KR960010433B1 - Single-ended low-pressure discharge lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

none.

Description

Single-ended low-pressure discharge lamp

1 is a detailed view of a longitudinal section of a housing constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1 as viewed from II.

3 is a partial elevation view of another alternative embodiment of the housing.

4 is a partial elevation view of a low pressure discharge lamp according to the present invention.

5 is a detail view in longitudinal section of the second embodiment of the housing;

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10 low pressure discharge lamp 11 electrode

12 electrode lead 13 discharge tube

14: circuit element 14b: printed circuit board

14b: electric element 20: housing

21: support 22: connection

22b: connecting surface 22c: boundary ring

22d: radial slit 30: threaded base

31 sleeve 31a upper flange

40: beam 41: entrance opening

42 outlet opening 50 guide surface

51: bondage 52: countersink opening

60,60 ': lead-in wire

The present invention relates to a single-ended low-pressure discharge lamp comprising at least one discharge tube filled with mercury and an inert gas, typically referred to as a compact fluorescent lamp. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for facilitating the manufacture or assembly of a light and a light having a base.

At present, compact fluorescent lamps continue to spread. Significant energy savings and long lifetimes make them popular. In order to improve the popularity of compact fluorescent lamps, designs have also been developed for connecting the lamps to the light sockets by means of a so-called Edison screw base which can be easily inserted into the position of a conventional incandescent lamp. The assembly of compact fluorescent lamps by the previous Edison base is very labor saving, since the lead-in wire for supplying energy to the discharge tube is required to extend from the interior of the housing and be connected to the threaded base by soldering. Because. Connecting one of the lead-in wires to the central body of the threaded cap can be performed without any difficulty. However, securing the other lead-in wire to the sleeve or side portion of the threaded base presents some problems and also limits the increase in productivity.

Several designs are limited to improve the productivity of compact fluorescent lamps, reducing special costs and thus accelerating the spread of compact fluorescent lamps. For example, US Pat. No. 4,695,767 shows a compact fluorescent lamp of a design suitable for automated assembly. The principle is that the lead-in wire connected to the sleeve surface of the threaded base reaches the lower edge of the cylindrical ring in the direction crossing the inner cavity of the housing along the cylindrical ring supporting the threaded base. Then, around the boundary of the cylindrical ring, the lead-in wire is bent backward along the outer mantle of the cylindrical ring towards the discharge vessel. The threaded base is then pushed onto the cylindrical ring of the housing prepared in this manner, and the extended lead-in wire is fixed to the housing in a friction fit manner. During the tightening operation, the lead-in wire wedged between the outer mantle of the cylindrical ring and the inner surface of the sleeve of the threaded base is also in electrical contact. This method is undoubtedly suitable for reducing the effort required for assembly. However, already during the operation performed prior to assembly to the threaded base, the long lead-in wire has the drawback that it tends to be damaged or broken.

In addition, it is not easy to handle long lead-in wires to direct them accurately and reliably, so this handling can only be carried out with the aid of an auxiliary device which increases the cost of automatic production equipment.

The solution also includes a compact fluorescent lamp in which the lead-in wire is broken or damaged when the lead-in wire is connected to the threaded base by pressing and tightening the threaded base on the cylindrical ring-shaped support portion of the housing. The drawback is that it causes the operation failure of.

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the drawbacks of such known methods and to provide low pressure discharge lamps which can be assembled in a reliable and faultless manner in the case of automatic and manual assembly of electrically ballasted or compact fluorescent lamps. Develop a design.

The principle of the present invention recognizes that the above operation can be carried out by making a bore on the mantle surface of the housing that meets specific needs and extending the conductor to the sleeve of the threaded cap, unlike methods known to date. It is done. That is, a beam having an outlet opening at least partially disposed between the connecting surface of the connecting portion and the sleeve portion of the threaded base, starting from the inner surface of the supporting portion and extending to the joining line of the connecting surface associated with the connecting portion and the outer surface of the supporting portion , Made on the mantle surface of the housing.

