JP5541890B2 - Lighting device and lighting apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lighting device and a lighting fixture.

  Conventionally, in a lighting device that turns on a light source, the cumulative lighting time that is the cumulative time during which the light source is turned on is counted, and the lighting device is at the end of its life when the cumulative lighting time reaches a predetermined lifetime. And performing an appropriate operation such as stoppage of output or notification (see, for example, Patent Document 1). That is, it is intended to prevent the occurrence of overheating or the like due to the aging deterioration of the parts constituting the lighting device.

  Here, the components that make up the lighting device reach the end of their life when used under a constant temperature environment (that is, the proportion of the samples that do not satisfy the specified performance due to aging out of a plurality of samples of the components is predetermined). The three types of curves (hereinafter referred to as “life curves”) plotted with respect to the ambient temperature are shown as curves PC1 to PC3 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the aging of parts generally becomes faster as the temperature is higher. Therefore, when the lifetime is constant in the lighting device as described above, the timing at which the end of the lifetime is determined in a high temperature environment. It is conceivable that a failure due to aging has occurred before, and conversely, in a low temperature environment, the timing determined as the end of life may be too early with respect to actual aging.

  Therefore, it has been proposed to detect the ambient temperature and change the counting speed of the cumulative lighting time according to the detected temperature (see, for example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3).

JP-A-6-333687 JP 2006-236664 A JP 2006-278238 A

  As an operation for changing the speed of counting the cumulative lighting time according to the temperature as described above, for example, a numerical value obtained by substituting the detected temperature into the life function using a life function that is a function of temperature. It is conceivable to count the cumulative lighting time at a speed inversely proportional to. Specifically, during a period in which the light source is turned on, a numerical value (hereinafter referred to as “additional wear amount”) is periodically added to the cumulative wear amount every predetermined addition time, and this cumulative wear amount is limited. In the operation of determining the end of life when the amount of wear is reached, the above-mentioned additional wear amount is referred to as a numerical value obtained by substituting the detected temperature into the life function (hereinafter referred to as “provisional life value”). ) To obtain the value obtained by dividing the product of the addition time and the limit wear amount. In other words, if the provisional life value matches the limit wear amount, the additional wear amount matches the addition time, and if the provisional life value is greater than the limit wear amount, the cumulative wear amount is made smaller than the addition time. The increase in the amount of wear is delayed, and conversely, if the provisional life value is smaller than the limit amount of wear, the increase in the cumulative wear amount is accelerated by making the additional wear amount larger than the addition time.

  Here, when the lifetime function as shown by the curve LF in FIG. 13 is used as the above-mentioned lifetime function in accordance with a component whose lifetime curve is as shown by the curve PC1 in FIG. When the product is used in a temperature range (for example, 10 ° C) that is above (long life side) above the component life curves PC2 and PC3, the cumulative wear amount reaches the limit wear amount and the end of life is determined. There is a possibility that a part whose life curve is indicated by the curve PC2 or a part whose life curve is indicated by the curve PC3 will end at the end of the life and cause a failure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned reasons, and its object is to provide a lighting device and a lighting fixture in which it is easy to determine the end of life before a failure due to aging of parts occurs. is there.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighting unit for supplying electric power to an electric light source for lighting, and a storage for storing a cumulative amount of wear that is a numerical value indicating a degree of aging of components of the lighting unit. During the period when power is output to the light source by the lighting unit and the lighting unit, a numerical value is periodically added to the cumulative wear amount at every predetermined addition time, and the cumulative wear amount is compared with a predetermined limit wear amount. A life determination unit that determines that the lighting unit is at the end of life when the amount reaches the limit wear amount, and a life end for the user when the lighting determination unit determines that the lighting unit is at the end of life. A notification unit for notification, and a temperature detection unit for detecting a temperature having a positive correlation with the temperature of at least one of the components of the lighting unit, and the life determination unit is a function of temperature. Applicable temperature that is the temperature range in which the operation of the lighting part is assumed When using a life function that has a negative correlation with temperature in at least a part of the range, and adding a numerical value to the cumulative amount of wear, a value obtained by substituting the temperature detected by the temperature detector into the life function The value obtained by dividing the product of the addition time and the limit wear amount by the above is added to the cumulative wear amount, and the life function is a plurality of functions with different temperature ranges, each of which is positive with respect to the temperature. Or it is comprised by the several function which has a negative correlation, and a numerical value becomes smaller than the lifetime of any of several components of a lighting part over the whole application temperature range, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

According to the present invention, the failure due to aging deterioration of the component is greater than the case where the numerical value of the lifetime function exceeds the lifetime of any of the plurality of components of the lighting unit at any temperature within the applicable temperature range. It is easy to determine the end of life before it occurs. In addition, the life function can be made closer to the life curve of a component having the shortest life for each temperature range as compared with the case where the life function is constituted by a single exponential function.

