KR20090082342A - Mercury emitter, low-pressure discharge lamp and process for manufacturing low-pressure discharge lamp using the same, backlight unit and liquid crystal display - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a mercury emitter with improved mercury emission efficiency.

A mercury discharge unit 10 comprising a mercury alloy including mercury (Hg) and at least one first metal selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), zinc (Zn), and magnesium (Mg); And a mercury emitter comprising a sintered body layer 20 made of a material comprising at least one second metal selected from the group consisting of iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni), covering the mercury discharge unit 10 ( 100).

Description

MERCURY EMITTER, LOW-PRESSURE DISCHARGE LAMP AND PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING LOW-PRESSURE DISCHARGE LAMP USING THE SAME, BACKLIGHT UNIT AND LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY}

The present invention relates to a mercury emitter, a method for manufacturing a low pressure discharge lamp using the same, and a low pressure discharge lamp, a backlight unit, a liquid crystal display device.

In order to seal mercury in a light emitting tube of a low-pressure discharge lamp such as a cold cathode fluorescent lamp for backlight, a mercury-emitting body impregnated with mercury is used. The mercury emitter is placed in a glass tube serving as a light emitting tube and heated by high frequency heating from the outside to release mercury. At this time, iron (Fe) that does not form an alloy with mercury is used as a heat source that generates heat by high frequency heating from the outside.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 33, mercury is formed by mixing and sintering titanium (Ti), which forms an alloy with mercury, and iron, which does not form an alloy, with mercury as a conventional mercury emitter (1). Some are impregnated (for example, refer patent document 1).

In addition, as shown in Fig. 34, another mercury-releasing body 4 holds an alloy 2 of titanium and mercury in a container 3 formed of a thin iron plate (for example, Patent Literature 2, etc.). Reference). Moreover, the container 3 is provided with the slit 3a for preventing a tear.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-121044

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-128142

However, the conventional mercury emitter 1 has a problem that the mercury emission efficiency is poor. In the conventional mercury emitter 1, a sintered body of titanium and iron is used as a medium for impregnating mercury, but iron, which is a heat source when releasing mercury by high frequency heating, is disordered in the mercury emitter 1. Since it is scattered so much, it is thought that the mercury discharge body 1 cannot be heated uniformly as a whole.

On the other hand, even in the conventional mercury emitter 4, there is a problem that sufficient mercury emission efficiency cannot be obtained. In this case, since the alloy 2 of titanium and mercury is covered with a thin plate of iron, it is considered that mercury can only be released from the portion exposed from the container of the alloy 2 when it becomes hot and the mercury is released.

When the low pressure discharge lamp is manufactured using the mercury emitters 1 and 4 having poor mercury emission efficiency in this manner, the mercury emitters 1 and 4 are impregnated with more mercury required for the low pressure discharge lamp to light up. You need to keep it. It is not environmentally desirable to use more mercury than mercury is a hazardous substance.

This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, The main objective is to provide the mercury discharge body which improved the discharge efficiency of mercury.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a low pressure discharge lamp, a low pressure discharge lamp, a backlight unit, and a liquid crystal display device which can reduce the amount of mercury used.

The mercury emitter of the present invention is a mercury alloy containing at least one first metal selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), zinc (Zn) and magnesium (Mg) and mercury (Hg). And a sintered body layer covering the mercury discharge portion and the at least one second metal selected from the group consisting of iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni).

In a preferred embodiment, the sintered body layer is formed in a porous shape.

In a preferred embodiment, the particle shape of the material constituting the sintered compact layer is in the form of scale pieces.

In a preferred embodiment, the particle shape of the material constituting the sintered compact layer is spherical.

In a preferred embodiment, the porosity of the sintered compact layer is 5 [%] or more.

In a preferred embodiment, the mercury discharge portion is cylindrical, the sintered body layer is cylindrical, the cylindrical mercury discharge portion is located in the central portion of the cylindrical shape of the sintered body layer.

In a preferred embodiment, the first metal is titanium (Ti), and the second metal is iron (Fe).

In a preferred embodiment, the mercury alloy is TiHg.

In a preferred embodiment, the mercury release portion is formed by impregnating mercury via the sintered compact layer to react the mercury with the first metal.

In a preferred embodiment, the sintered compact layer is a sintered compact layer made of the second metal, the metal sintered compact layer is a magnetic body.

The mercury release body of the present invention is characterized in that the metal sintered body portion formed of the mercury alloy portion and the metal sintered body which does not form an alloy with mercury has a layered shape, and the metal sintered body portion is porous. In addition, "a metal which does not form an alloy with mercury" is an alloy which does not react well with mercury, such as iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), and alloys thereof. Refers to a metal that is difficult to form.

Moreover, it is preferable that the said mercury alloy part consists of a sintered compact of the metal which forms an alloy with mercury, and an alloy of mercury in the mercury release body of this invention. Here, "a metal which forms an alloy with mercury" means titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), these alloys, etc., for example. Likewise, it refers to a metal that reacts with mercury to form an alloy.

In the mercury-releasing body of the present invention, the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury in the metal sintered body portion is preferably a magnetic body.

Moreover, it is preferable that the mercury release body of this invention is the particle shape of the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury in the said metal sintered compact part.

Moreover, it is preferable that the mercury release body of this invention is a spherical shape of the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury in the said metal sintered compact part.

In the mercury-releasing body of the present invention, the porosity of the metal sintered body portion is preferably 5 [%] or more.

In the mercury-releasing body of the present invention, preferably, the mercury alloy portion has a rod shape, and the metal sintered body portion is laminated around the mercury alloy portion.

In the mercury emitter of the present invention, the mercury alloy portion has a columnar rod shape, and the metal sintered body portion is laminated on the outer circumferential surface thereof, and the outer diameter of the metal alloy portion is 30 [%] of the outer diameter of the mercury emitter. It is preferable that it is above.

In the mercury-releasing body of the present invention, it is preferable that a through hole is formed in the mercury alloy portion to have a cylindrical shape.

Moreover, it is preferable that the mercury release body of this invention is 10 [micrometer] or more in thickness of the said metal sintered compact part.

Moreover, it is preferable that the ratio of the surface area of the part which contact | connects the said metal sintered compact part among the total area of the said mercury alloy part of the mercury release body of this invention is 30 or more.

In the mercury-releasing body of the present invention, a getter ash is preferably mixed in the metal sintered body portion.

The method of manufacturing a low pressure discharge lamp of the present invention is characterized by including at least the step of inserting the mercury emitter into the glass tube.

The low pressure discharge lamp of the present invention is a low pressure discharge lamp comprising a glass bulb, an electrode disposed inside the glass bulb, and a lead wire supporting the electrode and sealed to at least one end of the light emitting tube. The inside of the light emitting tube is characterized in that the mercury emitter is fixed to the lead wire or the electrode.

The backlight unit of the present invention is characterized by including the low voltage discharge lamp.

The liquid crystal display of the present invention is characterized by including the backlight unit.

Effect of the Invention

The mercury emitter of the present invention can improve the emission efficiency of mercury.

In addition, the method of manufacturing the low pressure discharge lamp, the low pressure discharge lamp, the backlight unit and the liquid crystal display device of the present invention can reduce the amount of mercury used.

