JP2021144105A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a display device for stereoscopically displaying a display target such as a character.SOLUTION: A display device 1 comprises a light guide plate 10 having a first outer periphery 21 along an outline 29 of a display target including a character or figure, and an illumination unit configured to illuminate the light guide plate from the back. The light guide plate 10 comprises a first layer 13 with a low transmittance including a second outer periphery 22, that is one size smaller than the first outer periphery, provided along the outline of the display target, and sloped regions 14, 15, translucent regions outside the second outer periphery, sloped to make the first layer protruded.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a display device for displaying characters or figures.

Patent Document 1 describes to provide a display device and a channel character device capable of evenly transmitting predetermined information with high brightness by effectively using the light of a light source. This display device includes a light source unit provided with a light source arranged in a predetermined surface, and a plate-shaped light guide plate in which light from the light source is incident from one end surface and emitted from the other end surface facing the one end surface. It has a light emitting unit that stands upright from within a predetermined surface of the light source unit and a housing unit that has a housing that holds the light source unit and the light emitting unit, and the other end surface of the light guide plate is a character, a figure, or a symbol. , Or a combination of these, formed from a shape that borders at least the outer shell of predetermined information.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-194518

In a device that displays characters by illuminating them with light from a light source such as an LED, or displays characters that also serve as lighting, the characters are displayed three-dimensionally instead of simply being displayed in a two-dimensional manner to make them more beautiful. There is a demand for a display device capable of expressing differently from the conventional one.

One aspect of the present invention is a display device having a light guide plate having a first outer peripheral edge along the contour of a display target including characters or figures, and a lighting unit that illuminates the light guide plate from the back surface. The light guide plate includes a first layer having a low transmittance, which is provided in the center of the surface and includes a second outer peripheral edge along the contour of a display object having a size one size smaller than that of the first outer peripheral edge. A translucent region on the outside of the outer peripheral edge, including a region inclined so that the first layer protrudes. The first layer is typically a light-shielding layer.

In this display device, the outline of the display target is shown by both the first layer having low transmittance and the sloping area of translucency outside the first layer. Therefore, the display target is displayed by a dark outline and a bright outline on the outside thereof, so that it is easy to see. Further, since the outline of the display target is displayed by the combination of the first layer having different surface angles and the inclined area, the display target is displayed three-dimensionally, and the dark first layer is bright. Since the inclined area is arranged so as to protrude from the surroundings, the display target is displayed as if it is more prominent from the surroundings. Further, the inclined region is inclined so that the first layer protrudes, that is, the surface faces outward with respect to the first layer, and the light output from the first region is the first. Mainly outwards with respect to the layer of. Therefore, the contrast between the first layer and the inclined region is displayed more strongly, and the contrast of the entire light guide plate is less likely to be emphasized by the light output from the inclined region toward the outer peripheral direction. Therefore, the shape of the display target displayed on the first layer is displayed more sharply and clearly, and the shape of the display target displayed on the entire light guide plate is gently displayed. Therefore, with this display device, it is possible to enjoy display objects that display different atmospheres.

The first layer may be a reflective layer, and the display target can be displayed more clearly even in the daytime due to sunlight or the like. In addition, the display target may be displayed more vividly in combination with external light. The first layer may be a layer containing a different color or pattern from the sloping region. The first layer may occupy 10 to 90% of the surface of the light guide plate. The first layer and the sloping area may have an area that is clearly visible, and each may occupy an area of 10% or more. Each may occupy an area of 20% or more, an area of 30% or more, an area of 40% or more, or an area of 50%. The proportion occupied by the first layer and the proportion occupied by the inclined region may be different, the proportion occupied by the first layer may be large, or the proportion occupied by the inclined region may be large.

The angle of the tilted region may be 10 to 80 degrees. The sloping region is sloping with respect to the plane (surface) and does not have to be perpendicular like the sides, but may be between 1 degree and 89 degrees. There may be an inclination of about 10 degrees with respect to the plane, or there may be an inclination of 10 degrees or more with respect to the side surface, and it is easy to recognize that the slope is an inclination. Considering that the region in which the display device is tilted together with the first layer can be visually recognized from the front (surface), the tilted region may have an inclination of 60 degrees or less, or may have an inclination of 45 degrees or less. good.

The light guide plate may include a light guide layer provided on the back side of the first layer. Even if the first layer is a light-shielding layer, the amount of light around the first layer can be secured by providing the light guide layer on the back side of the first layer, and a sharper display can be provided. The light guide plate may include a translucent side wall. The light guide plate may include an inclined region on the back surface facing the inclined region in the region facing the inclined region on the back surface. The light guide plate may have a substantially U-shaped cross section. The lighting unit may include a light-shielding substrate that supports the back side of the light guide plate, and an LED light source that is arranged on the substrate so as to face the inclined region of the light guide plate.