  The invention of claim 2 is the numerical value at the point on the low temperature side with respect to the numerical value at the point on the high temperature side, regardless of the two points where the temperature difference between them is 10 ° C. in the life function. The ratio is less than 2.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the light source to be lit by the lighting unit is any one of an electrodeless discharge lamp, a light emitting diode, and an organic EL.

Invention of Claim 4 is provided with the lighting device of any one of Claims 1-3 , and the fixture main body which hold | maintains the light source and lighting device which are lit by the lighting device, respectively.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lifetime function has a numerical value smaller than any lifetime of the plurality of components of the lighting unit over the entire applied temperature range. Compared to the case where the lifetime of any of the plurality of components of the lighting unit is exceeded at any one of the temperatures, it is easy to obtain the end of life determination before a failure due to aging of the component occurs. In addition, the life function can be made closer to the life curve of a component that has the shortest life for each temperature range, as compared with the case where the life function is composed of a single function.

(A) (b) is explanatory drawing which respectively shows embodiment of this invention, (a) shows the graph of a lifetime function, and the lifetime curve of three components of a lighting part, (b) is a temperature detection part. Shows the relationship between the temperature detected by the above and the amount of additional wear. It is a circuit block diagram which shows the same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the usage pattern same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the structure of an electrodeless discharge lamp. It is explanatory drawing which shows the graph of the lifetime function in the example of a change same as the above, and the lifetime curve of three components of a lighting part. (A) (b) is explanatory drawing which shows another example of a change respectively same as the above, (a) shows the graph of a lifetime function, and the lifetime curve of three components of a lighting part, (b) is temperature detection The relationship between the temperature detected by a part and the amount of additional wear is shown. (A) (b) is explanatory drawing which shows another example of a change respectively same as the above, (a) shows the graph of a lifetime function, and the lifetime curve of three components of a lighting part, (b) is temperature The relationship between the temperature detected by a detection part and an additional wear amount is shown. It is explanatory drawing which shows the graph of the life function in another example of a change same as the above, and the life curve of three components of a lighting part. It is a circuit block diagram which shows another example of a change same as the above. It is the partially broken front view which shows an example of the lighting fixture using the same. It is a front view which shows another example of the lighting fixture using the same as the above. (A)-(c) shows another example of the lighting fixture using each same as the above, (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view, (c) is a left view. It is explanatory drawing which shows the graph of the lifetime function in a prior art example, and the lifetime curve of three components of a lighting part.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, an induction coil 5 disposed close to an electrodeless discharge lamp 6 as a light source, and lighting for lighting the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 by outputting high-frequency power to the induction coil 5. The control part 2 which controls the part 1 and the lighting part 1 is provided.

  The induction coil 5 is wound around a cylindrical coupler 50 as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 3, the lighting unit 1 and the control unit 2 of the present embodiment are each housed in a metal case 10, and the lighting unit 1 is electrically connected to the induction coil 5 via a feeder line 10 a. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 includes a hollow bulb 61 made of a transparent material such as glass and having a recess 60 on the outer surface, and a cylindrical shape made of synthetic resin. And a base 62 attached so as to surround the opening of 60. The coupler 50 is inserted into the recess 60 and is disposed in the vicinity of the induction coil 5. For example, a discharge gas containing an inert gas and metal vapor is sealed in the bulb 61. Further, a convex portion 60 a to be inserted into the coupler 50 protrudes from the bottom surface of the concave portion 60 of the valve 61. Further, a protective film 61a and a phosphor film 61b are provided on the inner surface of the bulb 61. That is, when arc discharge is generated in the bulb 61 by the high-frequency electromagnetic field generated by the induction coil 5, the generated ultraviolet light is converted into visible light in the phosphor film 61b, so that the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 emits light.

