JPH10106501A - Fluorescent lamp for display - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the difference of discharge voltage per each anode even in the case where plural single-tube anodes are arranged, and to lower the unevenness of luminance by providing auxiliary electrodes in a back surface of a shading part, and activating a discharge passage between each cathode and each anode with the auxiliary discharge of the auxiliary electrodes. SOLUTION: Forty-eight light emitting chambers having an anode 11 are arranged in a light emitting chamber unit 3 at two stages of an upper stage and a lower stage, and sixteen picture elements, which are respectively formed of three elements of red R, green G and blue B in order from the left, are arranged, and a bottom surface of the light emitting chamber 5 is formed with a discharge hole 10. A back surface side of the light emitting chamber unit 3 is provided with a cathode chamber, which is provided with cathodes 7a, 7b. An inner surface of a shading front surface plate 2 is formed with a shading part 20. Auxiliary electrode chambers 21a-21d having auxiliary electrodes 22a-22d are arranged in zigzag in a back surface side of the shading part 20 between each adjacent picture elements. With this structure, ion and electron in a discharge passage between each cathodes 7a, 7b and each anode 11 can be activated, and unevenness of the discharge voltage of each anode 11 can be lowered so as to even the luminance of a display surface.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a display fluorescent lamp provided in a display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, large-sized display devices have been required to have higher definition of displayed images. To satisfy this requirement,
It is necessary to increase the number of pixels in one screen, and the size and pitch of one pixel tend to be small.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-73850 discloses a display fluorescent lamp having a single tube and eight pixels. According to this conventional example, it is possible to increase the number of pixels without significantly increasing the number of lamps.

Incidentally, such a fluorescent lamp for display is not used so that all the pixels are always lit at 100% intensity, and performs dimming lighting different for each pixel depending on information of a display image. Things.

[0005] As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-28228, a configuration is known in which an auxiliary electrode is provided in a container of a variable color fluorescent lamp to reduce a starting voltage between a pair of electrodes.

A fluorescent lamp for display disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 3-182041 also has an auxiliary electrode provided in the middle of a discharge path between a pair of electrodes in a bulb forming one pixel. During this time, the starting voltage is reduced.

Since such a conventional fluorescent lamp is a single tube single pixel in which one pixel is formed in one bulb, it is installed in three light emitting chambers which emit red, blue, and green light forming one pixel, respectively. The anodes (anodes) are disposed at substantially equal distances from a cathode (cathode) common to the anodes.
For this reason, the discharge path lengths of the cathode and each anode are substantially equal, and there is almost no difference in discharge voltage, so that there is little variation in luminance between the light emitting chambers.

[0008]

However, in a fluorescent lamp in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a single tube, a difference occurs in the discharge path length between the common cathode and each anode. In addition, under the same lighting conditions, the variation in luminance between the light emitting chambers increases. In order to reduce the difference between the discharge voltages, it is conceivable to provide a supplementary electrode near the pixel.

On the other hand, many pixels are densely arranged on the display surface with the increase in definition of the display device, and furthermore, the influence of the luminescent color between the pixels cannot be ignored. In general, a light-shielding portion formed in black is disposed between pixels in order to increase the number of pixels.

Therefore, it is not possible to secure a space for disposing the auxiliary electrode near the pixel. Even if an auxiliary electrode is provided in the vicinity of the back side of the pixel, there is a disadvantage that the fluorescent lamp is enlarged in the front-rear direction.

In addition, since the auxiliary electrodes of the conventional examples 1 and 2 are disposed closer to the cathode than the light emitting chamber, it is not so desired to reduce the difference in discharge voltage. Further, if the auxiliary electrode is simply provided in the vicinity of the light emitting chamber, the light emitting chamber may emit light carelessly due to the effect of the auxiliary discharge between the cathode and the auxiliary electrode, and there is a possibility that accurate display cannot be performed.

On the other hand, in order to equalize the difference in discharge voltage between the cathode and each anode, the voltage applied to each anode can be adjusted by a lighting circuit element, but different elements must be used for each discharge circuit. The addition of special control means or the like not only complicates the circuit but also increases the cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem. Even when a plurality of anodes are provided in a single tube, the difference in discharge voltage between the anodes is reduced to reduce luminance unevenness. An object of the present invention is to provide a display fluorescent lamp that can be reduced.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A light-transmitting front panel, a cathode chamber, and a plurality of light-emitting chambers disposed substantially flush between the light-transmitting front panel and the cathode chamber and having a phosphor layer formed on an inner surface thereof; An airtight container in which discharge holes communicating with the cathode chamber are formed for each light emitting chamber; a discharge medium sealed in the airtight container; a cathode disposed in the cathode chamber of the airtight container; A plurality of anodes disposed in the light-emitting chamber and forming a discharge path with the cathode; a light-shielding portion formed between at least one pair of light-emitting chambers of the hermetic container; And an auxiliary electrode for forming a discharge path.

