US 12,249,500 B1
Light-emitting gas recovery method and light-emitting gas recovery apparatus
Masashi Dan, Tokyo (JP); Takuya Tsukamoto, Tokyo (JP); Takumi Yamane, Tokyo (JP); Yasushi Mizushima, Tokyo (JP); and Kimiya Iwasaki, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Ushio Denki Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Ushio Denki Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Aug. 19, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/808,804.
Int. Cl. H01J 61/28 (2006.01); H01J 61/26 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 61/28 (2013.01) [H01J 61/26 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A light-emitting gas recovery method comprising:
a step (a) of preparing a lamp to be discarded including a tube body filled with the light-emitting gas;
a step (b) of placing the lamp to be discarded in an internal space of a chamber;
a step (c) of reducing an air pressure in the internal space of the chamber;
a step (d) of applying energy to a part of the tube body to allow an internal space of the tube body and the internal space of the chamber to communicate with each other without entirely breaking the tube body, and releasing the light-emitting gas from the internal space of the tube body toward the internal space of the chamber; and
a step (e) of discharging a first gas present in the internal space of the chamber toward a recovery mechanism disposed outside the chamber after the step (d).