

In the first embodiment, the heater 7 is reciprocated just before the bending process is started to heat the thin tube lamp a over a predetermined length range. It does not bend at a steep angle as in the case of starting bending from a state softened by
It bends smoothly in an arc.

Similarly, in the first embodiment, since a conductive wire that generates heat when energized is used as the heater 7, unlike the case where a burner or the like is used, the heater 7 is changed by changing the current value or the voltage value. Can control the heating of the thin tube lamp a with high accuracy.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. A holding portion 23 is fixed to the base 22 so as to be immovable in the longitudinal direction with the thin tube lamp a penetrated, and the components of the present invention are constituted by the base 22 and the holding portion 23. Is formed.

The base 22 of the holding member 21 is provided with a support shaft 24 which is rotatably driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) such as a motor at a position shifted from a direction in which the thin tube lamp a of the holding portion 23 penetrates. Have been. A guide member 25 comprising a rotary plate 26 having a guide portion 27 for guiding the thin tube lamp a so as to freely move in the longitudinal direction is fixed to the support shaft 24 so as to rotate integrally. The rotary plate 26 of the guide member 25 is provided with a heater 28 made of a coil-shaped conductive wire that generates heat by energization at a predetermined distance from the support shaft 24.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. First, by rotating the guide member 25 together with the support shaft 24, as shown in FIG. 2A, the holding portion 23 of the holding member 21, the heater 28, and the guide portion 27 of the guide member 25 are connected to each of the thin tube lamps a. The tube lamps a having a straight shape are sequentially arranged in a state where the penetration directions are matched, and the straight tube lamps a are guided through the guide portions 27 and penetrated into the heaters 28. Hold in
In this state, the portion near the support shaft 24 of the thin tube lamp a is heated and softened by causing the heater 28 to generate heat.

After softening the thin tube lamp a, the support shaft 24
When the guide member 25 is rotated at the same time, the linear portion of the thin tube lamp a on the side guided by the heater 28 by the guide portion 27 changes its direction with respect to the portion on the side held by the holding portion 23 from the heater 28. As a result, bending occurs in the softened portion of the thin tube lamp a.

Since the heater 28 is provided on the rotating rotary plate 26, the portion where the heater 28 heats the thin tube lamp a moves in a direction away from the position held by the holding portion 23. Accordingly, the bent portion of the thin tube lamp a is hardened due to a decrease in temperature as the heater 28 moves away, and the bent shape is maintained. Also, the portion where the heater 28 approaches is newly heated and softened,
The turning is caused by the rotation of the rotating plate 26.

As described above, the bending while being heated by the heater 28 is performed continuously from the holding position by the holding portion 23 to the guiding position by the guide portion 27 in the longitudinal direction of the thin tube lamp a. . As a result, the thin tube lamp a is bent into a semicircular shape as shown in FIG. 2C through the state shown in FIG.

[0029]

As specifically described in the above embodiment, the bending apparatus for a thin tube lamp of the present invention performs bending on a thin tube lamp which has been subjected to electrode mounting, discharge of impurity gas, and vacuum sealing. Thus, a complicated device for mounting the electrode, discharging the impurity gas, and performing vacuum sealing in a bent state is not required.

Further, by changing the distance between the support shaft and the heater and the relative rotation angle between the holding member and the guide member, it is possible to form a desired bent shape.
Unlike the case of manual operation by an operator, variation in bending shape and occurrence of defective products are extremely small.

Further, in the case where a coil-shaped conductive wire that generates heat by energizing is used as a heater,
Unlike the case where a burner or the like is used, the heating state by the heater can be controlled with high accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a plan view illustrating a state before bending of an apparatus according to a first embodiment. (B) is a top view showing the state of the apparatus of Example 1 during bending. (C) is a top view showing the state of the apparatus of Example 1 after bending.

FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a state before bending of an apparatus according to a second embodiment. (B) is a top view showing the state of the apparatus of Example 2 during bending. (C) is a plan view showing the state of the device of the second embodiment which has been bent.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 25: guide member 7, 28: heater 8, 24: support shaft 10, 21: holding member a: thin tube lamp

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A holding member for holding one end portion of a long and thin tube lamp immovably in a length direction, and a guide member for guiding and supporting the other end portion of the thin tube lamp so as to be freely movable in the length direction. A bending device for a thin tube lamp, wherein a heater for heating the thin tube lamp is mounted at a position of the guide member spaced apart from the support shaft.