JP2001125520A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device which can continuously display several high-resolution images, does not require connection to electric trunks, is based on an optical principle and is simple and inexpensive. SOLUTION: This display device 2 of a self-driving power type for displaying at least two continuously changing images to be observed by an observer has a housing 4 which consists of a lens array 8 having a lens-like front surface and a flat rear surface, at least one displaceable flat symbol carrier 10 which has a film or sheet disposed within the housing 4 apart from the rear surface by a distance at least equal to the focal length of the lens 8 and a battery type DC driving means 14 which periodically displaces the carrier 10 at the distance at least equal to the distance between the two adjacent lenses of the array 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a display device for displaying two or more continuously changing images observed by an observer.

[Prior art]

Conventionally, various types of multiplex image display devices are known as devices for displaying two or more continuously changing images. Such devices are used for advertising and pointing purposes and are provided for pointing, games and many other uses. These devices typically have a prism that rotates about an axis, or are projected in a closed cycle. However, all such devices require significant power to operate and therefore require connection to the electrical mains. Furthermore, such devices require considerable dimensions due to the relatively complex required driving means and other components.

The basic optical principle of displacing complicated lithographic printing with respect to a lens-like lens array is known from the prior art such as US Pat. No. 5,494,445. General know-how for alternately displaying several images is disclosed. However, at this time, this knowledge has not been properly used for advertising purposes. Voices that require a dynamic, multi-image display device used in shopping centers and other places that can function independently when mounted on a wall or mounted on a shelf, providing information about products for sale There is.

Such display devices must be self-powered, that is, devices that do not require a mains connection. The high-resolution image must be able to be displayed on a wide range of viewing angles, sometimes on both sides, so that an observer approaching from various directions can observe the image. For maintenance considerations, at least 3-4 months of operation without battery replacement is required. The advertising message must be easily and easily exchangeable even by unskilled workers on site. The display device must be cost-effective, that is, the cost must not exceed the product price at which the device promotes.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive optical principle which permits the continuous display of several high-resolution images and does not require connection to the mains. A display device is provided.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a display device for displaying a plurality of large and small continuously changing images that can be operated continuously and are powered by an independent power supply. It is in.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cost-effective advertising display in which messages to be displayed can be easily exchanged and exchanged by an unskilled maintenance person without any technical background knowledge. is there.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a self-powered display device for displaying at least two continuously changing images observed by an observer, comprising a lens-like surface and a flat surface. A housing comprising a lens array having a flexible back surface and at least one displaceable flat symbol carrier spaced from the back surface by a distance at least equal to the focal length of each lens and comprising a film or sheet disposed within the housing. Battery powered DC drive means for periodically displacing said symbol carrier at a distance at least equal to the distance between two adjacent lenses of said array, said drive means comprising a motor coupled to a cam; A part of the bottom end of the symbol carrier is at least indirectly freely contacting the cam and supported by the cam. It is obtained by a Yuki-powered display device.

[0009]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the present invention will now be described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

The details shown are by way of example in particular with reference to the drawings, which are by way of example only, and are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, making the principles and conceptual features of the invention most effective. It is emphasized that this is provided to provide what we think is easily understandable. In this regard, there is no intention to show the structural features of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a basic understanding of the invention, and the description is only as to how certain aspects of the invention may be practiced. This is done with the aid of a drawing that makes it clear to those skilled in the art.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown a display device 2 for displaying two or more continuously changing images viewed by an observer without moving the line of sight.
The device 2 includes a housing 4 having a frame 6, and accommodates a board having an array of lenses 8 on its surface in the frame 6. The lenses 8 can be arranged to form a linear array extending horizontally as shown in FIG. 1, or they can constitute an array of honeycombs, spheres, or other arrangements. .

A lightweight symbol carrier 10 is provided on the housing 4 on the back of the frame 6 so as to be vertically movable.
The symbol carrier 10 is in the form of a sheet or film on one or more surfaces, on which it may be placed in a manner known, for example, from US Pat. No. 5,100,330 or 5,488,451, or any other option. The symbol is printed by the method. The optical principle on which these methods rely is that each of a number of images printed on a plurality or on one surface of a translucent or substantially transparent symbol carrier 10 is transferred to the array of lenses 8 with a minimum of carrier. It can be recognized by displacement.

