JP2007218488A - Cabinet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cabinet capable of storing food or devices in safety, acquiring the information on stored articles without opening a door, though the inside can not been seen from the outside in a conventional cabinet, and further optionally covering the inside of cabinet. <P>SOLUTION: This cabinet is provided with a display device comprising a dimming function on a cabinet main body. A liquid crystal display device having memorizing property is used as the display device. In this liquid crystal display device, light permeability and impermeability are switched by applying voltages different in polarities to a liquid crystal element to provide the display device with the dimming function, but electric power is not necessary to keep its permeable or impermeable state, the cabinet of very low power consumption can be provided. Further the display device may have the dimming function on the whole device or on only its prescribed part, and the information on the articles stored in the cabinet can be also displayed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage. Specifically, the present invention relates to a storage having a function of preventing external light (external light) from entering the storage.

  Foods that need to be stored in a certain environment for a long period of time, such as wine, must be controlled for temperature and humidity, and if they are placed under external light including ultraviolet rays such as sunlight, the flavor will change. End up. Also, if a device such as a watch or a camera is left in the outside light for a long time, the deterioration of quality such as color and burn is caused by ultraviolet rays. For this reason, many storages for storing such foods and devices (hereinafter simply referred to as articles) have a shielding structure against external light.

  However, the vault has another aspect of enjoying and enjoying the stored items. In this case, the storage has a structure in which the inside can be seen using glass or the like on one side of the storage like a showcase instead of a shielding structure. At this time, in order to prevent extraneous light (especially, ultraviolet rays) from entering the storage more than necessary, the glass is made of ultraviolet cut glass or the like, or an ultraviolet cut film is applied to the surface of the glass. and so on.

  Especially in wine cellars that store wine, there is a strong demand from users who want to appreciate the wine in the warehouse, and many proposals are seen. For example, there is a wine cellar in which vacuum glass is embedded in the door of a storage and the internal state can be confirmed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the wine cellar described in Patent Document 1. In FIG. 9, 33 is a main body, 34 is a smoked vacuum glass, and 35 is a display panel. The smoked vacuum glass 34 prevents outside light from entering the storage. The display panel 35 can display the state of the storage.

The original use of the storage is to preserve the quality of the goods so as not to impair the quality of the goods, but if the goods to be stored in the storage are wine, watches, cameras, etc., they can be enjoyed by looking at them. For this reason, the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 can browse the inside of the storage through the smoked vacuum glass 34.
The display panel 35 can display the temperature and humidity conditions in the storage, and can also display what brand of wine is stored in the storage.

  By adopting such a configuration, it becomes easy to grasp the state in the storage and the state of the article, so that the article can be taken out immediately after opening the door.

JP 2001-133104 A (page 2, FIG. 6)

The prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 has both a function of a storage for storing articles and a function for knowing the warehousing status in the storage.
However, the situation of browsing and enjoying articles in the vault is not always at any time. There are cases where you do not want third parties to know the items in the vault. For example, there is a case where it is not desired to know the storage state of the article for a sudden visitor to the place where the storage is installed. In such a case, the entire storage can be concealed by covering the storage with a cloth or the like. However, such a method is not preferable because it damages the scenery of the room.
That is, the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the storage state of the articles in the storage cannot be concealed as necessary.

The vault is positioned as part of the storage and appreciation of goods or the interior of the room. For this reason, there are specific requirements not found in refrigerators and the like. That is, a structure that shields articles in the storage from external influences such as light and temperature and a structure that allows users to see and enjoy the articles in the storage.
Therefore, in order to satisfy the conflicting demands, a storage that has a function of being able to browse the inside of the storage when necessary and shielding the inside of the storage at other times has been expected.

  In order to solve the above problems, the storage of the present invention employs the following configuration.

A storage where the temperature or humidity can be controlled to store food or equipment,
A display device having a memory property on one side of the door or housing of the storage, an input means for inputting predetermined input information, a control means for controlling the operation of the storage, the display device and the input means,
The control means controls to switch at least a part of the display area of the display device to a transmission state in which light is transmitted or a non-transmission state in which light is not transmitted based on predetermined input information. Can be browsed.