1 is a perspective view of a mercury emitter of the embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a drawing substitute photograph showing the appearance of the mercury emitter of the embodiment of the present invention,

3 is a perspective view of a mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention;

4 (a) is a front view of the same mercury emitter, (b) is a front view of the same mercury emitter,

(A) is a photograph which shows the state of the surface in the front of the same mercury emitter, (b) is a photograph which shows the state of the surface in the plane of the same mercury emitter, (c) is the length of the same mercury emitter Photograph showing the state of the cross section including the central axis in the direction,

Fig.6 (a) is a photograph which shows the state of the surface in the front of a mercury emitter when the particle shape of the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury is spherical, (b) is a surface in the plane of the same mercury emitter. A photo indicating the status of,

7 is a view showing the amount of mercury emission according to the heating temperature,

8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an experimental method for the getter effect of the mercury emitter of the embodiment of the present invention;

9 is a graph showing the experimental results of the getter effect on H ₂ (hydrogen),

10 is a graph showing the experimental results of the getter effect on CO ₂ (carbon dioxide),

11 is a graph showing the experimental results of the getter effect on H.C. (hydrocarbon),

12 is a graph showing the experimental results of the getter effect on N ₂ + CO (nitrogen + carbon monoxide),

13 is a graph showing a measurement result by X-ray analysis of the mercury emitting unit of the embodiment of the present invention;

14 is a graph showing a measurement result by X-ray analysis of the mercury emitting unit of the embodiment of the present invention;

15 is a flowchart of a manufacturing step of the method of manufacturing a mercury emitter according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

16 is a conceptual diagram from step A to step G of the method for manufacturing the low pressure discharge lamp of the second embodiment of the present invention;

17 is a conceptual diagram of steps H to J of the method of manufacturing the low pressure discharge lamp of the second embodiment of the present invention;

18 (a) is a cross-sectional view including a tube axis of a low pressure discharge lamp of a third embodiment of the present invention, (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A,

19 (a) is a cross-sectional view including a tube axis of a low pressure discharge lamp of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A,

20 is a perspective view of a backlight unit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

21 is a perspective view of a backlight unit of a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

22 is a perspective view of a liquid crystal display device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

23 is a perspective view of a modification 1 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention;

24 is a front view of Modified Example 1 of the same mercury emitter, (b) is a plan view of Modified Example 1 of the same mercury emitter,

25 is a perspective view of a modification 2 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention;

26 is a front view of a modification example 2 of the same mercury emitter, (b) is a plan view of a modification example 2 of the same mercury emitter,

27 is a perspective view of a modification 3 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention;

28 is a perspective view of a modification 3 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention;

29 is a perspective view of a modification 3 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention;

30 is a perspective view of a modification 4 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention;

31 is a perspective view of a modification 5 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention;

32 is a perspective view of a modification 6 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention;

33 is a perspective view of a conventional mercury emitter (prior example 1),

34 is a perspective view of a conventional mercury release body (former example 2).

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, for the sake of brevity, elements having substantially the same functions may be denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, this invention is not limited to a following example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mercury emitter 100 of the present embodiment is composed of a mercury emitter 10 and a sintered body layer 20 covering the mercury emitter 10.

The mercury discharge unit 10 is composed of a mercury alloy containing at least one first metal selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), zinc (Zn), and magnesium (Mg) and mercury (Hg). It is. On the other hand, the sintered compact layer 20 is comprised from the material containing at least 1 sort (s) of 2nd metal chosen from the group which consists of iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni). Here, a 1st metal is "the metal which forms an alloy with mercury", while a 2nd metal is what is called "the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury".

In the mercury emitter 100 of the present embodiment, the sintered compact layer 20 composed of a material containing a second metal (for example, iron) is formed of a mercury alloy containing a first metal (for example, titanium) and mercury. Since the mercury emitting portion 10 is formed to cover the mercury emitting portion 10, mercury can be released from the mercury emitting portion 10 through the sintered body layer 20 during heating (especially during high frequency heating) (arrow 30). As a result, mercury emission efficiency can be improved.

In addition, the 2nd metal which comprises the sintered compact layer 20 is not limited to one type of metal of iron (man) or nickel (man), For example, a mixture of iron and nickel may be used, or nickel It is also possible to use plated iron. The second metal, which is nickel plated with iron, can exhibit the anti-oxidation (corrosion prevention) effect of iron. In addition, when the nickel powder is mixed with the iron powder when forming the sintered compact layer 20, the corrosion resistance can be improved more than the iron powder alone, and the variation of the particle size is caused by the mixing of the iron powder and the nickel powder. ) Can be enlarged. If the variation can be expanded, it becomes easy to control the porosity (then thermal conductivity) of the sintered compact layer 20 (the detail of porosity is mentioned later). Moreover, in the mixed powder of iron powder and nickel powder, the fluidity | liquidity can also be improved and productivity at the time of shaping | molding can also be improved. In addition, since nickel has a smaller specific heat than iron and nevertheless has a large thermal conductivity, the heating efficiency of the sintered body layer 20 can be improved.

In the case where the alloy of titanium and mercury is covered with a thin sheet of iron (see Fig. 34), a mercury alloy flows out of the cross section by cutting in the step of cutting to an appropriate length during use. In addition, there was a possibility of breaking during overheating.

On the other hand, since the mercury emitter 100 of the present embodiment has a structure in which the mercury emitter 10 is covered by the sintered body layer 20, the adhesion strength between the mercury emitter 10 and the sintered body layer 20 is high. It can solve the problem of high, mercury alloy flow out. In addition, in order to demonstrate the mercury discharge body 100 of this Example which has the structure where the mercury discharge | release part 10 was coat | covered with the sintered compact layer 20, the figure substitute drawing is shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, a circle surrounded by a circle is one mercury emitter 100. In the mercury emitter 10 according to the present embodiment, the mercury alloy flows because the mercury emitter 10 is covered by the sintered body layer 20. The problem which comes out can be avoided, and as shown in FIG. 2, many mercury discharge bodies 100 can be collected and accommodated, for example, conveyance is possible in that state.

In addition, mercury is released from the mercury discharge unit 10 through the sintered body layer 20 during heating (see arrow 30) and the problem of rupture by heating can be avoided.

(First embodiment)

3 is a perspective view of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention, the front view thereof is shown in FIG. 4 (a), the plan view thereof is shown in FIG. 4 (b), and the front photograph thereof is shown in FIG. A photograph is shown in FIG. 5 (b) and a cross-sectional photograph including the central axis X ₁₀₀ in the longitudinal direction thereof is shown in FIG. 5 (c), respectively.

The mercury emitter 100 (hereinafter referred to as the "mercury emitter 100") of the first embodiment of the present invention is a metal sintered body part comprising a mercury alloy part 101 and a sintered body of a metal which does not form an alloy with mercury. 102 is a layer shape.

The mercury alloy portion 101 is, for example, cylindrical in shape, and is made of a sintered body of a metal forming an alloy with mercury and an alloy of mercury. The term "metal forming an alloy with mercury" is, for example, titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), or at least two of them. Like an alloy, it refers to a metal that reacts with mercury to form an alloy. Among them, titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), zinc (Zn) and magnesium (Mg) are preferred in consideration of chemical properties and industrial productivity (cost, etc.), and titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), and zinc ( Zn) is more preferred, typically titanium (Ti). As for the mercury alloy part 101, length L is 3 [mm], outer diameter Di is 1 [mm], and the impregnation amount of mercury is about 5 [mg], for example.

The average particle diameter of the metal forming the alloy with mercury in the mercury alloy portion 101 is defined in the range of 5 [µm] or more and 40 [µm] or less regardless of the type of the metal in order to facilitate impregnation of mercury. It is preferable.

The metal sintered body portion 102 is made of a sintered body of a metal which does not form an alloy with mercury, and has a porous shape.

"Metal which does not form an alloy with mercury" is, for example, does not react with mercury, such as iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn) or at least two alloys thereof. Refers to a metal that is difficult to form an alloy. Among these, iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) are preferable in consideration of chemical properties and industrial productivity (cost, etc.). As for the metal sintered compact 102, length L is 3 [mm] and outer diameter Do is 1.4 [mm], for example.

The porosity of the porous metal sintered part 102 is preferably 5 [%] or more. In this case, mercury easily exits the metal sintered body 102, and the impregnation efficiency and the discharge efficiency of the mercury can be improved. In particular, the porosity of the metal sintered body portion 102 is preferably 25 [%] or more. In this case, the mercury released from the mercury alloy portion 101 is easier to exit the metal sintered body portion 102, and the mercury release efficiency can be further increased. Moreover, it is preferable that the porosity of the metal sintered compact part 102 is 60 [%] or less. If it is larger than 60 [%], since the metal sintered body 102 becomes porous, for example, when heating the mercury emitter 100 at high frequency, the heating efficiency of the mercury alloy unit 101 is lowered, of course, the heating is not performed. This is because uniformity tends to occur and unevenness occurs in the amount of mercury released.

The porosity of the metal sintered body portion 102 is calculated by the following formula.

The density of the metal sintered body 102 is determined by investigating the composition ratio of the mercury emitter 100 by ICP emission analysis, and multiplying the composition ratio of the elements constituting the metal sintered body 102 by the weight of the mercury emitter. The specific gravity of the sintered body part 102 can be calculated | required, and can be calculated | required by dividing by the volume of the metal sintered body part 102. FIG. Here, since the metal sintered compact 102 has a porous shape and its exact volume is difficult to be obtained, the volume of the metal sintered compact 102 has no volume at all in the metal sintered compact 102. It shall be used. In addition, the logic density of the metal sintered compact 102 is the density of the process calculated | required as having no void in the metal sintered compact 102.