The symbol carrier 10 may be easily interchangeable with another similar carrier by pulling the carrier from the slit 11 and sliding the exchange carrier. In this case, exchange can be achieved by any unskilled person.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the device 2 further comprises a compartment 1 located at the bottom of the housing 4.
2 which accommodates an electric drive 14 having an output shaft 16. Details of the structure of the driving means 14 will be described later. Arranged on the output shaft 16 is a cam (eccentric 18), which is shown more effectively in FIG. 5, with a limit around the eccentric 18 being a chamber 20 in which the symbol carrier 10 is located. (See FIG. 1), so that the bottom end 22 of the symbol carrier 10 contacts the bottom of a groove 24 provided along the circumference 26 of the eccentric 18. The carrier 10 is freely supported inside the groove 24, but prevents the carrier 10 from coming off the eccentric 18 when the eccentric 18 rotates.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a front view of the eccentric 18 is shown. Above the eccentric 18, a major radius R1 and a minor radius R2 are shown. The difference between these radii is the displacement distance of the symbol carrier 10. Eccentric 18
May be provided with a weight 28 disposed around the short radius R2. The purpose of this weight 28 is to balance some of the weight of the symbol carrier with upward displacement of the symbol carrier.

This embodiment is shown in more detail in FIG. FIG. 5 shows the slit housing 4 and the symbol carrier 1
0 and guides 30, 32 for guiding the movement of the symbol carrier
And an eccentric 18 on which the symbol carrier 10 is located on the circumference. Further, the eccentric 18 is rotated, and the battery 36 is rotated.
A high-efficiency, low-energy-consuming drive means 14 connected to an electromagnet 38 having two ferromagnetic arms 40, 42 and having an electronic oscillator 34 operated by the same is shown. The free ends of the arms 40 and 42 are respectively connected to the armature 4
4, 46, surrounding the magnetic core 48,
A transmission gear 50 for driving the eccentric 18 without contact;
52 directly or indirectly. Each pulse generated by the oscillator causes the core 48 to rotate 180 degrees. The eccentric is contoured such that its rotation changes to a linear displacement of the symbol carrier 10 and is freely supported on the grooved circumference of the eccentric, as described above. The radii R1 and R2 of the eccentric 18 are equal to the total linear displacement of the symbol carrier 10 in the vertical direction, which is the sum of the two adjacent lenses in which the displacement is arranged in the displacement direction.
The distance is calculated so as to be at least equal to the distance D between the two focal lines. With the displacement of the symbol carrier 10 due to such amplitude, an image formed on the symbol carrier surface is displayed continuously. The symbol carrier 10 operates the device because it is of minimal weight and uses energy only during the relatively short duration of the pulse generated by the oscillator 34 in view of the efficient driving means described above. The power required for this is also minimal. Therefore, the device can be continuously operated without the need for battery replacement. Of course, the device may be powered by solar cells or may use solar cells to assist.

[0017]

1 to 5 show an apparatus for displaying an image on one side only, while FIG. 6 shows an embodiment for displaying a changing image on two opposite sides of the apparatus.
To achieve this, it is only necessary to provide a second array of lenses 8 ′ on the other side of the device and to provide images on both sides of the symbol carrier 10. Alternatively, the structure and operation of this embodiment may be the same as those described above with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a split housing 4 having suitable openings 54 for engaging fixtures 56 for mounting the apparatus 2 to a shelf, such as a merchandise display shelf in a supermarket or department store. . The attachment 56 is provided for the device 2.
With a flexible connection to the shelf and a stronger connection to the shelf,
It is designed to avoid damage when the device accidentally collides with a passing customer or worker. A flexible connection between the fitting 56 and the device 2 is achieved by an arm 58 which engages in the opening 54 and is frictionally retained in the opening. A stronger connection is achieved by the metal bracket 60.

