JPH0945281A - Low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp and lighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To provide a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp in which mercury is quantitatively sealed in a granular mercury-releasing structure and the strength of fixation of the mercury-releasing structure to a bulb is enhanced. A low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp comprises a bulb 10, electrodes 13 provided at both ends of the bulb 10, a discharge medium containing mercury and a rare gas enclosed in the bulb 10, and a bulb during operation of the lamp. Amalgam-based material that melts at a temperature above 10 and below the valve softening temperature to release mercury and exhibits a mercury vapor pressure at 25 ° C. in the range of 0.1 to 0.245 Pa is granulated. The mercury-releasing structure 18 is formed and has an average diameter of the contact surface with the bulb 10 that is d / 3 mm or more when the average particle diameter of the particles is dmm.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a low pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having an amalgam and a lighting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a mode of enclosing a predetermined amount of mercury in a bulb, International Publication WO94 / 18692 discloses a fluorescent lamp (conventional example 1) in which an amalgam mainly containing zinc and mercury is enclosed in a bulb. A configuration is disclosed.
It is stated that in the fluorescent lamp of Conventional Example 1, the amalgam is formed into a solid granular form and enclosed in the bulb, so that a fixed amount of mercury can be easily enclosed.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-260139 also discloses a structure of a fluorescent lamp (conventional example 2) in which a granular amalgam mainly containing zinc and mercury is enclosed in a bulb and fixed to one end of the bulb. It is disclosed. Conventional example 2
According to the method, since the amalgam is further fixed inside the bulb, the amalgam may move and collide with the inner wall of the bulb when attaching or detaching the lamp or during transportation, causing abnormal noise or damaging the parts such as the electrodes inside the bulb. There is no danger of it coming out. Also,
When the phosphor layer is formed in the bulb, there is no possibility that the amalgam damages the phosphor layer and uneven light emission occurs.

[0004]

However, according to the additional test by the present inventor, in the case of the conventional example 2, it was found that the amalgam once fixed tends to fall off during transportation or use in spite of the aim. . As a result of repeated investigations and studies on the cause, it was found that the size of contact between the amalgam and the inner wall of the valve affects the amalgam fixing strength.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp in which the fixing of granular amalgam is assured and a lighting device using this lamp.

[0006]

A mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 1 comprises a light-transmissive and airtight bulb; the melting temperature of which exceeds the temperature of the bulb during lamp operation and less than the softening temperature of the bulb. And a mercury-based vapor pressure at 25 ° C. has a value within the range of 0.1 to 0.245 Pa, and is formed into a granular form of a substance containing amalgam as a main component,
The particles are fixed inside the valve, and the average diameter of the contact surface between the particles and the valve in the fixed state is dmm.
And d = 3 mm or more; a discharge medium containing mercury and a rare gas emitted from the mercury emission structure; and at least a pair of electrodes arranged in the bulb so as to cause discharge. Is provided.

With the above-mentioned structure, the mercury-releasing structure does not drop out of the bulb even by vibration applied during transportation or use.

In the present claim and the following claims, the mercury emission structure can be formed by inserting the mercury emission structure into the bulb immediately before the emission step in the bulb before the emission of mercury in the production process of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp. It is possible to melt and adhere to the end portion of the bulb by the residual heat of, and at the same time release mercury into the bulb. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned manufacturing method, and for example, a step of heating the vicinity of a portion of the bulb where the mercury-releasing structure is to be fixed may be provided after the mercury-releasing structure is sealed.

The translucent and airtight bulb is made of any material such as glass such as soda lime glass or lead glass, or translucent ceramics as long as it has translucency and airtightness. Tolerate.

Further, the valve has an annular shape, a straight tubular shape, a saddle shape,
Various shapes such as a U shape, a single tube connected by a bridge to form a discharge path, a spherical shape, and a polygonal shape are allowed.

As the mercury-releasing structure, for example, a structure mainly composed of mercury and zinc, bismuth or the like can be applied. Also,
If necessary, the mercury-releasing structure may be mixed with a slight amount of a substance that does not react with mercury or does not form an alloy.

The mercury-releasing structure exhibits a mercury vapor pressure at 25 ° C. in the range of 0.1 to 0.245 Pa.
This low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having a bulb in which the mercury-releasing structure is enclosed has a discharge characteristic relatively close to that in which pure water silver is enclosed. 0.245 Pa is the vapor pressure of pure silver at 25 ° C.

