JPH01500457A - How to remotely detect electric fields - Google Patents

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/US87/01756 Sec. 371 Date Mar. 18, 1988 Sec. 102(e) Date Mar. 18, 1988 PCT Filed Jul. 22, 1986 PCT Pub. No. WO88/00717 PCT Pub. Date Jan. 28, 1988.A display comprises an array of a plurality of liquid crystal elements electrically connected in series. The element with the lowest capacitance when energized comprises a liquid crystal material having a positive dielectric anisotropy so that it has a higher capacitance when energized than when non-energized. A second of the elements has a capacitance when non-energized lower than the capacitance of the first element when it is energized. The display can be used for detecting a voltage or an electric field.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (b) such that a portion of one of said conductors sufficiently exceeds that of the pond; (C) a second conductor arranged relative to the conductor; and (C) optically responsive to an electric field. and a liquid crystal material located between the first and second conductors, (i y) the first and second conductors are located in regions with different electric field strengths; bring the device close to the electrical component and connect the component or A step or a step provided without making electrical contact with any of the (II) Observing the optical state of the liquid crystal display element; How to prepare.

2. The device has a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements electrically insulated from each other. A method according to claim 1, comprising an array of.

3. The device comprises an array having a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements, and 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein some of the components are electrically connected in series.

4. The device comprises an array having a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements, and At least some of the common and continuous first and second conductors are provided separately. The method according to claim 1.

5. The device comprises an array having a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements, and at least one of said liquid crystal display elements substantially together with at least one other of said liquid crystal display elements. 2. A method according to claim 1, having different capacitances.

6. The device comprises an array having a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements, and The method of claim 1, wherein many of the capacitances are substantially different from each other. .

7. The device comprises a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements having substantially the same capacitance. 2. The method of claim 1, comprising an array having children.

8. The above device separates a common continuous body of encapsulated liquid crystal material. The person according to claim 1, which has one or more liquid crystal display elements provided. Law.

9. A claim in which at least a portion of each of the first and second conductors is transparent. The method described in box 1.

10. The first and second conductors are supported by first and second supporting materials, respectively. and in each part where the supported conductor is also transparent. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said support material is transparent.

11. The first and second conductors are independently made of gold, nickel, chromium, titanium oxide. , tin oxide, indium oxide, aluminum, antimony tin oxide, and oxide Claims comprising a material selected from the group consisting of indium tin; The method described in box 1.

12. Claim wherein each of the first and second conductors comprises indium tin oxide. The method described in item 1.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical component transmits an electrostatic charge. .

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said electrical component carries a high voltage.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal material is encapsulated.

16. Claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal material encapsulated in the capsule is nematic. The method described in Section 5.

17. Claim No. 1, wherein the liquid crystal material encapsulated in the capsule is smectic. The method according to item 15.

18. An apparatus for detecting an electric field surrounding an electrical component, the apparatus comprising: , (1) An array having a plurality of liquid crystal display elements, each of which , (a) comprising a first conductor, at least a portion of the first conductor is transparent; (b) one of said first conductors so that a portion of said conductor extends sufficiently beyond the other; (c) a second conductor arranged relative to the electric field; a liquid crystal material located between the first and second conductors; (II) For protection that surrounds the above array and is electrically insulated from external objects. package, and the protective package includes at least one liquid crystal display. A device that is at least partially transparent to allow visual observation of the optical state of the ray elements.

19. The device has a thin plate-like structure, and the protective packages are tightly packed together. 19. The method of claim 18, comprising transparent support material for sealed first and second channels. equipment.

20. Claim 20, wherein the liquid crystal display elements are electrically insulated from each other. Apparatus described in section.

21. At least some of the liquid crystal display elements have a common first and second 19. The device according to claim 18, wherein the two conductors are provided separately.

22. At least some of the liquid crystal display elements are electrically connected in series; 19. The apparatus according to claim 18.

23. Each of the liquid crystal display elements has substantially the same capacitance. 19. The apparatus according to claim 18.

24. At least one of the above liquid crystal display elements is connected to at least one other liquid crystal display element. Claim 18 having a capacitance substantially different from that of the display element. equipment.

25. Most of the above liquid crystal display devices have capacitances that are substantially different from each other. 19. The apparatus of claim 18, comprising:

26. The first and second conductors are independently made of gold, nickel, chromium, titanium oxide. , tin oxide, indium oxide, aluminum, antimony tin oxide, and oxide Claims comprising a material selected from the group consisting of indium tin; 19. The device according to paragraph 18.

27. The claim wherein each of the first and second conductors comprises indium tin oxide. The device according to item 18.

28. A common body of liquid crystal material in which the liquid crystal display element is encapsulated. 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the apparatus is provided separately.

29. The device of claim 18, wherein the liquid crystal material is encapsulated.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein said liquid crystal material is nematic.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein said liquid crystal material is Smectinok.

32, said device further comprising: above said device in a region where said electric field is to be detected; 19. The apparatus of claim 18, comprising insulating means for attachment to the component. .

33. The device further comprises positioning the device in a region where the electric field is to be detected. 19. A device according to claim 18, further comprising insulating means for.

34. A liquid crystal device for detecting an electric field surrounding an electrical component, the device comprising: the device has a thin plate structure, and the device includes first and second transparent support sheets; first and second transparent sheets provided on the inner surfaces of the first and second sheets, respectively; conductor, The first and second transparent sheets are optically responsive to an electric field and are arranged between the first and second sheets. a liquid crystal material encapsulated in a capsule sandwiched in contact with a transparent conductor; A portion of the first conductor is overlapped with the second conductor, and vice versa. the first and second transparent conductors are arranged so as to be superimposed on each other, For protection that seals and electrically insulates the conductor and the liquid crystal material from external objects. The first and second sheets are bonded along their edges to form a package of liquid crystal devices that are sealed together.

