JPH07153422A - Fluorescent lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a technique optimum for low electric power consumption in fluorescent electric discharge where the body structure comprising a mercury discharging alloy and an alloy getter is used as an electric discharge electrode. CONSTITUTION:A fluorescent lamp is constituted of mainly a container 1 having a phosphor coating film at the inner surface thereof, an electric discharge electrode housed inside the container, and a lead 2 connected to the electric discharge electrode and exposed outside the container. Such an electric discharge electrode is adopted as the one provided with the body structure 3, where a mercury discharging alloy 5 including mainly an inter-metal compound of titanium and mercury and an alloy getter 6 mainly including an inter-metal compound composed of one of zirconium and titanium and one of aluminum and nickel are filled inside a cylindrical body 4 having an opening end oriented toward the center of the container, and an electron radiating substance 12 disposed in the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluorescent discharge lamp, and relates to an improvement of a discharge electrode structure accompanying a reduction in diameter of a container and a reduction in power consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacture of fluorescent discharge lamps, when mercury is filled in the exhaust process of a bulb, mercury vapor is released to a vacuum system or the outside, and therefore, the amount of mercury supplied is several times the required amount. It is said to be ten times more. The use of such a large amount of liquid mercury poses a problem in terms of pollution control, and excessive mercury supplied to the bulb contaminates the phosphor and reduces the light output. Therefore, a structure in which a mercury-releasing alloy composed of an intermetallic compound containing titanium and mercury is provided on one surface of the ribbon-shaped metal plate and an alloy getter mainly composed of an intermetallic compound composed of zirconium and aluminum is provided on the other surface thereof. It is possible to cut into a required size, and to use the cut pieces by welding an appropriate number of pieces to the internal leads. When this structure is heated to about 900 ° C. at a high frequency after the bulb is exhausted and sealed, the intermetallic compound of mercury is decomposed by this heat to release mercury into the valve, and at the same time water vapor and oxygen are released. Impurity gases such as are absorbed by the alloy getter activated by the heat. As a result, the amount of enclosed mercury can be regulated without the mercury escaping to the outside, and the inside of the bulb can be maintained in a high vacuum. Incidentally, as an example of a document describing such a structure, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-351
There is publication 67.

[0003]

However, when such a structure is applied to a fluorescent discharge lamp having a small bulb diameter,
If the cut size of the structure is reduced according to the valve diameter, the amount of mercury-releasing alloy and alloy getter per cut will be very small, so it is necessary to connect many cut structures to the internal leads. The amount of mercury cannot be secured, and the number of cutting structures that can be built in is limited depending on the valve diameter.
The present inventor has revealed that such a structure cannot be applied to a fluorescent discharge lamp having a small bulb diameter such as a degree. This is even more the case for thin and long bulb diameters because the required mercury amount further increases. In order to deal with this, a structure cut to be long in the axial direction of the bulb can be used, but due to the property that the structure doubles as a discharge electrode,
The effective emission length is too short to be practical.

Then, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 4-91304 (1992)
(Filed on Dec. 15, 2002), a technique was proposed in which a structure in which a mercury-releasing alloy and an alloy getter were filled in a cylindrical body was adopted as a discharge electrode. In the content of the proposal, no particular attention was paid to an electron emitting substance for generating secondary electrons by positive ion bombardment, and an electron emitting action (γ action) obtained from the composition of the alloy getter was expected.

