JP3265151B2 - Fluorescent lamp and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluorescent lamp having a reduced amount of enclosed mercury and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, interest in global environmental issues has increased, and environmental pollution due to mercury effluent from discarded fluorescent lamps and pollution at manufacturing sites have become problems. Therefore, a reduction in the amount of mercury sealed in the fluorescent lamp is required.

Conventionally, as a method of filling mercury into a glass exhaust pipe of a fluorescent lamp, a first method of dropping liquid mercury from the exhaust pipe into the fluorescent lamp by a dropper, or a method of previously filling liquid mercury into a glass or metal capsule. The mercury-filled capsule is attached near one of the electrodes in the fluorescent lamp, the exhaust pipe is closed (chip-off), and then the mercury-filled capsule is opened to release mercury into the fluorescent lamp.
Was used.

On the other hand, as a method of reducing the amount of mercury used, for example, as disclosed in JP-A-6-260139, a phosphor in a fluorescent lamp is coated with alloy particles of zinc and mercury. A third method of melting and fixing to a non-existent portion has been proposed.

In recent years, a bulb-type fluorescent lamp has become widespread as an alternative to the conventional incandescent bulb. In a so-called double U-type fluorescent lamp used for a bulb-type fluorescent lamp, amalgam particles are used in order to secure the brightness at the beginning of lighting. Conventionally, in a fluorescent lamp using this type of amalgam particles, a rod-shaped or cylindrical glass body is inserted into an exhaust pipe, and the amalgam particles are held in a space between a tip-off portion of the exhaust pipe and the glass body. As a method for manufacturing such a fluorescent lamp, first, a glass body is inserted into one exhaust pipe, then amalgam is put in, and the exhaust pipe is chipped off. Subsequently, a method (fourth method) is employed in which the glass tube is bent while being heated, heated and evacuated, sealed with a rare gas, and then the other exhaust tube is chipped off and formed (fourth method).

[0006]

However, in the first method in which liquid mercury is dropped by a dropper, the mercury sometimes stays in a passage of a dropper, an exhaust pipe, or the like, and the amount of mercury enclosed varies greatly. Therefore, there is a problem that the average amount of enclosed mercury must be increased in order to secure a certain life time. Further, the first method is contrary to a demand for suppressing environmental pollution due to mercury flowing out of a used fluorescent lamp.

On the other hand, in the second method using a mercury-filled capsule, the mercury-filled capsule is previously mounted near one of the electrodes in the fluorescent lamp. In the case of a straight tube fluorescent lamp, when forming a curved tube part, the fluorescent lamp must be exposed to a high-temperature atmosphere, and the mercury-filled capsule is opened due to the high heat. There was a problem that it was done. This second method not only causes environmental pollution at the manufacturing site, but also leads to unnecessary consumption of mercury.

A third method of melting and fixing alloy particles of zinc and mercury on a portion of the fluorescent lamp where the phosphor is not applied is a method of reducing the amount of mercury sealed in the fluorescent lamp as compared with the method using liquid mercury. It has the advantage that control is much easier. However, when manufacturing the fluorescent lamp, after the alloy particles of zinc and mercury are put into the fluorescent lamp, the alloy particles are moved to a portion of the inner wall of the glass tube where the phosphor is not applied, and further heated and melted to form an alloy. The grains must be fixed to the inner wall of the glass tube, and there is a problem that the number of manufacturing steps increases. Further, in the case of a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp or the like that requires bending, there is a possibility that the alloy particles may be melted and fixed on the phosphor layer due to residual heat, which has a problem that the appearance of the lamp is impaired. Furthermore, if the alloy particles are peeled off from the inner wall of the tube due to external shock or vibration, the alloy particles will roll freely in the fluorescent lamp, generating abnormal noise, and the user may misunderstand that they are defective. There is a problem that it may occur.

Further, according to the fourth method of the fluorescent lamp using amalgam particles, when the glass tube is bent or evacuated after enclosing the amalgam particles in one exhaust pipe, the heat at that time causes mercury to be removed from the amalgam particles by heat. Is released. In order to prevent this, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-251708, it has been proposed to forcibly cool the exhaust pipe at the time of bending or exhausting the glass pipe, but the manufacturing process is complicated. Had the problem of becoming

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. The present invention reduces the variation in the amount of mercury sealed, reduces the amount of mercury sealed in each fluorescent lamp, and reduces the amount of mercury consumed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fluorescent lamp and a method for manufacturing the same, which can reduce the amount of mercury and ultimately reduce the amount of mercury used and contribute to environmental protection.

[0011]

To achieve the above object, a fluorescent lamp according to the present invention has a glass tube having a phosphor layer on the inner surface and a rare gas sealed therein, and a closed portion at one end. A pair of glass stems having an exhaust pipe and electrodes held by two lead wires and sealing both ends of the glass tube, and a third lead wire different from the two lead wires; Fixed to at least one of the glass stems,
A glass body provided inside the exhaust pipe; and a mercury carrier provided in a space between an end of the glass body and a closed part of the exhaust pipe inside the exhaust pipe. I do. In the above configuration, the glass body is preferably flat. Alternatively, it is preferable that the glass body has a flat plate shape having a convex portion at least near an end face located on the closed portion side of the exhaust pipe. Alternatively, it is preferable that the glass body has a rod shape or a cylindrical shape.

