JP4915668B2 - Sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system for detecting lighting and controlling lighting.

  Conventionally, a sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp that has an electrodeless discharge lamp that does not have an electrode in a discharge tube and a human sensor that detects the presence of a person and lights the electrodeless discharge lamp according to the presence or absence of a person The system is known. Unlike a discharge lamp such as a fluorescent lamp, this electrodeless discharge lamp does not have an electrode in the discharge tube. The electrodeless discharge lamp generates a high frequency magnetic field by supplying a high frequency current to an induction coil provided inside or outside the discharge tube, and excites mercury in the discharge tube by its energy to emit ultraviolet rays, Light is emitted by converting the ultraviolet light into visible light by a fluorescent substance. Thus, since the electrodeless discharge lamp has no electrode inside the discharge tube, it does not turn off due to electrode breakage and has a longer life than a general fluorescent lamp.

  However, since the electrodeless discharge lamp uses the excitation light emission of mercury, the mercury vapor pressure fluctuates due to the external temperature or the heat generation of the discharge tube during lighting, and the light emission becomes unstable. For this reason, in order to stabilize the light emission characteristics of the discharge lamp, amalgam is sealed in order to control the mercury vapor pressure in the discharge tube within a certain range. When the vapor pressure decreases and a long period of time elapses, even if energization is started, a lighting failure that takes a long time to light up occurs.

  A conventional sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a conventional sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system. The sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system 101 includes an electrodeless discharge lamp 102 having an amalgam, a lighting unit 103 that lights the electrodeless discharge lamp 102, and a human sensor that detects human presence and outputs human detection information. 104, a control unit 105 that controls blinking of the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 via the lighting unit 103 based on human detection information of the human sensor 104, and a power supply unit 106 that supplies power to each unit.

  The control unit 105 includes a microcomputer 151 and a switch 153. When the microcomputer 151 detects the presence of a person based on the human detection signal from the human sensor 104, the switch 153 is turned on to turn on the electrodeless discharge lamp 102. When the presence of a person is not detected for a predetermined time, the switch 153 Is turned off and the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 is turned off. The lighting unit 103 includes an inverter circuit 131 and supplies a high-frequency current to the electrodeless discharge lamp 102. At this time, the lighting unit 103 controls the operating frequency of the inverter circuit 131 so that the discharge voltage of the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 is constant, and makes the output of the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 constant.

  FIG. 7 shows an operation when the amalgam does not dissolve during lighting and a lighting failure occurs. At time t <b> 1, the microcomputer 151 turns on the switch 153 and turns on the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 when the presence sensor 104 is detected by the human sensor 104. The mercury vapor pressure in the discharge tube is sufficiently high at this point and lights up as soon as power is applied. When the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 is lit, mercury adhering to the discharge tube wall is warmed and the mercury vapor pressure rises. Subsequently, at time t <b> 2, the microcomputer 151 turns off the switch 153 and turns off the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 when the presence sensor 104 is not detected by the human sensor 104. When the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 is turned off, the mercury vapor is cooled and changed into a liquid or a solid, and the mercury vapor pressure is lowered. Then, while turning on and off repeatedly, mercury vapor reacts with the phosphor of the discharge tube to become a compound, the amount of mercury in the discharge tube gradually decreases, and when the amount of mercury decreases, the mercury vapor pressure also decreases. The amount of mercury here refers to mercury that is vapor and mercury that is cooled or liquid or solid, and does not include mercury in amalgam or mercury combined with a phosphor. Thus, the amount of mercury is reduced, and at time t3, the mercury vapor pressure is lower than the vapor pressure necessary for stable lighting, and even when power is supplied to the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 at time t4, until the lamp is lit. Lighting failure that takes a long time to complete.

