JP5507101B2 - Organic EL module and lighting fixture using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic EL module provided with an electrode extraction portion that serves as a power feeding electrode of an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel, and a lighting fixture using the same.

  Conventionally, in this type of organic EL module, the element electrode of the organic EL panel is usually made of ITO (indium tin oxide) having good transparency. However, since ITO has a high resistivity, power supply to the element electrode is, for example, In the case of using only one contact, the power supplied to the EL light emitting layer decreases as the voltage drops in the ITO, and the luminance varies. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, there is known one using an auxiliary electrode that sandwiches the element electrode and the substrate and makes contact with the comb-shaped contact surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since the contact between the auxiliary electrode and the element electrode of the organic EL panel is planar, the contact surface is reduced due to a slight undulation or unevenness on the surface of the element electrode. Resistance may increase and electrical connectivity may deteriorate. Further, due to the deformation of the electrode surface caused by the expansion and contraction of the material due to the temperature change and the secular change due to repeated lighting, etc., the contact surface is reduced similarly to the above, and the electrical connectivity is deteriorated. For this reason, the power efficiency of electric power feeding may fall, or a contact part may be overheated.

JP 2008-269988 A

  The present invention solves the above-described problem, and provides an organic EL module capable of improving electrical connectivity between an electrode extraction portion of an organic EL element and an electric power feeding portion and preventing a decrease in power feeding efficiency. With the goal.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes an organic EL panel having an organic EL element and an electrode extraction portion of the organic EL element, and an electric supply unit having a conductor for supplying power to the organic EL panel. A connection electrode for connecting the electrode take-out part and the conductor of the electricity supply part, wherein the connection electrode and the electricity supply part are attached to the organic EL panel; Is formed of a band-shaped member, and the band-shaped member is formed such that ridge lines of mountains or valleys appear in a staggered manner obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction, and valleys or peaks appear in the width direction at the intersections of these adjacent ridge lines. Formed by bending and extending in a wave shape, the connection electrode is inserted into a space formed in the electricity supply unit, and the electricity supply unit is attached to the organic EL panel Oite, the connection electrode, by the electrical supply unit is intended to be abutting at multiple sites in the electrode extraction portion is pressed from a direction substantially orthogonal to the extending direction of the connection electrode.

The invention of claim 2 is an organic EL lighting apparatus comprising the organic EL module according to claim 1 and a lighting device for lighting the organic EL module.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the connection electrode is formed of a band-shaped member , and the band-shaped member has a ridgeline of a mountain or valley appearing in a staggered manner obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction, and an intersection portion of these adjacent ridgelines Since the spring shape is formed by the wave shape formed by bending so that valleys or peaks appear in the width direction, the electrode extraction portion is pressed from the direction substantially orthogonal to the extension direction, so the flatness of the electrode extraction portion Even if it is bad, the connection electrode and the electrode take-out portion can be reliably contacted at a plurality of sites, the contact resistance can be reduced, their electrical connectivity can be improved, and the reduction in power supply efficiency can be prevented. In addition, since the contact surface of the connection electrode can be made into a substantially continuous line of diagonal lines by the ridgeline of the valley, and the contact surface of the connection electrode with the electricity supply unit can be made to be a substantially dotted shape by the top of the mountain. The contact area between the connection electrode and the electrode lead-out portion can be increased, and the electrical connectivity is enhanced.

According to the invention of claim 2, since the electrical connectivity of the organic EL module is high, it is possible to obtain a lighting fixture with good power feeding efficiency.

1 is a perspective view of an organic EL module according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The exploded perspective view of the module. (A) is a top view of the organic electroluminescent panel in the module, (b) is II sectional drawing of (a), (c) is II-II sectional drawing of (a). (A) is a side view of the connection electrode of the module, (b) is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 1, (c) is a sectional view taken along line YY, and (d) is a sectional view taken along line ZZ. (A) is a perspective view of the connection electrode of the organic EL module which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a side view of the connection electrode. (A) is a perspective view of the connection electrode of the organic EL module which concerns on said modification, (b) is a side view of the connection electrode. (A) is a perspective view of the connection electrode of the organic EL module which concerns on said other modification, (b) is a side view of the connection electrode. (A) is an expansion | deployment top view of the connection electrode of the organic electroluminescent module which concerns on said another another modification, (b) is a perspective view of the connection electrode. (A) is a block diagram of the lighting fixture which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (b) is a partial cross section figure of the fixture. The electric circuit diagram of the LED light source lighting device in the said lighting fixture. (A) is an output waveform diagram of the second terminal of the microcomputer in the control unit of the apparatus, (b) is an input waveform diagram of the minus terminal of the comparison unit in the control unit, and (c) is an input waveform of the plus terminal of the comparison unit. Waveform diagram, (d) is an output waveform diagram of the comparison unit.