35. Determining the potential of the electrical component from the electric field strength generated by the electrical component. A method for evaluating amplitude, which method includes (1) an array of liquid crystal display elements; each of said display elements comprises: providing an apparatus having: , (a) comprising a first conductor, at least a portion of the first conductor being transparent; , (b) such that said first and second conductors extend substantially beyond said other conductors; a second conductor arranged with respect to the first conductor; (c) optically responsive to an electric field and located between the first and second conductors; which liquid crystal material at a particular distance from a power supply with a known potential. The above device is calibrated so that the crystal display elements change their optical state. , (i) the device is brought into close proximity to the electrical component by the specified distance; The above equipment shall be installed in such a way that it will not come into electrical contact with any of the above mentioned components or earth. and (II) which liquid crystal display elements change their state. a step of observing whether (IV) Step of evaluating the voltage of said component by referring to said calibration. A method with a

Specification How to remotely detect electric fields The present invention relates to a method for detecting an electric field, and in particular to a device having a liquid crystal display element. and methods using devices for detecting electric fields, especially devices for detecting electric fields, especially liquid crystal displays. The present invention relates to a device having a play element.

A particular component, line, cable, element, etc. in an electrical circuit is ``in operation.'' It is possible to determine whether the Need often cries out. Such a decision makes it clear where the voltage is with respect to it It is especially important that it is safe. Where electrical circuits etc. are not included Even at low speeds, the ability to detect voltage may be important. some examples To quote, due to a fire accident caused by a varnish spark, the static It is often desirable to know whether a buildup of electricity is present. related to electrical circuits However, any part of the equipment that is not part of the circuit itself shall be properly grounded. and whether it is unintentionally connected to the above circuit. It may be necessary to conduct a test. A capacitor is charged when it is charged. It may be necessary to conduct tests to determine whether

Hereinafter, the generic term "electrical component" refers to a component in an electrical circuit, etc. , lines, cables, etc. as well as electrostatic charges or other charges to be detected. Will be used to refer to objects and devices.

Preferably, the device for such determination is rugged and portable; Easy to use, reliable, and inexpensive. Rugged means it can withstand shocks. Faults that have been exposed to extreme temperatures, exposure to chemicals, etc. Enables the device to withstand and continue to operate despite heavy use. Portability is , a portable device is permanently or semi-permanently attached to a particular The advantage of being able to monitor several components instead of has. For example, one electricity/stem can be used at several different points simultaneously. It requires that the voltage be monitored without any problems. This means that with one mobile device can be done. A device that is easy to use should include the components being monitored. There is no need to make complex physical or electrical connections. Preferably, the connection is Easy to connect and disconnect; more preferably, the device Works remotely. −1, i.e. it does not require any connection . Remote equipment also has the advantage of being a secure method. Because it's dysfunctional This is because it reduces the risk of electrical shock in case of overuse or misuse. Trust the above device should be possible, since there is a high risk of damage due to false negative readings, etc. This is because there is a possibility of risk. The economic advantages of inexpensive equipment are obvious. Ru. For example, monitoring several points in an electrical system at the same time is desired, an inexpensive device may include one such device at each point. reduce or minimize the cost of obtaining

Additionally, for some applications, the device may be qualitatively “on” or “optional.” It is only necessary to display the “File” instructions and is also and the device provides a routine or semi-quantitative readout of the detected voltage. It is desirable or essential that the

Liquid crystals are used in the display elements of many devices, including voltage sensing devices. There is. Such a device preferentially aligns the long axis of the molecule along one direction. This preferential alignment with applied voltage reduces the molecular anisotropy, known as molecular anisotropy. It depends on the ability to control the sequence. The optical properties of such liquid crystals are It also has anisotropy. For example, light along one axis is scattered or attenuated; This causes the liquid crystal material to become opaque or dark, while Light is transmitted, which causes the liquid crystal material to become transparent.

Liquid crystal displays (hereinafter referred to as LCDs) have many advantages, and these advantages can be used for other devices such as light emitting diodes, i.e. LEDs. Reflected by their versatility and superiority across types of displays There is. LEDs may be in the form of alphanumeric characters or graphic symbols. can be easily configured into complex patterns. 1 LCD display (a) shall include multiple elements that can be addressed simultaneously or independently; as a result, one display panel can display different messages. It is possible to For example, the evidence may include an LCD clock and a calculator. There are similar 7 bar displays used. LCD uses almost no power The threshold voltage required to switch from one state to another is relatively low. low.

Many LCD devices for detecting voltage are known. However, each It has one or more drawbacks that limit its use.

U.S. Patent No. 3,627,408 (Fergerson) detects unknown electric fields discloses an apparatus for forming a layer of transparent material of a cholesterol solution; , comprising first and second conductive members for applying an electric field across the layer.

A voltage source is electrically connected to the first and second conductive members.

West German Patent No. 2.949,56.1-A1 (Walter) a display in which the active display area comprises two opposing with electrodes and a number of individual LCD elements formed from the superposition of each electrode. Ru. The above steps are performed so that a series of LCD units with increasing size is formed. The length of the overlap changes. This display has a voltage across the voltage source being evaluated. connected emotionally.

West German Patent No. 3,219,703-A1 (Kale) describes medium and high voltage cables. discloses an electrical connector for an LCD monitor in the connector. The controller provides a continuous readout of the on/off status of the cable. The monitor is powered Connected to the current carrying part of the cable via a pressure drop circuit. monitor is grounded connected to the shield of the cable.