However, in order to further promote low power consumption, it is desirable to reduce undesired heat generation in the discharge electrode, in other words, increase the conductance of the discharge electrode and lower the tube voltage of the fluorescent discharge lamp. Therefore, it has been found by the present inventors that it is necessary to adopt an electron emitting material for secondary electron emission in such a discharge electrode. Further, in that case, since the discharge electrode is small, it is also necessary to increase the space efficiency to increase the holding amount of the electron emitting material.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fluorescent discharge lamp including a structure containing a mercury emitting alloy and an alloy getter in a discharge electrode.
The object of the present invention is to provide a technique suitable for reducing the tube voltage or reducing the power consumption while obtaining the necessary amount of mercury without sacrificing the effective light emission length by making the tube thin.
The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION A fluorescent discharge lamp according to the present invention comprises a container having a phosphor coating on its inner surface, a discharge electrode contained in the container, and a discharge electrode connected to the discharge electrode and outside the container. A mercury-releasing alloy mainly composed of a structure provided with an exposed lead, and containing a titanium-mercury intermetallic compound as a main component in a cylinder of a cylindrical body having an opening end facing the center of the container. And an alloy getter mainly composed of an intermetallic compound containing one of zirconium or titanium and one of aluminum or nickel, and a structure provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical body. A discharge electrode configured to include an electron emitting substance is adopted. In the present specification, the outer peripheral portion of the tubular body means both the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body, if any. Such a discharge electrode structure is suitable for a fluorescent discharge lamp of a container having an outer diameter of 1.5 mm to 4 mm and a total length of 50 mm to 300 mm, for example.

In the electrode structure, the discharge electrode is provided with a connector for holding the outer periphery of the lead at one end and for holding the outer periphery of the cylindrical body at the other end. Are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the connector and the tubular body. In the discharge electrode structure having a cap having one end fixed to the lead and the other end opened and fitted and fixed to the tubular body, the electron emitting material is attached to the outer surface of the cap and the tubular body. It is provided. In a discharge electrode structure including a holder having one end fixed to a lead and the other end provided with a plurality of segments that surround and hold the outer periphery of the tubular body, the electron emitting material is the holder and the tube. It is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the strip. In the discharge electrode structure in which the lead is inserted into the tubular body and the insertion portion of the tubular body is pressed and deformed to fix the lead and the tubular body, the electron emitting substance is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body. It is provided.

In the above electrode structure and other electrode structures, in order to increase the space efficiency by increasing the amount of retained electron emitting material, a large number of irregularities are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, and the irregularities are formed. The electron emitting material is provided on the outer peripheral surface. Alternatively, a large number of grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, and the electron emitting substance is provided on the outer peripheral surface having the grooves.

In order to easily realize the hollow cathode, the end faces of the mercury-releasing alloy and the alloy getter filled in the cylinder should be recessed from the open end of the cylinder to the inner part of the cylinder. It should be set to.

[0011]

According to the above means, the structure in which the cylindrical body is filled with the mercury-releasing alloy and the alloy getter has a length less than half that of the plate-like structure having the mercury-releasing alloy and the alloy getter on the surface. It is possible to obtain the same amount of contained mercury (having the same width). This makes it possible to secure the required amount of mercury without sacrificing the effective light emission length even when a mercury discharge alloy and an alloy getter are used to construct a fluorescent discharge lamp having an extremely thin bulb diameter of about several mm. .

The electron emitting substance provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical body forming the discharge electrode positively emits secondary electrons due to positive ion bombardment to reduce undesired heat generation at the discharge electrode.
In other words, the conductance of the discharge electrode is increased and the tube voltage of the fluorescent discharge lamp is lowered. Therefore, the power consumption for obtaining the required brightness can be reduced, and it becomes easy to meet the demand for battery drive.

The electrode structure employing the above-mentioned connecting tool and cap increases versatility in use for leads of various outer diameters and structures, and also in the step portion formed between the structure surface and the thickness of the connecting tool. It acts so as to stably retain a relatively large amount of electron emitting material. When a holder provided with a section is used for the electrode structure, the electron emitting substance can be further held between adjacent sections, so that the holding state is further stable, and
The amount of electron emitting material that can be retained can also be increased.

Furthermore, if a large number of irregularities or grooves are formed on the surface of the cylindrical body, the electron emitting substance can be held therein, the holding state thereof is further stable, and the amount of the electron emitting substance that can be held can be increased. .

The depression of the tip of the mercury-releasing alloy and the alloy getter with respect to the tip of the cylindrical body causes the discharge electrode to function as a hollow cathode, thereby increasing the concentration or directivity of discharge and improving the brightness or the stability of discharge. Increase. Especially the dent,
It can be formed by releasing mercury from the mercury-releasing structure during the manufacturing process.

