JPH0330255B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to a method for manufacturing an annular fluorescent lamp,
In particular, the present invention relates to a method for bending an exhaust pipe led out from one end of a straight valve.

Conventional technology The manufacturing of annular fluorescent lamps generally involves a process of applying a fluorescent film to the inner peripheral surface of a straight tube bulb and firing it, an encapsulation process of sealing a stem with electrodes at both ends of the straight tube bulb, and a step of sealing the stem with electrodes at both ends of the straight tube bulb. The process of heating and softening the bulb and bending it into an annular shape using a two-part bending drum. Impurity gas inside the bulb is exhausted through an exhaust pipe led out from one end of the bent annular bulb, while an electrode is used. After activating the valve and filling the valve with the necessary mercury and inert gas, the exhaust pipe is tipped off.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned manufacturing process generally uses a vertical method in which straight pipe valves are suspended vertically and sent to each process. The valve bending process and exhaust process of this method will be explained with reference to A to F in Fig. 7. First, as shown in A to Fig. 7, from one end of the straight pipe type valve 1 after the stem is sealed, the coaxial The straight exhaust pipe 2 that has been led out is bent as shown in FIG. 7B.
This bending process is performed by heating and softening with a burner (not shown) and using a mold (not shown) so that the tip of the exhaust pipe 2 is in a position that does not interfere with the valve bending process described later. . Next, as shown in FIG.
The upper end of the straight pipe valve 1 on the exhaust pipe side is gripped by a chuck 5 extending from the carrier 3 to hold the straight pipe valve 1 suspended vertically. In this state, the straight pipe valve 1 is passed through the heating furnace 6 as shown by D in FIG. As shown in , the lower end of the straight pipe valve 1 is gripped by the claw 8' of the two-part bending drum 8, and the bending drum 8 is rotated upward to bend the straight pipe valve 1 into an annular valve 1'. Process. After that, as shown in Fig. 7F, the inside of the annular valve 1' is evacuated through the exhaust head 4 and the exhaust pipe 2, the electrodes are activated and the necessary gas is filled, and finally the base of the exhaust pipe 2 is evacuated. A tip-off will be held.

In this vertical manufacturing method, the straight pipe valve is suspended vertically before it is bent into an annular shape, so when the valve is heated and softened, it stretches too much under its own weight, causing variations in the valve wall thickness. There were problems such as easy to occur and difficulty in responding to higher speeds of equipment. Therefore, the present applicant focused on manufacturing annular fluorescent lamps using the horizontal manufacturing method that is used for manufacturing straight tube fluorescent lamps, and proposed a method for manufacturing the same. This is a manufacturing method in which a straight pipe valve is held horizontally and then bent into an annular shape.A specific example of this is explained with reference to A to F in Figure 8. As shown in FIG. 7, a straight exhaust pipe 2 coaxially led out from one end of the straight pipe valve 1 after sealing the stem is bent. As shown in Figure C, the tip of the exhaust pipe 2 is inserted into the exhaust head 10 fixed to one of the two parallel conveyors 9 and 9' that run horizontally and intermittently. ,9' fixed on the two chucks 11,1
1' and hold it. Next, the horizontal straight pipe type valve 1 is sent into the heating furnace 12 as shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure (E), remove the chuck 11' from the non-exhaust pipe side end of the straight pipe valve 1, grip it with the claw 14' of the two-part curved drum 14 instead, and hold the curved drum 14 horizontally. The straight pipe valve 1 is bent into an annular valve 1' by rotationally moving in the direction shown in FIG. After that, operations such as exhausting the valve, activating the electrodes, filling in an inert gas, and tipping off the exhaust pipe are performed in the state shown in FIG. 8F.

This horizontal method holds the straight valve horizontally and transfers it between each process, so compared to the vertical method, it is easier to transfer the valve between each process, allowing for high-speed mass production, resulting in less valve deformation and higher quality. It has the advantage of being able to be digitized.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention By the way, the above-mentioned method for manufacturing an annular fluorescent lamp using the horizontal method involves bending an exhaust pipe extending from one end of a straight bulb, and then inserting the tip of the exhaust pipe into the exhaust head. The following problem occurred because the straight pipe valve was sent to the bending process and bent into an annular shape.

