EP1347431A1 - Unité d'affichage - Google Patents

Unité d'affichage Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1347431A1
EP1347431A1 EP03012810A EP03012810A EP1347431A1 EP 1347431 A1 EP1347431 A1 EP 1347431A1 EP 03012810 A EP03012810 A EP 03012810A EP 03012810 A EP03012810 A EP 03012810A EP 1347431 A1 EP1347431 A1 EP 1347431A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
display unit
lenses
array
indicia carrier
unit
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Withdrawn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
EP03012810A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Itzchak Bar-Yona
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.)
MVT Multi Vision Technologies Ltd
Original Assignee
MVT Multi Vision Technologies Ltd
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 MVT Multi Vision Technologies Ltd filed Critical MVT Multi Vision Technologies Ltd
Priority claimed from EP98121512A external-priority patent/EP1001401B1/fr
Publication of EP1347431A1 publication Critical patent/EP1347431A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current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
    • G09F13/00—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising
    • G09F13/04—Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia
    • G09F13/08—Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia using both translucent and non-translucent layers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F11/00—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the complete information is permanently attached to a movable support which brings it to the display position

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to display units, and in particular to display units for displaying two or more consecutively changing images to be viewed by a viewer.
  • Multi-image display devices of various kinds are known. Such devices are used for advertisement, instructional purposes, providing directions, games and many other uses. These devices usually contain prisms revolving about their axes, or alternatively, devices projecting movies in a closed cycle. All such devices, however, require a substantial amount of electrical power for their operation, hence requiring connection to electrical mains. Furthermore, such devices are of necessity of a substantial size, due to the relative complexity of the required drive means and other parts thereof.
  • Such a display should be self-powered, namely, free of any connection to the mains. It must have the ability to present high-resolution images at a wide range of viewing angles, sometimes on both of its sides, for viewing by observers approaching from different directions. Maintenance considerations require an operating period of at least 3 to 4 months without battery replacement. The advertising messages must be easily replaceable by an unskilled worker on site, without any difficulty.
  • the display unit should be cost-effective; in other words, its cost should not exceed the price of the product(s) it promotes.
  • a self-powered display unit for displaying at least two consecutively changing images to be viewed by a viewer, said unit comprising a housing, at least one wall portion of the housing being made of an array of linear lenses having a lenticular front face and a flat rear face; at least one displaceable, light-weight, substantially planar indicia carrier disposed inside the housing at a distance from the rear face at most equalling the focal length of the lenses, and a high efficiency, low energy consumption, battery-operated DC drive means for periodically displacing the indicia carrier for a distance at least equalling the distance between two adjacent lenses of the array.
  • Unit 2 for displaying two or more consecutively changing images to be viewed by a viewer even without moving the line of sight.
  • Unit 2 is composed of a housing 4 having a front face 6, constituted by an array of lenses 8.
  • the lenses could be arranged to form a horizontally extending linear array as seen in Fig. 1, or alternatively, can constitute an array of a honeycomb, spherical, or other arrangement.
  • a light-weight indicia carrier 10 in the form of a sheet or film on one or two of its surfaces, on the surface(s) of which are printed indicia in a manner per se known, e.g ., from U.S. Patents 5,100,330 or 5,488,451, or by any other method.
  • the optical principle on which such methods are based is the ability to make visible each one of the multiple images printed on the surface(s) of carrier 10, by a minimal displacement thereof with respect to the array of lenses 8.
  • the indicia carrier 10 may be easily replaced with another, similar carrier by pulling the carrier out of slot 11 and slipping in a replacement carrier. This can be accomplished by any unskilled person.
  • unit 2 further comprises a compartment 12 located at the bottom part of housing 4, which compartment accommodates electrically powered drive means 14 having an output axis 16.
  • drive means 14 having an output axis 16.
  • Carrier 10 is freely supported within groove 24, but it is prevented from slipping off eccentric 18 when the latter rotates.
  • eccentric 18 is furnished with a weight 28 disposed about the periphery at smaller radius R 1 , the purpose of which weight is to counterbalance some of the indicia carrier's weight upon its displacement in the upward direction.
  • FIG. 5 A more detailed illustration of the invention is shown in Fig. 5, illustrating split housing 4, indicia carrier 10, guides 30, 32 for guiding the movement of the indicia carrier, and eccentric 18, on the circumference of which indicia carrier 10 rests. Also shown is the high-efficiency, low energy consumption drive means 14 for rotating eccentric 18, including electronic oscillator 34 powered by battery 36 and connected to electromagnet 38 having two ferromagnetic arms 40, 42. Each of the free ends of arms 40, 42 is configured as an armature 44, 46, surrounding but not contacting a magnetic core 48, directly or indirectly coupled to transmission gears 50 52 for driving eccentric 18. Each pulse emitted by the oscillator effects a 180° rotation of core 48.
  • the eccentric's contour is such that its rotation is translated into a linear displacement of the indicia carrier 10, which is freely supported on the grooved circumference of the eccentric, as described above.
  • the radii R 1 and R 2 of eccentric 18 are calculated such that the total linear displacement of indicia carrier 10 in the upward and downward directions will be a distance at least equal to the distance D between two focal lines of two adjacent lenses located in the direction of displacement.
  • the displacement of indicia carrier 10 by such an amplitude will effect a consecutive display of the images formed on the indicia carrier's surface.