Since the cylindrical structure has a smaller surface area where the mercury-releasing alloy and alloy getter come into contact with air than the plate-shaped structure, the mercury-releasing alloy and alloy getter are stored when the structure is stored as a component or in the manufacturing process. Less natural oxidation. Therefore, the adoption of such a structure suppresses the situation where impurities such as mercury oxide are directly enclosed in the bulb, and also suppresses the progress of blackening due to the sputtering of such impurities.

When a cylindrical structure is adopted, the mercury-releasing alloy and the alloy getter in the cylinder are almost prevented from being oxidized, and mercury is easily released, and an oxide film is formed only on the surface of the structure tip. I'm just there. Therefore, it is possible to easily release the mercury by the heat of the bulb sealing process without passing through the mercury releasing process in which the heating temperature and the time are specially controlled, and the mercury is continuously released by the heating by the lighting drive. Therefore, even if the mercury is gradually consumed by forming a compound with the residual gas in the bulb or the electrode material or the phosphor during lighting, the mercury can be replenished from the mercury-releasing alloy of the structure, In this respect as well, the life of the fluorescent discharge lamp is extended.

[0018]

FIG. 1 shows a cold cathode fluorescent discharge lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1A, the vicinity of the discharge electrode on the left side of the fluorescent discharge lamp is typically shown, but the opposite side is also symmetrically configured. The fluorescent discharge lamp according to the present embodiment consumes a few watts and is a small one used as a backlight of a liquid crystal display. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a straight-tube type glass valve, which is an example of a container,
For example, the outer diameter is 1.5 mm to 4 mm and the total length is 50 m.
It has a size of m to 300 mm. The bulb 1 has a phosphor coating (not shown) formed on the inner surface thereof, is filled with an inert gas such as a mixture of neon and argon at 50 Torr, and has an end portion electrically connected to the lead 2. The discharge electrode constituted by 3 is built in and hermetically sealed.

The structure 3 is mainly composed of an intermetallic compound of titanium and mercury in a cylinder of a cylindrical body 4 made of an electrode material (for example, stainless steel or nickel) having an opening end facing the center of the bulb 1. A mercury-releasing alloy 5 and an alloy getter 6 mainly composed of an intermetallic compound consisting of one of zirconium or titanium and one of aluminum or nickel
And the end surfaces of the filled mercury-releasing alloy 5 and the alloy getter 6 are recessed from the open end of the cylindrical body 4 to the inner part of the cylinder (this recess is hereinafter also simply referred to as the recess 7). As is clear from the composition of the alloy getter 6, the alloy getter 6 has an electron emission function for increasing secondary electron emission due to a γ function at the start of discharge and a getter function for absorbing impure gas inside the bulb. The mercury-releasing alloy 5
The alloy getter 6 is a powder, and they are mixed and press-filled into the tubular body 4. The electron emission action that can be expected by the alloy getter 6 is small because the alloy getter 6 has a small exposed area.

In the present embodiment, the electrical connection between the tubular body 4 and the lead 2 is not particularly limited, but the outer periphery of the lead 2 is sandwiched at one end and the outer periphery of the tubular body 4 at the other end. This is done with a connecting tool 8 that holds the parts together. The connecting tool 8 is made of an electrode material or the like (such as a nickel-plated iron plate), and a split end portion 9 is formed at each of the sandwiching portions, so that the outer diameters of the releasable lead 2 and the tubular body 4 can be adjusted. Is versatile.

An electron emitting substance 12 is provided on the outer circumferences of the connector 8 and the tubular body 4. Electron emission substance is to emit secondary electrons by the positive ion bombardment, _{e.g., LaB 6, LaSrCoO 3, LaB} 6 + BaAl 2 O 4, LaSrCoO 3 + BaAl 2 O 4, LaSrCrCoO 3 + BaAl 2 O 4, LaSrCoO 3 _{+ LaB 6 + BaAl 2 O 4} , LaSrCrCoO 3 + LaB 6 + BaAl 2 O 4, LaB 6 + BaTiO 3, LaSrCoO 3 + BaTiO 3, LaSrCrCoO 3 + BaTiO 3, LaSrCoO 3 + LaB 6 + BaTiO 3, LaSrCrCoO 3 + LaB 6 + BaTiO 3, and the like it can. However, the above is one example, and in addition to the above, it is possible to replace it with one that positively emits secondary electrons by the γ action as in the above. In each drawing, the electron emitting material 12 is shown by diagonal lines, but it should be understood that the electron emitting material 12 is actually formed in a planar shape.