West German Patent No. 3,308,972 (Heberno\-Gen et al.) Discloses an apparatus for displaying the operating status of a computer. Capacitors connected in series An LCD with a shield is electrically connected to both ends of the fuse being monitored. both You can connect both leads with ohmic contact, or connect one through a capacitor. It is also possible to connect one part using ohmic contact while the other part is connected using ohmic contact.

West German Patent No. 3,402,655 (Gerinohi) shows the application of high voltage Discloses a device for. This device, which is an LCD display, has one pole electrically connected to the device via the connection line and with a capacitor to ground. Connected via.

Each of these prior art devices requires that at least one device lead be tested. shall be connected with an ohmic contact to the electrical component connected to the limited by points. For example, Felgerson, Heherhagen, Kehl and Gehry Some of these devices, such as Nohi's device, provide an "on/off" reading. However, it is not possible to qualitatively evaluate the voltage. These conventional Technical equipment has the requirement for ohmic contact to electrical components or to earth. To detect the distribution of static electricity that easily discharges when the above devices are brought into contact. Not suitable for.

I include any ohmic contact of that equipment to either the component being tested or to ground. We have invented a method and apparatus for detecting voltages that do not require connections at . my origin A modern device operates by sensing and responding to an electric field surrounding an electrical component. make That is, it operates over a "certain distance". Therefore, my invention is , suitable for determining whether an electrical component transmits an electrostatic charge.

In another embodiment of my invention, a voltage is detected and its magnitude is quantified. evaluated. Additionally, my invention is easy to use and reliable. is possible and safe.

The present invention provides a method for detecting an electric field generated by an electrical component, and The writing method is (1) Providing a device having at least one liquid crystal display element , the display element comprises (a) a first conductor, the first conductor at least part of the body is transparent; (b) said first conductor such that a portion of one of said conductors substantially exceeds the other; a second electrical conductor arranged relative to the electrical conductor; (c) optically responsive to an electric field; and a liquid crystal material located between the first and second conductors, (II) If the first and second conductors are located in regions with different electric field intensities, such that the device is in close proximity to the electrical component and connected to the component or ground. providing it without electrically contacting any of the (II) Preferably, the optical state of the liquid crystal display element is observed. , the device comprises an array having a plurality of liquid crystal display elements, which are: can be electrically isolated from each other or electrically connected in series Can be done. The liquid crystal display elements may have substantially the same or different capacitances. It is possible to have.

The invention also provides an apparatus for detecting an electric field surrounding an electrical component; The above device is (1) An array having a plurality of liquid crystal display elements, each of which , (a) comprising a first conductor, at least a portion of the first conductor is transparent; (b) said first electrical conductors such that one part thereof extends sufficiently beyond the other; (C) a second electrical conductor optically responsive to the electric field and arranged on the top; a liquid crystal material located between the first and second conductors; (II) For protection that surrounds the above array and is electrically insulated from external objects. package, and the protective package is attached to at least one liquid crystal display. At least a portion is transparent so that the optical state of the play element can be visually observed.

Preferably, the protective cage 7 has supports that are sealed together at the ends. First and second transparent sheets of material are provided. Furthermore, another preferred embodiment In , the device further comprises detecting the device in the region where the electric field is to be detected. and insulation means for attaching the component to the component. Yet another preference In a preferred embodiment, the device further includes a region in which the electric field is to be detected. and insulating means for positioning the device.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, detecting an electric field surrounding an electrical component. Provided is a liquid crystal device for displaying a liquid crystal device, the device having a thin plate structure, first and second transparent support sheets; first and second transparent sheets provided on the inner surfaces of the first and second sheets, respectively; conductor, The first and second transparent sheets are optically responsive to an electric field and are arranged between the first and second sheets. a liquid crystal material encapsulated in a capsule sandwiched in contact with a transparent conductor; A portion of the first conductor is overlapped with the second conductor, and vice versa. the first and second transparent conductors are arranged so as to be superimposed on each other, For protection that seals and electrically insulates the conductor and the liquid crystal material from external objects. The first and second sheets are bonded along their edges to form a package of are sealed together.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the invention provides Provides a method for evaluating the potential amplitude of the above electrical components from the generated electric field strength. , the above method comprises (1) a step for providing a device having an array of liquid crystal display elements; each of the display elements comprises: (a) a first conductor; , at least a portion of the first conductor is transparent; (b) such that said first and second electrical conductors extend substantially beyond the conductors of the pond; a second conductor arranged with respect to the first conductor; (c) optically responsive to an electric field and located between the first and second conductors; which liquid crystal material at a particular distance from a power supply with a known potential. The above device is calibrated so that the crystal display elements change their optical state. , (II) the device is brought into close proximity to the electrical component by the specified distance; The above equipment shall be installed in such a way that it will not come into electrical contact with any of the above mentioned components or earth. and (II) which liquid crystal display elements change their state. a step of observing whether (rv) evaluating the voltage of the component by referring to the calibration; Butto Be prepared.

Figure 1 shows an array with multiple LCDs connected without ohmic contact to each other. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 schematically shows the operation of the device of my invention in an electric field.

FIG. 4 shows a device of the invention in which multiple LCDs share one common electrode. No. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows a device according to the invention in which a plurality of LCDs are connected in series with ohmic contact. No. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows another device of the present invention in which multiple LCDs are connected in series with ohmic contact. shows.

FIG. 9 shows another device of the present invention in which multiple LCDs are connected in series with ohmic contact. shows.

My invention provides a method and apparatus for detecting electric fields surrounding electrical components. do. The detection is done remotely or “at a distance”, thereby allowing private If my equipment is not connected to any electrical components that are being tested or grounded, means not connected by system contact. Additionally, my invention evaluates the electric field strength. It can be applied to The electric field strength is the voltage of the electrical component that generates it This allows evaluation of the voltage of electrical components as it relates to Wear. My invention is specifically for the detection of electric fields generated by high voltage components. By this I prefer between 500V and 100kV. Kul;! means a component with a voltage between 1 kV and 69 kV.