The mercury-emitting structure allows it to assume a variety of shapes. Generally, spherical shape is preferable in terms of production, but it is not limited to spherical shape due to the nature of the invention. For the sake of convenience, the average diameter of the contact surface between the particles of the mercury-releasing structure and the bulb is the average of the sum of the maximum diameter (a) and the minimum diameter (b) {(a + b).
/ 2}. The average particle size d of the mercury-releasing structure is the particle size of a sphere obtained from its volume.

The electrode may be, for example, a hot cathode type electrode in which a thermionic emission substance is applied to a preheating filament provided in the bulb, or may be a cold cathode type electrode. Further, it may be one that generates an electric field discharge or a magnetic field discharge, and in these cases, the electrodes may be arranged outside the bulb.

In addition to mercury, the discharge medium is argon (A
r), one of rare gases such as neon (Ne) or krypton (Kr), or a mixed gas of any combination thereof can be included.

The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp can be made into a so-called fluorescent lamp by forming a phosphor layer on its bulb, but it may be an ultraviolet lamp or the like without a phosphor layer.

The number of mercury-releasing structures enclosed in the bulb is arbitrary. When a plurality of them are enclosed, the average diameter and the contact area of the contact surface of the mercury-releasing structure, and the number of contact portions are each defined by a value.

A low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises a light-transmissive and airtight bulb; the melting temperature is higher than the bulb temperature during lamp operation and lower than the softening temperature of the bulb, and 25 The mercury vapor pressure at 0 ° C is 0.1 to 0.
The amalgam-based substance having a value in the range of 245 Pa is formed into particles, and the particles are fixed in the valve, and the area of the contact surface with the valve in the fixed state is the average particle size of the particles. When dmm, πd2 /
A mercury-releasing structure having a size of 36 mm 2 or more; a discharge medium containing mercury and a rare gas discharged from the mercury-releasing structure; and at least a pair of electrodes arranged so as to cause a discharge in the bulb. It is characterized by

With the above-mentioned structure, the mercury-releasing structure does not drop out of the bulb even when the level of vibration is applied to the lamp.

A low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to a third aspect of the present invention is the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to the second aspect, characterized in that there are two or more contact portions with the bulb in a fixed state of the mercury-emitting photoconductor. .

The total contact area of the contact surfaces of each contact portion of the mercury-releasing structure satisfies πd 2/36 or more.

With the above-mentioned structure, the mercury-releasing structure does not fall out of the bulb even when the level of vibration is applied to the lamp.

A low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to a fourth aspect is the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which at least one end portion of the bulb is formed with a small-diameter node portion, and the node portion is formed. The mercury-releasing structure is fixed to the recess formed by.

With the above-mentioned structure, it becomes easy to increase the contact between the mercury-releasing structure and the bulb to ensure the fixation.

In the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 5, the bulb of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4 has a main tube made of soda lime glass and electrodes arranged at both ends of the main tube. And a pair of electrode stems made of lead glass having the above structure, and the mercury-releasing structure is fixed to the main tube and the electrode stem across the boundary between them.

Since lead glass has a lower melting temperature than soda lime glass, a part of the mercury-releasing structure is fixed to the lead glass, so that the mercury-releasing structure can be fixed more firmly.

Further, since the inner surface of the boundary between the main tube and the electrode stem is generally curved in a concave shape, the strength of fixing the mercury emission structure to the bulb is further increased.

A low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to a sixth aspect of the present invention comprises a phosphor layer which is excited by ultraviolet rays radiated by a discharge and emits light in a bulb of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of the first to fifth aspects. It is characterized by doing.

The phosphor layer formed on the bulb is radiated with ultraviolet rays from the discharge medium by the discharge, and is excited by the ultraviolet rays to emit light.

The phosphor layer emits visible light excited by ultraviolet rays, ultraviolet rays having a wavelength different from that of ultraviolet rays radiated from the discharge medium, and known fluorescence can be applied.

The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 7 is characterized in that the bulb of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is formed in an annular shape.

If the bulb has an annular shape, if the mercury-releasing structure is inserted after the bulb is bent, the mercury-releasing structure forms a concave curved portion or node formed in the welded portion between the main tube and the stem by its own weight. If it is, it is likely to be located in the recess formed by the node.

