JP2576761B2 - Display device - Google Patents

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 transmissive or reflective type rewritable display device utilizing electrostatic attraction and repulsion, which can be easily enlarged. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, paints, neon signs, color films, color cloths, and the like are used for outdoor display materials such as signboards and display materials such as banners at exhibitions and events that are not assumed to be rewritten. .

On the other hand, as a rewritable display panel, various display devices such as a CRT, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, a light emitting diode display, an electrophoretic display and an electrochromic display are used.

As a display device utilizing electrostatic attraction and repulsion, a seven-segment display device using an electrostatic film actuator has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 4-240890. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-240890, the movable member moves back and forth on the surface of the seven-segment display device due to the action of static electricity generated between the transparent stator and the transparent movable member constituting the seven sections of the seven-segment display device. Alternatively, it has been proposed to use a visual change caused by a change in the overlap between the moving member and the stator when moving left and right as a display principle.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Painting, neon sign,
Display materials made of a color film, a color cloth, or the like cannot be rewritten and cannot be reproduced and used. This is due to the current flow of resource saving,
It is contrary to the viewpoint of protecting the global environment, and a display such as a banner which is used only for a short period of time is troublesome and has a problem in terms of cost since it is thrown away every time it is used.

On the other hand, various display devices such as a cathode ray tube, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, a light emitting diode display, an electrophoretic display, and an electrochromic display are rewritable, but all have a complicated structure, so that they are used as a large display panel. It is difficult to use. Moreover, it cannot be said that it is very cheap in terms of cost.

Further, a seven-segment display device using an electrostatic film actuator proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-240890 discloses a principle of displaying a visual change caused by a mover moving back and forth or left and right on the surface of a stator. and to you is,
There are problems such as the necessity of twice the area of the display section to display one section, and the configuration of the electrode circuit being complicated because each of the seven sections requires an electrode.

An object of the present invention is to provide a completely new type of transmissive or reflective rewritable and easily scalable display device utilizing two light transmitting plates and electrostatic attraction and repulsion. It is to be convinced.

[0009]

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the following configuration is adopted. That is, the display device of the present invention includes a display unit in which a plurality of pixels including two light transmitting plates are arranged, a print erasing head, and a scanning unit that relatively moves the print erasing head along the display unit. Wherein the print / erase head is made of an insulator having a plurality of band-shaped electrodes arranged therein, and electrostatic force generated between the light transmitting plate and the print / erase head when a voltage is applied to the band-shaped electrodes. Printing and erasing of a display is performed by driving at least one of the light transmitting plates by an attractive force and a repulsive force.
And the print erasing head and the display
And the scanning unit can be detached .

First, the principle of printing and erasing a display in the display device of the present invention will be described.

In the display device of the present invention, at least one of the two light transmitting plates constituting the pixel is driven to change the overlap of the two light transmitting plates. The light on for each of the pixels
The color of the off or transmitted or reflected light, the brightness, the saturation, and the like are changed to print and erase the display on the display device.

In the display device of the present invention, the driving means of the light transmitting plate, that is, the printing means and the erasing means of the display, when a voltage is applied to the strip-shaped electrodes arranged on the print erasing head made of an insulator, the printing means. These are electrostatic attraction and repulsion generated between the erase head and the light transmitting plate. This method is a technique known as an electrostatic film actuator.

The electrostatic film actuator comprises a fixed part in which electrodes are arranged on an insulating support at regular intervals and a moving part comprising a resistor, and is arranged so that the moving part and the fixed part are in contact with each other. The moving part is caused to move instantaneously by the action of static electricity when a voltage is applied to the electrode, thereby moving the moving part while preventing friction. The principle of operation is described in the Proceedings of the 6th Annual Conference of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan 1989, Nikkei Mechanical 1989, 5, 2
In the case of using an electrostatic film actuator as a driving means of the light transmitting plate in the display device of the present invention described in detail on pages 9, 112 to 113, etc., if the arrangement of the strip electrodes in the print erasing head is radial, The transmission plate rotates according to the principle of the electrostatic film actuator, and if the arrangement of the strip electrodes in the print erasing head is arranged in parallel, the light transmission plate follows the principle of the electrostatic film actuator and the other light is transmitted. It will move left and right or up and down with respect to the transmission plate.