[0012]

In each of the above structures, the mercury carrier and the glass body or the metal body are provided inside one of the exhaust pipes, the glass pipe has a bent portion, and the exhaust pipe is finally closed. It is preferable that the exhaust pipe is located on the other side.
In each of the above structures, it is preferable that the mercury carrier is an alloy containing mercury. Further, the mercury carrier is preferably zinc-mercury alloy particles.

On the other hand, the method for manufacturing a fluorescent lamp according to the present invention comprises:
Both ends of a glass tube having a phosphor layer on the inner surface are sealed with a pair of glass stems having electrodes and an exhaust tube, and after closing one exhaust tube of the glass stem, a curved tube portion is formed in the glass tube. After molding and inserting the mercury carrier into the other exhaust pipe of the glass stem, the other exhaust pipe of the glass stem is closed.

Further, according to another method of manufacturing a fluorescent lamp of the present invention, the lower part of the glass thin tube is inserted into one end of a third lead wire different from the two lead wires holding the electrodes, A step of heating and melting the whole, performing a pinch process, and forming a flat glass body having a flat shape or a convex portion on both surfaces,
Insert the other end of the third lead wire into the exhaust pipe,
Melting a glass stem body and the other end of the third lead wire having the flat glass body to fix the glass body to the glass stem body to form a first glass stem; Welding the first glass stem to at least one of the parts and sealing the same, and closing the exhaust pipe of the second glass stem provided on the other side of the glass tube, and then bending the glass tube. Processing,
Sealing the rare gas from the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem, charging the mercury carrier, and finally closing the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem.

According to still another method of manufacturing a fluorescent lamp of the present invention, a metal wire is spirally wound so as to have a larger diameter as approaching the vicinity of the open end, and forming a basket-like portion near the open end. Forming a metal body having a linear portion connected to the non-open end, and placing the metal body in the exhaust pipe of the glass stem such that the basket-like portion is on the top and the linear portion is on the bottom. Inserting and melting and integrating the glass stem body and the linear portion of the metal body to form a first glass stem; and at least one of both ends of a glass tube, the first glass stem And sealing the exhaust pipe of a second glass stem provided on the other side of the glass tube, and then bending the glass tube, and sealing the first glass stem. Noble gas from exhaust pipe At the same time, the mercury carrier is inserted into the basket-like portion of the metal body, and the mercury carrier is melted and fixed to the metal body by preheating or heating of the metal body. Closing off the exhaust pipe.

[0017]

According to the fluorescent lamp of the present invention configured as described above, both ends of a glass tube having a phosphor layer on the inner surface and containing a rare gas therein are sealed with a pair of glass stems. A glass stem is provided with an exhaust pipe having a closed portion at one end and an electrode held by two lead wires, and a glass body is formed at the tip of a third lead wire different from the two lead wires,
The glass body is fixed inside the exhaust pipe of at least one of the glass stems, and inside the exhaust pipe, a mercury carrier, for example, zinc-mercury, is inserted in the space between the end of the glass body and the closed part of the exhaust pipe. Since the alloy particles are provided, the mercury carrier can be charged for the first time in the final step of manufacturing the fluorescent lamp. Therefore, mercury does not evaporate or is discharged to the outside of the glass tube in the bending process or the exhausting process of the glass tube. As a result, the variation in the amount of mercury sealed is reduced, the amount of mercury sealed in each fluorescent lamp is reduced, the amount of consumable mercury is reduced, and finally the amount of mercury used is reduced, contributing to environmental protection. Further, as in the third conventional method, after the alloy particles as the mercury carrier are charged into the fluorescent lamp, the alloy particles are moved to a portion of the inner wall of the tube where the phosphor is not applied, and further heated and melted. Since it is not necessary to fix the alloy grains to the inner wall of the tube, there is no increase in the number of manufacturing steps or breakage of the glass tube due to distortion of the glass tube due to heating conditions.

The glass body may be formed into a flat plate shape or a flat plate shape having a convex portion at least in the vicinity of an end face located on the side of a closed portion of the exhaust pipe, or the glass body may be formed into a rod shape or a cylindrical shape to obtain mercury. The carrier can be prevented from falling from the exhaust pipe portion into the glass tube, and the appearance of the fluorescent lamp does not become unsightly due to the mercury carrier adhering to the phosphor layer. Further, the mercury carrier does not roll inside the glass tube, no abnormal noise occurs when handling the fluorescent lamp, and the user does not mistake the lamp for a defect. In addition, since the glass body is integrated with the glass stem body, the glass body does not fly out when the gas in the glass tube is exhausted from the exhaust pipe.