[0015] The invention according to claim 2 has a translucent front plate,
A plurality of light-emitting chambers are substantially flush with the inner surface of the light-transmitting front plate, and a cathode chamber is defined behind the plurality of light-emitting chambers, and a phosphor layer is formed on the inner surface of each of the plurality of light-emitting chambers. An airtight container having discharge holes communicating with the light emitting chamber and the cathode chamber for each light emitting chamber; a discharge medium sealed in the airtight container; and a cathode disposed in the cathode chamber of the airtight container. A plurality of anodes disposed in the light-emitting chamber of the hermetic container and forming a discharge path with the cathode; a light-shielding portion formed between at least a pair of light-emitting chambers of the hermetic container; and a rear surface of the light-shielding portion. And a cathode and an auxiliary electrode for forming a discharge path.

Here, the light-transmitting front plate constitutes a display surface and can be formed of a light-transmitting glass. However, the light-transmitting front plate is not necessarily required to be transparent. Includes those that have light diffusion properties. Further, a color filter made of low-melting glass or translucent resin may be formed on the outer surface or inner surface. The cathode chamber is a room in which the cathode is provided, and may be formed integrally with the light emitting chamber as long as it communicates only with the discharge holes.

The discharge hole is a hole formed in a member that partitions the light emitting chamber and the cathode chamber so that a discharge is generated between the anode in each light emitting chamber and the cathode in the cathode chamber.

The auxiliary electrode may have any configuration as long as it forms an auxiliary discharge with the cathode, and may use the same member as the anode. The term “between a pair of light-emitting chambers” indicates an intermediate position between adjacent light-emitting chambers, and the adjoining direction may be any of the vertical and horizontal directions.

The cathode is a cathode that emits electrons, and a preheated filament electrode coated with an emitter is used as a hot cathode having a low cathode drop voltage, but is not limited thereto.

The light-shielding portion is a so-called black stripe, and can be formed so as to partition between the light-emitting chambers by a light-shielding member such as a black paint or film, but is not limited thereto. What is necessary is just to be formed so as to improve the contrast.

The phosphor layer does not need to cover the entire inner wall of the light emitting chamber, but may be a part. When a partition member or the like is provided inside, the partition member may be formed on the wall surface of the partition member.

According to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary discharge of the auxiliary electrode activates the discharge path between the cathode and each anode, thereby reducing the variation in the discharge voltage between the cathode and each anode. it can.

Further, the back side of the light shielding portion where the auxiliary electrode is provided is a gap between a pair of adjacent light emitting chambers, which is a dead space, so that the arrangement density of these light emitting chambers is not reduced. In addition, the installation space for the auxiliary electrode can be easily secured. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a decrease in display accuracy due to a decrease in the arrangement density of the light emitting chambers and an increase in the size of the entire device.

Further, even if a slight visible light is inadvertently emitted by the auxiliary discharge between the auxiliary electrode and the cathode, the emitted light can be shielded by the light shielding portion, so that the display accuracy can be improved. it can.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that a plurality of light emitting chambers form one pixel, and the light shielding portion and the auxiliary electrode are arranged between at least a pair of pixels. The space between a pair of pixels is a space between adjacent pixels, which is a so-called dead space. Therefore, it is possible to easily secure a space for installing the auxiliary electrode without reducing the pixel density.
For this reason, it is possible to prevent the entire device from being enlarged.

The gap between the pixels is a gap between the light-emitting chambers, and a light-shielding portion is formed here. Therefore, even if the light-emitting chamber near the auxiliary electrode emits light carelessly, the light is not emitted. Since light can be shielded by the light shielding portion, display accuracy can be improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, one pixel is formed by three light-emitting chambers.
A blue light emitting phosphor and a green light emitting phosphor are respectively applied.

According to the present invention, one pixel is formed by three light-emitting chambers to which red (R) light-emitting phosphor, green (G) light-emitting phosphor, and blue (B) light-emitting phosphor are applied, respectively. Therefore, one pixel can display R, G, B, and a combination of these various colors.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, an auxiliary electrode chamber is provided between at least a pair of pixels, and the light-shielding portion is formed on the light-transmitting front plate facing the auxiliary electrode chamber. And

Here, the auxiliary electrode chamber is a space for accommodating the auxiliary electrode. If the auxiliary electrode chamber is configured to have the same shape as the light emitting chamber, these can be easily manufactured.