As a method of providing the electron emitting substance 12 on the outer periphery of the connecting member 8 and the cylindrical body 4, the powdery electron emitting substance is melted by heat and sprayed and fixed to the object in a substantially molten state. It is desirable to employ plasma spraying, gas spraying, electric spraying or the like. A method of applying using a binder can also be adopted, but in that case, there is a concern that the binder may generate an impure gas inside the valve.

In obtaining the fluorescent discharge lamp of the present embodiment, the mercury-releasing alloy 5 is decomposed by heat of about 800 ° C. when the glass bulb 1 is hermetically sealed, and a required amount of mercury is obtained. Is released into. For example, when the outer diameter of the structure 3 is 1 mm, about 0.7 mg of mercury is emitted. This is because when the cylindrical structure 3 is adopted, the mercury-releasing alloy 5 and the alloy getter 6 in the cylinder are almost prevented from being oxidized and mercury is easily released, and the oxide film is formed only on the surface of the tip of the structure 3. Is only formed, and is cut off in the manufacturing process to form the recess 7
The oxide film can be removed by forming.
Therefore, the mercury is released by the heat of the valve sealing step even if the mercury releasing step in which the heating temperature and the time are specially controlled is not performed. In the mercury release by this, since the temperature and heating time control for that purpose are not performed, for example, when the outer diameter of the structure 3 is 1 mm, about 0.7 mg of mercury is released. The size of the valve is 3mm x 200m
If it is about m, this is a sufficient amount of mercury. Since the required amount of mercury is proportional to the volume of the bulb, if the amount of mercury is not sufficient, the structure 3 is heated from the outside of the bulb 1 with a high-frequency coil (not shown) after sealing, depending on the heating temperature and time. Further, mercury is released from the mercury releasing alloy 5. As a result, decomposition products having a reduced mercury content remain in the mercury-releasing alloy 5. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), even if the structure 4 in which the mercury-releasing alloy 5 and the alloy getter 6 are press-fitted into the entire cylinder of the cylindrical body 4 is used, mercury is discharged in the manufacturing process. By doing so, it is possible to form the recess 7 in a later step without forming the recess 7 in the structure 3 forming the recess 7 in advance. Mercury emitting alloy 5
Impurity gas such as water vapor and oxygen is also emitted when mercury is released from the alloy. The impure gas is absorbed by the alloy getter 6 activated by the heat and keeps the inside of the valve 1 in a high vacuum. The alloy getter 6 in the fluorescent discharge lamp completed through the mercury emission treatment contains a reaction product in which an impure gas is adsorbed.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects are obtained. (1) By adopting the structure 3 in which the mercury-releasing alloy 5 and the alloy getter 6 are press-filled in the tubular body 4, the axial direction of the structure required to secure the necessary amounts of the mercury-releasing alloy and the alloy getter. The length can be halved compared to the case where a plate-like structure having a mercury-releasing alloy and an alloy getter on the surface is adopted. Therefore, even when a mercury discharge alloy 5 and an alloy getter 6 are used to construct a fluorescent discharge lamp having a very small bulb diameter of about several mm, the effective light emission length can be increased and the light emission amount with respect to the entire length of the fluorescent discharge lamp can be increased. You can (2) For a long bulb or a large bulb volume, the amount of mercury can be easily increased by increasing the length of the structure 3 or by increasing the diameter of the structure 3. It is possible to easily deal with fluorescent discharge lamps of various sizes. (3) The electron-emitting substance 12 provided on the outer surfaces of the tubular body 4 and the connecting tool 8 which constitute the discharge electrode is 2 due to the positive ion impact.
Secondary electrons are positively emitted to reduce undesired heat generation in the discharge electrode, in other words, the conductance of the discharge electrode is increased and the tube voltage of the fluorescent discharge lamp is lowered. Therefore, the power consumption for obtaining the required brightness can be reduced.
For example, if the valve outer diameter is 3 mm and the length is 200 mm,
When the tube current was 10 mA when driven at a high frequency of KHz, the tube voltage was 280 V when the electron emitting material 12 of this example was adopted. On the other hand, when the test was conducted under the same conditions for the sample which did not employ the electron emitting substance 12, the tube voltage was 340V. It will be understood from this experimental example that low power consumption can be realized. The tube voltage and tube current in the above experimental examples are all effective values. (4) The electrode structure that employs the above-described connecting tool 8 increases versatility in use for leads and structures of various outer diameters, and also has a connecting tool 8
It is possible to stably hold a relatively large amount of the electron emitting material 12 in the step portion 9 formed between the surface of the structure and the thickness dimension thereof. Therefore, because of its small size, the electron emitting material 1
It is possible to increase the holding amount of 2 by increasing the space efficiency. (5) Since the concave portion 7 is formed at the projecting end of the structure 3,
