JPH09218656A - Electronic information display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device which can recover a magnetic display seat to that of an original characteristic, even if a power supply interrupting time lengthens. SOLUTION: This display device has a magnetic display seat 10 which develops color by being induced to a magnetic field on surface side and is erased by a magnetic field on back side, a recording head 30 which generates a magnetic field for recording onto the surface of magnetic display seat 10 based on the print signal from an external host device, an erase head 20 which is arranged on the back side of magnetic display seat 10 and generates a magnetic field for erasing, and a cabinet 1 to accommodate the device main body. And in an initial operation of the device when the power source of the device is turned on, the print schedule area is erased with the erase head by circulating the magnetic display seat 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic information display device for recording and displaying a still image on a magnetic display based on print information sent from an external host device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a magnetically responsive magnetic display sheet has been known as a display body which develops or erases color in response to the direction and strength of a magnetic field (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 48-48).
56393, JP-A-53-21945, JP-A-2-
146082).

[0003] Such a magnetic display sheet can draw simple characters and figures by contacting a magnet pen with a built-in magnet on the sheet surface, and can be reused many times by erasing. Has been put to practical use.

In recent years, an electronic information display device has been developed which records and displays a still image on a magnetic display sheet by forming a dot-matrix magnetic field by a recording head based on print information sent from an external host device. Is being done.
Since the electronic information display device can change the display content arbitrarily by remote control from an external host device, it can be installed at public facilities, stations, retail stores, etc. Can be widely announced and advertised. In addition, poster replacement work is not required, which contributes to resource saving of paper and the like, and is therefore expected to be a future bulletin board.

[0005]

In such an electronic information display device, it is possible to rewrite the display content frequently, but generally, the printed content should be kept displayed for a relatively long time. There are many. In particular, the content printed on the magnetic display sheet is characterized in that it is retained as it is even if the power supply of the apparatus is cut off, so that there is a tendency for the power supply cutoff time to be long because of power saving.

However, when a resin sheet such as a magnetic display sheet is generally left in the same state for a long time, the flexibility of the sheet may decrease due to tension. Also,
The reaction of the magnetic particles in the magnetic display sheet also slows down, and the desired print density may not be obtained.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic information display device capable of recovering the magnetic display sheet to its original characteristics even if the power-off time is long or the same display contents have passed for a long time. It is to be.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, an endless magnetic display body that develops color in response to a magnetic field on the surface side and is erasable by a magnetic field on the back surface side and an external host device is used. A recording head for generating a recording magnetic field toward the surface of the magnetic display member based on the print signal of 1., and a first magnetic unit for generating a magnetic field toward the surface of the magnetic display member, An apparatus provided with a second magnetic means arranged on the back side of the magnetic display body for generating a magnetic field toward the back side of the magnetic display body, and a pair of rollers for transporting the magnetic display body. From the time when the power is turned on until the printing is started, the magnetic display body is circulated so that the area to be printed is colored by the first magnetic means, and then erased by the second magnetic means. It is an electronic information display device.
According to the present invention, the magnetic display member is circulated between the power-on of the apparatus and the start of printing so that the print-scheduled area becomes the first area.
After being colored by the magnetic means of No. 1 and erased by the second magnetic means, the fluidity of the magnetic particles and non-magnetic particles encapsulated in the magnetic display body and the liquid for dispersion, which have been lowered during the long-term standing, are reduced. In addition, the quality is improved, the magnetic particles are reliably attracted during printing by the recording head, and high-quality printing can be realized. further,
By cycling the seat every time the power is turned on,
The flexibility of the magnetic display sheet is also restored moderately.

[0009]

1 is a sectional view showing an internal structure of an embodiment of the present invention as seen from a side surface, and FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view thereof. The roller 5 on the driven side of the inside upper part of the casing 1
0 is arranged, a driving side roller 60 is arranged at the lower inside, and a flexible and endless magnetic display sheet 10 is hung between the two rollers 50, 60. The roller 50 is urged upward by an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring, and applies a constant tension to the magnetic display sheet 10 to stabilize the running of the sheet and maintain the flatness of the sheet surface. The roller 60 is rotationally driven by a motor 63 via gears 61 and 62. By driving the rollers 60, the magnetic display sheet 10 moves from the bottom to the top on the front side of the housing 1 (on the left side in FIG. 1, and on the back side in FIG. 2).
On the rear surface side (right side in FIG. 1, front side in FIG. 2), circulation is performed so as to transfer from top to bottom.

