JP2007134098A - Discharge lamp device and method of manufacturing discharge lamp device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To strengthen connection between a discharge lamp and a starter and to reduce a time required for the connection, in a discharge lamp device where a discharge lamp and a starter are integrally used. <P>SOLUTION: The discharge lamp device includes: a discharge lamp DL equipped with a translucent airtight vessel 1 having an arc tube part 11 having a discharge medium filled therein and having a pair of electrodes arranged oppositely to each other, and sealing parts 12a and 12b formed at both ends of the arc tube part 11 with lead wires 2a3 and 2b3 led out from opposite sides of the arc tube part 11, and a socket 5 having a housing part 53 on the side of a surface 51 with one end of the airtight vessel 1 housed in the housing part 53; the starter IG where a mounting surface 71 with the backside 52 of the socket 5 fixed is formed on one surface thereof, hole parts 72 and 73 are formed on the mounting surface 71, and the lead wire 2a3 and a support wire 2c are inserted into the hole parts 72 and 73; and a melt 10 interlaid between the socket 5 and the starter IG and formed by thermally melting nearly-corresponding parts of the backside 52 and the mounting surface 71. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a discharge lamp device such as an automobile headlamp in which a discharge lamp and a starter are used in an integrated form, and a method for connecting the discharge lamp and the starter.

  In recent years, high pressure discharge lamps for automobile headlamps have been increasingly used in Europe and the United States in the form of a discharge lamp device in which a discharge lamp and a starter called an igniter are integrated. This discharge lamp device currently has two types of structures. The discharge lamp and starter are completely integrated from the beginning, and the discharge lamp and starter are assembled separately and then connected together. There are things that become.

  Patent Document 1 is an invention of a discharge lamp device in which the latter method is adopted. In this Patent Document 1, it is described that a method such as welding using a heating element, ultrasonic welding, high-frequency welding, or adhesion using an adhesive can be used for connection between the discharge lamp and the starter. .

International Publication No. 2004/066686 Pamphlet

  However, when the surfaces of the discharge lamp and the starter to be connected are simple planes, it has been found that the connection strength is not sufficient even if they are connected by welding or adhesion as shown in Patent Document 1. That is, when the discharge lamp device is used as a headlight of an automobile, it must be able to withstand severe conditions such as vibration and impact, but it cannot sufficiently satisfy vibration resistance, impact resistance, and the like. I understood it. It was also found that the connection took a long time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a discharge lamp device in which the connection between the discharge lamp and the starter is strong and the time required for the connection can be shortened. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, a discharge lamp device according to the present invention includes an arc tube portion in which a discharge medium is enclosed and a pair of electrodes arranged opposite to each other, formed at both ends of the arc tube portion, and the light emission A light-transmitting hermetic container having a sealing part from which the lead wire is led out from the opposite side of the tube part, and a socket having a housing part on the surface side and containing one end of the hermetic container in the housing part A discharge lamp comprising: a mounting surface in which the back surface of the socket is fixed to one surface; a starter in which a hole is formed in the mounting surface and the lead wire is inserted in the hole; And a melted body that is interposed between the socket and the starter and is obtained by thermally melting the back surface and a substantially corresponding portion of the mounting surface.

  According to the present invention, the connection between the discharge lamp and the starter can be strengthened, and the connection time thereof can be shortened.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a discharge lamp device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall view for explaining a first embodiment of a discharge lamp device according to the present invention.

  The discharge lamp device according to the present embodiment includes a discharge lamp DL that performs discharge and a starter IG that starts the lamp.

  The hermetic container 1 constituting the main part of the discharge lamp DL is a material having fire resistance that can sufficiently withstand high temperatures while the lamp is lit, and translucency that allows the generated light to pass through with as little loss as possible. It is made of quartz glass and has an elongated shape. A substantially elliptical arc tube portion 11 having a long axis in the axial direction is formed at a substantially central portion in the tube axis direction of the airtight container 1. Plate-shaped sealing portions 12a and 12b having a pair of flat pinch surfaces and a pair of side surfaces corresponding to thickness portions are formed at both ends of the arc tube portion 11, and cylindrical ends are formed at the ends thereof. Non-sealing portions 13a and 13b are formed. Each of these parts is continuously formed of the same material.