  The lighting unit 1 converts the AC power supplied from the AC power source AC into DC power, and converts the DC power output from the DC power circuit 11 into high-frequency AC power and outputs it to the induction coil 5. And an inverter circuit 12.

  The DC power supply circuit 11 includes a diode bridge DB that full-wave rectifies an AC current supplied from the AC power supply AC, and a series circuit of an inductor L0, a diode D0, and an output capacitor C0 connected between the output terminals of the diode bridge DB. A switching element Q0 connected between a connection point between the inductor L0 and the diode D0 and an output terminal on the low voltage side of the diode bridge DB, and a drive circuit 11a that periodically drives the switching element Q0 on and off. This is a well-known step-up converter (boost converter). The drive circuit 11a detects the voltage across the output capacitor C0 (that is, the inverter input voltage) Vdc, and drives the switching element Q0 on and off with a duty ratio that sets the detected inverter input voltage Vdc as a constant target voltage. Perform feedback control. Since such a drive circuit 11a can be realized by a known technique, detailed illustration and description thereof will be omitted. The power supply for the control unit 2 is generated by an appropriate step-down circuit (not shown) that steps down the output voltage of the DC power supply circuit 11.

  The inverter circuit 12 has one end at the connection point between the switching elements Q1, Q2 and the series circuit of the switching elements Q1, Q2 and the detection resistor Rd connected between the output ends of the DC power supply circuit 11, that is, between both ends of the output capacitor C0. The connected inductor Ls, a series capacitor Cs having one end connected to the other end of the inductor Ls and the other end connected to one end of the induction coil 5, and one end connected to a connection point between the inductor Ls and the series capacitor Cs. A parallel capacitor Cp whose other end is connected to a connection point between the detection resistor Rd and the induction coil 5 and a drive circuit 12a for alternately turning on and off the switching elements Q1 and Q2 are provided. That is, when the switching elements Q1 and Q2 are alternately turned on and off, the connection between the resonance circuit formed by the inductor Ls, the series capacitor Cs, the parallel capacitor Cp, and the induction coil 5 and the DC power supply circuit 11 is switched. Due to the resonance of the circuit, the DC power output from the DC power supply circuit 11 is converted into high-frequency AC power and supplied to the induction coil 5. The switching elements Q1 and Q2 are each composed of an N-channel FET, and the drive circuit 12a outputs a rectangular wave drive signal to the gates of the switching elements Q1 and Q2, respectively. Q2 is driven on and off, respectively. Furthermore, the drive circuit 12a has a control terminal CON, and the higher the control current Io flowing out from the control terminal CON, the higher the frequency at which the switching elements Q1 and Q2 are turned on and off (hereinafter referred to as “operation frequency”). . Usually, the operating frequency is in a range higher than the resonant frequency of the above-described resonant circuit (hereinafter simply referred to as “resonant frequency”), and the lighting unit 1 decreases as the control current Io decreases and the operating frequency decreases. Is output to the induction coil 5 (hereinafter referred to as “coil voltage”) Vx amplitude (hereinafter referred to as “voltage amplitude”) | Vx | increases and is supplied from the inverter circuit 12 to the induction coil 5. The power to be increased.

  The control unit 2 also includes a sweep circuit 21 that performs a sweep operation that gradually increases the output power from the inverter circuit 12 to the induction coil 5 by gradually decreasing the operating frequency when the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 is started. Furthermore, the present embodiment includes a voltage detection unit 3 that outputs a detection voltage Vxs that is a DC voltage having a higher voltage value as the voltage amplitude | Vx | is larger, and the sweep circuit 21 is output from the voltage detection unit 3. The inverter circuit 12 is controlled based on the detection voltage Vxs. The voltage detector 3 divides the coil voltage Vx with a resistor, rectifies it with a diode, and smoothes it with a capacitor, thereby generating a detected voltage Vxs.