My invention may be explained by reference to the following drawings which describe certain preferred embodiments. can be easily understood. FIG. 1 shows a device 1 having a thin plate structure, which Here, the support materials 2 and 3 form the upper and lower base layers of the lamella. Conductors 4 and 5 are respectively formed on the inner surfaces of support materials 2 and 3 in the desired pattern. liquid crystal A material 6 is sandwiched between support materials 2 and 3 and connected to electrical conductors 4 and 5.

The conductors 4 and 5 are arranged such that a portion of each conductor 4 is overlapped with the conductor 5, and They are arranged in reverse order, thus forming an array of LCD elements 7. supporting material The ends of 2 and 3 protect the conductors 4 and 5 and the liquid crystal material 6 from external objects and sealed to form a gas-isolated package. In this particular example The conductors 4 and 5 and the support materials 2 and 3 are transparent to allow viewing of the liquid crystal material 6. It is.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 taken along line 8-8'.

The virtual line 9 is drawn so that the approximate boundary line of the LCD element 7 can be visually observed.

The liquid crystal material in the LCD element 7 has optical properties that depend on the electric field. be When a voltage below the threshold voltage is applied to it, - - thereby causing an electric field m - when it occurs up to a certain limit and/or in a certain direction etc. optical properties such as opacity, transparency, specific colors, scattering of light, and rotation of the plane of deflection of light. is in an optical state characterized by the following properties: Below, this state is Referenced as 0. When the applied voltage exceeds the threshold voltage, The resulting electric field causes the liquid crystal material to transition to another optical state. strong enough to cause Hereinafter, this state will be referred to as state 1, and this state will be referred to as state 1. state is optically distinguishable from state 0. For example, if state O is opaque If so, state 1 must be transparent. Moreover, the reverse is also true. If state 0 If it is a certain color, then state 1 must be no color or a different color. stomach. In other words, when the voltage V across the conductors 4 and 5 exceeds the threshold voltage , the LCD element 7 changes from state O to state 1, which is easily discernible by the observer. Respond by metastasis.

If you do not wish to be bound by any theory, I would like my invention to be as follows: I believe it will work as expected. : i.e. when a potential difference exists between two bodies , it is known that an electric field occurs in the space between them. for example, An alternating voltage source connected between an electrical component and earth causes the potential difference between the two to There will be a difference. : That is, an alternating current source is The child is also alternately pumped from ground to the component, so that any At a given moment of time, a difference in potential exists between them. This electric The amplitude and polarity of the signal vary over time. Correspondingly, the electric field has its composition It exists in the space between the element and the earth, and its strength also changes over time. Change.

Similarly, an isolated structure (of either conductive or non-conductive material) component is charged to a higher potential than ground (or some other adjacent body) If it is, an electric field will exist between it and ground. Therefore, static A charge creates a constant (static) voltage between it and ground. either Even if the charge strength in the space between the component and earth is It depends on the potential -1, that is, the voltage -1 between the two. Electric field theory also states that the charged The electric field strength decreases as the distance from the component increases. This strength , a continuous equipotential surface (or two-dimensional surface) surrounding each charged component. It can be expressed by the current equipotential lines). The constituent elements are point charges and Ideally the electric field is not disturbed by the presence of other charged or conducting bodies In the normal state, the equipotential surfaces are spheres representing different potentials or voltages. is a continuous concentric sphere surrounding its constituent elements. The radius of the sphere increases As the voltage increases, the corresponding potential decreases.

If a small particle is suspended in space at point A in its electric field, It lies at the potential of the equipotential sphere (or line) passing through point A. If the second particle is space If it is suspended at point B of It is in the position. If two particles are electrically isolated from each other, they are (Va -Vb), with a potential between them given by the absolute value of Va and and vb are the potentials of an equipotential sphere passing through points A and B, respectively.

However, if two particles are connected by a conductive material, then the two particles A until the particles of A reach the same potential Vc, which is a value somewhere between Va and vb. A current flows between and B. Vc is determined by the average value between Va and vb as shown in the following formula. is approximated by : Therefore, this causes a suspended conductor in an electric field to It turns out that the potential will be determined by the position at the edge of the electric field of .

Figure 3 shows how my invention can be applied to these principles for detecting electric fields. is shown diagrammatically. located some distance from the electrical component 10. Consider one LCD element 7 of the type illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. . (For convenience, the rest of the supporting materials 2 and 3, the liquid crystal material 6, and the other LCD elements 7 are Omitted. ) If component 10 is transmitting a voltage, then element 10 is represented in two dimensions by equipotential lines V, , V, V, and V4 that decrease in the order of potential. generates an electric field. One end of the conductor 4 is at voltage V, and the other end is at voltage V. Ru. However, since the conductor 4 has conductivity, it is common throughout It must be at an intermediate potential. This potential is approximated by (Vl+Vs)/2 be done. Similarly, the potential of the conductor 5 is approximated by (Vt+v,)/2. subordinate Therefore, the overall potential or voltage Vt at both ends of the LCD element 7 is (2) Given by Eq. : Vt=　=　[(Vl+V3)-(Vt-1-V4)　] (2) If Vt is above If the threshold voltage is exceeded, the liquid crystal material 6 changes from state O to state 1, and the electric field presence, ie, a certain voltage at component 10. In other words, Vt- Whether the LCD element transitions from one state to another or m- is determined by the above electric field. depends on its position in . Generally, as the equipment approaches its components, As a result, Vt increases.

FIG. 3 also shows, for comparison, that the conductors 12 and 13 have dielectric properties, An LCD element 11 is shown having the same liquid crystal material 6 as shown in FIG. LCDII , the voltage at both conductors 12 and 13 is (Vt + Vs) /2, so that the net potential across the liquid crystal material is not exist. As a result, it responds to the electric field generated by component 10. I don't answer.

