CA1250429A - Display unit - Google Patents
Display unitInfo
- Publication number
- CA1250429A CA1250429A CA000447916A CA447916A CA1250429A CA 1250429 A CA1250429 A CA 1250429A CA 000447916 A CA000447916 A CA 000447916A CA 447916 A CA447916 A CA 447916A CA 1250429 A CA1250429 A CA 1250429A
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- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- shaft
- display
- drums
- windup
- frame
- Prior art date
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Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A display unit including a frame formed at its front face with a display opening, a pair of windup drums supported in the frame and located parallel to each other, a display screen in scroll form bearing a multiplicity of inscriptions rolled and unrolled by the windup drums for movement therebetween, and a drive shaft turned by a manually operated handle to rotate a shaft of one of the windup drums through a transmission, wherein the display screen is moved past the display opening in a tensioned condition between the windup drums to display a desired inscription through the display opening. The windup drums are located vertically in the frame and the display screen is moved laterally in the frame. A braking device for suitably applying the brake to the shaft of the windup drum rotated by the drive shaft is provided.
A display unit including a frame formed at its front face with a display opening, a pair of windup drums supported in the frame and located parallel to each other, a display screen in scroll form bearing a multiplicity of inscriptions rolled and unrolled by the windup drums for movement therebetween, and a drive shaft turned by a manually operated handle to rotate a shaft of one of the windup drums through a transmission, wherein the display screen is moved past the display opening in a tensioned condition between the windup drums to display a desired inscription through the display opening. The windup drums are located vertically in the frame and the display screen is moved laterally in the frame. A braking device for suitably applying the brake to the shaft of the windup drum rotated by the drive shaft is provided.
Description
iA~S(l ~9 DISPLAY UNIT
BAC~GROUND OF THE IN~ENTION
This invention relates to display units used for selectively displaying advertisements and messages, and more particularly it is concerned with a display unit of the type suitable for use with vehicles of means of public conveyance, such as railroad cars and buses, as well as at railroad stations and bus stationsfor giving information to passengers with regard to routes and desti-nations of railroad trains and buses.
In one type of display unit known in the art, a frame has a display screen in the form of a scroll which bears numerous inscriptions and rollable and unrollable between a pair of windup rollers through gu:ide rollers located parallel to each other above and below a face opening or a display opening formed in the front of the frame, so that the display screen moved vertically can display a multiplic:ity of inscriptions through the display opening. When necessary, the display screen may be illumi-nated from the back to give a clear indication of the inscriptions. This type of display unit is popular and has been widely in use.
Some disadvantages are associated with the display unit of the aforesaid type. When an attempt is made to wind by rolling the display screen rapidly on the windup roller, the display screen might tend to sag by its own weight and an external surface of the display screen might ~L~ 429 be brought into contact with a lower edge of the display opening, thereby causing damage to the display screen and dust might collect on an inner surface of a portion of the display screen which is wound on the lower guide roller to stain and spoil the screen. When the dust collect-ing in this position exceeds a certain amount, wear might be caused on the display screen or it might become impossible to wind the display screen by rolling and unrolling by the windup rollers.
Display units used on street cars and buses for selectively displaying routes and destinations are usually of a type in which a display screen windup drum is rotated by manually operating a handle. In this type of manually operated display unit, the display screen is not locked when the display screen windup drum is not rotated, and spring means is used for preventing sagging o the display screen due to its own weight. When the vehicle body is caused to vibrate, the display screen might be displaced by the influence of the biasing force of the spring means, with a result that the display screen might be brought out of index with the display opening.
SUMMARY OF T~IE INVENTION
This invention has been developed for the purpose of obviating the aforesaid problems of the prior art.
Accordingly, the invention has as its~ e~ the provision of a display unit of the manually operated type which, :~.25(~4Z9 when the screen is rolled rapidly is free from the phe-nomena of the screen sagging and being damaged, dust collecting on th~ screen and staining and spoiling it, and the screen being displaced from the display opening due to vibration.
The aforesaid object is accomplished according -to the invention by arranging a pair of windup drums vertically in a frame for rolling and unrolling a display screen in the form of a scroll so as to move the display screen under tension laterally or leftwardly and right-wardly to selectively display numerous inscriptions borne by the display screeen through a display opening of the frame, and by providing braking means for suitably apply-ing the brake to a drive shaft rotated by manipulating a handle to drive a shaft of a windup drum for moving the display screen or directly to the shaft of the windup drum.
According to a further broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display unit which comprises a frame formed at a front face thereof with a display opening. A pair of windup drums is supported in the frame for rotation and located parallel to each other.
A display screen in scroll form bears on a multiplici-ty of inscriptions arranged on the drums to be rolled and un-rolled by the pair of windup drums while moved past the display opening. A drive shaft is also provided with a manually operated handle connected thereto. A further ~' ~5~J42~
shaft is provided for one of the windup drums and a trans-mission is mounted between the drive shaft and the further shaft for the one of the windup drums whereby to rotate the last named shaft. Spring means is connected with one of the drums, whereby the display screen is moved between the pair of windup drums in a tensioned condition to display a desired inscription through the display opening. The improvement resides in that the transmission comprises a pair of meshing bevel gears.