  Hereinafter, an organic EL module according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the organic EL module 1 (hereinafter referred to as an EL module) includes an organic EL panel 2 (hereinafter referred to as an EL panel), an electric supply unit 3 for supplying power to the EL panel 2, A connection electrode 4 for supplying power from the electricity supply unit 3 to the EL element unit 21 (organic EL element) and a case 5 having an upper case 51 and a lower case 52 and covering the EL panel 2 are provided. The EL panel 2 includes an EL element portion 21 and an electrode extraction portion 22 that serves as a power feeding electrode for the EL element portion 21. The electricity supply unit 3 includes a rectangular housing 30 made of insulating resin and a conductor 31 wired with the insulating resin. The conductor 31 is inserted into a cavity (space) 32 formed in the housing 30. The connection electrode 4 is connected.

  The EL module 1 is assembled by pressing the EL panel 2 disposed on the lower case 52 with the upper case 51 in a state where the electricity supply unit 3 in which the connection electrode 4 is inserted is housed in the upper case 51. cover. At this time, the connection electrode 4 is disposed in the case 5 so as to contact the electrode extraction portion 22 of the EL panel 2, and the EL panel 2 supplies power to the electrode extraction portion 22 from the electric supply portion 3 via the connection electrode 4. Will come to be. Light from the EL panel 2 is emitted to the outside through the opening 54 of the lower case 52.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the EL element unit 21 includes a rectangular substrate 23 and power supply rectangular pattern element electrodes 24 and 26 formed on the substrate 23. And a light emitting layer 25 of organic EL, and a sealing portion 27 that seals the light emitting layer 25 from above the element electrode 26. The substrate 23 is made of a transparent member such as glass, and the element electrode 24 is formed as a transparent electrode on the substrate 23 as a transparent electrode using, for example, ITO (indium tin oxide), and becomes a plus electrode. The light emitting layer 25 is made of, for example, an organic thin film containing a fluorescent organic compound as a light emitter.

  The element electrode 26 is formed of a submicron-thick aluminum metal member by vapor deposition or the like on the light emitting layer 25 so as to face the element electrode 24, and becomes a negative electrode. The sealing portion 27 is made of a sealing agent such as silicon resin. The EL element portion 21 has a light emission surface on the side opposite to the sealing portion 27.

  The electrode lead-out portion 22 is connected to the element electrodes 24 and 26, respectively, and has a pair of rectangular electrodes 22a and 22b on the plus side and the minus side that are alternately led in the left and right in plan view. The rectangular electrodes 22a and 22b are formed of ITO electrodes. The rectangular electrode 22 b is connected to the element electrode 26 in the sealing portion 27. The rectangular electrodes 22a and 22b are formed by subjecting a metal member such as CrAu (chrome-gold) alloy or MoAlMo (molybdenum-aluminum-molybdenum) alloy to the surface of the ITO electrode surface by sputtering or vapor deposition, and the resistance of the ITO electrode. Ingredients are reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D, the electricity supply unit 3 includes two rectangular cavities 32 that are open on one side for inserting the two connection electrodes 4 along the longitudinal direction of the housing 30. Is provided. One end of the conductor 31 wired in the housing 30 is led out into the cavity 32 and connected to the connection electrode 4, and the other end is connected to a feeding end portion 33 formed on one end surface of the housing 30. The The feeding end 33 corresponds to the number of wires of the conductor 31. The feeding end 33 is fed from an external power source.

  The connection electrode 4 is made of a metal linear member having a spring property such as stainless steel, for example, and is a spiral wire that is elongated by being wound into a coil with a substantially constant diameter by a plurality of twists of the linear member. And electrically connected to the conductor 31 by soldering, mechanical bonding, conductive adhesive or the like. The connection electrode 4 can improve the reliability of the surface by plating the surface with gold or the like.

  The length and width of the spiral line of the connection electrode 4 are set so as to fit in the cavity 32 of the electricity supply unit 3. A height H1 (corresponding to a spiral circle diameter) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the spiral line is formed to be slightly larger than a depth H2 from the opening surface in the cavity 32, and the connection electrode 4 is formed in the electric supply unit 3. When inserted, a part of the cavity 32 protrudes from the cavity 32.

