EP0206176B1 - An optical guide matrix for a dot-matrix luminous display - Google Patents
An optical guide matrix for a dot-matrix luminous display Download PDFInfo
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- EP0206176B1 EP0206176B1 EP19860108122 EP86108122A EP0206176B1 EP 0206176 B1 EP0206176 B1 EP 0206176B1 EP 19860108122 EP19860108122 EP 19860108122 EP 86108122 A EP86108122 A EP 86108122A EP 0206176 B1 EP0206176 B1 EP 0206176B1
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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
- G09F9/33—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 semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
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- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09F13/00—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising
- G09F13/20—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising with luminescent surfaces or parts
- G09F13/22—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising with luminescent surfaces or parts electroluminescent
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- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09F13/00—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising
- G09F13/20—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising with luminescent surfaces or parts
- G09F13/22—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising with luminescent surfaces or parts electroluminescent
- G09F2013/222—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising with luminescent surfaces or parts electroluminescent with LEDs
Definitions
- the present invention relates to improvements in dot-matrix luminous displays according to the first part of claim 1.
- Luminous displays of this type are designed to provide a visible representation of characters, symbols or patterns in the form of a dot pattern by supplying power to and lighting selected luminous elements arranged in a matrix using driving circuits.
- the basic structure of such a conventional dot-matrix luminous display includes upper and lower electrodes arranged in a three-dimensional matrix with an insulating layer sandwiched therebetween, and semiconductor chips disposed at intersections between the upper and lower electrodes.
- a dot-matrix luminous display Two sheets of insulating substrates 102 and 103, respectively, bearing parallel rows of upper electrodes 100 and lower electrodes 101 on their surfaces, are fixed together to form a matrix luminous display board (hereinafter referred to as simply a "display board") 1 with the upper electrodes 100 placed perpendicular to the lower electrodes 101 to form a three-dimensional matrix at their intersections. There are provided through-holes 104 in the insulating substrate 102 at portions where the upper and lower electrodes 100 and 101 intersect.
- a matrix luminous display board hereinafter referred to as simply a "display board”
- a semiconductor chip 105 forming a single luminous element, is placed in each through-hole 104, and, as a final process, the entire surface of the matrix board 1, including the through-holes 104 through which the semiconductor chips 105 are exposed, is coated with a light transmitting thermosetting resin to provide thereby a continuous protective film 107 as shown in Fig. 2.
- bonding wires 106 are used to connect the semiconductor chips 105 to the upper electrodes 100, whereas solder or silver paste 108 is used to provide conductive connection between the bottoms of the semiconductor chips 105 and the lower electrodes 101.
- strains such as strain there may be produced strain, camber, peeling and cracks (hereinafter collectively referred to as "flaws such as strain") at the joints of the display board 1 and the protective film 107 because of the difference therebetween in the coefficient of thermal expansion. These flaws such as strain result in defective products.
- the flaws such as strain become more pronounced as the size of the display board 1 is increased. Even finished products are not free from such strain caused by, for instance, the temperature difference between summer and winter or heat generated when power is supplied to the luminous elements.
- the dot matrix luminous display be composed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, of a dot matrix luminous display board having luminous elements 105 arranged at intersections between upper and lower electrodes 100 and 101 arranged in a three-dimensional matrix on opposite sides of an insulating layer 110 as a preferred embodiment.
- the lower electrodes 101 are electrically connected to the upper side of the insulating layer 110 through a through-hole.
- a flexible plate 2 having a plurality of through-holes formed therein at locations corresponding to the luminous elements 105 is joined to the surface of the dot matrix luminous display board.
- Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded view of a matrix display board 1 and a flexible plate 2 illustrating a dot-matrix luminous display proposed in the copending U.S. patent application wherein through-holes 200 are formed in the flexible plate 2.
- Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the dot-matrix luminous display of Fig. 3, in which the same or corresponding members as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 bear the same reference numerals, respectively.
- the flexible plate 2 is made from a material such as silicon rubber, neoprene rubber and flexible epoxy resin. Further, the through-holes 200 of the flexible plate 2 are filled with a light transmitting resin 107 to increase a visual angle of recognition and to enlarge the apparent luminous parts.