  Inside the arc tube portion 11, a discharge space 14 is formed that has a substantially cylindrical shape at the center and a tapered shape at both ends in the axial shape. The volume of the discharge space 14 is about 100 μl or less in a short arc type discharge lamp, but when the application is specified particularly for an automobile, the internal volume of the discharge space is preferably 10 μl to 40 μl. .

  The discharge space 14 is filled with a discharge medium made of a metal halide and a rare gas. As the metal halide, sodium, scandium halide, which mainly functions as a light emitting medium for generating visible light, and zinc halide, which functions as a lamp voltage forming medium, are enclosed. Further, an indium halide is further enclosed for the purpose of improving emission chromaticity during lighting. For the halide bonded to these metals, it is most preferable to select iodine having low reactivity among halides. However, the halide to be bonded is not limited to iodine, and bromine, chlorine, or a combination of a plurality of halides may be used.

  As the rare gas, xenon which has high luminous efficiency immediately after starting and mainly acts as a starting gas is enclosed. The pressure of xenon is preferably 5 atm or more, more preferably 10 to 15 atm at normal temperature (25 ° C.). In addition to xenon, neon, argon, krypton, or the like can be used as the rare gas, or a combination thereof may be used.

  Here, the discharge space 14 is configured to contain essentially no mercury. “Essentially free of mercury” shall be acceptable even if mercury is not present at all or an amount of mercury of less than 2 mg, preferably 1 mg or less per ml is present. Considering that the amount of mercury specified above is 20 to 40 mg per ml, and in some cases 50 mg or more, the amount of mercury enclosed in the conventional short arc type mercury-containing discharge lamp is described in this embodiment. The amount of mercury less than 2 mg allowed in this discharge lamp is overwhelmingly small, so it can be said that essentially no mercury is contained.

  Mounts 2a and 2b are sealed to the sealing portions 12a and 12b. The mounts 2a and 2b include metal foils 2a1 and 2b1, electrodes 2a2 and 2b2, and lead wires 2a3 and 2b3.

  The metal foils 2a1 and 2b1 are made of molybdenum and sealed so that their flat surfaces are parallel to the pinch surfaces of the sealing portions 12a and 12b.

  The electrodes 2a2, 2b2 are made of a material mainly composed of tungsten and doped with thorium oxide, and one end thereof is connected to the end of the metal foils 2a1, 2b1 on the arc tube portion 11 side by laser welding. The other ends of the electrodes 2a2 and 2b2 are arranged so that the tips of the electrodes 2a2 and 2b2 face each other while maintaining a predetermined distance between the electrodes in the discharge space 14. Here, the “predetermined interelectrode distance” is preferably about 5 mm or less for a short arc type lamp and about 4.2 mm when used for an automobile headlamp. The electrodes 2a2 and 2b2 have a stepped shape in which the distal end side has a larger diameter than the proximal end side.

  The lead wires 2a3 and 2b3 are made of molybdenum, and one end thereof is connected to the end portions of the metal foils 2a1 and 2b1 opposite to the arc tube portion 11 by laser welding. The other ends of the lead wires 2a3 and 2b3 extend to the outside along the tube axis from the sealing portions 12a and 12b. One end of a support wire 2c made of nickel is connected to the lead wire 2b3 extending to the outside. The other end of the lead wire 2b3 extends in the direction of the lead wire 2a3 and parallel to the tube axis. And most of the support wire 2c parallel to the tube axis is covered with an insulating sleeve 3 made of ceramic.

