JP4675180B2 - Discharge tube - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a discharge tube in which no electrode is formed inside the discharge tube.

  Both fluorescent tube fluorescent lamps that are widely used for lighting and cold cathode fluorescent tubes that are widely used as backlights for liquid crystal displays have electrodes (filaments in the case of fluorescent lamps) placed inside the tubes. is doing. These fluorescent tubes apply a fluorescent material to the inner wall surface of a cylindrical glass tube of each shape such as a straight tube type, a U-shaped tube, or a W-shaped tube, and a low-pressure, for example, argon gas inside the glass tube. A discharge gas made of mercury vapor is sealed and both ends are sealed. In addition, the electrodes are respectively disposed at both ends of the glass tube, and only the lead material is sealed and drawn to the outside when the both ends are sealed.

Here, the light emission principle of the cold cathode tube will be described with reference to FIG. When a high voltage is applied to the electrodes 2 and 2 disposed at both ends inside the straight fluorescent tube 1, an electric field E is generated and electrons e existing in the tube are accelerated, as shown by an arrow (1). It collides with mercury atom Hg. Then, the mercury atom Hg absorbs the kinetic energy of the colliding electron e and emits the outermost electron e as shown by the arrow (2). It becomes ion Hg ⁺ . Moreover, since the electron e generates a new electron e every time it collides with the mercury atom Hg, the number rapidly increases due to the avalanche of electrons. Further, the mercury ion Hg ⁺ thus excited is returned to the mercury atom Hg in the ground state by recombining with the electron e according to a certain time constant as shown by the arrow (4), and the arrow As shown in (5), the energy at this time is emitted as ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 245 nm. Then, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the mercury atoms Hg are converted into visible light by the phosphor layer 3 formed on the inner wall surface of the fluorescent tube 1, and are emitted to the outside as indicated by the arrow (6).

  The cold-cathode tube accelerates electrons e by applying a high voltage at the start of lighting, and starts discharge. On the other hand, a fluorescent lamp heats a filament as an electrode to generate a large amount of thermoelectrons. The only difference is that the discharge starts by discharging, and the light emission principle itself is the same.

However, as described above, when the electrodes 2 and 2 are present inside the fluorescent tube 1, mercury ions Hg ⁺ and argon ions ionized in the discharge plasma collide with the electrode 2 serving as the negative electrode as indicated by an arrow (7). Therefore, the metal material of the electrode 2 is sputtered to release the metal M. And since this metal M couple | bonds with the mercury atom Hg and produces | generates an amalgam, the metal material and mercury atom Hg of these electrodes 2 will be consumed gradually with progress of lighting time. In particular, in a cold cathode tube, since it is necessary to apply a high voltage of 1000 V or more at the start of lighting, the sputtering effect at the electrode 2 becomes intense and the consumption of mercury atoms Hg and the like becomes very significant. Therefore, in a fluorescent lamp or a cold cathode tube in which the electrodes 2 and 2 are provided inside the fluorescent tube 1, consumption of mercury atoms Hg and the like due to the sputtering effect at the electrode 2 has been a main factor limiting the lamp life.

  Thus, various proposals have been made for fluorescent lamps in which no electrode is formed inside the fluorescent tube. In this fluorescent lamp, an electric field is generated from the outside inside the fluorescent tube to accelerate electrons in the tube, and light is emitted when the accelerated electrons collide with mercury atoms. As a method for generating an electric field inside the fluorescent tube, an inductive coupling type using a magnetic flux generated by a coil is considered promising because high luminous efficiency can be obtained.

  As the inductive coupling type fluorescent lamp, for example, the one shown in FIG. 2 has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). As the fluorescent tube 1 of this fluorescent lamp, a tube in which four cylindrical glass tubes 1a to 1d are connected and formed in a loop shape is used. And in order to generate an electric field in this pipe | tube, the two external coils 4 and 4 are arrange | positioned on the outer periphery of the two glass tubes 1a and 1c used as the symmetrical position of the loop-shaped fluorescent tube 1. FIG. These external coils 4 and 4 are obtained by winding windings around annular ferrite cores 4a and 4a, respectively. Further, AC power supplies 5 and 5 are connected to these external coils 4 and 4, respectively. Therefore, in this fluorescent lamp, an electric field is generated in the tube of the loop-shaped fluorescent tube 1 by the magnetic flux generated in the ferrite cores 4a and 4a when an alternating current flows through the external coils 4 and 4. Then, as in the case of the light emission principle of the cold cathode tube shown in FIG. 1, the electrons existing in the tube of the fluorescent tube 1 are accelerated by this electric field and emit light by colliding with mercury atoms.

