JPH05251048A - Fluorescent lamp apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the mercury vapor pressure in the lighting, and to improve the luminous output efficiency, by sealing an amalgam to a lamp installed at the upper side, in an apparatus in which two or more fluorescent lamps are installed superposing up and down. CONSTITUTION:In a circular fluorescent lamp apparatus 1 for two lamps, mercury is sealed in the luminous tube at the lower side lamp 4, while an amalgam of metallic particles is, together with the mercury, sealed in the luminous tube at the upper side lamp 3. The amalgam is provided at the coolest part of the tube wall in the lamp 3, that is, near the center between electrodes. The tube wall temperature of the lamp 3 is increased higher than the lamp 4, and the mercury vapor pressure is raised to reduce the luminous output, following the use of the apparatus 1. Therefore, by sealing the amalgam in the upper side lamp whose temperature is raised higher than the lower side lamp, the luminous output efficiency can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluorescent lamp device in which a plurality of fluorescent lamps are mounted one above the other, such as a ring fluorescent lamp device for two lamps.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a fluorescent lamp apparatus for home use is for two lamps having a structure in which ring-shaped fluorescent lamps are vertically stacked in parallel inside the apparatus having a lighting circuit as shown in FIG. There are tube-type fluorescent lamp fixtures, etc., which are hung on the ceiling.

In such a fluorescent lamp fixture, since the lamps are mounted one above the other as described above, it is possible to obtain a high light output without increasing the size of the fixture itself. However, since the two fluorescent lamps attached to the fluorescent lamp equipment use objects having the same characteristics even though the ambient temperature inside the equipment after each attachment is different, the following inconveniences occur. .

Generally, mercury is enclosed in the arc tube of a fluorescent lamp together with a rare gas for starting, and the supplied electric power is the highest when the vapor pressure of the mercury becomes about 6 × 10 −3 Torr in the lighting state. It is known to convert light output with efficiency. When the mercury vapor pressure is reached, the tube wall temperature of the fluorescent lamp is about 40 ° c. Therefore, when the ordinary fluorescent lamp is lit in normal temperature and no wind, both electrodes occupy most of the light emitting part. It is designed so that the temperature in the middle part between them is 40 ° C. In most cases, the above-mentioned part of the fluorescent lamp is the coldest part of the tube wall.

By the way, in the fluorescent lamp apparatus in which the above fluorescent lamps are vertically stacked, the fluorescent lamp has not effectively exhibited the above-mentioned light output characteristics in the conventional technology. In other words, the heat emission of the two fluorescent lamps influences each other and raises the tube wall temperature of each fluorescent lamp. In particular, since the fluorescent lamp mounted on the upper side is surrounded by the lower fluorescent lamp and the shade, the temperature of the tube wall tends to remarkably rise.

As described above, the fluorescent lamp on the upper side of the above fluorescent lamp fixture has a temperature of the tube wall that rises as the lamp is used, so that the vapor pressure of mercury inside the arc tube rises, resulting in an almost optimum temperature (40 ° c). ), The light output is greatly reduced compared to the lower fluorescent lamp that is kept at.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to optimize the mercury vapor pressure of a fluorescent lamp installed above the lowest installed fluorescent lamp in a fluorescent lamp fixture. Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluorescent lamp device capable of improving light output efficiency.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a fluorescent lamp apparatus in which two or more fluorescent lamps are vertically stacked and mounted, and the fluorescent lamp installed above the lowermost fluorescent lamp. It is characterized by enclosing amalgam in a fluorescent lamp attached to the.

[0009]

In the conventional fluorescent lamp fixture, by enclosing the amalgam in the fluorescent lamp mounted above, where the tube wall temperature was excessively raised and the light output was reduced, the mercury vapor pressure in the lamp lighting state was reduced. It becomes possible to improve the light output efficiency of the fluorescent lamp device.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the fluorescent lamp fixture of the present embodiment has two lamps, an upper lamp (3) and a lower lamp (4), inside a shade (2) having a main body (1) containing a lighting circuit. This is a tube fluorescent lamp device for two lamps, in which ring fluorescent lamps are vertically stacked and mounted. Of the two ring-shaped fluorescent lamps, mercury is enclosed in the arc tube of the lower lamp (4) located on the lower side, and the upper lamp (3) located on the upper side improves the light output efficiency. A few amalgams of metallic particles are enclosed in the tube. The amalgam is arranged in the coldest portion of the fluorescent lamp tube wall, that is, in the fluorescent lamp, near the center between the electrodes in the lamp tube.