In the pixel of the display device of the present invention, when the light transmission plate is driven by applying a voltage, when the pixel reaches a specific state, for example, a light-on state, even if the application of the voltage is interrupted, the pixel remains as it is. Keep state. Therefore, the pixel is a pixel having a memory property.

In the display device of the present invention, by utilizing this characteristic of the pixel, instead of arranging the fixed portion of the electrostatic film actuator in each pixel, a fixed portion is provided in the print erasing head, and the print erasing is performed. The pixels are controlled by moving the head along the display unit, and printing and erasing of the display are performed. According to this method, since a fixed portion is not required for each of the pixels, the configuration of the electrode circuit does not become complicated even if the display device is enlarged and the number of pixels is increased. Therefore, in the display device of the present invention, the size of the display device can be easily increased, and the production cost when the size is increased is also low.

Next, the components of the present invention will be described.

The light transmitting plate constituting the display section in the display device of the present invention may be an on / off switch of light transmitted or reflected by a change in the overlap of the two light transmitting plates by driving the light transmitting plate. And a material that changes in color, brightness, saturation, etc. can be used, and the light transmitting plate may be transparent, colored, or may have any display or pattern. . However, it is preferable that at least one of the light transmitting plates is in the form of a film because it is likely to be driven by electrostatic attraction and repulsion.
In addition, it is more preferable that both of the light transmitting plates are formed in a film shape from the viewpoint that the display device can be made thinner and that the configuration is simple and the manufacturing is easy. Further, from the viewpoint that light can be turned on and off, it is preferable to use a polarizing plate.

The polarizing plate used as the light transmitting plate in the display device of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has a function of converting natural light into linearly polarized light, and a polarizing prism such as a Nicol prism or a dichroic crystal Can be used by arranging them in an electric field or the like and scooping them up on a substrate, or a polarizing film. However, at least one of the polarizing plates
The sheet is preferably a polarizing film because the sheet is likely to rotate due to electrostatic attraction and repulsion. In addition, it is more preferable that both of the polarizing plates are polarizing films because the display device can be made thinner, and the structure is simple and the manufacturing is easy.

As the polarizing film, a film obtained by stretching a film on which a dichroic dye is adsorbed, or a film obtained by adsorbing iodine on an oriented film of polyvinyl alcohol can be used.

The polarizing plate has a function of changing natural light into linearly polarized light. When two polarizing plates are arranged, if the polarization direction is the same, light passes through the two polarizing plates. But cannot pass if the polarization directions are different. Therefore, in the display device of the present invention, the polarizer is rotated by the print / erase head to change the polarization direction, or the polarizers having different polarization directions are overlapped by the print / erase head to turn on / off the light. It can be performed.

However, if the shape of the polarizing plate is circular or regular n-gon (n is a multiple of 4) as described later, the light is turned on by rotating the polarizing plate by the print / erase head to change the polarization direction. -When turning off, there is no change in the area of the pixel in the light on state and off state,
There is no waste compared to the 7-segment display device proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-240890. Therefore, it is preferable to use this method. Further, from the viewpoint that the contrast of light on / off is maximized, it is more preferable to adopt a method in which the polarizing film is rotated by 90 ° by the print / erase head. The shape of the light transmitting plate is not particularly limited, and may be any shape such as a circle and a polygon, but is a circle or a regular polygon in view of the fact that the shape does not change when rotated. In view of the fact that the shape is the same when rotated by 90 °, a circle or a regular n-gon (n is a multiple of 4) is more preferable.

The display section of the display device of the present invention is formed by arranging a plurality of pixels composed of two light transmitting plates. The method of arranging the pixels is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to arrange the pixels with a certain regularity because a clear image can be displayed. As a specific arrangement method, an aggregate of one or several display devices is formed, and when the shape of the display device is a triangle, a square, or the like, in parallel with each side, a circle,
In the case of a sphere, an ellipse, or the like, it is preferable to arrange them radially at equal intervals. In these cases, the width and accuracy of the interval are appropriately determined according to the size of the display device and the purpose of use.