It is preferable that the metal which comprises the metal sintered compact part 102 is a magnetic body. This is because, for example, the positioning of the mercury emitter 100 disposed in the hermetically sealed glass tube at the time of manufacturing the low pressure discharge lamp can be accurately and easily performed using a magnet. As a metal which is a magnetic body, iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) etc. can be selected, for example.

In addition, a getter material may be mixed in the metal sintered body part 102. By mixing the getter ash, impurity gases such as hydrogen (H ₂ ) and oxygen (O ₂ ) can be adsorbed. The getter material is, for example, tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), zirconium (Zr), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), hafnium (Hf), aluminum (Al), or an alloy or an intermetallic compound thereof. Or mixtures may be applied.

Moreover, it is preferable that the ratio of the surface area of the part which contacts the metal sintered compact part 102 among the total surface area of the mercury alloy part 101 is 30 [%] or more. In this case, the heating efficiency for the mercury alloy portion 101 is further increased to obtain a very high mercury emission efficiency. In particular, in order to further improve the heating efficiency, it is preferable that the ratio of the surface area of the part which contacts the metal sintered compact part 102 among the total surface areas of the mercury alloy part 101 is 50 [%] or more. In addition, since "the surface area of the part which contacts the metal sintered compact 102" is porous, since the metal sintered compact 102 is porous, it does not include the surface area of the porous inside of the porous and computed from the outline of the outermost surface. Surface area.

Moreover, it is preferable that the particle diameter of the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury of the metal sintered compact part 102 is the range of 5 [micrometer] or more and 40 [micrometer] or less. In this case, mercury emitted from the mercury alloy portion 101 can easily permeate, thereby improving mercury emission efficiency.

In addition, the particle shape of the metal sintered compact part 102 shown in FIG. 5 is a scale piece shape, It does not necessarily need to be a scale piece shape, Polygon shape etc. may be sufficient as it. However, in the case of scale pieces, the porosity of the metal sintered body portion 102 can be increased, and the release efficiency of mercury can be further improved.

Moreover, the particle shape of the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury of the metal sintered compact part 102 may be spherical shape. 6 (a) and a planar photograph are shown in FIG. 6 (a) and a planar photograph in FIG. 6 (b) when the particle shape of the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury in the metal sintered body portion 102 is spherical. Represent each. In this case, the fluidity can be improved, and the extrusion can be efficiently formed in the extrusion process for forming the mercury-releasing body 100 as described later, and the productivity can be improved.

Moreover, it is preferable that the shape of the metal sintered compact part 102 is a cylindrical shape which covers the outer peripheral surface of the mercury alloy part 101 as shown in FIG. In this case, the eddy current generated by the high frequency heating flows to the closed inner surface in a cylindrical shape, and the heating efficiency of the mercury alloy portion 101 can be improved.

(Comparison Experiment)

The inventors conducted a comparative experiment with a conventional mercury emitter in order to confirm the emission efficiency of mercury for the mercury emitter of the embodiment of the present invention.

The sample used for the experiment is the mercury-releasing body 100 of 1st Example as shown in FIG. 3, The length L is 3 [mm], the outer diameter Do of a metal sintered compact part is 1.4 [mm], and the inner diameter Di is shown. Used was 1 [mm].

As a conventional mercury-releasing body, mercury was impregnated into the sintered compact of the mixed powder of titanium and iron as shown in FIG. 33 as Comparative Example 1, and the length M was 3 [mm] and the outer diameter N was 1.5 [mm]. Used.

Also, in Comparative Example 2, the length P of STHGS / WIRE / NI / 0.8-300 manufactured by SAES Getters, in which an alloy of titanium and mercury as shown in FIG. 34 was coated with iron, was cut to 5 [mm]. One was used.

In Example, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2, each of about 4 [mg] of mercury was impregnated.

In the experiment, 10 samples of each sample were produced. The experiment heated each sample one by one, measured the mercury discharge | release amount, and calculated | required 10 average values. The change of the mercury discharge | release amount according to the heating temperature of each sample is shown in FIG. 7, respectively. In addition, FIG. 7 of the temperature T ₂ is the temperature to begin to cause the glass tube which is housed mercury emission body is softened to be deformed or broken by the heat generated, represents the upper limit of the room temperature in the process.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the embodiment (indicated by the solid line in FIG. 7), the amount of mercury released rapidly when the heating temperature T reaches T ₁ , and the amount of mercury released when the temperature T ₂ is Comparative Example 1 ( It reaches about 1.5 times the amount of mercury emitted by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 7, and 1.25 times of the comparative example 2 (it is shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 7).

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, mercury was released in the region until the heating temperature T reached the temperature T ₁ , and the amount of mercury was released when the heating temperature T reached the temperature T ₂ , but the mercury of the embodiment was about Emission amount is not seen.

In addition, Comparative Example 2, as in the embodiment, but not the heating temperature T is substantially mercury released in the region of the to reach a temperature T _1, the heating temperature T a is increased when the mercury emission amount reaches a temperature T _2, The amount of mercury released as the example is not seen.

Practical range of the heating temperature T of the mercury emission body is set to the area to a temperature T ₂ that does not have adverse effect occurs for the glass tubes which are accommodated bodies mercury emission from the temperature T _1, which sharply increases the mercury emission, preferably at a temperature It is more preferable to be closer to T ₂ .

As such, when the heating temperature T is set in the region from T ₁ to T ₂ , the embodiment has much more mercury emission, that is, the mercury emission efficiency is much better.

However, the release of mercury from the mercury emitter is not preferred until the heating temperature T reaches the temperature T ₁ . This is difficult to control the temperature rise per hour, and there is a difference in temperature rise between the individuals. As a result, if there is a mercury release until the heating temperature T reaches the temperature T ₁ , the amount of mercury released into the glass tube is burned. This is because uniformity occurs. From this point of view, it can be seen that Example and Comparative Example 2 are appropriate.

Therefore, in the examples, it was confirmed that the mercury emission efficiency can be improved while suppressing the unevenness of the mercury emission amount.

The reason why such an effect is acquired was examined as follows.

First, examples and comparative example 2, the heating temperature T is a temperature when the area until reaching a T ₁ substantially while aneunde mercury is not being emitted, in Comparative Example 1 Heating temperature T is to reach the temperature T ₁ The reasons why mercury is beginning to be released from the area are discussed.

In the case of Comparative Example 1, since mercury is impregnated in the sintered body of the mixed powder of titanium and iron, some titanium and iron form an alloy, and in this part, the alloy can be formed in a stable state of titanium and mercury. It is considered that it is alloying in an unstable state in which mercury is released even at a relatively low temperature (less than the temperature T ₁ ). On the other hand, in Example and Comparative Example 2, since titanium and iron are not mixed, there is no factor of alloying in the above unstable state when titanium and mercury are alloyed.

Next, the reason why the amount of mercury released in Examples when the heating temperature T was at temperature T ₂ was about 1.5 times the amount of mercury released in Comparative Example 1 and about 1.25 times in Comparative Example 2 was examined.

In Comparative Example 1, since the mercury was impregnated in the sintered compact of the mixed powder of titanium and iron, iron, which is a heat source at the time of high frequency heating, was randomly scattered, thereby causing uneven heating and heating. It is thought that it is because efficiency becomes worse. Alternatively, it is considered that non-uniformity occurs in heating of the mercury emitter, and mercury is released only in a portion where the mercury emitter has a sufficiently high temperature. In the case of the comparative example 2, such a heating nonuniformity does not generate | occur | produce, but it is considered that the alloy part of titanium and mercury is covered with the thin plate of iron, and mercury is hard to be discharged in this part. In addition, in the case of the comparative example 2, since a slit enters a thin plate, the heating efficiency by eddy current may deteriorate.

On the other hand, in the embodiment, since titanium and iron are not mixed, the above-mentioned heating unevenness does not occur. Moreover, since the metal sintered body 102 outside the mercury alloy portion 101 is porous, mercury vapor It is considered that the metal sintered body portion 102 easily escapes, and thus high mercury emission efficiency can be obtained in Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2.