  A cylindrical outer tube 4 is provided outside the airtight container 1 configured as described above so as to cover most of the airtight container 1 along the tube axis. These connections are made by welding both end portions of the outer tube 4 to the outer ends of the non-sealing portions 13a and 13b. The outer tube 4 has translucency and ultraviolet blocking properties by adding at least one or more oxides such as titanium, cerium, aluminum, potassium, and barium to quartz glass.

  The space sealed by the airtight container 1 and the outer tube 4 is filled with dry air having a low water content. Note that this space may be filled with nitrogen or filled with a rare gas such as neon, krypton, argon, or xenon, or a mixture thereof.

  A socket 5 made of PPS resin (melting point is about 270 ° C.) is connected to the non-sealing part 13 a side of the hermetic container 1. The hermetic container 1 and the socket 5 are connected by forming a metal band 61 attached to the outer periphery of the outer tube 4 on the socket 5 and extending the four metal tongue pieces 62, 63, 64 ( In FIG. 1, three of them are shown in the figure), and these metals are welded together by laser.

  The structure of the socket 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the socket, and FIG. 2B is a view as seen from the side connected to the starter.

  The socket 5 has a front surface 51 that is a side for holding the airtight container 1 and a back surface 52 that is a side connected to the starter IG. The front surface 51 is formed with a housing portion 53 that houses the end of the hermetic container 1 on the non-sealing portion 13a side, and the housing portion 53 has a hole portion 54 into which the lead wire 2a3 is inserted. 52 is extended. In addition, in this Embodiment, although the accommodating part 53 is bottomed, a bottomless shape may be sufficient. Further, a hole 55 into which the support wire 2c and the insulating sleeve 3 are inserted is formed on the front surface 51 up to the back surface 52. And the convex part 56, the projection part 57, and the recessed part 58 are formed in the edge part of the back surface 52 of the socket 5, These are ring-shaped centering on the hole part 54 so that FIG.2 (b) may show. It is configured.

  Here, the convex part 56, the protrusion part 57, and the recessed part 58 are demonstrated in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a dotted line portion of FIG. Here, a dotted line X-X ′ indicates a surface that contacts a mounting surface 71 of a starter IG described later.

  The convex portion 56 has a width of 1.00 mm and a height of 0.75 mm with respect to the dotted line XX ′, and further has a smaller volume at the center tip of the width portion than the convex portion 56. A protrusion 57 is formed. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 57 has a width of 0.20 mm and a height of 0.10 mm. Further, the recess 58 has a width of 0.75 mm, a depth of 0.50 mm with respect to the dotted line X-X ′, and two recesses 58 are formed on both sides along the protrusion 56. Here, the protrusion 56, the protrusion 57, and the two recesses 58 have substantially the same volume with respect to the dotted line X-X '.

  The configuration of the starter IG will be described with reference to FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the starter, and FIG. 4B is a view as seen from the connection side with the discharge lamp.

  Most of the starter IG is composed of a container 7 made of PPS resin, which is the same material as the socket 5, and includes a rectangular parallelepiped body portion and a terminal portion connected to an external lighting circuit. A mounting surface 71 for mechanically connecting to the back surface 52 of the socket 5 of the discharge lamp DL is formed on one surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion. The mounting surface 71 is inserted with the hole 72 into which the lead wire 42 and the like are inserted so that the shape of the periphery of the holes 54 and 55 of the socket 5 is fitted, and the support wire 2c and the insulating sleeve 3 are inserted. A hole 73 and the like are formed. Further, on the mounting surface 71, portions corresponding to the convex portions 56, the protruding portions 57, and the concave portions 58 of the back surface 52 of the socket 5 are provided with convex portions 74, protruding portions 75, and concave portions 76 having the same shape and size as those. Is formed.