According to the present invention, since the light-shielding portion is formed on the light-transmitting front plate so as to face the auxiliary electrode chamber, the auxiliary electrode can be provided inside the light-transmitting front plate, so that there is a margin. The installation space can be secured.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light emitting apparatus comprising: a plurality of light-transmitting front plates, a cathode chamber, and a phosphor layer formed on the inner surface of the light-transmitting front plate and the cathode chamber. An airtight container in which discharge holes communicating with the light emitting chamber and the cathode chamber are formed for each light emitting chamber; a discharge medium sealed in the airtight container; and a cathode chamber of the airtight container. A cathode disposed; a plurality of anodes disposed in the light-emitting chamber of the hermetic container and forming a discharge path with the cathode; a light-shielding portion disposed at least outside the plurality of light-emitting chambers; , And a cathode and an auxiliary electrode forming a discharge path.

According to the present invention, the same effect as the first or second aspect of the present invention can be obtained, and the light-shielding portion is disposed outside the plurality of light-emitting chambers. It is possible to prevent a decrease in display accuracy due to the decrease.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the plurality of light emitting chambers are arranged in one direction, and the arrangement is formed in a plurality of stages in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction. Are arranged symmetrically with respect to a point with respect to.

According to the present invention, a plurality of light-emitting chambers are arranged in a matrix, and a plurality of auxiliary electrodes are point-symmetric with respect to the center of each of the anodes of each of the light-emitting chambers and the cathode for discharging. Therefore, the effect of reducing the variation of the discharge voltage by these auxiliary electrodes can be symmetrically performed with respect to the cathode. As a result, it is possible to improve the luminance uniformity of the entire display surface by each light emitting chamber without providing an auxiliary electrode more than necessary.

[0036]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A display fluorescent lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a display fluorescent lamp according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a main part of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a longitudinal section of FIG.

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes an airtight container, which is a light-transmitting front panel 2, a light-emitting chamber 3, and a cathode chamber 4.
It is composed of An appropriate amount of mercury as a discharge medium and a rare gas are sealed in the airtight container 1.

The translucent front plate 2 is formed of translucent glass. The light-emitting chamber 3 is made of an enamel in which a glass film is coated on the entire surface including both the inner and outer surfaces of a horizontally long rectangular tube-shaped metal container, for example, and is vertically arranged in two stages.
It has a plurality of vertically long rectangular light emitting chambers 5, and an opening 6 is formed on the front side. The translucent front plate 2 is hermetically sealed with a low melting point frit glass or the like in the opening 6.

The cathode chamber 4 is attached to the back of the light emitting chamber 3. The size of the cathode chamber 4 in the longitudinal direction is substantially the same as the size of the light emitting chamber 3, but the size in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is slightly smaller, and is formed of a horizontally long rectangular tube, for example, made of glass or ceramic. . A cathode 7 made of a hot cathode is disposed inside the cathode chamber 4.

The light emitting chamber section 3 is composed of a side wall section 8 provided so as to partition between the light emitting chambers 5 and a bottom section 9 provided so as to partition from the cathode chamber section 4 side. A space is formed with a part of the inner surface of the front plate 2.

The light-emitting room 5 which is vertically opposed to the bottom 9
Discharge holes 10 are formed at positions close to each other, and when the entire display fluorescent lamp is viewed from the light-transmitting front panel 2 side, 48 pieces are arranged in two stages at a substantially central position along the longitudinal direction. Discharge holes 10 are formed. On the opposite side of the discharge hole 10 in the light emitting chamber 5, an anode 11 is provided via a lead pin 12 which is inserted from the bottom surface portion 9 in an airtight manner.

The light emitting chamber 5 forms one pixel with three pixels arranged in the horizontal direction, and the side wall portion 8 and the bottom surface 8 emit light in red (R), green (G), and blue (B) in order from the left. Phosphors that emit light of each light color are applied to the inner surface of the portion 9.
That is, the luminous chambers of the present embodiment are arranged in two stages.
Pixels are provided.