As described above, according to the configuration of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to improve the emission efficiency of mercury while suppressing the unevenness of the mercury emission amount.

As described above, when the mercury alloy portion 101 is cylindrical, the outer diameter of the mercury alloy portion 101 is preferably 30 [%] or more of the outer diameter of the mercury emitter 100. In this case, the heat for heating the metal sintered body 102 is easily transmitted to the mercury alloy portion 101 by high frequency heating, so that the mercury alloy portion 101 can be efficiently heated, and the emission efficiency of mercury can be further improved. Can be. In particular, the ratio of the outer diameter of the mercury emitter 100 to the outer diameter of the mercury alloy portion 101 is 60 [%] or more to heat the mercury alloy portion 101 more efficiently to further improve the amount of mercury released. It is preferable. Moreover, it is preferable that the ratio with respect to the outer diameter of the mercury release body 100 of the outer diameter in the mercury alloy part 101 is 95 [%] or less. This is because if the metal sintered body portion 102 is larger than 95 [%], it is difficult to secure a sufficient heat capacity for heating the mercury alloy portion 101, and the heating efficiency of the mercury alloy portion 101 may be lowered.

Moreover, it is preferable that the thickness of the metal sintered compact part 102 is 10 [micrometer] or more. This is because, when the thickness of the metal sintered body portion 102 is thinner than 10 [μm], difficulty is involved in manufacturing. Moreover, it is preferable that the thickness of the metal sintered compact part 102 is 50 [micrometer] or more and 250 [micrometer] or less from the viewpoint of the heating efficiency of the mercury alloy part 101 by high frequency heating.

Moreover, it is preferable that the surface roughness Ra of the outer surface of the metal sintered compact part 102 is one or more. In this case, the outer surface area of the metal sintered body portion 102 can be increased, and the heating efficiency of the mercury alloy portion 101 can be increased to increase the discharge efficiency of mercury. In particular, the surface roughness Ra of the outer surface area of the metal sintered body portion 102 increases the outer surface area of the metal sintered body portion 102 to further increase the heating efficiency of the mercury alloy portion 101, thereby improving mercury emission efficiency. It is more preferable that it is two or more in order to improve further. Moreover, it is preferable that surface roughness Ra of the outer surface of the metal sintered compact part 102 is 10 or less. This is because, if the outer surface of the metal sintered body portion 102 is extremely rough, manufacturing difficulties such as conveyance by a component feeder may occur during lamp manufacturing.

In addition, the surface roughness of the metal sintered compact part 102 was measured using the laser microscope VK-8710 by Kiens Co., Ltd. make. The measurement was carried out by scanning the outer circumferential surface of the metal sintered body portion 102 from one end to the other end in a direction parallel to the central axis X ₁₀₀ in the longitudinal direction of the mercury release body 100. This measurement was performed on the four outer spaces at the same interval as one end on the outer circumferential surface of the metal sintered body portion 102 as the starting point. And the surface roughness of the metal sintered compact part 102 was calculated | required by calculating these average values.

In addition, since the metal sintered body 102 is formed in a porous shape, the mercury release body 100 of the present embodiment has a getter effect even when the getter ash is not mixed with the metal sintered body 102. The inventor found out. It is possible to obtain a getter effect by the mercury emitter 100 of the present embodiment without using a getter material, which brings great technical significance in manufacturing.

The getter effect of the mercury emitter 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12. This experiment is performed as shown in FIG. 8, and FIGS. 9 to 12 are graphs showing the results of the experiment.

First, the clear bulb (glass tube) 210 was prepared as shown to FIG. 8 (a). The length of the clear bulb 210 in the longitudinal direction is 40 [cm], and the encapsulating gas component in the clear bulb 210 is set to Ne 95% + Ar 5%. Moreover, the heating heater used at the time of heat exhaust can be arrange | positioned on the outer periphery of the clear bulb 210.

Here, the mercury discharger (hereinafter referred to as Hg pellet) was sealed with the exhaust gas without being disposed in the clear bulb 210, and the partial pressure of the impure gas component was measured. The partial pressure is measured using a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The measured impurity gases are H ₂ (hydrogen), CO ₂ (carbon dioxide), HC (hydrocarbon), and N ₂ + CO (nitrogen + carbon monoxide). In this experiment, Comparative Example 3 was also added to Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 to perform the experiment. Comparative Example 3 is an Hg pellet in which an Hg amalgam containing Ti ₃ Hg as a main component is sealed in a metal pipe made of Ni.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the Hg pallet 200 (Example, Comparative Example 1, Comparative Example 2, and Comparative Example 3) is placed in the clear bulb 210 and then inside the clear bulb 210. Is sealed with exhaust and the partial pressure of impure gas components is measured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), high frequency heating is performed for 1 minute with respect to the Hg pallet 200 (Example, Comparative Example 1, Comparative Example 2, and Comparative Example 3) disposed in the clear bulb 210. The partial pressure of impurity gas components is measured. High frequency heating is performed using the high frequency heater 250. This heating releases mercury 240 (actually mercury vapor) from the Hg pellet 200 (see arrow 245).

Finally, as shown in Fig. 8 (d), the Hg pallet 200 (Example, Comparative Example 1, Comparative Example 2, Comparative Example 3) was heated at 400 ° C. for 5 minutes (annealing step), and an impure gas component. Measure the partial pressure of. This heating is performed by the electric furnace 260. After heating, a portion of the Hg pellet 200 is chipped off.

9 to 12 are the measurement results of each step (without pellet, exhaust, high frequency, annealing) for H ₂ (hydrogen), CO ₂ (carbon dioxide), HC (hydrocarbon), and N ₂ + CO (nitrogen + carbon monoxide), respectively. Indicates.

As can be seen from Figure 9, the Hg pellets (mercury emitter 100) of the embodiment has the effect of lowering H ₂ (hydrogen), that is, the getter effect on H ₂ (hydrogen) was recognized. With respect to H ₂ (hydrogen), both the evacuation step (Fig. 8 (b)) and the annealing step (Fig. 8 (d)) showed good getter effect characteristics.

In backlight applications, if H ₂ (hydrogen) is mixed in the glass bulb, the lamp characteristics are deteriorated. Therefore, the mercury emitter 100 of the present embodiment can lower the partial pressure (concentration) of H ₂ (hydrogen). Big. 9, the partial pressure of the vertical axis | shaft in FIG. 12 is represented in mbar unit, For example, 1.00E-02 has shown 1.00x10 <^-2> .

As can be seen from FIG. 10 and FIG. 12, partial pressure drop of impurity gas was also observed for CO ₂ (carbon dioxide), HC (hydrocarbon), and N ₂ + CO (nitrogen + carbon monoxide).

In addition, the mercury emitter 10 of the mercury emitter 100 shown in FIG. 1 is impregnated with mercury via the sintered body layer 20 to react mercury with the first metal (here titanium). Although formed, in that case, it was found by measurement that the mercury alloy could be made TiHg. The measurement result by X-ray diffraction is shown in FIG.

From the results shown in FIG. 13, only a peak of TiHg (for example, 90% or more) was detected, and Ti ₃ Hg was hardly detected. When the mercury alloy of the mercury emitter 10 is composed only of TiHg, the mercury alloy is more easily decomposed than Ti ₃ Hg, so that the emission characteristics can be improved. In addition, depending on the formation conditions of the mercury alloy, not only TiHg but also Ti ₃ Hg can be produced. 14 shows measurement results showing peaks of TiHg and peaks of Ti ₃ Hg.

Next, the manufacturing method of the mercury release body of 1st Example of this invention is demonstrated. The flowchart of the manufacturing process is shown in FIG.

As shown in Fig. 15, first, raw powder is prepared. Specifically, for example, the powder of titanium, which is used as the material of the mercury alloy portion 101, and the powder of iron, which is used as the material of the metal sintered body 102, for example.

(Mixing and kneading process)

Next, the titanium powder and the iron powder are separately added by mixing with a binder, various additives, and water, and kneaded sufficiently. The binder is for example methylcellulose. Thereby, titanium clay and iron clay are produced.