In the display device of the present invention, a display unit in which a plurality of light transmitting plates are arranged on one large light transmitting plate can be used. In this case, the latter plurality of light transmitting plates are driven by the print / erase head to print and erase the display. In this display device, one light transmission plate corresponds to one pixel. At this time, the material, shape and arrangement method of the light transmitting plate are the same as in the case described above. The light transmitting plate to be driven in the display device of the present invention is a light transmitting plate, preferably a film-shaped light transmitting plate, and more preferably a polarizing film provided with a resistor layer on at least one surface of the polarizing film. The layer is provided by a method such as spray coating of an antistatic agent having a weak antistatic effect.

The print / erase head in the display device of the present invention is a fixed portion in the electrostatic film actuator, and is constituted by providing strip-shaped electrodes on an insulator in a radial or parallel manner. The number of the print erasing heads is not particularly limited, and may be one or more, and is appropriately determined according to the size of the display device and the purpose of use. The material of the print / erase head is not particularly limited as long as it is an insulator, and any material can be used. Specific examples include glass,
A film or the like can be used.

It is preferable to use a metal or a metal oxide as the strip electrode. Examples of the metal include gold, silver, copper, palladium, indium-tin, zinc, and aluminum. Examples of the metal oxide include indium oxide, indium oxide-tin oxide, zinc oxide, and aluminum oxide.

In the print / erase head, the electrode may be either on the surface of the insulator or buried in the insulator.

As a method for forming the electrodes on the print / erase head, a general method similar to a method for forming a circuit such as an IC can be used. A typical example is described below.
Of course, it is not limited to this. First, a thin film of an electrode material is laminated on the print / erase head by a sputtering method or a vacuum evaporation method. A bar coater method, a spin coater method, a roll coater method, etc.
A resist layer is formed. Subsequently, exposure and development are performed to form a pattern. An electrode can be formed by etching using this resist pattern and finally removing the resist pattern with a stripping solution. Also,
When the electrode is buried in the print / erase head, a transparent insulating paste may be applied to the surface of the electrode formed as described above. As the coating method, various coating methods similar to those for forming the resist layer can be used.

The scanning unit in the display device of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it moves the print head or the erasing head relatively in the vertical and horizontal directions along the surface of the display unit. For example, a mechanism used for the above can be used. For example, by using a motor as a driving device and a ball screw as a control device, it is possible to control the position of a print head or an erasing head with sufficient accuracy for practical use.

A light incidence device can be used for the display device of the present invention. When the light incident device is used, the display device of the present invention is a transmissive display device. As the light incident device in the display device of the present invention, a known device usually called a backlight can be used, and there is no particular limitation. As an example, a light incident device of a radiation type, a reflection type, a refraction reflection type, or the like can be used. The color of the light source is not particularly limited, and any light such as white light or monochromatic light is used. The number of light sources is not particularly limited, either. One light source may be used, or one light source may be used for one pixel or several pixels. Also,
The light may be dispersed, condensed, polarized, or the like by using a prism, a lens, or the like. When a film-shaped light-emitting body such as an EL panel is used, the entire display device can be thinned.

In the display device having the light incident device of the present invention, a color filter can be arranged on the front surface of the display device. By using the color filter, the display device of the present invention is a transmission type full color display device. As the color filter in the display device of the present invention, a known color filter used in an ordinary color liquid crystal display device or the like can be used. The use of a film-shaped color filter makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the entire display device.

In the display device of the present invention, a light reflection device can be arranged behind the display device. When the light reflecting device is used, the display device of the present invention is a reflective display device. The light reflection device in the display device of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has a property of reflecting light, such as a mirror or a metal. If a metal foil such as aluminum, a film on which a metal is deposited, a colored film, paper, or the like is used as the light reflecting device, the entire display device can be thinned.

