JPH0714543A - Neon tube, neon tube lighting system, and construction method for neon tube lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow an unqualified person to perform the neon construction work. CONSTITUTION:Sockets 22, 23 are fixed along a frame 21 such as a showcase, and a neon tube 24 with bases 16 are fitted between the sockets 22, 23 at portions of the bases 16. The neon tube 24 has cold cathode type electrodes, and the bases 16 and the sockets 22, 23 are the same as those of the fluorescent lamp on the market respectively. The commercial AC power is converted into the high-frequency power of 18kHz or above and 1000 V or below by an inverter 25 and applied to both ends of the neon tube 24 through electric wires 27, 28. The electric wires 27, 28 between the inverter 25 and the sockets 22, 23 can be wired like those for the conventional fluorescent lamp.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has neon gas or argon gas and mercury sealed in a glass tube and is used for lighting display shelves, show windows, etc., or billboard advertisements,
The present invention relates to a neon tube used for advertising signs such as indoor interiors, and a lighting device using the neon tube.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional cold cathode discharge tube filled with neon gas or argon gas and mercury, an electrode lead wire is exposed. Since the lead wires are exposed and dangerous as described above, the required lamp voltage for each standard lamp is 100
Even if the voltage was 0 V or less, the neon lighting device was constructed by "insulator pulling work" (Fig. 3). The commercial AC power is applied to the neon tube with a high voltage by the neon transformer, but the neon tube is supported by the insulator at an interval of 60 cm or less, and the neon wire between the neon tube and the neon transformer has an interval of 1 m or less. It is necessary to support them on a insulator, and these must be separated from the support plate by 4 cm or more. Furthermore, for the wiring between the neon tubes, the glass thin tubes are supported by the insulator at a distance of 30 cm or less from the support plate by 4 cm or more. I am going through a bare wire through a glass tube. This is done based on "Technical Standards for Electrical Equipment".

[0003]

From the standpoint of workability, cold cathode discharge tubes are used for lighting of display shelves and show windows, and for various electrical decorations such as neon signs for signs and advertisements. However, due to the high tube lamp voltage and lack of safety, the construction method was limited to the insulator pulling work shown in FIG. For this reason, wire drawing and wiring cannot be performed, and construction can be performed only by a special engineer such as a neon construction qualified person. Also, the neon transformer is large,
There is also a drawback that the lighting device becomes large.

[0004]

According to the invention of claim 1, neon gas or argon gas and mercury are enclosed in a glass tube, and cold cathode electrodes are attached to both ends of the glass tube. Of the respective bases are covered with respective bases, and the cold cathode type electrodes near the bases are connected to the electrode portions of the respective bases.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the fixed portion has the first,
A second socket is attached, and both ends of the neon tube of the invention of claim 1 are detachably attached to the first and second sockets, and the output side of the inverter for converting commercial AC power into high frequency power is the first and the second. It is connected to 2 sockets. According to the invention of claim 3, the first and second sockets are attached to the fixed portion, and the caps at both ends of the neon tube of the invention of claim 1 are detachably attached to the first and second sockets, and commercial AC The output side of the inverter that converts electric power into high frequency electric power is connected to the first and second sockets.

[0006]

FIG. 1A shows an embodiment of the invention of claim 1. The glass tube 11 is filled with neon gas or argon gas and mercury. Cold cathode electrodes 13 are attached to both ends (only one end is shown in the figure) of the glass tube 11. In FIG. 2, a plurality of lead wires 15 are fixed to the sealing portion 14 at the end of the glass tube 11 so as to project inside and outside the glass tube 11.
The electrode 13 is welded to the inner ends of the lead wires 15 so that the electrode 13 is supported at one end of the lead wire 15.

Both ends of the glass tube 11 are covered with a base 16. In the base 16, one end of the glass tube 11 is inserted into one end of the metal tube 16a, and peripheral surfaces of the metal tube 16a and the glass tube 11 which face each other are fixed by an adhesive material 17.
An insulating plate 16b is fixed to the other end of the a so as to close the metal tube 16a, and a pin terminal 16c protruding inward and outward is fixed to the center of the insulating plate 16b. In the figure, the pin terminal 16c has a thin tubular shape, one end of which is inserted and fixed in the insulating plate 16b, and the other end of which protrudes in a pin shape from the insulating plate 16b. The plurality of lead wires 15 are twisted together and passed through the narrow tube of the pin terminal 16c, and are connected to the pin terminal 16c with solder 18 at the outer ends.