One of the bevel gears is secured to the drive shaft and the other bevel gear is secured to the shaft of the said one of the windup drums. A gear box is secured to the outer side of the frarne for containing the pair of bevel gears therein. A compression spring is mounted ln a com-pressed condition between the inner surface of -the gear box and one of the bevel gears.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ~HE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of the display unit comprising one embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a rear view of the display unit shown in Fig. 1, shown with the cover being removed;
Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the display unit comprising another embodiment;
Fig. 4 is a rear view of the display unit shown in Fig. 1, shown with the cover being partly removed;
- 3a -~' ~s~g Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V in Fig. 3;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in Fig. 3;
Fig. 7 is a side view of the handle for rotating the display screen windup drum shaft;
Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the guide roller;
Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in Fig. 6 and showing one example of the windup drum braking means;
Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a modification of the windup drum braking means; and Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing another modiEication of the windup drum braking means.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the display ~nit in ~ c~; e conformity with the invention will be~r~s~r~bT~ by refer-ring to the accompanying drawings.
Figs. 1 and 2 are a transverse sectional view and a back view, respectively, of the display unit compris-ing one embodi~ent of the invention, in which a display opening 1 is formed in the front of a frame 2 having two drums 3 each located on either side of the frame 2 for ,rotation. One of the drums 3 is fixed to a shaft 6 against rotation relative to each other and the other 5~)429 drum 3 is rotatably supported by a shaft 7 which i9 also ro- -tatable. A spring S is connected at one end to the shaft 7 within the drum 3 and secured at an opposite end to the drum 3, and sprocket wheels 8 and 9 are secured to the shafts 6 and 7 respectively for an endless chain lO to be trained thereover for transmitting rotation between the shafts 6 and 7.
When a display screen 11 in the form of a scroll is mounted in the display unit of the aforesaid construction, the spring 5 within the drum 3 is tightened as the display screen ll is rolled on the drum 3 by winding same, so as to thereby impart a tension to the display screen ll.
Fluorescent lamps 12 are attached in a suitable number to the frame 1 behind the display screen 11 to illuminate the latter from the back to clearly display inscriptions on the screen.
Figs. 3 and ~ show another embodiment of the display unit in comformity with the invention, in which two guide rollers 13 are mour.ted each on either side of a display opening 14 for rotation in a frame 15. The guide rollers 13 have the function of maintaining a predetermined spacing interval between a front surface of a display screen 16 bearing inscriptions and the display opening 14 at all times. More specifically, when a front surface of a portion of the display screen ll interposed between the two drums 3 is used as a display surface as shown in Figs.
l and 2, the distance between the display surface of the screen 16 and the display opening 14 varies depending on the lengths of the screen wound on the drums. The provision of the guide rollers 13 is conducive to preven- -tion of this phenomenon. Also, the diameter of the guide rollers 13 can be reduced, so that it is possible to reduce the thickness of the frame 15 at opposite end portions thereof. This removes limitations that might otherwise be placed on the location in which the frame is mounted.
Left and right drums 17 and 18 are shown as being located close to each other. The invention i9 not limited to this arrangement of the drums, and they may be located in any positions in the frame 15 so long as the spacing interval between them is reduced. This is conducive to a reduction in the length of an endless chain 19 trained over the drums 17 and 18.
Fig. 5 shows in a vertical sectional view the drum 17 which is fixed to shafts. As shown, an upper shaEt 20 which is fitted at its upper end in a bearing 52 secured to the frame 15 is supported at its lower end portion in a bearing 23 in the form of a cylinder having a bottom which is secured to a flange 22 at one end of the drum 17, and a spring 24 loosely wound on the shaft 20 is mounted between a flange 21 of the shaft 20 and the bottom of the cylindrical bearing 23 while an inter-mediate portion of the shaft 20 extends between the bear-ing 52 and the flange 22. A lower shaft 25 which is supported by a bearing 53 secured to the frame 15 and has a sprocket wheel 26 secured thereto is square in shape at its upper end portion which is removably fitted in a ~2S0 ~29 square opening formed in a central portion of an end of the drum 17 opposite its upper end. Thus, when the drum 17 is moved upwardly, the intermediate portion of the shaft 20 is inserted in the bearing cylinder 23 and the square end portion of the lower shaft 25 is removed from the square opening at the end of the drum 17, so that although the drum 17 and sprocket 26 are fixed to each other and rotate as a unit, they are readily detachable as a unit when necessary. This enables fluorescent lamps 45 to be replaced by new ones without any trouble.
Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the drum 18 provided with a spring 40. A shaft 28 of the drum 18 is supported for rotation by bearings 29 and 30 which are secured to the frame 15 and has a sprocket wheel 31 secured to a lower end portion thereof. Secured to an upper end portion of the shaft 28 is a bevel gear 32 which is in meshing engagement with another bevel gear 33 con-nected to a drive shaft 35 rotatably supported in a gear box 34 secured to the frame 15. The shaft 35 is formed at an end face with a square opening 35a (see Fig. 9) for receiving a square shaft 36 of a handle 50 shown in Fig. 7. When the handle 50 is connected to a shaft of the bevel gear 33, the shaft 28 of the drum 18 can be rotat'ed by manually turning the handle 50 by means of a knob 37.