In order to put my invention into practice, a device such as the one shown in Figure 1 was tested. installed in close proximity to electrical components that are connected to the Provided without electrical contact. This close proximity means that I The electric field generated thereby is small (at least the threshold voltage of one LCD element is (to apply a voltage across the conductor of one LCD element) means that its components are placed a certain distance apart so that it is sufficiently large Taste. If the components carry voltage, then at least one of the LCD elements One will also switch from state O to state 1. Therefore, simply look at the LCD element. By sensing whether an electric field is present or not, the user can therefore can tell whether or not it is transmitting voltage. All LCD elements simultaneously There would be no need to switch to This is because, regardless of whether they are part of the same device, , each pair of conductors occupies a different position in its electric field, resulting in Vt will be obtained.

The electric field strength generated by an electrical component, i.e. the electric current transmitted by the component. Pressure can be easily evaluated using experimental calibration methods. Multiple LCD elements A device with a voltage is placed at a fixed distance or are located at known distances. At each voltage, which LCD elements are in state O The table shows whether there is a transition from state to state 1. Next, the above components (or When another similar device) is tested at an unknown voltage, the device be placed separately. An LCD element is shown that has transitioned from state O to state 1, as previously prepared. By referring to the table below, the voltages of the above components can be evaluated. a A slightly less convenient alternative is to use only one LCD element. Also for using equipment that moves from location to location to generate one reference reading. It is.

My invention can be used for several purposes, e.g. high voltage cables or e.g. Other components such as capacitors, switches, transformers, bends, terminals, etc. ” by holding the device in the hand to determine whether At the time, it was known in the market as "hot 5tick". Attach the above device to one end of a long insulated ball with a It is therefore more convenient (or safer) to place the device close to said line.

Alternatively, the above device may be hooked or otherwise installed to achieve constant monitoring. Attachment can be physically attached using means, while the above-mentioned wires or other can be electrically isolated from the components of the Also, component voltages are evaluated. In applications where the device is A convenient “yard” for mounting at a predetermined distance from the component. It can be used as a yardstick.

There are many liquid crystal materials that can be used in my invention. They are separated groups. It can be a composition or a mixture. As known in the art, liquid crystal materials to extend the temperature range in which they are transparent or In order to obtain the desired properties of the pond that cannot be easily achieved using compositions, Often used in combination. They are Chia, to name a few. It can be of the nobiphenyl, benzoate, or Schiff group type. So They may contain pleochroic dyes to obtain colored optical effects. Can be done. Preferably the liquid crystal material is nematic or smectinok. good Suitable nematic liquid crystal materials are described in U.S. Patent No. 4. Disclosed in No. 591,233 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Leakage current can discharge the voltage across the conductor, which causes the liquid crystal to Prevents transition from state O to state 1. Here, the liquid crystal material has a high volume resistance This means that the volume resistivity is preferably 1×10 *Means greater than (11) Ω-cm.

Further, it is preferable that the liquid crystal material is a liquid crystal material encapsulated in a capsule. be A quantity of liquid crystal material is confined within a medium or material encapsulating the container or capsule. When this happens, the liquid crystal material is said to be encapsulated. Liquid crystal enclosed in a capsule Manufactured by mixing the materials together with the liquid crystal material and the encapsulating medium can do. Here, the liquid crystal material does not dissolve, and the liquid crystal material containing the liquid crystal material is separated. will form a capsule. Preferably, the encapsulating medium is Considering the leakage current mentioned above, it has a volume resistivity larger than lXl0IIΩ-cm. do. The preferred encapsulating medium is poly(vinyl alcohol). .

The liquid crystal material encapsulated in the above capsule may be nematic or smectic. is possible. However, encapsulating liquid crystal materials in capsules is a US patent. No. 4,435.047 (Fergerson) or U.S. Patent No. 4,591,2 No. 33 (Fergerson), please refer to these disclosures. Included here by.

The encapsulated liquid crystal material can also be smectinok . Encapsulated smectic liquid crystal materials are suitable for certain applications. They have one advantage in that they can have "memory" Yes, that is, after the transition from state O to state 1, even if the marks on both ends of the conductor Even after removing the applied voltage, the material remains in state 1. to heat The material can be returned to state 0 by Therefore, the existence of an electric field is semi-permanent. For applications where it is necessary or desired to instruct , encapsulated smectinok liquid crystal materials are preferred. smectinok liquid A U.S. patent application filed on June 3, 1985 describes the encapsulation of crystals in capsules. It is described in serial number whistle No. 740.218 (Fergerson), and this The disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

As used in this specification, the term "liquid crystal material" refers to separated liquid crystal materials. compositions, mixtures of liquid crystals, and encapsulated liquid crystals.

In FIG. 1, both conductors are shown as transparent. This is my origin. It is not essential for the implementation of light. Everything you need is located at the bottom. At least a portion of the conductor passing through the area where the liquid crystal material to be used should be visible must be transparent. That is. Composite conductors, i.e. materials that are transparent only in the visible area. When it is possible to use a conductor that is entirely transparent, is often more convenient. A preferred conductor material is indium tin oxide. (hereinafter referred to as ITO). Other suitable materials include gold, nickel, and chrome. , titanium oxide, tin oxide, aluminum, antimony tin oxide, and insium oxide It is Zium.