As the light reflecting device in the display device of the present invention, a device in which three or four primary colors are arranged in a dot shape can be used. The three primary colors are not particularly limited, but yellow, cyan, and magenta can be used. Also, the four primary colors are not particularly limited, but those obtained by adding black to the above three primary colors can be used. The shape of the dot is not limited to a circle, and may be a triangle, a square, or a polygon, and may be the same as or different from a pixel. The size of the dot may be the same size as one pixel of the display device, or may be the same size as a plurality of pixels. When the light reflecting device is used, the display device of the present invention is a reflection type color display device. The material of the light reflecting device is not particularly limited, but if a film, a metal foil, paper, or the like is used, the entire display device can be thinned.

In the display device of the present invention, a viewing angle enlarging device can be arranged at the forefront of the display device. The viewing angle enlargement device is a device that enables the display contents to be read when the display device is viewed from an oblique direction, as when viewed from the front. As the viewing angle enlarging device of the display device in the present invention, the pixel 1 of the display device
A convex lens array plate having a convex lens corresponding to each one can be used. Further, in the display device of the present invention, the light transmitting plate on the front side may have a convex lens structure.

In the display device of the present invention, when the printing of the display by the print erasing unit is completed, the print erasing unit and the scanning unit can be removed from the display unit. If the print erasing unit and the scanning unit are detached from the display unit and the display unit is made independent, it can be easily carried even when the display unit is enlarged. After the display section is made independent, a light incident device, a color filter, a light reflecting device, a viewing angle enlarging device, and the like can be attached. further,
If a film-shaped light transmitting plate is used for the display unit, and a film-shaped device is used for the light incidence device, color filter, light reflection device, viewing angle enlargement device, etc., the independent display unit is a thin-film flexible one Becomes

[0035]

Next, examples of the display object of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an example of the display device of the present invention. A scanning section 4 having a print erasing section 3 in which strip electrodes are arranged by a scanning section guide 2 is provided on a display section 1 in which a plurality of pixels each composed of two light transmitting plates are arranged. 3 is 4
Moves up and down, and 4 moves left and right along 2, so 3 can control all the pixels present in 1. According to the information from the print erasure control device 5, 3 is 1
An arbitrary display can be printed by driving the light transmission plate of the pixel existing in 1 while moving along the line. Similarly, the display can be erased, and printing and erasing can be repeated. The display device of the present invention is simple in configuration, for example, does not require a complicated electrode circuit, and thus can be easily increased in size.
Production costs are also low. Furthermore, if 1 to 2, 3, and 4 are removed and 1 is made independent, a thin-film flexible display object can be obtained. In addition, after separating 1 and attaching a film-like light incidence device, color filter, light reflection device, viewing angle expansion device, etc., various types of thin film flexible such as transmission type, full color transmission type, reflection type Display device can be obtained.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a side cross section of a pixel and a print / erase head in the display device of the present invention. Pixel 6 is
It comprises a light transmitting plate 7 to be driven and a fixed light transmitting plate 8. 7 is rotatably supported by 8. The print erasing head 3 is composed of an insulator 10 having radial strip electrodes 9, and the upper part of the head 10 is protected by an insulating paste 11. Since 9 is radially arranged in 3, when a voltage is applied to 9, 7 rotates. Here, when a polarizing film is used for 7 and 8, and a positive and negative voltage is sequentially applied to 9 and the 7 is rotated, it is possible to change from a state where the polarization directions match to a different state. Therefore, 7
When placing the light incident device behind, by applying a voltage to 9, the intensity in the light observed at 7 front raw Ji is allowed can <br/> Rukoto. In particular, from the state where the maximum light quantity can be obtained,
When a voltage for rotating the polarizing plate by 90 ° is applied, the light amount becomes zero, and a clear contrast is obtained. In addition, when the maximum light amount or the light amount is zero, the voltage application is shut off,
Or when 9 is moved, due to the memory of the display device,
The state is kept as it is.

[0038]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. That is, those who have learned the technical idea of the present invention can easily change to a more efficient one.