The cathode chamber 4 is formed by a back plate 13 and a side wall plate 14 provided so as to surround the periphery of the back plate 13. On the back plate 13, a cathode 7 composed of a hot cathode obtained by applying an emitter material to a filament coil is provided. The cathode 7 is electrically connected to the outside via a lead pin 15 which is inserted airtightly from the back plate 13 and is supported. Reference numeral 16 denotes an exhaust pipe projecting from the bottom to the rear. Numeral 17 denotes a mercury release structure in which a Zr-Al alloy as a getter is adhered on one surface side of the substrate and a Ti-Hg alloy is adhered on the other surface side. The mercury release structure 17 is connected to an inner conductor 18 that is inserted through the back plate 13 in an airtight manner. The mercury-releasing structure 17 evaporates mercury into the hermetic container 1 by high-frequency induction heating from outside the hermetic container 1. The pair of cathodes 7
The a and b and a pair of mercury emission structures 17a and 17b are provided on the left and right at symmetrical positions of the partition wall 19 partitioned at the longitudinally intermediate portion of the back plate 13. The partition wall 19 allows the left and right cathode chambers to communicate with each other through a slight gap.

On the inner surface of the light-transmitting front plate 2, a black stripe (indicated by oblique lines in FIG. 1) 20, which is a light-shielding portion, is formed by printing black paint or the like.

That is, the black stripes 20 are formed so as to surround between the light emitting chambers 5, between the pixels constituted by the three light emitting chambers 5 for emitting light of R, B and G, respectively, and to surround the periphery of each pixel. A series of black paints are formed on the inner surface of the optical front plate 2.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first, second, third and fourth auxiliary electrode chambers 21a are provided on the back side of the black stripe 20 between the pixels adjacent in the horizontal direction in the drawing. , 2
1b, 21c and 21d are arranged in a staggered manner. The first and second auxiliary electrode chambers 21a and 21b are connected to the first cathode 7a.
While being arranged symmetrically with respect to
And the fourth auxiliary electrode chambers 21c and 21d are connected to the second cathode 7
It is arranged in a symmetrical position with respect to b to constitute a pair.

Each of the auxiliary electrode chambers 21a to 21d corresponds to each of the light emitting chambers 3.
2 has a substantially rectangular planar shape, and has pin-shaped auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22
b, 22c and 22d are housed respectively.
Each of the auxiliary electrode chambers 21a to 21d has a round or square auxiliary discharge communication hole 23a, 23b, 2 on the inner wall side.
3c and 23d are respectively formed so as to communicate with the cathode chambers 4a and 4b partitioned by the partition wall 19, respectively. Thereby, each light emitting chamber 5 and each cathode 7a,
Each of the auxiliary electrode chambers 21a to 21d faces a discharge path connecting the auxiliary electrode chambers 7b. No phosphor is formed on the inner wall of each of the auxiliary electrode chambers 21a to 21d.

The first auxiliary electrode 22a is shown in FIGS.
In the upper half of the pixel array on the left half side of the pixel array 9, the first auxiliary electrode 22b is disposed one pixel inward from the pixel farthest from the first cathode 7a.
Of the first and second auxiliary electrodes 22a, 22b are disposed one pixel inside the pixel farthest from the cathode 7a of the
Are disposed substantially symmetrically with respect to the first cathode 7a.

In substantially the same manner, the third auxiliary electrode 22c is located within one pixel from the pixel farthest from the second cathode 7b in the upper half of the pixel array on the right half side of the cathode partition wall 19 in FIGS. And the fourth auxiliary electrode 22d
Are disposed one pixel inside the pixel farthest from the second cathode 7b in the lower part of the pixel array, and the third and fourth
The auxiliary electrodes 22c and 22d are disposed at substantially symmetric positions with respect to the second cathode 7b.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the display fluorescent lamp constructed as described above. The light-emitting chamber 3 has a long horizontal partition inside a bottomed rectangular cylindrical main body 3a elongated in the horizontal direction in the figure. Board 3b
As a result, a plurality of light emitting chambers 5 are formed in the vertical direction in the figure, and a plurality of light emitting chambers 5 are horizontally divided in the figure by a plurality of short vertical partitions 3c. Discharge holes 10 are formed in the bottom surface 9 of each of the light emitting chambers 5, and phosphors that emit light of R, G, and B are respectively provided in each of the light emitting chambers 5 by a spray method, a slurry method, or the like. It is formed by successively applying each time.

The light emitting chamber 3 thus constructed is dropped into the upper chamber 14a of the cathode chamber 4 in the drawing, and the light-transmitting front panel 2 is fitted on the open end 6 of the upper chamber 14a. And hermetically sealed.