In other words, the bending process for exhaust pipes is carried out by pressing a mold onto the heated and softened exhaust pipe, but in order to improve work efficiency even a little, the mold is sometimes removed from the exhaust pipe quickly. does not descend sufficiently, which inevitably causes some dimensional variation in the exhaust pipe, resulting in variations in the position of the bent exhaust pipe tip with respect to the straight pipe valve. As a result, the insertion (automatic insertion) between the tip of the exhaust pipe and the exhaust head of this straight pipe valve becomes uncertain, resulting in poor exhaust, or the tip of the exhaust pipe collides with the exhaust head when inserted into the exhaust head. This caused damage to the exhaust pipe. In addition, the bent exhaust pipe is inserted into the exhaust head with its bending direction controlled, but it is difficult to accurately and quickly control the direction of the exhaust pipe during insertion, so the horizontal method for manufacturing annular fluorescent lamps is used. The realization of this was delayed.

Means for Solving the Problems The technical problem of the present invention is to solve the problems associated with the above-mentioned exhaust pipe bending process in manufacturing annular fluorescent lamps in the horizontal method, and to achieve high-speed mass production and yield of annular fluorescent lamp manufacturing. It is about trying to improve. The technical means of the present invention to solve this problem is to grip both ends of a straight pipe valve by a pair of chucks attached to two carriers and hold it horizontally, and to The distal end portion is attached to an exhaust head movably attached to one of the carriers, and when the straight tube lamp is heated and softened to be bent into an annular shape, the exhaust pipe should not interfere with the valve bending operation. It is bent into a shape.

Operation According to this technical means, the exhaust pipe of the straight pipe valve is inserted into the exhaust head of the valve ring shaping device in a state in which it extends coaxially with the straight pipe valve, that is, in a state before being bent. Ru. Therefore, when inserting the exhaust pipe into the exhaust head, there is no need for conventional means for regulating the insertion direction of the exhaust pipe, and the work of inserting the exhaust pipe becomes accurate and easy. Furthermore, the bending of the exhaust pipe after it is inserted into the exhaust head can be performed by moving the exhaust head relative to the straight pipe valve, and by performing the bending in this way, it is possible to omit the need for a special mold for bending the exhaust pipe.

Embodiments Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described based on FIG.

First, a straight pipe valve 1 as shown in Fig.
Prepare 5. This has undergone a sealing process, and for example, an exhaust pipe 16 extends coaxially from one end. Next, the straight pipe type valve 15 is held horizontally as shown in FIG.
Attach it on top. An exhaust head 19 and a chuck 20 are movably installed on one conveyor 18, and a chuck 20', which is paired with the chuck 20, is installed on the other conveyor 18'.
5 is installed by inserting the distal end of the exhaust pipe 16 into the exhaust head 19 and holding it horizontally with both ends gripped by the chucks 20, 20'. When this is installed, the exhaust pipe 16 extends coaxially and straight from the straight pipe valve 15, so the straight pipe valve 15
The position of the tip of the exhaust pipe 16 in the circumferential direction is constant, making automatic insertion into the exhaust head 19 accurate, easy, and faster.Moreover, fewer insertion errors reduce the number of exhaust pipe breakage accidents and improve yield. do.

Next, the state shown in FIG. 1B is sent into a heating furnace 21 as shown in FIG. Locally heat the center to soften it. Next, when it comes out of the heating furnace 21, the first
As shown in Figure D, the exhaust head 19, which grips and fixes the tip of the exhaust pipe 16, is moved downward by a fixed stroke to bend the exhaust pipe 16 into a desired shape. 15 is bent into a ring shape using a two-part bending roller 24. Thereafter, the annular valve 15' is evacuated, electrode activation, gas filling, exhaust pipe tip-off, etc. are performed in sequence in the state shown in FIG. 1E.

There are various structures of the exhaust head 19 that directly bends the exhaust pipe 16, and three examples of specific structures are shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, 5, and 6, and will be explained below in sequence. do.