  • indicia carrier 10 is of minimal weight, and in view of the efficient drive means described above, which uses energy only during the relatively short duration of the pulse generated by oscillator 34, the power required to operate the unit is also minimal; thus, the unit can operate over extended periods of time without requiring a change of battery.
  • the unit may also be powered or aided by solar cells.
  • FIG. 1-5 While in Figs. 1-5 there is illustrated a unit displaying images on one side only, Fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment in which the changing images are displayed on two opposite sides of the unit. For achieving this, all that is required is to provide a second array of lenses 8' on the other face of the unit and to provide images on both surfaces of indicia carrier 10. Otherwise, the structure and operation of this embodiment are the same as described above with reference to Figs. 1-5.
  • Fig. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a split housing 4 formed with a suitable opening 54 which engages fitting 56 for attaching unit 2 to a shelf, e.g. , a merchandise display shelf in a supermarket or department store.
  • Fitting 56 is designed to facilitate a flexible connection with unit 2 and a more rigid connection to a shelf, to avoid breaking if the unit is accidentally bumped by a passing customer or worker.
  • the flexible connection between fitting 56 and unit 2 is achieved by means of an arm 58 engaging the opening 54 and held therein by friction.
  • the more rigid connection is achieved by means of a metallic bracket 60.
  • Figs. 8-11 illustrate two embodiments for utilizing the display unit of the present invention in conjunction with a clock.
  • the first of these embodiments is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, and shows a clock 62, operated by means of standard clock movement 64 disposed inside the housing 4 of unit 2, thus providing a combined clock and changing display unit.
  • the clock of Fig. 8 can also be a digital clock.
  • the changing displays are positioned behind the clock face. Such positioning facilitates both the operation of clock 62 and changing of the displays on indicia carrier 10, by means of a common drive means 14.
  • eccentric 18 is fixedly attached to and driven by the seconds shaft 15 of common drive means 14 and moves inside a central hole 17 of suitable shape and size in carrier 10.
  • Fig. 12 shows an eccentric 28 or, more correctly, a cam, having three different radii of curvature r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , as well as ramps 29 leading from one curvature to the adjacent one. Also shown is a cam follower in the form of a roller 66 mounted in a fork 67 fixedly attached to indicia carrier 10. It is clear that when cam 28 rotates in the direction of arrow A , the roller 66 will start rolling along curvature r 1 .
  • curvature r 1 is concentric with shaft 16
  • carrier 10 will remain stationary until roller 66, together with carrier 10, are lifted onto the next curvature r 2 by the ramp 29, from which point the roller 66 will "dwell” again until it is lifted once more by the next ramp 29 onto the next curvature r 3 , at which point the indicia carrier 10 will have reached its maximum displacement.
  • roller 66 will drop onto curvature r 1 , with carrier 10 again at its lowermost point.
  • the cam thus has three “dwelling” portions and three ramps, and will turn a uniform rotation of its shaft 16 into a stepwise rise of indicia carrier 10.
  • Such a cam is particularly useful for large display units observed from considerable distances, where the line of sight does not greatly deviate from the perpendicular relative to the unit.
  • indicia carriers demands great accuracy, particularly in the dimensional relationship of indicia parameters and the pitch of the array of the lenses. While such accuracy is definitely achievable with small display units, it cannot possible be realized with large units, because of inevitable cumulative errors in the preparation of the indicia carrier, the effects of temperature fluctuations, etc. Although in principle such problems could be alleviated by increasing the width of the linear lenses of the array, such a step would have serious disadvantages of its own:
  • This array is constituted by co-planar, advantageously internal groups of linear lenses having a cross-section conforming with that of the per se known Fresnel lenses, each group consisting of a central, substantially cylindrical lens, flanked by a number of quasi-prismatic linear lenses (quasi, because, strictly speaking, the slanting surfaces of these prisms are parts of cylindrical surfaces). Because of their large f number [in the case of the linear Fresnel lens, focal lengths f /width m (Fig. 13)], this type of lens offers a relatively large width (e.g., 40 mm) combined with a reasonably short focal length.
  • Fig. 13 is a schematic representation of a display unit using the above-mentioned array of quasi-prismatic linear lenses.
  • an indicia carrier 10 located at a distance f behind an array 84 of the above-mentioned lenses.
  • Array 84 is comprises of a plurality of groups 86, each group consisting of a central, substantially cylindrical lens 88, flanked by a plurality of linear, quasi-prismatic lenses 90.
  • array 84 is one integral whole, e.g ., produced by extrusion or embossing, although it can also be built up from several parts, particularly for large display units.
  • the surface facing the viewer is completely smooth and is far less subject to reflective and glare phenomena and dust accretion.
  • Fig. 14 shows a display unit in which the array 84 of Fig. 13 is produced by extrusion and is provided with ribs 92, which both stiffen array 84 and prevent indicia carrier 10 from bulging. Carrier 10 is moved up and down, as indicated by double arrow B , by any of the previously described means.
  • the display unit of Fig. 14 can also be provided with a light source, such as a battery of fluorescent tubes 94.
  • Fig. 15 The unit of Fig. 15 is similar to that of Fig. 14, except that array 84 constitutes the front surface of a hollow, extruded panel, the rear surface 96 of which is connected to array 84 by means of ribs 92.
  • This embodiment is thus exceptionally rigid and is therefore suitable for very large display units.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Led Device Packages (AREA)
  • Liquid Developers In Electrophotography (AREA)
  • Measuring Pulse, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure Or Blood Flow (AREA)
  • Displays For Variable Information Using Movable Means (AREA)
  • Stereoscopic And Panoramic Photography (AREA)
  • Illuminated Signs And Luminous Advertising (AREA)
EP03012810A 1998-11-13 1998-11-13 Unité d'affichage Withdrawn EP1347431A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP98121512A EP1001401B1 (fr) 1998-11-13 1998-11-13 Unité d'affichage

