JPH0291682A - Light emitting element - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To emit the light radiated in an airtight vessel to the front even in the peripheral edge part of a light-transmissive member by using the inside surface of the aperture end of an enclosure as the sealing part to the light- transmissive member. CONSTITUTION:A part of the inside surface of the aperture end in the front of an enclosure 1 is used as the sealing part. Therefore, the airtight effect to side end faces of a light-transmissive member 14 is attained without taking the thickness of the enclosure 1 into consideration. Further, visible rays Y radiated in an airtight vessel A can be emitted to the front in the peripheral edge part of the light-transmissive member 14. When a light refracting part 14C is formed in the peripheral edge of the member 14, visible rays Y, which are made incident on the light refracting part 14C, from in the vessel A are refracted ahead by the prism effect. Consequently, a part X2 corresponding to the sealing part of the member 14 of the enclosure 1 is not in a shadow even when viewed from the front.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention 1 (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a light emitting element used in a large display panel, decorative lighting equipment, etc.

(Prior art) Conventionally, such a light emitting element was disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-18
There was a lamp as shown in Publication No. 8160 (No.
2 and 13).

In this device, the light source tube 10 is made of a non-light-transmitting material such as ceramic that has a high reflectance of visible light, and is formed in the shape of a flat rectangular parallelepiped.
For example, three parallel discharge paths 2R, 2G,
2B is formed. Each of the discharge paths 2R, 2G, and 2B has phosphors 3R, 3G, and 3B of different luminescent colors coated on its entire inner surface, that is, on both side surfaces, both end surfaces, and the bottom surface. For example, the red phosphor 3R (Y202
.

Ell), green phosphor 3G (CeM
CI A + 11019: Tb > , discharge path 2B
is a blue phosphor 3B (Ba MO2A l 16
027: Eu) is applied.

One end of each discharge path 2R, 2G, 2B is provided with a discharge hole 4R, 4G, 4B that communicates with the electrode chamber 100, and the other end is provided with three electrode insertion holes for inserting anode electrodes 9R, 9G, 9B. A hole 501 is provided.

A translucent member plate 60 is sealed to the open surface, which is the display surface, of the light source tube 10. A single common cathode 80 attached to a glass stem 70 and anode electrodes 9R, 9G, and 9B each spatially independent of this common cathode 80 are disposed on the outer bottom surface of the light source tube 10. The rectangular parallelepiped electrode chamber main body 120 with one side open includes anode electrodes 9R, 9G, and 9B.
is inserted into the electrode insertion hole 501 and sealed. 110 is an exhaust pipe.

A discharge gas consisting of an inert gas such as argon and mercury is sealed in an airtight space defined by the glass plate 60, the light source tube 10, and the electrode chamber 100. The above-mentioned parts are hermetically sealed using frit glass.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Generally, a light emitting element mounted on a display device is mounted so that the display surface (front surface) faces a viewer.

However, in the case of a light emitting device such as that disclosed in JP-A-62-188160 (see FIG. 11), a housing 1 including a light source tube and a light-transmitting member 14 such as a glass plate serving as a display surface are used.
In order to maintain reliability of airtightness between the housing 1 and the transparent member 1,
A sufficient area must be secured for the part that is in close contact with 4. Naturally, if this is done, light in the upward direction in FIG. 11 will not be emitted from the peripheral edge portion X1 of the front surface of the light-transmitting glass 14.

