JP3775596B2 - Glow discharge lamp, lighting fixture, and electrode for glow discharge lamp - Google Patents

Description

【０１１３】
図９は、本発明の第１の実施形態において、異なる電流密度で亜鉛合金を電気めっきした電極について水素放出量を測定した結果を示すグラフである。図において、横軸は電流密度１０Ａ／ｄｍ^２および５Ａ／ｄｍ^２のそれぞれ９個のサンプルを、縦軸は水素放出量（相対値）を、それぞれ示す。なお、亜鉛合金は、図１のバイメタル３ｂの表面に電気めっきしている。そして、各９本の電極を真空中にセットし、１０００℃まで加熱してガスを放出させ、質量分析計で水素量を求めた。
【０１１４】
図から明らかなように、小さい電流密度で電気めっきした方が水素放出量が少ない。そうして、これらと同一仕様の電極を用いて点灯管を製造した結果、点滅６０００回でも暗黒中における点灯遅延時間は所望の程度に短かった。
【０１１５】
また、以上説明した本発明の第１の実施形態における点灯管は、そのいずれも放電容器の内面にスパッタにより薄膜体が形成されていたので、放電容器を破壊して、内面に付着していた薄膜体を剥がして分析したところ、亜鉛合金を主体とするもので、亜鉛合金薄膜体を構成していることが判明した。そして、亜鉛合金薄膜体には水素が吸着していた。なお、亜鉛合金薄膜体は、一部が酸化していた。
【０１１６】
さらに、本発明の第１の実施形態における点灯管に封入されているネオンおよびキセノンを主体とする放電媒体中の水素量を分析した結果、水素は０．３〜２．８％であった。
【０１１７】
以下、図１０ないし図１５を参照して、本発明の他の実施形態について説明する。なお、各図において、図１および図２と同一部分については同一符号を付して説明は省略する。
【０１１８】
図１０は、本発明のグロー放電ランプの第２の実施形態としてのグロースタータの電極マウントを示す拡大正面図である。
【０１１９】
本実施形態は、電子放射性物質４が固定電極２に支持されている点で異なる。また、フレアステムＨＳにはエキソ（Ｅｘｏ）電子放射性物質Ｅｘｏが付着されている。このエキソ（Ｅｘｏ）電子放射性物質Ｅｘｏは、Ａｌ_２Ｏ_３、ＭｇＯおよびＢｅの粉末を結着剤を用いて塗布形成したものである。このようにエキソ（Ｅｘｏ）電子放射性物質Ｅｘｏを用いることで、亜鉛合金から不純ガスが多く放出されるという不具合が万一発生したとしても、エキソ（Ｅｘｏ）電子放射性物質Ｅｘｏが不足する初期電子を補うので、亜鉛合金による放電開始時間短縮効果が確実に維持されることが認められた。
【０１２０】
図１１は、本発明のグロー放電ランプの第３の実施形態としてのグロースタータの電極マウントを示す拡大正面図である。
【０１２１】
本実施形態は、ゲッター材８を固定電極２に支持させている点で異なる。すなわち、ゲッター材８は、ＺｒＡｌ合金の板片からなり、スポット溶接により固定電極２の基部近傍の外側に固定されている。このゲッター剤８は、主として電子放出物質４から寿命中に放出されるわずかなＨ２ガスを吸着する。
【０１２２】
図１２は、本発明のグロー放電ランプの第４の実施形態としてのグロースタータを示す一部断面正面図である。
【０１２３】
図１３は、同じく要部断面正面図である。本実施形態は、Ｅ形グロースタータである。
【０１２４】
ケース５は、酸化チタン微粒子を適量添加して適度の光拡散性にしたポリカーボネート樹脂を成形して有底筒状に形成されているとともに、周側縁に複数の突条５ａを形成している。そして、その内部に一対の電極２、３および電子放射性物質４を封装し、放電媒体を封入してなる放電容器１を収納する。なお、一対の電極２、３、電子放射性物質４および放電媒体は、第１の実施形態と同様の構成である。
【０１２５】
口金６は、Ｅ１７形ねじ口金からなり、ケース６の開口端に装着し、かつ、ケース５の開口端に加締めて固着している。なお、図中６ａは加締め痕で、加締め時に形成されたものである。
【０１２６】
図１４は、本発明のグロー放電ランプの第５の実施形態としての表示用グロー放電ランプおけるワイヤバルブを示す正面図である。
【０１２７】
一対の電極２、２は、いずれも固定電極からなる。電子放射性物質４は、一対の電極２、２に支持されている。
【０１２８】
図１５は、本発明のグロー放電ランプの第６の実施形態としての冷陰極蛍光ランプを示す一部切欠縦断面図である。
【０１２９】
本実施形態は、内面に蛍光体層９を配設した細長い放電容器１の長手方向の両端に冷陰極形の一対の電極２、２が封装され、電子放射性物質４は、一対の電極２、２に支持されている。
【０１３０】
図１６は、本発明の照明器具の一実施形態としての蛍光灯ペンダントを示す一部断面正面図である。
【０１３１】
図において、１１は照明器具本体、１２、１３はグロースタータである。照明器具本体１１は、シャーシ１１ａ、セード１１ｂ、蛍光ランプ１１ｃ、１１ｄ、ランプホルダー１１ｅ、常夜灯１１ｆ、安定器１１ｇ、切換スイッチ１１ｈ、ペンダントコード１１ｉ、コードホルダー１１ｊおよび引掛けシーリングキャップ１１ｋなどを備えている。シャーシ１１ａは、内部に安定器１１ｇ、切換スイッチ１１ｈを収納し、側面周縁にランプホルダー１１ｊを固定し、上面でセード１ｂを支持している。蛍光ランプ１１ｃ、１１ｄは、ランプホルダー１１ｅを介してシャーシ１１ａに支持されている。常夜灯１１ｆは、シャーシ１１ａの下面から露出している。ペンダントコード１１ｉは、シャーシ１１ａの上面からコードホルダー１１ｊを介して導出されている。コードホルダー１１ｊは、ペンダントコード１１ｉの長さを直接可能にしている。引掛けシーリングキャップ１１ｋは、ペンダントコード１１ｉの先端に接続していて、部屋の天井に設備されている引掛けシーリングボディに電気的に接続するとともに、機械的に支持されることによって、照明器具本体１１を天井から垂下する。
【０１３２】
グロースタータ１２、１３は、シャーシ蛍光ランプ１１ａの内部に装着され、頭部をシャーシ１１ａから外部へ露出していて、蛍光ランプ１１ｃ、１１ｄを個別に始動する。
【０１３３】
【発明の効果】
請求項１ないし９の各発明によれば、放電容器、一対の電極、放電媒体、および一対の電極の少なくとも一方に配設された亜鉛の含有率が５０質量％以上の亜鉛合金を含む厚さ１．０〜２０μｍの範囲内で形成された電子放射性物質を具備していることにより、点灯所要時間を短縮して暗所条件下における始動特性を改善するとともに、電子放射性物質のスパッタリングが本質的に改善され、しかも亜鉛合金からの不純ガスの放出量も少なくなって、長寿命のグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。さらに、Ａｌ _２ Ｏ _３ またはＭｇＯからなるエキソ（Ｅｘｏ）電子放射性物質Ｅｘｏを用いることで、亜鉛合金から不純ガスが多く放出されるという不具合が万一発生したとしても、エキソ（Ｅｘｏ）電子放射性物質Ｅｘｏが不足する初期電子を補うので、亜鉛合金による放電開始時間短縮効果を維持することができる。
【０１３４】
請求項２の発明によれば、加えて亜鉛合金が亜鉛−ニッケル合金であることにより、工業的規模で容易に入手し得て、しかも安価な電子放射性物質を備えたグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１３５】
請求項３の発明によれば、加えて亜鉛合金がニッケルを２〜１５質量％含有している亜鉛−ニッケル合金であることにより、融点が高く、たとえば共析電気めっき法により電極上に直接膜状に形成することができて、電子放射性物質の配設が容易になるとともに、十分な電子放射性を有しているグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１３６】
請求項４の発明によれば、加えて亜鉛合金が、亜鉛と、コバルト、銅、ニッケル、スズおよびモリブデンのグループから選択された２種の金属とを主成分とする３元亜鉛合金からなることにより、２元亜鉛合金とほぼ同様な作用、効果を奏するグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１３７】
請求項５の発明によれば、加えて電子放射性物質が、亜鉛合金と、仕事関数が４ｅＶ以下で、かつ、融点が５００℃以上の金属とを含んで構成されていることにより、亜鉛合金による前述の優れた作用、効果と所定条件の金属による電子放出の作用、効果とがともに得られるグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１３８】
請求項６の発明によれば、加えて電子放射性物質が下地層を介して電極に支持されていることにより、電極と電子放射性物質の干渉を抑制したグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１３９】
請求項７の発明によれば、加えて亜鉛合金が、電流密度１〜１５Ａ／ｄｍ^２における電気めっきにより形成されていることにより、働程中の水素のガス放出が少なくて放電遅れが生じにくいグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１４０】
請求項８の発明によれば、加えて亜鉛合金が電極に電気めっきにより配設されるとともに、水素吸蔵量が０．１〜５０ＰＰＭの範囲内にある亜鉛−ニッケル合金であることにより、使用中に水素の放出を少なくすることができ、したがってグロースタータとして使用した場合であっても、放電開始電圧の不所望な上昇を抑制することが可能になるグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１４１】
請求項９の発明によれば、加えて透光性放電容器内に配設されたガス吸着を行なうゲッター材を具備していることにより、寿命中に電子放射性物質の亜鉛合金から透光性放電容器内に放出されるわずかな不純ガスを吸着して、これを良好に除去するので、寿命中の始動性低下を極めて良好に抑制する放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１４２】
請求項１０の発明によれば、加えて放電容器の内部に形成された亜鉛合金薄膜体を具備していることにより、亜鉛合金薄膜体の表面積が大きくなってガス吸着作用すなわちゲッター作用を呈するので、放電容器の内部をクリーンアップして、不所望な放電遅れや放電開始電圧の上昇が生じにくいグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１４３】
請求項１１の発明によれば、加えて放電媒体が、水素を０．０５〜５％含有していることにより、再動作電圧の低下傾向を相殺して常に再動作電圧を所要範囲内に収めるグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１４４】