The coil spring 40 loosely wound on the shaft 28 and mounted between flanges 38 and 39 secured to upper ~25~)429 and lower ends respectively is connected at one end either to the upper or lower flange and at an end opposite the one end to the shaft 28.
Thus, the drum 18 is rotatable with respect to the shaft 28 in a range in which the spring 40 can be compressed. The endless chain is trained over the sprocket wheels 26 and 31 to rotate the shafts conjointly with each other.
Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of each of the guide rollers 13 shown in Figs. 3 and 4. As shown, the guide roller 13 has secured to upper and lower end portions thereof flanges 41 and 42 respectively which have the function of regulating the positions of upper and lower edges of the display screen 16. A shaft 43 extends through an opening formed in the upper flange 41 and has a spring 44 loosely mounted thereon. Thus, when the guide roller 13 is moved upwardly against the biasing force of the spring 44, a lower end of the guide roller 13 can be released from engagement with the frame 15 as is the case with the drum 18, to enable the guide roller 13 to be detachably connected to the frame 15.
Referring to Fig. 4 again, the frame 15 is enclosed by covers 48, so that ventilators 47 are provided to thé frame lS at its top and bottom walls. The numeral 49 designates an opening for monitoring the operation of the indication screen 16.
The operation of varying the inscriptions 12S(3~9 displayed by the display screen 16 will now be described by referring to Figs. 3 and 4. The handle 50 is fitted in the square opening 35a formed in the shaft 35 of the bevel gear 33 as shown in Fig. 9 and turned in a predetermined J;~ec ~;o~
e~ to move the display screen 16 from the drum 18 provided with the spring 40 toward the drum 17 as it is unrolled from the drum 18 and rolled on the drum 17.
When the direction in which the handle 50 is turned is reversed, the display screen 16 can be moved in an opposite direction or from the drum 17 toward the drum 18.
The movement of the display screen 16 can be monitored through the opening 49 in the cover 48 at the back of the frame 15 to enable the operator Eo check that a correct inscription is located in a predetermined posi-tion in the display opening 14.
The tension imparted to the display screen 16 nmay vary depending on whether the spring 40 is loosened or tightened by winding. Whether the spring 40 is loosened or tightened may vary depending on the difference between the lengths of the display screen 16 wound on the drums 17 and 18. When there is no difference between the lengths of the screen 16 or when the lengths of the screen 16 rolled on the drums 17 and 18 are equal to each other; the spring 40 is most loosened; when the difference between the lengths of the screen 16 wound on them is maximized or when the length of the screen 16 wound on one ~ ce"
drum is maximized and the length of the~K~r 16 wound on lZS()~Z9 the other drum is minimized, the spring 40 is most tightened.
When the spring 40 is most loosened, its spring force is minimized; when the spring 40 is most tensioned,its spring force is maximized. Thus, the tension of the screen 16 imparted by the spring 40 is maximized when the difference between the lengths of the screen 16 wound on the drums 17 and 18 is maximized and minimized when there is no dif-frence between them. As a result, the display screen 16 shows the tendency to move in a direction in which the lengths of the screen 16 wound on the two drums become equal to each other or in a direction in which a portion of the screen 16 midway between its opposite ends is brought into index with the display opening 14. However, since a force of friction acts on the screen 16, the screen 16 stops in a tensioned condition in a position in which it has been moved when the hand of the operator is released from the handle 50.
In a display unit of the prior art in which the scroll is moved vertically between two parallel rollers spaced apart vertically from each other, the screen has had the tendency to move vertically downwardly. In the display unit according to the invention, windup drums or guide rollers are mounted between the top surface and bottom surface of a frame each at either side of the frame in an upright position, and a display screen is moved horizontally or leftwardly and rightwardly under tension to unroll the screen from one windup roller and roll same ~0429 on the other windup roller. Thus, there is no risk of the screen becoming loosened, to enable the screen to be kept taut at all times. Also, there is no risk of dust collecting on the screen that has become loosened, and the screen can be moved smooothly and rolled on the drums without any touble.
However, if the display screen 16 were made to remain stationary in a predetermined position merely by the force of friction, then the display screen might be moved, even if it is moved laterally instead of vertically, by the spring mechanism provided to one of the winding drums for tensioning the screen when the vehicle on which the display unit is mounted is caused to vibrate as de-scribed in the background of the invention, and the posi-tion in which the inscription on the screen Ls located might be displaced from a predetermined position in the display opening of the frame.
To avoid the aforesaid risk, the invention pro-vides at least one of the shaft 28 of the drum 18 having the spring 40 and the shaft 35 rotated by the handle 50 to drive the shaft 28 of the drum 18 though the first and second bevel gears 33 and 32 with braking means for applying thereto a braking force sufficiently high to enable the operation of moving the screen 16 to be per-formed smoothly while avoiding sagging of the screen due to vibration of the vehicle and other~ ~-et~T. The braking means will now be described in detail by referring to the 12S0~29 drawings.
