EP0067678A1 - Visuelles Anzeigegerät - Google Patents

Visuelles Anzeigegerät Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0067678A1
EP0067678A1 EP82303020A EP82303020A EP0067678A1 EP 0067678 A1 EP0067678 A1 EP 0067678A1 EP 82303020 A EP82303020 A EP 82303020A EP 82303020 A EP82303020 A EP 82303020A EP 0067678 A1 EP0067678 A1 EP 0067678A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
display
pattern
elements
screen
carriage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP82303020A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Robin Warne
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0067678A1 publication Critical patent/EP0067678A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F9/00—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements
    • G09F9/30—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements
    • G09F9/37—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements being movable elements
    • G09F9/375—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements being movable elements the position of the elements being controlled by the application of a magnetic field

Definitions

  • This invention is concerned with visual display apparatus comprising a transparent screen, display-presenting means arranged behind the screen to present a display which can be viewed through the screen, and display-setting means whereby in use of the apparatus said display-presenting means can be rearranged to vary the display presented, said display-presenting means comprising a plurality of display elements which are each movable under the control of said display-setting means between an advanced position adjacent a rear face of the screen and a withdrawn position, relatively remote from said rear face, each of said elements being . visible through the screen when in its advanced position but not when in its withdrawn position.
  • apparatus which can present information visually and be readily re-programmed as required to present different information.
  • Such apparatus finds use in association with a computer which stores, and can update, a large volume of information, the apparatus enabling a selected portion of that volume of information to be presented visually.
  • the most common form of visual display apparatus comprises a cathode ray tube for presenting the display, though especially for use in public places (e.g..railway stations and airports) where a very large presentation is required various other kinds of apparatus have been used.
  • remotely-operated display boards have been used at railway stations which comprise a large number of printed strips bearing standard information about services, a certain selection of strips being presented in combination as required.
  • cathode ray tube has generally provided much the most versatile kind of visual display apparatus, since there is virtually no limit to the variety of information which can be presented.
  • a practical problem can arise concerning the amount of information which can be presented in this manner at any one time, owing to the limits on the practical size for the screen and on the resolution obtainable in forming the image on the screen.
  • the display elements are provided as cylindrical heads on pistons which slide in bores in a block, the heads being in a space between the block and a transparent plate.
  • the heads are surrounded in the space by an opaque fluid, in order that they are masked from view by the fluid when in their retracted positions but are clearly visible when in their advanced positions against a face of the screen.
  • the elements are continuously urged towards their retracted positions by pressure in the fluid in the space, and are advanced as required by means of pressure applied behind the pistons.
  • a complicated hydraulic network enables fluid pressure to be applied selectively to the pistons as required.
  • Specification No. 1 533 458 describes various devices in which the positions of display elements are controlled by means of electrostatic forces. In some of the arrangements the display elements are immersed in an opaque liquid, and in others the elements are in air and become hidden from view, in their retracted positions, by means other than masking by fluid.
  • the devices operate on a bi-stable principle and are arranged to be cross bar addressed.
  • the display-setting means comprises pattern-retaining means on to which a .magnetic pattern can be written, and pattern-writing means by means of which the pattern required to established a predetermined display can be written on to the pattern-retaining means, the display elements being magnetically responsive in order that their dispositions are determined by a pattern on the pattern-retaining means.
  • the display elements In use of the apparatus, what display is presented will depend upon which of the display elements are set in their advanced positions.
  • the display elements may be arranged to form abstract patterns or pictures, but it is anticipated that the most usual use for the apparatus would be in the presentation of information in a written form. Whilst the display elements could be much larger, an apparatus in which the elements comprise a display surface having an area of less than 0.5 mm 2 may find wide application. Such small display elements may be created by means of photo-etching techniques.
  • the display elements are preferably uniformly spaced apart in straight rows or columns, there being a plurality of such rows or columns arranged parallel to one another.
  • the elements are mounted in such a manner that they are continuously resiliently urged towards one of their advanced and withdrawn positions, and comprise soft magnetic material, the arrangement being such that a magnetized spot printed on to the pattern-retaining means opposite an element can cause the element to move to the other of its positions.
  • the elements may most conveniently be resiliently urged towards their advanced positions, a magnetized spot on the pattern-retaining means serving to move an element to its withdrawn position.
  • Pattern-writing means of the apparatus can comprise a carriage arranged to traverse the pattern-retaining means.
  • the carriage may bear two arrays of electromagnets, arranged in a similar manner to those of a conventional tape recorder, one of the arrays being for the purpose of erasing spots of an existing pattern on the pattern-retaining means and the other being for the purpose of writing fresh spots in the creation of a new pattern.
  • the carriage may be arranged to travel linearly along paths parallel to rows or columns of the display elements, and to be traversed between the rows or columns.
  • the apparatus enables computer-held information to be displayed on a large flat screen. A large amount of data can be displayed at one time.
  • the apparatus comprises a flat transparent sheet of glass G, providing a front screen, and an imaging layer arranged behind the screen and comprising display-presenting means arranged to present a display which can be viewed through the screen G.