A display window 2 made of a transparent material such as acrylic resin or glass is formed on the front surface of the housing 1. In order to make the printed contents on the magnetic display sheet 10 easy to see, it is preferable to place the magnetic display sheet 10 as close to the display window 2 as possible. It is preferable to install and at a predetermined distance, for example, about 4 mm. Case 1
The parts other than the display window 2 are preferably formed of a magnetic shield material in order to prevent the influence of an external magnetic field. Further, in order to prevent the influence of the external electric field, the housing 1 including the display window 2 is preferably made of a conductive material.

The recording head 30 is installed below the rear surface transfer side of the magnetic display sheet 10, and a dot matrix is directed toward the surface of the magnetic display sheet 10 based on a print signal from an external host device (not shown). Generate a recording magnetic field. The recording head 30 has, for example, 12 pins × 2 rows of zigzag electromagnetic coils, and is mounted on a carriage 31 that reciprocates in the sheet width direction. The carriage 31 is fixed to a part of an endless belt 33 suspended between two pulleys 34 and 35, and is driven by a motor 36 that rotates the pulley 35 while being guided by two guide shafts 32. .

The erasing head 20 is composed of a permanent magnet or the like having a length equal to or larger than the sheet width, and is arranged above the front side of the magnetic display sheet 10 so as to be in close contact with the back side of the magnetic display sheet 10. There is. The full-face write head 21 is composed of a permanent magnet or the like having a length equal to or larger than the sheet width, and is arranged close to the surface of the magnetic sheet 10 on the upstream side of conveyance of the erasing head 20.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the recording head 30. The recording head 30 is provided with a plurality of electromagnetic coils 38 corresponding to the print dots.
A rod-shaped magnetic core 37 is arranged at the center of the. Multiple magnetic cores 3
The reference numerals 7 stand on a plate-shaped base yoke 39 in a predetermined arrangement, for example, in a staggered arrangement. The front yoke 40 constitutes the housing of the recording head 30 so as to house the electromagnetic coil 38 and the magnetic core 37 therein, and is joined at the end of the base yoke 39. A circular opening is formed on the front surface of the front yoke 40 so that the tip of the magnetic core 37 formed in a tapered shape is as close to the surface of the magnetic display sheet 10 as possible through a certain space. The magnetic field thus generated in the electromagnetic coil 38 passes through the magnetic circuit including the magnetic core 37, the air gap, the front yoke 40, the base yoke 39, and the magnetic core 37, and due to the existence of the air gap,
A high magnetic flux density is generated near the tip of the magnetic core 37 toward the sheet surface side.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing the structure of the magnetic display sheet 10. On the magnetic display sheet 10, microcapsules 15 that develop color in response to magnetism are applied and fixed over the entire surface. The microcapsule 15 is composed of a high-viscosity liquid and a spherical shell that holds the liquid tightly.
In this liquid, substantially black magnetic particles and substantially white non-magnetic particles are dispersed. For example, black iron oxide (Fe ₃ O ₄ ) particles having a particle size of 0.1 to ₅ μm are used as magnetic particles, and white titanium oxide particles having a particle size of 0.1 to ₅ μm are used as nonmagnetic particles. In addition, as the high-viscosity liquid, an aqueous liquid, an oil or fat, an organic solvent including a surfactant-based solvent or the like is used, and gelatin is mainly used as a material of the spherical shell. Distributed in a range.

The microcapsules 15 are kneaded with a binder 14 made of a highly transparent synthetic rubber-based adhesive or the like, applied to a substrate 11 made of a transparent material such as polyethylene terephthalate, and have a thickness of, for example, 400 to 1000.
A μm capsule coating layer 12 is formed.

