JP2000223029A - Image forming device, and method and apparatus for manufacturing it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a sealing cover to be manufactured without being projected from a vacuum container and provide a low-profile container of a flat-type image forming device, etc. SOLUTION: In this image forming device provided with a vacuum container and an image forming means disposed in the vacuum container, the image forming device is characterized in that a sealing cover 105 having a diameter equal to or smaller than that of an exhaust hole 104 of the vacuum container is disposed and embedded in the exhaust hole 104 and is sealed without protruding the exhaust hole 104 in the front surface.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a method of manufacturing the same, and a manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly, to a method of vacuum sealing a flat type image display device and the like, a vacuum sealing device, and a vacuum exhaust device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art
To produce a vacuum panel in a display such as a PDP, a method of connecting an exhaust pipe to an exhaust hole of the panel, performing a gas operation, and sealing off the tip of the exhaust pipe by cutting off is performed. Usually, a glass exhaust pipe is used.

[0003] The problem of this method is that materials and a fixing step such as exhaust hole processing, exhaust pipe and fixing thereof are required,
Exhaust pipes left after chipping off hinder the thinning or downsizing of the panel, furthermore, yield reduction due to breakage of the exhaust pipe and inconvenience in assembling panels including circuit components.

Therefore, the following measures have been taken. That is, the exhaust pipe is made detachable from the panel,
This is a method in which a lid coated with a seal glass is pressed against an exhaust hole in an exhaust pipe to seal. That is, a configuration in which the conventional exhaust pipe is replaced with a lid can be obtained. Therefore, the thickness can be reliably reduced, and the panel can be easily assembled.

[0005] However, even though it is thin, the lid and the seal glass are thick, and the above-mentioned problems have not been solved yet.

There has been a demand for providing an image forming apparatus suitable for a thin structure which solves the above problems.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to make it possible to manufacture a sealing lid without projecting it from a vacuum container, and to reduce the thickness of a container such as a flat type image forming apparatus.

Further, in the assembling process, it is not necessary to consider the protrusion of the housing member, the handleability is good, and it is possible to select a production apparatus having a high degree of freedom, and at the same time to contribute to the improvement of the yield. .

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including a vacuum container and image forming means disposed in the vacuum container as means for solving the above-mentioned problems. An image characterized in that a sealing lid having a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the exhaust hole is disposed at a position embedded in the exhaust hole, and the exhaust hole is sealed so as not to protrude from the surface. A forming apparatus is provided.

[0010] The vacuum vessel includes two opposing plates, and is inserted into an exhaust hole opened in one of the plates so that the sealing lid is placed on the other plate. In addition, the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus in which a gap between the sealing lid and the exhaust hole is adhered by an adhesive member.

Further, the sealing lid is an image forming apparatus having a cylindrical shape.

Further, the sealing lid may be an image forming apparatus having a step portion on which an adhesive member is placed.

[0013] The present invention is also an image forming apparatus having a groove for connecting and holding the sealing lid by lid holding means.

[0014] Further, in the image forming apparatus, the sealing lid may have a tapered side surface, and the exhaust hole may have a tapered side surface corresponding to the tapered shape of the sealing lid.

Further, the image forming apparatus is configured such that the sealing lid is made of a conductive member, is disposed on a wiring inside the vacuum vessel, and also serves as an external terminal.

Further, the image forming means is also an image forming apparatus having an electron source and an image forming member for forming an image by irradiating electrons from the electron source.

[0017] Further, the image forming apparatus is characterized in that the member of the sealing lid is smaller than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the member of the vacuum vessel of the sealing portion.

Further, in the method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus having a vacuum container and an image forming means disposed in the vacuum container, the same diameter as the diameter of the exhaust hole for sealing the exhaust hole of the vacuum container is provided. Or a step of airtightly connecting an exhaust pipe having a sealing lid having a smaller diameter movably stored around an exhaust hole of the vacuum vessel, and exhausting the exhaust pipe and the inside of the vacuum vessel. Moving the sealing lid into the exhaust hole of the evacuated vacuum vessel and disposing the sealing lid at a sealing position that does not protrude from the surface of the vacuum vessel; A method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus, comprising: a step of airtightly attaching a lid; and a step of separating the exhaust pipe from the vacuum vessel after the sealing lid is attached.

The step of hermetically connecting the exhaust pipe to the periphery of the exhaust hole of the vacuum vessel is performed by cooling and solidifying an adhesive member that melts by heating, and the step of separating the exhaust pipe from the vacuum vessel includes: This is also a method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus in which the adhesive member is melted by heating.