Fig. g is a detailed sectional view of the gear box taken along the line IX-IX in Fig. 6, in which the shaft 35 rotated by the handle 50 is journalled by bear-ings 51 and 52 supported by left and right side walls, respectively, of the gear box 34 and the first bevel gear 33 is secured to the shaft 35 through a pin 53. The second bevel gear 32 is secured to an upper end of the windup drum shaft 28 through a pin 54 and maintained in meshing engagement with the first bevel gear 33. A third bevel gear 55 in meshing engagement with the second bevel gear 33 is rotatably supported by the shaft 35. A coil spring 57 in a compressed condition is loosely mounted on a portion of the shaft 35 defined between washers 56 between the third bevel gear 55 and the bearing 52. Thus, the two washers 56 are pushed by the bearing 52 and third bevel 8ear 55 at all times and the third bevel gear 55 meshing with the second bevel gear 32 tends to exert a clamping force on the latter.
Operation of the braking means will now be de-scribed. By turning the handle 50 inserted in the square opening 35a formed in the rotary shaft 35, it is possible to rotate the Eirst bevel gear 33 which rotates the second bevel gear 32 in meshing engagement therewith. This causes the display screen 16 to move past the display opening 14 (Figs. 3 and 4) before being rolled on the display screen windup drum 17 or 18.
~2~ 9 When the operation of rolling the screen 16 on the drum 18 is performed, rotation of the second bevel gear 32 is transmitted to the third bevel gear 55. The biasing force of the coil spring 57 urges the bearing 52 in one direction through the washer 56 and the third bevel gear 55 in the opposite direction through the washer 56.
Thus, the spring 57 is in a condition to apply the brake to the shaft 28. When rolling of the screen 16 on the drum 18 is finished, the second and third bevel gears 32 and 55 remain stationary even if the vehicle is caused to vibrate or the screen 16 is pulled in a direction oppo-site the direction in which it was rolled on the drum 18, so that the screen 16 is kept locked in position.
In the aforesaid construction, the braking force applied by the bralcing means can be enhanced by attaching a friction material on surfaces of the washer 56 and bear~
ing 52 in contact with each other.
The force produced by the vibration of the vehicle which tends to move the screen 16 is not so high. There- I
fore, the braking force applied to the shaft 35 need not be so high. Thus, no trouble would be caused to the opera-tion of moving the screen 16 by manipulating the handle 50.
The braking means shown in Fig. 9 comprises the coil spring 57 located on the right-side portion of the shaft 35 between the two washers 56, The invention is not limited to this specific form of the braking means, and another coil spring 58 may be mounted, as shown in ~5~)~29 Fig. lO, on a left-side portion of the shaft 35 in addi-tion to the coil spring 57 in such a manner that it is loosely wound in a compressed condition on the shaft 35 between the first bevel gear 33 and the bearing 51.
Also, as shown in Fig. ll, in place of mounting coil springs 57 and 58 on the rotary shaft 35, a coil spring 61 may be mounted on the windup drum shaft 28 at its upper end portion between a washer 60 adjacent the bevel gear 32 and a washer 60 adjacent a bearing 59 for the shaft 28 mounted on the frame 15.
The constructional forms of braking means shown in Figs. 10 and 11 are similar in construction to the construction form shown in Fig. 9 except for the differ-ences described hereinabove. In Figs. 10 and 11, parts similar to those shown in Fig. 9 are designated by like reference characters and their detailed description is omitted.
The display unit according to the invention in which the screen in scroll form is rolled and unrolled from one windup drum to another while moving past the display opening to give necessary information is free from the disadvantages of the prior art that vibration of the vehicle causes the screen to sag or be displaced_ virtue oE the winding the screen in lateral direction and the braking means provided to apply the brake to the shaft for rotating the screen windup drum shaft. The display unit according to the invention is simple in ~S()fl~29 construction and compact in size while the number of com-ponent parts is small. Thus, the display unit can be mounted on a vehicle by utilizing a small space and can be produced on amass production basis.
BAC~GROUND OF THE IN~ENTION
This invention relates to display units used for selectively displaying advertisements and messages, and more particularly it is concerned with a display unit of the type suitable for use with vehicles of means of public conveyance, such as railroad cars and buses, as well as at railroad stations and bus stationsfor giving information to passengers with regard to routes and desti-nations of railroad trains and buses.
In one type of display unit known in the art, a frame has a display screen in the form of a scroll which bears numerous inscriptions and rollable and unrollable between a pair of windup rollers through gu:ide rollers located parallel to each other above and below a face opening or a display opening formed in the front of the frame, so that the display screen moved vertically can display a multiplic:ity of inscriptions through the display opening. When necessary, the display screen may be illumi-nated from the back to give a clear indication of the inscriptions. This type of display unit is popular and has been widely in use.