According to another fluorescent lamp of the present invention,
Since the metal body to which the mercury carrier is fixed is integrally fixed to the glass stem in the exhaust pipe provided on at least one of the glass stems, the mercury carrier can be supplied for the first time in the final step of manufacturing the fluorescent lamp. . Also,
Since the mercury carrier is fixed to the metal body, it is possible to prevent the mercury carrier from dropping from the exhaust pipe into the glass tube. Further, since the metal body is integrated with the glass stem body, the metal body does not jump out when the gas in the glass tube is exhausted from the exhaust pipe. Further, even when the fluorescent lamp is vibrated, the mercury carrier does not move in the exhaust pipe. Therefore, the mercury carrier does not collide with the thinned sealing portion at the tip of the exhaust pipe peculiar to the fluorescent lamp exhaust process, does not break the thin film, and does not cause leakage.

Further, the mercury carrier and the glass or metal body are provided inside one of the exhaust pipes, the glass pipe has a bent portion, and the exhaust pipe is the exhaust pipe on the last closed side. The mercury carrier can be put in after the glass tube bending process, and the mercury is not exhausted by the heat generated when the glass tube is formed into a non-straight tube shape, such as a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp or a double U-shaped fluorescent lamp. Can be easily manufactured.

The mercury carrier is made of an alloy containing mercury, particularly zinc-mercury alloy particles, so that the alloy containing mercury can easily adjust the holding amount of mercury as compared with liquid mercury. Therefore, the amount of mercury sealed in the glass tube can be easily adjusted.

On the other hand, according to the method of manufacturing a fluorescent lamp of the present invention, both ends of a glass tube having a phosphor layer on its inner surface are sealed with a pair of glass stems having electrodes and an exhaust tube. After closing the exhaust pipe, a curved tube part is formed in the glass tube, and after inserting the mercury carrier into the other exhaust pipe of the glass stem, the other exhaust pipe of the glass stem is closed. The mercury carrier can be charged for the first time in the final step.

Further, according to another method for manufacturing a fluorescent lamp of the present invention, the third lead wire separate from the two lead wires holding the electrodes is provided.
Inserting the lower portion of the glass tube into one end of the lead wire, heating and melting the entire glass tube, performing pinch processing, and forming a flat glass body having a flat shape or a convex portion on both surfaces, The other end of the third lead wire is inserted, and the other end of the third lead wire having the glass stem body and the flat glass body is melted to fix the glass body to the glass stem body. A step of forming a stem, a step of welding and sealing a first glass stem to at least one of both ends of the glass tube, and an exhaust pipe of a second glass stem provided on the other side of the glass tube , A step of bending the glass tube, charging a rare gas from the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem and charging the mercury carrier, and finally closing the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem. Process, the fluorescent laser Only in the final step of manufacturing the flop can populate the mercury carrier. Further, by making the glass body into a flat plate shape or a flat plate shape having a convex portion near at least the end face located at the closed portion side of the exhaust pipe, it is possible to prevent the mercury carrier from falling from the exhaust pipe portion into the inside of the glass pipe. .

According to still another method of manufacturing a fluorescent lamp of the present invention, a metal wire is spirally wound so as to have a larger diameter as it approaches the open end, and a basket-like shape near the open end. Forming a metal body having a portion and a straight portion connected to the opposite open end; and inserting the metal body into the exhaust pipe of the glass stem such that the basket-shaped portion is on the top and the straight portion is on the bottom. Melting the glass stem body and the linear portion of the metal body to form a first glass stem, and welding and sealing at least the first glass stem at both ends of the glass tube. Performing the bending process of the glass tube after closing the exhaust tube of the second glass stem provided on the other side of the glass tube, and sealing the rare gas from the exhaust tube of the first glass stem. Metal body with mercury carrier Manufacturing the fluorescent lamp by inserting the mercury carrier into the metal body by means of the residual heat or heating of the metal body, and finally closing the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem. The mercury carrier can be introduced for the first time in the final step. Further, since the mercury carrier is fixed to the metal body, it is possible to prevent the mercury carrier from falling from the exhaust pipe portion into the glass tube.

[0025]

【Example】

(First Embodiment) First, a first embodiment of the fluorescent lamp of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view showing the configuration of a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp having a rated power of 30 W, for example, according to the first embodiment, and FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a phosphor layer 2 is formed on an inner surface of a glass tube 1.
Is filled with a rare gas, and both ends of the glass tube 1 are sealed with a glass stem 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the glass stem 3 includes an exhaust pipe 5 that holds the electrode 4 and has a tip tip-off. The glass body 6 is fixed to the glass stem 3 main body by welding in the exhaust pipe 5 via another third lead wire 9 different from the two lead wires holding the electrode 4. In the space between the end of the glass body 6 and the chip-off portion 7 in the exhaust pipe 5 on the last chip-off side, a solid mercury carrier, that is, zinc, which is an alloy containing mercury, is provided. -Mercury alloy grains 8 are provided. One end of the exhaust pipe 5 serves as a chip-off portion, and the other end communicates with the inside of the glass tube 1.