(Extrusion molding process)

Next, titanium clay and iron clay are put into a first and a second extrusion machine (not shown), respectively. This second molding machine is provided with a die for coaxial two-layer extrusion. Then, the rod-shaped titanium molded body is drawn out from the first extruder, and the titanium molded body is introduced into the die portion of the second extruder to continuously form a cylindrical shaped body having a coaxial structure in which iron clay is laminated on the outside. . Then, this molded object is dried until it reaches predetermined hardness. In addition, the molding method is not limited to extrusion molding, but press molding or a method in which titanium clay is molded into a rod shape and then dip into slurry can be used.

(Cutting process)

Next, the molded body is cut into a predetermined length. The amount of mercury impregnation in the mercury emitter 100 can be adjusted to a desired amount according to the length to be cut. In addition, the mercury impregnation amount of the mercury emitter 100 can also be adjusted by changing the amount of binder of titanium clay, the outer diameter of the mercury alloy part 101, the baking temperature in a baking process, etc.

Sintering Process

Next, the molded body is heated to, for example, 500 ° C. in an argon atmosphere to remove the binder in the molded body. And the sintered compact is manufactured by sintering at 900 degreeC in a vacuum atmosphere, for example.

(Mercury impregnation process)

Then, the sintered compact and mercury are put into a heating container, the heating container is put into a vacuum state using a vacuum pump, and heated at a temperature of 500 ° C. to 600 ° C. for a long time, for example, about 12 hours to 15 hours, and titanium and Mercury is alloyed.

At this time, since iron does not form an alloy with mercury, mercury does not remain in the sintered body of iron, and an alloy of titanium and mercury is formed in the sintered body of titanium to complete the mercury emitter 100.

(Second embodiment)

The method for manufacturing a low pressure discharge lamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a low pressure discharge lamp in which a mercury emitter is withdrawn in the middle of a manufacturing process and no mercury emitter is present in the glass bulb after completion of the lamp. .

16 is a schematic diagram from step A to step G of the manufacturing step of the method for manufacturing a low pressure discharge lamp according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and the schematic diagram from step H to step J are shown in FIG. 17, respectively.

(Step A)

First, the lower end of the prepared straight tube-shaped glass tube 300 is lined up and soaked in the phosphor suspension 302 in the tank 301. The phosphor suspension 302 contains, for example, blue, red, and green phosphor particles. By making the inside of the glass tube 300 a negative pressure, the fluorescent substance suspension 302 in the tank 301 is attracted, and the fluorescent substance suspension is apply | coated to the inner surface of the glass tube 300. FIG. This suction is set so that the liquid level may become a predetermined height of the glass tube 300 by detecting the liquid level by the optical sensor 303. The error of the liquid level at this time is relatively large because it is affected by the viscosity of the phosphor suspension 302 and the surface tension of the liquid level, and an error of ± 0.5 [mm] occurs.

(Step B)

Next, after opening to the atmosphere, the lower end of the glass tube 300 is removed from the phosphor suspension 302 to discharge the phosphor suspension 302 inside the glass tube 300 to the outside. As a result, the phosphor suspension is applied in a film form to a predetermined region of the inner circumference of the glass tube 300.

Subsequently, after the phosphor suspension 302 applied in the glass tube 300 is dried, an unnecessary phosphor portion at the end of the glass tube 300 is removed by inserting a brush 304 or the like into the inner surface of the glass tube 300.

Subsequently, the glass tube 300 is transferred into a heating furnace (not shown) to be fired to obtain a phosphor film 305.

(Step C)

Thereafter, the electrode unit 309 including the electrode 306, the bead glass 307, and the lead wire 308 is inserted into one end of the glass tube 300 on which the phosphor film 305 is formed, and then temporarily fixed. Temporary fixation means fixing part of the outer circumference of the bead glass 307 to the inner circumferential surface of the glass tube 300 by heating the outer circumferential portion of the glass tube 300 where the bead glass 307 is located with the burner 310. Since only a part of the outer circumference of the bead glass 307 is fixed, the ventilation in the tube axis direction of the glass tube 300 is maintained.

(Step D)

Next, the electrode 311 and the bead glass 312 having substantially the same configuration as the electrode unit 309 in the glass tube 300 on the side opposite to the side where the electrode unit 309 is inserted in the reverse direction up and down of the glass tube 300. And after inserting the electrode unit 314 including the lead wire 313, the outer peripheral portion of the glass tube 300, the bead glass 312 is located by heating with a burner 315 to close the glass tube 300 to hermetically sealed ( First seal). Moreover, the error with respect to the setting value of the sealing position in 1st sealing is about 0.5 [mm].

In addition, the insertion position of the electrode unit 309 in the process C and the insertion of the electrode unit 314 in the process D are different in the length of the phosphor layer 405 absence region extending from both ends of the glass bulb 402 after sealing, which will be described later. It is preferable to adjust the insertion amount so that. In this case, the electrode unit 314 on the other end side is inserted to a depth deeper than the position overlapping the phosphor film 305 as compared to the electrode unit 309 on one end side. The reason why such a configuration is preferable is as follows. That is, a difference in the thickness of the phosphor layer 405 is often generated at one end and the other end of the lamp, and when a plurality of fluorescent lamps are assembled in a lighting device such as a backlight unit in the same direction, the luminance of the entire lighting device is increased. Of non-uniformity occurs. In order to prevent this, for example, it is conceivable to mount one end and the other end of the lamp in an alternating lighting device. This is because one end and the other end of the lamp can be easily and automatically identified using a sensor or the like. When a 2 million pixel image sensor is used as the sensor, one pixel can be set to 0.1 [mm], so that measurement accuracy in 0.1 [mm] units can be realized.

In consideration of these circumstances, if the difference between the lengths of the phosphor layer 404 absence region at one end side and the other end side of the glass bulb 401 is at least 2 [mm] or more, the direction in the longitudinal direction is surely identified by using the sensor. can do.

Further, when the difference in the length of the absence region of the phosphor layer 404 at least one end side and the other end side of the glass bulb 401 is at least 3 [mm] or more, the direction in the longitudinal direction can be more reliably identified using the sensor. have. In this case, the image sensor may be of measurement accuracy in 0.5 [mm] units. Moreover, the upper limit of the difference of length is about 8 [mm], for example. This is because if the thickness is larger than 8 [mm], the region in which the phosphor layer 404 does not contribute to light emission becomes long, thereby making it difficult to secure an effective light emission length.

(Step E)

Subsequently, a portion of the glass tube 300 between the electrode unit 309 and the end portion of the glass tube 300 closer to the electrode unit 309 is heated with the burner 316 to reduce the diameter to form the cut off portion 300a. Thereafter, the mercury emitter 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is introduced into the glass tube 300 from the end and hanged on the concave portion 300a.

(Step F)

Next, the exhaust in the glass tube 300 and the filling gas in the glass tube 300 are sequentially performed. Specifically, the head of the air supply / exhaust apparatus (not shown) is attached to the end portion of the mercury-releasing body 100 of the glass tube 300, and the inside of the glass tube 300 is evacuated to a vacuum, and a heating apparatus (not shown) is provided. The whole glass tube 300 is heated by the outer periphery. As a result, the impurity gas in the glass tube 300 is discharged including the impurity gas infiltrating into the phosphor film 305. After the heating is stopped, a predetermined amount of inclusion gas (for example, mixed rare gas such as a mixed gas having a partial pressure ratio of argon 95 [%] and neon 5 [%]) is filled.

(Process G)

When the encapsulation gas is filled, the end portion of the mercury emitter 100 of the glass tube 300 is heated and sealed by the burner 317.

(Step H)

Subsequently, in step H shown in FIG. 17, the mercury emitter 100 is inductively heated by a high frequency oscillation coil (not shown) disposed around the glass tube 300 to release mercury from the mercury emitter 100 (mercury). Release process). As the method for heating the mercury emitter 100, for example, various known methods such as light heating can be used. Thereafter, the mercury released by heating the glass tube 300 in the heating furnace 318 is moved to the electrode 311 of the electrode unit 314.

(Step I)

Next, the outer peripheral part of the glass tube 300 in which the bead glass 307 is located is heated with the burner 319, and the glass tube 300 is closed and airtightly sealed. The error with respect to the sex setting of the sealing position of this one end is about ± 0.5 [mm] like the other end.

(Step J)

Next, in the glass tube 300, the edge part by the mercury discharge body 100 side is cut out rather than the sealing part of the said one side edge part.

This completes the low pressure discharge lamp.