  • the imaging layer I comprises also a magnetizable sheet M of display-setting means whereby the display-presenting means can be rearranged as required to vary the display presented.
  • the magnetizable sheet M of the imaging layer is mounted parallel to the front screen G by means of, and at a distance determined by, spacers S.
  • a flat rear face GR of the screen G, a flat front face MF of the sheet M, and the spacers S together define a plurality of parallel elongate chambers in each of which is mounted a straight row of uniformly spaced apart display elements E.
  • Each of the display elements E is mounted in a manner which allows it to move between an advanced position (shown by element El in Figure 2) adjacent the rear face GR of the screen G, and a withdrawn position (shown by element E2), relatively remote from the rear face GR of the screen, adjacent the front face MF of the magnetizable sheet M.
  • Each element E is mounted by means of resilient mountings P which continuously urge the element towards its advanced position.
  • Each element E comprises a flat, oblong rectangular, display face EF which in the advanced position of the element lies against the rear face GR of the screen G.
  • the display face EF of each of the elements has a surface area of approximately0.33 mm2, and there is a very large number of elements spread through the imaging layer as a whole.
  • Each of the display elements E is immersed in an opaque liquid L which is of a colour which contrasts markedly with that of the display face EF of the element; the liquid L is black and the faces EF white, through other means of giving contrasting appearances could be employed in other apparatuses according to the invention.
  • Each of the display elements E is of a soft magnetic material, being a ferrite and plastics composite material. This enables magnetic forces to be employed to move selected elements from their advanced positions, to which they are otherwise urged by their mountings P, to their withdrawn positions. Accordingly, by means of a pattern of magnetized spots on the sheet M, each spot being opposite an element E, a predetermined arrangement of the elements E can be established.
  • the display-setting means comprises pattern-retaining means, in the form of the magnetizable sheet M, pattern-writing means comprising a movable carriage C, and a control unit U which is connected to the carriage C by means of a flexible cable K and which can be linked to a computer in which information to be displayed is stored.
  • the carriage C is arranged to travel along paths paral,lel to the rows of display elements E writing magnetized spots on to the sheet M opposite selected elements E.
  • a required pattern of magnetized spots can be written on to the sheet M, by means of the carriage C operating under the control unit U, to establish a predetermined arrangement of elements E, those elements which do not have a spot opposite them remaining in their advanced positions and the elements which do have a spot opposite them being drawn to, and held in, their withdrawn positions.
  • the construction of the carriage C is shown in Figures 3 to 5.
  • the carriage is arranged to run on wheels on a rear face MR of the magnetizable sheet M of the imaging layer.
  • the carriage comprises two wheeled frames, a main frame El carrying four wheels ZW by means of which the carriage can run along writing paths parallel to the rows of display elements E, and a sub-frame F2 carrying four wheels VW by means of which the carriage can be traversed between writing paths by movements in directions perpendicular to the writing paths.
  • the sub-frame F2 is pivotally mounted at T for movements under the control of an actuator A between a raised position ( Figure 5) in which its wheels VW are clear of the sheet M and the carriage rests on the wheels ZW of the main frame Fl, and a lowered position ( Figure 4) in which the carriage rests on the wheels VW, with the wheels ZW of the main frame Fl clear of the sheet M.
  • the main frame Fl carries a driving unit VD, arranged to drive the carriage when the carriage is standing on the wheels VW of the sub-frame F2
  • the sub-frame F2 carries a driving unit ZD arranged to drive the carriage when the carriage is standing on the wheels 3W of the main frame Fl.
  • Each of the driving units comprises a driving wheel arranged to engage frictionally a back plate B of the apparatus which is mounted parallel to the sheet M.
  • the array HE is arranged to erase and the array HW is arranged to write, in a similar manner to a write head of a conventional magnetic tape recorder.
  • Positioning of the carriage C is controlled by means of photoelectric detection from position lines (not shown) drawn on the back plate B, which enable the control unit U to instruct suitable steering and movement control actions.
  • a carriage might be physically located in the writing paths by means of wheel tracks.
  • each of the display elements E contrasts in appearance with the liquid L in which it is immersed, an element in its advanced position, such as the element El, appears to a viewer looking through the glass screen G as a white dot in a black background.
  • the liquid L is opaque, when an element is in its withdrawn position, such as the element E2, it is screened from view by the liquid.
  • the liquid Upon moving an element from its withdrawn to its advanced position, the liquid is substantially wholly displaced from the display face EF of the element owing to its engagement with the rear face GR of the screen. Accordingly, a pattern of visible dots can be caused to appear on the screen G by writing an appropriate pattern of magnetized spots on to the sheet M.
  • These patterns of visible dots can be a conventional dot-matrix representation of alphanumeric characters. The display will remain on the screen until revision of the magnetic pattern on the sheet M, even in the event of a power failure.
  • FIG 6 is shown an alternative construction for an imaging layer of an apparatus according to the invention.
  • display elements E being individually mounted by means of resilient mountings, all the elements in one row are mounted on a resilient diaphragm D and the elements are urged to their advanced positions by a small difference in hydraulic pressure between the two sides of the diaphragm.
  • the resilience of the diaphragm alone could be employed to urge the elements towards one of their advanced and withdrawn positions, without the use of a hydraulic pressure difference.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)
  • Electrochromic Elements, Electrophoresis, Or Variable Reflection Or Absorption Elements (AREA)
EP82303020A 1981-06-16 1982-06-11 Visuelles Anzeigegerät Withdrawn EP0067678A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8118505 1981-06-16
GB08118505A GB2101386B (en) 1981-06-16 1981-06-16 Visual display apparatus

