JPS5994360A - High pressure discharger - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate restarting while to achieve stable lighting by constructing at least a portion of both electrodes for a starting discharge tube with bimetals arranged in parallel each other while providing a stopper near the bimetal at the bending side. CONSTITUTION:Both electrodes of a starting discharge tube 22 are constructed with bimetals 31, 32 arranged in parallel each other while a stopper 33 is provided near the bending side of bimetals 31, 32. Consequently even if heated by heat from a light emission tube 1 under lighting, bimetals 31, 32 will displace in same direction to prevent contact between the contacts 34, 35 during lighting. Under such state as shown by (b) where instantaneous restarting immediately after unlighting is required, upon application of voltage glow discharge will start between both electrodes under bent state to increase bending of bimetals 31, 32 but it is stopped by a stopper 33 to make the contacts 34, 35. Upon stoppage of discharge to stop heating of bimetals 31, 32, the contacts 34, 35 are broken to start discharge between main electrodes 2a, 2b instantaneously.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a high-pressure discharge device, and particularly to a high-pressure discharge device that is compact, has improved restart characteristics, and can replace an incandescent light bulb.

Conventionally, incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent lamps have been mainly used as light sources for indoor use, particularly for stores and homes, with a luminous flux of about 10,006 m to 20,001 m. However, incandescent light bulbs have low efficiency and a short lifespan, and fluorescent lamps have a large shape that makes it difficult to make them compact. Therefore, it is conceivable to use a compact and highly efficient high-pressure discharge device for the above application.

This high pressure discharge device will be explained using a high pressure mercury lamp as an example. Fig. 1 shows a conventional high-pressure mercury lamp, in which 1 is an arc tube made of quartz glass, which has a pair of main electrodes 2a and 2b at both ends, and an auxiliary electrode 3 near the main electrode 2a. It is filled with a suitable amount of mercury as a luminescent metal and argon as a starting rare gas. The main electrode 2a is connected to one terminal of the base 8 via the molybdenum foil 4a, the lead 5a, and the stem lead 7a fixed to the stem 6, and the main electrode 2b is connected to the molybdenum foil 4b, the lead 5b, the support frame 9, and the stem lead. It is connected to the other terminal of the cap 8 via 7b. Since the cap 8 is connected to the power source via the ballast, the main electrodes 2a, 2b are eventually connected to the power source via the ballast. Further, the auxiliary electrode 3 is connected to the support frame 9 via the molybdenum foil 1o, the lead 11 and the resistor 12,
Eventually, the auxiliary electrode 3 is connected to the auxiliary electrode 2b via the resistor 12. In addition, the resistance value of the resistor 12 is IKΩ~100
It is Ω. Reference numeral 13 denotes an outer tube for housing the above-mentioned components, which is fixed to the stem 6 and the base 8, and has a phosphor 27 on its inner surface.
is applied, and an inert gas such as nitrogen is sealed inside.

In the above-mentioned high-pressure mercury lamp, when a voltage is applied via the ballast, an auxiliary discharge is started between the main electrode 2a and the auxiliary electrode 3, and a large amount of charged particles are created thereby, so that the main electrode 2a , 2b decreases below the applied voltage, and the main discharge starts. The heat of this main discharge heats the arc tube 1, and eventually all the mercury in the arc tube 1 evaporates. Then, the evaporated mercury is excited in the discharge space and emits visible light and ultraviolet light, and the ultraviolet light excites the phosphor on the inner surface of the outer bulb 13 to generate visible light, and these visible lights are eventually used for illumination.

However, if such a high-pressure mercury lamp is to be used as a replacement for an incandescent light bulb, it is necessary to incorporate a ballast in the base 8 portion. In this case, if the high-pressure mercury lamp is turned on and then turned off, the start of discharge will be delayed even if voltage is applied immediately.
It takes a while for the light to turn on again. That is, the maximum value of the discharge starting voltage between the main electrodes 2a and 2b after the light is turned off is, for example, about 4000V, and when the power supply voltage is 200V, it takes about 4V before the discharge starts again (referred to as restart). The problem was that during this time, the light from the lamp could not be obtained and illumination could not be performed. Another method is to add a circuit that generates a high voltage of 4,000 V or more to the ballast so that it can be restarted immediately, but the high voltage generating circuit is expensive and the ballast cannot handle the high voltage. It had the disadvantage of causing dielectric breakdown and rendering it unusable.