In connection with the above object, the single-ended low pressure discharge lamp according to the present invention has at least one discharge tube filled with mercury and an inert gas, is sealed in a gas-tight manner, and has an electrode at its end. The compact fluorescent lamp also includes a housing with a threaded base for socket connection and a circuit element disposed in the inner space of the housing for operating the discharge tube. The housing has an upper portion, a connecting portion, and a cavity support disposed between the upper portion and the connecting portion, and the end portion of the discharge tube is disposed and fixed to the upper side and side to side of the housing. The threaded base consists of a central body and a sleeve mounted on the connections of the housing and electrically insulated from each other. At least one electrode lead connected to the electrode of the discharge tube is connected to the central body of the threaded base via a circuit element, and at least a part of the second electrode is connected to the current body by a lead-in wire arrangement directly or through the circuit element. It is connected to the sleeve portion of the threaded base. The housing has a beam starting at the inner surface of the support and extending into the joining line between the outer surface of the support and the connection surface of the connection, the outlet opening being at least partially disposed between the connection surface of the connection and the upper flange of the threaded base. Has The guiding surface is preferably disposed adjacent to the inlet opening of the beam to facilitate the automatic insertion of the ballast into the housing.

The low pressure discharge lamp according to the invention also comprises a structure which is preferably a bow-shaped elongated bossage in which the guide surface of the support of the housing protrudes from the inner surface of the support and at least partially surrounds the inlet opening of the beam.

In another embodiment, the guide surface of the support of the housing is formed as a countersunk opening that is open with respect to the inner surface of the support, wherein the countersunk opening has a cross-sectional area that decreases toward the inlet opening of the beam.

In a preferred embodiment, the guide surface is formed as a combination of an elongated bossage protruding from the inner surface of the support of the housing and an insertion cavity countersunk to the inner surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the cylindrical borderrug ring of the connection of the housing is provided with a radial slit such that a lead-in wire connecting the sleeve of the threaded base passes through the beam of the housing and then the connecting surface of the connection. Between the sleeve and the sleeve of the threaded base and bend backwards across the radial slit on the inner face of the connection, so that the lead-in wire is in electrical contact between the sleeve portion of the threaded base by clamping the sleeve on the lead-in wire. This is done.

In another embodiment, the lead-in wire is connected to the sleeve portion of the threaded base by soldering the lead-in wire to the upper flange portion of the sleeve.

The low pressure discharge lamp which concerns on this invention has the characteristic which becomes several advantage compared with a well-known structure. One advantage is that the length of the lead-in wire is significantly shorter due to the specific housing design. Therefore, the lead-in wire is easy to handle and the lead-in wire is not broken or separated before final assembly. As a result, a substantial amount of lead-in wire is saved and the scrap rate is reduced, resulting in significant cost savings.

Lead-in wires shortened by specific housing designs provide a combined beneficial effect that allows assembly on automated machine lines. Moreover, the automatic assembly machine can have a simple structure to save more costs.

It can also be considered an advantage that the lead-in wire passes briefly through an unguided path before it is connected to the sleeve of the threaded base. When a threaded base is installed, damage due to damage that can occur in conductors that pass over the exit surface of the cylinder ring of the housing is largely eliminated.

In the following, the examples described by the drawings will be described in more detail.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the detailed view of the housing 20 which forms a part of this invention is shown in a longitudinal cross-sectional view and a top view, respectively. The beam 40 is located at the junction of the support 21 and the connection 22 of the housing. The outlet opening 42 of the beam 40 protrudes toward the outer surface 21b of the support 21 at the joining line 23 between the support 21 and the connection 22. It is practical to form the beam 40 such that the axis 40a of the beam 40 is parallel to the busbar direction of the connecting surface 22b of the connecting portion 22 formed in the form of a cylindrical ring. In this manner, the generatrix of the connecting surface 22b of the connecting portion 22 forms an extension of the innermost busbar 40c of the inner mantle surface 40b of the beam 40, and the innermost busbar 40c. Face the internal space 20a of the housing 20.

FIG. 1 also shows that the inner surface 21a of the support 21 has a guide surface 50 in the inlet opening 41 of the beam 40.

In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, this guide surface 50 partially surrounds the inlet opening 41 and is an elongated, bonded form of bow drawn from the inner surface 21a of the support 21. It is made in the form of an easy 51. Of course, this may have other contours protruding from the inner surface 21a.

Radial slits 22d formed in the boundary ring 22c and connecting the connecting surface 22b of the connecting portion 22 to the inner surface 22a are present at the bottom edge of the connecting portion 22. The radial slit 22d serves to temporarily hold the lead-in wire in place until the threaded bases are fixed in place. Of course, other temporary fixing devices may be used in place of the radial slit 22d.

3 shows a housing 20 designed in part different from that described above. Differences from the embodiments described above are found in the form of the guide surface 50. That is, the guide surface 50 in FIG. 3 is formed with a countersink-like opening 52 starting at the inner surface 21a of the support 21 and ending at the inlet opening 41 of the beam 40. The cross-sectional area of the countersink aperture 52 gradually decreases, and the countersink aperture 52 is preferably similar to a truncated cone.

Comparing FIGS. 1 and 3, it can be seen that there is no further difference between the shape and position of the two types of housings 20 and beams 40.

4 shows a low-pressure discharge lamp 10 according to the present invention, for example, as a compact fluorescent lamp assembled into multiple curved discharge tubes 13 that are U-shaped and formed of a transparent material such as glass. The discharge tube 13 is composed of four parallel portions and portions connecting these parallel portions to form basically two U-shaped tube sections, and then connected to an electronic ballast, which is a circuit element 14.

On the inner surface of the discharge vessel 13, a phosphor layer 16 is present to convert the ultraviolet light generated by excitation of the mixture of mercury and inert gas into visible light.

The discharge tube 13 is sealed in a gas-tight manner by a pinchsealed portion 13a which also serves to fix the electrode lead 12 supporting the electrode 11. In FIG. 4, only one end of the discharge tube 13 equipped with the electrode 11 is shown in fragments for the sake of simplicity, but the other end is also the same.

Each connecting end 12a of the electrode lead 12 remote from the electrode 11 is connected to the printed circuit board 14a of the circuit element 14. The printed circuit board 14a also holds the electrical element 14b, indicated by dashed lines. Reference literature for explaining the operation of an electric ballast circuit for compact fluorescent lamps is referred to as L. egg. United States Patent Application No. 07 / 766,489, filed September 26, 1991 by L.R.Nerone, and assigned to General Electric Company.

The lead-in wires 60 and 60 ′ start from the printed circuit board and connect the electrodes 11 of the discharge tube 13 to the threaded base 30 through the electrode leads 12 and the circuit elements 14. The discharge tube 13 is fixed to the upper portion 24 by a bonding material (eg cement). A connection collar portion 24a forms an extension of the upper portion 24 and serves to connect the cylindrical ring-shaped connection portion 20b of the housing 20.

The upper part 24 and the housing 20 have a basically circular cross section and are made by a molding casting method. However, these parts may have other forms or may be made of different materials. The requirements they have to meet are to possess satisfactory mechanical strength, insulation and heat resistance as well as the ability to be bonded together.

4 also shows how the threaded base 30 as well as the lead-in wires 60 and 60 'are connected to each other. The first lead-in wire 60 'is soldered to the body 32 of the threaded base 30 starting with the printed circuit board 14a.

The second lead-in wire 60 is preferably disposed in a portion of the printed circuit board 14a which is located on the beam 40 to allow the lead-in wire 60 to be used in the shortest length. .

The second lead-in wire 60 passes from the printed circuit board 14a through the beam 40 to the boundary ring 22c of the connection 22 in the axial direction along the connection surface 22b of the connection 22. Is extended. After reaching the boundary ring 22c, the second lead-in wire 60 is bent in such a manner that it passes through the radial slit 22d on the inner face 22a of the inner face 22 of the connecting portion 22, In this way, it is temporarily fixed. This path of the second lead-in wire 60 is practical in terms of manufacturing but is not essential to practicing the present invention. In view of the solution according to the invention, the second lead-in wire 60 is inserted through the beam 40 and extends below the upper flange portion 31a of the threaded base 3 and then the second lead-in wire. The in wire 60 is sufficient to be pushed onto the connecting surface 22b of the connecting portion 22.

Of course, in the latter case, the present invention can still be executed even if the radial slit 22d formed in the connecting portion 22 is omitted. Turning to the connection between the second lead-in wire 60 and the sleeve 31 of the threaded base 30, the connecting surface 22b of the connection 22 of the lead-in wire 60 in FIG. And between the sleeve 31 of the threaded base 30 are clearly shown. Electrical contact is effected by applying pressure to the upper flange portion 31a of the sleeve 31 opposite the connecting surface 22b of the connecting portion 22. In an actual flange pressing operation, the flange portion 31a is pushed against the second lead-in wire 60 to make electrical contact by the resultant permanent deformation.

The above-described embodiment of the low pressure discharge lamp 10 according to the invention is very easily assembled on an automated machine line. During assembly, the upper part 24 is pushed by the automatic device into the inner space 20a of the housing 20 together with the discharge tube 13 having the circuit element 14 and previously inserted into the upper part 24. Since the lead-in wires 60 and 60 'have the same direction as the longitudinal axis 10a of the low pressure discharge lamp 10, the first lead-in wire 60' is connected to the boundary ring 22c of the connecting portion 22. Simply pass through the enclosed space by itself.

The second lead-in wire 60 slides on the portion of the inner surface 21a of the support portion 21 bounded by the elongated bowage 51 in the form of a bow. The second lead-in wire 60, guided by the bow-shaped waiter 51, then passes through the beam 40 to the connection surface 22b of the connection 22. Here, the second lead-in wire 60 is arranged by the assembly operation in the manner shown in FIG. The threaded base 30 is pushed onto the connecting surface 22b of the connecting portion 22 on which the lead-in wire 60 is already supported and fixed with the help of the upper flange portion 31a.

In FIG. 5, a low voltage discharge lamp 10 assembled differently from the above-described embodiment is shown in detail. Here, the guide surface 50 of the support 21 is a bow-shaped elongated bossage 51 protruding from the inner surface 21a of the support 21 and a countersink opening 52 formed in the material of the support 21. It is a combination consisting of

The second lead-in wire 60 protrudes from the support 21 at a portion of the outlet opening 42 of the beam 40 that is not covered by the upper flange portion 31a of the threaded base 30, and leads the lead-in wire 60. The protruding end of the in wire 60 is connected to the upper flange portion 31a of the sleeve 31 by soldering. According to this embodiment of the low pressure discharge lamp 10, the assembly process is the same as described above, but in the manufacturing process, the threaded base 30 is first pressed onto the connecting portion 22 of the housing 20 and assembled in this manner. The unit may be set to receive the upper part 24 and the discharge tube 13 assembled with the circuit element 14. As a final operation of the process, lead-in wires 60 and 60 'are soldered. This embodiment of the low-pressure discharge lamp 10 according to the present invention can be used well for both automated and conventional processes, whether it includes fluorescent lamps with electrical bellows or those assembled in conventional circuit components. Can be.

In the case where a low voltage discharge lamp integrated into a conventional circuit is included, the only difference from the present invention described above is that at least the electrode lead 12 is directly connected to the sleeve 31 of the threaded base 30.

Claims (7)

At least one discharge tube with electrodes at its ends sealed in a gas-tight manner; A housing with a threaded base adapted to connect the lamp to the light socket; A ballast circuit means disposed in said housing and for operating a discharge vessel, said housing having a top, a connection, and a hollow support disposed between said top and said connection, said The ends of the discharge vessel are arranged side by side and fixed to the upper portion of the housing, the screwed base is mounted on the connection of the housing and consists of a center and a sleeve electrically insulated from each other, the electrodes At least one electrode lead connecting corresponding to at least one of the electrodes is connected to the central portion of the threaded base via at least one circuit element associated with the ballast circuit means and through a first lead-in wire; And a second lead-in wire is threaded from the ballast circuit means in a current conducting manner. In a single-ended low-pressure discharge lamp connected to a sleeve of the housing, the housing is at least partially disposed between the joining surface of the connection and the sleeve portion of the threaded base. A beam having an outlet opening and extending to the joining line of the connection surface associated with the connection with the outer surface of the support and starting with the inner surface of the support 21, and adjacent to the inlet opening of the beam And a guiding surface disposed on the inner surface of the support. 2. The elongated bossage of claim 1, wherein the guide surface of the support is preferably a bow-shaped elongated bossage protruding from the inner surface of the support and at least partially surrounding the inlet opening of the beam. Single-ended low-pressure discharge lamp. 2. The guiding surface of claim 1, wherein the guide surface of the support is formed as a countersunk opening opened toward the inner surface of the support and has a cross-sectional area that decreases toward the inlet opening of the beam. Single-ended low-pressure discharge lamp. 2. The single-ended low-pressure discharge lamp of claim 1, wherein the guide surface is formed by a combination of an elongated bossage protruding from the inner surface of the support and a countersink opening opened toward the inner surface. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein a bordering ring formed on the connection portion of the housing has a radial slit such that the second lead-in wire can be connected to the sleeve portion of the threaded base. Single-ended low-pressure discharge lamp. The connection part according to claim 5, wherein the lead-in wire passes through the beam of the housing and passes between the connection surface of the connection part and the sleeve part of the threaded base, and then passes through the radial slit of the connection part. Bent backwards on the inner face of the wire, wherein electrical contact between the second lead-in wire and the sleeve of the threaded base is achieved by clamping an upper flange of the sleeve on the second lead-in wire Single-ended low-pressure discharge lamp. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second lead-in wire connected to the sleeve portion of the threaded base passes through the beam in the housing and the electrical contact between the second lead-in wire and the sleeve portion is established. And the second lead-in wire is soldered to the upper flange portion of the sleeve portion of the threaded base.