  Further, inside the container 7, an electronic element for generating a high voltage for performing dielectric breakdown at the time of start-up between the electrodes 2a2 and 2b2 of the discharge lamp DL and a metal terminal for connecting them are incorporated. Specifically, the electronic element includes a transformer, a capacitor, a resistor, a gap, and the like, and a transformer 81 is present in the cross section of FIG. Further, there are a metal terminal 82 connected to the lead wire 2a3 and a metal terminal 83 connected to the support wire 2c. These are arranged at predetermined positions and are electrically connected to each other by metal terminals. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about arrangement | positioning, connection, etc. of the specific electronic element in the starter IG. And the shield case 9 for removing the noise which generate | occur | produced at the time of lighting is mounted | worn on the outer side of the container 7 which has them so that the whole except the mounting surface 71 may be enclosed.

  The discharge lamp DL and the starter IG configured as described above are integrated by connecting the back surface 52 of the socket 5 and the mounting surface 71 of the container 7.

  Next, a method for connecting the discharge lamp DL and the starter IG will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the connection between the discharge lamp and the starter.

  In the present invention, the protrusions 56 and 74 and the protrusions 57 and 75 are melted to connect them. Therefore, the melting means may be any method as long as it uses a heat source that melts them, such as a burner, a heater, etc. In this embodiment, it is performed by a hot plate welding method.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the hot plate welding method is, for example, a heat source HS made of steel that can withstand up to about 700 ° C. and excellent in heat resistance and heat conductivity, and an electromagnetic induction device for heating the heat source HS. (Not shown). Here, in the present embodiment, since the convex portions 56 and the like to be melted are formed in a ring shape, the heat source HS is also a cylindrical one that is approximately the same as or slightly larger in diameter than the convex portions 56 and the like. Is used. The height of the heat source HS is about 1.5 mm.

  The heat welding procedure will be described. First, the iron portion of the heat source HS is disposed so as to face the convex portion 74 and the projecting portion 75 of the starter IG, and then the discharge lamp DL as shown in FIG. Is inserted into the center of the heat source HS, and the convex portion 56 and the protruding portion 57 are arranged facing the iron core portion of the heat source HS. At this time, since the lead wire 42 and the support wire 2c are inserted into the holes 72 and 73, the protrusions 56 and 74 and the protrusions 57 and 75 are arranged without being displaced from the iron portion of the heat source HS. The Here, the iron core portion of the heat source HS and the protrusions 57 and 75 are not desirable because the resin adheres to the iron core portion of the heat source HS when they come into contact with each other. Not suitable. Therefore, the distance between the heat source HS and the protrusions 57 and 75 is preferably 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm, and more preferably 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm.

  Then, the heat source HS is heated by the electromagnetic induction device for about 15 seconds at about 500 ° C. for about 15 seconds. Thereby, the convex parts 56, 74, etc. are melted. In this step, the projections 57 and 75 that are closest to the heat source HS and have a small volume are melted first. The rapid melting of the projections 57 and 75 enables the projections 56 and 74 that are relatively difficult to melt because of their larger volume to be melted in a short time. Therefore, it is desired that the protrusions 57 and 75 have an appropriate size that is easy to melt, the height is 0.05 mm to 0.30 mm, and the cross-sectional area is 0.01 mm to 0.06 mm. Is preferred.

  After the projections 56 and the like are melted by the heat source HS, the heat source HS is taken out from between the discharge lamp DL and the starter IG, and the lead wire 2a3 and the support wire 2c are guided to the holes 72 and 73, while FIG. As described above, the back surface 52 of the socket 5 and the placement surface 71 of the container 7 are bonded together. Due to the pressure applied when the back surface 52 of the socket 5 and the mounting surface 71 of the container 7 are in close contact, the softened convex portions 56 and 74 are pushed out and flow into the concave portions 58 and 76. Then, as shown in the enlarged view of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 6B, the melted convex portions 56 and 74 and the like become the melt 10 mixed with each other and fill the concave portions 58 and 76. Then, the connection between the discharge lamp DL and the starter IG is completed. In addition, since the convex parts 56 and 74, the protrusion parts 57 and 75, and the recessed parts 58 and 76 have the substantially same volume, a clearance gap is formed in the recessed parts 58 and 76, connection strength becomes weak, or the melt 10 is It does not protrude from the recesses 58 and 76 and does not float or impair the appearance.