FIG. 3 shows the shape of the glass body 6. The glass body 6 is formed by inserting a thin glass tube into the third lead wire 9, performing a melt pinch process, and providing convex portions 6 a on both side surfaces, and has a plate shape. The purpose of the glass body 6 is to prevent the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 from falling into the inside of the glass tube 1, but the glass body 6 must not obstruct the exhaust from the exhaust pipe 5. When the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 are smaller than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 5, it is necessary to increase the width of the glass body 6. However, if the width of the glass body 6 is simply increased, the exhaust pipe 5 is not provided.
Exhaust from the air. Therefore, when the glass tube and the third lead wire 9 are melted and pinched, a depression is formed in the pinch block, and the projections 6 are formed on both side surfaces of the plate.
a was formed. The size of the projection 6a is determined by the relationship between the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 5 and the outer diameter of the zinc-mercury alloy grain 8. Note that the shape of the glass body 6 is not limited to this, and may be a rod shape or a cylindrical shape.

In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 5 is about 3.
4 mm. The diameter of the third lead wire 9 is 0.3 mm, and the outer diameter of the glass capillary is about 3 mm. At the stage when the pinch processing is completed, the length of the glass body 6 is about 4.5 mm,
The plate thickness is about 1.5 mm, and the protrusion amount of the projection 6a is about 0.5 m
m and width were about 3 mm. The total length in a state where the third lead wire 9 and the glass body 6 were welded was about 15 mm. The outer diameter of the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 used in this embodiment is about 1.5 mm, and does not fall into the glass tube 1. In FIG. 3, in the length direction of the third lead wire 9,
The projections 6a on both sides of the plate are formed over the entire length of the glass body 6, but it is sufficient that the projections 6a exist near the tip where the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 are placed. The zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 may have a mercury content, an outer diameter, a sealed number, or the like, appropriately selected according to the type of the fluorescent lamp. In addition, it is only necessary that at least one of the exhaust pipes 5 exists.

With the above-described configuration, the amount of mercury sealed can be controlled to a necessary minimum amount, and the variation can be suppressed. The amount of mercury enclosed in the prototype fluorescent lamp was analyzed and the variation was evaluated.
= 0.24. On the other hand, in the case of the conventional liquid mercury method, σ = 1.04. Therefore, it is clear that the present invention has a remarkable effect. Further, in the present invention, since the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 are fixed in the exhaust pipe 5,
It is possible to prevent unsightly appearance due to the mercury alloy particles 8 adhering to the phosphor layer 2 and prevent generation of abnormal noise when handling the fluorescent lamp. When the prototype lamp was turned on, it turned on normally, and no difference was observed from the case where the conventional liquid mercury method was used.

Also, the exhaust pipe 5 on the side where the tip is finally cut off
Is filled with zinc-mercury alloy particles 8, so that no mercury is released due to heat generated during bending of the fluorescent lamp.
Mercury sealed in the fluorescent lamp can be minimized. Furthermore, since the glass body 6 is fixed to the stem 3, there is no possibility that the glass body 6 will fly out during exhaust.

Further, as in the third conventional method, after the alloy particles are put into the fluorescent lamp, the alloy particles are moved to the portion of the inner wall of the tube where the phosphor is not applied, and further heated and melted to obtain the alloy. Since there is no need to fix the particles to the inner wall of the tube, there is no increase in the number of manufacturing steps and no breakage of the glass tube due to distortion of the glass tube due to heating.

The present invention is applicable not only to a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp but also to a straight tube fluorescent lamp, and is effective in reducing the amount of mercury, improving the appearance of a fluorescent lamp, and the like. When the present invention is applied to a straight tube fluorescent lamp, it is not necessary to limit the exhaust pipe for enclosing the mercury carrier to the last tip-off side because bending is unnecessary.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which the first embodiment is applied to a so-called double U-type fluorescent lamp. The double U-shaped fluorescent lamp is a fluorescent lamp having a bent portion which has been bent twice and used for a compact compact fluorescent lamp. As shown in FIG. 4, zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 as amalgam particles are placed in the space between the end of the glass body 6 and the tip-off portion 7 in the exhaust pipe 5 on the last tip-off side. Since the amalgam particles (zinc-mercury alloy particles 8) have not been provided yet when the glass tube is bent or evacuated, mercury is not released from the amalgam.

Next, a first embodiment of the method for manufacturing a fluorescent lamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the lower part of the thin glass tube is inserted into one end of the third lead wire 9, and the entire thin glass tube is heated and melted, and pinch processing is performed. Thus, a plate-like glass body 6 having a plate-like shape or a convex portion 6a on both side surfaces as shown in FIG. 3 is formed. Next, in the normal glass stem manufacturing process, the other end of the third lead wire 9 is inserted into the exhaust pipe 5 separately from the two lead wires holding the electrode 4, and the glass stem 3 main body and the third lead wire are inserted. Is melted to fix the glass body 6 to form the glass stem 3.