  FIG. 8 shows the operation when the amalgam is dissolved during lighting. When lighting for a long time as at time t21, the amalgam in the discharge tube is heated and melted, mercury is evaporated from the amalgam, the mercury vapor pressure rises, and the amount of mercury in the discharge tube also increases. . At this time, the operating frequency of the inverter circuit 131 greatly decreases and then increases. Subsequently, when the electrodeless discharge lamp 102 is turned off at time t22, the temperature decreases and the mercury vapor pressure decreases, but the amount of mercury increases, so the vapor pressure necessary for stable lighting is maintained. is doing. As a result, even if power is supplied at a subsequent time t23, it can be turned on immediately. As described above, in the conventional sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system 101, if the lighting is not performed for a long time, the mercury vapor pressure in the discharge tube is lowered, and there is a possibility that a lighting failure may occur.

  There is also known an electrodeless discharge lamp that is provided with a heater and a temperature sensor in a discharge tube, and is heated in a constant temperature and dissolved to make mercury vapor pressure constant, so that it can be turned on in a short time after energization. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

However, when an electrodeless discharge lamp as shown in Patent Document 1 is used in a sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system, the cost increases because of the heater and the temperature sensor.
JP 2005-1000084 A

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described conventional problems, and provides a sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system that prevents a decrease in mercury vapor pressure and lights up in a short time after the electrodeless discharge lamp is energized. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to an electrodeless discharge lamp in which amalgam is enclosed, a lighting circuit for lighting the electrodeless discharge lamp, and the presence of a person to detect and output human detection information. In a sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system comprising a human sensor and a control unit that performs dimming or blinking control of the lighting circuit, an amalgam dissolution detection unit that detects the start of dissolution of the amalgam, And a timer for accumulating and measuring the time until the solution dissolves, the control unit dimming or blinking the lighting circuit based on the human detection information of the human sensor, the measurement time to a predetermined time If the start of dissolution of the amalgam is detected by the time, the measurement time is reset and the dimming or blinking control is continued, and when the measurement time reaches the predetermined time, the human detection information is concerned. Said forcibly light the electrodeless discharge lamp, in which when detecting the dissolved starting amalgam resets the measurement time.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system according to the first aspect, the amalgam melting detection unit determines the start of melting of the amalgam based on an operating frequency of an inverter circuit included in the lighting circuit. To do.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system according to the first or second aspect, the predetermined time is longer than a time during which the electrodeless discharge lamp is lit poorly due to a gas pressure decay characteristic. It is set short.

  According to the invention of claim 1, when the accumulated time measured by the timer reaches a predetermined time, the electrodeless discharge lamp is turned on regardless of the presence or absence of a person. It melts and the mercury vapor pressure becomes high, so that the discharge lamp can be turned on in a short time after energization.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the amalgam dissolution can be easily detected, the above-mentioned effects can be easily obtained.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the amalgam can be dissolved before the lighting failure occurs to increase the mercury vapor pressure, the lighting failure does not occur.

  A sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system (hereinafter referred to as a discharge lamp system) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the discharge lamp system of the present embodiment. A discharge lamp system 1 includes an electrodeless discharge lamp (hereinafter referred to as a discharge lamp) 2 having a discharge tube, a lighting unit 3 for lighting the discharge lamp 2, and a human sense that detects human presence and outputs human detection information. A sensor 4, a control unit 5 that controls blinking of the discharge lamp 2 via the lighting unit 3 based on human detection information of the human sensor 4, and a power supply unit 6 that supplies power to each unit.

  The discharge lamp 2 has an induction coil through which a high-frequency current flows, inside the discharge tube. The inside of the discharge tube is filled with mercury vapor, and has an amalgam inside. Amalgam generates mercury vapor when dissolved. When a high-frequency current flows through the induction coil inside the discharge tube, a high-frequency electromagnetic field is generated. This high-frequency electromagnetic field forms a discharge path, excites mercury vapor to generate ultraviolet rays, and ultraviolet rays are applied inside the discharge tube. Hits the phosphor and generates visible light.

  The lighting unit 3 includes an inverter circuit 31 and supplies a high-frequency current to the induction coil of the discharge lamp 2. At this time, the lighting unit 3 controls the operating frequency of the inverter circuit 31 so that the discharge voltage of the discharge lamp 2 is constant, and makes the output of the discharge lamp 2 constant. The lighting unit 3 transmits this operating frequency to the control unit 5. The human sensor 4 detects, for example, a heat ray radiated from the human body with a pyroelectric element, detects the presence of the human body based on a change in heat dose according to the operation of the human body, and sends a human detection signal to the control unit 5. Send.