The choice of support material is not critical. In Figure 1, both materials are transparent. Illustrated below. This is not necessary in the practice of my invention. need All that is required is that the liquid crystal material located on the underside should be at least visible to the naked eye. be transparent at certain locations. When the above conductor is used, the whole is transparent. It may be more advantageous to use support materials that are transparent. Also, it is , should be in sufficient mechanical integrity to support and protect the LCD element. and should be a good electrical insulator. The above conductor is attached with a suitable adhesive. Preferably adhered directly to or held firmly to the supporting material. . Suitable support materials are glasses and organic polymers, especially thermoplastics or If not, use one that can be conveniently assembled into film or sheet form. include. A preferred support material is poly(ethylene), known as Mylar®. ・Terephthalate).

The support material is hermetically sealed on the inside to protect and electrically insulate the LCD element. preferably to form an enclosed package; such sealing is not required for embodiments of the invention. For example, if the internal material or where long-term durability is not particularly sensitive to atmospheric oxygen. Where non-critical, the support material forms a sealed package. There's no need.

For proper performance, the device of my invention should be tested with as small an electrical structure as possible. constructed in such a way that it disturbs or interferes with the electric field generated by the component. Should be. For example, in a conductor different from the above-mentioned conductor, the above-mentioned device may be made of metal. It should not have any metallic or conductive elements. The size and shape of the above conductor, and Their relative positioning to each other should be done taking into account the distortion effects of the electric field. be.

The LCD elements are connected with ohmic contacts as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and described above. There is no need to arrange in arrays that are not used. Figure 4 shows common electrodes separated. 2 shows a plan view of the device 14 which has been removed. The device 14 comprises an upper support material 15 and a bottom support material 16, with a common top conductor 1 on each inner surface thereof. 7 and the bottom conductor 18 are placed. The liquid crystal material 19 is located between the support materials 15 and 16. The two conductors 17 and 18 are sandwiched in contact with each other. A portion of the conductor 17 is connected to each conductor 18 , thereby forming the LCD element 20. Supporting material 15 and The ends of 16 are sealed for protection and insulation. Conductors 15 and 16 and conductive Bodies 17 and 18 are illustrated as being transparent in this example.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the device 14 of FIG. 4 taken along line 2]-21'.

The imaginary line 22 is shown so that the approximate boundaries of the LCD element 20 can be visually seen. There is.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of my invention. Each of the above devices 23 is a support for the upper base. It has a holding material 24 and a lower support material 25. Upper conductor 26 and lower conductor 2 7 are placed on the inner surface of the upper base support material 24 and the lower base support material 25, respectively. Ru. Liquid crystal material 28 is sandwiched between the support materials and in contact with the electrical conductors. 1st and a portion of each upper conductor 26 except the last one is connected to two different lower conductors 26. It is superimposed on the electric body 27 and vice versa. to this method A series of LCD elements 29 are formed which are electrically connected in series. mentioned above As such, support materials 24 and 25 are sealed at their ends.

Figure 7 shows a cross-section of the same device of Figure 6 along the 30-30'' line. 1 is illustrated so that the LCD element 29 can be visually observed.

In the device shown in Figure 7, the individual LCD elements are electrically connected in series. , the voltage across each one is independent only in its position in the electric field. . 1 each. ．． Electrically, a CD element is a plate-shaped capacitor connected in parallel. , where the overlapping part of the conductor is plate-like, and the liquid crystal material is a dielectric. be. The capacitance C of such a capacitor is given by equation (3).

C=keA/d (3) Here, k is a constant, e is the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal material, and A is the superposition of the above electrodes. and d is the thickness of the liquid crystal material layer.

Further, C is related to the voltage V across the conductor according to equation (4).

C=q/V (4) Here, q is the charge accumulated in the capacitor.

For n capacitors connected in series, both ends of each individual capacitor The capacitance and voltage at both ends are determined by equations (5) and (6). It is related to capacitance Cs and voltage Vs.

Vs=V, +V, +-4Vn (5) 1/C5=1/C, +1/C, +・+l/Cn (6) Here, vn and Cn are n The voltage and capacitance across the th capacitor.

If the LCD elements have the same capacitance (e.g. the same size and the voltage across each one is simply given by the following equation: given.

v, = v, = vn = vs/n (7) If they do not have the same capacitance, the individual voltages can be calculated using equation (8). can be calculated. : Vn=V’sCs/Cn (8) Therefore, where the above device has LCD elements connected in series, the device The total voltage across is dependent on the positioning effects described above with reference to FIG. , the distribution of this voltage across the individual elements follows equations (7) and (8).

In another embodiment of the invention, the device used is an array having a plurality of liquid crystal elements. , where the first liquid crystal element has a capacitance greater than the capacitance of the liquid crystal element of any pond. The device has a small capacitance in an unexcited state, and the liquid crystal element has a small capacitance in an unexcited state. positive to have an excited state capacitance higher than its capacitance in the excited state. a liquid crystal material having dielectric anisotropy; the second liquid crystal element has a dielectric anisotropy of the second liquid crystal element in its excited state. It has a capacitance in an unexcited state that is smaller than the capacitance of the first liquid crystal element. Like Preferably, each liquid crystal element includes a liquid crystal material having positive dielectric anisotropy. This example The liquid crystal elements may be of substantially the same size or of different sizes. You can make it bigger. The array of this example was filed at the same time as this application. Application based on the Patent Cooperation Treaty assigned to (Agent's document number MP1134) A), which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. It will be done.

As mentioned above, my invention is very suitable for detecting static electricity.

-For example, during operation in the clean room of a semiconductor factory, static electricity charges It is important to detect the distribution of , and the convenient method of my invention has advantages. too In another application, natural gas is transmitted through polymer vibes. Where the gas flow passes through the vibrator, it creates static electricity. Ru. My invention sparks before entering the vibrator above to perform maintenance or repair. Is there any static electricity distribution that can be generated and cause the gas to burn? A service device is provided having convenient means for determining whether

Generally, static electricity is discharged due to the power consumption requirements of the detection means mentioned above. , it is difficult to detect static electricity. However, also my method can be done remotely I can, and my device is a high impedance, low power consumption device. , it can be easily used to easily detect static electricity.