  The sweep circuit 21 includes an operational amplifier OP1 having an inverting input terminal connected to an output terminal via a resistor and connected to an output terminal of the voltage detection unit 3 via a resistor. The output terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the control terminal CON of the drive circuit 12a via a series circuit of a backflow preventing diode and a resistor. The sweep circuit 21 includes a resistor R1 having a constant voltage Vd input at one end, a switch SW having one end connected to the other end of the resistor R1 and the other end connected to the circuit ground, a resistor R2, and a capacitor C1. The non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the connection point between the parallel circuit and the resistor R1. In the sweep circuit 21 of the present embodiment, since the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the output terminal of the voltage detection unit 3 through the resistor as described above, the larger the voltage amplitude | Vx |, that is, the inverter circuit 12 is. As the power supplied to the induction coil 5 increases, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes lower and the current Isw that flows from the control terminal CON of the drive circuit 12a into the sweep circuit 21 (hereinafter referred to as “sweep current”) Isw. As the operating frequency increases and the operating frequency increases, the power supplied from the inverter circuit 12 to the induction coil 5 decreases. That is, the sweep circuit 21 also performs a feedback operation using the detection voltage Vxs output from the voltage detection unit 3. Further, in the sweep circuit 21, considering the operation in a state where the both-end voltage Vc1 of the capacitor C1 is stable, when the switch SW is turned off, the both ends of the capacitor C1 are compared with the case where the switch SW is turned on. As the voltage Vc1 increases and the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 increases, the sweep current Isw decreases and the operating frequency decreases, the power supplied from the inverter circuit 12 to the induction coil 5 increases. When the switch SW is switched from on to off, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 gradually increases and the sweep current Isw gradually decreases due to the time constant of the circuit formed by the resistors R1 and R2 and the capacitor C1. Thus, a sweep operation is performed in which the operating frequency is gradually lowered and the power supplied from the inverter circuit 12 to the induction coil 5 is gradually increased.

  The control unit 2 also includes a feedback circuit 22 that controls the operating frequency based on the voltage at the connection point between the low-side switching element Q2 and the detection resistor Rd in the inverter circuit 12, that is, the current flowing through the inverter circuit 12. The feedback circuit 22 has an operational amplifier OP2 in which a predetermined reference voltage Vr is input to a non-inverting input terminal and an output terminal is connected to a control terminal CON of the drive circuit 12a via a backflow prevention diode and a resistor. The inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 through a parallel circuit of a resistor and a capacitor, and at the connection point between the switching element Q2 of the inverter circuit 12 and the detection resistor Rd through the resistor. It is connected. That is, the current (hereinafter referred to as “feedback current”) Ifb flowing from the control terminal CON of the drive circuit 12a into the feedback circuit 22 increases as the current flowing through the induction coil 5 increases (that is, the power supplied to the induction coil 5). The higher the frequency, the more the power supplied to the induction coil 5 decreases, and the feedback circuit 22 operates so that the power supplied from the inverter circuit 12 to the induction coil 5 is kept constant. The sweep circuit 21 and the feedback circuit 22 each have an operating frequency of no electrode when the inverter input voltage Vdc is the target voltage and the switch SW is turned off in the sweep circuit 21 and the voltage across the capacitor C1 is stable. The discharge lamp 6 has such a frequency that H power (arc discharge also called high frequency electromagnetic field discharge or inductively coupled discharge) is generated from the inverter circuit 12 to the induction coil 5 and the inverter input voltage Vdc. Is the target voltage and the switch SW is turned on in the sweep circuit 21 and the voltage across the capacitor C1 is stable, the operating frequency of the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 is E discharge (both high frequency field discharge and capacitively coupled discharge). Electric power to generate a so-called glow discharge) is induced from the inverter circuit 12 It is designed to be a frequency as supplied to the coil 5. By the feedback of the sweep circuit 21 and the feedback circuit 22, the operation frequency is lowered when the inverter input voltage Vdc is lower than the target voltage, and conversely, the operation is performed when the inverter input voltage Vdc is higher than the target voltage. The frequency is made higher than above. That is, the target value of the voltage amplitude | Vx | is such that arc discharge (H discharge) is generated in the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 when the switch SW is turned off in the sweep circuit 21 and the voltage across the capacitor C1 is stable. When the switch SW is turned on in the sweep circuit 21 and the voltage across the capacitor C1 is stable, no arc discharge (H discharge) occurs in the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 and glow discharge (E discharge) occurs. It is said to be about.