In other words, with the conventional display, when the display surface is viewed from the front, the portion X1 in FIG. 11 appears as a shadow. For example, in the case of a display device or a decorative lighting device in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged vertically and horizontally, this shadow can become an obstacle to the high-density arrangement of the light emitting parts.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a light-emitting element that reduces shadows on the periphery of the front surface of the element when the display surface or decorative surface is viewed from the front.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The invention according to claim 1 (hereinafter referred to as the invention in box 1) will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 9. The light-emitting element of the first invention includes a plate-shaped light-transmitting member 14 (made of glass or ceramic, for example) whose front surface emits light and is the part that is seen by the viewer;
Sealing portion 2a that is in close contact with side end surface 14a of this transparent member 14
is provided on the inner surface of one open end of the housing 1 (a container made of at least one of metal, ceramic, or glass) forming an airtight container A in which the internal pressure is different from the external pressure, and the airtight container A. A light emitting means is provided in the container A and outputs the generated light from the transparent member. In the present invention, the light emitting means is a discharge means and a rare gas in the case of a neon lamp or glow lamp type, and in the case of a fluorescent lamp or fluorescent light tube type, it emits electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of 254 nanometers or less, such as ultraviolet rays or electrons. A means for generating electromagnetic waves, preferably provided in the airtight container so as to cover most of the inside of the airtight container when looking at the light emitting surface, for example, on the back of a light-transmitting member or on the inner surface of the container excluding the light-transmitting member; a fluorescent film (not shown) that converts the 741u waves of the means into light and causes the light to be output from the transparent member; in the case of a light bulb, this is a filament and a rare gas. In the figure, DI,
D2 is a discharge electrode, and in this case, the fluorescent film, the discharge electrode, and the discharge gas containing mercury are the electromagnetic wave generating means. In such a case, the discharge electrodes may be, for example, ■ Any combination of 1 to n anodes for direct current lighting and 1 to n cold cathodes or hot cathodes ■ A combination of 1 to n sets of electrodes for alternating current lighting, ■ ■ An auxiliary electrode provided in addition to the electrodes 2 and 3 is applicable, but the discharge electrode may not be provided.

In other words, it is a light emitting element that generates discharge using microwaves. In this case, a rare gas such as mercury or argon and a fluorescent film serve as the light emitting means. Further, the present invention has a light emitting means that includes an electron gun such as a cathode ray tube that generates electrons in an airtight container, and a fluorescent film that emits light by the electrons generated by the electron gun, and makes the inside of the container a vacuum state. It also includes light emitting elements.

In the present invention, in order to output light from the transparent member, it is preferable to use a reflector as an additional element of the light emitting means. If the material is expensive, there is no need for a reflector.

The invention according to claim 2 (hereinafter referred to as the second invention) will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. The second invention is the first
This invention differs from the invention of 1) in that the light-transmitting member is simply hermetically sealed at one open end of the casing (for example, 2) as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the light-transmitting member 14 does not necessarily require a side end surface, and the light-transmitting member 14 does not necessarily require a side end surface; The peripheral edge is characterized by having a light refracting part (for example, a sawtooth-shaped prism surface with a narrow tapered surface) that refracts and outputs the incident light from the back surface of the light-transmitting member toward the viewer facing the light-emitting surface. This is the point.

1st. The second invention may be used not only for monochromatic light emission but also for multicolor light emission. In this case, for example, FIG.

As in the prior art shown in FIG. Different color filters may be provided for each section corresponding to each discharge path of the transparent member of the invention.

(Function) In the first invention, since a part of the inner surface of the open end of the front surface of the casing 1 is used as a sealing part, the thickness of the casing 1 must be considered for airtightness with the side end surface of the light-transmitting member 14. Furthermore, the visible light Y generated within the airtight container A can be emitted forward even at the peripheral edge of the light-transmitting member 1.

That is, when viewed from the front as in the conventional case shown in FIG. 11, the shadow of the peripheral edge X1 of the light-transmitting member 14 does not appear. Therefore, the part of the airtight container A that does not emit visible light Y in the forward direction is the thick part of the housing 1 as in FIG.
As shown in Figure 1, the thick part of the housing is not used for sealing.
The wall thickness of the casing 1 of the invention can be made thinner, and as a result, the light emitting portion emitted in the front direction over the entire display surface can be increased compared to the conventional case. Specifically, the first
In contrast to the case shown in Fig. 1, which requires the wall thickness of the casing to be approximately 2 seconds, the case of the first invention can be used even if the wall thickness is 0.3771111 mm in the case of metal, for example. Furthermore, in FIG. 9, visible light Y, which was originally emitted in an oblique direction, is also refracted forward, making it possible to further increase the amount of light directed forward.

In the second invention, by forming the light refraction section 14C on the periphery of the light transmission member 14, visible light Y from inside the airtight container A that enters the light refraction section 14C can be refracted forward by a prism effect. . Therefore, in FIGS. 8 and 10, the portion X2. X
3 is not a shadow when viewed from the front.

Therefore, as a result, it is possible to increase the amount of light emitted toward the front of the entire display surface compared to the conventional method.