The perspective view which shows the outline of the display device. The plan view which shows the outline of the display device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a display device in cross sections III-III of FIG.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire display device (light emitting device, signboard, lighting device) 1 that displays characters three-dimensionally. FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the display device 1 in a plan view as viewed from the front. Further, FIG. 3 shows an enlarged cross section of a part of the display device 1. The display device 1 is a device also called a cut character signboard, a channel character signboard, a channel character device, or a character lighting device for displaying characters (including symbols), figures, and the like, and is used as a store sign or the like. The display device 1 of this example is a device that displays the character "e" as an example of the character to be displayed.

The display device 1 is a light guide plate 10 having a display target such as a character, in this example, an outer peripheral edge (first outer peripheral edge, first peripheral edge) 21 along the contour 29 of the character "e", and a guide plate thereof. A lighting unit 30 that illuminates the light plate 10 from the back side 16 is included. The lighting unit 30 includes a plate-shaped metal frame 31 that also serves as a substrate and a frame, and a plurality of LEDs (LED tapes) 32 arranged on the metal frame 31. The display device 1 is fixed to the outer wall of the building by a stud bolt or the like via a metal frame 31.

An example of the light guide plate 10 is a transparent acrylic plate or a polycarbonate plate, which may be colored in a specific color while ensuring a certain degree of transparency. An example of the light guide plate 10 is a milky white acrylic plate or a polycarbonate plate having a diffusion function. Therefore, the light guide plate 10 also functions as a diffusion plate. A diffuser plate may be arranged between the back surface 16 and the lighting unit 30. The light guide plate 10 may be a highly transparent material depending on the design and specifications, or may be a colored material other than milky white. Further, the lighting unit 30 may be provided with another light source such as an LED panel instead of the LED tape 32 in which a plurality of light emitting elements (LEDs) are intermittently arranged on the tape-shaped member. An example of an LED panel is a type in which a plurality of LEDs, which are light emitting elements, are attached by an LED tape around a light guide plate having a flat plate shape and having a plurality of laser-machined grooves inside.

This display device 1 is a front light emitting type, and emits light 25 from the front side (front surface) 11 and the side surface 12 of the light guide plate 10. The display device 1 may be a double-sided light emitting type, or may emit light from the back side and project "e" on the wall to which the display device 1 is attached.

The light guide plate 10 is an acrylic plate having a display target including characters or figures, in this example, a first outer peripheral edge 21 along the contour 29 of the character "e", and has a U-shaped or C-shaped cross section. Its open side faces the back side (lower side) 16 and is combined with the lighting unit 30 arranged inside 40.

The light guide plate 10 is provided in the center of the surface 11, and is transparent including a second outer peripheral edge (second peripheral edge) 22 along the contour 29 of the display target, which is one size smaller than the first outer peripheral edge 21. It includes a low rate first layer 13 and translucent regions 14 and 15 outside the second outer edge 22. These regions 14 and 15 are provided so as to sandwich the first layer 13, and are inclined regions so that the first layer 13 protrudes. The first layer 13 having low transparency is a light-shielding layer, and the shape of the letter "e" is formed on the surface 11 of the light guide plate 10 by steel coating, for example, a stainless steel coat. An example of a stainless coat is an ultra-thin, small-sized stainless pigment dispersed in a binder such as polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, silicon resin, or acrylic resin, and is applied to the surface of the resin light guide plate 20. A light-shielding layer (film) having a metallic luster can be formed. It is also possible to form a semipermeable (semipermeable) layer (film) depending on the thickness of the coating. The steel coating may be a coating of a paint containing a metal powder.

The first layer 13 may have a color close to milky white such as white or silver having a metallic luster, or may be a color contrasting with milky white, for example, a chromatic color such as red or blue. Further, the first layer 13 may be a reflective layer or a layer in which metallic luster appears. After the first layer 13 is coated with stainless steel, it may be mirror-finished so as to obtain a desired reflectance, or conversely, it may be processed so that the surface roughness is increased so as not to be a mirror surface. .. Further, the first layer 13 may be a flat surface, a surface having appropriate irregularities or patterns, or a surface whose translucency changes depending on the location.

More specifically, the surface 11 of the light guide plate 10 is flat (flat) on which the first layer 13 is formed, that is, a surface parallel to the metal frame 31 on the back side and both sides (outside) thereof. Includes tilted regions (planes) 14 and 15. In the inclined surfaces 14 and 15, the first outer peripheral edge 21 of the light guide plate 10 retracts to the back side 16 of the second outer peripheral edge 22 of the central first layer 13, and the first layer 13 projects. For example, the angle θ formed by the first layer 13 and the inclined surfaces 14 and 15 is 30 degrees. The angle θ is not limited to 30 degrees, as long as it is tilted so that it can be seen that it is tilted with respect to the first layer 13, and it is not perpendicular to the side surface 12 so that it can be distinguished. It only has to be tilted.