Next, a normal glass stem is welded to one end of the glass tube 1 and the glass stem 3 having undergone the above-described steps is welded to the other end of the glass tube 1 for sealing. After tipping off the exhaust pipe of one of the ordinary glass stems, the glass tube 1 is bent and exhausted. Subsequently, a rare gas is sealed from the other exhaust pipe 5 of the glass stem 3 manufactured according to the present invention, and a mercury carrier (zinc-mercury alloy particles 8) is supplied. Finally, the exhaust pipe 5 is chipped off.

According to this method, when the glass tube 1 is bent, since the mercury carrier (zinc-mercury alloy particles 8) is not yet present in the exhaust pipe, the mercury is released by the heat during the bending. It will not be done. As a result, the amount of enclosed mercury can be minimized. Further, since the glass body 6 is fixed to the glass stem 3 via the third lead wire 9, the glass body 6 does not jump out of the exhaust pipe 5 when exhausting the inside of the fluorescent lamp.

If the manufacturing method of this embodiment is applied to the manufacture of a double U-type fluorescent lamp as described above, there is no mercury emission at the time of bending, so that a step of cooling the amalgam holding part is unnecessary. And the manufacturing process can be simplified.

As described above, according to the method of manufacturing the fluorescent lamp of the first embodiment, mercury is not released due to heat during bending, and the amount of enclosed mercury is suppressed to the minimum necessary. Can be. Further, since the glass body 6 is fixed to the glass stem 3 via the third lead wire 9, the glass body 6 does not fly out when the inside of the lamp is exhausted. Furthermore, in the manufacture of a double U-type fluorescent lamp,
A conventional cooling step is not required.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the annular fluorescent lamp of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 5, a phosphor layer 2 is formed on the inner surface of a glass tube 1, a rare gas is sealed inside the glass tube 1, and both ends of the glass tube 1 are sealed with a glass stem 3. . The glass stem 3 at one end includes a glass stem main body 3a, an exhaust pipe 5 having one end closed by a chip-off and the other end integrated with the glass stem main body 3a, and mercury provided in the exhaust pipe 5. It has an alloy 8 to be contained and a metal body 10 having a basket-like open end for holding the alloy 8 in the exhaust pipe 5. The other end of the metal body 10, that is, the straight portion continuously connected to the non-open end is integrated with the glass stem body 3 a. The glass stem 3 holds the electrode 4. Finally, in the basket-shaped portion of the metal body 10 in the exhaust pipe 5 on the tip-off side,
As the mercury carrier, for example, zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 are provided in a fixed state.

One end of the exhaust pipe 5 is closed to form a chip-off portion 7. The other end of the exhaust pipe 5 is connected to the glass stem 3. The space inside the exhaust pipe 5 communicates with the inside of the glass tube 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the vicinity of the open end of the tip of the metal body 10 is in the form of a basket, and the other end is welded to the glass stem main body 3a and fixed integrally. The zinc-mercury alloy grains 8 are fixed in the basket-like portion at the tip of the metal body 10.

The maximum outer diameter of the basket portion of the metal body 10 is such that the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 do not fall into the inside of the glass tube 1 and the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 are placed in the basket-like portion. Must be enough to stick. The inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 5 of this embodiment is about 3.4 mm.
On the other hand, the wire diameter of the metal body 10 is 0.2 mm, and the total length is about 13 m.
m, the maximum outer diameter is about 3.2 mm, and the winding is four turns. Zinc used in the fluorescent lamp according to the present embodiment-
The outer diameter of the mercury alloy particles 8 was about 1.5 mm. Therefore,
The zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 fall into the basket-like portion of the metal body 10 without falling into the glass tube 1, and the zinc-mercury is generated by the heat of the wire, which is the residual heat when the glass tube is bent. The alloy grains 8 partially melt and adhere to the wire.

The zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 can be appropriately selected in terms of mercury content, outer diameter, enclosed number, and the like according to the type of fluorescent lamp. Further, the metal body 10 and the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 may be present in at least one of the exhaust pipes 5. The metal body 10 has been described as a wire having a basket-shaped tip, but the shape is not limited to this. The zinc-mercury alloy grains 8 are partially melted by residual heat when the glass tube is bent. Any shape may be used as long as it can be fixed. When the residual heat when the glass tube is bent is not enough to partially melt and fix the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8, the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 are partially melted by external heating. You may. In this case, it is desirable that the temperature of the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 be kept below the boiling point of mercury.

With the above configuration, the amount of mercury enclosed can be adjusted to the minimum necessary amount, and the occurrence of variations in the amount of enclosed mercury can be suppressed. A prototype of the fluorescent lamp of this example was manufactured, the amount of mercury enclosed was analyzed, and its variation was evaluated. As a result, σ = 0.30. On the other hand, in the case of the conventional liquid mercury method, σ = 1.04. Therefore, it is clear that the present invention has a remarkable effect. In the present invention, since the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 are fixed in the exhaust pipe 5, they do not move in the exhaust pipe even when the lamp is vibrated. Therefore, it does not collide with the thinned sealing portion at the tip of the exhaust pipe, breaks the thin film, and does not cause leakage. In addition, it is possible to prevent the appearance of the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 from being unsightly due to being attached to the phosphor layer 2 and the generation of abnormal noise when handling the fluorescent lamp.
When the prototype lamp was turned on, it turned on normally, and no difference was observed from the case where the conventional liquid mercury method was used.

