EP0084959B1 - Informationsanzeigevorrichtungen - Google Patents

Informationsanzeigevorrichtungen Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0084959B1
EP0084959B1 EP19830300287 EP83300287A EP0084959B1 EP 0084959 B1 EP0084959 B1 EP 0084959B1 EP 19830300287 EP19830300287 EP 19830300287 EP 83300287 A EP83300287 A EP 83300287A EP 0084959 B1 EP0084959 B1 EP 0084959B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
display
ferromagnetic
row
matrix
vane
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.)
Expired
Application number
EP19830300287
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English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0084959A2 (de
EP0084959A3 (en
Inventor
Hassan Paddy Abdel Salam
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.)
Unisplay
Original Assignee
Unisplay
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Unisplay filed Critical Unisplay
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Publication of EP0084959A3 publication Critical patent/EP0084959A3/en
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    • 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 relates to information display devices of the type in which each display element in the complete display includes a movable member and an electromagnet for actuating it.
  • Displays of this type include those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,163,332 and 3,140,553 which specifically relate to displays including a matrix of display elements.
  • each column conductor must be driven so as to apply to each of its associated display elements one half of the power needed to alter the state of the display element.
  • the arrangement actuates each display element by the use of an individual electromagnet having a core of square loop magnetic material that is permanently magnetisable. It therefore requires a large amount of power to actuate the matrix, since for a change of element state, the magnetisation must be reversed along the square hysteresis loop.
  • An object of the present invention is to reduce the number and total cost of the drive circuits required to energise the electromagnets. Another object is to provide a simple, low-cost scheme for winding the electromagnets. A further object is to reduce the power required to actuate the display.
  • the present invention provides a display device as claimed in claim 1.
  • the invention has the advantage that the electromagnet for actuating the display element uses a core of soft ferromagnetic material and requires less than a quarter of the power that would otherwise be needed if it were of square loop material. This is because the permeability of the soft core material is appreciably greater than that of the square loop material, resulting in less ampere-turns being needed to produce the same magnetic flux. Also the drive power applied through a column conductor to each of its display elements can, with suitable design, be made less than one fifteenth of the power needed to alter the state of the display element. Taking the two factors into account, the column drive power is reduced by a factor of 30 compared to the previous arrangement described in U.S. Patent No. 3,469,258. The very low column drive power requirement is achieved in the preferred embodiment by using a simple but very sensitive inhibitor arrangement in each display element, actuated by the column current.
  • Another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the present invention compared to the arrangement of U.S. Patent No. 3,469,258 is that only the row currents have to be bidirectional, instead of both the row and column currents. There is therefore a considerable saving in the number of switching circuits, as well as in their power handling requirements.
  • Yet another advantage of the present arrangement is that, unlike the arrangement of U.S. Patent No. 3,469,258, the amplitudes of the row and column currents can be considerably larger than their nominal design values without resulting in misoperation. This makes the display less sensitive to the net effects of changes in power supply voltages, changes of coil resistance due to temperature variations, and variations of characteristics due to manufacturing tolerances.
  • the present invention enables matrices to be constructed having 30 times more rows without increasing the cost of column drivers relative to known arrangements. This facilitates the economical construction of large display matrices capable of displaying pictures with fine detail.
  • FIG. 1 there is shown a portion of a display matrix, the portion having two rows and two columns of display elements. Associated with each row there is a row conductor R and with each column a column conductor C. These designations are followed by a number to indicate the row and column positions.
  • the display elements share a common opaque base plate 1 having apertures A therein and are optically of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 4,163,332 from which further constructional details may be derived.