The storage is composed of a transparent member or translucent member on one side of the door or housing, and the inside can be viewed through the transparent member or translucent member,
The display device is provided so as to overlap with a part of the transparent member or the translucent member in a planar manner.

Having timekeeping means or light sensing means,
The control means compares predetermined input information with time information obtained from the time measuring means or light information obtained from the light sensing means, and based on the result, at least a part of the display area of the display device is in a transmissive state or a non-transmissive state. It controls to switch to.

  The control means controls to switch at least a part of the display area of the display device to a transmission state or a non-transmission state by controlling an applied voltage or a pulse width applied to the display device.

Having storage means;
The control means stores predetermined input information in the storage means, reads out the information, and controls the display means to display it.

  The display device is any one of a ferroelectric liquid crystal display device, a cholesteric liquid crystal display device, and an electrophoretic display device, or a combination thereof.

In the storage of the present invention, a part of the storage is configured by a display device, and by controlling this display device, it is possible to freely select transmission or non-transmission of the display area of the display device. If the display device is in a transparent state, the user can see the inside of the storage through the display device.
The display device can also display the date and type of goods stored in the storage. Thereby, it is possible to grasp the information of the articles stored without opening the door.
By looking at the information displayed on the display device, information related to the target article can be obtained, so that the article can be taken in and out in a short time. For this reason, since the time for which the storage door is open can be shortened, temperature and humidity changes in the storage can be minimized. Since the storage is always energized to control the internal environment, suppressing changes in temperature and humidity in the storage can reduce the power consumption of the entire storage.

  The display device not only allows you to know the storage status of items in the storage, but also allows you to conceal the storage freely, so you can enjoy watching the items in the storage and browse the items as needed. There is an effect that it is possible to achieve both.

  In addition, the storage display device of the present invention can use a liquid crystal display device having a memory property such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal display device. For this reason, power is not consumed for maintaining each of the transparent and non-transmissive states of the display area of the display device. Thereby, the power consumption of the storage can be extremely reduced. Since the storage room always consumes power in order to maintain the state in the storage room, reduction of the power used by the display device can greatly contribute to the reduction of power consumption of the storage room.

  In the storage of the present invention, a part of the storage is configured by a display device, and the voltage or pulse width applied to the display device is controlled to control the transmission and non-transmission of light in the display area. You can browse through the vault freely.

  By making the display device non-transmissive, the article can be protected from external light such as ultraviolet rays, and the inside of the storage can not be viewed, so the article in the storage can be concealed.

  The storage of the present invention includes an input unit, and the control of the display device can make the entire display area or a predetermined part of the display device transparent or non-transparent according to information from the input unit. Thereby, all the articles in the storage can be viewed, or only the specified specific articles can be viewed. For example, if the interior of the storage has a two-stage configuration and the display area of the display device is provided so that the two-stage storage can be viewed, the lower section can be made opaque and only the upper section can be viewed. is there.

  The storage of the present invention is provided with a time measuring means, and can control transmission and non-transmission of the display device at an arbitrary time with information from the input means.

  The storage of the present invention includes light sensing means, and can control light transmission and non-transmission of the display device using light information obtained by sensing light.

  The display device of the present invention uses a display device having a memory property that does not require power when power is not required and the display state is maintained except when the display is rewritten. For example, a ferroelectric liquid crystal or a cholesteric liquid crystal. Accordingly, it is possible to maintain a light transmission or non-transmission state with extremely low power consumption.

[Overall description: Fig. 1]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a storage according to the present invention will be described. Embodiment demonstrates the case where a display apparatus is provided in the door part of a storage, for example. A case where a liquid crystal display device using a ferroelectric liquid crystal having a memory property is used as an example of the display device will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a storage of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a liquid crystal display device, 2 is a storage body, 3 is a door provided with the liquid crystal display device 1, 4 is an input means, 5 is a data receiving unit, 6
Is a time measuring means, 7 is a light sensing means, and 8 is an illumination means provided in the storage. The temperature of the storage body 2 can be maintained at a temperature and humidity suitable for storing articles. Since the control technology such as heat retention and moisturization of the environment in the storage is not different from that used in the already known thermostat or refrigerator, the description thereof is omitted.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the interior of the storage is divided by three stages of shelves (not shown), and the liquid crystal display device 1 is provided at each position of the door 3 corresponding to the upper, middle, and lower stages. The liquid crystal display device 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a display area substantially the same shape as the liquid crystal display device in order to make the drawing easy to see.