It is stated that the size of the LCD unit depends on several practical importance. Ru. Because the device of my invention works remotely and minimizes its power consumption. is desired. This is because the high impedance of air means that virtually no current flows. This is because it does not allow it to flow. One way to achieve this goal is , taking into account the visual requirements of the particular intended application. The goal is to reduce its size. using ordinary techniques in the relevant technical field. Best suited for those with a need for a low current but easily visible device. One could choose the size of the LCD to be provided. Z of the current of the above LCD Another way to reduce the requirements is to reduce the high impedance Dancing is by using liquid crystal materials.

Experimental example 1 This example demonstrates the preparation of a preferred embodiment of my invention with a structure in the form of a laminate. ing. In this embodiment, the liquid crystal material is formed with a pattern of conductors, respectively. It is "sandwiched" between two layers of support material provided on the surface facing the material.

A drawing was formed with the desired conductor pattern. Conventional photoresist technology By using Transferred onto a sheet of transparent support material (Mylar). excessive and undesirable The dirty ITO is removed and a conductor of ITO is placed on each sheet of support material. One pattern remains. Then one of the sheets was Tariq Fu Volation, Mountain View, California, can be purchased in capsules. A liquid crystal material mixed with an encapsulating medium was used to coat the conductor side. liquid crystal A sticky layer of a mixture of encapsulated medium and encapsulated medium was cured. other The conductor side of the sheet faces the liquid crystal material and the conductor pattern is properly arranged. Designed across the liquid crystal layer encapsulated in the above capsule to ensure that I got kicked. Then, the sheet has multiple liquid crystal units connected in series. The thin film is heated in an oven to form a structure in the form of a thin plate. It was made into a plate shape.

This particular material is opaque in state O and transparent in state 1.

Experimental example 2 This example experiment demonstrates the use of a device of my invention for the detection and evaluation of the amplitude of a certain voltage. It shows.

Referring to FIG. 8, the device in the form of a thin plate having an upper conductor 32 is A series of LCs electrically connected in series in the same manner as described above in the figure. Together with the lower conductor 33, it is superimposed to form the D element 34. ( For convenience, the rest of the support material and liquid crystal material are omitted, and the upper and lower conductors 3 2 and 33 are not present and the LCD element 34 is labeled. ) Thin above A plate was prepared according to Experimental Example 1. The above support material is Mylar, and the above liquid crystal material No. 4,435, incorporated herein by reference above. , 047. The above device is installed on the upper side of the earth. Vertical position 3 inches below the corona bell of transformer 39 located in the foot. be placed.

The device was held in place with electrically insulating tape. Status of specific LCD elements The voltage across the transformer where the voltage changes (changes from opaque to transparent) is shown below.

Change status of LCD unit: In each of transformer voltage (kV) columns 5-11 16 excluding the two central units all units 45 in each of columns 6-11 Remove the two central units ( all units 6° in each of columns 7-11 Remove the two central units ( all units 9° in each of columns 8-11 excluding the two central units all units (Columns are counted from top to bottom.) Therefore, which LCD uni-nod state is Determine how much the voltage in the transformer above is by seeing that it changes As shown in FIG. -36° line, 37-37' line, and 38-38° line, Experimental Example 2 The experiment was repeated.

LCD unit Transformer voltage (kV) Left unit of columns 1 and 2; 95 To the left of columns 3 and 4 Units that are partially on Uniso I-102 on the left side of rows 5 and 6 y+J], some units on the right side of -5 125 In this experimental example, electrically An unconnected LCD element can be used for evaluating the voltage amplitude of electrical components. I can do it.

This example experiment demonstrates the use of my invention for the detection of static electricity.

To form LCD elements 42 electrically connected in series as shown in FIG. A device having an upper conductor 4o and a lower conductor 41 superimposed on each other is prepared. Ta. (For convenience, the display of the support material and liquid crystal material is omitted in FIG. The conductor 4o at the bottom and the conductor 41 at the bottom are not present, and the LCD element is labeled. be done. ) It is the microorganism used as supporting material prepared according to Experimental Example 1. It had a thin plate structure with a curvature. The liquid crystal material has the above smell by referring to Poly(vinylvinyl alcohol) was prepared by the method of U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,047, incorporated herein by the It was encapsulated in a capsule using alcohol. Each LCD element is approximately With a liquid crystal material of 10 to 20 microns thickness, approximately 5x in the cross-sectional area It was 5 mm.

A piece of 2.174-inch poly(vinyl chloride) pipe covers its surface. By rubbing it with a cloth, it was charged with static electricity. At various points along the vibe The voltage at was measured by a Simco model 5s-2X static electricity detector.

The device is then positioned at a radial distance of 2.172 inches from the pipe. was placed in

Wherever the detector indicates the presence of a voltage of 7kV or more, A transition was observed in one or more LCD elements of the device.