Therefore, in order to improve the above-mentioned drawbacks, a heating element made of a tungsten filament or the like is provided near at least one of the main electrodes, and a starting discharge tube such as a glow turme is connected in series to this heating element. During restart, the heating element is heated with current by the operation of the starting discharge tube, and the high surge voltage generated in the ballast the moment the contact of the starting discharge tube opens makes restarting easier. A method has been proposed. However, if the starting discharge tube is installed inside the outer tube or inside the cap, or if the starting discharge tube is placed near the arc tube due to wiring reasons, heat from the arc tube or ballast during lighting may be generated. A phenomenon occurs in which the contacts of the discharge tube often close, causing the discharge tube to go out immediately.

The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and includes a structure in which at least mercury is sealed inside, a pair of electrodes are provided at both ends, and a heating body is provided near at least one of the electrodes. and a starting discharge tube is connected in series to this heating element, and the heating element is heated by electric current by the operation of the discharge tube upon restart, and at least a portion of both electrodes of the discharge tube are arranged parallel to each other. It is an object of the present invention to provide and provide a high-pressure discharge device which is made of a bimetal and is characterized in that a stopper is provided near the bimetal on the bending side, and is easy to restart and provides stable lighting. purpose.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 2, 14 is a heating element made of a tungsten filament, 16 is a ballast, and 22 is a main electrode 2a, 2
a starting discharge tube connected in series with the heating element 14 between b;
8 is a power source. When the power is restored after the silanzo is temporarily turned off due to a temporary drop in the power supply voltage, etc., the discharge tube 22 is connected in series to the heating element 14, one end of which is connected to the main electrode 2a. The contacts of the discharge tube 22 come into contact,
The heating element 14 and the discharge tube 2 are connected from the power supply i8 via the ballast 16.
A current flows through the series circuit of 2, heating the heating element 14 and making it red hot. - The contacts of the discharge tube 22 that have just touched are separated immediately, and the current is cut off. At this moment, a high voltage is generated in the ballast 16, and due to the effect of this voltage and the effect of the heating body 14, which is red-hot and easily emits electrons, the main electrode 2a
, 2b easily starts even under high pressure of mercury vapor at the time of restart, and restart is possible instantaneously or in a short time with a relatively low voltage.

3(a), (b), and (e) show the configuration and operating state of the starting discharge tube 22, which is the starting voltage generating means, 31.

Numerals 32 and 32 are metals arranged parallel to each other, 33 and 34 and 35 are contacts provided at the tips of metals 31 and 32, respectively, and these are filled with an operating gas such as a rare gas. It is housed inside a glass tube. Figure 3 (a
) shows the state before lighting, 载) shows the state during lighting, and (c) shows the state in which the contacts 34 and 35 are in contact.

FIG. 4 shows the specific configuration of the high-pressure discharge device of this embodiment,
Main electrodes 2a and 2b, which are discharge electrodes, are located at both ends of the arc tube 1.
A heating element 14 made of a tungsten filament is provided near the main electrode 2a. Heating body 14
One end is connected to the molybdenum foil 4a and electrically connected to the main electrode 2a. The main electrode 2a is a molybdenum foil 4a
, IJ)j5a, stem lead 7a, lead 1
5. Connected to one terminal of the cap 8 via a choke coil type ballast 16 and a lead 17. In addition, the main electrode 2b
is connected to the other terminal of the base 8 via the molybdenum foil 4b, the lead 5b, the support frame 9, the stem lead 7b and the lead 18. Moreover, the other end of the heating body 14 is a molybdenum foil 1.
9, the lead 20 is connected to one terminal of the starting discharge tube 22 via the stem lead 7c and the lead 25, and the other terminal of the discharge tube 22 is connected to the stem lead 7b via the lead 26, and eventually becomes the main electrode. 2b. The discharge tube 22 is a normally open bimetal switch as shown in FIG. 3. The bimetal switch closes due to the heat of the discharge between the bimetals 31 and 32, and then cools down by stopping the discharge and closes the contacts 34 and 35. opens, and at this time, the current is completely cut off and a voltage is induced in the ballast 16, which is an inductive element. 6 is a stem forming a part of the outer tube 13, and the stem 6 has stem leads 7a to 7a.
7C is sealed, and the inside of the outer tube 13 is maintained in an inert gas atmosphere. Reference numeral 23 denotes a stabilizer case formed between the outer tube 13 and the cap 8. The case 23 is made of metal and has a cylindrical curve.The stabilizer 16 is fixed inside the end surface of the cap 8, and The aperture is attached to the stem 6. A discharge tube 22 is also provided within the case 23. A reflecting plate 24 effectively reflects light or ultraviolet rays forward, and also shields the ballast 16 and discharge tube 22 from infrared rays.