- a flat panel display comprising a mutiplicity of LEDs arranged in rows and columns.
- Bus conductors are arranged parallel to the rows and columns, respectively. Each LED is connected to the conductors.
- the bus conductors are on the opposite surface of a film, and the LEDs extend through openings in the film.
- a rigid grating is mounted against the film and has open cells. Each LED extends into one of the cells, and the internal surfaces of the cells reflect the light of the LEDs.
- the individual cells are generally square at the upper surface, but fair to a somewhat parabolic internal surface which extends to a constricted neck portion which is proximate to the lower surface.
- JP-A-5 967 673 discloses a resin coat containing an LED chip with a convex mirror immediately arranged underneath.
- the top of the resin coat is recessed and so constructed as to be the concave lens.
- a part of the light radiated from the LED chip is reflected diffusively on the convex mirror and a part thereof repeats reflection also on the inner wall of the resin coat and is then radiated while further expanding by the top concave lens.
- a display apparatus which includes a base, an electroluminescent semiconductor device, a body having optical passages therein of selected shape, and transparent filler material containing discrete light-scattering particles. Light emitted from the device travels through the filler material refracting at the particles within the filler and reflecting from the walls of the body until it leaves the display at the upper surface.
- an object of the present invention is to provide a dot-matrix luminous display with the features of the first part of claim 1, capable of increasing an apparent diameter of luminous parts and of making the contour thereof more clear to thereby improve the visual recognizability.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a dot-matrix luminous display capable of preventing the diffusion of light into an undesired area and of concentrating the light radiated from luminous parts in a desired given area.
- a flexible plate having a plurality of through-holes formed therein at locations corresponding to the luminous elements is joined to the surface of the display board.
- Each of the through-holes has a trapezoidal cross-section so that top cross-section of the aperture is larger than a bottom cross-section which is in contact with the display board and each of the through-holes is filled with a light transmitting resin.
- Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a first example of a luminous part of a dot-matrix luminous display embodying the present invention.
- the first example of the present invention which is shown in Fig. 5, is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 4 but there is a difference therebetween in that a light transmitting resin seal 107 has a concave surface and a light dispersing agent may be also added thereto, if necessary.
- the flexible member 2 having a plurality of through-holes 200 is jointed onto the display board 1 with an adhesive, and then a light transmitting resin is injected into the through-holes 200 to seal the luminous elements 105 and the like and to form a seal 107 in each of the through-holes 200.
- a light transmitting resin seal 107 has a concave surface and a light dispersing agent may be also added thereto, if necessary.
- the flexible member 2 having a plurality of through-holes 200 is jointed onto the display board 1 with an adhesive, and then a light transmitting resin is injected into the through-holes 200 to seal the luminous elements 105 and the like and to form a seal 107 in each of
- the surface is shaped to have a concave portion so as to fully provide the seal 107 with the so-called concave lens function and a light dispersing agent may be added to the light transmitting resin in order to improve the visual recognizability (a visual angle of recognition).
- the resin may be, for example, a resin such as epoxy or polyester.
- the thickness of the seal 107 in its central thin portion should preferably be in the range of about 1/2 to 2/3 of the thickness dm of the flexible plate 2 and the thickness dm of the flexible palte 2 should be about 1/5 to 1/2 of the diameter 2R of the top cross-section (i.e., diameter of the luminous part A), more preferably, about 1/3 of the diameter 2R of the top cross-section.
- a dot-matrix luminous display with a dot pitch of 8.0 mm (the distance between the centers of adjacent dots) and a side length of the display board of about 64 mm is employed for the present invention, for instance, it is possible to set the diameter 2R of the luminous part at 6.5 mm, the thickness dm of the flexible plate at 2.0 mm and the thickness ds of the display board 1 at 1.6 mm.
- the flexible plate 2 used for the dot-matrix luminous display is primarily intended to prevent the leakage of light received from the luminous elements 105, to increase the apparent diameter of the luminous part A and to make clear the contour thereof in order to improve the visual recognizability of the dot-matrix luminous display. At the same time, it is used to protect the electrode patterns 100 and 101 on the surface of the display board 1 and to prevent the leakage of resin (for instance, thermosetting or ultraviolet-curing liquid resin) used for sealing the luminous element 105.