On the other hand, the rectangular tubular side wall plate 14 of the cathode chamber 4
At the lower end of the opening in FIG.
a, 7b, a partition plate 19 and a pair of mercury releasing structures 17a, 1
7b is set up in advance, while the fitting groove of the back plate 13 to which the exhaust pipe 16 is fixed is fitted and airtightly fixed by frit glass.

Therefore, simply dropping the light-emitting chamber 3 integrally formed with the plurality of light-emitting chambers 5 into the upper chamber 14a of the cathode chamber 4 allows the light-emitting chamber 3 to be easily and quickly connected to the cathode chamber 4. Can be assembled.

FIG. 7 shows the anode 11 of each of the n light emitting chambers 5.
, 11n applied to the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d in synchronization with the rise of the discharge voltages Va, Vb,.
It is a timing chart of Pd. Each auxiliary electrode 22a-
The pulses Pa... Pd are applied to the period 22T every period (T). Further, each cathode 7a, 7b and each anode 11
, 11n are applied with discharge voltages Va, Vb,..., Vn every cycle (T).

The discharge voltages Va, Vb,..., Vn are superimposed with a starting pulse slightly lower than the pulses Pa,. A voltage of several tens of volts is applied so as to turn on at tb,..., tn.

The voltage applied to the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d does not have to be a pulse, and may be a constant voltage. Further, the discharge voltages Va, V
As long as b,..., Vn do not have a problem in the startability, the start pulse need not be superimposed.

According to this embodiment, ions and electrons in the discharge path between the cathodes 7a and 7b and the anodes 11 are activated by the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d.
The starting voltage between each cathode 7a, 7b and each anode 11 can be reduced, and the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d can be reduced.
With this arrangement, the variation in the discharge voltage of each anode 11 can be reduced, and the luminance of the display surface can be made uniform.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the starting voltage of each anode 11 of the display fluorescent lamp according to this embodiment in comparison with the starting voltage of each anode 11 of the display fluorescent lamp A shown in FIG. . The numbers on the horizontal axis in FIG. 8 indicate the positions of the anodes 11 and are the same as the circled numbers in FIG.

[0060]

[Outside 1]

[0061]

[Outside 2]

For this reason, in order to reduce the starting voltage between the anodes 11 and to equalize the variation thereof, control means for controlling the voltage applied to each anode 11 is required. There is a problem in that the types of voltage control values increase and the configuration of the lighting circuit becomes complicated.

On the other hand, in the fluorescent lamp for display according to the present embodiment, since the starting voltage of each anode 11 is low and the variation is small as described above, there is no such problem.

That is, since the variation in the starting voltage of each anode 11 is not reduced by a circuit element such as a current limiting resistor, it is possible to prevent the lamp lighting circuit from being complicated and increasing the cost.

The auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d are arranged. A space between a pair of adjacent pixels is a gap between the plurality of light emitting chambers 5, which is a dead space. The installation space for 22a to 22d can be easily secured. For this reason, an increase in the size of the entire apparatus can be prevented.

Further, the gap between the pixels is adjacent to the light emitting chamber 5.
Since the black stripe 20 of the light-shielding portion is formed here, the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22a
Even if bluish light due to mercury emission lines is inadvertently emitted in the vicinity of 22d, the emitted light can be shielded by the black stripe 20, so that display accuracy can be improved.

Further, since the auxiliary electrode chambers 21a to 21d and the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d face the back side of the black stripe 20, the auxiliary electrode chambers 21a to 21d
The 1d and the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d can be concealed by the black stripes 20 to improve the aesthetic appearance.

Since the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d are disposed on the back side of the black stripe 20 outside the plurality of light emitting chambers 5, the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d allow the plurality of auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d to be located inside. The starting voltage of each anode 11 and each of the cathodes 7a and 7b of the light emitting chamber 5 can be reduced, and the variation of the starting voltage can be reduced.

Since the back side of the black stripe 20 on which the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d are disposed is outside the plurality of light emitting chambers 5, a decrease in display accuracy due to a reduction in the density of the light emitting chambers 5 is prevented. be able to.

Further, a plurality of luminous chambers 5 are arranged in a matrix (matrix form), and each anode 1 of each luminous chamber 5 is arranged.
1 and the center of the cathodes 7a and 7b which perform discharge,
The plurality of auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d are arranged at point-symmetric positions. By these auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d, the effect of reducing the variation of the discharge voltage is reduced by each of the cathodes 7a and 7b.
On the average. as a result,
The uniformity of the luminance of the entire display surface by each light emitting chamber 5 can be improved.