Some disadvantages are associated with the display unit of the aforesaid type. When an attempt is made to wind by rolling the display screen rapidly on the windup roller, the display screen might tend to sag by its own weight and an external surface of the display screen might ~L~ 429 be brought into contact with a lower edge of the display opening, thereby causing damage to the display screen and dust might collect on an inner surface of a portion of the display screen which is wound on the lower guide roller to stain and spoil the screen. When the dust collect-ing in this position exceeds a certain amount, wear might be caused on the display screen or it might become impossible to wind the display screen by rolling and unrolling by the windup rollers.
Display units used on street cars and buses for selectively displaying routes and destinations are usually of a type in which a display screen windup drum is rotated by manually operating a handle. In this type of manually operated display unit, the display screen is not locked when the display screen windup drum is not rotated, and spring means is used for preventing sagging o the display screen due to its own weight. When the vehicle body is caused to vibrate, the display screen might be displaced by the influence of the biasing force of the spring means, with a result that the display screen might be brought out of index with the display opening.
SUMMARY OF T~IE INVENTION
This invention has been developed for the purpose of obviating the aforesaid problems of the prior art.
Accordingly, the invention has as its~ e~ the provision of a display unit of the manually operated type which, :~.25(~4Z9 when the screen is rolled rapidly is free from the phe-nomena of the screen sagging and being damaged, dust collecting on th~ screen and staining and spoiling it, and the screen being displaced from the display opening due to vibration.
The aforesaid object is accomplished according -to the invention by arranging a pair of windup drums vertically in a frame for rolling and unrolling a display screen in the form of a scroll so as to move the display screen under tension laterally or leftwardly and right-wardly to selectively display numerous inscriptions borne by the display screeen through a display opening of the frame, and by providing braking means for suitably apply-ing the brake to a drive shaft rotated by manipulating a handle to drive a shaft of a windup drum for moving the display screen or directly to the shaft of the windup drum.
According to a further broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display unit which comprises a frame formed at a front face thereof with a display opening. A pair of windup drums is supported in the frame for rotation and located parallel to each other.
A display screen in scroll form bears on a multiplici-ty of inscriptions arranged on the drums to be rolled and un-rolled by the pair of windup drums while moved past the display opening. A drive shaft is also provided with a manually operated handle connected thereto. A further ~' ~5~J42~
shaft is provided for one of the windup drums and a trans-mission is mounted between the drive shaft and the further shaft for the one of the windup drums whereby to rotate the last named shaft. Spring means is connected with one of the drums, whereby the display screen is moved between the pair of windup drums in a tensioned condition to display a desired inscription through the display opening. The improvement resides in that the transmission comprises a pair of meshing bevel gears.
One of the bevel gears is secured to the drive shaft and the other bevel gear is secured to the shaft of the said one of the windup drums. A gear box is secured to the outer side of the frarne for containing the pair of bevel gears therein. A compression spring is mounted ln a com-pressed condition between the inner surface of -the gear box and one of the bevel gears.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ~HE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of the display unit comprising one embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a rear view of the display unit shown in Fig. 1, shown with the cover being removed;
Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the display unit comprising another embodiment;
Fig. 4 is a rear view of the display unit shown in Fig. 1, shown with the cover being partly removed;
- 3a -~' ~s~g Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V in Fig. 3;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in Fig. 3;
Fig. 7 is a side view of the handle for rotating the display screen windup drum shaft;
Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the guide roller;
Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in Fig. 6 and showing one example of the windup drum braking means;
Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a modification of the windup drum braking means; and Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing another modiEication of the windup drum braking means.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the display ~nit in ~ c~; e conformity with the invention will be~r~s~r~bT~ by refer-ring to the accompanying drawings.
Figs. 1 and 2 are a transverse sectional view and a back view, respectively, of the display unit compris-ing one embodi~ent of the invention, in which a display opening 1 is formed in the front of a frame 2 having two drums 3 each located on either side of the frame 2 for ,rotation. One of the drums 3 is fixed to a shaft 6 against rotation relative to each other and the other 5~)429 drum 3 is rotatably supported by a shaft 7 which i9 also ro- -tatable. A spring S is connected at one end to the shaft 7 within the drum 3 and secured at an opposite end to the drum 3, and sprocket wheels 8 and 9 are secured to the shafts 6 and 7 respectively for an endless chain lO to be trained thereover for transmitting rotation between the shafts 6 and 7.
When a display screen 11 in the form of a scroll is mounted in the display unit of the aforesaid construction, the spring 5 within the drum 3 is tightened as the display screen ll is rolled on the drum 3 by winding same, so as to thereby impart a tension to the display screen ll.
Fluorescent lamps 12 are attached in a suitable number to the frame 1 behind the display screen 11 to illuminate the latter from the back to clearly display inscriptions on the screen.