- resin for instance, thermosetting or ultraviolet-curing liquid resin
- the flexible plate 2 should preferably be made of flexible materials such as neoprene rubber and silicon rubber to prevent crack, deformation and the like caused by cure shrinkage when the light transmitting material is used to form the seal 107 and to prevent bending and deformation as a result of temperature changes.
- flexible materials have Young's modulus not higher than 100 kg/cm2.
- a light reflecting face formed on the inner peripheral wall of the throuh-holes 200 should be formed directly with a light reflecting material (for instance, a white material) or by coating the wall with a light reflecting material such as a silver paint. It is also preferred to apply a light absorbing dark paint to the top exposed surface of the flexible plate 2 to prevent light from unnecessarily reflecting from it.
- the seal 107 formed in the luminous part for sealing the luminous element and the like should have specific characteristics.
- the seal 107 should be composed of a light transmitting material with a relatively high refractive index of 1.3 or higher. It should have a light reflecting face formed on the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole 200 of the flexible plate 2. These properties are useful in that the contour of the luminous part is made clear and visual recognizability is improved.
- Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a second example of the luminous part A of a dot-matrix luminous display embodying the present invention, in which the inner peripheral wall of each of the through-holes 200 is shaped with an outwardly opening slope so that a top cross-section of the through-hole has a diameter larger than that of a bottom.
- Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a third example of the luminous part A of the present invention.
- the seal 107 has a concave surface and a light dispersing agent may be also added thereto, if necessary.
- Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the dot-matrix luminous display whose partial cross-section is shown in Fig. 7.
- Figs. 9 to 11 are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating fourth, fifth and sixth examples of the luminous part A of the dot-matrix luminous display of the present invention, respectively.
- the fourth to sixth examples of the luminous parts A are designed so as to concentrate the light emission from the luminous part A in a given direction, thereby improving the luminance in this direction and improving the visual recognizability.
- the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole 200 allowing its top opening 200a to communicate with the bottom opening 200b, is preferably coated with paint with a high light reflectance to provide a light reflecting face.
- the eccentric distance between the cross-section centers in accordance with the present invention can be set at any value depending on the direction of radiation. However, it is preferable that the eccentric distance s between the center RO of the top cross-section 200a and the center r0 of the bottom cross-section 200b be set so as to satisfy the relation R/5 ⁇ s ⁇ R/2 where R and r designate radii of the top cross-section 200a and the bottom cross-section 200b.
- each luminous element 105 in the luminous part A is sealed with a hardening light transmitting resin (for instance, thermosetting and ultraviolet-curing resin) to form the seal 107, just as in the first to third examples.
- a hardening light transmitting resin for instance, thermosetting and ultraviolet-curing resin
- the concave surface 107a of the seal 107 shown in Fig. 10 may be provided to increase the luminous flux density around the luminous part A due to the function of the concave lens, thus increasing the clarity of the contour of the luminous part A, so that a brighter easy-to-see dot matrix luminous display unit is obtainable.
- the dot matrix luminous display unit can use not only a dynamic driving circuit is used to light each luminous element but also a driving circuit which capable of lighting luminous elements at the same time.
- Fig. 12 shows an example of the dot matrix luminous display device used as a display panel and arranged in a high place.
- An embodiment of the present invention thus arranged brought about good results with an angle of elevation ⁇ in the range from 45 to 60 degrees.
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- Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to improvements in dot-matrix luminous displays according to the first part of claim 1.
- Luminous displays of this type are designed to provide a visible representation of characters, symbols or patterns in the form of a dot pattern by supplying power to and lighting selected luminous elements arranged in a matrix using driving circuits.
- The basic structure of such a conventional dot-matrix luminous display includes upper and lower electrodes arranged in a three-dimensional matrix with an insulating layer sandwiched therebetween, and semiconductor chips disposed at intersections between the upper and lower electrodes.
- Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the general structure of such a dot-matrix luminous display will be described. Two sheets of
insulating substrates upper electrodes 100 andlower electrodes 101 on their surfaces, are fixed together to form a matrix luminous display board (hereinafter referred to as simply a "display board") 1 with theupper electrodes 100 placed perpendicular to thelower electrodes 101 to form a three-dimensional matrix at their intersections. There are provided through-holes 104 in theinsulating substrate 102 at portions where the upper andlower electrodes semiconductor chip 105, forming a single luminous element, is placed in each through-hole 104, and, as a final process, the entire surface of the matrix board 1, including the through-holes 104 through which thesemiconductor chips 105 are exposed, is coated with a light transmitting thermosetting resin to provide thereby a continuousprotective film 107 as shown in Fig. 2. In addition,bonding wires 106 are used to connect thesemiconductor chips 105 to theupper electrodes 100, whereas solder orsilver paste 108 is used to provide conductive connection between the bottoms of thesemiconductor chips 105 and thelower electrodes 101. - However, during the process of manufacturing such display boards, specifically, when the boards are coated with the light transmitting
thermosetting resin film 107, there may be produced strain, camber, peeling and cracks (hereinafter collectively referred to as "flaws such as strain") at the joints of the display board 1 and theprotective film 107 because of the difference therebetween in the coefficient of thermal expansion. These flaws such as strain result in defective products. - Moreover, the flaws such as strain become more pronounced as the size of the display board 1 is increased. Even finished products are not free from such strain caused by, for instance, the temperature difference between summer and winter or heat generated when power is supplied to the luminous elements.
- In order to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks accompanying the prior art shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it has been proposed in the copending U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 796,829, filed November 12, 1985, that the dot matrix luminous display be composed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, of a dot matrix luminous display board having
luminous elements 105 arranged at intersections between upper andlower electrodes insulating layer 110 as a preferred embodiment. Thelower electrodes 101 are electrically connected to the upper side of theinsulating layer 110 through a through-hole. Additionally, aflexible plate 2 having a plurality of through-holes formed therein at locations corresponding to theluminous elements 105 is joined to the surface of the dot matrix luminous display board. Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded view of a matrix display board 1 and aflexible plate 2 illustrating a dot-matrix luminous display proposed in the copending U.S. patent application wherein through-holes 200 are formed in theflexible plate 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the dot-matrix luminous display of Fig. 3, in which the same or corresponding members as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 bear the same reference numerals, respectively. Theflexible plate 2 is made from a material such as silicon rubber, neoprene rubber and flexible epoxy resin. Further, the through-holes 200 of theflexible plate 2 are filled with alight transmitting resin 107 to increase a visual angle of recognition and to enlarge the apparent luminous parts. - It has been also proposed in the above mentioned U.S. Patent Application to apply white or silver paint to the inner peripheral surface of each through-
hole 200 to improve the luminous flux radiated from theluminous element 105 and to obtain clearer light emission by preventing light from leaking to neighboring portions. Particularly, it is preferred to form theflexible plate 2 itself of a white material having an excellent light reflection efficiency. - From WO-A 80/01860, a flat panel display is known, comprising a mutiplicity of LEDs arranged in rows and columns. Bus conductors are arranged parallel to the rows and columns, respectively. Each LED is connected to the conductors. The bus conductors are on the opposite surface of a film, and the LEDs extend through openings in the film. A rigid grating is mounted against the film and has open cells. Each LED extends into one of the cells, and the internal surfaces of the cells reflect the light of the LEDs. The individual cells are generally square at the upper surface, but fair to a somewhat parabolic internal surface which extends to a constricted neck portion which is proximate to the lower surface.
- JP-A-5 967 673 discloses a resin coat containing an LED chip with a convex mirror immediately arranged underneath. The top of the resin coat is recessed and so constructed as to be the concave lens. Thus, a part of the light radiated from the LED chip is reflected diffusively on the convex mirror and a part thereof repeats reflection also on the inner wall of the resin coat and is then radiated while further expanding by the top concave lens.
- From US-A-3 780 357, a display apparatus is known, which includes a base, an electroluminescent semiconductor device, a body having optical passages therein of selected shape, and transparent filler material containing discrete light-scattering particles. Light emitted from the device travels through the filler material refracting at the particles within the filler and reflecting from the walls of the body until it leaves the display at the upper surface.