FIGS. 8 to 11 show two embodiments for utilizing the display device of the present invention with a clock. The first of these is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, which shows a clock 62 which operates by standard clocking provided inside the housing 4 of the device 2, whereby the display of the display changes with the clock. A combined device is provided. Obviously, the clock in FIG. 8 may be a digital clock. Figures 10 and 11
In the second embodiment, shown in Figure 2, the changing display is located behind the clock plane. With such an arrangement,
Both the operation of the clock 62 and the change of the display on the symbol carrier 10 can easily be performed by the common driving means 14.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the eccentric 18 is fixedly mounted on the second shaft 15 of the common driving means 14 and is driven by the shaft 15 so that the suitable It moves inside a central hole 17 of shape and size.

FIG. 12 shows a cam having an eccentric 28, more precisely three different radii of curvature r1, r2, r3, and a slope 29 leading from one curvature to the adjacent curvature. Also shown is a cam follower in the form of a roller 66 provided in a fork 67 fixedly attached to the symbol carrier 10. Obviously, when cam 28 rotates in the direction of arrow A, roller 66 will begin to rotate along radius of curvature r1. Since the radius of curvature r1 is concentric with the axis 16, the carrier 10 remains stationary until the roller 66 is raised with the carrier 10 by the slope 29 to the next radius of curvature r2. Roller 6 from this point
6 again "stays" until it is again lifted by the next slope 29 to the next radius of curvature r3, at which point the symbol carrier 10 has reached its maximum displacement. When reaching the end of the radius of curvature r3, the roller 66 falls on the radius of curvature r1, and the carrier 10 is again at the lowest point. Thus, the cam has three "settlement" sections and three inclines, changing the uniform rotation of the shaft 16 into a gradual rise of the symbol carrier 10.
Such a cam is particularly effective for large size display devices viewed from a considerable distance, where the line of sight does not deviate much from the normal to the device.

The preparation of the symbol carrier requires very high precision, especially in the dimensional relationship between the symbol parameters and the pitch of the lens array. Such accuracy can be reliably achieved with a small display device, but cannot be achieved with a large size device due to the unavoidable cumulative error in preparing the symbol carrier, the influence of temperature fluctuation, and the like.
While such problems can in principle be avoided by increasing the width of the linear lenses in the array, such processes themselves have their own serious problems: 1) linear lenses whose cross section is defined by an arc; As the width of the lens widens, the lens thickness automatically increases, and the array of widened lenses becomes very heavy and therefore expensive. 2) The corrugated surface of the array produces highlights and glare, which hinders the visibility of the image. In addition, dust tends to be attached.

A solution to the above problem is provided by the lens array shown in FIGS. The array is comprised of coplanar, linear lens groups having a cross-section similar to that of a lens known as an integrated Fresnel lens, with each lens group comprising:
It consists of a central, substantially cylindrical lens, on each side of which a number of quasi-prism linear lenses (since they are, to be precise, the slopes of these prisms are part of the cylindrical surface) Have been. Because the f-number is large

[In the case of a linear Fresnel lens, the focal length is f / width m (FIG. 13)], and the width of this type of lens is a relatively wide width (for example, 40 mm) which also serves as a moderately short focal length.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a display device using the above-described quasi-prism linear lens array. FIG. 13 shows the symbol carrier 10 arranged behind the array 84 of lenses at a distance f. Array 84
It comprises a plurality of lens groups 86, each of which comprises a central, substantially cylindrical lens 88, on either side of which a plurality of linear quasi-prism lenses 90 are arranged.
Array 84 may be constructed from several parts, especially for large sized displays.
For example, it has the feature of one integral body manufactured by extrusion or embossing. As shown, the surface facing the viewer is completely smooth, with much less reflection and glare and dust build-up.

FIG. 14 shows a display device in which the array 84 of FIG. 13 is manufactured by extrusion and includes ribs 92, which strengthens the array 84 and prevents the symbol carrier 10 from bulging. The carrier 10 moves up and down as indicated by the double arrow B by any of the means already described. Further, a light source such as a battery of the fluorescent tube 94 can be provided in the display device of FIG.