  However, the above-described conventional fluorescent lamp has a problem that since the fluorescent tube 1 is formed in a loop shape, the joining work of the glass tubes 1a to 1d requires high technology and labor, and the manufacturing cost increases. In addition, forming one glass tube in an endless annular shape further increases the manufacturing cost. In addition, the ferrite core 4a of the external coil 4 must be divided into, for example, two parts and arranged so as to overlap on the outer periphery of the glass tube 1a or the glass tube 1c. In addition, there is a problem in that the leakage of magnetic flux increases due to the magnetic gap in the overlapped portion, resulting in a decrease in light emission efficiency.

As the inductive coupling type fluorescent lamp, a lamp using a bulb-type fluorescent tube 1 has been proposed. However, in the case of a fluorescent lamp in which only the winding is wound around the outer periphery of the bulb-type fluorescent tube 1 as the external coil 4, it is necessary to extremely increase the frequency of the AC power supply 5 that supplies current to the external coil 4. Therefore, there is a problem that the AC power supply 5 is large, heavy and expensive. Furthermore, in the case of a fluorescent lamp in which a concave portion is formed by indenting a part of the glass tube wall of the bulb-type fluorescent tube 1 and the external coil 4 is disposed in the concave portion, a fluorescent lamp having a complicated shape is formed. Since the production of the tube 1 is not easy, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost becomes extremely high.
JP 11-191398 A

  The present invention not only eliminates the need to provide an electrode inside the discharge tube by disposing an external coil on the outer periphery of the end of the discharge tube sealed at both ends, but also reduces mercury in the discharge tube and consumption of this electrode. It is an object of the present invention to provide a discharge tube that is easy to manufacture and low in cost while allowing a long life.

In the discharge tube according to claim 1, an external coil comprising a core and a winding wound around the core is arranged on the outer periphery of one end of a discharge tube sealed with a low-pressure discharge gas inside a tube. In addition, an external electrode is disposed outside the other end of the discharge tube , the external electrode is connected to one side of the AC power source, one end of the winding of the external coil is connected to the other side of the AC power source, and The other end of the winding is open without being connected to an AC power source .

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The discharge tube according to claim 2 is characterized in that the discharge tube is a fluorescent tube in which a phosphor layer is formed on all or a part of a tubular inner wall surface.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a discharge is generated in the discharge tube by applying the voltage of the AC power source between one end of the winding of the external coil and the external electrode, whereby a current flows through the external coil and the magnetic flux Since an electric field is induced in the discharge tube, the metal atoms in the discharge gas are excited by the collision of electrons accelerated by the electric field, so that light emission can be maintained. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide electrodes inside the discharge tube, not only can the manufacturing process be simplified, but the life of the discharge tube can be extended. Furthermore, since this discharge tube is a straight tube type having both ends, a U-shaped tube shape obtained by bending the discharge tube, etc., not only can a conventional discharge tube manufacturing process be used, but also an external coil can be connected to the discharge tube. Since it can be easily fitted from the end, the assembling cost can be reduced.

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According to the invention of claim 2 , it is possible to provide a fluorescent tube having a long lifetime and low manufacturing cost.

Hereinafter will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9 for reference embodiment and best mode of the present invention. In these drawings, the same reference numerals are given to constituent members having the same functions as those of the conventional example shown in FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, a fluorescent lamp used for illumination or as a backlight of a liquid crystal display will be described. A fluorescent tube 1 used in this fluorescent lamp is formed by sealing both ends of a straight tube-type elongated cylindrical glass tube having a phosphor layer formed on an inner wall surface by coating or the like. The fluorescent tube 1 is filled with a discharge gas composed of low-pressure argon gas and mercury vapor. No electrode is provided inside the fluorescent tube 1.

  The discharge gas used in the discharge tube of the present invention may be a mixed gas of rare gas and metal vapor, and is not limited to argon gas and mercury vapor as in the present embodiment, and other combinations may be used. it can. In addition, it is preferable to use a fluorescent material layer of the fluorescent tube 1 used for illumination or as a backlight as in this embodiment, which converts ultraviolet light into light in a wide wavelength region in the visible light region. May convert light into a specific wavelength region not limited to the visible light region. Furthermore, in the case of a discharge tube used for applications such as an ultraviolet lamp, a discharge tube that does not form a phosphor layer on the inner wall surface can be used instead of the fluorescent tube 1.

  In the present embodiment, a straight tube type discharge tube (fluorescent tube 1) is used. However, since a tubular tube having both ends may be used, a U tube type in which a straight tube is bent. The cross-sectional shape of the tube is not limited to a circle. Further, the discharge tube is not limited to the glass tube as in the present embodiment, and for example, a quartz glass tube can be used.