In the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 8, the amalgam of the mercury-releasing structure of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is zinc mercury (ZnH).
g) is the main feature.

The range of the mercury concentration of the mercury-releasing structure can be appropriately set, but there is a preferable range from the viewpoint of easy handling, and in the case of a mercury-releasing structure mainly containing zinc, it is 20.
˜70 wt% is a preferred range. If it is less than 20% by weight, the concentration of mercury becomes too small, and the number of enclosed mercury-releasing structures must be increased or the particle size must be increased. If it exceeds 70% by weight, mercury easily exudes,
It becomes difficult to handle. When using a mercury-releasing structure mainly composed of a metal other than zinc, the same problem needs to be taken into consideration, so that the preferable range is 20 to 70% by weight.

With the above structure, the mercury-releasing structure can be easily formed under the required conditions.

The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 9 is characterized in that the mercury vapor pressure in the bulb during the lighting operation of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is 0.6 Pa or more. And

With the above structure, it is possible to realize a lamp having mercury vapor pressure characteristics which are almost the same as those of a low pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp in which pure water silver which is liquid at room temperature is enclosed.

The lighting operation of the lamp means a state in which mercury as a discharge medium radiates ultraviolet rays due to discharge,
Specifically, it is optimal when the outer surface temperature of the bulb in the coldest part of the lamp being lit is about 40 ° C.

The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 10 comprises:
The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the mercury-releasing structure is mainly composed of an amalgam having a mercury vapor pressure at 25 ° C within a range of 0.2 to 0.245 Pa. Is characterized by.

Since the lower limit of the mercury vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of the mercury-releasing structure is 0.2 Pa, a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having a bulb in which this mercury-releasing structure is sealed has a discharge very close to that of pure silver. Have characteristics.

The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 11 comprises:
The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the mercury-releasing structure is mainly composed of amalgam having a mercury vapor pressure of 0.22 Pa at 25 ° C.

Since the mercury vapor pressure of the mercury-releasing structure at 25 ° C. is 0.22 Pa, a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having a bulb in which this mercury-releasing structure is enclosed has a discharge characteristic equivalent to that in which pure water silver is enclosed. Have.

An illumination device according to a twelfth aspect includes an illumination device main body; and the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of the first through eleventh aspects, which is disposed in the illumination device main body. To do.

This lighting device provides a lighting device provided with a lamp having the function of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

This illuminating device can be applied to known illuminating devices such as annular fluorescent lamp fixtures, straight tubular fluorescent lamp illuminators, outdoor illuminators, bulb-shaped fluorescent lamps or ultraviolet lamp luminaires.

[0046]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention applied to an annular fluorescent lamp will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of FIG. is there.

In the figure, 1 is a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp and 10 is a bulb. The valve 10 is composed of a main tube 11 and a stem 14. In the case of this form,
The main tube 11 is made of soda lime glass containing no lead component and has a ring shape. 12 is the valve 10
It is a phosphor layer formed on the inner surface. Reference numeral 13 is an electrode, which is a filament preheating type electrode. The electrode 13 is arranged on the electrode stem 14. The electrode stem 14 is made of lead glass.

The bulb 10 is filled with a discharge medium containing mercury and a rare gas. The stem 14 is provided with an exhaust pipe 15. Main tube 11 and stem 1
The edge portion facing 4 is welded in an airtight manner, and the boundary portion 1
A node 17 is molded in the vicinity of 6 in the direction of the valve intermediate part. Since the boundary portion 16 is a mixture of soda lime glass of the main tube 11 and lead glass of the stem 14, the boundary portion 16 is schematically shown by a dotted line in the figure for the purpose of explanation. There is.

Although not shown in the figure, a resin-made base body having a well-known structure is attached to both ends of the valve 10 by a conventional method.
The lead wire led out from the electrode and the base pin provided in the base are connected to complete a fluorescent lamp.

The knuckles 17 are formed to be gripped by a chuck when the straight tube-shaped valve 10 is bent into an annular shape.
The tube outer diameter D of the valve 10 is about 29 mm, and the outer diameter D ′ of the node 17 is smaller by several mm.