On the back surface of the capsule coating layer 12, a protective sheet 13 made of polypropylene long-fiber non-woven fabric or the like is adhered so as to have a thickness of, for example, 0.3 to 1 mm, so that the sheet travels smoothly.

As the above-mentioned high-viscosity liquid in the microcapsule 15, a liquid having a predetermined viscosity is selected in order to maintain the display state by the magnetic particles moved to the back surface side or the surface side by applying a magnetic field. That is, when the viscosity of the liquid is low, it is possible to prevent the display state from being collapsed by the particles once moved to the front surface side or the back surface side settling or moving due to vibration or the like. Therefore, the above-described recording head 3
The magnetic attraction force in the zero and erasing heads 20 needs to be greater than the yield value due to the viscosity of the liquid, and thereby writing and erasing of a display are performed.

Next, the principle of magnetic recording and erasing will be described. In the magnetic display sheet 10 having such a structure, as shown in FIG. 3, when the recording head 30 is brought close to the surface side on which the substrate 10 is located and a recording magnetic field is generated based on a print signal, the inside of the microcapsule 15 is The magnetic particles dispersed in are attracted toward the substrate 10, and the pressure causes the nonmagnetic particles to move toward the protective sheet 13. Then
When viewed from the surface side of the magnetic display sheet 10, it is observed that the portion to which the recording magnetic field is applied is colored substantially black, and the recording head 3
By applying a magnetic field in the form of a dot matrix using 0, it is possible to record characters, symbols, etc. as in a dot printer.

Next, when the erasing head 20 is brought close to the back surface side of the magnetic display sheet 10, that is, the side where the protective sheet 13 is located, the magnetic particles dispersed in the microcapsules 15 are attracted to the protective sheet 13 side and the pressure thereof is applied. The non-magnetic particles move to the side of the substrate 10. Then, when viewed from the front side of the magnetic display sheet 10, the portion to which the erasing magnetic field is applied becomes substantially white, and the erasing magnetic field is uniformly erased by applying the erasing magnetic field to the entire sheet width.

A full-face write head 21 is arranged upstream of the erasing head 20 on the conveying side, and the erasing head 20 is used to temporarily force normal print contents consisting of characters and figures to the full-print state. By erasing the entire surface, it is possible to eliminate the unevenness of erasure in which the previously printed content is mottled and to improve the fluidity of the magnetic particles and the non-magnetic particles in the microcapsule 15. That is, after the magnetic particles dispersed in the liquid are once attracted to the surface side,
This is because all the particles including the non-magnetic particles move inside the microcapsule 15 by being attracted to the back side, the dispersion liquid is stirred, and the yield value of the dispersion liquid is temporarily lowered and the viscosity is lowered. . By improving the fluidity of the dispersion liquid and the magnetic particles and the non-magnetic particles, the magnetic particles are reliably moved by the magnetic attraction by the recording head 30, and the coloring of the print is enhanced to obtain a high contrast.

Next, the operation of the entire apparatus will be described. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, first, before printing is started, the magnetic display sheet 10 is circulated at a constant speed to pass in front of the full-scale write head 21 to once develop the entire color, and then the erasing head is continued. The entire area of the print-scheduled area is erased by passing before 20. Next, each time a print signal is received from the external host device and the development of the image data for one print line is completed, the recording head 30 moves in the sheet width direction and the electromagnetic coil 38 keeps moving for several tens to several hundreds of milliseconds. Magnetic printing is performed by applying a pulse current and applying a dot matrix magnetic field to the surface of the magnetic display sheet 10.

When printing of one line is completed, the magnetic display sheet 10 is moved by a predetermined feed pitch and stopped, and then printing is performed based on the image data developed for the next print line. Thus, the development of the image data, the recording head 30
The image for one screen (one printing area) is formed by repeating the serial printing of 1 and the intermittent feeding of the magnetic display sheet 10.