Further, since the black stripe 20 can be expanded from the auxiliary electrodes 22a to 22d to the auxiliary electrode chambers 21a to 21d, the contrast on the light-shielding front plate 2 forming the display surface can be improved.

Further, the mercury releasing structures 17a, 17b
Can easily and reliably discharge mercury into the hermetic container 1 by energizing the inner conductor 18 or irradiating a laser beam.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a display fluorescent lamp 31 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, which is the left and right half of the display fluorescent lamp according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. One small airtight container 1a, for example, like the left half.
Is characterized in that a light emitting chamber 5 of 8 pixels in 2 rows and 4 columns is provided, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

That is, two auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b and two auxiliary electrode chambers 21a and
21b is provided symmetrically with respect to the cathode 7a within one pixel from the pixel farthest from one cathode 7a.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the cathode 7a and each anode 1
1 and the variation of the discharge voltage can be reduced.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a display fluorescent lamp 41 according to a third embodiment of the present invention, which shows two auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b and auxiliary electrode chambers 21a and 21b of the embodiment shown in FIG. Is provided outside the light emitting chamber 5 of the pixel farthest from one cathode 7a at a symmetrical position with respect to the cathode 7a, and the other configuration is the same as the display of the second embodiment. It is almost the same as the fluorescent lamp 31 for use.

According to this embodiment, the auxiliary electrodes 22a,
Since 22b is communicated with the cathode chamber outside the light emitting chamber 5 farthest from the cathode 7a, the discharge path connecting each anode 11 and the cathode 7a is activated over the entire length to reduce the variation in the discharge voltage. Can be.

Moreover, since the two auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b are provided at symmetric positions of the cathode 7a, it is possible to symmetrically reduce the variation in discharge voltage reduction.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the present invention can be implemented in still another embodiment as shown below.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a display fluorescent lamp 51 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b are arranged in a staggered manner as in the embodiment shown in FIG. In this case, the center axis Oa of the cathode 7a is set to the two light emitting chambers on the side where the auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b are not arranged,
For example, it is characterized in that the cathode 7a is provided so as to be inclined so as to overlap on a straight line connecting the discharge holes 5a and 5b.

According to this embodiment, each auxiliary electrode 22
Since the auxiliary discharge path formed between the auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b and the cathode 7a extends to the side where the auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b are not disposed, the starting voltage on the side where the auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b are not disposed is reduced. Can be. Further, the difference in discharge voltage between the side where the auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b are provided and the side where the auxiliary electrodes 22a and 22b are not provided can be reduced.
Variations in the discharge voltage for each unit can be further reduced, and the luminance on the display surface can be made uniform.

FIG. 13 is a front view of a display fluorescent lamp 61 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
For the same reason as in the embodiment, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the center axis Ob of the cathode 7a is
FIG. 12 is characterized in that the center axis Ob of the cathode 7a is inclined so as to overlap with the two light emitting chambers on the side where the a and 22b are not arranged, for example, the straight lines connecting the discharge holes 5c and 5d. The same operation and effect as those of the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a fluorescent lamp for display according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. , R, G,
Three types of phosphors each having the phosphor B are prepared.

Thereafter, these three types of light-emitting chambers 3 are divided into light-emitting chambers 5 and the light-emitting chambers 5e for each of R, G, and B are separated.
Is dropped into the upper chamber 14a of the cathode chamber 4 according to a predetermined arrangement, thereby being assembled to the cathode chamber 4.

According to this, it is not necessary to work a mask or the like to sequentially apply R, G, and B phosphors to each of the light-emitting chambers 5 of one light-emitting chamber section 3, and it is not necessary to work R, G, and B. Can be simultaneously formed by a spray method, a slurry method, or the like.

Therefore, the number of steps for forming the phosphor in the light emitting chamber section 3 can be greatly reduced, and in addition, the mixing of the adjacent light emitting chambers 5 due to the spillage of the phosphor paint occurs to lower the chromaticity. Can be prevented.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing the light emitting chamber 3 shown in FIGS. 6 and 14 with a part thereof cut away to show the structure. The light emitting chamber 3 has a strip-shaped vertical partition. 30 plates 3c are required. The vertical partition plates 3c are fitted one by one into the fitting grooves 3d formed in the upper and lower end walls of the bottomed rectangular cylindrical main body 3a.
, And the assembling workability is not always good.

On the other hand, according to the luminous chamber portion 24 of the display fluorescent lamp according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 16, a strip-shaped vertical partition plate 3c for dividing into a plurality of luminous chambers 5 is provided.
It is possible to reduce the number to six, and to improve the assembling workability.

FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the main body 24a of the light emitting chamber section 24. In the figure, a dashed line indicates a valley fold line, a dashed line indicates a mountain fold line, and a reference numeral 24b indicates a longitudinal length of the vertical partition plate 3c. 24c, which is fitted and fixed at both ends in the direction
Reference numeral denotes a fitting groove which is fitted and fixed in a cross shape into fitting grooves at both ends and a lower end in a longitudinal direction of a horizontal partition plate (not shown).

FIG. 18 shows the light emitting chamber main body 24 in this expanded state.
FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a is pressed along a valley and a mountain fold line to form a square tube with a bottom. The light emitting chamber main body 24a is provided with, for example, two vertical partition plates 3 in each recess 24d.
By arranging c, three light emitting chambers 5 for one pixel that emit light for R, G, and B are formed, and a space on the back surface (lower surface in FIG. 18) of each convex portion 24e is formed in the auxiliary electrode chamber 21. I do.

Therefore, according to the light emitting chamber 24,
Since the auxiliary electrode chamber 21 is formed in the space on the back side of the projection 24e, there is no need to partition both sides of the auxiliary electrode chamber 21 with the vertical partition plate 3c as shown in FIG. For this reason, the number of the vertical partition plates 3c can be reduced to 16 to save the partition plate material, and the workability of assembling the vertical partition plates 3c can be improved.

Since the auxiliary electrode chamber 21 is formed in the space on the back side of the projection 24e, the auxiliary electrode 22 housed in the auxiliary electrode chamber 21 can be concealed by the head wall of the projection 24e. For this reason, the external appearance can be improved, and in addition, some bluish stray light of the mercury emission line due to the auxiliary discharge of the auxiliary electrode 22 appears on the display surface to lower the display luminance. Can be prevented. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a black stripe, which is a light-shielding portion, on the convex portion 24e.

[0093]

As described above, claim 1 or claim 2
According to the invention, the ions and electrons in the discharge path between the cathode and each anode are activated by the auxiliary electrode, so that it is possible to reduce the variation in the discharge voltage of each anode and make the brightness uniform.

Further, the back side of the light-shielding portion where the auxiliary electrode is provided is a gap between a pair of adjacent light-emitting chambers, which is a dead space, so that the arrangement density of these light-emitting chambers is not reduced. In addition, it is possible to easily secure an installation space for the auxiliary electrode, improve display accuracy, and prevent the entire apparatus from being enlarged.

Further, even if a visible ray is inadvertently emitted by the discharge of the auxiliary electrode and the cathode, the emitted light can be shielded by the light-shielding portion, so that the display accuracy can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the auxiliary electrode is provided in a space between a pair of adjacent pixels, that is, in a so-called dead space, an installation space for the auxiliary electrode can be easily secured without lowering the pixel density. be able to. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the entire device from being enlarged.

The gap between the pixels is a gap between the light-emitting chambers, and since a light-shielding portion is formed here, even if the light-emitting chamber in the vicinity of the auxiliary electrode emits light carelessly, the light is not emitted. Since light can be shielded by the light shielding portion, display accuracy can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, one pixel is formed by three light emitting chambers to which red (R) light emitting phosphor, green (G) light emitting phosphor, and blue (B) light emitting phosphor are applied respectively. Accordingly, one pixel can display R, G, B, and a combination of these various colors.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the light-shielding portion is formed on the light-transmitting front plate so as to face the auxiliary electrode chamber, the auxiliary electrode can be provided inside the light-transmitting front plate. In addition, the installation space can be secured with a margin.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the same effect as that of the first or second aspect of the present invention can be obtained, and the light-shielding portion is disposed outside the plurality of light-emitting chambers. It is possible to prevent a decrease in display accuracy due to a decrease in installation density.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a plurality of light-emitting chambers are arranged in a matrix (matrix), and a plurality of auxiliary electrodes are arranged with respect to each anode of each of the light-emitting chambers and the center of a cathode for discharging. Is located at a point symmetrical position,
The effect of reducing the variation in the discharge voltage by these auxiliary electrodes can be symmetrically performed about the cathode.
As a result, it is possible to improve the luminance uniformity of the entire display surface by each light emitting chamber without providing an auxiliary electrode more than necessary.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a display fluorescent lamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a main part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a longitudinal section of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the like.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart of voltage pulses applied to auxiliary electrodes shown in FIG. 1 and the like.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a starting voltage reduction effect of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the comparative example shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic front view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic front view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the light emitting chamber shown in FIGS. 6 and 14;