Figs. 3 and ~ show another embodiment of the display unit in comformity with the invention, in which two guide rollers 13 are mour.ted each on either side of a display opening 14 for rotation in a frame 15. The guide rollers 13 have the function of maintaining a predetermined spacing interval between a front surface of a display screen 16 bearing inscriptions and the display opening 14 at all times. More specifically, when a front surface of a portion of the display screen ll interposed between the two drums 3 is used as a display surface as shown in Figs.
l and 2, the distance between the display surface of the screen 16 and the display opening 14 varies depending on the lengths of the screen wound on the drums. The provision of the guide rollers 13 is conducive to preven- -tion of this phenomenon. Also, the diameter of the guide rollers 13 can be reduced, so that it is possible to reduce the thickness of the frame 15 at opposite end portions thereof. This removes limitations that might otherwise be placed on the location in which the frame is mounted.
Left and right drums 17 and 18 are shown as being located close to each other. The invention i9 not limited to this arrangement of the drums, and they may be located in any positions in the frame 15 so long as the spacing interval between them is reduced. This is conducive to a reduction in the length of an endless chain 19 trained over the drums 17 and 18.
Fig. 5 shows in a vertical sectional view the drum 17 which is fixed to shafts. As shown, an upper shaEt 20 which is fitted at its upper end in a bearing 52 secured to the frame 15 is supported at its lower end portion in a bearing 23 in the form of a cylinder having a bottom which is secured to a flange 22 at one end of the drum 17, and a spring 24 loosely wound on the shaft 20 is mounted between a flange 21 of the shaft 20 and the bottom of the cylindrical bearing 23 while an inter-mediate portion of the shaft 20 extends between the bear-ing 52 and the flange 22. A lower shaft 25 which is supported by a bearing 53 secured to the frame 15 and has a sprocket wheel 26 secured thereto is square in shape at its upper end portion which is removably fitted in a ~2S0 ~29 square opening formed in a central portion of an end of the drum 17 opposite its upper end. Thus, when the drum 17 is moved upwardly, the intermediate portion of the shaft 20 is inserted in the bearing cylinder 23 and the square end portion of the lower shaft 25 is removed from the square opening at the end of the drum 17, so that although the drum 17 and sprocket 26 are fixed to each other and rotate as a unit, they are readily detachable as a unit when necessary. This enables fluorescent lamps 45 to be replaced by new ones without any trouble.
Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the drum 18 provided with a spring 40. A shaft 28 of the drum 18 is supported for rotation by bearings 29 and 30 which are secured to the frame 15 and has a sprocket wheel 31 secured to a lower end portion thereof. Secured to an upper end portion of the shaft 28 is a bevel gear 32 which is in meshing engagement with another bevel gear 33 con-nected to a drive shaft 35 rotatably supported in a gear box 34 secured to the frame 15. The shaft 35 is formed at an end face with a square opening 35a (see Fig. 9) for receiving a square shaft 36 of a handle 50 shown in Fig. 7. When the handle 50 is connected to a shaft of the bevel gear 33, the shaft 28 of the drum 18 can be rotat'ed by manually turning the handle 50 by means of a knob 37.
The coil spring 40 loosely wound on the shaft 28 and mounted between flanges 38 and 39 secured to upper ~25~)429 and lower ends respectively is connected at one end either to the upper or lower flange and at an end opposite the one end to the shaft 28.
Thus, the drum 18 is rotatable with respect to the shaft 28 in a range in which the spring 40 can be compressed. The endless chain is trained over the sprocket wheels 26 and 31 to rotate the shafts conjointly with each other.
Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of each of the guide rollers 13 shown in Figs. 3 and 4. As shown, the guide roller 13 has secured to upper and lower end portions thereof flanges 41 and 42 respectively which have the function of regulating the positions of upper and lower edges of the display screen 16. A shaft 43 extends through an opening formed in the upper flange 41 and has a spring 44 loosely mounted thereon. Thus, when the guide roller 13 is moved upwardly against the biasing force of the spring 44, a lower end of the guide roller 13 can be released from engagement with the frame 15 as is the case with the drum 18, to enable the guide roller 13 to be detachably connected to the frame 15.
Referring to Fig. 4 again, the frame 15 is enclosed by covers 48, so that ventilators 47 are provided to thé frame lS at its top and bottom walls. The numeral 49 designates an opening for monitoring the operation of the indication screen 16.
The operation of varying the inscriptions 12S(3~9 displayed by the display screen 16 will now be described by referring to Figs. 3 and 4. The handle 50 is fitted in the square opening 35a formed in the shaft 35 of the bevel gear 33 as shown in Fig. 9 and turned in a predetermined J;~ec ~;o~
e~ to move the display screen 16 from the drum 18 provided with the spring 40 toward the drum 17 as it is unrolled from the drum 18 and rolled on the drum 17.
When the direction in which the handle 50 is turned is reversed, the display screen 16 can be moved in an opposite direction or from the drum 17 toward the drum 18.
The movement of the display screen 16 can be monitored through the opening 49 in the cover 48 at the back of the frame 15 to enable the operator Eo check that a correct inscription is located in a predetermined posi-tion in the display opening 14.