The mercury-releasing structure 18 is a substance containing amalgam having a mercury concentration of 50 to 60% by weight as a main component before mercury is discharged. At least during the steady operation of the discharge lamp, the mercury-releasing structure 18 releases and releases the required amount of mercury. Mercury becomes vaporized and contributes to mercury vapor discharge. In this embodiment, zinc
An amalgam containing mainly mercury (ZnHg) is used. The mercury-releasing structure 18 is mainly composed of zinc and mercury, and the mercury vapor pressure at 25 ° C. is 0.22 Pa. The mercury-releasing structure 18 has a surface mercury concentration of 1% by weight.
And the internal mercury concentration may be about 1 to 10% by weight.

The number of enclosed mercury-releasing structures 18 is one,
The average particle size d is 1.5 mm before mercury is released. The mercury emission structure 18 having this average particle size can be filled with a minimum amount of mercury necessary for most types of general fluorescent lamps. The mercury-releasing structure may have an average particle size of about 0.3 mm when the mercury-releasing structure is enclosed in a lamp having a small outer diameter D of less than 15.5 mm.

The mercury-releasing structure 18 is formed in the recess 1 of the bulb 10.
The glass bulb 1 is brought into contact with the boundary portion 16 between the main tube 11 and the stem 14 of the glass bulb 9 so as to extend over both regions.
It is fixed in the recess 19 of 0. In this way, the knot 17
Is also used to form the recess 19 to which the mercury emitting structure 18 is fixed. That is, the mercury-releasing structure 18 is fixed to the inner wall of the recess 19 in which the phosphor layer 12 is not formed, which is formed closer to the bulb end than the node 17.

Reference numeral 18 'denotes the mercury releasing structure 18 and the bulb 10.
Is a contact surface with the concave portion 19. The contact surface 18 'is fixed so that the average diameter d'is 0.5 mm or more, which is d / 3 or more. The contact surface 18 'has an area of πd2.
/ 36 or more, which is 0.2 mm2 or more, and is fixed.

In the present embodiment, there may be a plurality of mercury-releasing structures 18 in the bulb, but in the case of a plurality of mercury-releasing structures 18, if each contact surface 18 'has an average diameter, d / 3 or more, the contact area is Then, it is necessary to satisfy πd 2/36 or more.

In the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp 1, the shape of the bulb 10 and the particle diameter of the mercury emitting structure 18 are adjusted so that the mercury emitting structure 18 has such a contact surface 18 '. That is, the average particle diameter d of the mercury-releasing structure 18 is set to the recess 1
It is necessary to limit the number of mercury-releasing structures 18 to be enclosed in the bulb 10 in consideration of the amount of mercury enclosed, which is obtained from the contact surface 18 ′ obtained from FIG.

The mercury-releasing structure 18 forms a contact surface such that the maximum angle θ between the edge of the contact surface 18 ′ in contact with the inner surface of the bulb 10 and the center point of the mercury-releasing structure 18 is about 40 ° or more. And is fixed. The contact surface 18 ′ looks like a substantially mirror-like glossy surface when viewed from the outer surface of the bulb 10.

The low-pressure vapor discharge lamp 1 of this embodiment is manufactured as follows. First, electrodes 13 are formed on both ends of a straight tube-shaped main tube 11 made of soda lime glass having a phosphor layer 12 formed on the inner surface thereof through a phosphor firing step or the like.
The valve 10 is formed by arranging the stem 14 made of lead glass having the exhaust pipe 15. At this time, one of the two exhaust pipes is closed and the other is not closed. Further, when the stem 14 is sealed, the node portion 17 is molded so that the concave portion 19 is formed in the boundary portion 16 between the main tube 11 and the stem 14 while the glass is soft.

After the sealing of both ends of the bulb 10 and the molding process are completed, the entire glass bulb is heated with the stem 14 with the exhaust pipe closed down to soften the bulb 10. After that, the lower node 17 is grasped and bent, wound around a circular drum, and bent into an annular shape. At this time, the gas pressure in the valve 10 is increased to prevent the valve 10 from being crushed. After exhausting the exhaust pipe 15 which is not closed while heating the entire lamp and filling the rare gas, the mercury releasing structure 18 before mercury release is inserted from the exhaust pipe 15 into the bulb 10, and the exhaust pipe 15 is chipped. Turn off and seal. When the mercury-releasing structure 18 is inserted, the bulb 10 is at a considerably high temperature, and the mercury-releasing structure 18 falls by its own weight and moves to the recess 19.
The mercury-releasing structure 18 releases mercury by heating by contact with the bulb 10 at a high temperature or by applying a slight amount of heat (below the softening temperature of the bulb) and at least the surface,
In particular, the contact point with the valve 10 is melted, cooled and fixed.