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP98121512A Division EP1001401B1 (fr) 1998-11-13 1998-11-13 Unité d'affichage

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1347431A1 true EP1347431A1 (fr) 2003-09-24

Family

ID=27772008

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP03012810A Withdrawn EP1347431A1 (fr) 1998-11-13 1998-11-13 Unité d'affichage

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1347431A1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE259530T1 (fr)
DE (1) DE69821620T2 (fr)
PT (1) PT1001401E (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1669664A3 (fr) * 2004-12-10 2006-09-06 Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG Dispositif d'éclairage
US7263791B2 (en) 2000-07-26 2007-09-04 R.E.D. Revital Entrepreneurship & Development Ltd. Display device
EP2063198A1 (fr) 2007-11-15 2009-05-27 Atomic Energy Council - Institute of Nuclear Energy Research Lentille de zone Fresnel avec grille

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3660919A (en) * 1970-06-26 1972-05-09 Amerace Esna Corp Optical annunciator
US5426879A (en) * 1989-06-09 1995-06-27 Hecker; Irv Wall hangable window simulating unit
US5488451A (en) * 1994-05-03 1996-01-30 National Graphics, Inc. Method of producing multidimensional lithographic separations free of moire interference
US5494445A (en) * 1989-12-07 1996-02-27 Yoshi Sekiguchi Process and display with moveable images
US5513458A (en) * 1993-11-15 1996-05-07 Admotion Corporation Advertising display apparatus with precise rotary drive
WO1997030436A1 (fr) * 1996-02-16 1997-08-21 Admotion Corporation Appareil d'affichage comprenant une commande de moteur a engrenage a courant alternatif

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3660919A (en) * 1970-06-26 1972-05-09 Amerace Esna Corp Optical annunciator
US5426879A (en) * 1989-06-09 1995-06-27 Hecker; Irv Wall hangable window simulating unit
US5494445A (en) * 1989-12-07 1996-02-27 Yoshi Sekiguchi Process and display with moveable images
US5513458A (en) * 1993-11-15 1996-05-07 Admotion Corporation Advertising display apparatus with precise rotary drive
US5488451A (en) * 1994-05-03 1996-01-30 National Graphics, Inc. Method of producing multidimensional lithographic separations free of moire interference
WO1997030436A1 (fr) * 1996-02-16 1997-08-21 Admotion Corporation Appareil d'affichage comprenant une commande de moteur a engrenage a courant alternatif

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7263791B2 (en) 2000-07-26 2007-09-04 R.E.D. Revital Entrepreneurship & Development Ltd. Display device
EP1669664A3 (fr) * 2004-12-10 2006-09-06 Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG Dispositif d'éclairage
AU2005239754B2 (en) * 2004-12-10 2011-10-06 Aldi Einkauf Gmbh & Co. Ohg Lighting device
EP2063198A1 (fr) 2007-11-15 2009-05-27 Atomic Energy Council - Institute of Nuclear Energy Research Lentille de zone Fresnel avec grille

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69821620D1 (de) 2004-03-18
PT1001401E (pt) 2004-06-30
DE69821620T2 (de) 2004-06-03
ATE259530T1 (de) 2004-02-15

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