  The control unit 5 includes a microcomputer 51, a timer 52, and a switch 53. When the microcomputer 51 detects the presence of a person based on the human detection signal from the human sensor 4, the switch 53 is turned on to turn on the discharge lamp 2, and when the presence of a person is not detected for a predetermined time, the switch 53 is turned off. Then, sensor control for turning off the discharge lamp 2 is performed. The microcomputer 51 determines the start of melting amalgam based on the operating frequency of the inverter circuit 31 detected by the lighting unit 3, and measures the elapsed time from the start of melting of the amalgam by the timer 52. When the measured elapsed time reaches a predetermined lighting failure time, the discharge lamp 2 is forcibly turned on.

  FIG. 2 shows the movement of the operating frequency of the inverter circuit 31 when the amalgam is dissolved. When the amalgam is dissolved, the operating frequency rises after being lowered from the predetermined frequency H. Therefore, the microcomputer 51 determines the melting start of the amalgam based on the fluctuation of the operating frequency.

  The operation of the discharge lamp system 1 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 3 shows an operation in which the microcomputer 51 dissolves the amalgam by forced lighting. When power is supplied to the control unit 5 at time t1, the microcomputer 51 performs sensor control based on the human detection signal from the human sensor 4 and starts measuring the accumulated time by the timer 52. Subsequently, at time t <b> 2, the microcomputer 51 turns on the switch 53 and turns on the discharge lamp 2 when the presence sensor 4 is detected by the human sensor 4. At this time, the mercury vapor pressure in the discharge tube is sufficiently high at the time when the discharge lamp 2 is installed, and is turned on as soon as power is supplied. When the discharge lamp 2 is lit, the mercury adhering to the discharge tube wall is warmed to become vapor and the mercury vapor pressure rises. At time t <b> 3, the microcomputer 51 turns off the switch 53 and turns off the discharge lamp 2 when the presence sensor 4 is not detected for a predetermined time by the human sensor 4. When the discharge lamp 2 is turned off, the mercury vapor is cooled and changed into a liquid or solid, and the mercury vapor pressure decreases. When lighting and turning off are repeated, mercury reacts with the phosphor in the discharge tube to form a compound, and the amount of mercury in the discharge tube gradually decreases, but the vapor pressure necessary for the discharge lamp 2 to light stably. As described above, lighting failure does not occur.

  Subsequently, at time t4, when the measurement time of the timer 52 reaches the lighting failure time TM, the microcomputer 51 turns on the switch 53 to force the discharge lamp 2 regardless of the human detection signal from the human sensor 4. Light up. When the microcomputer 51 continues to forcibly turn on the discharge lamp 2, the temperature of the discharge lamp 2 rises, the amalgam starts to melt at time t5, the mercury evaporates from the amalgam, and the mercury vapor pressure rises. When the amalgam is dissolved, the microcomputer 51 continues the forced lighting for a predetermined time and restarts the measurement of the timer 52. When the forced lighting ends at time t6 and the discharge lamp 2 is turned off, the temperature of the discharge lamp 2 decreases and the mercury vapor pressure also decreases, but the vapor pressure necessary for stable lighting is maintained. Therefore, it can be turned on as soon as power is supplied to the discharge lamp 2 thereafter. The microcomputer 51 resumes the sensor control when the forced lighting ends.

  The lighting failure time TM is set to be shorter than the time when the discharge lamp 2 becomes lighting failure due to the mercury vapor pressure in the discharge tube being reduced by the gas pressure attenuation characteristic. Since the amalgam is dissolved and the mercury vapor pressure is increased by forced lighting before the lighting failure occurs, stable lighting can be continued.