- In view of the above described drawbacks accompanying the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a dot-matrix luminous display with the features of the first part of claim 1, capable of increasing an apparent diameter of luminous parts and of making the contour thereof more clear to thereby improve the visual recognizability.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a dot-matrix luminous display capable of preventing the diffusion of light into an undesired area and of concentrating the light radiated from luminous parts in a desired given area.
- These and other objects of the present invention are met by the provision of a dot-matrix luminous display with the features of the second part of claim 1.
- A flexible plate having a plurality of through-holes formed therein at locations corresponding to the luminous elements is joined to the surface of the display board. Each of the through-holes has a trapezoidal cross-section so that top cross-section of the aperture is larger than a bottom cross-section which is in contact with the display board and each of the through-holes is filled with a light transmitting resin.
- In the accompanying drawings:
- Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the basic construction of a dot-matrix luminous display;
- Fig. 2 is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view of the display of Fig. 1;
- Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded view of a matrix board and flexible plate illustrating a dot-matrix luminous display proposed in a copending U.S. Patent Application;
- Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the dot-matrix luminous display of Fig. 3;
- Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a first example of a luminous part of a dot-matrix luminous display embodying the present invention;
- Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a second example of the luminous part of a dot-matrix luminous display embodying the present invention;
- Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a third example of the luminous part of the dot-matrix luminous display embodying the present invention;
- Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the dot-matrix luminous display whose partial cross-section is shown in Fig. 7;
- Figs. 9 to 11 are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating respective fourth, fifth and sixth examples of a luminous part of the dot-matrix luminous display of the present invention; and
- Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a dot-matrix luminous display which is installed at an elevated position.
- Referring now to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
- Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a first example of a luminous part of a dot-matrix luminous display embodying the present invention.
- As is clear from Fig. 4 and 5, the first example of the present invention, which is shown in Fig. 5, is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 4 but there is a difference therebetween in that a light transmitting
resin seal 107 has a concave surface and a light dispersing agent may be also added thereto, if necessary. Theflexible member 2 having a plurality of through-holes 200 is jointed onto the display board 1 with an adhesive, and then a light transmitting resin is injected into the through-holes 200 to seal theluminous elements 105 and the like and to form aseal 107 in each of the through-holes 200. In this first example shown in Fig. 5, as mentioned above, the surface is shaped to have a concave portion so as to fully provide theseal 107 with the so-called concave lens function and a light dispersing agent may be added to the light transmitting resin in order to improve the visual recognizability (a visual angle of recognition). The resin may be, for example, a resin such as epoxy or polyester. Further, in this case, the thickness of theseal 107 in its central thin portion should preferably be in the range of about 1/2 to 2/3 of the thickness dm of theflexible plate 2 and the thickness dm of theflexible palte 2 should be about 1/5 to 1/2 of thediameter 2R of the top cross-section (i.e., diameter of the luminous part A), more preferably, about 1/3 of thediameter 2R of the top cross-section. - When a dot-matrix luminous display with a dot pitch of 8.0 mm (the distance between the centers of adjacent dots) and a side length of the display board of about 64 mm is employed for the present invention, for instance, it is possible to set the
diameter 2R of the luminous part at 6.5 mm, the thickness dm of the flexible plate at 2.0 mm and the thickness ds of the display board 1 at 1.6 mm. - The
flexible plate 2 used for the dot-matrix luminous display is primarily intended to prevent the leakage of light received from theluminous elements 105, to increase the apparent diameter of the luminous part A and to make clear the contour thereof in order to improve the visual recognizability of the dot-matrix luminous display. At the same time, it is used to protect theelectrode patterns luminous element 105. - As also set forth in the copending application, the
flexible plate 2 should preferably be made of flexible materials such as neoprene rubber and silicon rubber to prevent crack, deformation and the like caused by cure shrinkage when the light transmitting material is used to form theseal 107 and to prevent bending and deformation as a result of temperature changes. Such flexible materials have Young's modulus not higher than 100 kg/cm². Moreover, a light reflecting face formed on the inner peripheral wall of the throuh-holes 200 should be formed directly with a light reflecting material (for instance, a white material) or by coating the wall with a light reflecting material such as a silver paint. It is also preferred to apply a light absorbing dark paint to the top exposed surface of theflexible plate 2 to prevent light from unnecessarily reflecting from it. - The results of experiments made by the present inventors have proved that the
seal 107 formed in the luminous part for sealing the luminous element and the like should have specific characteristics. In particular, theseal 107 should be composed of a light transmitting material with a relatively high refractive index of 1.3 or higher. It should have a light reflecting face formed on the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole 200 of theflexible plate 2. These properties are useful in that the contour of the luminous part is made clear and visual recognizability is improved. - Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a second example of the luminous part A of a dot-matrix luminous display embodying the present invention, in which the inner peripheral wall of each of the through-
holes 200 is shaped with an outwardly opening slope so that a top cross-section of the through-hole has a diameter larger than that of a bottom. - Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a third example of the luminous part A of the present invention. As is similar to the first example of the present invention shown in Fig. 5, the
seal 107 has a concave surface and a light dispersing agent may be also added thereto, if necessary. - Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the dot-matrix luminous display whose partial cross-section is shown in Fig. 7.