In the apparatus of FIG. 15, the array 84 constitutes the front of a hollow extruded panel, the back 96 of which is provided with ribs 9
It is similar to the device of FIG. 14 except that it is connected to the array 84 by two. Thus, this embodiment is particularly robust and is therefore suitable for very large sized display devices.

The present invention is not limited to the details of the embodiments described above, but may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its concept and essential characteristics. Will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and thus is defined by the appended claims. All changes equivalent to and within the scope of the range are to be included.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention,
There is an effect that a simple and inexpensive display device based on the optical principle, which can continuously display several high-resolution images and does not require connection to an electric main line, can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a symbol carrier for displaying a changing image according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the device in a state in which a character A is displayed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a driving unit and an eccentric attached to the driving unit.

5 is a front partial cross-sectional view of a display device including a driving unit for operating an eccentric similar to FIG. 4, and showing the driving unit in detail.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partial, front sectional view of a display device and a fixture for mounting the display device on a shelf.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the display device according to the embodiment including a clock.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment including a clock.

FIG. 10 is a front view of another embodiment of a display device including a clock.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a display device including a clock.

FIG. 12 shows a cam which causes a stepwise movement of the symbol carrier.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a linear lens array having a cross-section similar to that of a lens known as a Fresnel lens.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a display device including the lens array shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a display device in which the lens array shown in FIG. 13 is an integral part of a hollow extruded panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 display device 4 housing 6 frame body 8, 88 lens 10 symbol carrier 14 driving means 18, 28 eccentric

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A self-powered display device for displaying at least two continuously changing images observed by an observer, comprising: a housing comprising a lens array having a lenticular surface and a flat back surface. At least one displaceable flat symbol carrier comprising a film or sheet disposed within the housing and spaced from the back surface by a distance at least equal to the focal length of each lens; and two adjacent lenses of the array Battery powered DC drive means for periodically displacing said symbol carrier at a distance at least equal to the distance between said drive means, said drive means comprising a motor coupled to a cam, wherein a portion of a bottom end of said symbol carrier is provided. A self-powered display device, wherein the display device is at least indirectly freely contacted with the cam and supported by the cam. 2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said symbol carrier is in the form of a replaceable film or sheet. 3. The drive means is a motor coupled to a cam means, wherein the end of the symbol carrier abuts at least indirectly on the cam means, and the total vertical height of the cam means is the required vertical height of the symbol carrier. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is substantially equal to a displacement distance. 4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the motor is an electric motor powered by a solar cell array. 5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the motor is an impulse drive stepping motor having a shaft. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the impulse-driven stepping motor generates an impulse, and each impulse generated by the impulse-driven stepping motor rotates the axis of the stepping motor by 180 degrees. Display device. 7. The display device according to claim 5, wherein the shaft rotates at a speed of 2 to 4 times / minute. 8. The display device according to claim 4, wherein said cam is an eccentric. 9. The cam of claim 4, wherein said cam has a weight arranged circumferentially such that when displaced upward, it balances at least some of the weight of said symbol carrier.
The display device according to claim 1. 10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the symbol carrier is translucent or substantially transparent to allow light to pass therethrough. 11. The housing of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises two equilibrium spaced lens arrays, and wherein the symbol carrier comprises a displayable symbol on both sides of the symbol carrier for simultaneously displaying images on both sides of the device. Claim 1
The display device according to claim 1. 12. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises means for fixing the device to a shelf. 13. The display device of claim 1, wherein said device takes the form of a clock having a changing clock face. 14. The display device according to claim 3, wherein said cam means is fixedly attached to a countershaft of a clock driving device. 15. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the lenses of the array are linear lenses each having a cross section similar to that of a Fresnel lens. 16. The lens array is linear, wherein the linear lens array forms a front wall of an extruded hollow double-sided panel, and the rear wall of the panel is connected to the front wall by a plurality of ribs. The display device according to claim 1.