  FIG. 4 shows the operation of the discharge lamp system 1 when the amalgam is dissolved before the measurement time of the timer 52 reaches the lighting failure time TM. The operation from time t21 to t23 is the same as that from time t1 to t3 in FIG. 3 described above. Subsequently, when the discharge lamp 2 is lit for a long time by sensor control, the temperature of the discharge tube rises, the amalgam dissolves at time t24, and the mercury vapor pressure rises. When the microcomputer 51 determines the start of amalgam dissolution based on the change in the operating frequency of the inverter circuit 31, the microcomputer 51 resets the measurement of the timer 52. When the detection of the person is finished and the discharge lamp 2 is turned off, the temperature of the discharge lamp 2 is lowered and the mercury vapor pressure is also lowered, but since the vapor pressure necessary for stable lighting is maintained, As soon as the presence of a person is detected and power is supplied to the discharge lamp 2, it can be turned on.

  As described above, even if the mercury vapor pressure is lowered without lighting for a long time, when the timer 52 measures the lighting failure time TM, the discharge lamp 2 is forcibly turned on to dissolve the amalgam and increase the mercury vapor pressure. Therefore, the discharge lamp system 1 can be turned on in a short time after being energized.

  Next, a modification of the discharge lamp system of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the discharge lamp system. Unlike the above-described system, the discharge lamp system 1 of the present modification performs dimming control instead of blinking control. The lighting unit 3 is directly supplied with power from the power supply unit 6, and the lighting unit 3 performs dimming lighting of the discharge lamp 2 based on a dimming signal from the microcomputer 51.

  When the microcomputer 51 detects the presence of a person based on the human detection signal from the human sensor 4, the discharge lamp 2 is fully lit by the dimming signal, and when the presence of the person is not detected for a predetermined time, the dimming signal The discharge lamp 2 is turned on by reducing the output. As in the above embodiment, when the timer 52 measures the lighting failure time TM, the discharge lamp 2 is fully lit by forced lighting to dissolve the amalgam, and when the microcomputer 51 determines that the amalgam is dissolved, the timer 52 Reset the measurement. Thereby, even if the lighting is not performed for a long time and the mercury vapor pressure is lowered, the amalgam is dissolved and the mercury vapor pressure is increased, so that the discharge lamp system 1 can be turned on in a short time after being energized.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to the structure of the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not change the meaning of invention. For example, the lighting failure time may be measured by accumulating the time during which the discharge lamp is lit. By adjusting the length of the lighting failure time, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above embodiment.

The block diagram of the sensor interlocking type electrodeless discharge lamp system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of the amalgam melt | dissolution of the operating frequency of the inverter circuit of the system. The figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of forced lighting of the system. The figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of amalgam melt | dissolution of the system. The block diagram of the modification of the same system. The block diagram of the conventional sensor interlocking type electrodeless discharge lamp system. The figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of lighting failure of the system. The figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of amalgam melt | dissolution of the system.

Explanation of symbols

1 Sensor-coupled electrodeless discharge lamp system 2 Electrodeless discharge lamp 3 Lighting section (lighting circuit)
31 Inverter circuit 4 Human sensor 5 Control unit 51 Microcomputer (Amalgam dissolution detection unit)
52 timer

Claims (3)

An electrodeless discharge lamp in which amalgam is enclosed, a lighting circuit for lighting the electrodeless discharge lamp, a human sensor for detecting the presence of a person and outputting human detection information, and dimming or blinking control of the lighting circuit A sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system comprising:
An amalgam dissolution detector for detecting the start of dissolution of the amalgam;
A timer that cumulatively measures the time from when the power is turned on until the amalgam dissolves,
The control unit performs dimming or blinking control on the lighting circuit based on human detection information of the human sensor,
By detecting the start of dissolution of the amalgam before the measurement time reaches a predetermined time, the measurement time is reset and the dimming or blinking control is continued.
When the measurement time reaches the predetermined time, the electrodeless discharge lamp is forcibly turned on regardless of the person detection information, and the measurement time is reset when the start of dissolution of the amalgam is detected. Type electrodeless discharge lamp system.   2. The sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system according to claim 1, wherein the amalgam dissolution detection unit determines the start of amalgam dissolution based on an operating frequency of an inverter circuit included in the lighting circuit. 3. The sensor-linked electrodeless discharge lamp system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is set shorter than a time during which the electrodeless discharge lamp is lit poorly due to a gas pressure attenuation characteristic. .

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