  When the power is turned on, first, the switch SW of the sweep circuit 21 is maintained in the ON state, so that the voltage amplitude | Vx | is kept small to such an extent that glow discharge occurs in the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 and arc discharge does not occur. The start preparation operation to be performed is performed for a predetermined time, and then the switch SW of the sweep circuit 21 is turned off, whereby the start operation to increase the voltage amplitude | Vx | to the extent that arc discharge occurs in the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 is started. The transition is made. A steady operation in which the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 starts to light (ie, starts) when arc discharge occurs in the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 during the starting operation, and thereafter the output power to the induction coil 5 is maintained substantially constant. Transition to is made. The on / off control of the switch SW as described above can be realized by a known technique using, for example, a timer circuit (not shown).

  Furthermore, the control unit 2 reduces the output power to the induction coil 5 when the lighting unit 1 determines whether or not the lighting unit 1 is at the end of life, and when the life detection circuit 23 determines that the end of life is reached. And a protection circuit 24 that performs a protection operation. Specifically, as the protection operation, an operation of lowering the output voltage of the DC power supply circuit 11, an operation of reducing the output power to the induction coil 5 by increasing the operating frequency, or driving of the inverter circuit 12 An operation of stopping the output of electric power to the induction coil 5 by stopping the circuit 12a and maintaining each of the switching elements Q1, Q2 in an off state can be considered. The user can know the end of life by observing the decrease or extinction of the light output of the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 due to the protective operation as described above. That is, the protection circuit 24 of the present embodiment is a notification unit in the claims. Further, informing means for notifying the user of the end of life when the end of life is determined by the life detecting circuit 23 instead of or in addition to the above protecting circuit 24. May be provided. As the notification means, for example, a device that notifies the end of life by emitting or blinking a separate light source (for example, a light emitting diode), a device that notifies the end of life by an alarm sound or sound, a radio signal or a telephone One that notifies the end of life to an external device using a line is conceivable. Since the protection circuit 24 and the notification means as described above can be realized by a well-known technique, detailed illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  The life detection circuit 23 includes a storage unit 231 that includes a nonvolatile memory and stores a cumulative wear amount that is a numerical value indicating the degree of aging of the components of the lighting unit 1, and a period during which the lighting unit 1 outputs power. Performs a counting operation for adding a numerical value (hereinafter referred to as “additional wear amount”) to the accumulated wear amount at predetermined addition time intervals (that is, periodically) and compares the accumulated wear amount with a predetermined limit wear amount. A life determination unit 232 that determines that the lighting unit 1 is at the end of its life when the cumulative amount of wear reaches the limit amount of wear. Since the life determination unit 232 can be realized by a known electronic circuit, detailed illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  Here, the present embodiment includes a temperature detection unit 4 that detects the temperature of the output capacitor C0, which is a component that is relatively easily deteriorated with time in the DC power supply circuit 11, and the life determination unit 232 includes: By making the additional wear amount in the above-described counting operation a numerical value corresponding to the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 4, the increasing rate of the accumulated wear amount is made to correspond to the difference in the aging deterioration rate due to the temperature.

  More specifically, the temperature detection unit 4 includes a series circuit of a resistor that hardly changes in resistance value due to temperature and a temperature-sensitive resistor (thermistor) that is a relatively large amount of change in resistance value due to temperature. It is connected between the output terminals of the power supply circuit 11, and the connection point between the above-mentioned resistance and the temperature-sensitive resistor is used as the output terminal. The temperature-sensitive resistor is disposed close to the output capacitor C0, which is a component whose temperature is detected (hereinafter referred to as “detection target component”), and the output voltage of the temperature detection unit 4 is the output voltage of the output capacitor C0. The voltage depends on the temperature. As the above temperature sensitive resistance, platinum resistance or the like is known. When using a pin insertion type as the temperature-sensitive resistor, variations due to the bending of the pin occur compared to using a surface-mounted type temperature-sensitive resistor, but on the other hand, the temperature-sensitive resistor is detected by appropriately bending the pin. The distance from the target part can be further reduced. However, when the detection target component is a printed wiring board, the surface mounting type is more easily brought closer to the detection target component than the pin insertion type. As the temperature detection unit 4, a so-called radiation thermometer using, for example, a thermopile can be employed in addition to the one using the temperature sensitive resistance as described above.