When a new image is printed next, the magnetic display sheet 10 is circulated at a constant speed to improve the fluidity in the microcapsule by the full-face write head 21 and the erase head 20, as described above. After erasing the entire surface, serial printing is performed by the recording head 30.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical construction of the electronic information display device according to the present invention. The electronic information display device includes a CPU (central processing unit) 81 that manages the operation of the entire device, a ROM (read only memory) 82 that is a non-volatile memory, and a RAM (random access memory) 83 that allows data rewriting. , An interface (I / F) 84 for connecting to the external host device HC, a control circuit 85 for controlling the operation of the drive system such as the recording head 30 and the motors 36, 63, and a timer for measuring the elapsed time. It is composed of 86 and the like.

The CPU 81 executes processing such as data input / output, data transfer, and calculation according to a program stored in the ROM 82. The ROM 82 stores programs and data necessary for the operation of the CPU 81 and data necessary for printing such as character codes and character fonts. RA
The M83 is used for the work area of the CPU 81, the temporary storage of the received data from the external host device HC, the expansion of the document data, and the like. The interface 84 exchanges data with the external host device HC. The control circuit 85
The carriage 31 is controlled by outputting a current for selectively driving the electromagnetic coil 38 of the recording head 30 and controlling the motor 36.
Of the magnetic display sheet 10 is controlled by controlling the moving position of the magnetic display sheet 10 or the motor 63.

The CPU 81, ROM 82, RA
The M83, the interface 84, the control circuit 85, and the timer 86 are connected to each other by a bus 80 including an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing the conveying operation of the magnetic display sheet 10. Endless magnetic display sheet 10
Are held with a predetermined tension between the upper roller 50 and the lower roller 60. In FIG. 6, the total length of the magnetic display sheet is divided into two, and two printing areas are secured such that the first printing area (A side) is in half and the second printing area (B side) is in the other half. Further, by further arranging the recording head 30 and the erasing head 20 at a distance of about half of the total sheet length from each other in the sheet conveying path, one printing area (for example, side A) is printed while the other printing area ( For example, it is possible to simultaneously erase the (B side).

At the side end of the magnetic display sheet 10, two transmission holes, a reference hole MA corresponding to the sheet home position on the A side and a reference hole MB corresponding to the sheet home position on the B side, are formed. The length of MA along the sheet length is formed to be longer than that of the reference hole MB, and these reference holes MA and MB are detected by the photocoupler PC.

A full-face write head 21 is arranged on the upstream side of sheet conveyance from the position of the erasing head 20 and close to the surface of the magnetic display sheet 10.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus when the power is turned on. When the power is turned on, first, the conveyance of the magnetic display sheet 10 is started in step a1, and the photocoupler PC sets the reference holes MA and M in step a2.
The sheet is continuously conveyed at a constant speed until either one of B is detected. When the first home position is detected, the sheet is continuously conveyed at a constant speed until the photo coupler PC detects the second home position, that is, the rest of the reference holes MA and MB in step a3. When the second home position is detected, the process moves to step a4 to stop the sheet conveyance, and further the timer 8 is operated at step a5.
The timing operation of No. 6 is started, and it shifts to the standby state.

Thus, when the power is turned on, the two home positions are detected and the passage times of the reference holes MA and MB, that is, the lengths of the holes are measured, whereby it is possible to discriminate between the A side and the B side. it can. Further, since the magnetic display sheet 10 is circulated at a constant speed in accordance with the home position detecting operation, all particles in the microcapsules 15 move in at least one print area by the full-face write head 21 and the erase head 20. However, the fluidity is enhanced and the entire surface is erased cleanly.

Furthermore, if a considerable amount of time has passed from the previous power-on to the current power-on, the flexibility of the magnetic display sheet 10 may decrease due to the tension. Therefore, by performing the sheet circulation operation every time the power is turned on, the flexibility of the magnetic display sheet is appropriately restored, and the fluidity of the magnetic particles and the non-magnetic particles in the microcapsules 15 is also restored. Contribute to improvement.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a normal printing operation. When a print command is sent from the external host device HC, the print operation is started from the standby state. First, in step b1, it is determined whether or not the measured time T of the timer 86 which started the time measurement in step a5 of FIG. 7 has exceeded a predetermined time T1 (for example, 1 hour). After the lapse of the predetermined time T1, the sheet circulation operation is performed before the start of printing in order to restore the flexibility of the magnetic display sheet 10 and the responsiveness of particles. In step b2, sheet conveyance is started,
In step b3, it is determined whether or not the head of the desired print area has reached the position of the recording head 30, and the sheet conveyance is continued until the print cue is completed. When the cue is completed, the sheet is conveyed in step b4. Stop.