  The upper case 51 of the case 5 has an opening 53 for inserting the electricity supply unit 3. When the upper case 51 covers the EL element unit 21, the electricity supply unit 3 is disposed on the electrode extraction unit 22, and the connection electrode 4 is in contact with the electrode extraction unit 22. Alternatively, the electricity supply unit 3 containing the connection electrodes 4 may be first mounted on the electrode extraction unit 22 of the EL panel 2 and then covered with the upper case 51.

  Since the EL element unit 21 is configured as described above, the EL element unit 21 is mounted on the upper surface of the lower case 52, and the upper case 51 with the electricity supply unit 3 inserted thereon is mounted. , 52 are joined together to seal the case. Since the electric supply unit 3 and the EL panel 2 are stored in pressure contact with each other within the height of the upper case 51, the connection electrode 4 inserted in advance into the cavity 32 of the electric supply unit 3 presses against the electrode extraction unit 22. Touched.

  At this time, the connection electrode 4 is pressed from a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the spiral line by the top surface of the cavity 32 of the electricity supply unit 3. Since the connection electrode 4 slightly protrudes from the cavity 32 of the electricity supply unit 3 before being pressed, when the electrode is pressed by the electrode extraction unit 22, the contact pressure due to its springiness increases, and the connection electrode 4 strongly contacts the electrode extraction unit 22. Is done. The contact surfaces of the connection electrode 4, the electricity supply unit 3, and the electrode take-out unit 22 are substantially linear or substantially dotted and are pressed and contacted at a plurality of portions, respectively.

  Accordingly, the connection electrode 4 has a smaller contact area of each contact surface that is substantially linear or substantially point-like than a contact surface that is formed by a planar electrode, so that the stress applied to each contact surface is strong. Become. For this reason, it can be made to contact with the electrode extraction part 22 reliably in each contact surface, a contact area can be ensured and contact resistance can be reduced. Note that the specifications such as the number of spiral turns of the connection electrode 4, the elastic force, the contact area, and the like, and the electrode area of the electrode lead-out portion 22 are set by the current passed through the EL panel 2.

  As described above, according to the EL module 1 of the present embodiment, the connection electrode 4 and the electrode extraction portion are pressed against the electrode extraction portion 22, even if the planarity of the electrode extraction portion 22 is poor. Therefore, the contact resistance can be reduced, the electrical connectivity can be improved, and the power supply efficiency can be prevented from being lowered.

  Further, since the connection electrode 4 is connected to the conductor 31 of the electricity supply unit 3 only at one end in the longitudinal direction, and the other end is opened, the spiral line can be formed even if expansion or contraction occurs due to a temperature change or a change with time. Since it expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction, the influence of environmental changes can be mitigated.

  Next, the connection electrode of the EL module according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connection electrode 4a of the EL module of the present embodiment is configured in a shape extending in a wave shape by a band-shaped member. The other configuration has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIG.

  The connection electrode 4a is made of a metal belt-like member having a spring property such as stainless steel, and forms a wave-like belt body having a shape extending in a wave shape by a plurality of twists. Further, the connection electrode 4a has a sine wave-like periodic waveform when viewed from the side, and the maximum amplitude between the upper and lower peak points 41a and 42a is defined as a height H1. It is formed to be slightly higher than the depth H <b> 2 in the cavity 32.

  When the connection electrode 4a configured as described above is inserted into the cavity 32 of the electricity supply unit 3, a part of the connection electrode 4a slightly protrudes from the electricity supply unit 3 as described above. When the EL panel 2 is sandwiched between the cases 51 and 52 in this state, the connection electrode 4a is pressed by the cavity 32 from a direction substantially orthogonal to the extending direction, is elastically deformed, and is brought into pressure contact with the electrode extraction portion 22. At this time, the connection electrode 4a is brought into contact with the electricity supply unit 3 and the electrode extraction unit 22 in a substantially linear manner at a plurality of peaks and valleys in the corrugated band.

  According to the EL module 1 of the present embodiment, since the connection electrode 4a is configured as a wave-like band, the contact area increases due to line contact with the electrode take-out portion 22, and thus more electrical compared to the spiral electrode. Connectivity can be increased and power supply efficiency can be increased.

  Next, connection electrodes of an EL module according to a modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The connection electrode 4b of the present modification has a shape in which the side surface extends in a triangular wave shape.