Since the mercury releasing structure 18 can utilize the residual heat of the exhaust process for releasing and fixing the mercury, it does not require any other heating means, and can be easily heated even if heated.

If the heating temperature of the mercury-releasing structure 18 is too low or the heating time is too short, the mercury-releasing structure 18 does not melt sufficiently and is not fixed. On the other hand, if the temperature is too high or the heating time is too long, explosive evaporation of mercury or zinc causes stain blackening of the phosphor layer 12.

Appropriate conditions for the heating time and heating temperature of the mercury-releasing structure 18 depend on the type of the mercury-releasing structure 18, the position where the mercury-releasing structure 18 is fixed, and the temperature of the bulb 10 at the start of heating. . When fixing the mercury-releasing structure 18 of zinc: 50% by weight and Hg: 50% by weight, it was optimal to heat at about 300 ° C. for 30 to 60 seconds.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the package drop height h of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp 1 of the present embodiment and the average diameter d'of the contact surface 18 'of the mercury discharge structure 18.

This drop test is conducted according to the JIS standard "JIS Z
This is based on the standard defined in “0202”. Specifically, the annular fluorescent lamp was wrapped in an individual packaging box, and a packaging box in which a plurality of the individual packaging boxes were packed was freely dropped from each drop height h.

The mercury emission structure of the lamp used in the test 18
The average particle diameter d was about 1.5 mm. Each point (○
X) is the drop height h when each mercury-releasing structure 18 having the contact surface 18 ′ with the average diameter d ′ falls off from the bulb 10.
Is shown. The durability standard value of the packaging drop test specified in JIS standard differs depending on the product category and total weight, but the drop height h dropped is 100 cm or more in consideration of the impact level applied during general transportation or use. Was marked (marked with a circle) and the others were marked with a mark (marked with x).

As a result of the test, the mercury-releasing structure 18 did not drop even if the drop height h was 100 cm or more.
The fluorescent lamp had an average diameter d ′ of 8 ′ of 0.6 mm or more (d / 3 or more).

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the essential parts showing the second embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, there are two contacting portions between the mercury-emitting photo body 18 and the bulb 10. In addition, the mercury emission structure 18 includes the main tube 11 and the stem 1.
Each of the four has contact points and is fixed.

In this embodiment, the total contact area of the contact surfaces of the respective contact portions of the mercury emitting structure 18 is πd 2/36.
It only has to satisfy the above.

By melting and fixing the mercury-releasing structure 18 at two or more places, it is possible to firmly fix the mercury-releasing structure 18 to the place of the bulb 10 where the necessary contact area cannot be obtained by fixing at one place.

In the mercury-releasing structure 18, for example, the radius of curvature of a curve inscribed in the cross section orthogonal to the two surfaces where the recess 19 of the bulb 10 and the mercury-releasing structure 18 contact each other is Rg, and the average grain size of the mercury-releasing structure 18 is When the radius is Rp, Rg <
If it is Rp, it can be melted and fixed at two points.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an illuminating device of the present invention. Reference numeral 20 denotes a lighting device as a ceiling-mounted lighting fixture. The lighting device 20 includes, in addition to the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp 1 as the annular fluorescent lamp of the above-described embodiment, a lighting fixture main body 21 to which the lamp 1 is mounted, a lighting device 22 such as a ballast, and a light control body. It is configured to have a shade 23.

[0074]

According to the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp of the first and second aspects of the present invention, the strength of the mercury-releasing structure does not easily drop from the bulb even when a certain level of impact is applied, and the mercury is applied by the impact applied during transportation or use. It is possible to reduce the dropout of the release structure.

According to the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp of the second aspect, the contact area of the mercury-releasing structure can be increased, so that the fixing strength is easily improved. .

In addition to the effect of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 4 can increase the contact with the bulb of the mercury-releasing structure to easily fix the lamp. It is possible to reliably reduce the dropout of the mercury-releasing structure.

In addition to the effect of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 5 can increase the contact with the bulb to further strengthen the fixation. The adhesion strength of the emission structure to the bulb is further increased, and the dropout of the mercury emission structure can be further reduced.

In the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 6, the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5 can be provided as a fluorescent lamp.