Next, a second embodiment of the method for manufacturing a fluorescent lamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the metal body 10 is inserted into the exhaust pipe 5 of the glass stem 3 with the basket-shaped portion facing upward and the linear portion facing downward, and the glass stem main body 3a and the linear portion of the metal body 10 are melted and integrated. The glass stem 3 is formed.

Next, glass stems 3 are provided at both ends of the glass tube 1.
And sealed. After one of the exhaust pipes 5 is chipped off, the glass tube 1 is bent and heated and exhausted.
Subsequently, an alloy containing mercury, for example, a zinc-mercury alloy particle 8 is inserted into the basket portion at the tip of the metal body 10 while enclosing a rare gas from the other exhaust pipe 5, and the wire rod portion is heated by the heat of the metal body 10. Then, the zinc-mercury alloy particles 8 are melted and fixed, and the exhaust pipe 5 is chipped off.

According to this method, when the glass tube 1 is bent and formed, the mercury-containing alloy has not yet been inserted into the exhaust pipe, so that no mercury is released due to the heat during bending. As a result, the amount of enclosed mercury can be minimized. Further, since the metal body 10 is fixed to the glass stem main body 3a, the metal body 10 does not jump out of the exhaust pipe 5 when exhausting the inside of the lamp.

In addition, since the alloy containing mercury can easily adjust the amount of mercury retained therein compared with liquid mercury, the amount of mercury sealed in the glass tube can be easily adjusted. In addition, the mercury-containing alloy 8 is placed inside the exhaust pipe 5.
The alloy 8 does not move in the exhaust pipe 5 even when the fluorescent lamp is vibrated because the alloy 8 is fixed to the basket portion at the tip of the metal body 10 inside. Therefore, the alloy 8 does not collide with the thinned sealing portion at the tip of the exhaust pipe 5, does not break the thin film, and does not cause leakage. In addition, during the use of the fluorescent lamp, the alloy 8 containing mercury adheres to the phosphor layer 2 to make the appearance of the fluorescent lamp unsightly, and the alloy 8 containing mercury rolls freely in the arc tube. As a result, no abnormal noise occurs when handling the fluorescent lamp, and the problem that the user mistakes the lamp for a defect is not caused. Furthermore, since the metal body 10 is integrally fixed to the glass stem main body 3a, the metal body 10 does not fly out when the gas in the glass tube is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 5.

In the case of manufacturing a fluorescent lamp having a curved tube portion, since the alloy containing mercury is sealed in the exhaust tube on the side to be chipped off last, the curved tube portion is formed in a glass tube. No mercury is released by the heat generated.

[0048]

As described above, according to the fluorescent lamp of the present invention, both ends of a glass tube having a phosphor layer on the inner surface and containing a rare gas therein are sealed with a pair of glass stems. An exhaust pipe having a closed portion at one end and an electrode held by two lead wires are provided on one end of a glass stem, and a glass body is formed at the tip of a third lead wire different from the two lead wires, Is fixed inside the exhaust pipe of at least one of the glass stems, and inside the exhaust pipe, a mercury carrier, for example, a zinc-mercury alloy, is provided in a space between the end of the glass body and the chip-off portion of the exhaust pipe. Since the particles are provided, the mercury carrier can be charged for the first time in the final step of manufacturing the fluorescent lamp. For this reason, it is possible to prevent mercury from evaporating or being discharged to the outside of the glass tube in the glass tube bending step or the exhaust step. As a result, it is possible to reduce the variation in the amount of mercury sealed, reduce the amount of mercury sealed in each fluorescent lamp, reduce the amount of mercury consumed, and ultimately reduce the amount of mercury used. And contribute to environmental protection. Also,
As in the third conventional method, after the alloy particles as the mercury carrier are charged into the fluorescent lamp, the alloy particles are moved to a portion of the inner wall of the tube where the fluorescent material is not applied, and further heated and melted. Since it is not necessary to fix the particles to the inner wall of the tube, the number of manufacturing steps is not increased, and the glass tube is not damaged due to distortion of the glass tube due to heating conditions.

Further, mercury can be obtained by forming the glass body into a flat plate shape or a flat plate shape having a convex portion at least in the vicinity of the end face located on the side of the exhaust pipe closing portion, or by forming the glass body into a rod shape or a cylindrical shape. The carrier can be prevented from dropping from the exhaust pipe portion into the glass tube, and the appearance of the fluorescent lamp can be prevented from becoming unsightly due to the mercury carrier adhering to the phosphor layer. Also, the mercury carrier does not roll inside the glass tube, and can prevent generation of abnormal noise when handling the fluorescent lamp. for that reason,
The user is not mistaken for a defective lamp. Further, since the glass body is integrated with the glass stem body, the glass body does not fly out when the gas in the glass tube is exhausted from the exhaust pipe.