請求項１２の発明によれば、加えて一対の電極が少なくとも一方がバイメタルを備えた可動電極からなり、グロー放電による発生熱によりバイメタルが変位して一対の電極が互いに接触し得る構成であるとともに、電子放射性物質が可動電極のバイメタルに支持されていることにより、所要量の電子放射性物質を備えたグロースタータに好適なグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１４５】
請求項１３の発明によれば、加えて一対の電極の一方がバイメタルを備えた可動電極、他方が固定電極からなり、グロー放電の発生熱によりバイメタルが変位して一対の電極が互いに接触し得る構成であるとともに、電子放射性物質が固定電極に直接支持されていることにより、製造が容易で、しかもコストを抑えることが可能なグロー放電ランプを提供することができる。
【０１４６】
請求項１４の発明によれば、照明器具本体と、照明器具本体に配設された請求項１ないし１２のいずれか一記載のグロー放電ランプとを具備していることもより、請求項１ないし１３の効果を有する照明器具を提供することができる。
【０１４７】
請求項１５の発明によれば、放電容器内に封装される部分に亜鉛の含有率が５０質量％以上の亜鉛合金を含む厚さ１．０〜２０μｍの範囲内で形成された電子放射性物質が配設されていることにより、これを周知の放電容器に放電媒体とともに封装すれば、点灯所要時間を短縮して暗所条件下における始動特性を改善するとともに、電子放射性物質のスパッタリングが本質的に改善され、しかも亜鉛合金からの不純ガスの放出量も少なくなって、長寿命のグロー放電ランプを得ることができる。さらに、下地層によって電極の構成材料と電子放射性物質との干渉を抑制することができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明のグロー放電ランプの第１の実施形態としてのグロースタータを示す正面図
【図２】同じく電極マウントを示す拡大正面図
【図３】点滅０回における放電開始時間のばらつきを示すグラフ
【図４】点滅６０００回後における放電開始時間のばらつきを示すグラフ
【図５】点滅０回における放電開始電圧のばらつきを示すグラフ
【図６】点滅６０００回後における放電開始電圧のばらつきを示すグラフ
【図７】本発明のグロー放電ランプの第１の実施形態としてのグロースタータにおける点滅１０００回後の亜鉛残量をバイメタルとそれ以外の個所との対比を比較例のそれとともに示すグラフ
【図８】本発明のグロー放電ランプの第１の実施形態としてのグロースタータにおける実施例のバイメタル１個当たりのガス放出量を比較例のそれとともに示すグラフ
【図９】本発明の第１の実施形態において、異なる電流密度で亜鉛合金を電気めっきし
た電極について水素放出量を測定した結果を示すグラフ
【図１０】本発明のグロー放電ランプの第２の実施形態としてのグロースタータの電極マウントを示す拡大正面図
【図１１】本発明のグロー放電ランプの第３の実施形態としてのグロースタータの電極マウントを示す拡大正面図
【図１２】本発明のグロー放電ランプの第４の実施形態としてのグロースタータを示す一部断面正面図
【図１３】同じく要部断面正面図
【図１４】本発明のグロー放電ランプの第５の実施形態としての表示用グロー放電ランプおけるワイヤバルブを示す正面図
【図１５】本発明のグロー放電ランプの第６の実施形態としての冷陰極蛍光ランプを示す一部切欠縦断面図
【図１６】本発明の照明器具の一実施形態としての蛍光灯ペンダントを示す一部断面正面図
【符号の説明】
１・・・放電容器、１ａ・・・ガラスバルブ、１ｂ・・・ステム部、１ｃ・・・排気チップオフ部、１ｄ・・・放電空間、２・・・固定電極、３・・・可動電極、３ａ・・・棒状金属、３ｂ・・・バイメタル、４・・・電子放射性物質、５・・・ケース、５ｂ・・・ローレット部、６・・・口金、６ｂ・・・絶縁基板、６ｃ・・・口金ピン、６ｃ１・・・係止突部、６ｃ２・・・接続部、７・・・雑音防止コンデンサ、７ａ・・・リード線、ＥＭ・・・電極マウント、ＨＳ・・・フレアステム、ＯＬ１・・・外部導入線、ＯＬ２・・・外部導入線。[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a glow discharge lamp suitable as a glow starter for starting a fluorescent lamp or the like, a lighting fixture using the same, and an electrode for a glow discharge lamp.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Glow discharge lamps are conventionally used frequently as glow starters and display lamps for starting discharge lamps such as fluorescent lamps.
[0003]
However, a glow discharge lamp such as a glow starter tends to require a longer lighting time in a dark place and needs to be improved. In the case of a glow starter, the lighting required time is the sum of a discharge delay time, a glow discharge duration, a closing time, and a pulse generation time. The reason why the required lighting time is long in a dark place is that the discharge delay time becomes long because the supply of initial electrons is insufficient.
[0004]
Therefore, conventionally, the discharge delay time is improved by means using the radioisotope shown below.
[0005]
¹⁴⁷A trace amount of a radioisotope such as Pm is applied in the vicinity of the electrode, or is coated electrochemically, and a metal such as Ni is plated (Prior Art 1).
[0006]
⁸⁵Kr,³Gaseous radioactive isotopes such as H are sealed in the discharge vessel as an ionized filling gas (prior art 2).
[0007]
Both of the prior arts 1 and 2 can always ionize the filling gas in the discharge vessel with the radioisotope, so that the discharge is started quickly at the time of lighting, so the effect of improving the discharge delay time is It is remarkable. However, when using a radioactive substance, even if it is a trace amount, there exists a problem that the facilities which satisfy | fill radiation safety standards on manufacture and handling, and the strict management for safe handling are required.
[0008]
On the other hand, a means not using a radioisotope has been sought, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-255724 uses a phosphor exhibiting long afterglow to cause afterglow on the electrode surface in a dark place. There has been disclosed a technique for improving discharge delay time by supplying initial electrons through photoelectron emission upon incidence (Prior Art 3).
[0009]
Since the prior art 3 does not use a radioactive substance, it is effective for the above-described problem. However, although it is a phosphor exhibiting long afterglow, there is a limit to the period during which a required amount of remaining light can be maintained. The above document states that the limit is 60 hours (2.5 days) to 90 hours (3.75 days) after exposure to light of 100 lx with a FL15 type fluorescent lamp for 30 minutes. In addition, since the phosphor exhibiting long afterglow needs to be provided at a site where external light reaches, there is a restriction that it cannot be used for a glow starter having a light shielding case.