  The liquid crystal display device 1 may be provided so as to overlap with a transparent or translucent member (not shown) provided on the door 3, for example, a glass plate. The glass plate is preferably vacuum heat insulating glass, and may be a combination of a plurality of glass plates. By adopting such a configuration, not only the strength of the door 3 is increased, but the temperature can be prevented from escaping through the door 3, so that the heat retaining performance is improved.

  The liquid crystal display device 1 can make the display area transmissive or non-transmissive by a control means (not shown). This is called an external light dimming function. Of course, the entire display area can be set to a transmissive state or a non-transmissive state, not a whole portion of the display area, or by displaying a predetermined pattern (for example, a checkered pattern) in an area ratio between the transmissive state and the non-transmissive state. It is also possible to express the transmission state of.

  Since the liquid crystal display device 1 is provided on the door 3, when the liquid crystal display device 1 is in the transmissive state, external light is incident on the storage, so that the inside of the storage can be viewed. On the other hand, since the external light does not enter the storage in the non-transmissive state, the articles in the storage are not affected by ultraviolet rays or the like. Moreover, since the inside of the storage cannot be browsed, the articles in the storage can be concealed. Details of the light control function of the liquid crystal display device 1 will be described later.

The input means 4 has a switch means (not shown), and inputs characters or pictograms by operating the switch means. A plurality of switch means may be provided, for example, a keyboard form.
The input means 4 includes information necessary for switching between transmission and non-transmission of the liquid crystal display device 1, time information, information such as the name and product name of goods to be installed in the storage, and the date of storage, and the temperature and humidity of the storage. Information related to the item, and the predetermined information such as where the article is placed in the storage.

  The input means 4 may have a so-called remote control form. In that case, the input unit 4 is detachable from the storage body 2, and a signal from the input unit 4 can be received by the data receiving unit 5. The signal from the input means 4 is serial data using radio waves or infrared rays, although not particularly limited. Details of the input means 4 will be described later.

  The time measuring means 6 is a means having a function of measuring time, for example, a general clock. Alternatively, a means for generating a predetermined source signal (for example, a signal having a frequency of 32768 Hz) using a crystal transmission circuit or the like and outputting a pulse signal having a frequency of 1 Hz or the like using a frequency dividing circuit or the like. Good. The time information of the time measuring means 6 is time information including time information or a pulse signal having a predetermined frequency.

The light sensing means 7 can be a light sensor using a photoconductive element such as a Cds cell or a phototransistor. In particular, an optical sensor using a Cds cell is a widely known optical sensor, and the internal resistance value changes according to the amount of light to be irradiated. The amount of light and the intensity of light are calculated by increasing and decreasing the resistance value. The optical information of the light detection means 7 is the value of the internal resistance of this Cds cell.

A control unit (not shown) controls transmission and non-transmission of the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 using predetermined input information input from the input unit 4.
For example, it is as follows. The clock shown in the upper part of the storage shown in FIG. 1, the camera in the middle part, and the music box in the lower part are received. Enter where the goods were received). At this time, a location code such as “1” in the upper row, “2” in the middle row, and “3” in the lower row may be assigned. When the place code “1” is input later from the input means 4, the control means makes the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 corresponding to the upper position transparent or non-transmissive.

  Of course, the control means also controls the operation of the time measuring means 6 and the light sensing means 7. For example, using the time information obtained from the time measuring means 6, it is possible to automatically switch between transmission and non-transmission of the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 when a predetermined time comes. Further, by using the light information obtained from the light sensing means 7, the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 is automatically transmitted and not transmitted when the surroundings of the storage of the present invention have a certain brightness or higher. Can be switched.

  The control means does not use only the information obtained from the time measuring means 6 or the light sensing means 7, but the predetermined information obtained from the input means 4 and the time information obtained from the time measuring means 6 or the light obtained from the light sensing means 7. Information can be compared and transmission and non-transmission of the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 can be controlled based on the result.