As described above, according to the configuration of the low-pressure discharge lamp manufacturing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention, since the mercury emitter 100 having good mercury emission efficiency is used, the amount of mercury impregnated in the mercury emitter 100 is determined. Can be reduced, and the load on the environment can be reduced.

(Third embodiment)

18A is a cross-sectional view of the low pressure discharge lamp 400 according to the third embodiment of the present invention including the tube axis of FIG. 18A, and an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A is shown in FIG. 18B. Represent each. As shown in FIG. 18A, the lamp 400 is a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, and unlike the low pressure discharge lamp manufactured by the low pressure discharge lamp manufacturing method of the second embodiment of the present invention, the lamp 400 is inside the lamp 400. The mercury emitter 401 remains.

The lamp 400 is composed of a glass bulb 402, an electrode 403, and a lead wire 404. The glass bulb 402 has a straight tube shape, and the cross section cut | disconnected perpendicularly to the tube axis is substantially circular shape. The glass bulb 402 has, for example, an outer diameter of 3.0 [mm], an inner diameter of 2.0 [mm], and a full length of 750 [mm]. The material is borosilicate glass. The dimension of the lamp 400 shown below is a value corresponding to the dimension of the glass bulb 402 whose outer diameter is 3.0 [mm] and inner diameter is 2.0 [mm]. In the case of a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, the inner diameter is in the range of 1.4 [mm] to 7.0 [mm], the thickness is 0.2 [mm] to 0.6 [mm], and the total length is preferably 1500 [mm] or less. These values are examples, and are not limited to these.

Mercury is encapsulated inside the glass bulb 402 at a predetermined ratio, for example, 0.6 [mg / dl], with respect to the volume of the glass bulb 402, and rare gases such as argon and neon are charged at a predetermined encapsulation pressure. For example, it is enclosed in 60 [Torr]. As the rare gas, a mixed gas having a partial pressure ratio of argon and neon (Ar = 5 [%], Ne = 95 [%]) is used.

In addition, a phosphor layer 405 is formed on the inner surface of the glass bulb 402. Phosphor particles used in the phosphor layer 405, for example, red phosphor particles ^{_{(Y 2 O 3: Eu 3}} +), a green fluorescent material particle _{^{(LaPO 4: Ce 3 +,}} Tb 3 +) , and blue phosphor particles (BaMg2Al ₁₆ O _27: is formed of a phosphor comprising a Eu ^{2 +).}

In addition, a metal oxide protective film (not shown) such as yttrium oxide (Y ₂ O ₃ ) may be formed between the inner surface of the glass bulb 402 and the phosphor layer 405.

In addition, lead wires 404 are led outward from both ends of the glass bulb 402. The lead wire 404 is hermetically attached to both ends of the glass bulb 402 via the bead glass 406.

This lead wire 404 is a joint line which consists of the inner lead wire 404a which consists of tungsten, and the outer lead wire 404b which consists of nickel, for example. The wire diameter of the inner lead wire 404a is 1 [mm], the full length is 3 [mm], the wire diameter of the outer lead wire 404b is 0.8 [mm], and the full length is 5 [mm].

In the tip portion of the inner lead wire 404a, a hollow electrode, for example, a cylindrical electrode 403 having a bottom surface is fixed. This fixation is performed using laser welding, for example.

The dimension of each part of the electrode 403 is 5 [mm] in electrode length, 1.70 [mm] in outer diameter, 1.50 [mm] in inner diameter, and 0.10 [mm] in thickness,

As shown in FIG. 18B, the mercury emitter 401 is fixed between the electrode 403 of the at least one internal lead wire 404a and the bead glass 406. The mercury emitter 401 has a through hole 401a formed therein for passing the inner lead wire to the mercury emitter 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The mercury emitter 401 may be fixed to the electrode 403 instead of the lead wire 404.

As described above, according to the configuration of the low-pressure discharge lamp of the third embodiment of the present invention, since the mercury emitter 401 having good mercury emission efficiency is used, the amount of mercury impregnated in the mercury emitter 401 can be reduced. And reduce the load on the environment.

(Fourth embodiment)

19 (a) is an sectional view including the tube axis of the low pressure discharge lamp (hereinafter simply referred to as "lamp 500") of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and an enlarged cross-sectional view of part B is shown in FIG. 19 (b), respectively. Indicates. As shown in Fig. 19A, the lamp 500 is a hot cathode fluorescent lamp, which is different from the low pressure discharge lamp manufactured by the method of manufacturing the low pressure discharge lamp of the third embodiment of the present invention, and the lamp 500 The mercury emitter 401 remains inside.

The lamp 500 is a hot cathode fluorescent lamp and is composed of a glass bulb 501 and an electrode mount 502.

The glass bulb 501 has, for example, a total length of 1010 [mm], a thickness of 0.8 [mm], and an outer diameter of 18 [mm], and electrode mounts 502 are attached to both ends thereof.

A phosphor layer 405 is formed on the inner surface of the glass bulb 501, and mercury (for example, 4 [mg] to 10 [mg]) is sealed inside the glass bulb 501, and a buffer gas is provided. For example, a mixed gas of argon (Ar) and krypton (Kr) (for example, a mixed gas having a partial pressure ratio of 50% of Ar and 50% of Kr) is encapsulated at a packing gas pressure of 600 [Pa], for example. .

As shown in FIG. 19A, the electrode mount 502 is a so-called bead glass mount, and a tungsten filament electrode 503 and a pair of lead wires 504 supported by the filament electrode 503. And bead glass 505 for holding and supporting the pair of lead wires 504.

As shown in FIG. 19B, the mercury emitter 401 is fixed to the lead wire 504 of at least one electrode mount 502. However, the through hole 401a of the mercury emitter 4701 used here matches the wire diameter of the lead wire 504.

The part attached to the end of the glass bulb 501 in the electrode 502 is a part of the lead wire 504, specifically, the part extending from the bead glass 505 to the side opposite to the filament electrode 503. In addition, attachment of the electrode mount 502 to the glass bulb 501 is made by, for example, a pinch seal method.

In addition, an exhaust pipe remaining portion 506 is attached to the at least one end of the glass bulb 501 together with the electrode 502. The remaining portion 506 of the exhaust pipe is used to exhaust the inside of the glass bulb 501 after the electrode mount 502 is attached, or to seal the sealing gas or the like. When completed, the remaining portion of the exhaust pipe 506 is located outside the glass bulb 501, for example, chip off sealing.

As described above, according to the configuration of the low-pressure discharge lamp 500 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, since the mercury emitter 401 having a good mercury emission efficiency is used, the amount of mercury impregnated in the mercury emitter 401 is obtained. It can reduce the amount of mercury used for the lamps, and reduce the load on the environment.

(Fifth Embodiment)

20 is an exploded perspective view of the backlight unit 600 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The backlight unit 600 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention has a direct frame, a rectangular parallelepiped frame 601 having one surface open, a plurality of lamps 400 housed inside the frame 601, A pair of sockets 602 for electrically connecting the lamp 400 to a lighting circuit (not shown) and an optical sheet type 603 covering an opening of the frame 601 are provided. In addition, the lamp 400 is a low-pressure discharge lamp 400 of the third embodiment of the present invention.

The frame 601 is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin, for example, and a metal such as silver is deposited on the inner surface thereof to form a reflective surface 604. In addition, the material of the frame 601 may be made of a material other than resin, for example, metal material such as aluminum or cold rolled material (for example, SPCC). In addition to the metal-deposited film on the inner reflective surface 604, a reflective sheet having a higher reflectance is attached to the frame 601 by adding calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, or the like to a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin. You may use it.

The socket 602, the insulator 605, and the cover 606 are disposed inside the frame 601. Specifically, the sockets 602 are provided at predetermined intervals in the short side direction (vertical direction) of the frame 601 to correspond to the arrangement of the lamps 400. The socket 602 is made of a plate made of stainless steel or phosphor bronze, for example, and has an insertion portion 602a into which the external lead wire 404b is inserted. The outer lead wire 404b is elastically deformed to be inserted by pushing the insertion part 602a to widen. As a result, the external lead wire 404b inserted into the insertion part 602a is applied to the restoring force of the insertion part 602a. The external lead wire 404b can be easily inserted into the insertion portion 602a while not being pulled out.