[First Embodiment]
A fluorescent lamp according to a first embodiment (corresponding to claim 2 in which claim 1 is cited) is shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the fluorescent lamp has an external coil 4 disposed on the outer periphery of one end of the fluorescent tube 1 and an external electrode 6 disposed below the other end. The external coil 4 is formed by winding a winding around an annular ferrite core 4a. When a current is passed through the winding, the magnetic flux is generated only in the ferrite core 4a, and almost no leakage magnetic flux is generated. . The external coil 4 is disposed on the outer periphery of the fluorescent tube 1 by inserting one end of the fluorescent tube 1 into the inner diameter hole of the ferrite core 4a. As shown in the front view of FIG. 3 and the plan view of FIG. 4, the external electrode 6 is an elongated conductive metal plate and is arranged along a certain gap below the other end of the fluorescent tube 1. Is done. An AC power source 5 is connected between one end of the winding of the external coil 4 and the external electrode 6. That is, the external electrode 6 is connected to one side of the AC power source 5, and one end of the winding of the external coil 4 is connected to the other side of the AC power source 5. The other end of the winding of the external coil 4 is open without being connected to the AC power source 5 . The AC power source 5 is the same in the following embodiments, but has a frequency of, for example, about several tens of kHz to 200 kHz. At least at the start of discharge, a positive / negative peak between the external coil 4 and the external electrode 6 It is preferable to apply a high voltage of about 2000 V at two peaks.

  In the fluorescent lamp, when a voltage from the AC power supply 5 is applied between the external coil 4 and the external electrode 6, electrons existing inside the fluorescent tube 1 are accelerated by an electric field generated inside the fluorescent tube 1. Then, when the electrons collide with mercury atoms or argon atoms of the discharge gas, avalanche occurs and discharge is started. Then, since the inside of the fluorescent tube 1 is in a plasma state and the electric resistance is lowered, a large current flows through the external coil 4, and an alternating magnetic flux is generated in the ferrite core 4a. The electric field inside the tube 1 is maintained. Accordingly, inside the fluorescent tube 1, electrons continue to be accelerated by the electric field induced by the external coil 4, so that the electrons collide with the mercury atoms in the discharge gas and are excited, so that the entire tube maintains light emission. Will be able to.

In the fluorescent lamp, the external coil 4 and the fluorescent tube 1 are coupled by electromagnetic induction, and the inside of the fluorescent tube 1 is in a low resistance plasma state. Further, although the fluorescent tube 1 and the external electrode 6 are insulated by a space, it is considered that they are actually coupled via a stray capacitance C _f as shown in FIG. Therefore, an equivalent circuit when the fluorescent lamp is turned on is as shown in FIG. 5, in which the external coil 4 and the resistance of the fluorescent tube 1 in a plasma state and the stray capacitance _Cf are connected in series to the AC power source 5. It becomes. In addition, although it seems that some electromagnetic waves will generate | occur | produce from the open | released other end of the coil | winding of the external coil 4, the influence on others is enough by providing the optimization on a circuit and a certain amount of electromagnetic shielding. Can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 6 shows a fluorescent lamp according to the second embodiment (corresponding to claim 2 in which claim 1 is cited). In this fluorescent lamp, the external electrode 6 in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is configured by a conductor surrounding the outer periphery of the other end of the fluorescent tube 1. The external electrode 6 may be, for example, a slightly thick conductive wire wound around the outer periphery of the fluorescent tube 1 once, or a conductive plate having a certain width is attached to the outer surface of the glass tube wall over almost the entire periphery. The conductive film formed into a film on the outer surface of the glass tube wall may be sufficient. Further, when a transparent electrode made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), for example, is formed on the outer surface of the glass tube wall as the external electrode 6, the light emitted from the fluorescent tube 1 is transmitted to the outside through the external electrode 6. Since it can also irradiate, emitted light can be used effectively. The configurations of the external coil 4 and the AC power supply 5 are exactly the same as those in the first embodiment.

  Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, when the voltage from the AC power supply 5 is applied between the external coil 4 and the external electrode 6, the fluorescent lamp also starts discharging inside the fluorescent tube 1. Then, the electric field is maintained in the fluorescent tube 1 by being induced by the magnetic flux generated by the current flowing in the external coil 4, whereby mercury atoms in the discharge gas inside the fluorescent tube 1 are continuously excited, and the entire tube is excited. Can maintain light emission.

  The fluorescent lamp is also coupled between the external coil 4 and the fluorescent tube 1 by electromagnetic induction, and the inside of the fluorescent tube 1 is in a low resistance plasma state. In the case of this embodiment, the external electrode 6 is in direct contact with the outer surface of the glass tube wall of the fluorescent tube 1, but the plasma tube and the external electrode 6 are interposed via the glass tube wall. It is thought that they are coupled through stray capacitance.