An example of using predetermined information obtained from the input unit 4 and time information obtained from the time measuring unit 6 is as follows, for example.
Place wine in the upper storage. Predetermined information about this wine is input from the input means 4. The control means obtains the information from the input means 4 and the current time information from the time measuring means 6 and compares them, and if the current time is night, the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 corresponding to the upper stage of the storage The inside of the upper storage can be browsed by the indoor light.
In addition, for example, the setting information can be input from the input unit 4 so that the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 corresponding to the upper stage of the storage is switched from a transmissive state to a non-transmissive state after 3 hours. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the liquid crystal display device 1 from being left in a transmissive state after appreciating the articles in the storage.

An example using predetermined information obtained from the input means 4 and optical information obtained from the light sensing means 7 is as follows, for example.
Similarly to the above description, wine is stored in the upper part of the storage and the information is input as predetermined information using the input means 4. When the light sensing means 7 detects the brightness around the storage body 2 and the control means determines that the surroundings of the storage room are “dark”, the article of goods received from the predetermined information obtained from the input means 4 is displayed. The display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 corresponding to the stage is made non-transmissive.

  Of course, when it is determined that the brightness around the storage body 2 detected by the light sensing means 7 is “sufficiently bright”, the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 is made non-transparent to protect the stored wine. You can also. That is, it is possible to freely set determination criteria such as “bright” and “dark” using the input unit 4. For this determination criterion, for example, the internal resistance value of the Cds cell of the light detection means 7 can be set as a threshold value.

The illumination means 8 is provided in the storage, and the interior of the storage can be brightly illuminated by lighting thereof. For this reason, if the liquid crystal display device 1 is set in the transmissive state and the illumination means 8 is turned on, the inside of the storage can be browsed. Of course, even if the illumination means 8 is turned on, the interior of the storage can be concealed if the liquid crystal display device 1 is made non-transmissive.
The illumination means 8 to be used is preferably one that does not emit ultraviolet rays, and is further preferably one with low power consumption such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

  The control means can also control the operation of the illumination means 8. The lighting unit 8 may be turned on or off, or the intensity of light may be changed in conjunction with transmission and non-transmission of the liquid crystal display device 1 provided with the door 3. For example, the illumination means 8 is turned on when the liquid crystal display device 1 is in the transmissive state. By doing in this way, the visibility when confirming the inside of a storage can be improved.

  The control of the control means already described is an example. The predetermined information from the input means 4 and the time information from the time measuring means 6 are compared, and the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1 may be made non-transmissive at night. Since the light information from the light sensing means 7 is compared, the display area may be made transparent when the brightness around the storage becomes dark, and the inside of the storage may be viewed by the light from the lighting means 8. is there.

[Explanation of block diagram: FIG. 2]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the storage control according to the present invention. The same number is given to the same configuration that has already been described, and the description is omitted. In FIG. 2, the input unit 4 has a remote control form, and a case where a signal is sent to the data receiving unit 5 using radio waves or infrared rays will be described as an example.
In FIG. 2, 9 is a central processing unit, 10 is a liquid crystal controller, 11 is a signal side driving unit, 12 is a scanning side driving unit, 13 is an illumination control unit, 14 is a timing unit control unit, 15 is a light sensing unit control unit, Reference numeral 16 denotes storage means. The white arrow in the figure schematically shows the signal flow.
Although not shown, an internal memory (for example, ROM) of the central processing unit 9 stores a control program for controlling the operation of the storage of the present invention. With this control program, the central processing unit 9 operates as a control means.

The user inputs predetermined information using the input means 4. From the input means 4, it is also possible to set whether or not to put the liquid crystal display device 1 in a transmissive state using information obtained from the time measuring means 6 or the light sensing means 7.
The predetermined information input from the input unit 4 is transmitted to the data receiving unit 5. The input predetermined information is converted into a predetermined data format and sent to the central processing unit 9.
Similarly, information from the timing means 6 and the light sensing means 7 is sent to the timing means control device 14 and the light sensing means control device 15, respectively, converted into a predetermined data format, and sent to the central processing unit 9.