The socket 602 is covered with an insulator 605 so that a short circuit does not occur between neighboring sockets 602. The insulator 605 is comprised, for example from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin. The insulator 605 is not limited to the above configuration. Since the socket 602 is located near the internal electrode 403 which becomes relatively high during the operation of the lamp 400, the insulator 605 is preferably made of a heat resistant material. As a material of the heat-resistant insulator 605, polycarbonate (PC) resin, silicone rubber, etc. can be applied, for example.

The lamp holder 607 may be provided inside the frame 601 as needed. The lamp holder 607 for fixing the position of the lamp 400 inside the frame 601 is made of, for example, polycarbonate (PC), and has a shape corresponding to the outer surface shape of the lamp 400. "Place as needed" is necessary to eliminate the warpage of the lamp 400 when the lamp 400 is long, for example, longer than the total length of 600 [mm], such as near the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the lamp 400. It is a place.

The cover 606 partitions the space inside the socket 602 and the frame 601, and is made of, for example, a polycarbonate (PC) resin, and at least keeps the periphery of the socket 602 at the same time. By making the surface of the 601 side highly reflective, the fall of the brightness | luminance of the edge part of the lamp 400 can be reduced.

The opening of the frame 601 is covered with the light transmitting optical sheets 603, and is sealed to prevent dust, dust, and the like from entering inside. The optical sheet 603 is formed by stacking the diffusion plate 608, the diffusion sheet 609, and the lens sheet 610.

The diffusion plate 608 is, for example, a plate-shaped body made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin, and is disposed to close the opening of the frame 601. The diffusion sheet 609 is made of polyester resin, for example. The lens sheet 610 is a bonding of acrylic resin and polyester resin, for example. These optical sheet | seats 603 are arrange | positioned so that they may overlap each other in the diffusion plate 608 one by one.

As described above, according to the configuration of the backlight unit 600 of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, since a lamp having a small amount of mercury is used, a backlight unit having a low environmental load can be realized.

(Sixth Embodiment)

21 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the backlight unit of the sixth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The backlight unit 700 of the sixth embodiment of the present invention is an edge light type, and includes a reflecting plate 701, a lamp 400, a socket (not shown), a light guide plate 702, a diffusion sheet 703, and a prism sheet 704. Consists of

The reflecting plate 701 is disposed to surround the light guide plate 702 except for the liquid crystal panel side (arrow Q), and has a bottom portion 701b covering the bottom surface and a side surface except the side on which the lamp 400 is disposed. It consists of the side surface part 701a which covers, and the curved lamp side part 701c which covers the circumference | surroundings of the lamp 400, and the light irradiated from the lamp is sent from the light guide plate 702 to the liquid crystal panel (not shown) side (arrow Q). To reflect. The reflecting plate 701 is formed by, for example, depositing silver on a film-shaped PET, or laminating metal foil such as aluminum.

The socket has a configuration substantially the same as that of the socket 602 used in the backlight unit 600 of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 21, the edge part of the lamp 400 is abbreviate | omitted for convenience of illustration. The light guide plate 702 is for guiding the light reflected by the reflection plate to the liquid crystal panel side, and is made of, for example, a transparent plastic, and is laminated on the reflection plate 701a provided on the bottom surface of the backlight unit 700. As the material, polycarbonate (PC) resin or cycloolefin resin (COP) can be applied.

The diffusion sheet 703 is for expanding the field of view, and is made of, for example, a film having a diffusion transmission function made of polyethylene terephthalate resin or polyester resin, and laminated on the light guide plate 702.

The prism sheet 704 is for improving the brightness, and is made of, for example, a sheet obtained by bonding an acrylic resin and a polyester resin, and laminated on the diffusion sheet 703. Further, a diffusion plate may be further laminated on the prism sheet 704.

In addition, in the present embodiment, a reflection sheet (not shown) is formed on the outer surface of the glass bulb 402 except for a part in the circumferential direction of the lamp 400 (the light guide plate 702 side when the light is inserted into the backlight unit 700). It may be an aperture type lamp provided with a.

As described above, according to the configuration of the backlight unit 700 of the sixth embodiment of the present invention, since a lamp having a small amount of mercury is used, a backlight unit having a low environmental load can be realized.

(Seventh embodiment)

22 shows an outline of the liquid crystal display device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 22, the liquid crystal display device 800 is, for example, a 32-inch television, and includes a liquid crystal display unit 801 including a liquid crystal panel and the like, and a backlight unit 600 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. And a lighting circuit 802.

The liquid crystal display unit 801 is well known and includes a liquid crystal panel (color filter substrate, liquid crystal, TFT substrate, etc.) (not shown), a driving module, etc. (not shown), and displays a color image based on an image signal from the outside. To form.

The lighting circuit 802 lights the lamp 400 inside the backlight unit 600. The lamp 400 operates at a lighting frequency of 40 [kW] to 100 [kW] and a lamp current of 3.0 [kW] to 25 [kW].

In addition, FIG. 22 illustrates a case in which the low pressure discharge lamp 400 of the first embodiment is inserted into the backlight unit 600 of the fifth embodiment of the present invention as a light source device of the liquid crystal display device 800. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The low pressure discharge lamp 500 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention may be applied. In addition, the backlight unit 700 of the sixth embodiment of the present invention can also be used for the backlight unit.

As described above, according to the configuration of the liquid crystal display device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, since a lamp having a small amount of mercury is used, a liquid crystal display device having a low environmental load can be realized.

<Variation example>

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the specific example shown in each said Example, the content of this invention is not limited to the specific example shown in each Example, Of course, For example, the following modified example It is available.

1. Modified example of mercury emitter

(1) Modification Example 1

A perspective view of Modified Example 1 of the mercury emitter according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 23, its front view is shown in FIG. 24A, and its plan view is shown in FIG. 24B. Modified example 1 of the mercury emitter according to the first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as "mercury emitter 103") is different from its mercury emitter 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. . Therefore, the shape is demonstrated in detail and other points are abbreviate | omitted.

The mercury release body 103 is tapered at the end. Specifically, the end of the metal sintered body 104 of the mercury-releasing body 103 is tapered 104a.

Since the end portion of the mercury release body 103 is tapered, the mercury release body 103 can be prevented from colliding with another mercury release body and being damaged during transportation. In addition, since the end portion of the mercury emitter 103 is tapered, it is possible to facilitate the introduction of the mercury emitter 103 into the glass tube when producing a low-pressure discharge lamp of a tubular tube. In addition, only one end of the mercury release body 103 may be tapered.

(2) Modification Example 2

25 is a perspective view of Modified Example 2 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention, a front view thereof is shown in FIG. 26 (a), and a plan view thereof is shown in FIG. 26 (b). Modified example 2 of the mercury emitter according to the first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as "mercury emitter 105") is the mercury alloy portion (and the mercury emitter 100 of the first embodiment of the present invention) 106) is different in shape. Therefore, the shape is demonstrated in detail and other points are abbreviate | omitted.

The mercury release body 105 has a cylindrical shape in which a through hole 106a is formed in the axial direction, including, for example, the central axis of the mercury alloy portion 106.

Since the mercury emitter 105 is cylindrical, mercury is discharged from both sides of the inner surface and the metal sintered body 102 side, whereby the mercury release efficiency can be further improved. The metal sintered body 102 may be further formed on the inner surface of the mercury emitter 105. In this case, during the high frequency heating, the eddy current of the high frequency heating reaches the inner surface of the mercury emitter 105, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the mercury alloy portion 106, thereby further improving the mercury emission efficiency.

In addition, although the mercury discharge | release body shown in FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 is cylindrical shape, it is not limited to this, A polygonal cylindrical shape may be sufficient.

However, the ratio of the outer diameter Dh of the through hole 106a to the outer diameter Di of the mercury alloy portion 106 is preferably in the range of 5% or more and 60% or less. In this case, if Dh is too small, the emission efficiency does not increase very much. If it is too large, a predetermined amount of mercury impregnation cannot be obtained, and the heating efficiency also decreases.

(3) Modification Example 3

27 is a perspective view of Modified Example 3 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention. The third modified example of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as "mercury emitter 109") is different in shape from the mercury emitter 100 of the first embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the shape is demonstrated in detail and other points are abbreviate | omitted.

The mercury emitter 109 is flat. Specifically, in the mercury release body 109, the metal sintered body part 111 is laminated | stacked on the flat mercury alloy part 110. As shown in FIG. That is, as long as the mercury alloy part 110 is covered with the metal sintered compact part 111, the structure 109 shown in FIG. 27 can also be employ | adopted. Since the mercury release body 109 can be produced by press molding by the sheet method, the manufacturing process can be further simplified.