  The connection electrode 4b is formed in a triangular wave strip having a spring and a periodicity by forming a plurality of peaks and valleys in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the strip member. The substantially periodic triangular waveform on the side surface of the connection electrode 4b has a maximum amplitude between the upper and lower peak points 41b and 42b as a height H1, and this height H1 is greater than the depth H2 of the cavity 32 in the electricity supply section 3. It is formed to be slightly higher. Thereby, like the above, the connection electrode 4b can increase the contact area by the line contact with the electrode extraction part 22, can improve electrical connectivity more, and can be formed only by the linear bending process of a strip | belt-shaped member. This simplifies the manufacturing process.

  Next, connection electrodes of an EL module according to another modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The connection electrode 4c of this modification has a flat surface portion at the apex of the triangular wave shape in the modification.

  The connection electrode 4c has a shape in which a flat surface 41c and a flat surface 42c are formed substantially parallel to each other at the apexes of peaks and valleys formed by a plurality of bends of the belt-shaped member, and are periodically extended in a trapezoidal shape. The connection electrode 4c has a height H1 between a plane 41c and a plane 42c formed substantially parallel to each other. Thereby, the connection electrode 4c is press-contacted planarly with the electrode extraction part 22 by the plane 41c and the plane 42c, the contact area with the electrode extraction part 22 increases, and electrical connectivity can be improved more. In addition, you may provide a convex part on the planes 41c and 42c.

  Next, a connection electrode of an EL module according to another modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the connection electrode 4d of this modification, the band-shaped member has a mountain or valley ridgeline 42d appearing in a staggered manner obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction, and a valley or mountain in the width direction at the intersection 43 of these adjacent ridgelines 42d. It is formed by bending so that the ridgeline 41d appears.

  In the connection electrode 4d, a point where the ridge line 41d from the intersection part 43 intersects perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the belt-shaped member is defined as an orthogonal point 44. Is formed based on a right triangle 45. That is, in the connection electrode 4d, the right-angled triangle 45 is repeatedly folded into a mountain fold and a valley fold so that the adjacent ridge line 42d is a valley and the ridge line 41d between them is a mountain, whereby the orthogonal point 44 is set as a vertex. It is formed as a triangular pyramid 46 with two open surfaces.

  The connection electrode 4d is formed such that the triangular pyramid 46 is continuously extended, and the height H1 of the triangular pyramid 46 is equal to the height H1 shown in FIG. Further, the length and width of the triangular pyramid-shaped extended shape of the connection electrode 4d are set so that the connection electrode 4d is fitted and inserted into the cavity 32 of the electricity supply unit 3. When the connection electrode 4d is pressed by the electrode take-out part 22, the cavity 32 of the electricity supply part 3 makes a point-like contact with the apex of the triangular pyramid 46, and the electrode take-out part 22 is staggered by a ridge line 42d of the valley. Contact.

  Thus, the contact surface of the connection electrode 4d with the electrode lead-out portion 22 is linear with the ridge line 42d of the valley, and the contact surface with the electricity supply portion 3 is point-like with the peak of the mountain, so the electrode lead-out portion 22 And the staggered diagonal lines are continuously in linear contact, and the contact area is larger than the contact area with the electricity supply unit 3. Thereby, the contact area of the connection electrode 4d and the electrode extraction part 22 can be made wider, and electrical connectivity is improved.

  Next, an organic EL lighting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. The organic EL lighting apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes the EL module 1 of any of the above embodiments and a lighting device 7 for lighting the EL module 1, and these are rectangular housings that serve as outer cases. It is housed in 101 and integrated.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B show the configuration of the present embodiment. The casing 101 has a top surface made of a resin-made transparent plate 102 and serves as a light emitting surface for light emitted from the EL module 1. A printed circuit board 8 on which the electric circuit component 9 of the lighting device 7 is mounted is disposed in the housing 101. The EL module 1 is disposed on the back side of the transparent plate 102, and is supplied with power from the electric circuit component 9 to emit light, and illumination light is emitted through the transparent plate 102.

  The case 5 is composed only of the upper case 51, and the lower case is also used by the transparent plate 102. The substrate 23 of the EL module 1 is directly attached to the transparent plate 102, and the upper case 51 is joined to the transparent plate 102 so as to cover the electricity supply unit 3. When the electricity supply unit 3 is pressed by the upper case 51, the connection electrode 4 is pressed against the electrode extraction unit 22. Further, the connection electrode 4 is connected to the printed circuit board 8 by an electric wire, and power is supplied from the electric circuit component 9 through the printed circuit board 8. In the figure, only one connection electrode 4 is shown.