As described above, the fluorescent lamp mounted on the upper side of the fluorescent lamp device tends to show a decrease in light output. Then, the inventors of the present invention measured the temperature of the coldest part of the tube wall of the fluorescent lamp in the lighting state using a ring fluorescent lamp for two lamps, and found that the temperature of the lower fluorescent lamp was about 42 ° c. On the other hand, it was found that the temperature of the upper fluorescent lamp was about 48 ° C, and the temperature of the coldest part of the tube wall of the upper lamp was about 8 ° C different from the temperature at which the fluorescent lamp showed the highest light output efficiency.

As a countermeasure based on the above result, a method of encapsulating an amalgam in the upper lamp of the ring fluorescent lamp for two lamps to improve the light output efficiency can be considered. In this regard, FIG. 2 shows the mercury vapor pressure characteristic in the arc tube with respect to the change in the coldest portion of the tube wall. When the enclosed material in the arc tube is pure water silver, the temperature of the coldest portion of the tube wall is approximately as shown in the figure. At 40 ° C, the mercury vapor pressure in the arc tube is about 6 × 10-3 Torr.
On the other hand, in the case of an amalgam having a mercury weight ratio of 20 wt% shown by Amalgam A in the figure, the mercury vapor pressure is low, and in an amalgam B having a mercury weight ratio of 10 Wt%, the mercury vapor pressure is further reduced. That is, the mercury vapor pressure can be controlled by the amalgam, and in the two-ring fluorescent lamp device of the present embodiment, the mercury vapor pressure is about 6 × 10 −3 Torr at about 48 ° C. from the above measurement results. By encapsulating in the upper lamp, the highest light output efficiency can be obtained. Next, the amalgam used in this example will be described.

An amalgam composed of bismuth, tin, and mercury is used in a compact fluorescent lamp generally known as a fluorescent lamp whose tube wall temperature easily rises. This amalgam is also used in this embodiment. ing. The composition ratios of the various materials that determine the mercury vapor pressure characteristics are determined by repeating vapor pressure measurement tests. In this case, the ring fluorescent lamp has a bismuth, tin, and mercury weight ratio of 4 respectively.
When amalgam of 8:37:15 is enclosed, the mercury vapor pressure inside the arc tube becomes about 6 × 10 -3 Torr when the temperature of the coldest part of the tube wall is about 48 ° c.

By the way, the temperature of the coldest part of the tube wall measured as described above varies depending on the individual fluorescent lamps, and the fluorescent lamp of this embodiment is only an example. A fine adjustment of the vapor pressure characteristics of the upper lamp of one unit with an amalgam makes it possible to obtain a fluorescent lamp fixture with higher light output efficiency.

In the above embodiment, the mercury vapor pressure characteristic was adjusted with an amalgam operating at a temperature near the central portion between the electrodes of the fluorescent lamp. For example, as shown in FIG. There is also a method of encapsulating an amalgam (6) acting at temperature in the vicinity of the electrode (5) to adjust the mercury vapor pressure characteristic. For example, a thin tube (7) portion is suitable as the vicinity of the electrode (5). In this case, the distance from the electrode can be set accurately, so that the vapor pressure of the amalgam can be set with high accuracy. In such a case, the temperature of the tube wall near the electrode (5) when the lamp is lit reaches around 70 ° c. Therefore, for example, by using amalgam composed of bismuth, indium and mercury, the optimum mercury vapor pressure can be obtained. Can be obtained.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, by enclosing an amalgam in a fluorescent lamp mounted above, where the temperature of the tube wall has risen and the light output has been reduced, mercury in the lamp lighting state is provided. It is possible to provide a fluorescent lamp device that can reduce vapor pressure and have improved light output efficiency.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a general two-lamp ring fluorescent lamp fixture.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the mercury vapor pressure characteristic in the arc tube with respect to the temperature of the coldest part of the tube wall in the fluorescent lamp.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway sectional view of a fluorescent lamp according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Main body 2 ... Shade 3 ... Upper lamp
4 ... Lower lamp 5 ... Electrode 6 ... Amalgam 7 ... Arc tube

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A fluorescent lamp fixture in which two or more fluorescent lamps are mounted one on top of the other, wherein an amalgam is enclosed in a fluorescent lamp mounted above a fluorescent lamp mounted at the bottom. Fluorescent lamp fixtures.