- Figs. 9 to 11 are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating fourth, fifth and sixth examples of the luminous part A of the dot-matrix luminous display of the present invention, respectively. The fourth to sixth examples of the luminous parts A are designed so as to concentrate the light emission from the luminous part A in a given direction, thereby improving the luminance in this direction and improving the visual recognizability.
- In Figs. 9 to 11, centers RO, rO of the top and
bottom cross-sections hole 200 of theflexible plate 2 are displaced from each other by a certain value s and all of the through-holes 200 are shaped in the same manner so that the upper and lower cross-sections are displaced in the same direction to direct the light radiated from the luminous part A in the same direction. - The inner peripheral wall of the through-
hole 200 allowing itstop opening 200a to communicate with thebottom opening 200b, is preferably coated with paint with a high light reflectance to provide a light reflecting face. - The eccentric distance between the cross-section centers in accordance with the present invention can be set at any value depending on the direction of radiation. However, it is preferable that the eccentric distance s between the center RO of the
top cross-section 200a and the center r0 of thebottom cross-section 200b be set so as to satisfy the relation R/5 ≦ s ≦ R/2 where R and r designate radii of thetop cross-section 200a and thebottom cross-section 200b. - As to the relationship between the two cross-sectional radii, that is, R and r, it is normal to set the values to satisfy the relations that R ≧r and preferably that R/3 ≦ r <R.
- As shown in Fig. 9, each
luminous element 105 in the luminous part A is sealed with a hardening light transmitting resin (for instance, thermosetting and ultraviolet-curing resin) to form theseal 107, just as in the first to third examples. In that case, if necessary, theconcave surface 107a of theseal 107 shown in Fig. 10 may be provided to increase the luminous flux density around the luminous part A due to the function of the concave lens, thus increasing the clarity of the contour of the luminous part A, so that a brighter easy-to-see dot matrix luminous display unit is obtainable. - In view of the object of the present invention, the dot matrix luminous display unit according to the invention can use not only a dynamic driving circuit is used to light each luminous element but also a driving circuit which capable of lighting luminous elements at the same time.
- Fig. 12 shows an example of the dot matrix luminous display device used as a display panel and arranged in a high place. An embodiment of the present invention thus arranged brought about good results with an angle of elevation ⊖ in the range from 45 to 60 degrees.
- Use of the dot matrix luminous display unit according to the present invention provides the following effects in view of the construction:
- (1) Due to the multiplied effects of the concave lens function of the sealing layer and the light reflecting face formed on the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole of the flexible plate, the flux of light from the luminous element is made to concentrate upon the contour of the luminous part and the density of the flux of light in the coutour is increased. As a result, the clear contour of the luminous part results in an easy-to-see dot matrix luminous display unit.
- (2) In comparison with what has a flat or convex surface of the sealing layer, the contour of the luminous part becomes clear. Accordingly, it becomes possible to decrease the thickness of the flexible plate, increase the visual angle of recognition and besides reduce material and production costs. When the similar luminous elements are used as a light source, the dot matrix luminous display unit obtainable has a thinner flexible plate and a large diameter dots without damaging visual recognizability.