  FIG. 10 shows an electrical configuration of the lighting device 7. The lighting device 7 includes a step-down chopper circuit 71 that supplies power to the EL module 1 based on the DC power source E, a lamp current detection circuit 72 that detects a current supplied to the EL module 1, and a current driver that drives the lamp current. 73 and a control unit 74 that controls electric power output from the step-down chopper circuit 71 to the EL module 1. The control unit 74 includes a microcomputer IC1, an error amplifier OP1 and a comparator OP2 made of operational amplifiers, and an AND circuit IC2 for logic processing.

  The control unit 74 amplifies the voltage difference between the lamp current detection voltage from the resistor R3 of the lamp current detection circuit 73 and the reference voltage Ve from the microcomputer IC1 by the error amplifier OP1, and uses the output as the reference voltage Vr as a comparator OP2. To enter. Further, the control unit 74 compares the reference voltage Vr with the triangular wave signal Vq generated by the switching element 3 by the comparator OP2, uses the output Vp as a drive control signal, and sends it to the step-down chopper circuit 72 through the AND circuit IC2. In addition, the on / off operation of the switching element Q1 is adjusted, and the power supplied to the EL module 1 is adjusted.

  Here, generation of the drive control signal by the comparator OP2 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the switching element Q3 is turned on and off by the H level and L level of the output voltage Vp from the second pin of the IC1, the voltage across the capacitor C4 is discharged and charged through the resistor R13, so that FIG. As shown in b), a triangular wave signal Vq is generated. This triangular wave signal Vq is applied to the negative terminal of the comparator OP2, and the output of the error amplifier OP1 is applied to the positive terminal of the comparator OP2 as a reference voltage Vr as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11D, during the period when the voltage of the capacitor C4 is lower than the reference voltage Vr, the output voltage Vs of the comparator OP2 is at a high level.

  Therefore, since the pulse width of the output signal Vs is changed by the reference voltage Vr, and the reference voltage Vr is changed by the reference voltage Ve from the IC1, the control unit 75 varies the output voltage Vs by changing the reference voltage Ve. The lamp current value can be adjusted by generating the drive control signal and the set current value of the lamp current can be controlled to be constant. Further, the control unit 75 drives the switching element Q2 of the current drive unit 74 by the PWM control signal from the microcomputer IC1, and performs PWM dimming control on the lamp current.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by using the EL module 1 with high electrical connectivity, it is possible to obtain a lighting fixture with high power supply efficiency, and the lighting device 7 makes the current value of the EL module 1 constant. Therefore, the set brightness can be kept stable, and the dimming control can be easily performed by PWM current control or the like.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure of the said various embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible suitably in the range which does not change the meaning of invention. For example, in the above embodiment, a plurality of EL element portions 21 can be provided in the EL module 1. Alternatively, the electricity supply unit 3 may be joined to the substrate 23 and the connection electrode 4 may be directly pressed by the electricity supply unit 3. Further, the conductor 31 of the electricity supply unit 3 and the connection electrode 4 may be integrated. Alternatively, the connection electrode 4 may be formed of a planar member provided with a plurality of convex portions, and the planar member may be pressed by the electricity supply unit 3 so that the convex portions and the electrode extraction unit 22 are brought into contact with each other. Further, the electricity supply unit 3 may be formed of the same member as the case 5 and integrated, and the case 5 may also be used.

1 EL module (organic EL module)
2 EL panel (organic EL panel)
21 EL element part (organic EL element)
3 Electricity supply part 31 Conductor 32 Cavity (space)
4, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d Connection electrode 41d, 42d Ridge line 43 Intersection part 7 Lighting device 100 Organic EL lighting fixture

Claims (2)

An organic EL panel having an organic EL element and an electrode extraction portion of the organic EL element;
An electric supply unit having a conductor for supplying power to the organic EL panel;
A connection electrode for connecting the electrode take-out part and the conductor of the electricity supply part,
In the organic EL module formed by attaching the connection electrode and the electric supply unit to the organic EL panel,
The connection electrode is formed of a band-shaped member, and the band-shaped member has a staggered ridge line of a mountain or a valley obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction, and a valley or a mountain is formed in the width direction at the intersection of these adjacent ridge lines. It is formed by bending to appear, forming a wavy shape,
The connection electrode is inserted into a space formed in the electricity supply unit,
In a state where the electricity supply unit is attached to the organic EL panel,
The organic EL module according to claim 1, wherein the connection electrode is pressed from a direction substantially orthogonal to an extension direction of the connection electrode by the electric supply unit and abuts the electrode extraction unit at a plurality of portions.   An organic EL lighting apparatus comprising: the organic EL module according to claim 1; and a lighting device for lighting the organic EL module.

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