The central processing unit 9 transmits a control signal to the liquid crystal controller 10 and the illumination control device 13 based on the input information.
The liquid crystal controller 10 controls the signal side driving unit 11 and the scanning side driving unit 12 to apply a voltage to each transparent electrode of the liquid crystal display device 1 to operate the liquid crystal element so as to be in a predetermined transmission state. The lighting control device 13 receives a signal from the central processing unit 9 and turns on / off the lighting means 8 in the storage and changes the brightness.

  The central processing unit 9 is connected to the storage unit 16 and can store predetermined information input from the input unit 4. Of course, the time information of the time measuring means 6 and the light information of the light sensing means 7 can also be stored. These pieces of information can be freely written and erased by the central processing unit 9 and can be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 1.

  The liquid crystal display device 1 can apply two different voltages to the liquid crystal element to change the amount of transmitted light and select two display states, a transmissive state and a non-transmissive state. The structure of the liquid crystal display device 1 will be described later.

[Description of Dimming Function of Liquid Crystal Display Device 1: FIG. 3]
The liquid crystal display device 1 can selectively switch the entire display area or a specified portion between a transmissive state and a non-transmissive state. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of switching the transmission state or non-transmission state of a predetermined area of the liquid crystal display device 1. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the inside of the storage can be seen by opening the door 3 of the storage according to the present invention. In this example, the inside of the storage is divided into 9 from 2a to 2i. That is, the goods are received at the locations 2a to 2i. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the door 3 is closed and the liquid crystal display device 1 is viewed from the front. In this example, 17 is a display area of the liquid crystal display device 1, 17a is an area in the display area 17 that is in a non-transmissive state, and 17b is an area that is in a transmissive state. Reference numeral 200 denotes red wine as an article being received, and shows a state viewed from the top or bottom of the bottle.

  Of the articles stored in the storage of the present invention, there are cases where only predetermined articles are desired for viewing purposes. For example, there is a case where red wine and white wine are stored in the cabinet, and only red wine is to be viewed. In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that red wine is stored in the place 2c and white wine is stored in other places. If the display area 17 corresponding to the place 2c is made transparent, red wine can be viewed from outside the warehouse. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the area 17b is a position corresponding to the place 2c, and the red wine 200 can be seen if the area 17b is in a transmissive state.

  The user can arbitrarily determine which of the display areas 17 is to be transmissive or non-transmissive using the input means 4. First, a position for changing the light transmission state of the liquid crystal display device 1 is input from the input unit 4. For example, when there are fine partitions in the storage body 2 or when there are shelf-like steps, a location code can be assigned to each partition or step. In the example shown in FIG. 3, place codes “1” to “9” are assigned by numbers to the places 2 a to 2 i, respectively.

  When a location code is input from the input means 4, the signal is sent to the central processing unit 9 via the data receiving unit 5. The central processing unit 9 sends a signal to the liquid crystal controller 10 and controls the signal side driving unit 11 and the scanning side driving unit 12 to determine the position of the area 17b of the liquid crystal display device 1 based on the information related to the location code input. A voltage equal to or higher than the threshold value is applied only to the upper and lower transparent electrodes (position corresponding to the location 2c). As a result, the area 17b is in a transmissive state and the other areas 17a are in a non-transmissive state.

  When the entire display area 17 of the liquid crystal display device 1 is in a non-transmissive state, ultraviolet rays harmful to the stored articles do not enter the storage. However, when the liquid crystal display device 1 transmits light, ultraviolet rays enter the storage. An ultraviolet cut film may be applied to the surface of the liquid crystal display device 1, for example, the surface of the upper polarizing plate so that ultraviolet rays do not enter even when the liquid crystal display device 1 is in a transmissive state. Thereby, deterioration, fading, etc. of articles can be suppressed. Moreover, you may replace the glass substrate which comprises the liquid crystal display device 1 with an ultraviolet cut glass.