The tension imparted to the display screen 16 nmay vary depending on whether the spring 40 is loosened or tightened by winding. Whether the spring 40 is loosened or tightened may vary depending on the difference between the lengths of the display screen 16 wound on the drums 17 and 18. When there is no difference between the lengths of the screen 16 or when the lengths of the screen 16 rolled on the drums 17 and 18 are equal to each other; the spring 40 is most loosened; when the difference between the lengths of the screen 16 wound on them is maximized or when the length of the screen 16 wound on one ~ ce"
drum is maximized and the length of the~K~r 16 wound on lZS()~Z9 the other drum is minimized, the spring 40 is most tightened.
When the spring 40 is most loosened, its spring force is minimized; when the spring 40 is most tensioned,its spring force is maximized. Thus, the tension of the screen 16 imparted by the spring 40 is maximized when the difference between the lengths of the screen 16 wound on the drums 17 and 18 is maximized and minimized when there is no dif-frence between them. As a result, the display screen 16 shows the tendency to move in a direction in which the lengths of the screen 16 wound on the two drums become equal to each other or in a direction in which a portion of the screen 16 midway between its opposite ends is brought into index with the display opening 14. However, since a force of friction acts on the screen 16, the screen 16 stops in a tensioned condition in a position in which it has been moved when the hand of the operator is released from the handle 50.
In a display unit of the prior art in which the scroll is moved vertically between two parallel rollers spaced apart vertically from each other, the screen has had the tendency to move vertically downwardly. In the display unit according to the invention, windup drums or guide rollers are mounted between the top surface and bottom surface of a frame each at either side of the frame in an upright position, and a display screen is moved horizontally or leftwardly and rightwardly under tension to unroll the screen from one windup roller and roll same ~0429 on the other windup roller. Thus, there is no risk of the screen becoming loosened, to enable the screen to be kept taut at all times. Also, there is no risk of dust collecting on the screen that has become loosened, and the screen can be moved smooothly and rolled on the drums without any touble.
However, if the display screen 16 were made to remain stationary in a predetermined position merely by the force of friction, then the display screen might be moved, even if it is moved laterally instead of vertically, by the spring mechanism provided to one of the winding drums for tensioning the screen when the vehicle on which the display unit is mounted is caused to vibrate as de-scribed in the background of the invention, and the posi-tion in which the inscription on the screen Ls located might be displaced from a predetermined position in the display opening of the frame.
To avoid the aforesaid risk, the invention pro-vides at least one of the shaft 28 of the drum 18 having the spring 40 and the shaft 35 rotated by the handle 50 to drive the shaft 28 of the drum 18 though the first and second bevel gears 33 and 32 with braking means for applying thereto a braking force sufficiently high to enable the operation of moving the screen 16 to be per-formed smoothly while avoiding sagging of the screen due to vibration of the vehicle and other~ ~-et~T. The braking means will now be described in detail by referring to the 12S0~29 drawings.
Fig. g is a detailed sectional view of the gear box taken along the line IX-IX in Fig. 6, in which the shaft 35 rotated by the handle 50 is journalled by bear-ings 51 and 52 supported by left and right side walls, respectively, of the gear box 34 and the first bevel gear 33 is secured to the shaft 35 through a pin 53. The second bevel gear 32 is secured to an upper end of the windup drum shaft 28 through a pin 54 and maintained in meshing engagement with the first bevel gear 33. A third bevel gear 55 in meshing engagement with the second bevel gear 33 is rotatably supported by the shaft 35. A coil spring 57 in a compressed condition is loosely mounted on a portion of the shaft 35 defined between washers 56 between the third bevel gear 55 and the bearing 52. Thus, the two washers 56 are pushed by the bearing 52 and third bevel 8ear 55 at all times and the third bevel gear 55 meshing with the second bevel gear 32 tends to exert a clamping force on the latter.
Operation of the braking means will now be de-scribed. By turning the handle 50 inserted in the square opening 35a formed in the rotary shaft 35, it is possible to rotate the Eirst bevel gear 33 which rotates the second bevel gear 32 in meshing engagement therewith. This causes the display screen 16 to move past the display opening 14 (Figs. 3 and 4) before being rolled on the display screen windup drum 17 or 18.
~2~ 9 When the operation of rolling the screen 16 on the drum 18 is performed, rotation of the second bevel gear 32 is transmitted to the third bevel gear 55. The biasing force of the coil spring 57 urges the bearing 52 in one direction through the washer 56 and the third bevel gear 55 in the opposite direction through the washer 56.
Thus, the spring 57 is in a condition to apply the brake to the shaft 28. When rolling of the screen 16 on the drum 18 is finished, the second and third bevel gears 32 and 55 remain stationary even if the vehicle is caused to vibrate or the screen 16 is pulled in a direction oppo-site the direction in which it was rolled on the drum 18, so that the screen 16 is kept locked in position.
In the aforesaid construction, the braking force applied by the bralcing means can be enhanced by attaching a friction material on surfaces of the washer 56 and bear~
ing 52 in contact with each other.
The force produced by the vibration of the vehicle which tends to move the screen 16 is not so high. There- I
fore, the braking force applied to the shaft 35 need not be so high. Thus, no trouble would be caused to the opera-tion of moving the screen 16 by manipulating the handle 50.