The angle θ may be such that the tilted surfaces 14 and 15 are clearly tilted with respect to the surroundings. For example, the angle θ may be in the range of 10 to 80 degrees. The inclination (angle) θ may be controlled for the purpose of emphasizing the three-dimensional effect or enhancing the contrast with the first layer 13 by the angle of the light emitted from the inclined surfaces 14 and 15, for example. The angle θ may be 20 to 70 degrees or 30 to 60 degrees. Further, the inclinations (angles) θ of the left and right inclined surfaces 14 and 15 sandwiching the first layer 13 may be the same or different.

The display device 1 has a first layer 13 having an outer peripheral edge 22 along the contour 29 of the display target in the light guide plate 10 having an outer peripheral edge 21 along the contour 29 of the display target. The contour 29 of the same display target is provided twice in the display device 1 by means having different display methods (expression methods) so that the contour 29 of the display target can be recognized in a different style from the conventional one. .. The first outer peripheral edge 21 and the second outer peripheral edge 22 may be similar in shape and parallel to each other, and the contour 29 to be displayed may be different in design between the first outer peripheral edge 21 and the second outer peripheral edge 22. It may be displayed. For example, the second outer peripheral edge 22 expresses the contour 29 of the display target more sharply, and the outer first outer peripheral edge 21 expresses the contour 29 of the display target with a gentler and rounded design. It may or may not be the opposite, and various expression methods can be selected.

The first layer 13 and the inclined regions (faces) 14 and 15 constituting the surface 11 of the display device 1 may have a certain area so that the characteristics of the respective faces can be recognized. good. For example, the first layer 13 may occupy at least 10% of the area of the surface 11, and the sloping surfaces 14 and 15 may also occupy at least 10% of the area of the surface 11. The width W1 of the first layer 13 shown in FIG. 3, the width W2 of the inclined surface 14, and the width W3 of the inclined surface 15 may satisfy the following condition (1).
0.1 <W1 / (W1 + W2 + W3) <0.9 ... (1)

From the viewpoint of making it easier to recognize the characteristics of the respective surfaces, the width W1 of the first layer 13 and the widths (W2 + W3) of the inclined surfaces 14 and 15 may be substantially the same. Therefore, the lower limit of the condition (1) may be 0.2, 0.3, or 0.4. Further, the upper limit of the condition (1) may be 0.8, 0.7, or 0.6. Further, the width W2 of the inclined surface 14 and the width W3 of the surface 15 may be the same or different. Further, the ratio of the width W1 of the first layer 13 to the widths W2 and W3 of the surfaces 14 and 15 respectively may be the same or different in various places of the light guide plate 10.

The first layer 13 in which the transmittance (transparency) of the light guide plate 10 is controlled may be formed by sandwiching a light-shielding member in the light guide plate 10, and the light guide plate 10 is moved to the left and right by the first layer 13. It may be separated. In the light guide plate 10 of this example, the first layer 13 is formed by painting on the surface 11, and the light guide layer 18 is formed on the back side of the first layer 13. Therefore, the light guide plate 10 is integrated, and light is transmitted through the light guide layer 18 between the left and right regions 14 and 15 of the first layer 13. Therefore, the brightness of the left and right regions 14 and 15 of the first layer 13 can be easily maintained evenly, and even in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge 22 of the first layer 13, the regions 14 and 15 and the regions 14 and 15 are easily maintained via the light guide layer 18. Sufficient light is emitted from the 15 boundaries. Therefore, the difference in brightness (contrast) at the outer peripheral edge 22 of the first layer 13 is emphasized, and the shape of the first layer 13 is further emphasized.

The back surface 16 of the light guide plate 10 facing the lighting unit 30 may be a flat surface. In this example, the back surface 16 includes a central flat surface 17 and inclined surfaces 17a and 17b provided on both sides thereof. The inclined surfaces 17a and 17b on the back side are provided so as to face the inclined surfaces 14 and 15 on the front side 11, and are inclined at the same angle, for example. The lighting unit 30 includes a light-shielding substrate (metal frame) 31 that supports the back side 16 of the light guide plate 10 and an LED light source 32 attached to the metal frame 31. As the LED light source 32, an LED tape on which a plurality of LED elements are mounted can be used, and the LED light source 32 can be arranged at a position facing the inclined regions (planes) 14 and 15 of the light guide plate 10. The LED light source 32 can illuminate the inclined regions 14 and 15 of translucency from the back surface 16, and can illuminate the regions 14 and 15 brighter.