When no light dispersing agent is added to the sealing layer according to the present invention, there is anticipated the multiplied effects of the concave lens function and the light reflecting face formed on the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole of the flexible plate and, further it can provide a light transmittance greater (higher than about 90%) than that which is available when the dispersing agent is added. Consequently, a dot matrix luminous display unit offering higher luminance is obtainable. - (3) According to the present invention, the centers of the upper and lower openings of each through-hole of the flexible plate are displaced from each other and a light reflecting face is formed on the inner peripheral face of the through-hole allowing the upper opening to communicate with the lower opening. Consequently, the light radiated from the luminous elements is concentrately emitted onto a given irradiation area defined by the eccentricity between the upper and lower openings of the through-hole.
For that reason, the increased luminous flux in the given irradiation area will improve the luminance in that area and thus visual recognizability to a greater extent. Thus, when the dot matrix luminous display unit is used as a luminous display panel for installation in a high place, it is not only of high commercial value but also very useful.
While the above described examples of the present invention employs a flexible plate having Young's modulus not higher than 100 kg/cm² as a masking member, modifications are possible without departing from the basic concept of the present invention. That is, rigid materials having Young's modulus higher than 5×10⁵ kg/cm² may be employed as a masking member. Concrete examples of such a rigid material are an iron, an aluminum and a stainless steel. In this case, such rigid masking members have rigidity sufficiently high against stress caused by contraction upon setting of the thermosetting resin, and therefore it is also possible to eliminate an occurrence of flaws such as strain of the masking members.
Claims (13)
- A dot-matrix luminous display comprising:
a dot-matrix luminous display board having luminous elements (105) arranged at electrical intersections between upper (100) and lower electrodes (101) arranged in a three-dimensional matrix with an insulating layer sandwiched therebetween;
a masking member (2) which is made of a material having Young's modulus not higher than 100 kg/cm² or not lower than 5x10⁵ kg/cm², and said masking member (2) having a plurality of through-holes (200) formed therein at locations corresponding to the luminous elements (105) and joined to a surface of the display board; and
light transmitting resin (107) filling said through-holes (200);
characterized in
an upper surface of said resin (107) having a concave shape, for increasing luminous flux density around said luminous elements (105), said resin (107) having a thickness in a central portion thereof in a range of 1/2 to 2/3 of a thickness of said masking member (2). - A display according to claim 1, wherein said resin (107) has a refractive index of 1.3 or higher.
- A display as recited in claim 1, wherein said through-holes (200) have an upper cross-section (200a) larger than a lower cross-section (200b).
- A display as recited in claim 1, wherein said through-holes (200) have a circular upper cross-section (200a) and a circular lower cross-section (200b), the center of said upper cross-section (200a) being displaced in a plane of said masking member (2) from the center of said lower cross-section (200b).
- A display as recited in claim 4, wherein said upper cross-section (200a) is larger than said lower cross-section (200b).
- A display as recited in claim 1, wherein a side wall of each through-hole (200) is light reflective.
- A display as recited in claim 6, wherein said masking member (2) comprises a substantially white material, thereby making said wall light reflective.
- A display as recited in claim 1, wherein a cross-section of said through-holes (200), viewed in a plane perpendicular to said masking member (2) is trapezoidal in shape.
- A display as recited in claim 1, wherein a cross-section of said through-holes (200), viewed in a plane perpendicular to said masking member (2) has the shape of a parallelogram.
- A display as recited in claim 1, wherein a displacement between the center of said upper cross-section (200a) and the center of said lower cross-section (200b) is s, wherein R/5 ≦ s ≦ R/2, wherein R is a radius of said upper cross-section (200a) and said lower cross-section (200b).
- A display as recited in claim 1, wherein a radius of said upper cross-section (200a) is R and a radius of said lower cross-section (200b) is r, and R/3 ≦ r ≦ R.
- A display as recited in claim 1, wherein said display board is flat, and a thickness of said masking member (2) is 1/5 to 1/2 of a diameter of a cross-section of said through-holes (200).
- A display as recited in claim 12, wherein said thickness of said masking member is 1/3 to 1/2 of said diameter of said cross-section of said through-holes (200).