[Reference form]
A fluorescent lamp of a reference form is shown in FIGS. In this fluorescent lamp, as shown in FIG. 7, external coils 4 and 4 are arranged on the outer periphery of both ends of the fluorescent tube 1, respectively. Each external coil 4 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and is arranged on the outer periphery of the fluorescent tube 1 by inserting the end of the fluorescent tube 1 into the inner diameter hole of the ferrite core 4a. In the present embodiment, an AC power supply 5 is connected between one ends of the windings of the external coils 4 and 4, and the other ends of these windings are open.

  Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, when the voltage from the AC power source 5 is applied between the external coils 4 and 4, the fluorescent lamp also starts to discharge inside the fluorescent tube 1. Then, the electric field is maintained inside the fluorescent tube 1 by being induced by the magnetic flux generated by the current flowing through the external coil 4, whereby mercury atoms in the discharge gas inside the fluorescent tube 1 are continuously excited, and the entire tube is Light emission can be maintained.

  In the fluorescent lamp, the external coils 4 and 4 at both ends and the fluorescent tube 1 are coupled by electromagnetic induction, and the inside of the fluorescent tube 1 is in a low resistance plasma state. Therefore, the equivalent circuit when the fluorescent lamp is turned on is as shown in FIG. 8, and the two external coils 4 and 4 and the resistance of the fluorescent tube 1 in the plasma state are connected in series to the AC power source 5. Become.

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According to the first and second embodiments, since no electrode is present inside the fluorescent tube 1, a step of incorporating and sealing the electrode in the tube is not required, and the manufacture of the fluorescent tube 1 is easy. Become. In addition, since mercury ions or argon ions do not collide with the electrodes in the tube and are not sputtered, mercury is not consumed and the life of the fluorescent tube 1 can be greatly extended. When the fluorescent tube 1 has a long service life, the number of replacement operations of the fluorescent lamp also decreases, so that the maintainability can be improved.

Further, according to the above embodiment, since the fluorescent tube 1 is a tube having both ends, not only a conventional general process can be used for manufacturing the fluorescent tube 1, but also the external coil 4 is fitted to the end. Since it can be easily assembled by simply inserting it into the recess of the end face, the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced. Moreover, especially when the straight fluorescent tube 1 is used as in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to configure a surface light source-like illumination or backlight by arranging a plurality of tubes close to each other. Therefore, it becomes highly practical. However, even in the case of the reference embodiment using the U-shaped fluorescent tube 1, as shown in FIG. 9 , the fluorescent lamps are arranged so that the ends into which the external coils 4 and 4 are fitted are staggered. If they are lined up, they can be placed close enough.

  Furthermore, in the fluorescent lamp of the above embodiment, it becomes easy to disassemble the fluorescent tube 1 and the external coils 4 and 4 and the external electrode 6, and no metal parts are used for the separated fluorescent tube 1. In addition, the recycling efficiency can be improved. In particular, since the fluorescent tube 1 in which mercury, which is often regulated by laws and regulations, is enclosed as a discharge gas, can be processed separately from the external coils 4 and 4 and the external electrode 6, the safety and efficiency of the disposal process can be improved. You can also plan.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the ferrite core 4a is used for the external coil 4 in order to improve the light emission efficiency has been described. However, the core is not necessarily limited to ferrite as long as the core is made of a material having high magnetic permeability. It is not a thing. Further, since the external electrode 6 may be conductive, it is not limited to a metal plate or a conductive wire, but may be a metal foil or a metal wire in a net shape. For example, the outer surface of the fluorescent tube 1 is oxidized with metal. A conductive film obtained by sintering an object can also be used.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional front view for demonstrating the light emission principle of a cold cathode tube, showing a prior art example. It is a general view showing a conventional example and showing a fluorescent lamp using a looped fluorescent tube. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention and is a front view of a fluorescent lamp. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention and is a plan view of a fluorescent lamp. FIG. 1 shows the first embodiment of the present invention and is an equivalent circuit diagram of a fluorescent lamp. FIG. The 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown and is a front view of a fluorescent lamp. It is a front view of a fluorescent lamp, showing a reference embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a view showing a reference form of the present invention and is an equivalent circuit diagram of a fluorescent lamp. FIG. It is a top view which shows the reference form of this invention and shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the fluorescent lamp using a U-shaped tube-type fluorescent tube.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fluorescent tube 2 Electrode 3 Phosphor layer 4 External coil 4a Ferrite core 5 AC power supply 6 External electrode

Claims (2)

An external coil consisting of a core and a winding wound around the core is disposed on the outer periphery of one end of a discharge tube sealed with a low-pressure discharge gas inside the tube and sealed at both ends. An external electrode is arranged outside the end , the external electrode is connected to one side of the AC power source, one end of the winding of the external coil is connected to the other side of the AC power source, and the other end of the winding of the external coil is the AC power source Discharge tube characterized by being open without being connected to . The discharge tube according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge tube is a fluorescent tube in which a phosphor layer is formed on all or part of a tubular inner wall surface.

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