The step of airtightly bonding the sealing lid to the side wall of the exhaust hole is also a method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus in which a previously arranged bonding member is melted by heating and then solidified.

Further, in the method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus, the member of the sealing lid is smaller than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the member of the vacuum container in the sealing portion.

Further, in an apparatus for manufacturing an image forming apparatus having a vacuum container and an image forming means disposed in the vacuum container, the same diameter as the diameter of the exhaust hole for sealing the exhaust hole of the vacuum container is provided. Or an exhaust pipe in which a sealing lid having a smaller diameter is movably stored, first heating means for hermetically connecting the exhaust pipe around an exhaust hole of the vacuum vessel, and Means for evacuating the tube and the interior of the vacuum vessel;
Means for moving the sealing lid into the exhaust hole of the evacuated vacuum vessel and disposing the sealing lid at a sealing position that does not protrude from the surface of the vacuum vessel; An apparatus for manufacturing an image forming apparatus, comprising: a second heating means for air-tightly bonding; and a means for separating the exhaust pipe from the vacuum vessel after the sealing lid is bonded.

The present invention is also an apparatus for manufacturing an image forming apparatus having a holding means for holding the sealing lid.

[0024]

According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus provided with a vacuum container and image forming means arranged in the vacuum container, the exhaust hole of the vacuum container is made to have the same diameter as the exhaust hole diameter or smaller. A sealing lid having a small diameter is disposed at a position embedded in the exhaust hole, and is sealed by a configuration that does not project from the surface, so that the sealing lid of the vacuum container in the image forming apparatus does not project from the container. Therefore, an image forming apparatus suitable for a thin structure can be provided.

[0025]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a sealed portion of a vacuum sealed container. FIG. 1A is a plan view, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′.

The vacuum-sealed container shown in the figure comprises a rear plate 102 formed by an electron-emitting device (not shown) and a lead-out line 107, a face plate 101 having an image forming member 106 on the opposite side, and an outer frame 103. And
Face plate 101, rear plate 102 and outer frame 1
03 is manufactured by frit bonding using frit glass 180 at about 430 ° C. by heating means (not shown).

Face plate 101, rear plate 1
02 is formed of a material such as soda lime glass.

Reference numeral 105 denotes a sealing lid for closing the exhaust hole 104 of the vacuum sealed container.
The diameter is smaller by about 0.1 to 0.5 mm than the inner diameter of 04, and the diameter of the contact point with the preform ring seal member 110 is further reduced, and the height is in contact with the rear plate 102. The height is set to be equal to or less than the height not protruding from the main plane of the face plate 101. 10
Is a groove for clamping when the sealing lid 105 is moved up and down.

When the face plate 101 and the rear plate 102 are made of glass, a material having a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than that of glass is selected as the material of the sealing lid 105. For example, nickel steel (64Fe, 3
6Ni). The reason for selecting the material will be described later in detail.

With the dimensional configuration of the sealing lid 105, the completed sealed container can form a flat flat surface that does not protrude from the face plate 101.

Reference numeral 110 denotes a preform ring sealing material such as solder or brazing material for hermetically sealing the sealing lid 105 to the face plate 101. The material is Au-S
n, an alloy material such as Au-Si, or the like is used. The amount of preform ring seal material 110 is
It is adjusted appropriately so as to fill the space formed between the gas and the exhaust hole 104.

Next, the step of attaching the sealing lid 105 of FIG. 1 to the face plate 101 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the entire sealing and mounting apparatus in the exhaust preparation stage. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a face plate 101 having a display panel, a rear plate 102,
The vacuum-sealed containers 1 and 105 constituted by the outer frame 103 are sealing lids for closing the exhaust holes 104, 201 is a sealing member for hermetically bonding the vacuum-sealed container 1 and the exhaust pipe 202, and 110 is the exhaust holes of the vacuum-sealed container 1. A preform ring seal member for adhering a sealing lid 105 for closing the container; 202, an exhaust pipe provided in the exhaust means; 203, an exhaust pipe 20 in contact with the vacuum sealed container 1;
A first heating means such as a nichrome wire for heating the end of 2;
05 is a current introduction line for supplying electric power to the second heating means 204 from an external heating power supply device (not shown), and 204 is a sealing lid 10.
5, a holding means 206 for holding the sealing lid 105 during the exhaust, and 207 a second heating means 204, the sealing lid 105, and the holding means 206 for the exhaust pipe 20.
2 is a lid support rod that is moved up and down in the exhaust pipe 202.
And a bellows movable vacuum partition 209 necessary for raising and lowering the sealing lid 105.
6 is a driving means for moving up and down;
9, a drive support shaft for supporting the drive guide shaft 210, and a base 212 on which the apparatus and the vacuum sealed container 1 are mounted.