[0010]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-64873 discloses a technique for shortening the starting time in a dark place by coating an electrode with zinc by electroplating or the like (prior art 4).
[0011]
In the prior art 4, a surface layer of zinc is sputtered by glow discharge, thereby forming a clean and fairly active surface. Further, the scattered zinc atoms adsorb the impurity gas in the gas and adhere to the inner wall of the glass tube, thereby purifying the gas and suppressing the release of the impurity gas from the glass tube. It is described that these make it easier to emit initial electrons from the electrode surface.
[0012]
Thus, according to the prior art 4, the problems of the prior arts 1 to 3 are solved.
[0013]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the research of the present inventor, in the prior art 4, when the bimetal or the fixed electrode is coated with zinc, the zinc is scattered due to glow discharge or sputtering accompanying high-pressure pulse discharge, and the wear becomes severe. If the number of blinks is less than the number of times the electrode disappears, the desired lighting time characteristics may not be maintained. On the other hand, although it can be improved by increasing the film thickness of zinc to be within a predetermined range, it is not an essential solution because of possible trouble factors such as difficulty in manufacturing and fluctuations in electrical characteristics.
[0014]
The present invention essentially improves the sputtering of the electron-emitting material, and shortens the time required for lighting to improve the starting characteristics under dark conditions, a lighting apparatus using the same, and an electrode for the glow discharge lamp The purpose is to provide.
[0015]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a glow starter that shortens the time required for lighting and has improved starting characteristics under dark conditions, a lighting fixture using the glow starter, and an electrode for a glow discharge lamp.
[0016]
Furthermore, the present invention additionally provides a glow starter which removes residual impurity gas and suppresses an undesirable increase in discharge delay and discharge start voltage, a lighting fixture using the same, and an electrode for a glow discharge lamp. Objective.
[0017]
[Means for achieving the object]
  The glow discharge lamp of the present invention includes a discharge vessel, a pair of electrodes sealed in the discharge vessel, a discharge medium mainly composed of a rare gas sealed in the discharge vessel, and at least one of the pair of electrodes. An electron-emitting material made of a zinc alloy with a zinc content of 50% by mass or more formed in a thickness range of 1.0 to 20 μm; and disposed in a discharge vesselAl ₂ O ₃ Or MgOAnd an exo-electron emitting material.
[0018]
In the present invention and each of the following inventions, the definitions and technical meanings of terms are as follows unless otherwise specified. As described above, the glow discharge lamp of the present invention includes the discharge vessel, the pair of electrodes, the discharge medium, and the electron-emitting material as components, and performs glow discharge such as a display glow lamp, a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, and a glow starter. Includes discharge lamps that occur and operate. Hereinafter, each component will be described.
[0019]
The discharge vessel is formed of a material having airtightness, workability and preferably heat resistance, such as glass, and has a discharge space therein. Among glass materials, soft glass is superior in terms of workability and cost.
[0020]
For the pair of electrodes, so-called cold cathodes that do not include a thermionic emission material can be used. In the case of a glow discharge lamp for display, a pair of electrodes is used as a pair. On the other hand, in the case of a glow starter, at least one of them consists of a movable electrode provided with a bimetal. That is, either of a mode in which one of the pair of electrodes is a movable electrode and the other is a fixed electrode and a mode in which both electrodes are movable electrodes may be used. In any discharge lamp, the pair of electrodes is sealed in a discharge vessel.
[0021]
Next, as a bimetal suitable as a glow starter, for example, a thin plate made of an Fe—Ni alloy, and a Ni—Cr—Fe alloy, a Ni—Mn—Fe alloy, a Mn—Cu—Ni alloy, or a Cr—Cu—Ni alloy are used. It is possible to use a thin plate that is formed by bonding directly or indirectly with a third thin plate having an intermediate thermal expansion coefficient by welding or the like. The pair of electrodes come into contact with each other when the temperature of the movable electrode reaches 50 ° C. to 150 ° C. due to the heat generated by glow discharge generated between the electrodes. Since the electrodes are short-circuited by the contact, when the glow discharge is stopped, the temperature of the movable electrode is lowered and the pair of electrodes are separated again.
[0022]
In the case of a glow starter, the pair of electrodes is set so that the distance between the electrodes is about 0.1 to 2 mm so that the duration of glow discharge is as short as possible.
[0023]
Furthermore, in order to seal the pair of electrodes at a predetermined position in the discharge vessel while maintaining a predetermined distance between the electrodes, a mount assembled in advance at a predetermined distance between the electrodes using a stem can be used. As the stem, a flare stem, a bead stem or the like can be used as appropriate. In addition, in order to suppress the occurrence of creeping discharge on the stem surface between the electrodes and the reduction of the pulse voltage, the surface of the part can be covered with an insulating material.
[0024]
The discharge medium is mainly composed of a rare gas and is enclosed in a discharge vessel. As the rare gas, argon is generally used. However, hydrogen or an organic gas can be mixed with argon for the purpose of increasing the glow discharge current or suppressing the decrease of the re-operation voltage during the lifetime. Alternatively, instead of argon, a mixed gas using the penning effect of neon or neon / argon can be used. Further, a mixed gas of one or both of neon and argon, and krypton and / or xenon can be used.
[0025]
The electron-emitting material is also called an electrode activator, but in the present invention, it contains at least a zinc alloy. And it arrange | positions so that a part or almost whole of at least one surface of a pair of electrode may be coat | covered. In the zinc alloy, the kind of metal forming the alloy with zinc is not limited. For example, selected from the group of Ag, Al, Au, Ba, Be, Ce, Co, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ge, La, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Te, Ti, W and Zr Alternatively, a zinc alloy having one or more kinds as the other component can be used. However, among the above groups, when Ni is a component, the effect is the best, and a zinc alloy can be obtained easily and inexpensively. Co, Fe, Cu, Al, Mn, Cr and Mo are also relatively easy to obtain.
[0026]
On the other hand, the zinc alloy preferably has a melting point of 450 ° C. or higher in order to improve the sputtering resistance. However, in order to facilitate the manufacturing process of the zinc alloy, the melting point is preferably in the range of 550 to 830 ° C. In order to obtain predetermined electron emission characteristics, the zinc content is preferably 50% by mass or more, and more preferably in the range of 65 to 98% by mass.
[0027]
Next, in order to arrange the zinc alloy on the electrode, preferably in the form of a film, means such as electroplating, hot dipping, vacuum deposition, CVD or ion plating can be used. This also makes it possible to form a zinc alloy film that is easy to control to a desired film thickness, is dense, and contains little impurities. However, electroplating is the most economical. In the case of electroplating, a zinc alloy film is directly formed on the electrode of the glow discharge lamp by eutectoid electroplating using an alloy-forming metal such as zinc and nickel as one of the electrodes and the electrode of the glow discharge lamp as the other electrode. be able to. Also, first electroplating an alloy-forming metal such as nickel and then plating zinc, or first plating zinc and then plating an alloy-forming metal such as nickel and then heat treating the zinc A two-step plating method for forming an alloy film can also be used.
[0028]
In addition to the zinc alloy, addition of other electron-emitting substances is permitted as the electron-emitting substance. According to the study of the present inventor, since the carbon nanotube has electron emissivity, it can be added to the zinc alloy as an electron emissive substance in the present invention. However, carbon nanotubes can be used alone.
[0029]
Although not an essential element of the present invention, the following configurations can be selectively added as desired.
[0030]
If impure gas is released into the discharge vessel during the lifetime of the glow discharge lamp, the startability is reduced. Therefore, a performance getter can be disposed inside the discharge vessel as a getter material for gas adsorption.
[0031]
The case is a means for surrounding the discharge vessel to mechanically protect the glow starter. The case can be formed using a material having a required mechanical strength such as metal, synthetic resin, or ceramics. Furthermore, in order to make it easy to pick and attach the glow starter to the socket, the case can be provided with an operation assisting part such as a non-slip ridge so as to be easily picked.
[0032]
As the base, a screw base such as E17 type or a pin base such as P21 type can be used according to the rating of the compatible fluorescent lamp.
[0033]
In the present invention, the zinc component of the electron emissive substance made of a zinc alloy is activated and becomes easy to emit electrons. The initial electron emission performance of the zinc alloy is almost the same as that of zinc. For this reason, the starting characteristic of the glow discharge lamp under dark conditions can be improved.