According to another fluorescent lamp of the present invention,
Since the metal body to which the mercury carrier is fixed is integrally fixed to the glass stem in the exhaust pipe provided on at least one of the glass stems, the mercury carrier can be supplied for the first time in the final step of manufacturing the fluorescent lamp. . Also,
Since the mercury carrier is fixed to the metal body, it is possible to prevent the mercury carrier from falling from the exhaust pipe portion into the glass tube. Further, since the metal body is integrated with the glass stem body, the metal body does not jump out when the gas in the glass tube is exhausted from the exhaust pipe. Further, even when the fluorescent lamp is vibrated, the mercury carrier does not move in the exhaust pipe. Therefore, the mercury carrier does not collide with the thinned sealing portion at the tip of the exhaust pipe peculiar to the fluorescent lamp exhaust process, does not break the thin film, and does not cause leakage.

Further, by providing the mercury carrier and the glass or metal body inside one of the exhaust pipes, the glass pipe has a bent portion, and the exhaust pipe is the exhaust pipe on the last closed side. The mercury carrier can be put in after the glass tube bending process, and the mercury is not exhausted by the heat generated when the glass tube is formed into a non-straight tube shape, such as a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp or a double U-shaped fluorescent lamp. Can be easily manufactured.

The mercury carrier is made of an alloy containing mercury, in particular, zinc-mercury alloy particles, so that the alloy containing mercury can easily adjust the amount of mercury retained as compared with liquid mercury. Therefore, the amount of mercury sealed in the glass tube can be easily adjusted.

On the other hand, according to the method of manufacturing a fluorescent lamp of the present invention, both ends of a glass tube having a phosphor layer on the inner surface are sealed with a pair of glass stems having an electrode and an exhaust tube. After closing the exhaust pipe, a curved tube part is formed in the glass tube, and after inserting the mercury carrier into the other exhaust pipe of the glass stem, the other exhaust pipe of the glass stem is closed. The mercury carrier can be charged for the first time in the final step.

According to another method of manufacturing a fluorescent lamp of the present invention, the third lead wire which is different from the two lead wires holding the electrodes is provided.
Inserting the lower portion of the glass tube into one end of the lead wire, heating and melting the entire glass tube, performing pinch processing, and forming a flat glass body having a flat shape or a convex portion on both surfaces, The other end of the third lead wire is inserted, and the other end of the third lead wire having the glass stem body and the flat glass body is melted to fix the glass body to the glass stem body. Forming a stem, welding and sealing a first glass stem to at least one of both end portions of the glass tube, and removing an exhaust pipe of a second glass stem provided on the other side of the glass tube. After the closing, a step of bending the glass tube, a step of filling a rare gas from the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem and charging the mercury carrier, and finally closing the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem. And the fluorescent lamp Only in the final step of manufacturing the flop can populate the mercury carrier. For this reason, it is possible to prevent mercury from evaporating or being discharged to the outside of the glass tube in the glass tube bending step or the exhaust step. As a result, it is possible to reduce the variation in the amount of mercury sealed, reduce the amount of mercury sealed in each fluorescent lamp, reduce the amount of mercury consumed, and ultimately reduce the amount of mercury used. And contribute to environmental protection. Further, the glass body is formed into a flat plate shape or a flat plate shape having a convex portion near at least the end face opposite to the third lead wire, thereby preventing the mercury carrier from dropping from the exhaust pipe portion into the glass tube. Thus, it is possible to prevent the appearance of the fluorescent lamp from becoming unsightly due to the mercury carrier adhering to the phosphor layer. Also, the mercury carrier does not roll inside the glass tube, and can prevent generation of abnormal noise when handling the fluorescent lamp. Therefore, the user is not mistaken for a defective lamp.