FIG. 16 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a light emitting chamber according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the light emitting chamber main body shown in FIG. 16;

18 is a partially cutaway longitudinal sectional view of the light emitting chamber main body shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a Airtight container 2 Translucent front plate 3 Light-emitting chamber 3b Horizontal partition 3c Vertical partition 3d Fitting groove 4 Cathode chamber 5,5a, 5b, 5c, 5d Light-emitting chamber 7,7a, 7b Cathode 10 Discharge Hole 11 Anode 13 Back plate 19 Partition wall 20 Black stripe (light shielding portion) 21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d Auxiliary electrode chamber 22, 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d Auxiliary electrode 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d Auxiliary discharge communication hole 24 Light emitting room 24a Light emitting unit main body

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Nobuo Shibano 4-3-1 Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (72) Inventor Koichi Honda 4-3-1 Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo No. Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (72) Inventor Katsuyuki Ide 4-3-1 Higashi Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (72) Inventor Masaaki Kobayashi 3-1-1 Noritake Shinmachi, Nishi-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Noritake Company Limited Limited (72) Inventor Kengo Toda 3-36 Noritake Shinmachi, Nishi-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Noritake Company Limited Limited (72) Inventor Akira Tone 20 Hirokocho, Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture Matsusaka Noritake Co., Ltd. In company

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A light-transmitting front panel, a cathode chamber, and a plurality of light-emitting chambers disposed substantially flush between the light-transmitting front panel and the cathode chamber and having a phosphor layer formed on an inner surface thereof. An airtight container in which a discharge hole communicating between the light emitting chamber and the cathode chamber is formed for each light emitting chamber; a discharge medium sealed in the airtight container; and a cathode disposed in the cathode chamber of the airtight container. A plurality of anodes disposed in the light-emitting chamber of the hermetic container and forming a discharge path with the cathode; a light-shielding portion formed between at least a pair of light-emitting chambers of the airtight container; and a rear side of the light-shielding portion. And a cathode and an auxiliary electrode forming a discharge path. 2. A light-transmitting front plate, wherein a plurality of light-emitting chambers are substantially flush with an inner surface of the light-transmitting front plate, and a cathode chamber is defined behind the plurality of light-emitting chambers. A light-tight chamber in which a phosphor layer is formed on the inner surface and a discharge hole communicating between the light-emitting chamber and the cathode chamber is formed for each light-emitting chamber; a discharge medium sealed in the air-tight container A cathode disposed in a cathode chamber of the hermetic container; a plurality of anodes disposed in a light emitting chamber of the hermetic container to form a discharge path with the cathode; formed between at least one pair of light emitting chambers of the hermetic container. A fluorescent lamp for display, comprising: a light-shielding portion; and an auxiliary electrode provided on the back side of the light-shielding portion and forming a cathode and a discharge path. 3. The display according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of light-emitting chambers form one pixel, and the light-shielding portion and the auxiliary electrode are arranged between at least a pair of pixels. Fluorescent lamp. 4. A pixel is formed by three light emitting chambers,
The three light-emitting chambers have a red light-emitting phosphor, a blue light-emitting phosphor,
4. The display fluorescent lamp according to claim 3, wherein a green light-emitting phosphor is applied. 5. An auxiliary electrode chamber is provided between at least a pair of pixels, and a light-shielding portion is formed on a light-transmitting front plate facing the auxiliary electrode chamber.
Or the fluorescent lamp for display according to 4. 6. A light-transmitting front panel, a cathode chamber, and a plurality of light-emitting chambers disposed substantially flush between the light-transmitting front panel and the cathode chamber and having a phosphor layer formed on an inner surface thereof. An airtight container in which a discharge hole communicating between the light emitting chamber and the cathode chamber is formed for each light emitting chamber; a discharge medium sealed in the airtight container; and a cathode disposed in the cathode chamber of the airtight container. A plurality of anodes disposed in the light-emitting chamber of the hermetic container and forming a discharge path with the cathode; a light-shielding portion disposed at least outside the plurality of light-emitting chambers; and a rear side of the light-shielding portion. A fluorescent lamp for display, comprising: a cathode; and an auxiliary electrode forming a discharge path. 7. A plurality of light-emitting chambers are arranged in one direction, and the arrangement is formed in a plurality of stages in another direction orthogonal to one direction, and the auxiliary electrode is formed at a point centered on a central portion of the cathode. 7. The display fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said fluorescent lamps are arranged symmetrically.