In the exhaust head 19a shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, reference numeral 25 denotes a head body installed vertically movably on the carrier 18, 26 a through hole passing through both sides of the head body 25, and 27 a through hole. A ring-shaped elastic sealing material coaxially fitted into the center of 26,
A nut member 28 is screwed coaxially into the large outer diameter portion of the through hole 26 and presses the elastic sealing material 27 appropriately to reduce its inner diameter. 29 is the head body 25
For example, a rail 30 having a U-shaped cross section fixedly arranged along the conveyor 18 and a rail 30 protruding from the outer surface of the head body 25 and rolling within the rail 30 to adjust the height of the rail 30. It is composed of a cam follower 31 that moves the head main body 25 up and down in accordance with the movement of the head body 25. 3
Reference numeral 2 denotes a block that is fixedly arranged along the conveyor 18, and the head main body 25 runs together with the conveyor 18 along the inner surface of the block and moves up and down at an appropriate position. The block body 25 has a guide hole 3 formed in the carrier 18 with a guide rod 33 protruding from the bottom surface thereof.
It moves up and down with 4 inserted.

The exhaust head 19a performs the following operations. First, when the exhaust head 19a is in the mounting position of the straight pipe valve 15, the head body 25 is at the uppermost position with respect to the carrier 18 as shown in FIG.
The elastic sealing material 27 is in a state where the inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the exhaust pipe 16, and in this state, the straight pipe valve 15 is installed horizontally by passing the tip of the exhaust pipe 16 through the through hole 26 and into the elastic sealing material 27. be done. After this attachment, the nut 28 is tightened by an external rotating means (not shown) as the carriers 18, 18' move, and the elastic sealing material 27 is thereby attached to the exhaust pipe 16 as shown in FIG. is pressed against the outer periphery of the tip of the exhaust pipe 1 and sent directly into the heating furnace.
6 heating is performed. When the exhaust pipe 16 is sufficiently softened, the head body 25 is lowered to the lowest position as shown in FIG. 4, and along with this lowering, the exhaust pipe 16 is slightly stretched and bent.
When the head body 25 is lowered, the through hole 26 communicates with the working hole 35 partially formed in the block 32.
After the straight pipe type valve is bent, the inside of the valve is evacuated through the working hole 35, and argon gas is supplied into the valve.

The exhaust head 19b in FIG. 5 is the head main body 25'.
is moved up and down in an oblique direction so as to bend the exhaust pipe 16 without pulling it.

The exhaust head 19c in Fig. 6 is a head main body 25''.
is installed so as to be movable up and down around the base of the exhaust pipe 16, and by this vertical movement, the exhaust pipe 16 is bent using the base around the base as a fulcrum. In this case as well, the exhaust pipe 16 is bent without being stretched, as in FIG.

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, the exhaust pipe can be accurately and easily inserted into the exhaust head, and this insertion can be easily automated and speeded up, enabling high-speed mass production of annular fluorescent lamps. Enabling the realization of manufacturing methods. In addition, damage accidents caused by the insertion of the exhaust pipe into the exhaust head are greatly reduced, thereby improving the yield in manufacturing annular fluorescent lamps. Furthermore, there is no need for a special mold or position for bending the exhaust pipe, which is advantageous in terms of equipment.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 A to H are schematic side views of each manufacturing process to explain the method of the present invention, and Figures 2 to 4 are enlarged views of an example of the exhaust head in Figure 1 during each operation. 5 and 6 are enlarged side sectional views showing two other examples of the exhaust head in FIG. 1. FIGS. 7A to 7F and FIGS. 8A to 8B are schematic side views of each manufacturing process for explaining a conventional method for manufacturing an annular fluorescent lamp. 15... Straight pipe valve, 16... Exhaust pipe, 1
8, 18'...transport body, 19, 19a, 19b,
19c...Exhaust head, 20, 20'...Chick.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Both ends of a straight pipe valve are held horizontally by a pair of chucks attached to two transport bodies, and the tip of the exhaust pipe of the straight pipe valve is moved to one of the transport bodies. When the straight pipe valve is heated and softened and bent into an annular shape, the exhaust pipe is heated and softened, the exhaust head is moved, and the exhaust pipe is bent into a valve shape. A method for manufacturing an annular fluorescent lamp, characterized in that the lamp is bent so as not to inhibit