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0067678A1 true EP0067678A1 (de) 1982-12-22

Family

ID=10522547

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP82303020A Withdrawn EP0067678A1 (de) 1981-06-16 1982-06-11 Visuelles Anzeigegerät

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0067678A1 (de)
GB (1) GB2101386B (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1984002414A1 (en) * 1982-12-08 1984-06-21 Roger Samuel Kent Display member
WO1987002167A1 (en) * 1985-10-03 1987-04-09 E.R.G. Management Services Ltd. Display member

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SE448792B (sv) * 1983-03-30 1987-03-16 Otto Bruhn Forfarande och anordning for astadkommande av indikeringspunkter eller motsvarande vid fremst informationstavlor eller liknande
GB8608363D0 (en) * 1986-04-05 1986-05-08 Harvey Jenkins Developments Lt Information display apparatus

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3106794A (en) * 1960-08-02 1963-10-15 Electricite Mors Sa Soc D Devices for displaying information
FR1460598A (fr) * 1965-07-16 1966-03-04 Contraves Ag Dispositif pour rendre visibles des caractères susceptibles d'être sélectionnés
US3812490A (en) * 1972-09-18 1974-05-21 Bendix Corp Flexible membrane display panel for generating characters visible in ambient light
FR2307414A1 (fr) * 1975-04-09 1976-11-05 Magnavox Co Dispositif et procede pour la fabrication d'un panneau de reproduction a particules magnetiques

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3106794A (en) * 1960-08-02 1963-10-15 Electricite Mors Sa Soc D Devices for displaying information
FR1460598A (fr) * 1965-07-16 1966-03-04 Contraves Ag Dispositif pour rendre visibles des caractères susceptibles d'être sélectionnés
US3812490A (en) * 1972-09-18 1974-05-21 Bendix Corp Flexible membrane display panel for generating characters visible in ambient light
FR2307414A1 (fr) * 1975-04-09 1976-11-05 Magnavox Co Dispositif et procede pour la fabrication d'un panneau de reproduction a particules magnetiques

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1984002414A1 (en) * 1982-12-08 1984-06-21 Roger Samuel Kent Display member
WO1987002167A1 (en) * 1985-10-03 1987-04-09 E.R.G. Management Services Ltd. Display member

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2101386B (en) 1984-10-24
GB2101386A (en) 1983-01-12

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PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

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Effective date: 19831129

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