[0034]
  Further, since the electron-emitting substance is a zinc alloy, the melting point of the electron-emitting substance is increased, so that sputtering is significantly reduced, and the consumption of the electron-emitting substance formed within a thickness range of 1.0 to 20 μm. As a result, the problem of deterioration of the characteristics is essentially improved. Therefore, a zinc alloy having a melting point higher than that of zinc is selectively used. Furthermore, it has been found that the amount of impure gas released from the zinc alloy is smaller than that in the case where a coating of zinc alone is used as the electron-emitting material. This is considered to be due to the reduction of impure gas mixed during plating production. Therefore, the electron emission action by the zinc alloy is continued well throughout the life, and the startability is not lowered by the impure gas discharge, so that the glow discharge lamp has a long life. further,Al ₂ O ₃ Or MgOBy using the exo-electron emissive material Exo, even if a defect that a lot of impure gas is released from the zinc alloy should occur, the exo-electron emissive material Exo compensates for the initial electrons that are insufficient. The effect of shortening the discharge start time by the zinc alloy is reliably maintained.
[0035]
A glow discharge lamp according to a second aspect of the present invention is the glow discharge lamp according to the first aspect, wherein the electron-emitting material is a zinc-nickel alloy.
[0036]
The present invention defines a preferred configuration example of the zinc alloy. That is, in the case of a zinc alloy having Ni as the other component, NiZn having a melting point of 881 ° C. is obtained by containing about 25 mass% of Ni.₃NiZn having a melting point of about 870 ° C. by containing about 19% by mass of Ni₂₁Furthermore, NiZn having a melting point of about 790 ° C. by containing about 11% by mass of Ni₈Both form stable intermetallic compounds. Thus, various forms can be applied to the zinc-nickel alloy without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, a solid solution form is also allowed.
[0037]
Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a glow discharge lamp that is easily available on an industrial scale and that includes an inexpensive electron-emitting material.
[0038]
In addition, when the electron radioactive material is formed by the eutectoid electroplating method, since the zinc alloy has a high melting point, the amount of hydrogen generated during plating is reduced, the impurity gas concentration in the electron radioactive material is reduced, and the plating process The current efficiency at is increased.
[0039]
The glow discharge lamp of the invention of claim 3 is the glow discharge lamp of claim 2, wherein the zinc-nickel alloy contains 2 to 15% by mass of nickel.
[0040]
The present invention defines a preferred composition range of the zinc-nickel alloy. That is, if the composition of nickel is in the above range, a zinc alloy having a melting point of about 550 to 830 ° C. can be obtained. As is apparent from the fact that the melting point of zinc alone is 419.4 ° C., the zinc alloy of the present invention has a sufficiently high melting point. For this reason, sputtering resistance improves. However, if Ni is less than 2% by mass, the melting point is too low. On the other hand, when Ni exceeds 15 mass%, the melting point tends to be saturated.
[0041]
In addition, the zinc alloy can be directly formed into a film shape on the electrode by the eutectoid electroplating method, and therefore, the electron-emitting substance can be easily disposed. However, the present invention may form a zinc-nickel alloy by, for example, a hot dipping method, and is not limited to forming an electron-emitting material by a eutectoid electroplating method.
[0042]
Furthermore, since the electron-emitting substance made of the above zinc alloy contains a large amount of zinc, it has a sufficient electron-emitting property.
[0043]
The glow discharge lamp of the invention of claim 4 is the glow discharge lamp of claim 1, wherein the zinc alloy is mainly composed of zinc and two kinds of metals selected from the group of cobalt, copper, nickel, tin and molybdenum. It is characterized by comprising a ternary zinc alloy as a component.
[0044]
The present invention defines a configuration in which the electron-emitting material is made of a ternary zinc alloy. As the ternary zinc alloy, for example, Zn-Co-Mo, Zn-Co-Cr, Zn-Ni-Co, or the like can be used. In Zn-Co-Mo, Co is 1 to 3%, Mo is 0.1 to 0.5%, and the balance is Zn. In Zn—Co—Cr, Co: 0.1 to 0.5% (for example, 0.3%), Cr: 0.01 to 0.1% (for example, 0.05%), and the balance Zn. In Zn-Ni-Co, Ni is 15 to 20% (for example, 17%), Co is 0.1 to 0.5% (for example, 0.3%), and the balance is Zn. In addition, all the said% is mass%. Moreover, these ternary zinc alloys can be formed by eutectoid electroplating, for example.
[0045]
And in this invention, there exists an effect | action and effect substantially the same as a binary zinc alloy because a zinc alloy consists of a ternary zinc alloy.
[0046]
A glow discharge lamp according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the glow discharge lamp according to the first aspect, wherein the electron-emitting material is a zinc-nickel alloy and a metal having a work function of 4 eV or less and a melting point of 500 ° C. or higher. It is characterized by comprising.
[0047]
The present invention defines a discharge lamp comprising an electron-emitting material composed of a zinc-nickel alloy and another metal (including an alloy) that satisfies the above predetermined conditions. The other metal that satisfies the predetermined condition is one or more selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Sc, Y, La, Zr, Hf, Th, and Ce. Note that “comprising a metal having a work function of 4 eV or less and a melting point of 500 ° C. or higher” means that a part or all of these metals and a component of a zinc-nickel alloy further form an alloy. It means that the state which forms is included. Further, when La is selected, a compound with B may also be used.
[0048]
Further, the ratio of the zinc-nickel alloy to the other metal satisfying the predetermined condition is arbitrary. Therefore, if necessary, the latter may be the main component and the former may be the subcomponent, or vice versa.
[0049]
Thus, in the present invention, since the zinc-nickel alloy is contained in a part of the electron-emitting material, the above-described excellent action and effect by the zinc-nickel alloy and the action and effect by the metal under predetermined conditions Can be obtained together.
[0050]
A glow discharge lamp according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the glow discharge lamp according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the electron-emitting material is supported on the electrode through an underlayer.
[0051]
The underlayer can act so as to suppress interference between the constituent material of the electrode and the electron-emitting substance.
[0052]
In the present invention, the electrode may be either movable or fixed, but in the case of a movable electrode using a bimetal composed of an Fe—Ni alloy and an Mn—Cu—Ni alloy, It is considered that the bimetal deteriorates due to this reaction, and since this deterioration is suppressed, it is particularly effective. This deterioration of the bimetal occurs particularly when a zinc alloy is formed by electroplating. However, the bimetal may not be as described above, and may be composed of a Fe—Ni alloy and a Ni—Mn—Fe alloy, a Ni—Cr—Fe alloy, or a Cr—Cu—Ni alloy.
[0053]
A glow discharge lamp according to claim 7 is the glow discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the zinc alloy has a current density of 1 to 15 A / dm.²It is characterized by being formed by electroplating in (square decimeter).
[0054]
The present invention defines a glow discharge lamp constructed using a zinc alloy with reduced outgassing of hydrogen. In a glow discharge lamp with a small internal volume of the discharge vessel such as a lighting tube, the influence of the occluded gas released from the sealing member such as the electrode on the lamp characteristics of the glow discharge lamp is relatively large. Should be reduced as much as possible.
[0055]
On the other hand, it can be understood from the preceding claims that zinc alloys are particularly suitable as electron-emitting materials. Moreover, it is effective to arrange the zinc alloy on the electrode by depositing the zinc alloy on the electrode by electroplating.
[0056]
However, even when a zinc alloy is produced by electroplating, it has been found that the current density during plating greatly affects the gas release performance of hydrogen. That is, a glow discharge lamp in which an electrode formed by electroplating a zinc alloy with a large current density is sealed has a discharge delay after initial flashing. If the current density at the time of electroplating is large, the plating speed increases, but the structure of the formed zinc alloy becomes rough and the amount of occluded hydrogen increases. When the glow discharge lamp operates, it is considered that the discharge start voltage increases and a discharge delay occurs because the amount of stored hydrogen released is large.
[0057]
Therefore, the present inventor has made the present invention as a result of examination based on the above consideration. That is, the zinc alloy formed by performing electroplating within the above current density range has a dense structure and a reduced amount of occluded hydrogen. Thus, a glow discharge lamp manufactured by incorporating an electrode in which a zinc alloy having a small amount of occluded hydrogen is disposed can reduce the outgassing of hydrogen during operation to a practically acceptable range. Moreover, if it is in said range, the precipitation efficiency of a zinc alloy is also comparatively high and can endure industrial production. Preferably, 1-10 A / dm²And optimally 5 A / dm²It is the range before and after.