  • Each element includes a vane S mounted with the aid of hinge brackets B attached to base plate 1 to rotate about a horizontal axis between a first stable position in which it covers aperture A and a second position in which it uncovers the aperture, for example so as to allow light from a source, not shown, behind panel 1 to pass through to the viewer, as illustrated forvane S12 in row 1, column 2.
  • the opposite faces of each vane may present contrasting appearances, such as different colours.
  • Each vane S carries a permanent magnet M having a magnetic axis normal to the plane of the vane and a bar L of magnetic material of low remanence protruding out beyond an edge of the vane.
  • Each display element also includes a first electromagnet pole D placed near to the zone of the magnet M and a second electromagnet pole H mounted so as to be in contact with orvery close to the tip of the protruding portion of bar L, when the vane covers the aperture.
  • the polarity of magnet M is chosen so that when pole D is energised by current in the direction of arrow E, the vane is urged into the aperture covering position.
  • conductor R is wound round each pole D in the row in turn and, for each column, conductor C is wound round each pole H in the column in turn.
  • a method of operating this matrix is as follows. Firstly, the matrix is blanked by pulsing all rows R simultaneously with currents in the direction of arrow E. The apertures are thus all covered. Next, each row conductor R in turn is pulsed with current in the direction of arrow W. At the same time as a row conductor is pulsed, column conductors C are pulsed for those column positions where it is required that the display elements in the row remain light blocking. The effect of pulsing a row conductor R in the direction of arrow W is to urge the vanes S into the aperture exposing position. The current in each selected column conductor C is made sufficiently large to ensure that the vane S is held closed with a torque greater than that induced in the vane by energising its electromagnet D.
  • Figure 3 illustrates how the arrangement of Figure 1 can be modified so that poles H can hold the vanes only when they are in the aperture covering position.
  • the holding poles H for each row are placed lower than half way between the hinge axis of the row and that of the next row down, and bar L is placed on the vane S so that it protrudes sideways. With the vane in the aperture exposing position, bar L is spaced away from pole H.
  • this modified arrangement it is possible to blank the matrix row by row and to write on each row, i.e. expose selected apertures, as the row below it is being blanked.
  • bar L is preferably arranged so that its portion that comes in contact with pole H is free to move to a limited extent relative to the vane S in a direction normal to that of the vane surface. This is to ensure that when the vane is in the aperture blocking position it is in contact at its top with base plate 1 and at the same time bar L is in contact with pole H, regardless of small variations in the dimensions of the parts.
  • Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of vane S with the section taken through the longitudinal axis of bar L. Holes Q are provided in vane S.
  • Bar L is initially U-shaped as indicated by the dotted lines and is inserted through holes Q prior to bending in the directions indicated by arrows Z. The lengths of the short portions sliding in apertures Q are chosen to give the desired freedom of motion.
  • Figure 5 shows a modified arrangement of bar L in which the end portion T is bifurcated. Because of the loose mounting of bar L through holes Q, bar L is free to rotate slightly about its longitudinal axis. Thus, a small portion of grit lodged between one of the prongs of end portion T and the face of pole H will not prevent contact between bar L and pole H, as the other prong is free to come into contact.
  • Figure 6 shows another arrangement of vane S and holding bar L.
  • Bar L is pressed out of soft iron or nickel-iron permalloy and is formed to have two bearing eyelets E1, E2.
  • Vane S is also provided with bearing eyelets E3, E4.
  • Brackets B1, B2 attached to base plate 1 have further eyelets E5, E6.
  • a bearing rod N is threaded through all six eyelets and it may be common to several display elements in a row.
  • Vane S includes an angle bracket portion Fthat retains bar L in position on vane S but allows it to rotate slightly relative to the vane, about the same axis as the vane itself rotates.
  • Tip portion T of bar L can come into contact with holding pole H and is arranged to be flared out so that it presents to pole H a contact surface of large area. This results in a strong attraction between the two when pole H is magnetised, even if there are particles of grit trapped between tip T and pole H.