  In the above description, it has been described that the voltage above the threshold value is applied only to the upper and lower transparent electrodes at the position of the area 17b of the liquid crystal display device 1 so that the area 17b is in a transmissive state. Does not use only voltage. The transmission and non-transmission of the liquid crystal display device 1 can be performed by controlling the pulse width applied to the liquid crystal element.

[Description of Information Display Function of Liquid Crystal Display Device 1: FIG. 4]
Information can also be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 1. Various information can be displayed at an arbitrary position in the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1. By doing so, it can be used as a mark when taking out an article from the storage of the present invention, and can also be used for managing the article and the storage because the storage status of the article can be grasped.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example in which information is displayed in a predetermined area of the liquid crystal display device 1. FIG. 4A shows an example in which a predetermined display area 18 is provided in the display area 17 of the liquid crystal display device 1 provided on the door 3, and FIG. 4B shows the display area 18. Is. The position of the display area 18 can be freely selected, but if there is a partition in the storage as shown in FIG. 3A as an example, it is a position corresponding to the location 2e. In FIG. 4B, reference numeral 19 denotes a light control unit that performs transmission and non-transmission of the liquid crystal display device 1 by a light control function, and 20 denotes an information display unit that displays information on articles in the warehouse. The light control unit 19 and the information display unit 20 constitute a display area 18.

[Detailed Description of Input Means 4: FIG. 5]
Various information can be displayed on the information display unit 20 shown in FIG. For example, the name of a product, the name of a product, the type, price, and the date of receipt. These pieces of information are input using the input means 4. Various information input from the input unit 4 is sent from the data receiving unit 5 to the central processing unit 9 and used for control related to the operation such as temperature and humidity of the storage of the present invention, contents displayed on the liquid crystal display device 1 and the like. . Since this input means 4 can also have the form of a remote control, it can be used separately from the storage body 2.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the input means 4 having the form of a remote controller. In FIG. 5, 21 is a button-shaped switch means, 22 is a so-called joystick-shaped lever means for inputting directions such as up, down, left and right, and 23 is a display device for displaying inputted information and the like.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, the switch means 21 is shown with numeric buttons from 0 to 9, a conversion button, a decision button, and a transmission button, but it is not limited to this. An alphabet may be assigned to each button of the switch means 21 so that English characters can be input. In this case, the assigned numbers and characters may be switched sequentially by pressing the button continuously.

For example, “0” of the switch means 21 is “. @”, “2” is “ABC”, “3” is “DEF”, “4” is “GHI”, “5” is “JKL”. ”,“ 6 ”include“ MNO ”,. . . , “9” is “WXYZ”. . . If some English letters and symbols are assigned to the numeric buttons, when inputting “WINE”, the switch means 21 of “9” is pressed twice to input “W”, and similarly to “4” ”Four times to press“ I ”,“ 6 ”three times to press“ N ”,“ 3 ”three times to enter“ E ”, press“ OK ”to confirm the input of“ WINE ” Can do. Words other than “WIN” can be freely input by using the lever means 22 or the like. Of course, you can also input Japanese. When it is desired to convert “WINE” to “WINE”, the conversion button of the switch means 21 is pressed. Character conversion is performed by the central processing unit 9 according to a predetermined program.
Since these character input methods and character conversion methods can use known methods, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  When using the dimming function of transmission and non-transmission of the display area of the liquid crystal display device 1, for example, if an example of a partition in the warehouse as shown in FIG. The location code corresponding to 2a to 2i) is performed by the button operation of the switch means 21 of the input means 4. For example, as shown in the places 2a, 2d, and 2g shown in FIG. These functions can also be assigned to continuous pressing of “1”, “4”, “7” of the switch means 21.

  The entire surface of the liquid crystal display device 1 can be constituted by a so-called dot matrix liquid crystal panel. By doing in this way, as already demonstrated, a predetermined pattern can be displayed on the whole display area. For example, it is possible to display a checkered pattern or gradually change from a transparent state to a non-transparent state in a predetermined direction. Such display may be controlled so that the liquid crystal elements are turned on and off in a predetermined pattern.