The discharge electrode formed by the structure 3 realizes a hollow cathode, and the concentration or directivity of discharge can be increased to improve the brightness or the stability of discharge. Especially the recess 7
Can be formed by releasing mercury from the mercury emitting structure 5 in the manufacturing process. (6) Compared to the plate-shaped structure, the cylindrical structure 3 has a smaller surface area where the mercury-releasing alloy 5 and the alloy getter 6 come into contact with air. Therefore, when the structure 3 is stored as a component or during the manufacturing process, mercury is released. The natural oxidation of the alloy 5 and the alloy getter 6 is small. Therefore, by adopting such a structure 3, it is possible to suppress the situation where impurities such as mercury oxide are directly enclosed in the bulb, and it is also possible to suppress the progress of blackening due to the sputtering of such impurities. (7) When the tubular structure 3 is adopted, the mercury-releasing alloy 5 and the alloy getter 6 in the cylinder are placed in a state in which oxidation is almost prevented and mercury is easily released, as in the above. The oxide film is formed only on the surface of the. Therefore, the mercury can be easily released by the heat of the sealing process of the bulb 1 without passing through the mercury releasing process of which the heating temperature and the time are specially controlled, and the trace amount of mercury is gradually released by the heating by the lighting drive. Since it is possible to continue, even if mercury is gradually consumed by forming a compound with the residual gas in the bulb or the electrode material or the fluorescent substance during lighting, the amount of mercury is consumed from the mercury-releasing alloy 5 of the structure 3. It can be replenished, and in this respect as well, the life of the fluorescent discharge lamp can be extended.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the structure 3 and the lead 2 are electrically connected to each other as shown in FIG. Different from the example.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, a cap 10 for fitting and fixing the base end of the structure 3 is integrally formed with the lead 2 by press working. For such integral press shaping of the cap 10 and the lead 2, a round bar having an outer diameter required for the cap 10 may be used. When such an electrode structure is adopted, the number of parts of the discharge electrode can be reduced as compared with FIG. However, in order to change the outer diameters of the leads 2 and the structure 3, it is necessary to create a new press die accordingly. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2B has a structure in which the valve 1 having both ends opened is hermetically sealed by the metal cap 2, and the structure 3 is fitted and fixed in the recess of the metal cap 2. In this embodiment, the metal cap 2 constitutes a lead. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2C has a structure in which the cylindrical body 4 of the structure 3 is welded and fixed to the disk 11 provided at the tip of the lead 2. However, in the case of spot welding, it is necessary to consider the influence of heat during welding on the mercury-releasing alloy 5 and the alloy getter 6. In the electrode structure of FIG. 2, the electron emitting material 12 is provided on the outer surfaces of the cap 10 and the tubular body 4, and on the outer surfaces of the disk 11 and the tubular body 3. Also in each of the embodiments shown in FIG. 2, the same effect as in FIG. 1 is obtained. In particular, in the electrode structure shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a relatively large amount of the electron emitting material 12 is formed in the step portion formed between the surface of the cylindrical body 4 and the thickness of the cap 10. Can be stably held.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The examples shown in (A) to (C) of the same figure relate to the surface shape of the cylindrical body 4 constituting the discharge electrode, and are examples that can be replaced with the discharge electrode structure of FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, a large number of irregularities 13 are formed on the surface of the tubular body 4, and the electron emitting material 12 is provided on the outer peripheral surface on which the irregularities 13 are formed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, a large number of linear grooves 14 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body 4.
And the electron emitting material 12 is provided on the outer peripheral surface in which the linear groove 14 is formed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3C, a large number of circumferential grooves 15 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body 4.
And the electron emitting material 12 is provided on the outer peripheral surface in which the circumferential groove 15 is formed. According to these embodiments, the electron emitting substance can be held inside the large number of the concavities and convexities 13 and the grooves 15 and 16 formed on the surface of the tubular body 4, the holding state is stable, and the electron emitting can be held. The amount of substance can be increased. Therefore, since the size is small, it is possible to increase the holding amount of the electron emitting material 12 by increasing the space efficiency. The shape of the groove is not limited to a straight line or a circle, but can be changed to various shapes such as a meandering shape and a random shape. In addition, the unevenness 1 described with reference to FIG. 3 is applied to the electrode structures of FIGS. 1 and 2.
3 and grooves 14 and 15 can be adopted. In this case, the irregularities or grooves may be formed on the surface of the connector 8 or the cap 10.