In addition, the metal sintered body part 111 is laminated on the surface on the side opposite to the metal sintered body part 111 of the mercury alloy part 110 shown in FIG. 27, and the mercury alloy part 110 has two metal sintered body parts 111. It is sandwiched by both sides. In this case, the heating efficiency of the mercury alloy unit 110 is increased to further improve the discharge efficiency of mercury. However, a configuration other than the configuration (flat plate configuration) shown in FIG. 27 may be adopted.

For example, the mercury-releasing body 109 shown in FIG. 28 is made into the substantially cylindrical shape by bending the flat plate shape shown in FIG. Alternatively, the mercury emitter 109 shown in FIG. 29 may be configured such that the cross section of the mercury alloy portion 110 is covered with the metal sintered body portion 111. In the case shown in FIG. 29, since the cross section of the mercury alloy part 110 is covered with the metal sintered part 111, and the front surface and the back surface are continuous, the effect that eddy current efficiency can be improved can be exhibited. Can be.

Moreover, if the mercury alloy part 110 is coat | covered with the metal sintered compact part 111, a slit can also be provided in a part of a mercury discharge body (part of a sintered compact part).

28 and 29, slits are formed in a part of the mercury emitter, but, for example, the center axis X ₁₀₀ in the longitudinal direction of the mercury emitter 100 illustrated in FIG. 3 is formed. The slits may be installed in parallel, vertically or inclined.

The mercury emitter is more likely to release mercury from the slit part when a slit is provided in a part of the metal sintered body part, which may further improve the mercury emission efficiency, while also causing a problem of lowering the efficiency of eddy current due to the presence of the slit. Consideration is required in the design of the case of forming the slit.

(4) Modification Example 4

30 is a perspective view of Modified Example 4 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention. Modified example 4 of the mercury emitter according to the first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as "mercury emitter 112") is a spiral example 3 of the mercury emitter 100 of the first embodiment of the present invention. It is wound up in shape. Specifically, the laminate of the metal sintered body 111 and the mercury alloy portion 110 is wound in a spiral shape so that the metal sintered body 111 becomes the outer side. In this case, even if one surface of the mercury alloy portion 110 is coated with the metal sintered body portion 111, or if both surfaces of the mercury alloy portion 110 are covered with the metal sintered body portion 111 or coated. good.

Since the mercury emitter 112 is heated by high frequency heating including the inside thereof, the mercury emitter 112 can be further improved.

(5) Modification 5

31 is a partially cutaway perspective view of Modified Example 5 of the mercury emitter according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Modified example 5 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as "mercury emitter 113") is different in shape from the mercury emitter 100 of the first embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the shape is demonstrated in detail and other points are abbreviate | omitted.

In the mercury-releasing body 113, a strip-shaped metal sintered body 114 is wound around the rod-shaped mercury alloy portion 101. With this configuration, the mercury release body 113 forms a rod-shaped clay that becomes the mercury release body 113 without simultaneously extruding the mercury alloy portion 101 and the metal sintered body portion 114, and then the metal sintered body portion ( 114) can be formed by winding up the clay to be used.

(6) Modification Example 6

32 is a partially cutaway perspective view of Modified Example 6 of the mercury emitter according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The modified example 6 of the mercury emitter of the first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as "mercury emitter 115") is different in shape from the mercury emitter 100 of the first embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the shape is demonstrated in detail and other points are abbreviate | omitted.

The mercury release body 115 is spherical in shape, and the metal sintered body part 117 is laminated on the whole outer side of the spherical mercury alloy part 116.

Since the mercury dischargers 115 are all covered with the metal sintered body 117, the mercury emitters 115 can work without directly contacting the mercury alloy parts 116 impregnated with mercury when the mercury emitters 115 are transported. It can improve the safety of work. However, as long as the mercury alloy part 116 is covered by the metal sintered compact part 117, it is not limited to spherical shape, For example, it may be a polyhedron shape etc. (for example, a cross section rectangle, a cross section hexagon, etc.). Since there is no angle in the case of a spherical shape, it can be prevented from being damaged by the collision between the mercury release bodies 115 at the time of transport. In the case of a spherical shape, the transport container can be denserly packed than other shapes at the time of transport, thereby increasing the transport efficiency.

Moreover, although it is essentially different from the technical idea of this invention, the structure which attached the thin member for welding a metal cap and a metal rod to the one end of the mercury discharge outlet which discharges mercury is disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 4-341748. It is. However, the structure disclosed in the publication differs greatly from the technology for improving the emission efficiency of mercury, such as the mercury emitter 100 of the present embodiment, and is a technology for safe welding without generating gas of mercury during welding. .

The present invention can be widely applied to a mercury emitter, a method of manufacturing a low pressure discharge lamp using the same, and a low pressure discharge lamp.

Claims (26)

A mercury emitter comprising a mercury alloy comprising at least one first metal selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), zinc (Zn) and magnesium (Mg) and mercury (Hg); A mercury emitter comprising a sintered body layer covering the mercury emitting portion and comprising a material comprising at least one second metal selected from the group consisting of iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni). The method according to claim 1, The sintered compact layer is formed in a porous shape. The method according to claim 1, The mercury release body characterized by the particle shape of the material which comprises the said sintered compact layer being scaly fragment shape. The method according to claim 1, Particle shape of the material constituting the sintered compact layer is a spherical shape. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The porosity of the sintered compact layer is 5 [%] or more. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The mercury discharge portion is cylindrical in shape, The sintered compact layer is cylindrical in shape, The mercury release body in which the said cylindrical mercury discharge | release part is located in the cylindrical center part of the said sintered compact layer. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The first metal is titanium (Ti), The second metal is iron (Fe) mercury emitter. The method according to claim 1, The mercury alloy is TiHg. The method according to claim 1, The mercury emitter is formed by impregnating mercury through the sintered compact layer to react the mercury with the first metal. The method according to claim 1, The sintered compact layer is a sintered compact layer composed of the second metal, The metal sintered body layer is a magnetic substance mercury emitter. A mercury-emitting body comprising a mercury alloy portion and a metal sintered body portion formed of a sintered body of a metal which does not form an alloy with mercury, and the metal sintered body portion is porous. The method according to claim 11, The mercury alloy portion is a mercury emitter, characterized in that consisting of a sintered body of the metal and mercury alloy forming an alloy with mercury. The method according to claim 11 or 12, The mercury release body characterized in that the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury in the said metal sintered compact part is a magnetic body. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, The mercury release body characterized by the particle shape of the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury in the said metal sintered compact part. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, The mercury release body characterized by the spherical shape of the metal which does not form an alloy with mercury in the said metal sintered compact part. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, A porosity of the metal sintered body portion is 5 [%] or more. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, The mercury alloy portion is rod-shaped, and the metallic sintered body portion is laminated around the mercury emitter. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, The mercury alloy portion is columnar rod-shaped, The metal sintered body portion is laminated on the outer peripheral surface thereof, The outer diameter of the metal alloy portion is a mercury emitter, characterized in that more than 30 [%] of the outer diameter of the mercury emitter. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, A mercury-releasing body characterized in that a through hole is formed in the mercury alloy portion to form a cylindrical shape. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, The thickness of the said metal sintered compact part is 10 [micrometer] or more, The mercury discharge body characterized by the above-mentioned. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 20, The ratio of the surface area of the part which contact | connects the said metal sintered compact part of the total area of the said mercury alloy part is a mercury discharge body characterized by the above-mentioned. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 21, A getter ash is mixed in said metal sintered compact part, The mercury discharge body characterized by the above-mentioned. A method for manufacturing a low pressure discharge lamp, comprising the step of inserting the mercury emitter according to any one of claims 1 to 22 into a glass tube. A low pressure discharge lamp comprising a glass bulb, an electrode disposed inside the glass bulb, and a lead wire supporting the electrode and sealingly attached to at least one end of the light emitting tube, A low pressure discharge lamp, wherein the mercury emitter according to any one of claims 1 to 22 is fixed to the lead wire or the electrode as an inside of the light emitting tube. The low pressure discharge lamp of Claim 24 is provided, The backlight unit characterized by the above-mentioned. A liquid crystal display device comprising the backlight unit according to claim 25.

Images