[Structure of the liquid crystal display device 1: FIGS. 6, 7, and 8]
Next, the structure of the liquid crystal display device 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of a liquid crystal element in order to explain a liquid crystal element having a built-in ferroelectric liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal display device 1. In FIG. 6, 24 is a glass substrate, 25 is a transparent electrode film, 26 is an alignment film of an inorganic compound, 27 is a ferroelectric liquid crystal, and 28 is a spacer. 7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining the characteristics of the memory-type liquid crystal. 7 and 8, θ is a tilt angle, 30 is a liquid crystal molecule, 31 is an upper polarizing plate, and 32 is a lower polarizing plate. The arrows in FIG. 8 indicate the polarization axis direction of the polarizing plate.

  A plurality of transparent electrode films 25 are formed on the glass substrate 24 vertically and horizontally. The transparent electrode film 25 is formed by forming an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film on a glass substrate 24 and patterning it into a predetermined shape using a photolithography technique. An alignment film 26 of an inorganic compound such as Sio (Silicon Oxide) is formed on the transparent electrode film 25 by a vacuum deposition method or the like. Two such glass substrates 24 are vertically opposed to each other, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal 27 having a memory property is sandwiched therebetween. In order to keep the distance between the alignment films 26 called a cell gap constant, an appropriate number of spacers 28 that are not deformed by pressure or the like are disposed between the two glass substrates.

  The ferroelectric liquid crystal 27 can take only two stable states inclined by a tilt angle θ from the layer normal as shown in FIG. 8 by applying voltages of different polarities. That is, when a voltage equal to or higher than the threshold is applied, the optical axis of the liquid crystal molecules 30 changes 2θ by changing from one stable state to the other stable state. The relationship between the amount of incident light and the amount of transmitted light at this time is expressed by the following formula.

I _out = I _in * Sin ² (2θ) * Sin ² (πΔnd / λ)

In the above formula, I _in is the amount of incident light, I _out is the amount of transmitted light, Δn is the birefringence anisotropy of liquid crystal molecules, d is the cell gap, and λ is the incident wavelength.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the polarizing axes of the two polarizing plates of the upper polarizing plate 31 and the lower polarizing plate 32 intersect at 90 °, the optical axis in one of the stable states is set to one of the polarizing plates. , The transmitted light quantity is 0 and no light is transmitted. On the other hand, when a voltage equal to or higher than the threshold at which the liquid crystal molecules 30 operate is applied, the optical axis of the liquid crystal molecules 30 changes 2θ and light is transmitted. At this time, when the liquid crystal molecules 30 are aligned so that the tilt angle θ is 22.5 degrees, the amount of transmitted light is maximized, so that the visibility in the storage is improved.

  When the polarizing axes of the two polarizing plates, the upper polarizing plate 31 and the lower polarizing plate 32, are arranged in parallel, the amount of transmitted light is maximum when the optical axis is aligned with the polarizing axis of one polarizing plate. When the optical axis is changed by 2θ after application, the amount of transmitted light is 0, and the same effect as the arrangement in which the polarization axes intersect 90 ° is obtained.

The driving method of the liquid crystal element is as follows. Of the transparent electrodes 25 provided on the glass substrate 24, one is connected to the signal side driving means 11 and the other is connected to the scanning side driving means 12. The liquid crystal element has a structure in which the ferroelectric liquid crystal 27 is sandwiched between the signal side electrode and the scanning side electrode, and a voltage can be selectively applied to the intersecting portion of these electrodes. Thereby, the liquid crystal molecules 30 are aligned. Such an electrode configuration is called a matrix type.

  The general matrix type uses time-division driving (multiplex driving) that periodically sends a signal to each liquid crystal element. For example, a voltage of + V is sequentially applied to the scanning line side electrode at a certain time interval. A voltage of −V is applied to the signal side electrode of the liquid crystal element to be operated in synchronism with it. At this time, a potential difference of 2V is generated in the liquid crystal element, and the liquid crystal molecules 30 can be aligned if the operation threshold of the liquid crystal is smaller than 2V.