In the above-described high-pressure discharge device, when a power source is directly connected to the base 8, the discharge tube 22 starts glow discharge, and a current flows through the discharge tube 22, the heating body 14, and the ballast 16. As a result, the discharge tube 22 is heated and the multi-contact points 34.35 are closed due to the deformation of the bimetal 31.32, and the heating body 14 is heated. Next, to stop the discharge, the discharge tube 22
is cooled and the contacts open to an open state, a high voltage surge is generated, voltage is applied between the main electrodes 2a and 2b, discharge is started, and starting is completed. Then, while the light is on, all the mercury evaporates, as in the case of conventional lights, and the light operates in a safe state. Next, when the power is connected again immediately after the light is turned off, a current flows in the same way as when starting, heating the heating element 14 and emitting electrons, reducing the discharge starting voltage between the main electrodes 2a and 2b to about 2KY or less. let Here, when the discharge tube 22 operates, the ballast 1
6, a high voltage of about 2 vinegar is generated, and the main electrode 2a,
Discharge starts between 2b and restart is easily performed.

By the way, if you use a conventional discharge tube for starting,
The heat from the arc tube 1 during lighting often activates the bimetal switch and closes the contacts, causing the lamp to go out. However, in this embodiment, bimetals 31 and 32 arranged parallel to each other constitute two poles. In addition, since the stopper 33 is provided near the curved side of the bimetal 31.32, the bimetal 31.3 is removed by the heat from the arc tube 1 during lighting.
Even if the lamps 2 and 3 are heated, they are displaced in the same direction as shown in Figure 3), preventing the contacts 34 and 35 from coming into contact with each other while the lamp is lit. When a restart is required, a glow discharge between the two poles is started in this curved state when a voltage is applied, and due to the heat, the curvature of both bimetals 31 and 32 becomes even greater.

A stopper 33 disposed near the curved side of the contact point 32 prevents the bending, and the contact points 34° and 35
comes into contact. When contacts 34 and 35 come into contact and the discharge between the two poles stops and heating of bimetal 31 and 32 stops, contact 3
At the moment when the contact of 4.35 is separated and the current is cut off, the main electrode 2a
, 2b starts instantaneously.

In the above embodiment, the entire electrode of the discharge tube 22 is made of bimetals 31 and 32, but the same effect can be obtained even if only a portion of both electrodes is made of bimetal.

As described above, in the high-pressure discharge device of the present invention, a heating body is provided near at least one of the electrodes, and a starting discharge tube is connected in series with this heating body. In addition to applying a high voltage, instantaneous restart can be easily performed with a relatively low voltage due to the electron emission effect of the heating element.

In addition, since the electrodes of the starting discharge tube are made of a pair of bimetals that curve in the same direction, the bimetallic switch does not open and close again due to heating of the arc tube, and the arc tube does not turn off. can be prevented and stable lighting can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a conventional high-pressure discharge device, Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram of a high-pressure discharge device according to the present invention, Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration and operation of a starting discharge tube according to the present invention, and Fig. 4 The figure is a configuration diagram of a high-pressure discharge device according to the present invention. 1... Arc tube, 2 a * 2 b... Main electrode, 1
3... Outer tube, 14... Heating body, 16... Stabilizer,
22... Starting discharge tube, 31.32... Bimetal, 33... Stotsuno f-134, 35... Contact. Note that the same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or similar parts. Agent Makoto Kuzuno - Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 6 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) At least mercury is sealed inside the arc tube, and a pair of electrodes is provided at the end of the arc tube, and a heating element is provided near at least one of the electrodes, and a starting element is provided in series with this heating element. The discharge tube is connected to a high-pressure discharge device that heats the heating element by flowing a current through the operation of the starting discharge tube upon restart, and at least a portion of both electrodes of the starting discharge tube are arranged parallel to each other. 1. A high-pressure discharge device comprising a pair of bimetals that curve in the same direction, and a stopper is provided near the curved side of the bimetals.