The base 16 is almost the same as that used in a commercially available fluorescent lamp, except that the pin-shaped electrode is two.
It may be one instead of a book. FIG. 1B shows an embodiment of the invention of claim 2. The fixing portion 21 is, for example, an inner frame of a show window, a shelf board of a display shelf, a frame of a billboard advertisement, and the like. In this example, the fixing portion 21 has sockets 22 and 2.
3 are mounted laterally spaced apart. Sockets 22, 2
3, the neon tube 24 shown in FIG.
It is detachably attached with 6. The sockets 22 and 23 are arranged so that when the base 16 is inserted, the electrical connection between the pin terminal 16c of the base 16 and the socket 22 (23) does not appear to the outside, that is, the electrical connection is manual. There is no possibility of contact, for example, like the socket of a fluorescent lamp, the female contact is housed in the hole of the insulating block without being exposed to the outside, and the pin terminal 16c of the base 16 is inserted into the hole, It is electrically connected to the female contact and can be similar to a slim line tube. Further, when the caps 16 at both ends of the neon pipe 24 are attached to the sockets 22 and 23, the sockets 22 and 23 are pushed open to each other so that the neon pipes 24 are held stably, so that the caps 16 of the neon pipe 24 are 23, and both ends of the neon tube 24 may be elastically clamped by the sockets 22 and 23.

Commercial AC power of 18 kHz or more and 1000 V
The output side of the inverter 25 for converting into the following high frequency power is connected to the sockets 22 and 23 so that the high frequency power of the inverter 25 is applied to the cold cathode electrodes at both ends of the neon tube 24. The inverter 25 is also attached to the fixed portion 21, the input side of the inverter 25 is connected to a commercial AC power source (not shown) through a cord 26, and the output side of the inverter 25 is connected to the sockets 2 through electric wires 27 and 28, respectively.
2 and 23 are respectively connected to the female contacts. Commercially available fluorescent lamp electric wires can be used as the electric wires 27 and 28, and the electric wires 27 and 28 may be fixed to the fixing portion 21 by pressing them with the insulating fixing base 29. That is, the wires 27, 28
Is fixed to the fixing portion 21 and fixed by the insulating fixing base 29 at intervals of 1 m or less, for example. The connecting portion 31 between the inverter 25 and the electric wires 27 and 28 is floated from the fixed portion 21. Therefore, both sides near the connecting portion 31 are fixed to the fixing portion 21 by the insulating fixing base 29. The connecting point between the inverter 25 and the electric wires 27 and 28 is only the connecting portion 31.

Although one neon tube 24 is provided in the above description, a plurality of neon tubes 24 may be connected in series to light these neon tubes 24. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, one end of the output transformer 25a of the inverter 25 on the secondary side is branched by a capacitor 32 to connect a plurality of neon tubes 24 in parallel so that the neon tubes 24 can be turned on without affecting each other. You can also

As can be understood from the embodiment of the invention of claim 2, the embodiment of the invention of claim 3 is to mount the sockets 22 and 23 on the fixing portion 21 at the place to be illuminated and to install the inverter 25 appropriately. It is attached to a location, the output side of the inverter 25 is connected to the sockets 22 and 23 through the electric wires 27 and 28, and the middle of the electric wires 27 and 28 is appropriately insulated and fixed.
Then, the neon tube 24 may be attached between the sockets 22 and 23 by fixing it to the fixed portion 21 with.

[0012]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, since the cap is provided, the pipe socket can be used and the neon pipe can be easily replaced. It is safe because there are no exposed lead wires. The electrode has a simple structure and can be a thin glass tube, can be easily bent, and can have various linear shapes. Easy standardization of pipes,
Mass production is easy. A sine tube can be used, and various emission colors can be obtained depending on the color of the glass tube, the fluorescent paint, and the type of gas.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the light is turned on by the high frequency power, the size can be greatly reduced, and multiple lights can be turned on. The conversion efficiency is good and the power factor can be easily increased. . Moreover, it is possible to use a low-voltage electric wire, that is, a so-called fluorescent electric wire for wiring, and since the neon tube 24 is attached to the socket, the neon tube 24 can be easily replaced.
In addition, because of the high frequency power, good lighting without flicker of the neon tube can be obtained.

According to the invention of claim 3, it is possible to carry out the construction without a special engineer, and because the wiring is simple, it is possible to easily carry out the lighting construction for the show window, the showcase and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a half part of an embodiment of the invention of claim 1, and B is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the invention of claim 2.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit for lighting multiple lights.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a conventional wiring method (insulator drawing work).

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. Neon gas or argon gas and mercury are enclosed in a glass tube, cold cathode electrodes are attached inside both ends of the glass tube, and caps are respectively covered at both ends of the glass tube. A neon tube in which the above-mentioned cold cathode electrodes are connected to the respective electrode parts of the. 2. The neon tube according to claim 1, first and second sockets attached to a fixed portion, and caps at both ends of the neon tube are detachably attached, respectively, and the first and second sockets. A neon tube lighting device comprising: an output side connected to a socket; and an inverter that converts commercial AC power into high frequency power. 3. The first and second sockets are attached to a fixed portion, the both end caps of the neon tube according to claim 1 are detachably attached to the socket, and commercial AC power is converted into high frequency power in the socket. Construction method of the neon tube lighting device that connects the output side of the inverter.