In the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 7, since the bulb is formed in an annular shape, the mercury emission structure is formed with a concave curved portion or a knot portion formed in the welded portion between the main tube and the stem. In that case, the mercury-releasing structure can be easily fixed to the concave portion formed by the node.

In the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to the eighth aspect, the amalgam of the mercury-releasing structure is mainly zinc / mercury, so that the mercury-releasing structure can be easily formed.

In the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 9, since the mercury vapor pressure in the bulb at the time of lighting operation is 0.6 Pa or more, almost the same mercury vapor pressure as the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp in which liquid mercury is sealed. A lamp having characteristics can be realized.

The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 10 comprises:
The lower limit of the mercury vapor pressure of the mercury-releasing structure at 25 ° C is 0.
Since it is 2 Pa, the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having the bulb in which the mercury-releasing structure is enclosed has a discharge characteristic very close to that in which pure water silver is enclosed.

The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 11 comprises:
Mercury vapor pressure at 25 ℃ of mercury emission structure is 0.22Pa
Therefore, the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having the bulb in which the mercury-releasing structure is enclosed has discharge characteristics equivalent to those in which pure water silver is enclosed.

The illumination device according to claim 12 can provide an illumination device in which a lamp having the function of the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is arranged.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a packaging drop test result of the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a lighting device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 ... Bulb, 12 ... Fluorescent substance layer, 13 ... Electrode, 14 ... Stem, 16 ... Boundary part, 17 ... Node part, 18 ... Mercury emission structure, 18 '... Contact surface, 20 ... Illumination device.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Internal reference number FI Technical indication location H01J 61/32 H01J 61/32 V (72) Inventor Masaji Saito 4-3, Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo No. 1 within Toshiba Litec Co., Ltd.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A light-transmissive and airtight bulb; a melting temperature above the bulb temperature during lamp operation and below the bulb softening temperature, and a mercury vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of 0.1. The substance having an amalgam as a main component and having a value in the range of up to 0.245 Pa is formed in a granular form, and is fixed in the valve, and the average diameter of the contact surface between the particle and the valve in the fixed state is The average particle size of the grains is d
mm is d / 3 mm or more; a discharge medium containing mercury and a rare gas released from the mercury release structure; and at least a pair of electrodes arranged so as to cause discharge in the bulb. And a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp comprising: 2. A bulb which is transparent and airtight; the melting temperature is higher than the bulb temperature during lamp operation and lower than the softening temperature of the bulb, and the mercury vapor pressure at 25 ° C. is 0.1. The material is mainly composed of amalgam having a value within the range of up to 0.245 Pa and is fixed in the valve, and the area of the contact surface with the valve in the fixed state is the average of the particles. A mercury-releasing structure having a particle size of dmm of πd2 / 36 mm2 or more;
A low-pressure mercury vapor discharge, comprising: a discharge medium containing mercury and a rare gas discharged from a mercury-releasing structure; and at least a pair of electrodes arranged in a bulb so as to cause a discharge. lamp. 3. The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 2, wherein there are two or more contact portions with the bulb in a fixed state of the mercury-releasing light body. 4. A valve having a small-diameter nodal portion formed on at least one end of the bulb, and a mercury-releasing structure fixed to the concave portion formed by the nodal portion. A low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp as described in 1. 5. The bulb comprises a main tube made of soda lime glass and a pair of electrode stems made of lead glass arranged at both ends of the main tube and made of lead glass. The mercury-releasing structure comprises a main tube and an electrode stem. The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp is fixed so as to be straddled over both of them at the boundary portion of the. 6. The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the bulb is provided with a phosphor layer which is excited by ultraviolet rays radiated by the discharge to emit light. 7. The low pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the bulb is formed in an annular shape. 8. The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the amalgam of the mercury-releasing structure is mainly composed of zinc mercury (ZnHg). 9. The mercury vapor pressure in the bulb during lighting operation is 0.
The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which has a pressure of 6 Pa or more. 10. The mercury-releasing structure is mainly composed of an amalgam having a mercury vapor pressure at 25 ° C. in the range of 0.2 to 0.245 Pa. Low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp as described. 11. The low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 1, wherein the mercury-releasing structure is mainly composed of amalgam having a mercury vapor pressure of 0.22 Pa at 25 ° C. 12. A lighting device comprising: a lighting device main body; and the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp according to claim 1 disposed in the lighting device main body.