According to still another method of manufacturing a fluorescent lamp of the present invention, a metal wire is spirally wound so as to have a larger diameter as approaching the vicinity of the open end, and a basket-like shape near the open end. Forming a metal body having a portion and a straight portion connected to the opposite open end; and inserting the metal body into the exhaust pipe of the glass stem such that the basket-shaped portion is on the top and the straight portion is on the bottom. Melting the glass stem body and the linear portion of the metal body to form a first glass stem; and welding the first glass stem to at least one of both ends of the glass tube. A step of sealing;
Performing a bending process on the glass tube after closing the exhaust tube of the second glass stem provided on the other side of the glass tube;
A rare gas is sealed from an exhaust pipe of the first glass stem, and a mercury carrier is inserted into a basket-like portion of a metal body.
Melting and fixing the mercury carrier to the metal body by the residual heat or heating of the metal body, and finally closing the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem. You can throw in your body. For this reason, it is possible to prevent mercury from evaporating or being discharged to the outside of the glass tube in a bending process or an exhausting process of the glass tube. As a result, it is possible to reduce the variation in the amount of mercury sealed, reduce the amount of mercury sealed in each fluorescent lamp, reduce the amount of mercury consumed, and ultimately reduce the amount of mercury used. And contribute to environmental protection. Also, since the mercury carrier is fixed to the metal body, the mercury carrier can be prevented from falling from the exhaust pipe portion into the glass tube,
It is possible to prevent the appearance of the fluorescent lamp from becoming unsightly due to the mercury carrier adhering to the phosphor layer. Further, the mercury carrier does not roll inside the glass tube, and can prevent generation of abnormal noise when handling the fluorescent lamp. Therefore, the user is not mistaken for a defective lamp.
Further, even when the fluorescent lamp is vibrated, the mercury carrier does not move in the exhaust pipe. Therefore, the mercury carrier does not collide with the thinned sealing portion at the end of the exhaust pipe peculiar to the fluorescent lamp exhaust process, and does not break the thin film and cause no leakage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front partial sectional view showing the configuration of a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp according to a first embodiment of the fluorescent lamp of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front sectional view of a main part of the ring-shaped fluorescent lamp according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a configuration of a sheet glass body in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a double U-type fluorescent lamp to which the first embodiment is applied.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front sectional view of a main part showing a configuration of a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp according to a second embodiment of the fluorescent lamp of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing a configuration of a metal body in the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Glass tube 2: Phosphor layer 3: Glass stem 4: Electrode 5: Exhaust tube 6: Glass body 7: Tip-off portion 8: Zinc-mercury alloy particles 9: Third lead wire 10: Metal body

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Ikuhiro Okuno 1-1 Sachicho, Takatsuki-shi, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electronics Corporation (72) Inventor Hiroshi Uoya 1-1-1, Sachimachi, Takatsuki-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electronics (72) Inventor Ichiro Kawabata 1-1, Sachimachi, Takatsuki-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electronics Corporation (56) References JP-A-7-94143 (JP, A) JP-A-2- 160356 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 60-155166 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01J 61/24 H01J 9/395 H01J 61/28

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A glass tube having a phosphor layer on an inner surface and containing a rare gas therein, an exhaust tube having a closed portion at one end, and an electrode held by two lead wires, A pair of glass stems that seal both ends of the glass tube, and a second lead wire that is fixed to at least one of the glass stems via a third lead wire that is separate from the two lead wires, and is provided inside the exhaust pipe. A fluorescent lamp comprising: a glass body provided; and a mercury carrier provided in a space between an end of the glass body and a closed portion of the exhaust pipe inside the exhaust pipe. 2. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the glass body has a flat shape. 3. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the glass body is a flat plate having a convex portion at least near an end face located on the side of a closed portion of the exhaust pipe. 4. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein the glass body has a rod shape or a cylindrical shape. 5. The mercury carrier and the glass body or the metal body are provided inside one of the exhaust pipes, the glass pipe has a bent portion, and the exhaust pipe is provided on the last closed side. The fluorescent lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , which is an exhaust pipe. Wherein said mercury bearing member, a fluorescent lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is an alloy containing mercury. 7. The fluorescent lamp according to claim 6 , wherein the mercury carrier is a zinc-mercury alloy particle. 8. After sealing both ends of a glass tube having a phosphor layer on the inner surface with a pair of glass stems having an electrode and an exhaust tube, and closing one exhaust tube of the glass stem,
A method of manufacturing a fluorescent lamp, comprising forming a curved tube portion in the glass tube, inserting a mercury carrier into the other exhaust tube of the glass stem, and closing the other exhaust tube of the glass stem. 9. The lower part of a glass tube is inserted into one end of a third lead wire different from two lead wires holding electrodes,
Heating and melting the entire glass tube, performing a pinch process,
A step of forming a flat glass body having a flat or convex portion on both surfaces, and inserting a third end of the third lead wire into the exhaust pipe to form a third glass body having a glass stem body and the flat glass body. Fusing the other end of the lead wire to fix the glass body to the glass stem body to form a first glass stem; and providing the first glass stem to at least one of both ends of the glass tube. And sealing the exhaust pipe of the second glass stem provided on the other side of the glass tube, and then bending the glass tube, and then bending the glass tube. Sealing the rare gas from the exhaust pipe and charging the mercury carrier, and finally closing the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem. 10. A metal wire is spirally wound so as to have a larger diameter as it approaches the open end, and a basket-shaped portion near the open end and a straight portion connected to the opposite open end. Forming a metal body having: a metal stem inserted into the exhaust pipe of the glass stem such that the basket-shaped portion is on the top and the straight portion is on the bottom; A step of melting and integrating the portions to form a first glass stem; a step of welding and sealing the first glass stem to at least one of both end portions of the glass tube; A step of bending the glass tube after closing an exhaust pipe of a second glass stem provided on the other side, and enclosing a rare gas from the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem and a mercury carrier. Of said metal body A step of inserting the mercury carrier into the metal body by means of residual heat or heating of the metal body, and finally closing the exhaust pipe of the first glass stem. Lamp manufacturing method.