  According to this method, it can be completed in about 30 seconds from the start of connection until the melt 10 is dried and the back surface 52 of the socket 5 and the mounting surface 71 of the container 7 are sufficiently fixed. The connection can be made in a very short time as compared with the case where is flat. Also, in the method using an adhesive, it may take 10 minutes or more from the start of connection until the adhesive dries, so the connection method of this embodiment can significantly reduce the time.

Further, when both the discharge lamp devices were subjected to a tensile strength test and a vibration test, it was confirmed that the connection strength was remarkably excellent in the present invention as compared with the conventional case. In addition, when the same test as described above was performed by changing the size of the melted convex portion or the like, the total cross-sectional area of the convex portion 56 and the protruding portion 57 with respect to the back surface XX ′ was 0.40 mm ² or more. In particular, it was confirmed that sufficient strength was obtained.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  1. In the lamp device, convex portions 56 and 74 are formed in substantially corresponding portions of the back surface 52 of the socket 5 and the mounting surface 71 of the starter IG, and the convex portions 56 and 74 are holes for the lead wire 2a3 and the support wire 2c. After being melted in a state of being inserted into the portions 72 and 73, it is fixed. For this reason, at the time of melting, the convex portions 56 and 74 formed on the corresponding portions can be aligned without misalignment, and the convex portions 56 and 74 can be efficiently melted, for example, by shortening the melting time. Further, at the time of bonding, the lead wires 2a3 and the support wire 2c are inserted into the holes 72 and 73, and then the melted convex portions 56 and 74 are combined, so that they can be aligned without misalignment and firmly connected. be able to.

  2. Since the concave portions 58 and 76 are formed around the convex portions 56 and 74, when the back surface 52 and the mounting surface 71 are combined, the melt 10 such as the convex portions 56 and 74 generated after melting is the concave portion. 58, 76. Thereby, the melt 10 flows into between the connection surfaces of the back surface 52 and the mounting surface 71, thereby preventing connection failures such as the connection surface floating.

  3. Since the convex portions 56 and 74 and the concave portions 58 and 76 are formed so that the volumes on the basis of the back surface 52 of the socket 5 and the placement surface 71 of the starter IG are substantially equal, the melt 10 has the concave portion 58. , 76 and the melted portion 10 is almost filled with the recesses 58, 76, so that it can be firmly fixed.

  4). Since protrusions 57 and 75 are further formed at the tips of the protrusions 56 and 74, at the time of melting, the protrusions 57 and 75 are first rapidly melted. Thereby, melting of the convex portions 56 and 74 is promoted, and the time required for melting can be greatly shortened.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a discharge lamp device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. About each part of this 2nd Embodiment, the same part as each part of the discharge lamp apparatus of 1st Embodiment is shown with the same code | symbol, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an adjustment portion 59 is formed at the end of the back surface 52 of the socket 5. The adjusting portion 59 acts to adjust the height so as to form a gap between the back surface 52 and the mounting surface 71 when the socket 5 and the starter IG are combined. That is, FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 8, but the socket 5 and the starter IG are fixed by mixing only the melted bodies 10 such as the melted convex portions 56 and 74. There is a gap between the back surface 52 and the mounting surface 71 by the height of the adjusting portion 59. By forming this gap, the heat of the socket 5 that reaches about 100 ° C. or higher during lighting is made difficult to be transmitted to the starter IG, and the temperature rise of electronic elements such as capacitors is reduced to prevent destruction. Is possible.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects 1 and 4 of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  5. Since the adjusting portion 59 is formed on the back surface 52 of the socket 5, the convex portions 56 and 74 are melted and joined together, and then the height of the adjusting portion 59 is set between the back surface 52 and the mounting surface 71. Only a gap can be formed. As a result, the heat from the lighting socket 5 can be reduced as much as possible, and destruction of electronic elements such as capacitors can be prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The whole figure for demonstrating 1st Embodiment of the discharge lamp apparatus of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the structure of a socket. The enlarged view of the dotted-line part of FIG. The figure for demonstrating a starter. The figure for demonstrating the steel which is a heating source used for a hot-plate welding method. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the connection of a discharge lamp and a starter. The enlarged view of the dashed-dotted line part of FIG.6 (b). Sectional drawing for demonstrating 2nd Embodiment of the discharge lamp apparatus of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the structure of the socket of 2nd Embodiment. The enlarged view of the dashed-two dotted line part of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