(Exhaust Preparation) Next, as an exhaust preparation stage,
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, an exhaust hole 104 is previously formed in the exhaust portion of the vacuum sealed container 1 made of flat glass such as soda glass by machining. A preform ring 110 made of a ring-shaped Au-Sn alloy or the like is placed at a contact position of the sealing lid 105.

Next, a sealing material 201, which is a low melting point frit material, is disposed at a position where the exhaust pipe 202 contacts, and the exhaust pipe 202 is lowered by the driving means 209. Electric power is supplied to the first heating means 203 to raise the temperature of the contact portion of the exhaust pipe 202 to 390 ° C. to melt the sealing material 201 and airtightly connect the exhaust pipe 202 and the vacuum sealed container 1. In this state, the sealed container 1
The inside can be evacuated.

(Evacuation Step) Next, the evacuation step will be described with reference to FIG. The inside of the vacuum sealed container 1 and the inside of the exhaust pipe 202 are evacuated and evacuated by a vacuum exhaust device (not shown) connected to the exhaust pipe 202. At this time, unnecessary gas components can be removed more efficiently by heating the vacuum sealed container itself. Further, by using an evacuation device of an ion pump or a sorption pump for evacuation, unnecessary mixing of gas components can be further removed, and a high vacuum sealed container suitable for a cold cathode electron source requiring a high vacuum can be produced. .

(Sealing lid bonding step) Next, the sealing bonding step will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the inside of the vacuum-sealed container 1 reaches a predetermined vacuum, the lid support rod 207 suspended by the driving means 209 is placed above the exhaust hole 104 of the vacuum-sealed container 1. Sealing lid 10 held by
5 is moved downward and inserted into the exhaust hole 104.

Thereafter, electric power is supplied from a heating power supply (not shown) to the second heating means 204 to heat and pressurize the preform ring seal member 110 at the same time. This allows
The preform ring seal member 110 is melted, fills a space formed between the sealing lid 105 and the exhaust hole 104, and adheres both airtightly.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view showing a heating and melting step of the preform ring seal member 110.
As shown in (a), the lid 105 is
Lid holding means provided in 4 (this example is a lid clamper, but the lid holding means may have another structure).
It is inserted into the exhaust hole 104 while being held by 206.

In this embodiment, the lid holding means has a clamper structure and is configured to hold the side wall of the groove provided on the lid side. However, the lid holding means may have another configuration. The side groove may be one, and a configuration in which the groove is held by screwing is also conceivable.

Subsequently, the preform ring seal member 110 is heated and pressurized by the second heating means 204, so that the preform ring seal member 110 is melted as shown in FIG. The space between the face plate 101 is buried, and the two are bonded. At this time, the surface height of the lid 105, the surface height of the face plate 101, and the surface height of the preform ring seal member 110 in a melted state are set so as not to cause unevenness on the surface. Become

Thereafter, the supply of electric power to the second heating means is cut off, so that the preform ring seal member 110 is turned off.
Cools and solidifies. After the coagulation is completed, the lid support rod 20
7 is lifted slightly upward to release the pressing force, the lid holding means 206 and the sealing lid 105 are separated, and the second heating means 204 and the holding means 206 are moved to the upper end as shown in FIG. Let it. Thereafter, the evacuation by a vacuum evacuation device (not shown) is stopped. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the coefficients of thermal expansion of the sealing lid 105 and the vacuum-tight container 1 during the sealing step. The sealing lid member is selected from both members so as to be smaller than the thermal expansion coefficient of the vacuum container member (for example, the face plate 101) of the sealing portion. Here, as described above, glass is used for the vacuum vessel member (face plate 101), and invar material such as nickel steel is selected for the lid 105.

FIG. 6A shows a state in which the lid 105, the face plate 101 and the preform ring seal member 110 are arranged.
The surface of 0 is set slightly higher so as to be at the same height as the surface of the face plate 101 when melted.