  Next, a method in which the life determination unit 232 determines the additional wear amount will be described. The life determination unit 232 is a function of temperature and has a negative correlation with the temperature in at least a part of the temperature range in which the operation of the lighting unit 1 is assumed (hereinafter referred to as “applied temperature range”). The life function is held in advance in, for example, a ROM. In the count operation, a value obtained by substituting the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 4 into the life function is obtained by dividing the product of the addition time (that is, the cycle of the count operation) and the limit wear amount. The numerical value is added to the cumulative wear amount as the added wear amount. As a specific means for deriving the additional wear amount, a data table or a mathematical expression indicating a correspondence relationship between the output of the temperature detection unit 4 and the additional wear amount can be used. In any case, the life determination unit 232 can be realized by a well-known technique, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Here, said lifetime function is located below (short lifetime side) rather than the lifetime curve of any components of the lighting part 1 over the whole application temperature range. For example, the application temperature range is −20 ° C. to 40 ° C., and the life curves of three parts having a relatively short life among the parts of the lighting unit 1 are as shown by curves PC1 to PC3 in FIG. If so, the lifetime function is as shown by the curve LF1 in FIG. The life function shown in FIG. 1 (a) is an exponential function expressed by an equation of Aexp (−ln2 · T / B) using the temperature T and coefficients A and B, and B> 10. ing. That is, for any two points where the difference in temperature T is 10 ° C., the ratio of the numerical value at the low temperature side to the numerical value at the high temperature side of the two points is less than 2. Further, the additional wear amount obtained from the above life function monotonously increases with respect to the temperature T as shown in FIG.

  According to the above configuration, the lifetime function is a function whose numerical value is smaller than the lifetime of any of the three components corresponding to the lifetime curves PC1 to PC3 among the components of the lighting unit 1 over the entire application temperature range. As a result, the failure due to aging deterioration of the component is greater than the case where the value of the lifetime function exceeds the lifetime of any of the above three components of the lighting unit 1 at any temperature within the applicable temperature range. It is easy to determine the end of life before it occurs.

  Note that the lifetime function is not limited to the exponential function as shown in FIG. 1A, but may be a function in which the graph becomes a curve having a convex portion as shown by a curve LF2 in FIG. Good.

  Alternatively, the life function may be composed of a plurality of exponential functions having different temperature ranges and coefficients, as indicated by a curve LF3 in FIG. More specifically, in the life curves PC1 to PC3 of the three components shown in FIG. 6A, the life L is L = Aexp (−ln2 · T / B) using the temperature T and the coefficients A and B, respectively. ) And the coefficients A and B are different for each part. And in the range where the temperature T is less than 0 ° C. among the applicable temperature ranges, the life curve PC3 having the largest coefficient B is 40 (° C.) (that is, according to the 40 ° C. half law) is on the lowest side (short life side). positioned. In addition, in the range where the temperature T is from 0 ° C. to 20 ° C., the life curve PC2 having the second largest coefficient B is 20 (° C.) (that is, according to the 20 ° C. half law) is located on the lowest side (short life side). doing. Furthermore, when the temperature T is in the range of 20 ° C. or higher, the life curve PC1 having the smallest coefficient B of 10 (° C.) (that is, according to the 10 ° C. half law) is located on the lowermost side (short life side). The life function indicated by the curve LF3 in FIG. 6 (a) is different from each other in the above three temperature ranges −20 ° C. to 0 ° C., 0 ° C. to 20 ° C., and 20 ° C. to 40 ° C. The coefficients A and B are different exponential functions), and for each temperature range, the coefficient B is the same as the coefficient B of the lowermost one of the life curves PC1 to PC3, and the coefficient A is The lifetime functions are determined so as to be continuous between the temperature ranges smaller than the coefficient A of the lifetime curve and adjacent to each other. The additional wear amount corresponding to the above life function is also in a form in which three exponential functions are combined as shown in FIG. Alternatively, for each temperature range, the coefficients A and B are both the same as the coefficients A and B of the life curves PC1 to PC3, which are located at the lowermost side. Such a life function may be used. By using a life function in which a plurality of exponential functions are combined as described above, the life function can be reduced to the part with the shortest life for each temperature range compared to the case where the life function is composed of a single exponential function. It can be close to the life curve.