[0058]
In contrast, the current density during electroplating is 15 A / dm.²Beyond, the production efficiency of electroplating is increased. However, the structure of the zinc alloy becomes too coarse, and the hydrogen gas emission becomes significant. In a glow discharge lamp with a small discharge vessel volume such as a lighting tube, the hydrogen gas emission deviates from the allowable range. End up. Conversely, the current density is 1 A / dm²If it is less than this, the production efficiency will be too low and it will not be practical.
[0059]
Thus, in the present invention, it is possible to obtain a glow discharge lamp in which the discharge of hydrogen during operation is small and the discharge delay is unlikely to occur.
[0060]
The glow discharge lamp according to claim 8 is the glow discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the zinc alloy is disposed on the electrode by electroplating and has a hydrogen storage amount of 0.1 to 0.1. It is characterized by being a zinc-nickel alloy in the range of 50 PPM.
[0061]
It has been found that when the zinc alloy is a zinc-nickel alloy, the amount of hydrogen stored during the electroplating process can be reduced. This is because the plating efficiency is high as a characteristic of nickel. On the other hand, in the case of electroplating zinc alone, since the plating efficiency is low, the hydrogen storage amount may be about 100 PPM.
[0062]
By the way, in a glow discharge lamp such as a glow starter, there is a problem that the discharge start voltage increases when the amount of released hydrogen is large. However, it has been found that if the amount of hydrogen occluded in the electroplated electrode portion is suppressed to 50 PPM or less, there is no practical problem. In addition, since it is difficult to manufacture the hydrogen storage amount below 0.1 PPM, the range of the hydrogen storage amount is defined as 0.1 to 50 PPM in the present invention. However, the preferred range is in the range of 1.0 to 10 PPM.
[0063]
Thus, in the present invention, the above configuration makes it possible to reduce the release of hydrogen during use of the glow discharge lamp. Therefore, even when used as a glow starter, the discharge start voltage is undesirable. It is possible to suppress an increase.
[0064]
A glow discharge lamp according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the glow discharge lamp according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, further comprising a getter material for adsorbing gas disposed in the translucent discharge vessel. It is characterized by.
[0065]
The following configurations can be used as the getter material. That is, Ba or an alloy thereof, or Zr, Al or an alloy thereof can be disposed inside the translucent discharge vessel. As an alloy of Ba, for example, BaAl₄Can be used. Further, BaN is used as a Ba compound.₆(Barium azide) can also be used. And after encapsulation BaAl₄Or BaN₆When Flushing is performed, the getter action is performed as Ba alone. As an alloy of Zr and Al, for example, ZrAl can be used. Furthermore, BaO as a hydrogen getter₂(Barium peroxide) can also be used.
[0066]
Further, the getter material can be shaped into a ring shape or a plate shape and fixed to the electrode, or can be powdered and attached to a stem or a translucent discharge vessel in a film shape.
[0067]
Thus, by using a zinc alloy as the electron-emitting material, the sputtering of zinc is remarkably reduced as described above. For example, when the zinc alloy is attached to the electrode by electroplating, H₂And H₂O impure gas is occluded. In addition, impure gas may be released from the zinc alloy during the life, and the startability may be somewhat adversely affected. On the other hand, in the present invention, the getter material described above is sealed in the translucent discharge vessel, so that a small amount of the electron-emitting substance zinc alloy is released into the translucent discharge vessel during the lifetime. Impure gas can be adsorbed and removed satisfactorily. Further, the getter material is H released from the wall surface of a member such as a translucent discharge vessel.₂Adsorption is also performed against impure gases such as O. For this reason, the startability fall during the lifetime of a discharge lamp can be suppressed very favorably.
[0068]
A glow discharge lamp according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the glow discharge lamp according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, further comprising a zinc alloy thin film formed inside a discharge vessel.
[0069]
The present invention defines a configuration suitable as a getter material that performs gas adsorption. That is, it was found that the zinc alloy thin film formed inside the discharge vessel has a getter action.
[0070]
Since the zinc alloy thin film is made of the same material as that of the electron-emitting substance zinc alloy, the glow discharge lamp is manufactured without forming the zinc alloy thin film, for example, in order to form it inside the discharge vessel. Then, by flashing the glow discharge lamp during aging or the like, a part of the zinc alloy as the electron-emitting material disposed on the electrode may be sputtered into the discharge vessel. However, if necessary, the electrode mount may be sealed in the discharge vessel after the zinc alloy thin film is formed on the inner surface of the discharge vessel in advance before the electrode is sealed.
[0071]
Further, the zinc alloy thin film body can be formed on both or either one of the inner surface of the discharge vessel and the surface of the stem. Furthermore, the zinc alloy thin film body is allowed to partially or entirely form an oxide.
[0072]
Thus, in the present invention, when the zinc alloy thin film is formed inside the discharge vessel, the surface area becomes large and exhibits a gas adsorbing action, that is, a getter action. It is possible to clean up the inside of the discharge vessel by adsorbing residual impurity gas such as. For this reason, undesired discharge delay and discharge start voltage increase are less likely to occur.
[0073]
A glow discharge lamp according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the glow discharge lamp according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the discharge medium contains 0.05 to 10% of hydrogen.
[0074]
The present invention defines a configuration in which the amount of hydrogen contained in the discharge medium is set within a predetermined range so that the characteristics of the glow discharge lamp are within a desired value range. That is, if hydrogen is contained in the discharge medium, a discharge delay occurs or the discharge start voltage increases, so that it is generally attempted to remove hydrogen. However, it has been found that an increase in the discharge start voltage accompanying the inclusion of hydrogen can be an improvement measure if the reactivation voltage is too low. For example, when the discharge medium has a configuration in which xenon is mixed with neon, the re-operation voltage tends to decrease during the operation, and there is a risk of deviating from the standard value in an extreme case.
[0075]
In the present invention, by defining the hydrogen content as described above in terms of partial pressure, it is possible to offset the decrease in the reactivation voltage and always keep the reactivation voltage within the required range. A suitable range for the hydrogen content in the discharge medium is 0.05 to 5%. Note that the content of hydrogen in the discharge medium is determined by analyzing the discharge medium using a mass spectrometer. Also, the hydrogen released from the zinc alloy or the like during the operation is adsorbed by the getter when the getter is disposed inside the discharge vessel, but the hydrogen occluded in the electron radioactive material of the zinc alloy is absorbed. By gradually releasing, the decrease can be compensated. In this case, 0.1 to 50 PPM (0.1 to 50 μg per 1 g of electrode) is appropriate for the amount of hydrogen stored in the electrode formed with the zinc alloy before being sealed in the discharge vessel.
[0076]
A glow discharge lamp according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the glow discharge lamp according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein at least one of the pair of electrodes is a movable electrode provided with a bimetal, and is generated by heat generated by the glow discharge. The bimetal is displaced so that the pair of electrodes can come into contact with each other; the electron-emitting material is supported by the bimetal of the movable electrode.
[0077]
The present invention defines a configuration as a glow starter. Note that the bimetal can be provided on one or both of the pair of electrodes. When both are provided with a bimetal, the electron-emitting material can be supported on one or both of the bimetals. Further, the electron-emitting material may be supported by wells (for example, the rod-shaped metal 3a in FIG. 2) supporting the bimetal in addition to the bimetal. Further, if a predetermined electron emission characteristic can be obtained, the electron-emitting substance may be attached only to the wells supporting the bimetal without being supported by the bimetal.
[0078]
Thus, in the present invention, a required amount of the electron-emitting substance can be easily supported by supporting the electron-emitting substance on the bimetal.
[0079]
A glow discharge lamp according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the glow discharge lamp according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein at least one of the pair of electrodes is a movable electrode having a bimetal, and the other is a fixed electrode. The bimetal is displaced by the heat generated by the discharge and the pair of electrodes can come into contact with each other; the electron-emitting material is directly supported by the fixed electrode.
[0080]
The present invention differs from the invention of claim 12 in that the electron-emitting material is directly supported by the fixed electrode. That is, since the fixed electrode has few restrictions on the material to be used, it is possible to select a metal that does not easily react with the zinc alloy. This eliminates the need for a base layer, which makes it easy to manufacture and keeps costs low. In addition, the fixed electrode has few restrictions on the shape and is not deformed, so that it is easy to support the electron-emitting material.
[0081]
A lighting fixture according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention includes a lighting fixture main body; and the glow discharge lamp according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects disposed in the lighting fixture main body.