Example 1 A transparent conductive layer of indium oxide-tin oxide was formed on a disk-shaped glass plate by a sputtering method. A resist film was applied thereto, and the resist film was exposed using a mask capable of obtaining a radial electrode. Next, after removing the exposed portion, etching was performed, and the remaining resist was completely removed. The print / erase head having the obtained radial electrodes was attached to a pen carriage of an XY plotter, and wiring with a print / erase controller was performed. An antistatic agent was sprayed on one of two commercially available polarizing films, and the sprayed antistatic agent was rotatably supported on another polarizing film to produce a pixel. A plurality of the obtained pixels were arranged on a drawing board of an XY plotter to form a display section. In the display device obtained in this manner, according to the signal of the print erasure control device, by scanning the print erasure head along the display portion, for each pixel, by rotating the polarizing film to control the light transmission state, An arbitrary display could be drawn on the display. Similarly, the display could be erased, and printing and erasing could be repeated. Furthermore, after the display printing is completed, by removing the display unit from the drawing board,
A sheet-like flexible display material that can be rolled was obtained.

[0040]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure,
It has the following excellent effects. That is, a) Since a fixed portion is not required for each pixel,
Even if the display device is enlarged and the number of pixels is increased, complicated electrode circuits
Is simple, the structure is simple, and the material used is
Because it is inexpensive, compared to liquid crystal displays
It can be supplied at a much lower cost, and the configuration is
Because it is simple, it is easy to increase the size.
The production cost in case of molding is also low. B) All the pixels present in the display unit are replaced by one print erase unit.
Allows you to easily print and erase any display
You. Also, since printing and erasing can be repeated,
But you can play and use it. C) In the display device of the present invention, the print erasing unit
When the printing of the display is completed, the display erasing unit
And the scanning unit can be removed, making the display unit independent
If it is possible, even if the display unit becomes large, it is easily carried.
be able to. D) If the display unit is made independent, it can be bent or rounded.
A flexible sheet-like display that can be folded
After the display section is made independent,
Light entrance device, color filter, light reflection device, visual
When a field angle magnifying device is installed, the transmission type, full color
Thin and flexible in various forms such as transmission type and reflection type
The display can be obtained. E) The printing speed and erasing speed on the display board are not so high
Although it is not used, energy is
Because it is not needed, energy can be saved.

[0041]

[0042]

[0043]

[0044]

[0045]

[0046]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an example of a display device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view showing an example of a display unit and a print / erase head in the display device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Display section 2: Scanning section guide 3: Print erasing head 4: Scanning section 5: Print erasing control device 6: Pixel 7: Driving light transmitting plate 8: Fixed light transmitting plate 9: Strip electrode 10: Insulation Body 11: Insulating paste

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A display section, in which a plurality of pixels each composed of two light transmitting plates are arranged, a print / erase head, and a scanning section for relatively moving the print / erase head along the display section. In a display device, the print / erase head is made of an insulator having a plurality of strip electrodes arranged therein, and when a voltage is applied to the strip electrodes, electrostatic attraction and repulsion generated between the light transmitting plate and the print / erase head are generated. Printing and erasing of a display by driving at least one of the light transmitting plates by a force, and a print erasing head and
A display device characterized in that the scanning unit is detachable . 2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display section is configured by arranging a plurality of light transmitting plates on a single large light transmitting plate. 3. A display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light transmitting plate constituting the display unit, a display device which is a polarizing plate. 4. A display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light transmitting plate constituting the display unit, a display device which is a polarizing film. 5. The claim 1, 2, 3 and 4 1
The display device according to One, the display apparatus characterized by disposing the light incident device behind the display device. 6. The display device according to claim 5 , wherein a color filter is arranged on a front surface of the display device. 7. The claim 1, 2, 3 and 4 1
The display device according to One, the display apparatus characterized by disposing the light reflecting device behind the display device. 8. The display device according to claim 7 , wherein said light reflecting device is one in which three or four primary colors are arranged in a dot shape. 9. The display device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, wherein a view angle enlarging device is arranged at the forefront of the display device. Characteristic display device.