Next, as shown in FIG.
5, when the face plate 101 and the preform ring seal member 110 are heated, since the face plate 101 has a larger coefficient of thermal expansion than the lid 105, the exhaust holes 10
In No. 4, the opening diameter increases.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), when the heating is stopped and the cooling is performed, the preform ring seal member 110 solidifies, and pressure is generated in a direction in which the opening diameter of the exhaust hole 104 is reduced. The preform ring seal member 110 is compressed by the force of contraction of the face plate 101, so that the sealing lid 105 and the face plate 1 are more airtightly sealed.
01.

That is, due to the difference in thermal expansion between the sealing lid 105 and the face plate 101, the face plate 101 has a larger amount of thermal expansion than the lid 105 at a high temperature. In the process, the gap gradually narrows, so that a compressive force, that is, a pressing force is applied to the preform ring seal member 110, so that the preform ring seal member 110 can be bonded more stably.

(Separation Step of Vacuum Vessel and Sealing Device) Next, a separation step of the vacuum vessel and the sealing device will be described with reference to FIG. The temperature of the connecting portion with the exhaust pipe 202 is increased by the first heating means 203 by supplying power from a heating power supply device (not shown), and the driving means 209 is melted with the exhaust pipe sealing member (frit glass) 201 melted. By moving the exhaust pipe 202 upward, the vacuum sealed container 1 and the exhaust pipe 202 are separated. FIG. 8 shows this detached state.

It is to be noted that there are other possible methods of detachment. For example, a case where the temperature of the connection portion of the sealing lid 105 rises at the temperature at the time of heating the exhaust pipe sealing member (frit) 201 and a danger of vacuum leak occurs. Utilizing the fact that the adhesive strength between the exhaust pipe seal member (frit) 201 and the glass float surface is low with respect to shearing, the peeling starting force is reduced to the exhaust pipe seal member (frit) 201 and the face plate (glass). For example, the method may be applied to the surface 101 and detached at normal temperature, or the like.

In this way, the inside of the vacuum vessel 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be taken out in a state where the inside of the vacuum vessel 1 is evacuated and the sealing lid 105 for closing the exhaust hole 104 is adhered and fixed to the vacuum sealed vessel 1.

The vacuum sealed container 1 is used for a display device for forming an image using an electron-emitting device such as a surface conduction electron-emitting device, an ultraviolet-emitting device, or the like provided therein. May be mixed, or the mixing of gas may be disliked, and the treatment after exhaust may be slightly different from case to case.

Also in these cases, according to the present sealing device, a thin and firm sealing means is realized only by the sealing lid as a means for maintaining the degree of vacuum inside the vacuum-sealed container 1 for a long period of time. In addition, the display device can be made thinner.

The exhaust pipe 202 and the sealing lid 105 are preferably made of an alloy mainly composed of iron, nickel and chromium.
For example, as a metal, NRS (an alloy mainly composed of about 42% of nickel and about 6% of chromium) made of Sumitomo Special Metals is used, and if its periphery is covered with a vapor deposition film of Ag, Cu, Sn, etc., Easy bonding with solder or brazing material.

Through the above steps, the face plate 10
A sealed container without protrusion from 1 could be produced.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Since the joining step of the sealing lid is the same means as that described in the first embodiment, it is omitted here, and another embodiment relating to the sealing lid and the exhaust hole will be described.

The sealing lid 901 in FIG. 9 has a tapered side surface (a straight conical shape with a truncated head).
The side surface shape of 02 was also a tapered shape corresponding to this. In this configuration, since the sealing can be performed without the sealing cover 901 coming into contact with the rear plate 102, heat is not transmitted to the rear plate 102 side when the adhesive member is heated and melted. Cracks and the like can be reduced.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A configuration in which the exhaust holes are arranged on the rear plate side will be described. The method of forming the sealing lid is the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus is omitted here, and the features in the case where the exhaust hole is provided on the rear plate side will be described.

Here, the material of the sealing lid is a metal material (for example, a material such as an invar material of nickel steel (64Fe, 36Ni)), and the sealing lid is dropped from an exhaust hole provided in the rear plate. At this time, the configuration was such that the high-voltage extraction wiring 1001 for supplying a voltage to the image forming member on the face plate side was extended to a position where the sealing lid was located.

With this structure, when the sealing lid is dropped, the wiring of the face plate is taken out and the sealing lid is electrically connected. With this configuration, it is also possible to form a high-voltage terminal structure that supplies a high voltage necessary for forming an image.

[0061]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the sealing lid can be manufactured without protruding from the vacuum container, the configuration is suitable for a thin structure, and the thickness of the image forming apparatus can be reduced.