In the present invention, the fluorescent film may be attached to a light-transmitting member, or may be provided in an airtight container avoiding the light-transmitting member.

(Example) An example of the first and second inventions will be described below based on FIGS. 1 to 6.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of an embodiment of the second invention, which is a fluorescent lamp for multicolor display. In the figure, A is an airtight container, and the airtight container A is composed of a housing 1, a transparent member 14, and a button stem 4 (it is assumed that there is a viewer in the upper direction in the figure). The housing 1 is made of a metal plate such as stainless steel or iron and is formed into a rectangular cylindrical shape by, for example, press processing, and its axial dimensions (both upper and lower ends in the figure) are open. The upper part of the opening of the housing 1 is widened to form a stepped part 2b as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the entire inner peripheral surface of the housing 1 from this stepped part 2b to almost the lower end is covered with a glass coating. 1a, and when a discharge occurs within the housing 1,
The glass coating 1a prevents impurity gas from being released from the metal housing 1.

Further, a cylindrical portion 3 having a diameter slightly smaller than the length in the width direction is integrally molded at the bottom of the casing 1, and a bottom center hole 3a is bored in the center of the cylindrical portion 3.

Next, the configuration of this embodiment will be explained with the light emitting means C as the main component, almost in the order of assembly.

First, a glass disk-shaped button stem 4 is inserted into the housing 1 as shown in FIG. A cathode 5, which is one of a pair of discharge electrodes of the light emitting means C, is implanted in the stem 4, and a pair of lead wires 6a, 6b supporting both ends of the cathode 5 penetrate the button stem 4 in the thickness direction. It extends and is electrically connected to a lighting circuit (not shown).

In addition, the button stem 4 has a center hole 4a in its center, and a glass exhaust pipe 7 that communicates with the center hole 4a is integrally protruded, so that the button stem 4 is connected to the cylindrical portion 3.
The distal end of the exhaust pipe 7 is configured to extend outward from the bottom central hole 3a of the housing 1 while the exhaust pipe 7 is airtightly fitted therein.

Therefore, the button stem 4 is easily fixed by inserting it into the cylindrical part 3 of the housing 1 with the exhaust pipe 7 facing down and fixing it with glass frit, etc., making it very easy to install the cathode 5 into the housing 1. become. This exhaust pipe 7 is sealed at an appropriate length after filling with discharge gas.

Next, the outer casing 9 of the discharge regulating body 8 constituting the light emitting means C is inserted into the housing 1 as shown in FIG.

The discharge regulator 8 includes an outer casing 9 and an outer casing 9.
Each inner surface of the outer casing 9 faces each of the light emitting chambers 10a to 10d. On each outer surface of the partition plate H, for example, fluorescent films 11a, 11b, 11c, and iid, which emit light in different colors for each of the light emitting chambers 108 to 10d, are respectively adhered.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the outer casing 9 has a main body 9a formed into a truncated quadrangular pyramid tapering downward in the drawings, and a square tube 9b integrally connected to the tapered lower end of the outer casing 9. 9b
No fluorescent films 11a to 11d are coated on the inner surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer casing 9 is supported within the housing 1 with the outer surface of the axially intermediate portion of the main body 9a being engaged with each corner portion of the lower step portion 2b.

After inserting this outer casing 9 into the housing 1, a cross-shaped partition plate 1 is inserted into this outer casing 9, and then, for example, four anodes 12a, 12b, 12c are inserted.

12d is inserted into the housing 1 and each lead wire 13a, 13b, 13c is covered by the glass sleeve.

The distal end portion 13d is made to airtightly penetrate the bottom of the lower step portion 2b of the housing 1, extend to the outside, and be electrically connected to a lighting circuit (not shown).

Each anode 12a to 12d corresponding to the cathode 5 is formed in a rectangular loop shape, and each light emitting chamber 10a to 10 of the discharge regulating body 8
d, each light emitting chamber 108~
The inner periphery of 10d is surrounded by a rectangular shape. As described above, in this embodiment, the light emitting means C includes the cathode 5. Discharge regulator 8. Outer casing 9, fluorescent films 11a to 11d
, anodes 12a to 12d, partition plate H1, external mold @ to be described later
15. and a discharge gas consisting of mercury and a rare gas sealed in an airtight container A.