FIG. 4 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. The discharge electrode structure shown in each of (A) and (B) of the figure is an example that can be replaced with the discharge electrode structure of FIG. The discharge electrode shown in (A) of the same figure has a holder 16 having one end fixed to the lead 2 and the other end provided with a plurality of sections 16A surrounding the outer periphery of the tubular body 4 and sandwiching it. The discharge electrode structure is provided. Each of the sections 16A has elasticity that allows it to bend in a cantilever state, and due to this elasticity, the tubular body 4 is held and fixed by the sections 16A. The electron emitting substance 12 is
It is provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the holder and the tubular body. In particular, as shown in the drawing, since the electron emitting substance 12 can be held in the recess between the adjacent sections 16A, the holding state is further stable,
In addition, the amount of electron emitting material that can be held can be increased. In the discharge electrode shown in (B) of the figure, the lead 2 has the cylindrical body 4
Has a very simple structure in which the lead 2 and the tubular body 4 are fixed by being pressed and deformed by caulking or the like. In this electrode structure, the electron emitting material 12 is provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 4.
In particular, since the electron emitting substance 12 can be held in the depressed depression, the holding state is stable and the amount of electron emitting substance that can be held can be increased. It should be noted that the irregularities 13 and the grooves 14 and 15 described in FIG. 3 can also be adopted for the electrode structure shown in FIG. In this case, the irregularities and grooves may be formed on the surface of the holder 16.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Yes. For example,
A container such as a glass bulb is not limited to a straight pipe type, and an appropriate shape can be adopted.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained. (1) By adopting a structure in which a mercury-releasing alloy and an alloy getter are press-filled in a cylindrical body, the mercury-releasing alloy and the alloy getter are used to form a fluorescent discharge lamp having an extremely thin bulb diameter of about several mm. Also in this case, the effective light emission length can be increased, and the light emission amount with respect to the entire length of the fluorescent discharge lamp can be increased. In other words, in a fluorescent discharge lamp in which a structure including a mercury-releasing alloy and an alloy getter is used as a discharge electrode, the required amount of the mercury-releasing alloy and the alloy getter can be easily adjusted without shortening the effective light emission length even if the bulb diameter becomes thin. Can be secured. (2) The electron emitting material provided outside the cylindrical body forming the discharge electrode positively emits secondary electrons due to positive ion bombardment to reduce undesired heat generation in the discharge electrode.
In other words, the conductance of the discharge electrode is increased and the tube voltage of the fluorescent discharge lamp is lowered. Therefore, the power consumption for obtaining the required brightness can be reduced. (3) The electrode structure that employs the connector and the cap increases versatility with respect to leads and structures of various outer diameters, and compared to the stepped portion formed between the structure surface and the thickness of the connector. An extremely large amount of electron emitting substance can be stably held. (4) When a holder provided with a slice is used for the electrode structure, the electron emitting substance can be further held between adjacent slices, so that the holding state is more stable and the amount of the electron emitting substance that can be held is also increased. You can increase. (5) Furthermore, if a large number of irregularities or grooves are formed on the surface of the cylindrical body, the electron emitting substance can be held therein, the holding state is further stable, and the amount of electron emitting substance that can be held is increased. be able to. (6) Since the discharge electrode configured by the structure realizes a hollow cathode, the concentration or directivity of discharge is increased, and brightness is improved or discharge stability is increased. further,
The indentation that provides the hollow cathode can be formed by mechanically milling or by releasing mercury from the mercury emitting structure during the manufacturing process. (7) The structure has a small area in which the mercury-releasing alloy and the alloy getter contact with air when stored as parts,
In addition, since the part that was in contact with air can be mechanically scraped or removed, it is possible to suppress the situation where impurities such as mercury oxide are directly enclosed in the valve, and the progress of blackening due to the sputtering of such impurities. Can be suppressed. Furthermore, the oxidation of the mercury-releasing alloy and alloy getter in the cylinder is almost blocked, and the mercury-releasing alloy is placed in a state where it is easy to release mercury, and only an oxide film is formed only on the surface of the structure tip. Mercury can be easily released by the heat of the sealing process, and a small amount of mercury can be continuously released by heating by lighting drive, so even if mercury is gradually consumed during lighting, that amount of mercury in the structure can be consumed. Can be replenished from the release alloy,
Also in this respect, the life of the fluorescent discharge lamp can be extended.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a fluorescent discharge lamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the fluorescent discharge lamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the fluorescent discharge lamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing still another embodiment of the fluorescent discharge lamp according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Valve 2 Lead 3 Structure 4 Cylindrical Body 5 Mercury Emitting Alloy 6 Alloy Getter 7 Recess 8 Connection Tool 9 Split End 10 Cap 12 Electron Emitting Material 13 Uneven 14 Linear Groove 15 Circular Groove 16 Holder 16A Section