Claims (4)

1, Anzeigematrix, enthaltend:
mehrere Anzeigeelemente, jeweils enthaltend:
(1) ein Anzeigeelement (S), das dazu eingerichtet ist, um eine parallel zur Ebene der Matrix verlaufende Achse zwischen ersten und zweiten Positionen zu drehen, um das Erscheinungsbild des Anzeigeelements zu verändern;
(2) einen Permanentmagneten (M), der mit dem Anzeigeelement verbunden ist;
(3) erste (D), zweite (H) und dritte (L) ferromagnetische Elemente jeweils aus ferromagnetischem Material niedriger Remanenz, wobei das dritte ferromagnetische Element (L) von dem drehbaren Element (S) getragen ist und von dem Permanentmagnet (M) einen Abstand aufweist;
(4) eine Einrichtung (1), die das drehbare Anzeigeelement (S) trägt, und wobei das erste und das zweite ferromagnetische Element (D, H) so angeordnet sind, daß das erste ferromagnetische Element (D) dem Permanentmagneten (M) benachbart ist und das zweite ferromagnetische Element (H) an das dritte ferromagnetische Element (L) wenigstens dann anstößt, wenn das Anzeigeelement (S) sich in der genannten ersten Stellung befindet;
(5) eine erste Spulenanordnung (R), die dazu eingerichtet ist, bei Erregung das erste ferromagnetische Element (D) zu magnetisieren, um auf das Anzeigeelement (S) so einzuwirken, daß dieses aufgrund Wechselwirkung mit dem Permanentmagneten (M) dreht; und
(6) eine zweite Spulenanordnung (C), die dazu eingerichtet ist, die zweiten und dritten ferromagnetischen Elemente (H, L) zu magnetisieren, um sie miteinander zu kuppeln, wenn sie erregt ist und sich das Anzeigeelement (S) in der genannten ersten Stellung befindet.
2. Anzeigematrix nach Anspruch 1, bei der das dritte ferromagnetische Element (L) lose mit dem beweglichen Element (S) für eine begrenzte Bewegung relativ dazu verbunden ist.
3. Anzeigematrix nach Anspruch 2, bei der das Anzeigeelement (S) verschwenkt wird und bei der weiterhin das dritte ferromagnetische Element (L) um die Schwenkachse (N) des Elements schwenkt.
4. Anzeigematrix nach Anspruch 1, bei der das dritte ferromagnetische Element (L) einen langgestreckten Abschnitt aufweist, der in seinem Berührungsbereich mit dem zweiten ferromagnetischen Element (H) erweitert ist.
EP19830300287 1982-01-22 1983-01-20 Informationsanzeigevorrichtungen Expired EP0084959B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8201779 1982-01-22
GB8201779 1982-01-22

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0084959A2 EP0084959A2 (de) 1983-08-03
EP0084959A3 EP0084959A3 (en) 1985-02-06
EP0084959B1 true EP0084959B1 (de) 1987-04-01

Family

ID=10527797

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19830300287 Expired EP0084959B1 (de) 1982-01-22 1983-01-20 Informationsanzeigevorrichtungen

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0084959B1 (de)
JP (1) JPS58174987A (de)
DE (1) DE3370705D1 (de)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3601018A1 (de) * 1986-01-16 1987-07-23 Merk Gmbh Telefonbau Fried Elektromagnetische anzeigevorrichtung
DE3501912A1 (de) * 1985-01-22 1986-07-24 Friedrich Merk-Telefonbau GmbH, 8000 München Elektromagnetische anzeigevorrichtung
EP0247045B1 (de) * 1985-01-22 1990-04-18 Friedrich Merk-Telefonbau GmbH Elektromagnetische anzeigevorrichtung
GB2221075B (en) * 1988-07-22 1992-12-23 Unisplay Sa Improved display apparatus
KR100459513B1 (ko) * 2002-09-06 2004-12-03 서정규 선수 교체용 알림판.

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE506501C (de) * 1928-06-20 1930-09-05 Day & Night Novelty Ads Ltd Vorrichtung zur Wiedergabe von Lichtzeichen
US3469258A (en) * 1966-11-04 1969-09-23 Ferranti Packard Ltd Rotating magnetically actuated display or indicator
DE1911814C3 (de) * 1969-03-08 1980-10-16 Unisplay S.A., Genf (Schweiz) Anzeigetafel
DE2917394A1 (de) * 1979-04-28 1980-11-06 Hassan Paddy Abdel Salam Elektrisch steuerbare anzeigematrix

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0084959A2 (de) 1983-08-03
JPH0372986B2 (de) 1991-11-20
DE3370705D1 (en) 1987-05-07
JPS58174987A (ja) 1983-10-14
EP0084959A3 (en) 1985-02-06

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