  In a liquid crystal having a memory property such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal, the liquid crystal molecules 30 are positioned in one of the first stable state and the second stable state before voltage application, and this state is maintained unless voltage is applied. Can be held. In order to reverse the display state, it is necessary to apply a voltage on the opposite side. The driving method of the ferroelectric liquid crystal having such characteristics uses reset pulse driving. In reset pulse driving, a voltage sufficiently higher than the threshold voltage is applied before determining the display state, and the liquid crystal molecules 30 are aligned in either the first or second stable state. Thereafter, whether to maintain the current state during the selection period of each liquid crystal element or to operate in the other stable state is selected. In the non-selection period, only a voltage smaller than the threshold value is applied, so that the display state can be maintained.

  In a liquid crystal display device using a liquid crystal having a memory property such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal, once the state is changed to one of the stable states, the state is maintained even when the applied voltage is cut. Therefore, in the liquid crystal display device 1 used for the storage of the present invention, no electric power is required to maintain the transmissive state or the non-transmissive state.

As the liquid crystal display device having a memory property, a ferroelectric liquid crystal has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a cholesteric liquid crystal can be used. A cholesteric liquid crystal can take two stable states of light reflection and transmission, and can maintain a display state.
Moreover, although the case where the liquid crystal display device is used as an example of the display device of the storage of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an electrophoretic display device can be used. In an electrophoretic display device, for example, a positively charged white pigment and a negatively charged black pigment are infinitely floating, and when a voltage is applied, they are inverted to display characters and the like. Even in these display media, the same effect as in the case of the ferroelectric liquid crystal can be obtained.

  The effects of the storage of the present invention described above are summarized as follows. By installing a display device such as a storage door and having a dimming function, it is possible to satisfy the conflicting requirements of storage and appreciation of articles in the storage. Even with such a configuration, no electric power is required for the display device to maintain the display state, and the storage can have extremely low power consumption.

  The storage of the present invention is provided with a display device in the storage main body, and can display arbitrary information on the display device, and can also view or conceal the storage by switching between a transparent state and a non-transparent state. can do. That is, it is possible to provide a storage that can be both stored and viewed. In particular, since the browsing and concealment in the storage can be easily performed without impairing the scenery of the room, it is suitable for a storage in a room.

It is a slope figure explaining the storage of this invention. It is a block diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of the storage of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the storage of this invention. It is a figure which shows the part of the door for demonstrating operation | movement of the storage of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the input means of the storage of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the ferroelectric liquid crystal which is an example of the display apparatus of the storage of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the characteristic of memory-type liquid crystal. It is a figure for demonstrating the characteristic of memory-type liquid crystal. It is a figure for demonstrating a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid crystal display device 2 Storage body 3 Door 4 Input means 5 Data receiving part 6 Time measuring means 7 Light sensing means 8 Illumination means 9 Central processing unit 10 Liquid crystal controller 11 Signal side drive means 12 Scan side drive means 13 Illumination control apparatus 14 Timekeeping Means control device 15 Light sensing means control device 17 Display area

Claims (6)

A storage where the temperature or humidity can be controlled to store food or equipment,
A display device having a memory property on one side of the door or casing of the storage, input means for inputting predetermined input information, control means for controlling the operation of the storage, the display device, and the input means; With
The control means controls to switch at least a part of the display area of the display device to a transmission state in which light is transmitted or a non-transmission state in which light is not transmitted based on the predetermined input information. A vault capable of browsing the inside of the vault. The storage is configured with a transparent member or a translucent member on one side of the door or housing, and the inside can be viewed through the transparent member or the translucent member,
The storage according to claim 1, wherein the display device is provided so as to overlap with a part of the transparent member or the semitransparent member. Having timekeeping means or light sensing means,
The control means compares predetermined input information with time information obtained from the time measuring means or light information obtained from the light sensing means, and based on the result, transmits at least a part of the display area of the display device. Or it controls so that it may switch to a non-transparent state, The storage of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The control means controls the application voltage or pulse width applied to the display device so as to switch at least a part of the display area of the display device to a transmission state or a non-transmission state. The storage according to any one of items 3 to 3. Having storage means;
5. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stores the predetermined input information in the storage unit, reads the predetermined input information, and controls the display unit to display the predetermined input information. Storehouse.   6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is one of a ferroelectric liquid crystal display device, a cholesteric liquid crystal display device, and an electrophoretic display device, or a combination thereof. Vault.

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