[0082]
In the present invention, the “luminaire main body” refers to the remaining part of the luminaire excluding the glow discharge lamp. Therefore, the discharge lamp and the discharge lamp lighting device may be included in the luminaire main body, or one or both of them may not be included in the luminaire main body. The use and structure of the lighting fixture are not limited. When the glow discharge lamp is a glow starter, for example, a fluorescent lamp is disposed in the lighting fixture body, and the fluorescent lamp is started and lit by the glow starter. When the glow discharge lamp is a display glow discharge lamp, it itself becomes a light source.
[0083]
  In the glow discharge lamp electrode according to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, an electron-emitting material containing a zinc alloy having a zinc content of 50% by mass or more in a portion sealed in the discharge vessel.Formed within a thickness range of 1.0 to 20 μm through the underlayerIt is characterized by being.
[0084]
The present invention defines an effective configuration as an electrode sealed in a glow discharge lamp.
[0085]
  Then, if the electrode for the glow discharge lamp of the present invention is sealed in a well-known discharge vessel together with the discharge medium, the lighting required time is shortened to improve the starting characteristics under dark conditions,Formed within a thickness range of 1.0 to 20 μmSputtering of the electron-emitting material is substantially improved, and the amount of impurity gas released from the zinc alloy is reduced, so that a long-life glow discharge lamp can be obtained.Furthermore, interference between the constituent material of the electrode and the electron-emitting substance is suppressed by the underlayer.
[0086]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0087]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a glow starter as a first embodiment of a glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
[0088]
FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the electrode mount.
[0089]
In each figure, 1 is a discharge vessel, 2 is a fixed electrode, 3 is a movable electrode, 4 is an electron radioactive material, 5 is a case, 6 is a base, and 7 is a noise prevention capacitor. This embodiment is a P-type glow starter. That is, when the glow starter is P-type, the noise prevention capacitor 7 is built in the case 5 and the base 6 is a P21-type pin base.
[0090]
The discharge vessel 1 is made of soft glass and includes a glass bulb 1a, a stem portion 1b, and an exhaust tip-off portion 1c, and a discharge space 1d is formed therein. Although not shown, the glass bulb 1a is integrally formed with an open end at one end and a relatively narrow exhaust pipe at the other end in advance. The stem portion 1b is integrated with the glass bulb 1a by sealing a later-described flare stem HS to the opening end of the glass bulb 1a. The exhaust tip off portion 1c is formed when the exhaust pipe formed at the other end of the glass bulb is tip off.
[0091]
Inside the discharge vessel 1, a neon-xenon mixed gas is sealed as a discharge medium.
[0092]
As shown in FIG. 2, the fixed electrode 2 and the movable electrode 3 are assembled in advance as an electrode mount EM, and are hermetically supported at a predetermined position in the discharge vessel 1 by sealing the electrode mount EM to the opening end of the glass bulb 1a. Has been. That is, the electrode mount EM is configured by assembling the flare stem HS, the fixed electrode 2, the movable electrode 3, the external lead wires OL1 and OL2, and the electron radioactive substance 4 in a predetermined positional relationship. Then, the discharge vessel 1 is formed by sealing the flare portion of the flare stem HS to the opening end of the glass bulb 1 a, and the fixed electrode 2 and the movable electrode 3 are sealed in the discharge vessel 1.
[0093]
The fixed electrode 2 is made of a rod-shaped metal, and the base end is sealed to the flare stem HS and connected to the external lead-in line OL1.
[0094]
The movable electrode 3 is composed of a rod-shaped metal 3a and a bimetal 3b. The rod-shaped metal 3a is longer than the fixed electrode 2, and its base end is sealed at a position facing the fixed electrode 2 of the flare stem HS, and is connected to the external lead-in line OL2. In addition, the bimetal 3b is bent into a square shape, and the upper end in FIG. 1 is welded to the upper portion of the bar-shaped metal 3a, and the lower end is in contact with and locked to the bar-shaped metal 3a in the cooled state. ing.
[0095]
The electron-emitting material 4 is made of a zinc-nickel alloy composed of 90% by mass of zinc and 10% by mass of nickel, and is formed on the surface of the bimetal 3b within a thickness range of 1.0 to 20 μm.
[0096]
The case 5 is formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape by molding an appropriate amount of light-shielding urea resin or titanium oxide fine particles to form a moderately light-diffusing polycarbonate resin, and the base 6 is engaged with the opening end. And are fixed by an adhesive. Moreover, the knurling part 5b for picking is provided in the head periphery.
[0097]
The base 6 includes an insulating substrate 6b and a pair of base pins 6c and 6c. The insulating substrate 6b closes the opening end of the case 5. The pair of cap pins 6c, 6c are fixed to the insulating substrate 6b so as to be spaced apart from each other, and an engaging projection 6c1 protruding to the outside of the case 5 and a connection portion 6c2 protruding to the inside of the case 5 are integrated. Prepared.
[0098]
The noise prevention capacitor 7 is connected to the connection portion 6c1 of the pair of pins 6c and 6c so as to be connected in parallel to the fixed electrode 2 and the movable electrode 3 through the lead wire 7a.
[0099]
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, the electrical characteristics of the examples in the glow starter as the first embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention will be described in comparison with comparative examples. In the figure, a solid line a is a graph showing an example, and a dotted line b is a graph showing a comparative example. In addition, an Example is a glow starter for 40 W type fluorescent lamps which adhered the zinc alloy of the electron emissive substance to the bimetal with the film thickness of 5 micrometers. On the other hand, all the comparative examples have the same specifications as the examples except that the electron-emitting substance is zinc alone having a thickness of 5 μm. Each figure was prepared based on the result of measuring 20 electrical characteristics prepared for each of the examples and comparative examples. The relative occurrence rate on the vertical axis represents the number of each discharge start time per 20 units expressed in terms of 100 minutes. The blinking is 25 seconds on and 35 seconds off.
[0100]
FIG. 3 is a graph showing the variation in the discharge start time at zero blinking.
[0101]
FIG. 4 is a graph showing variations in discharge start time after 6000 blinks.
[0102]
In the case of zero blinking, the discharge start time is extremely short in the example, and the maximum is about 0.1 seconds, and the comparative example is about 0.2 seconds at the longest. Few.
[0103]
On the other hand, after 6000 blinks, most of the examples start discharging within 1 second, but the comparative example has a large variation within a range of 4 seconds. This is presumably because the electron-emitting material was consumed by sputtering accompanying flashing in the comparative example using zinc alone as the electron-emitting material.
[0104]
FIG. 5 is a graph showing variations in the discharge start voltage at zero blinking.
[0105]
FIG. 6 is a graph showing variations in the discharge start voltage after 6000 blinks.
[0106]
At zero flashing, the discharge start voltage was in the range of about 10V around 150V, and the curve of the example was sharper. On the other hand, after 6000 blinks, in the example, the discharge start voltage varied in the range from 150 V to 170 V with 155 V as the center. On the other hand, in the comparative example, the discharge start voltage varied from 160V to 180V centering on 170V. This is due to the fact that the discharge start voltage rises relatively high because the amount of gas released from the electron-emitting material is larger than that of the embodiment.
[0107]
FIG. 7 is a graph showing the remaining amount of zinc after 1000 blinks in the glow starter as the first embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention, as well as the comparison between the bimetal and the other parts, together with that of the comparative example. In the figure, the horizontal axis shows the bimetals of Examples 1 and 2 having the same configuration as the above example and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 having the same configuration as the above comparative example on the left side, the non-bimetals on the right side, and the vertical axis shows the zinc residue. The amount (relative value) is shown respectively.
[0108]
As can be seen from the figure, Examples 1 and 2 have more electron-emitting material remaining in the bimetal than Comparative Examples 1 to 3, and therefore there are fewer electron-emitting materials at locations other than the bimetal. This indicates that according to the present invention, the scattering of the electron-emitting material by sputtering is less than that of the comparative example in which zinc alone is an electron-emitting material.
[0109]
FIG. 8 is a graph showing the gas discharge amount per bimetal of the example of the glow starter as the first embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention together with that of the comparative example. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents Example 1, Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and Reference Examples of the present invention, and the vertical axis represents gas discharge total pressure (Pa). In addition, a reference example shows the result of having analyzed the gas emission amount of only the bimetal which does not support an electron radioactive substance.