FIG/ Hθ-2 FIG 3 FIG-4 Hθ-5 5 people g 6 -7 at 5 h 蜆−θ b-9

Claims (35)

[Claims] 1. A method of detecting an electric field generated by an electrical component, the method comprising: , (I) providing a device having at least one liquid crystal display element; , the display element comprises (a) a first conductor, the first conductor at least part of the body is transparent; (b) said first conductor such that a portion of one of said conductors substantially exceeds the other; a second electrical conductor arranged relative to the electrical conductor; (c) optically responsive to an electric field; and a liquid crystal material located between the first and second conductors, (II) The first and second conductors are located in regions with different electric field strengths. such that the device is in close proximity to the electrical component and connected to the component or ground. providing it without electrically contacting any of the (III) Observing the optical state of the liquid crystal display element. method. 2. The device comprises a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements electrically isolated from each other. A method according to claim 1, comprising an array of. 3. The device comprises an array having a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements, 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein some of the components are electrically connected in series. 4. The device comprises an array having a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements, At least some of the common and continuous first and second conductors are provided separately. The method according to claim 1. 5. The device comprises an array having a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements, at least one of said liquid crystal display elements substantially together with at least one other of said liquid crystal display elements. 2. A method according to claim 1, having different capacitances. 6. The device comprises an array having a plurality of the liquid crystal display elements, The method of claim 1, wherein many of the capacitances are substantially different from each other. . 7. wherein said device comprises a plurality of said liquid crystal display elements having substantially the same capacitance; 2. The method of claim 1, comprising an array having children. 8. The above device separates a common continuous body of encapsulated liquid crystal material. The person according to claim 1, which has one or more liquid crystal display elements provided. Law. 9. Claims wherein at least a portion of each of the first and second conductors is transparent. The method described in box 1. 10. The first and second electrical conductors are supported by first and second supporting materials, respectively. and in each part where the supported conductor is also transparent. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said support material is transparent. 11. The first and second conductors are independently made of gold, nickel, chromium, or titanium oxide. , tin oxide, indium oxide, aluminum, antimony tin oxide, and oxide Claims comprising a material selected from the group consisting of indium tin; The method described in box 1. 12. A claim in which each of the first and second conductors comprises indium tin oxide. The method described in item 1. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical component transmits an electrostatic charge. . 14. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said electrical component carries a high voltage. 15. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal material is encapsulated. 16. Claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal material encapsulated in the capsule is nematic. The method described in Section 5. 17. Claim No. 1, wherein the liquid crystal material encapsulated in the capsule is smectic. The method according to item 15. 18. An apparatus for detecting an electric field surrounding an electrical component, the apparatus comprising: , (I) comprising an array having a plurality of liquid crystal display elements, each of which , (a) comprising a first conductor, at least a portion of the first conductor is transparent; (b) one of said first conductors so that a portion of said conductor extends sufficiently beyond the other; (c) a second conductor arranged relative to the electric field; a liquid crystal material located between the first and second conductors; (II) a protective structure surrounding said array and electrically insulated from external objects; a liquid crystal display having at least one protective package; A device that is at least partially transparent so that the optical state of the element can be visually observed. 19. The device has a thin plate-like structure, and the protective packages are tightly packed together. Claim 18 comprising sealed first and second sheets of transparent support material. equipment. 20. Claim 20, wherein the liquid crystal display elements are electrically insulated from each other. Apparatus described in section. 21. At least some of the liquid crystal display elements have a common first and second 19. The device according to claim 18, wherein the two conductors are provided separately. 22. At least some of the liquid crystal display elements are electrically connected in series. 19. The apparatus according to claim 18. 23. Each of the liquid crystal display elements has substantially the same capacitance. 19. The apparatus according to claim 18. 24. at least one of said liquid crystal display elements is connected to at least one other liquid crystal display element; Claim 18 having a capacitance substantially different from that of the display element. equipment. 25. Most of the above liquid crystal display devices have capacitances that are substantially different from each other. 19. The apparatus of claim 18, comprising: 26. The first and second conductors are independently made of gold, nickel, chromium, or titanium oxide. , tin oxide, indium oxide, aluminum, antimony tin oxide, and oxide Claims comprising a material selected from the group consisting of indium tin; 19. The device according to paragraph 18. 27. A claim in which each of the first and second electrical conductors comprises indium tin oxide. The device according to item 18. 28. A common body of liquid crystal material in which the above liquid crystal display elements are encapsulated. 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the apparatus is provided separately. 29. 19. The device of claim 18, wherein said liquid crystal material is encapsulated. 30. 30. The device of claim 29, wherein said liquid crystal material is nematic. 31. 30. The device of claim 29, wherein said liquid crystal material is smectic. 32. The device further comprises: above the device in a region where the electric field is to be detected; 19. The apparatus of claim 18, comprising insulating means for attachment to the component. . 33. The device further positions the device in a region where the electric field is to be detected. 19. A device according to claim 18, further comprising insulating means for. 34. A liquid crystal device for detecting an electric field surrounding an electrical component, the device comprising: the device has a thin plate structure, and the device includes first and second transparent support sheets; first and second transparent sheets provided on the inner surfaces of the first and second sheets, respectively; conductor, The first and second transparent sheets are optically responsive to an electric field and are arranged between the first and second sheets. a liquid crystal material encapsulated in a capsule sandwiched in contact with a transparent conductor; A portion of the first conductor is overlapped with the second conductor, and vice versa. the first and second transparent conductors are arranged so as to be superimposed on each other, For protection that seals and electrically insulates the conductor and the liquid crystal material from external objects. The first and second sheets are bonded along their edges to form a package of liquid crystal devices that are sealed together. 35. From the electric field strength generated by an electrical component, the potential of said electrical component can be calculated. A method for evaluating amplitude, the method comprising: (I) an array of liquid crystal display elements; each of said display elements comprises: providing an apparatus having: , (a) comprising a first conductor, at least a portion of the first conductor being transparent; , (b) such that said first and second conductors extend sufficiently beyond the other conductors; a second conductor arranged with respect to the first conductor; (c) optically responsive to an electric field and located between the first and second conductors; which liquid crystal material at a particular distance from a power supply with a known potential. The device is calibrated so that the crystal display elements change their optical state. , (II) the device is brought into close proximity to the electrical component by the specified distance; The above equipment shall be provided in such a way that there is no electrical contact with either the components or the earth. step and (III) which liquid crystal display elements changed their state. a step of observing (IV) Step of evaluating the voltage of said component by referring to said calibration. A method with a