On the other hand, if the elapsed time from the power-on at the step b1 is less than the predetermined time T1, the steps b2 to b4 are jumped.

Next, in step b5, printing is started line by line based on the print signal from the external host device, and in step b6 the carriage is returned to the beginning of the line and the magnetic display sheet 10 is moved by a constant feed pitch while starting line feed. After the conveyance, it is determined in the next step b7 whether or not the print data of the next line exists, and steps b5 to b7 are repeated as long as the data to be printed exists.

When there is no print data in the next line in step b7, the sheet conveyance is restarted in step b8, and the sheet conveyance is continued until the print area is positioned at the display window 2 in step b9. When the entire print area is conveyed to a position where it is properly displayed through step b1,
At 0, the sheet conveyance is stopped and the entire printing operation is completed. Then, in step b11, the timer 86 is reset, and in step b12, the timer 86 is restarted to wait for the next print command. When the next printing operation is started, the elapsed time from the end of the previous printing is measured, and if the predetermined time T1 is exceeded, the previous printing area,
For example, after the magnetic display sheet 10 is conveyed so that the side A passes through the erasing head 20 at a constant speed, the step b is performed again.
Start from 1 and print on the same side A. If the predetermined time has not been exceeded, printing is performed on side B. Note that these two print areas may be appropriately exchanged in order to homogenize the change over time. For example, if the A side is printed / erased 10 times, then the B side is printed / erased 10 times, and then the It is desirable to use it in such a manner that it is changed to the A side.

In the above embodiment, the erase head 2 is used.
Although the full-write head 21 was used as the first magnetic means at the upstream position of the transport immediately before 0, the recording head 30 was used instead of the full-write head 21, and the print-scheduled area was solidly printed in the initial operation when the power was turned on. It is also possible to substitute it by operating it.

[0038]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, between the power-on of the apparatus and the start of printing, the magnetic display member is circulated so that the area to be printed is colored by the full write head and then erased. By erasing with the head, the fluidity of the magnetic particles, the non-magnetic particles and the dispersion liquid enclosed in the magnetic display sheet is improved, so that the color density in the recording portion is increased and the printing quality is significantly improved. Further, since the flexibility of the magnetic display body is appropriately restored, the contact state or the proximity state of the magnetic display body with the erasing head or the recording head becomes uniform, and the erasing or recording quality becomes stable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an internal configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the internal configuration of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of a recording head 30.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of the magnetic display sheet 10.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electronic information display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing a conveying operation of the magnetic display sheet 10.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus when the power is turned on.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a normal printing operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Case 2 Display Window 10 Magnetic Display Sheet 11 Base 12 Capsule Coating Layer 13 Protective Sheet 14 Binder 15 Micro Capsule 20 Erase Head 21 Full-Writing Head 30 Recording Head 31 Carriage 32 Guide Axis 33 Belt 37 Magnetic Core 38 Electromagnetic Coil 39 Base Yoke 40 Front yoke 50, 60 Roller

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A magnetic display body which is colored in response to a magnetic field on the front surface side and which can be erased by a magnetic field on the rear surface side, and which is based on a print signal from an endless magnetic display unit and an external host device. A recording head for generating a recording magnetic field toward the surface of the magnetic display body, a first magnetic unit for generating a magnetic field toward the surface of the magnetic display body, and a back side of the magnetic display body. The second magnetic means is arranged and has a second magnetic means for generating a magnetic field toward the back surface of the magnetic display body, and a pair of rollers for conveying the magnetic display body, and printing is started from power-on of the apparatus. In the meantime, the magnetic information display device is circulated to cause the print-targeted area to be colored by the first magnetic means, and then erased by the second magnetic means.