Further, the back surface 16 of the light guide plate 10 is provided with inclined regions (planes) 17a and 17b so as to face the inclined regions 14 and 15 of the surface 11. Therefore, the luminous flux emitted from the LED light source 32 with a predetermined angle distribution is perpendicular to or close to the inclined regions 14 and 15 of the surface 11 by the inclined surfaces 17a and 17b on the back surface. Refract or transmit. Therefore, it is easy to secure the brightness of the inclined regions 14 and 15 of the surface 11, and the contrast with the light-shielding first layer 13 can be emphasized.

Further, in the display device 1, the light guide layer 18 of the light guide plate 10 extends to the side wall 19 and includes a side surface 12 along the outer peripheral edge 21. Therefore, the light from the lighting unit 30 is also emitted to the outside from the side surface 12. Therefore, the contrast of the outer peripheral edge 21 of the light guide plate 10 is not so high, and the contour 29 of the display target is softly expressed together with the rounded shape of the outer peripheral edge 21 of the light guide plate 10. On the other hand, the outer peripheral edge 22 of the first layer 13 provided in the light guide plate 10 sharply expresses the contour 29 of the display target with a strong contrast. Therefore, the display device 1 can display the contour 29 of the display target in a different expression method, and provides the person who sees (sees) the display device 1 with visual fun different from that of the conventional display device. It is possible to express the display target more impressively.

The side surface 12 of the light guide plate 10 may be light-shielding. The light guide plate 10 is provided with outwardly inclined regions 14 and 15 around a central light-shielded or dimmed first layer 13, and light from the regions 14 and 15 is directed to the first layer 13. The output is directed to the outside. Therefore, the brightness in the direction of the central first layer 13 is lowered, the brightness of the shaded or dimmed area can be lowered, and the shape is emphasized by the second outer peripheral edge 22 of the first layer 13. Cheap. On the other hand, the first outer peripheral edge 21 represented by the outwardly directed light output from the outwardly inclined regions 14 and 15 on both sides is soft and wide. Therefore, the display object can be beautifully and impressively expressed by the contrast between the contour drawn by the outer first outer peripheral edge 21 and the contour drawn by the inner second outer peripheral edge 22 in a method different from the conventional method. can.

Further, the first layer 13 can be made into a layer having high reflectance, and the contour 29 of the display target can be shown not only at night but also by sunlight, and the display target can be displayed even during the daytime. It can be expressed beautifully and impressively. Further, the display device 1 may be illuminated with external light whose color changes, and by changing the color of the first layer 13, it is possible to provide a display device capable of expressing a display object with a different taste.

The display device 1 is not limited to a store sign and a lighting device attached to an outer wall or the like, but may be an elevator stop floor display device or a small display device installed indoors. Further, in the above description, the device 1 for displaying the character "e" as a display target (display target object) has been described as an example, but the display target may be a character other than the "e", and a figure including a symbol, a picture, or the like. It may be. Further, in the above description, the display device 1 using the LED light source has been described as an example, but the lighting unit 30 may use a semiconductor laser, an organic EL, or the like as a light source.

1 Display device, 10 Light guide plate

Claims (11)

A light guide plate having a first outer peripheral edge along the contour of the display object including characters or figures, and
It has a lighting unit that illuminates the light guide plate from the back surface.
The light guide plate includes a first layer having a low transmittance, which is provided in the center of the surface and includes a second outer peripheral edge along the contour of the display target, which is one size smaller than the first outer peripheral edge.
A display device including a translucent region outside the second outer peripheral edge and a region inclined so that the first layer protrudes. In claim 1,
The first layer is a display device which is a light-shielding layer. In claim 1 or 2,
The display device, wherein the first layer is a reflective layer. In any of claims 1 to 3,
The display device, wherein the first layer is a layer containing a color or pattern different from that of the inclined region. In any of claims 1 to 4,
The first layer is a display device that occupies 10 to 90% of the surface of the light guide plate. In any of claims 1 to 5,
A display device in which the angle of the tilted region is 10 to 80 degrees. In any of claims 1 to 6,
The light guide plate is a display device including a light guide layer provided on the back side of the first layer. In any of claims 1 to 7,
The light guide plate is a display device including a translucent side wall. In any of claims 1 to 8,
The light guide plate is a display device including a region facing the inclined region on the back surface and an inclined region on the back surface facing the inclined region. In any of claims 1 to 9,
The light guide plate is a display device having a substantially U-shaped cross section. In any of claims 1 to 10,
The lighting unit includes a light-shielding substrate that supports the back side of the light guide plate and a light-shielding substrate.
A display device including an LED light source arranged on the substrate so as to face the inclined region of the light guide plate.

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