Next, a tapered light refracting section 1 is provided on the peripheral edge of the front surface 14b.
Side end surface 14 of a substantially rectangular flat transparent glass 14 having 4C
a into the sealing part 2a of the stepped part 2b of the housing 1, and the inner surface of the transparent member 14 is brought into contact with the upper end of the outer casing 9 of the discharge regulating body 8 and the partition plate H, and the glass frit The side end surface 14a of the light-transmitting member 14 is fixed to the sealing part 2a, and this light-transmitting member 14 is used as a light-transmitting window.In advance, granular or disc-shaped frit glass is sealed in the sealing part and welded. In addition to the method, there is a method in which the side end surface 14a of the light-transmitting member 14 is cut out in advance as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, solid frit glass F is placed in the notch, and then welded. As shown in FIG. 2, there is a method of sealing by forming the sealing portion 2a of the housing 1 and the side end surface 14a of the light-transmitting member 14 into rough shapes in advance to improve adhesion of frit glass.

In FIGS. 4 to 6, the housing 1 is bent from the sealing portion 2a, but this is a consideration for positioning the light-transmitting member 14. Also, although there are some gaps between the parts in Figures 4 to 6 for illustration purposes,
In reality, it is very close.

Therefore, since the discharge regulator 8 is sandwiched between the transparent member 14 and the stepped portion 2b from the upper limit, the discharge regulator 8 can be easily installed in the housing 1, and this retention can be ensured. .

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3, an external electrode 15 formed into a rectangular frame shape using a metal band plate is tightly fitted around the outer periphery of the housing 1 from below, and the cathode 5 and each anode 12a to 12b are connected to each other. A lead wire 16 fixed between the lead wires 16 and connected to the external electrode 15
Electrically connect it to the required lighting circuit, etc.

The external electrode 15 is intended to reduce the starting voltage of the light emitting element by promoting ionization in the discharge space between the cathode 5 and each of the anodes 128 to 12d.

Roughly speaking, the housing 1 and each power line 13 in the vicinity of this housing 1
A storage case 17 made of plastic, for example, is attached to cover a to 13b to complete the light emitting element.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

When the cathode 5 and a required anode, for example 12a, are energized and a required voltage is applied to the external electrode 15, the housing 1
Ionization around the inner external electrode 15 is promoted, and discharge occurs between the cathode 5 and the anode 12a due to the relatively low starting voltage, and ultraviolet rays are generated.

Therefore, this ultraviolet light is transmitted to the light emitting chamber 1 equipped with the anode 12a.
0a, the fluorescent film 11a is excited to emit light in a desired color, and the emitted light is emitted to the outside from the light-transmitting member 14 forming a light-transmitting window.

In this embodiment, almost the entire surface of the light-transmitting member 14 is illuminated when the light-transmitting member 14 is viewed from the front due to the prism effect of the light refracting portion 14C. Even if there is no light refraction part, it covers almost the entire surface of the light-transmitting member 14, so when the entire surface 14b is viewed from the front, the shadow that appears is due to the thickness of the housing 1 and the thickness of the outer casing. It's only thick. Since these thicknesses only need to be at a level that does not bend, the influence of shadows will hardly occur.

In order to eliminate the shadow caused by the outer casing, it is preferable to create a slight gap between the tip of the outer casing 9 and the back surface of the transparent member 14, and preferably coat the tip of the outer casing 9 with a fluorescent film. Just wear it.

Since the casing 1 is made of metal and has a light-shielding property, the light emitted within the light emitting device 10a can be prevented from being emitted to the side of the casing 1. When a large number of light emitting elements are arranged, color mixing with the emitted light color of adjacent light emitting elements can be prevented.

Further, when a discharge is generated between all the anodes 12a to 12d and the cathode 5, the ultraviolet rays in all the light emitting chambers 10a to 10d excites all the fluorescent films 11a to 11d, respectively, and emit light in each color, so that the light transmitting member 14 If you look at it, it looks like a mixture of all the emitted colors, such as white. According to this embodiment,
Since the housing 1 is made of metal, it is easy to process and manufacture, and the thickness of the housing 1 can be made thinner than that of ceramics, so that the discharge lamp can be made smaller and lighter.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the inner circumferential surface of the metal housing 1 is completely covered with the glass coating 1a, impurity gas is released from the housing 1 due to the discharge generated within the housing 1, thereby increasing lamp efficiency. can be prevented from decreasing.