In addition, since the housing assembly process can be performed without the protrusion of the sealing lid, it is not necessary to consider the protrusion of the housing member, and the handleability is good. Can be selected, and at the same time it can contribute to the improvement of the yield.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a sealed portion of a vacuum sealed container according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. 1 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the entire sealing and mounting apparatus in an exhaust preparation stage according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exhaust process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a sealing bonding step of the sealing lid according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a preform ring heating and melting step in the sealing and bonding step according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a sealing step based on a difference in thermal expansion in a sealing and bonding step according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the holding unit according to the embodiment of the present invention has been moved and retracted to the upper end.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a step of separating the vacuum container and the sealing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Face plate 102 Rear plate 103 Outer frame 104 Exhaust hole 105 Lid 106 Image forming member 107 Outgoing wiring 180 Frit glass 201 Exhaust pipe seal member 202 Exhaust pipe 203 First heating means 204 Second heating means 205 Current introduction line 206 Lid Holding means 207 Lid support rod 208 Movable vacuum wall 209 Driving means 210 Driving guide shaft 211 Shaft support 1001 High voltage wiring

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a vacuum container; and an image forming means disposed in the vacuum container, wherein an exhaust hole of the vacuum container has a diameter equal to or smaller than a diameter of the exhaust hole. An image forming apparatus, wherein a sealing lid is disposed at a position embedded in the exhaust hole, and sealed so as not to protrude from the surface. 2. The vacuum container includes two opposed plates, and is inserted into an exhaust hole opened on one of the plates so that the sealing lid is placed on the other plate. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gap between the sealing lid and the exhaust hole is adhered by an adhesive member. 3. The sealing lid according to claim 1, wherein the sealing lid has a cylindrical shape.
Or the image forming apparatus according to 2. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said sealing lid has a step portion on which an adhesive member is placed. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing lid has a groove for being connected and held by lid holding means. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a side surface of the sealing lid has a tapered shape, and a side surface of the exhaust hole has a tapered shape corresponding to a tapered shape of the sealing lid. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing lid is made of a conductive member, is disposed on a wiring inside the vacuum vessel, and serves as an external terminal. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit includes an electron source and an image forming member that forms an image by irradiating electrons from the electron source. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a member of the sealing lid has a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than a member of the vacuum container of the sealing portion. 10. A method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus, comprising: a vacuum container; and an image forming means disposed in the vacuum container, wherein the diameter of the exhaust hole for sealing the exhaust hole of the vacuum container is the same as the diameter of the exhaust hole. Or a step of air-tightly connecting an exhaust pipe having a sealing lid having a smaller diameter so as to be movable around an exhaust hole of the vacuum vessel, and exhausting the exhaust pipe and the inside of the vacuum vessel. Moving the sealing lid into the exhaust hole of the evacuated vacuum vessel and disposing the sealing lid at a sealing position that does not protrude from the surface of the vacuum vessel; A method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus, comprising: a step of airtightly attaching a lid; and a step of separating the exhaust pipe from the vacuum vessel after the sealing lid is attached. 11. The step of airtightly connecting the exhaust pipe around the exhaust hole of the vacuum vessel is performed by cooling and solidifying an adhesive member that is melted by heating, and the step of separating the exhaust pipe from the vacuum vessel includes: The method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the bonding is performed by melting the adhesive member by heating. 12. The method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the step of airtightly bonding the sealing lid to the side wall of the exhaust hole is performed by melting and solidifying a pre-arranged adhesive member by heating. Method. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the member of the sealing lid has a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than the member of the vacuum container of the sealing portion. Method. 14. An apparatus for manufacturing an image forming apparatus, comprising: a vacuum container; and an image forming means disposed in the vacuum container, wherein the diameter of the exhaust hole for sealing the exhaust hole of the vacuum container is the same as the diameter of the exhaust hole. Or an exhaust pipe in which a sealing lid having a smaller diameter is movably stored; first heating means for hermetically connecting the exhaust pipe around an exhaust hole of the vacuum vessel; Means for evacuating a tube and the inside of the vacuum vessel, means for moving the sealing lid into the exhaust hole of the evacuated vacuum vessel and arranging the sealing lid at a sealing position which does not protrude from the surface of the vacuum vessel A second heating means for hermetically bonding the sealing lid to the exhaust hole side wall; and a means for separating the exhaust pipe from the vacuum vessel after the sealing lid is bonded. For manufacturing an image forming apparatus. 15. An apparatus for manufacturing an image forming apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising holding means for holding said sealing lid.