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP1985099248U JPH0328460Y2 (en) | 1985-06-28 | 1985-06-28 | |
JP99248/85U | 1985-06-28 | ||
JP10345685U JPH0241661Y2 (en) | 1985-07-05 | 1985-07-05 | |
JP103456/85U | 1985-07-05 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0206176A2 EP0206176A2 (en) | 1986-12-30 |
EP0206176A3 EP0206176A3 (en) | 1987-11-25 |
EP0206176B1 true EP0206176B1 (en) | 1992-01-02 |
Family
ID=26440399
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19860108122 Expired - Fee Related EP0206176B1 (en) | 1985-06-28 | 1986-06-13 | An optical guide matrix for a dot-matrix luminous display |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0206176B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE3683195D1 (en) |
HK (1) | HK47095A (en) |
Families Citing this family (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2206444A (en) * | 1987-06-10 | 1989-01-05 | Yue Wen Cheng | Light emitting diode |
KR910006706B1 (en) * | 1988-12-12 | 1991-08-31 | 삼성전자 주식회사 | Manufacturing method of light emitted diode array head |
KR910003735B1 (en) * | 1988-12-17 | 1991-06-10 | 삼성전자 주식회사 | Thermal printing head |
GB2366900B (en) * | 2000-09-13 | 2004-12-29 | Box Consultants Ltd | A display element |
DE20103133U1 (en) * | 2001-02-22 | 2001-06-13 | Glass Hagen | Notification device |
GB2408135B (en) * | 2003-11-14 | 2007-03-28 | Box Consultants Ltd | Modular display system |
WO2008046241A1 (en) * | 2006-10-11 | 2008-04-24 | Tsungwen Chan | A structure of backlight plate having embedded leds and a method of fabricating the same |
DE102012100426A1 (en) * | 2012-01-19 | 2013-07-25 | Osram Opto Semiconductors Gmbh | Display device for displaying three-dimensional images, has individually controllable pixels, where each pixel includes red, green, blue, and yellow spectral emitting LEDs, and one of blue and yellow LEDs is shared by two adjacent pixels |
CN203910194U (en) * | 2014-06-18 | 2014-10-29 | 昝振辉 | Square LED display screen unit |
US9366425B2 (en) | 2014-08-08 | 2016-06-14 | Motorola Solutions, Inc. | Light emitting diode (LED) display for a portable communication device |
CN114770971B (en) * | 2022-04-27 | 2023-07-07 | 郑州大学 | Foam filling bionic lattice composite structure and preparation method thereof |
Family Cites Families (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3780357A (en) * | 1973-02-16 | 1973-12-18 | Hewlett Packard Co | Electroluminescent semiconductor display apparatus and method of fabricating the same |
DE2929809C2 (en) * | 1978-07-25 | 1984-12-06 | Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Moriguchi, Osaka | Display device |
US4345308A (en) * | 1978-08-25 | 1982-08-17 | General Instrument Corporation | Alpha-numeric display array and method of manufacture |
US4241277A (en) * | 1979-03-01 | 1980-12-23 | Amp Incorporated | LED Display panel having bus conductors on flexible support |
JPS575083A (en) * | 1980-06-13 | 1982-01-11 | Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co | Display unit |
DE3148843C2 (en) * | 1981-12-10 | 1986-01-02 | Telefunken electronic GmbH, 7100 Heilbronn | Multiple light emitting diode arrangement |
JPS5967673A (en) * | 1982-10-12 | 1984-04-17 | Toyo Commun Equip Co Ltd | Light emitting diode for surface illumination |
EP0182254B1 (en) * | 1984-11-12 | 1994-03-09 | Takiron Co. Ltd. | Dot matrix luminous display |
-
1986
- 1986-06-13 DE DE8686108122T patent/DE3683195D1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1986-06-13 EP EP19860108122 patent/EP0206176B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1995
- 1995-03-30 HK HK47095A patent/HK47095A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
HK47095A (en) | 1995-04-07 |
DE3683195D1 (en) | 1992-02-13 |
EP0206176A3 (en) | 1987-11-25 |
EP0206176A2 (en) | 1986-12-30 |
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