[0110]
As can be understood from the figure, according to the present invention, by using a zinc alloy as an electron-emitting material, the amount of gas emission is significantly reduced compared to a comparative example in which zinc alone is an electron-emitting material, and the electron-emitting material is supported. It is almost the same as the reference example.
[0111]
In the glass used for the discharge vessel 1 or the stem portion 1b, both are mass%, MgO exceeds 2%, and Na₂Glass or Al whose O is 10% or less₂O₃Exceeds 1.8% and Na₂When glass having O of 10% or less is used, the required lighting time is further shortened. This is because MgO or Al in the glass₂O₃It is thought that exo (Exo) electrons are emitted from the base and act as an electron source for starting. Na₂What contains over 10% of O, even if MgO or Al₂O₃Even if a predetermined amount is mixed, the effect of shortening the lighting time is reduced. This seems to be due to the increase in electrical conductivity of the glass due to the large amount of Na mixed in the glass. That is, in order to release exo electrons from MgO, mechanical stimulation, electrical stimulation, and the like are necessary. However, since a large amount of Na is contained in the glass, the leakage current is not on the surface, but inside. It is assumed that this is because no electrical stimulation is given.
[0112]
Next, Table 1 shows an example of glass that satisfies the above composition. In addition, this glass is what is called lead-less glass which does not contain a lead component substantially, and when this was used for the stem part 1b of a glow starter, the discharge start time was further shortened.
[Table 1]

[0113]
FIG. 9 is a graph showing the results of measuring the hydrogen release amount for electrodes electroplated with zinc alloys at different current densities in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents a current density of 10 A / dm.²And 5 A / dm²9 samples each, and the vertical axis represents the hydrogen release amount (relative value). The zinc alloy is electroplated on the surface of the bimetal 3b in FIG. Then, each of the nine electrodes was set in a vacuum, heated to 1000 ° C. to release the gas, and the amount of hydrogen was determined with a mass spectrometer.
[0114]
As is apparent from the figure, the amount of hydrogen released is smaller when electroplating is performed at a lower current density. Then, as a result of manufacturing a lighting tube using electrodes having the same specifications as these, the lighting delay time in the dark was as short as desired even after 6000 blinks.
[0115]
In addition, since all of the lighting tubes in the first embodiment of the present invention described above were formed by sputtering on the inner surface of the discharge vessel, the discharge vessel was destroyed and adhered to the inner surface. When the thin film body was peeled off and analyzed, it was found that it was mainly composed of a zinc alloy and constituted a zinc alloy thin film body. Hydrogen was adsorbed on the zinc alloy thin film. The zinc alloy thin film was partially oxidized.
[0116]
Furthermore, as a result of analyzing the amount of hydrogen in the discharge medium mainly composed of neon and xenon enclosed in the lighting tube according to the first embodiment of the present invention, hydrogen was 0.3 to 2.8%. .
[0117]
Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, in each figure, about the same part as FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.
[0118]
FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view showing an electrode mount of a glow starter as a second embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
[0119]
This embodiment is different in that the electron-emitting material 4 is supported by the fixed electrode 2. Further, an exo electron radioactive material Exo is attached to the flare stem HS. This exo electron radioactive material Exo is Al₂O₃, MgO and Be powders are formed by coating using a binder. In this way, even if there is a problem that a large amount of impure gas is released from the zinc alloy by using the exo electron emitting material Exo, the initial electrons that the exo electron emitting material Exo is insufficient It was confirmed that the effect of shortening the discharge start time by the zinc alloy was reliably maintained.
[0120]
FIG. 11 is an enlarged front view showing an electrode mount of a glow starter as a third embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
[0121]
This embodiment is different in that the getter material 8 is supported by the fixed electrode 2. That is, the getter material 8 is made of a ZrAl alloy plate, and is fixed to the outside in the vicinity of the base portion of the fixed electrode 2 by spot welding. This getter agent 8 mainly adsorbs a small amount of H2 gas released from the electron emitting material 4 during its lifetime.
[0122]
FIG. 12 is a partial sectional front view showing a glow starter as a fourth embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
[0123]
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional front view of an essential part of the same. This embodiment is an E-shaped glow starter.
[0124]
The case 5 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape by molding a polycarbonate resin having an appropriate amount of titanium oxide fine particles added to make an appropriate light diffusibility, and a plurality of protrusions 5a are formed on the peripheral edge. . Then, a pair of electrodes 2 and 3 and an electron radioactive substance 4 are sealed therein, and a discharge container 1 in which a discharge medium is enclosed is accommodated. Note that the pair of electrodes 2 and 3, the electron-emitting material 4, and the discharge medium have the same configuration as in the first embodiment.
[0125]
The base 6 is made of an E17 screw base, is attached to the opening end of the case 6, and is crimped to the opening end of the case 5. In addition, 6a in a figure is a caulking trace and was formed at the time of caulking.
[0126]
FIG. 14 is a front view showing a wire bulb in a glow discharge lamp for display as a fifth embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
[0127]
Each of the pair of electrodes 2 and 2 is a fixed electrode. The electron radioactive substance 4 is supported by a pair of electrodes 2 and 2.
[0128]
FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway longitudinal sectional view showing a cold cathode fluorescent lamp as a sixth embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
[0129]
In this embodiment, a pair of cold cathode-type electrodes 2 and 2 are sealed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of an elongated discharge vessel 1 having a phosphor layer 9 disposed on the inner surface, and the electron-emitting material 4 includes a pair of electrodes 2, 2 is supported.
[0130]
FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a fluorescent lamp pendant as an embodiment of the lighting fixture of the present invention.
[0131]
In the figure, 11 is a lighting fixture body, and 12 and 13 are glow starters. The luminaire main body 11 includes a chassis 11a, a shade 11b, fluorescent lamps 11c and 11d, a lamp holder 11e, a nightlight 11f, a ballast 11g, a changeover switch 11h, a pendant cord 11i, a cord holder 11j, a hooking ceiling cap 11k, and the like. Yes. The chassis 11a accommodates a ballast 11g and a changeover switch 11h inside, a lamp holder 11j is fixed to the peripheral edge of the side surface, and the shade 1b is supported on the upper surface. The fluorescent lamps 11c and 11d are supported by the chassis 11a through a lamp holder 11e. The nightlight 11f is exposed from the lower surface of the chassis 11a. The pendant cord 11i is led out from the upper surface of the chassis 11a via the cord holder 11j. The cord holder 11j directly enables the length of the pendant cord 11i. The hook ceiling cap 11k is connected to the tip of the pendant cord 11i, and is electrically connected to the hook ceiling body installed on the ceiling of the room and mechanically supported, whereby the luminaire main body 11 is suspended from the ceiling.
[0132]
The glow starters 12 and 13 are mounted inside the chassis fluorescent lamp 11a, have their heads exposed to the outside from the chassis 11a, and individually start the fluorescent lamps 11c and 11d.
[0133]
【The invention's effect】
  According to each invention of Claims 1 to 9, the thickness includes a zinc alloy having a zinc content of 50% by mass or more disposed in at least one of the discharge vessel, the pair of electrodes, the discharge medium, and the pair of electrodes. By including the electron-emitting material formed in the range of 1.0 to 20 μm, the time required for lighting is shortened to improve the starting characteristics under dark conditions, and the sputtering of the electron-emitting material is essential. In addition, the amount of impurity gas released from the zinc alloy is reduced, and a long-life glow discharge lamp can be provided. further,Al ₂ O ₃ Or MgOBy using the exo-electron emissive material Exo, even if a defect that a lot of impure gas is released from the zinc alloy should occur, the exo-electron emissive material Exo compensates for the initial electrons that are insufficient. The effect of shortening the discharge start time by the zinc alloy can be maintained.
[0134]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a glow discharge lamp that is easily available on an industrial scale and has an inexpensive electron-emitting material because the zinc alloy is a zinc-nickel alloy. Can do.
[0135]
According to the invention of claim 3, in addition, since the zinc alloy is a zinc-nickel alloy containing 2 to 15% by mass of nickel, the melting point is high, and the film is formed directly on the electrode by eutectoid electroplating, for example. Therefore, it is possible to provide a glow discharge lamp that has a sufficient electron-emitting property while facilitating the arrangement of the electron-emitting material.
[0136]
According to invention of Claim 4, in addition, zinc alloy consists of ternary zinc alloy which has as a main component zinc and two types of metals selected from the group of cobalt, copper, nickel, tin, and molybdenum. Thus, it is possible to provide a glow discharge lamp that exhibits substantially the same operations and effects as the binary zinc alloy.
