JPH1167151A - Recycled fluorescent lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the recycling of a fluorescent lamp by forming an inner tube of a translucent container, sealed with the discharge gas and provided with an electrode for generating discharge or a part for accelerating the discharge and an outer tube of a translucent container coated with phosphors and a phosphor-protecting film inside thereof separable from each other. SOLUTION: Mercury 2 is sealed in an inner tube 1, and the inside surface of an outer tube 3 is coated with phosphor 4, and as the inner tube, a translucent container of a special glass or quartz having a lower limit of ultraviolet- ray transmission limit at 150-350 nm is preferably used. An outer tube made of soda glass or soft glass is used, and emission of the ultraviolet rays to the outside is prevented, and contamination of the outer tube by the mercury and an electron emitting material is avoided, while the adsorption of mercury and the phosphor is eliminated so as to lower the quantity of mercury. After wasting recovering, the inner tube and the outer tube are separated from each other, and only the outer tube is re-used thus enabling recycling, and the outer tube is coated with an optical catalyst film so as to enable the recycle of the optical catalyst.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a light source and a lighting device which can be partially recycled.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a fluorescent lamp, a discharge gas is sealed in a glass tube, and a fluorescent substance is applied to an inner surface of the glass tube. The life of the conventional fluorescent lamp is mainly determined by the consumption of the electron-emitting substance applied to the electrode, and the phosphor which has still a valid period is also discarded. And the discarded fluorescent lamps are processed without being recycled, or even if they are recycled, the cost is high.

[0003]

In considering the recycling of fluorescent lamps, it is important to treat mercury and reuse phosphors. The cause of the lamp life is mercury reduction due to mercury oxidation and the like, blackening due to the adhesion of mercury oxide to the glass tube, and wear of the electron emitting material of the electrode.

According to the present invention, there is provided a fluorescent lamp having a configuration that is easy to recycle based on the above-described characteristics of the fluorescent lamp.

[0005]

A fluorescent lamp according to the present invention comprises:
The inner tube, which is a translucent airtight container, and the outer tube, which is a translucent container
The inner tube has a discharge tube sealed therein, and an electrode for generating discharge or a component for promoting discharge is installed in the inner tube. A phosphor and a phosphor protective film are applied on the inner side of the outer tube. And the outer tube is separable. That is, by separating the inner tube involving the mercury and the electrode and the outer tube involving the reusable phosphor, a recycling lamp that can reuse the outer tube is provided.

Further, the lamp of the present invention is characterized in that the light-transmitting airtight container of the inner tube is made of special glass or quartz, and the lower limit wavelength of the ultraviolet light transmission limit is in the range of 150 to 350 nm.

Further, as an example of a preferred embodiment, a photocatalyst is formed on the outer surface of the outer tube, or several projections are formed on the inner surface of the outer tube to serve as a guide for inserting the inner tube. Have.

[0008]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an arc tube part of a fluorescent lamp according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
Is filled with mercury 2 and the inner surface of the outer tube 3 is coated with a phosphor 4. In order to excite the phosphor 4 to emit light, ultraviolet rays (mainly 254 nm) emitted from mercury must be transmitted to the phosphor. Therefore, a translucent container made of special glass or quartz having a UV transmission lower limit wavelength in the range of 150 to 350 nm is used for the inner tube. Then, soda glass or soft glass is used for the outer tube so that dangerous ultraviolet rays are not emitted outside. With such a structure, the outer tube is not contaminated by mercury or an electron emitting material. Further, since the adsorption between mercury and the phosphor can be ignored, the amount of mercury can be reduced.

After disposing and collecting, the inner pipe and the outer pipe are disassembled,
Recycling is possible by reusing only the outer tube. Also, it becomes easier to collect and reuse mercury from the inner tube. Furthermore, when a photocatalyst film is applied to the outer tube, the photocatalyst semi-permanently maintains the air cleaning effect, so that it can also be recycled.

As described above, according to the present invention, a fluorescent lamp capable of reusing a phosphor can be provided to a consumer, and mercury can be easily separated and recovered and reused. Pollution due to mercury disposal is reduced, and the environmental load can be reduced. Further, since the adsorption between mercury and the phosphor can be ignored, the amount of mercury can be reduced.

Further, if the present invention is applied to a lamp for removing organic components in the air by using a lamp having a photocatalyst formed on the outer surface of the outer tube, the applied photocatalyst film can be recycled.

Further, by forming some projections on the inner side of the outer tube to serve as a guide for inserting the inner tube, the inner tube can be formed without damaging the phosphor applied on the inner surface of the outer tube during recycling. It can be inserted and can maintain its appearance when commercialized.

(Embodiment 1) As shown in FIG. 3, a glass tube having a size of a commercially available 20 W straight tube fluorescent lamp is used as the inner tube 1.
The material is special glass. Further, a glass tube having a diameter of 38 mm is used for the outer tube 3, and the phosphor protective film and the phosphor 4 are provided inside.
Is applied, and a photocatalyst film 5 is formed on the outside.

The recycled fluorescent lamp thus obtained was subjected to an experiment in which the same state as used for one year was used, and only the inner tube was replaced and turned on again. Color rendering is obtained. In addition, the inner tube 1 has no phosphor, and mercury can be easily collected.
Furthermore, the applied photocatalyst film 5 shows a high air cleaning effect (acetaldehyde removal rate, FIG. 2) again.

As shown in the transverse and longitudinal sectional views shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), by providing a protruding inner tube insertion guide 6 formed on the outer tube 3, the phosphor is not damaged. The inner tube could be inserted.

[0016]

According to the present invention, a fluorescent lamp capable of reusing a phosphor can be provided to a consumer, and mercury can be easily separated and recovered and reused. And the environmental load can be reduced.

Further, the photocatalyst film applied to the outer surface of the outer tube can be recycled. Further, according to the embodiment of FIG. 4, the inner tube can be inserted without rubbing the phosphor applied to the inner surface of the outer tube at the time of recycling, and the appearance at the time of commercialization can be maintained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a fluorescent lamp according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing acetaldehyde removal rate by a fluorescent lamp according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the entire fluorescent lamp according to one embodiment of the present invention.

4A and 4B are a cross-sectional view and a vertical cross-sectional view of a fluorescent lamp outer tube according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inner tube, 2 ... Mercury gas, 3 ... Outer tube, 4 ... Phosphor, 5 ...
Photocatalytic film, 6: Projection guide.

Claims (4)

[Claims] An inner tube which is a light-transmitting airtight container and a double tube structure of an outer tube which is a light-transmitting container, wherein a discharge gas is sealed in the inner tube and an electrode or discharge for generating a discharge is provided. A recycle fluorescent lamp, wherein a part for promoting the fluorescent lamp is installed, a phosphor and a phosphor protective film are coated on an inner side of the outer tube, and the inner tube and the outer tube are separable. 2. The recycled fluorescent light according to claim 1, wherein the light-transmitting airtight container of the inner tube is made of special glass or quartz, and has a lower limit wavelength of ultraviolet light transmission in a range of 150 to 350 nm. lamp. 3. A recycled fluorescent lamp comprising a photocatalyst formed on the outer surface of the outer tube according to claim 1. 4. A recycled fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, wherein several projections are formed inside the outer tube to serve as a guide when inserting the inner tube.