Roughly insert the button stem 4 with the cathode 5 into the housing 1.
Since it can be easily mounted inside the display device, it is possible to improve the assemblability of the display fluorescent device.

Furthermore, the discharge space in the housing 1 is divided into a plurality of discharge paths by the discharge regulating body 8, and the fluorescent films 11a to 11d that emit light in a desired color are coated on the surface facing each discharge path, so that various types of light can be emitted. can be made to emit light.

Further, since the discharge regulating body 8 is sandwiched between the light-transmitting member 14 and the lower cut-off portion 2b, the discharge regulating body 8 can be easily fixed within the housing 1, and moreover, the fixing can be ensured.

The casing 1 may be made of ceramic instead of metal, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and the casing and the front surface may be made of the same material, that is, glass. In this case, effects other than those obtained when the housing 1 is made of metal can be achieved.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the light emitting device of the first invention of the present application, since the inner surface of the open end of the housing is used as the sealing portion for the light-transmitting member, light generated within the airtight container is transmitted through the light-emitting element. It can also be released forward at the periphery of the member.

Therefore, when viewed from the front as in the conventional case, the shadow that appears on the peripheral edge of the light-transmitting member is reduced. Further, in an airtight container, the part that does not emit light in the forward direction is the thick part of the casing, but since the thick part of the casing is not used for sealing, the thickness of the casing can be made thinner. When a display surface or decorative surface is formed by arranging a plurality of light emitting elements vertically and horizontally, it is possible to increase the ratio of the light-emitting portion that outputs light in the forward direction to the entire display surface or decorative surface compared to the conventional method. ,
It becomes possible to increase the density of array elements.

In the light emitting element of the second invention, by forming the light refraction portion on the periphery of the light-transmitting member, light from inside the airtight container that enters the light refraction portion can be refracted forward by a prism effect. As a result, the light that was conventionally output diagonally from the periphery of the light-transmitting member is refracted and output forward, increasing the amount of light directed forward and reaching the sealing part of the light-transmitting member of the housing. It is possible to prevent the corresponding portion from being a shadow even when viewed from the front of the display surface or decorative surface. Therefore, as a result, as in the first invention, when used as a display panel or decorative lighting element, for example, the ratio of the apparent light-emitting portion that outputs light in the forward direction relative to the entire display surface or decorative surface is higher than in the past. can be increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially transparent perspective view of an embodiment of the light emitting device according to the first and second inventions, and FIG.
A line sectional view, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 arranged in the order of assembly, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are simplified diagrams illustrating a method of sealing a transparent member. , Figure 7 is the first
FIG. 8 is a simplified diagram illustrating the second invention. FIG. 9 is a simplified diagram showing the first and second inventions, FIG. 10 is a simplified diagram showing the second invention, FIG. 11 is a simplified diagram showing a conventional display fluorescent lamp, and FIG. 12 is a simplified diagram showing the conventional display lamp. FIG. 13, which is a plan view of an example of a display fluorescent lamp, is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 12 taken along the line v--v. A... Airtight container, C... Light emitting means. 1... Housing (cylindrical body), 2a... Sealing part. 2b...Stepped portion, 4...Button stem. 5... Cathode, 8... Discharge regulator. 108-10d--Light-emitting chamber, 128-12d--
·anode. 14,... Translucent member, 14a... Side end surface. 14b...Front surface, 14C...Light refraction part.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A plate-shaped light-transmitting member; By having an opening on the front surface and sealing the inner surface of this opening in close contact only with the side end surface of the light-transmitting member, an airtight container can be created. A light-emitting element comprising: a housing forming a light-emitting element; and a light-emitting means provided in the airtight container for outputting light from the light-transmitting member. (2) A plate-shaped light-transmitting member; A housing having an opening on the front surface and forming an airtight container by sealing the opening in close contact with the peripheral edge of the light-transmitting member; ; a light refracting section formed on the front peripheral edge of the light-transmitting member and refracting incident light from the back surface of the light-transmitting member toward the front side of the light-transmitting member; A light-emitting element comprising: a light-emitting means for outputting light from;