[0137]
According to the invention of claim 5, in addition, the electron-emitting substance is composed of a zinc alloy and a metal having a work function of 4 eV or less and a melting point of 500 ° C. or more. It is possible to provide a glow discharge lamp that can obtain both the above-described excellent actions and effects and the action and effects of electron emission by a metal under a predetermined condition.
[0138]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition, since the electron radioactive substance is supported by the electrode through the underlayer, a glow discharge lamp in which interference between the electrode and the electron radioactive substance is suppressed can be provided.
[0139]
According to the invention of claim 7, in addition, the zinc alloy has a current density of 1 to 15 A / dm.²Therefore, it is possible to provide a glow discharge lamp in which the discharge of hydrogen during operation is small and the discharge delay is unlikely to occur.
[0140]
According to the invention of claim 8, in addition, the zinc alloy is disposed on the electrode by electroplating, and is a zinc-nickel alloy having a hydrogen storage amount in the range of 0.1 to 50 PPM. In addition, it is possible to provide a glow discharge lamp that can reduce the release of hydrogen and thus can suppress an undesired rise in the discharge start voltage even when used as a glow starter.
[0141]
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the getter material that performs gas adsorption disposed in the translucent discharge vessel, the translucent discharge from the zinc alloy of the electron-radiating substance during the lifetime. Since a small amount of impure gas released into the container is adsorbed and removed satisfactorily, it is possible to provide a discharge lamp that very well suppresses startability deterioration during the lifetime.
[0142]
According to the invention of claim 10, in addition, since the zinc alloy thin film body formed inside the discharge vessel is provided, the surface area of the zinc alloy thin film body becomes large and exhibits a gas adsorption action, that is, a getter action. In addition, it is possible to provide a glow discharge lamp in which the inside of the discharge vessel is cleaned up and an undesired discharge delay or discharge start voltage hardly occurs.
[0143]
According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, in addition, since the discharge medium contains 0.05 to 5% of hydrogen, the decrease in the reactivation voltage is offset and the reactivation voltage is always within the required range. A glow discharge lamp can be provided.
[0144]
According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, in addition, the pair of electrodes is composed of a movable electrode at least one of which is provided with a bimetal, and the bimetal is displaced by heat generated by glow discharge so that the pair of electrodes can contact each other. Since the electron-emitting material is supported on the bimetal of the movable electrode, it is possible to provide a glow discharge lamp suitable for a glow starter having a required amount of electron-emitting material.
[0145]
According to the invention of claim 13, in addition, one of the pair of electrodes comprises a movable electrode provided with a bimetal, and the other comprises a fixed electrode, and the pair of electrodes can come into contact with each other by the displacement of the bimetal due to the heat generated by glow discharge. In addition to the configuration, the glowing lamp can be provided which is easy to manufacture and can reduce the cost because the electron-emitting material is directly supported by the fixed electrode.
[0146]
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, it further comprises the luminaire main body and the glow discharge lamp according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects disposed on the luminaire main body. A lighting apparatus having thirteen effects can be provided.
[0147]
  According to the invention of claim 15, the portion sealed in the discharge vessel contains a zinc alloy having a zinc content of 50% by mass or more.Formed within a thickness range of 1.0 to 20 μmIf an electron-emitting material is disposed, if it is sealed in a well-known discharge vessel together with a discharge medium, the time required for lighting is shortened to improve starting characteristics under dark conditions, and sputtering of the electron-emitting material is performed. Is essentially improved, and the amount of impure gas released from the zinc alloy is reduced, so that a long-life glow discharge lamp can be obtained.Furthermore, interference between the constituent material of the electrode and the electron-emitting substance can be suppressed by the underlayer.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a glow starter as a first embodiment of a glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing the electrode mount.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing variation in discharge start time at zero blinking.
FIG. 4 is a graph showing variation in discharge start time after 6000 blinks
FIG. 5 is a graph showing variation in discharge start voltage at zero blinking.
FIG. 6 is a graph showing variation in discharge start voltage after 6000 blinks
FIG. 7 is a graph showing the remaining amount of zinc after 1000 blinks in the glow starter as the first embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention, as well as the comparison between the bimetal and the other parts, together with that of the comparative example.
FIG. 8 is a graph showing the gas discharge amount per bimetal of an example of the glow starter as the first embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention together with that of the comparative example.
FIG. 9 shows an electroplating of a zinc alloy at different current densities in a first embodiment of the present invention.
Graph showing the result of measuring the hydrogen release amount for the electrode
FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view showing an electrode mount of a glow starter as a second embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is an enlarged front view showing an electrode mount of a glow starter as a third embodiment of a glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a partially sectional front view showing a glow starter as a fourth embodiment of a glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional front view of the main part of the same
FIG. 14 is a front view showing a wire bulb in a display glow discharge lamp as a fifth embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway longitudinal sectional view showing a cold cathode fluorescent lamp as a sixth embodiment of the glow discharge lamp of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a partially sectional front view showing a fluorescent lamp pendant as an embodiment of the lighting apparatus of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Discharge vessel, 1a ... Glass bulb, 1b ... Stem part, 1c ... Exhaust tip-off part, 1d ... Discharge space, 2 ... Fixed electrode, 3 ... Movable electrode 3a ... Bar-shaped metal, 3b ... Bimetal, 4 ... Electron radioactive material, 5 ... Case, 5b ... Knurled part, 6 ... Base, 6b ... Insulating substrate, 6c ··· Cap pins, 6c1 ··· Locking projections, 6c2 ··· Connections, 7 · · · Noise prevention capacitors, 7a · · · Lead wires, EM ... Electrode mounts, HS ... Flare stems, OL1 ... external lead-in line, OL2 ... external lead-in line.

Claims (15)

A discharge vessel;
A pair of electrodes sealed in a discharge vessel;
A discharge medium mainly composed of a rare gas enclosed in a discharge vessel;
An electron-emitting substance containing a zinc alloy having a zinc content of 50% by mass or more formed in a thickness of 1.0 to 20 μm in at least one of the pair of electrodes;
An exoelectron emitting material made of Al ₂ O ₃ or MgO disposed in a discharge vessel;
A glow discharge lamp comprising:   2. The glow discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the zinc alloy is a zinc-nickel alloy.   The glow discharge lamp according to claim 2, wherein the zinc-nickel alloy contains 2 to 15% by mass of nickel.   2. The glow discharge according to claim 1, wherein the zinc alloy is composed of a ternary zinc alloy mainly composed of zinc and two kinds of metals selected from the group consisting of cobalt, copper, nickel, tin and molybdenum. lamp.   The glow discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the electron-emitting material includes a zinc-nickel alloy and a metal having a work function of 4 eV or less and a melting point of 500 ° C. or more.   6. The glow discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the electron-emitting material is supported by the electrode through an underlayer. Zinc alloy at a current density of 1 through 15A / dm claims 1, characterized in that it is formed by electroplating in the ² to 6 glow discharge lamp of any one described.   The zinc alloy is a zinc-nickel alloy that is disposed on the electrode by electroplating and has a hydrogen storage amount in the range of 0.1 to 50 PPM. Glow discharge lamp.   The glow discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a getter material for adsorbing gas disposed in the discharge vessel.   The glow discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a zinc alloy thin film formed inside the discharge vessel.   The glow discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the discharge medium contains 0.05 to 10% of hydrogen. The pair of electrodes includes a movable electrode at least one of which is provided with a bimetal, and the bimetal is displaced by heat generated by glow discharge so that the pair of electrodes can contact each other;
The electron radioactive material is supported on the bimetal of the movable electrode;
The glow discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the glow discharge lamp is provided. The pair of electrodes is configured such that at least one of the movable electrodes is provided with a bimetal and the other is a fixed electrode, and the pair of electrodes can come into contact with each other by the displacement of the bimetal due to heat generated by glow discharge;
The electron-emitting material is supported directly on the fixed electrode;
The glow discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the glow discharge lamp is provided. A lighting fixture body;
A glow discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 13, which is disposed in a lighting fixture body;
The lighting fixture characterized by comprising.   An electron radioactive substance containing a zinc alloy having a zinc content of 50% by mass or more is formed within a thickness range of 1.0 to 20 μm through a base layer in a portion sealed in the discharge vessel. An electrode for a glow discharge lamp.

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