  Further, the life function may not be a monotonically decreasing function having a negative correlation with the temperature in the entire applied temperature range as in the above example. For example, the life function may be a low temperature region (such as a life curve PC4 shown in FIG. In the case where there is a part whose deterioration with time is accelerated as the temperature is lower at −20 ° C. to −10 ° C.), the temperature is adjusted to a temperature in a low temperature region as shown by a curve LF4 in FIG. Alternatively, it may be a lifetime function having a positive correlation. In this case, the added wear amount has a negative correlation with the temperature in the low temperature region as shown in FIG.

  In addition, the life function curve is not necessarily lower than the life curves of all the components of the lighting unit 1. For example, a life detection means for separately detecting the end of life is provided for a component corresponding to the life curve PC1. If the life function is determined, the life curve PC1 is excluded from consideration, and the graph is partially above the life curve PC1 (long life side) as shown by a curve LF5 in FIG. It is good also as such a lifetime function. As the additional life detecting means, for example, a known circuit for detecting the end of life of the output capacitor C0 based on the output ripple of the DC power supply circuit 1 can be considered.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality (three in the figure) of temperature detection units 4 a to 4 c are provided so as to detect temperatures in the vicinity of different parts, and one temperature detection unit 4 a to 4 c is provided. The same number of life detection circuits 23a to 23c as the temperature detection units 4a to 4c are provided to independently count the accumulated wear amount and determine the end of life using the output of 4c, and the protection circuit 24 has one of the life detection circuits 23a to 23c. When the end of life is determined, the protection operation or notification may be performed. In the example of FIG. 9, across the line capacitor Cx is connected between the output ends of the diode bridge DB in the DC power supply circuit 11. One temperature detection unit 4a detects the temperature in the vicinity of the output capacitor C0 of the DC power supply circuit 11 in the same manner as the temperature detection unit 4 of FIG. 1, and another temperature detection unit 4b is the above-mentioned across the line. The temperature near the capacitor Cx is detected, and the remaining one temperature detection unit 4c detects the temperature near the inverter Ls of the inverter circuit 12. In the example of FIG. 9, the protection operation performed by the protection circuit 24 when any one of the life detection circuits 23 a to 23 c determines the end of life is performed by periodically opening and closing the switch SW of the sweep circuit 21. The output power is reduced. If the above open / close control cycle is short, the light output of the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 appears to decrease, and if the above open / close control cycle is long, the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 appears to blink. Can know the end of life.

  Alternatively, instead of the temperature detectors 4, 4a to 4c detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the components as described above, the temperature detector 4 is sufficiently arranged from each component to detect the ambient temperature. Also good. In this case, the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 4 has a positive correlation with the temperature of more components than when the temperature detection unit 4 is disposed close to a specific component. Further, a plurality of temperature detection units 4 are provided, and the life detection circuit 23 (life determination unit 232) determines an additional wear amount using an average value of temperatures detected by the plurality of temperature detection units 4. Also good.

  Further, the lighting unit 1 is not limited to the one that lights the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 as described above, but is one that lights other electric light sources such as an incandescent lamp, a hot cathode type discharge lamp, an organic EL, and a light emitting diode. May be. In particular, when an electrodeless discharge lamp 6, an organic EL, or a light emitting diode is used as a light source, the life of the lighting unit 1 is relatively long as compared with other electrical light sources and the light source is less likely to cause problems. The importance of detection is relatively high.

  Furthermore, the control unit 2 may be partly or entirely integrated as a one-chip integrated circuit.

  Further, when the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 4 is outside the applicable temperature range, the life detection circuit 23 controls the lighting unit 1 via the protection circuit 24, and the output voltage of the DC power supply circuit 11 is reduced. Alternatively, a protective operation such as stopping the output of the inverter circuit 12 may be performed.

  The above-mentioned various electrodeless discharge lamp lighting devices can constitute a lighting fixture 7 by being held in an appropriately shaped fixture body 71 together with the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 and the coupler 50 as shown in FIGS. . Since such a fixture main body 71 and the lighting fixture 7 can be realized by a well-known technique, detailed illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  Also, in general, the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 has a longer life and is less likely to fail than a discharge lamp having an electrode inside, so that it is used in places where maintenance work is difficult such as in tunnels. It is suitable as a light source. Therefore, the above electrodeless discharge lamp lighting device may be used for the lighting device 7 for tunnel illumination having a structure as shown in FIGS. Hereinafter, the lighting fixture 7 of FIGS. 12A to 12C will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 12A for the vertical and horizontal directions and the vertical direction of FIG.