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A container having a phosphor coating on its inner surface, a discharge electrode built in the container, and a lead connected to the discharge electrode and exposed to the outside of the container, wherein the discharge electrode is , A mercury-releasing alloy mainly containing an intermetallic compound of titanium and mercury, one of zirconium or titanium, and one of aluminum or nickel And a structure filled with an alloy getter mainly composed of an intermetallic compound containing one kind, and an electron emitting material provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical body. Fluorescent discharge lamp. 2. The discharge electrode comprises a connector for holding the outer periphery of the lead at one end and for holding the outer periphery of the cylindrical body at the other end, wherein the electron-emissive material is the connector. The fluorescent discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent discharge lamp is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body. 3. The discharge electrode includes a cap, one end of which is fixed to a lead, and the other end of which is opened is fitted and fixed to the tubular body, wherein the electron-emitting substance is the cap and the tubular body. The fluorescent discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent discharge lamp is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the. 4. The discharge electrode comprises a holder, one end of which is fixed to a lead, and the other end of which is provided with a plurality of slices that surround the outer periphery of the tubular body and hold it. The fluorescent discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent discharge lamp is provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the holder and the cylindrical body. 5. The lead is inserted into a tubular body, the insertion portion of the tubular body is pressed and deformed to fix the lead and the tubular body, and the electron emitting material is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body. The fluorescent discharge lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that 6. The cylindrical body has a large number of irregularities formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the electron emitting substance is provided on the outer peripheral surface having the irregularities formed thereon. 6. The fluorescent discharge lamp according to any one of 1 to 5. 7. The cylindrical body is formed with a large number of grooves on an outer peripheral surface thereof, and the electron emitting substance is provided on the outer peripheral surface having the grooves formed thereon. 6. The fluorescent discharge lamp according to any one of 1 to 5. 8. An end face of the mercury-releasing alloy and alloy getter filled in a cylinder of a cylindrical body is formed by recessing from the open end of the cylindrical body to the inner part of the cylindrical body to form a recess. It exists, The fluorescent discharge lamp in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. 9. The container has an outer diameter of 1.5 mm to 4 m.
The fluorescent discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the length is m and the total length is 50 mm to 300 mm.