Fluorescent lamp with improved CRI and brightness

• US 5,838,101 A
• Filed: 10/28/1992
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GTE Products Corporation (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: GTE Products Corporation (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Pappalardo, Romano G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Application Number:
  US07/967,607
• Time in Patent Office: 2,211 Days
• Field of Search: 313/487, 313/484, 313/486, 252/309.36, 252/700, 252/301.4 R, 252/301.4 F, 345/47
• US Class Current: 313/487
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/595 with zinc or cadmium
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/725 with alkaline earth metals
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/7734 Aluminates
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/7739 with halogens
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/7787 Oxides C09K11/7785 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/44 Devices characterised by the luminescent material
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/48 Separate coatings of different luminous materials

Abstract

A fluorescent lamp has a coating on the interior surface of the glass envelope comprising an alkaline earth metal halophosphate phosphor and a quad-phosphor blend wherein the combination of phosphors result in a predetermined color point from about 2700 to about 4200 K on or near the Planckian locus where the alkaline earth metal halophosphate phosphor comprises a blend of halophosphate phosphors having a color temperature substantially matching the color temperature of the quad-blend which includes an europium activated aluminate as a phosphor component.

Claims

1. A fluorescent lamp comprising a glass envelope having electrodes at its ends, a mercury and inert gas filling within said envelope which produces ultraviolet radiation, a coating on the interior surface of the glass envelope comprising a blend of alkaline earth metal halophosphate phosphors and a quad-phosphor blend for converting a substantial portion of said ultraviolet radiation to visible illumination having a white color wherein the combination of phosphors result in a predetermined color point from about 2700 to about 4200K on or near the Planckian locus, said quad-phosphor blend comprising a red color emitting phosphor component having a visible emission spectrum principally in the 590 to 630 nm wavelength range, blue color emitting phosphor component having an emission spectrum principally in the 430 to 490 nm wavelength range, and a green color emitting phosphor component having an emission spectrum principally in the 500 to 570 nm wavelength range, said quad-phosphor blend additionally includes an europium activated aluminate green emitting phosphor component wherein both the quad-blend and said blend of alkaline earth metal halophosphate phosphors substantially match the desired predetermined color point.

2. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 1 wherein said alkaline earth metal halophosphate phosphor and a quad-phosphor blend are formed as a mixture.

3. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 1 wherein said alkaline earth metal halophosphate phosphor is a separate layer on the interior surface of the glass envelope.

4. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 3 wherein said phosphor coating comprises a dual layer comprising a first layer deposited on the inner glass surface and a second layer of quad-phosphor blend deposited directly on said first phosphor layer.

5. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 4 wherein said first layer comprises a blend of alkaline earth metal halophosphate phosphor.

6. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 5 wherein second layer comprises a four component blend of phosphors of sufficient thickness for converting a substantial portion of the ultraviolet radiation to visible illumination having a white color.

7. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 6 wherein said first layer comprises a finely divided fluorescent calcium haloapatite phosphor exhibiting the desired white color point.

8. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 7 wherein said visible light has predetermined x and y values of ICI coordinates wherein the x value is in the range of 0.425 to 0.45, and said y value is in the range of 0.375 to 0.425.

9. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 8 wherein the amount of said quad-phosphor blend is from about 10 percent and 50 weight percent of the total combined phosphor weight of said first and said second phosphor layers.

10. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 3 wherein said green emitting phosphor is a zinc orthosilicate phosphor.

11. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 10 wherein said zinc orthosilicate phosphor has a continuous aluminum oxide coating surrounding individual phosphor particle.

12. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 3 wherein said blue color emitting phosphor is narrow band emitting phosphor.

13. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 12 wherein said blue emitting phosphors are selected from the group consisting of europium activated barium magnesium aluminate, europium activated strontium cholorophosphate, and europium activated strontium barium calcium chlorophosphate.

14. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 13 wherein said blue emitting phosphor has the formula BaMg₂ Al₁₆ O₂₇ :

Eu⁺².

15. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 14 wherein said first phosphor component is a red color emitting phosphor activated by trivalent europium.

16. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 15 wherein said red emitting phosphor is europium activated gadolinium oxide (Gd₂ O₃ :

Eu⁺³) or europium activated yttrium oxide (Y₂ O₃ ;

Eu⁺³) or mixtures thereof.

17. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 16 with said yttrium oxide activated by trivalent europium having a peak emission at 611 nm.

18. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 17 wherein said europium activated aluminate green emitting phosphor component is activated by Eu⁺².

19. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 18 wherein said europium activated aluminate green emitting phosphor component is selected from the group consisting of MAl₂ O₄, the beta- alumina RAl₁₁ O₁₇, and the hexagonal aluminates MAl₁₂ O₁₉ where M is one of three ions Ca, Sr, or Ba and R is Na, K, or Rb.

20. A fluorescent lamp according to claim 18 wherein said europium activated aluminate green emitting phosphor component comprises the hexagonal aluminates with magnetoplumbite structure.