  12 (a) to 12 (c), the fixture body 71 is made of, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped body 71a made of stainless steel and a transparent material such as tempered glass. A cover 71b for closing and opening the 71a. Further, a U-shaped reflecting plate 71c made of, for example, aluminum and distributing light of the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 forward is fixed to the inner bottom surface of the body 71a, and the electrodeless electrode housed in the instrument body 71 is fixed. The light from the discharge lamp 6 is emitted forward through the cover 71b. Furthermore, on the inner bottom surface of the body 71a, the coupler 50 to which the electrodeless discharge lamp 6 is attached, the case 10 housing the electrodeless discharge lamp lighting device, and the DC power supply circuit 11 in the case 10 are electrically connected. Terminal blocks 8 are fixed to each other. The terminal block 8 is connected to the other end of an electric wire (not shown) whose one end is connected to the AC power supply AC. The DC power supply circuit 11 is connected to the AC power supply via the electric wire and the terminal block 8. Electrically connected to AC. In addition, an electric wire insertion hole 71d for inserting an electric wire connected to the terminal block 8 is vertically provided in the lower wall of the body 71a. Further, the cover 71b is connected to the upper end portion of the body 71a via the hinge 71e at the upper end portion, thereby closing the body 71a as shown in FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (c). It can rotate with respect to the body 71a in the plane seen from the left-right direction between the open position where the lower end of the body is directed forward and the body 71a is released. A latch 71f that locks the lower end of the cover 71b in the closed position is provided at the lower end of the body 71a. Since the hinge 71e and the latch 71f as described above can be realized by a well-known technique, detailed illustration and description are omitted. Furthermore, on the rear surface of the body 71a, two mounting legs 71g made of, for example, a steel plate and fixed to the mounting surface (not shown) such as a wall surface are fixed side by side. Yes. The upper and lower end portions of each mounting foot 71g protrude vertically from the body 71a as viewed from the front, and screw insertion holes 71h are provided through the protruding portions in the front-rear direction. The instrument body 71 is screwed and fixed to the mounting surface by a screw (not shown) that is inserted into the screw insertion hole 71h and screwed into the mounting surface.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lighting part 4 Temperature detection part 5 Induction coil 6 Electrodeless discharge lamp 7 Lighting fixture 24 Protection circuit (notification part in a claim)
71 Instrument body 231 Storage unit 233 Life determination unit

Claims (4)

A lighting unit that supplies power to an electric light source to light it, and
A storage unit that stores a cumulative wear amount that is a numerical value that indicates a degree of aging of a component of the lighting unit, which includes a nonvolatile memory,
During the period when the lighting unit is outputting power to the light source, a numerical value is periodically added to the cumulative wear amount at every predetermined addition time, and the cumulative wear amount is compared with the predetermined limit wear amount to limit the cumulative wear amount. A life determination unit that determines that the lighting unit is at the end of its life when the wear amount is reached;
A notification unit that notifies the user of the end of life when it is determined by the life determination unit that the lighting unit is at the end of life,
A temperature detection unit that detects a temperature having a positive correlation with the temperature of at least one of the components of the lighting unit;
The lifetime determination unit uses a lifetime function that is a function of temperature and has a negative correlation with the temperature in at least a part of the applied temperature range in which the operation of the lighting unit is assumed. When adding a numerical value, the numerical value obtained by dividing the product of the addition time and the limit wear amount by the numerical value obtained by substituting the temperature detected by the temperature detector into the life function is added to the cumulative wear amount. And
The life function is composed of a plurality of functions having different temperature ranges, each having a positive or negative correlation with respect to the temperature, and a plurality of functions of the lighting unit over the entire application temperature range. A lighting device characterized in that the numerical value is smaller than the lifetime of any of the parts.   The ratio of the numerical value at the point on the low temperature side to the numerical value at the point on the high temperature side is less than 2 for any two points having a temperature difference of 10 ° C. in the life function. The lighting device according to 1. The lighting device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the light source to be lit by the lighting unit is any one of an electrodeless discharge lamp, a light emitting diode, and an organic EL . A lighting fixture comprising: the lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3; and a fixture main body that holds the light source and the lighting device that are turned on by the lighting device.

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