The braking means shown in Fig. 9 comprises the coil spring 57 located on the right-side portion of the shaft 35 between the two washers 56, The invention is not limited to this specific form of the braking means, and another coil spring 58 may be mounted, as shown in ~5~)~29 Fig. lO, on a left-side portion of the shaft 35 in addi-tion to the coil spring 57 in such a manner that it is loosely wound in a compressed condition on the shaft 35 between the first bevel gear 33 and the bearing 51.
Also, as shown in Fig. ll, in place of mounting coil springs 57 and 58 on the rotary shaft 35, a coil spring 61 may be mounted on the windup drum shaft 28 at its upper end portion between a washer 60 adjacent the bevel gear 32 and a washer 60 adjacent a bearing 59 for the shaft 28 mounted on the frame 15.
The constructional forms of braking means shown in Figs. 10 and 11 are similar in construction to the construction form shown in Fig. 9 except for the differ-ences described hereinabove. In Figs. 10 and 11, parts similar to those shown in Fig. 9 are designated by like reference characters and their detailed description is omitted.
The display unit according to the invention in which the screen in scroll form is rolled and unrolled from one windup drum to another while moving past the display opening to give necessary information is free from the disadvantages of the prior art that vibration of the vehicle causes the screen to sag or be displaced_ virtue oE the winding the screen in lateral direction and the braking means provided to apply the brake to the shaft for rotating the screen windup drum shaft. The display unit according to the invention is simple in ~S()fl~29 construction and compact in size while the number of com-ponent parts is small. Thus, the display unit can be mounted on a vehicle by utilizing a small space and can be produced on amass production basis.
Claims (5)
1. A display unit comprising:
a frame formed at a front face thereof with a display opening;
a pair of windup drums supported in said frame for rotation and located parallel to each other;
a display screen in scroll form bearing a multiplicity of inscriptions arranged on said drums to be rolled and unrolled by said pair of windup drums while moved past said display opening;
a drive shaft;
a manually operated handle connected to said drive shaft;
a shaft for one of said windup drums;
a transmission mounted between said drive shaft and said shaft for said one of said windup drums to rotate said last named shaft; and spring means connected with one of said drums, whereby said display screen is moved between the pair of windup drums in a tensioned condition to display a desired inscription through the display opening;
wherein the improvement resides in that:
said transmission comprises a pair of meshing bevel gears, one bevel gear being secured to said drive shaft and the other bevel gear being secured to the shaft of said one of said windup drums; and there is provided a gear box secured to the outer side of said frame for containing said pair of bevel gears therein, and a compression spring mounted in a compressed condition between the inner surface of said gear box and one of said bevel gears.
a frame formed at a front face thereof with a display opening;
a pair of windup drums supported in said frame for rotation and located parallel to each other;
a display screen in scroll form bearing a multiplicity of inscriptions arranged on said drums to be rolled and unrolled by said pair of windup drums while moved past said display opening;
a drive shaft;
a manually operated handle connected to said drive shaft;
a shaft for one of said windup drums;
a transmission mounted between said drive shaft and said shaft for said one of said windup drums to rotate said last named shaft; and spring means connected with one of said drums, whereby said display screen is moved between the pair of windup drums in a tensioned condition to display a desired inscription through the display opening;
wherein the improvement resides in that:
said transmission comprises a pair of meshing bevel gears, one bevel gear being secured to said drive shaft and the other bevel gear being secured to the shaft of said one of said windup drums; and there is provided a gear box secured to the outer side of said frame for containing said pair of bevel gears therein, and a compression spring mounted in a compressed condition between the inner surface of said gear box and one of said bevel gears.
2. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein said compression spring is mounted between the inner sur-face of the gear box and the bevel gear secured on the drive shaft.
3. A display unit according to claim 2, wherein there is provided a third bevel gear secured to said drive shaft maintained in meshing engagement with the bevel gear secured to the shaft of said one of said windup drums, and a second compression spring mounted in a compressed condition between said third bevel gear and the inner surface of said gear box.
4. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein said compression spring is mounted between the gear box and the bevel gear secured to the shaft of said one of said windup drums.
5. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein said pair of windup drums are located vertically in said frame to move the display screen laterally in the frame when the screen is rolled and unrolled by the windup drums.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2379383U JPS59131789U (en) | 1983-02-22 | 1983-02-22 | display device |
| JP58-23793 | 1983-02-22 | ||
| JP14415583U JPS6051585U (en) | 1983-09-17 | 1983-09-17 | Display curtain braking device |
| JP58-144155 | 1983-09-17 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1250429A true CA1250429A (en) | 1989-02-28 |
Family
ID=26361215
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000447916A Expired CA1250429A (en) | 1983-02-22 | 1984-02-21 | Display unit |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1250429A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN111833740A (en) * | 2020-06-16 | 2020-10-27 | 京东方科技集团股份有限公司 | Flexible display device |
-
1984
- 1984-02-21 CA CA000447916A patent/CA1250429A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN111833740A (en) * | 2020-06-16 | 2020-10-27 | 京东方科技集团股份有限公司 | Flexible display device |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |