JPH0447895Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Purpose of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a bent fluorescent lamp in which the mercury vapor pressure within the tube is controlled by an amalgam.

(Prior Art) In general, when a fluorescent lamp has a curved discharge path, a long discharge length can be achieved in a small space, and this has the advantage of being able to be made smaller and more compact.

However, when a high input power is applied to this type of bent fluorescent lamp, or when the bulb diameter is made small, the load on the tube wall increases, heat dissipation becomes insufficient, and the temperature of the bulb rises. Therefore, when pure mercury is used as a mercury vapor supply source, the mercury vapor pressure within the bulb exceeds the optimum value, causing problems such as a decrease in luminous flux.

On the other hand, when a fluorescent lamp is operated under the above-mentioned severe temperature conditions, it is known that using amalgam instead of pure mercury makes it easier to control the mercury vapor pressure within an appropriate range. It is being

However, the method of controlling mercury vapor pressure using amalgam utilizes the characteristic that the vapor pressure of amalgam is lower than that of pure mercury. If the temperature is also low, the temperature of the amalgam will not reach the optimum temperature for its action, and the rate of release of mercury will be slow. As a result, there is a drawback that the rise characteristics of the luminous flux are poor and it takes time to reach a stable state.

For this reason, as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 59-73973 filed by the present applicant, in addition to the main amalgam that controls the mercury vapor pressure during steady lighting, it has been proposed to adsorb floating mercury in the pipe when the lights are turned off. In addition, it has been proposed to use an auxiliary amalgam that releases the adsorbed mercury during the initial stage of lighting, including during startup.
In the above-mentioned prior application, the auxiliary amalgam is placed near the electrode at the end of the valve, and the main amalgam is housed in an exhaust capillary protruding from the end of the valve.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in the past, since the auxiliary amalgam was installed at the end of the bulb, the speed at which mercury vapor released from the auxiliary amalgam diffused throughout the discharge space was slow. In particular, it takes time for the light to diffuse to the center of the bulb, and the rise of the luminous flux at the center becomes slow at startup, resulting in a so-called dark state in the center.

In order to prevent this, even if the main amalgam and the auxiliary amalgam are installed at the ends of the valve, it is conceivable to further install the auxiliary amalgam at the center of the valve.

On the other hand, when considering the temperature distribution of the entire bulb during stable lighting, the temperature at the end of the bulb receives heat from the electrodes, so the temperature may become too high to bring the main amalgam to the optimal operating temperature. The central part of the valve is in a position where it is easy to set the temperature of the main amalgam to the optimum operating temperature. Therefore, it is conceivable to stop installing the main amalgam at the ends of the valve and instead install the main amalgam at the center of the valve. In this case, an auxiliary amalgam must also be installed in the center of the bulb in order to adsorb excess mercury when the lamp is turned off and to quickly release the mercury when the lamp is started.

In this way, in any of the above cases, the auxiliary amalgam is installed in the center of the valve,
Even in the case where the auxiliary amalgam is installed in the center of the bulb, there is no means to heat the auxiliary amalgam at the time of startup in the center of the bulb, so it takes time for the mercury to be released, and the rise of the luminous flux increases. I am worried that it will take a long time.

This invention prompts the temperature of the auxiliary amalgam installed in the center of the valve to rise quickly when starting.
The object of the present invention is to provide a bent fluorescent lamp that can accelerate the rise in mercury vapor pressure within the bulb and shorten the luminous flux rise time.

[Structure of the invention] (Means for solving the problem) The present invention installs the main amalgam at a position away from the arc area during lighting, and
The device is characterized in that the auxiliary amalgam is placed in the middle of the discharge path between both electrodes, and in a position that becomes the arc region during lighting.

(Function) According to the present invention, since the auxiliary amalgam is installed in the middle of the discharge path between both electrodes, and in a position that becomes the arc area during lighting, the auxiliary amalgam is heated by the heat of the arc at the time of starting. As a result, the temperature rises quickly and mercury vapor is released quickly, which promotes an increase in mercury vapor pressure and shortens the rise time of the luminous flux. In this case, since the auxiliary amalgam is installed in the middle of the discharge path, mercury vapor can easily diffuse throughout the discharge space. Moreover, since the main amalgam is installed at a position away from the arc region during lighting, the mercury vapor pressure during lighting can be controlled to an optimal state.

(Embodiment of the invention) The invention will be described below based on a first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

In the fluorescent lamp device shown in FIG. 4, 1 is a bent fluorescent lamp, 2 is a synthetic resin cap, and 3 is a cap pin. The base 2 is closed by a closing plate 4, and the bent fluorescent lamp 1 is attached to this closing plate 4. In addition,
The base 2 accommodates lighting circuit components (not shown) such as a ballast and a lighting tube.

The bent fluorescent lamp 1 is made up of three U-shaped bulbs 5a, 5b and 5c joined together at their ends, and will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 1 shows the bent fluorescent lamp 1 unfolded, and the U-shaped bulbs 5a, 5b and 5c are
By blowing out the side wall at the end and fusing the blow-through parts to each other, they are interconnected through these welded parts 6, 6, forming a single meandering discharge path as a whole. .

Note that a phosphor coating 7 is applied to the inner surface of each U-shaped bulb 5a, 5b, and 5c.

U-shaped valves 5a and 5c located at both ends
have electrode mounts 8, 8 sealed to one end of each.

As one of these electrode mounts 8, 8 is shown in FIG. 2, lead wires 10, 10 are sealed to a stem 9 sealed at the open end of the bulb, and a coil filament 11 is attached to these lead wires 10, 10. It is constructed by spanning.

Note that 12 is an exhaust tube, which is sealed after filling the lamp with an inert gas such as argon. This exhaust thin tube 12 is connected to the valve 5a.
It is also used to blow air or inert gas into the valves 5a and 5c when the end side walls of the valves 5a and 5c are blown out and the blown-out parts are fused together.

In addition, the central portion U that does not have the electrode mount 8
The length of both ends of the U-shaped bulb 5b is the same as that of the U-shaped bulbs 5a and 5 on both sides, which enclose the electrode mount 8.
c, and therefore has no electrode mount 8, both ends of the U-shaped bulb 5b have extensions 14, 1 extending beyond the fused parts 6, 6.
It is equipped with 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, one extension part 14 is sealed by a stem having no electrode, that is, a dummy stem 15, and an exhaust thin tube 16 is connected to this dummy stem 15. Exhaust tube 16,
When blowing out the end side wall of the U-shaped valve 5b,
It is used to blow air or inert gas into the valve 5b, and is sealed and cut after the three U-shaped valves 5a, 5b and 5c are joined by the fusion parts 6, 6. It is. At the time of sealing, the evacuation capillary 16 is left slightly long so as to protrude from the extension portion 14, and the main amalgam 17 is housed in the protruding portion of the evacuation capillary 16. This main amalgam 17 is held by a constricted portion 18 formed at the root of the exhaust thin tube 16, and is supported so as not to enter the valve. The main amalgam 17 is made of indium, bismuth, tin, lead, and an alloy of these metals mixed appropriately with mercury, and is made into a roughly spherical lump and housed in the exhaust capillary 16. ing.

One or more support wires 19 are planted in the dummy stem 15, and the support wires 19
An auxiliary amalgam 20 is welded to. The auxiliary amalgam 20 is a metal foil made of stainless steel or nickel, or a high melting point metal foil made of molybdenum, tantalum, niobium, etc.
An amalgam-forming metal such as indium is deposited by plating or vapor deposition. By being fixed to the support wire 19, the auxiliary amalgam 20 is positioned further inside the U-shaped bulb 5b than the main amalgam 17, and further inside the fused portion 6 within the U-shaped bulb 5b. It is located in the area of the arc (positive pillar) when it is lit.

The operation of the bent fluorescent lamp 1 constructed in this way will be explained.

When the lamp is off, the ambient temperature is low, so the floating mercury inside the tube is adsorbed by the auxiliary amalgam 20, and the mercury vapor pressure inside the tube is also low. When the lamp is turned on, arc discharge occurs between the filaments 11, 11 installed at both ends of the bulb. At this time, the auxiliary amalgam 20 is attached to the fused portion 6 of the U-shaped bulb 5b that does not have the electrode mount 8.
Since it is located in the vicinity and in the area of the arc (positive column), it is heated by the arc at the time of starting. Therefore, auxiliary amalgam 20
The temperature rises rapidly, and the mercury that was adsorbed when the lights are turned off is released in a short period of time. This causes the light output of the lamp to rise rapidly.

On the other hand, if the mercury released into the discharge space from the auxiliary amalgam 20 is excessive, the main amalgam 17 installed at a location lower in temperature than the auxiliary amalgam 20 adsorbs the mercury, causing the mercury vapor pressure inside the bulb to rise. control.

That is, since the main amalgam 17 is accommodated in the exhaust thin tube 16 protruding from one extension 14 of the U-shaped valve 5b located in the center, the temperature rise of the main amalgam 17 is gradual and low.

More specifically, both ends of the U-shaped bulb 14b having no electrodes are connected to the filaments 11, 1 during lighting.
The extension part 14 formed at this end is located at a position protruding from the fused part 6, so that it is not directly exposed to the heat dissipation from the tube wall, and there is little heat conduction through the tube wall. This position is far from the arc. Therefore, the extension portion 14 is the lowest temperature point in the entire lamp.

Furthermore, the exhaust capillary 16 protruding from such an extension 14 is located at a position where the temperature rise is even smaller, and the main amalgam 17 housed in this capillary 16
The temperature rise will be smaller.

Therefore, the rate of temperature rise of the main amalgam 17 is extremely slow, and the temperature is kept low. As a result, the pressure gradient between the mercury vapor pressure determined by the temperature of the tube wall and the mercury vapor pressure determined by the temperature of the main amalgam 17 increases, and the speed at which the main amalgam 17 pulls back excess mercury increases. As a result, the mercury vapor pressure can be quickly controlled to an optimal state, and the characteristics become stable within a short period of time.
Furthermore, the luminous flux stabilization time is shortened.

Therefore, the period of large lamp current from startup to reaching a stable state is shortened, the temperature of the ballast is prevented from rising, and early insulation failure of the ballast is eliminated, among other secondary effects.

Also, when the lamp is turned off, the bulb 5
As the temperature of a, 5b, and 5c decreases, the temperature of the main amalgam 17 also decreases. Therefore, the floating mercury within the tube begins to be adsorbed by the main amalgam 17 housed in the exhaust tube 16 and begins to flow toward the main amalgam 17. In this case, since the constriction part 18 is formed at the root of the exhaust thin tube 16, the speed at which the main amalgam 17 adsorbs floating mercury is regulated. Further, in this embodiment, since the auxiliary amalgam 20 is located inside the U-shaped valve 5b than the main amalgam 17 and is provided at a position opposite to the root of the exhaust tube 16, the floating particles flowing toward the main amalgam 17 are Mercury is an auxiliary amalgam 20
Most of it will be absorbed.

Therefore, when the lamp is restarted after being turned off,
The mercury adsorbed by the auxiliary amalgam 20 when the light is turned off is released within a short time.

In the above embodiment, the case where the auxiliary amalgam 20 and the main amalgam 17 are both installed in the center of the valve has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 59-73973. As shown, even in the case where the auxiliary amalgam and the main amalgam are installed at the end of the valve,
Furthermore, another auxiliary amalgam may be installed in the center of the bulb, located within the discharge path.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the bent fluorescent lamp 1 has been described in which three U-shaped bulbs 5a, 5b, 5c are connected by the fused portion 6, but the present invention has two U-shaped bulbs. , or four or more U-shaped valves connected together.

Furthermore, as a bent fluorescent lamp, a saddle-shaped fluorescent lamp (approximately W-shaped when unfolded) is used, as shown in the developed view shown in FIG. 5 as a second embodiment.
In this case, a thin tube 32 is provided protruding from the bent portion 31 located approximately in the center between the electrode mounts 8, 8 sealed at both ends of the bulb 30, and the thin tube 32
2 contains the main amalgam 17, and if the auxiliary amalgam 20 is installed in the vicinity of this thin tube 32 at a position that will be the area of the arc during lighting, the first
The same effect as in the embodiment is achieved.

[Effects of the invention] As explained above, according to the invention, the auxiliary amalgam is installed in the middle of the discharge path between both electrodes, and in a position that becomes the arc area during lighting, so the auxiliary amalgam absorbs the heat of the arc at the time of starting. As a result, the temperature rises quickly and the mercury vapor pressure inside the bulb increases quickly, so the rise time of the luminous flux is shortened. In this case, since the auxiliary amalgam is installed in the middle of the discharge path, mercury vapor can easily diffuse throughout the discharge space, and therefore the rise of the luminous flux can easily become uniform over the entire discharge space. Moreover, since the main amalgam is located far away from the arc area during lighting, the temperature of the main amalgam does not rise excessively, and the mercury vapor pressure can be controlled to an optimal state during lighting. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a view of a bent fluorescent lamp in an expanded state, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the middle part of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the middle part of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the entire fluorescent lamp device, and FIG. 5 is a diagram of the entire unfolded state showing the second embodiment of the present invention. . 1...Bent fluorescent lamp, 2...Base, 5
a, 5b, 5c... U-shaped bulb, 6... Fusion part, 7... Fluorescent coating, 8... Electrode mount,
9... Stem, 10... Lead wire, 11... Filament, 14 Extension part, 15... Dummy stem,
16...Exhaust tube, 17...Main amalgam, 20
...Auxiliary amalgam.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A main amalgam and an auxiliary amalgam are placed in a bulb having electrodes sealed at both ends, a phosphor coating formed on the inner surface, and a curved discharge path filled with rare gas. In the accommodated bent fluorescent lamp, the main amalgam is placed in a position away from the arc area during lighting, and the auxiliary amalgam is placed in the middle of the discharge path between the two electrodes and also in the arc area during lighting. A bent fluorescent lamp characterized by being installed in a position where (2) A thin tube is provided in the bulb in the middle of the discharge path between the two electrodes, apart from the arc region, and the main amalgam is housed in the thin tube, and
The bent fluorescent lamp according to claim 1, which is a utility model registration, characterized in that the auxiliary amalgam is installed in the vicinity of the main amalgam at a position that becomes an arc region during lighting. (3) The bulb forming the above-mentioned curved discharge path has a plurality of U-shaped bulbs joined together at their ends, and the above-mentioned auxiliary amalgam is installed inside the joined side and at a position that becomes the arc area during lighting. A bent fluorescent lamp according to claim (1) of the utility model registration. (4) The bulb forming the bent discharge path has a plurality of U-shaped bulbs joined together at their ends, a thin tube protruding from the end on the joining side, and the main amalgam contained in the thin tube. A bent fluorescent lamp according to claim (3) of the utility model registration, characterized in that the auxiliary amalgam is installed near the main amalgam at a position that becomes an arc region during lighting.