LP discharge lamp IG starter HS heat source 1 hermetic vessel 11 arc tube portion 12a, 12b sealing portion 13a, 13b non-sealing portion 14 discharge space 2a1, 2b1 metal foil 2a2, 2b2 electrode 2a3, 2b3 lead wire 2c support wire 3 insulation Sleeve 4 Outer tube 5 Socket 51 Front surface 52 Back surface 53 Housing portion 56 Protruding portion 57 Protruding portion 58 Recessing portion 59 Adjusting portion 7 Container 71 Placement surface 72, 73 Hole portion 74 Protruding portion 75 Protruding portion 76 Recessing portion 10

Claims (6)

An arc tube portion in which a discharge medium is enclosed, a pair of electrodes facing each other, a sealing portion formed at both ends of the arc tube portion, and a lead wire led out from the opposite side of the arc tube portion; A translucent airtight container having
A discharge lamp comprising a housing part on the surface side, and a socket in which one end part of the airtight container is housed in the housing part;
A mounting surface in which the back surface of the socket is fixed to one surface, a hole is formed in the mounting surface, and a starter in which the lead wire is inserted into the hole,
A discharge lamp device comprising: a molten body that is interposed between the socket and the starter and is obtained by thermally melting the back surface and a substantially corresponding portion of the mounting surface. An arc tube portion in which a discharge medium is enclosed, a pair of electrodes facing each other, a sealing portion formed at both ends of the arc tube portion, and a lead wire led out from the opposite side of the arc tube portion; A discharge lamp comprising: a translucent airtight container having a housing portion on the surface side; and a socket in which one end portion of the airtight container is housed in the housing portion;
A placement surface on which the back surface of the socket is fixed on one surface, and a starter having a hole formed on the placement surface side,
In the manufacturing method of the discharge lamp device, wherein the discharge lamp and the starter are integrated,
The rear surface of the socket and the mounting surface of the starter have at least convex portions at substantially corresponding portions, and the convex portions are thermally melted with the lead wires inserted into the hole portions. Thereafter, the discharge lamp device is manufactured by being fixed. On the back surface of the socket and the mounting surface of the starter, a convex portion and a concave portion are formed in a substantially corresponding portion, and the convex portion is heated in a state where the lead wire is inserted into the hole portion. 3. The method of manufacturing a discharge lamp device according to claim 2, wherein after melting, the back surface and the mounting surface are aligned, and the melt is allowed to flow into the concave portion and fixed.   The rear surface of the socket and the placement surface of the starter have at least a convex portion at a substantially corresponding portion, and an adjustment portion is formed on the rear surface or / and the placement surface. 3. The discharge lamp device according to claim 2, wherein after the lead wire is melted in a state of being inserted into the hole portion, the convex portions are aligned with each other to form a gap between the adjustment portions and fixed. Manufacturing method.   4. The method of manufacturing a discharge lamp device according to claim 3, wherein the convex portion and the concave portion have substantially the same volume based on the back surface of the socket and the placement surface of the starter. 5. 6. The method of manufacturing a discharge lamp device according to claim 2, wherein a protrusion is further formed at a tip of the convex portion.

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