JPS5852225B2 - display device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a display device that can arbitrarily display alphabetic characters, particularly lowercase characters.

For example, as electronic watches become more multi-functional, it has become important to display character information, especially alphabetic information, in addition to numerical information.

However, the display devices that have been proposed in the past have been limited in the number of segments due to wiring problems, and are currently only capable of displaying about three characters at most.

Further, in liquid crystal display devices, there are problems in pattern formation associated with wiring, resulting in defects such as distorted fonts.

The present invention eliminates these conventional drawbacks, and provides a display device that can arbitrarily display character information in lowercase English letters with relatively easy wiring and effective use of segments. The purpose is to

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A shows an example of a segment pattern, and FIG. 1A shows an example of a common electrode pattern.

The segment pattern consists of vertically arranged segments 1a, 1b and horizontally arranged segments 2a, 2.
The structure is based on a lattice pattern in which an appropriate number of segments 1atlb and 2c are arranged in parallel, and segments 1c are further arranged in the vertical direction on the upper extension of segment 1atlb.

As shown in FIG.
Common electrode 3, segment) 1a.

A second common electrode 4, segment lb, 2 corresponds to part 2b.
A third common electrode 5 is formed corresponding to the 0 part.

Wiring lines 6 and 7 are vertically arranged segments 1a and 1b.
, Ic and the laterally arranged segment F 2 a ,
2 b 12 c are derived and formed in common, thereby enabling so-called % duty dynamic driving.

Note that the upper and lower segments 2a and 2c arranged in the horizontal direction
may be formed by increasing the curvature so as to protrude upward and downward, respectively, as shown in the example segment pattern of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a display example of alphabetic characters (lowercase letters) a=z displayed in the segment pattern of FIG.

According to this segment pattern, b, d, f,
At h, jl, 11, t, etc., the segment (1c) added to the grid pattern is selected and driven to display a balance with other alphabetic characters, that is, the balance of the entire display.

Also, each segment tl, a. 1b Tsu 1C22a, 2b,
Since 2C sets are arranged in parallel, m, n1v, w
As shown in one display example, it is possible to display three or four segments in the horizontal direction, and as can be understood from these display examples, each alphabetic character must be spaced appropriately from adjacent alphabetic characters. It is also possible to display the image as a whole, and these are also effective in maintaining the balance of the entire display.

Although not disclosed in the display example of FIG. 3, this segment pattern includes, of course, the conventionally known Japanese character pattern, and numerical information can also be displayed if desired.

FIG. 4 shows examples of segment patterns and common electrode patterns when the types of character information are limited.

As can be seen in the figure, segments 1c' (longer segment) 1c' and shorter segment 1c/' are added on the upper extension of segments 1a, 1b as segment 1lc (shown here with an additional dash for special distinction). (It is intentionally unnecessary to form segments in parts that do not require display.)

Even if there is, in this case, there is no problem as long as it is not driven), and the rightmost segment 1
A new inverted-shaped segment 1d is formed on the lower extensions of a and 1b.

The common electrode pattern differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in that at the right end, segment tla is included in the first common electrode 3, segment 1b is included in the second common electrode 4, and segment 1d is included in the third common electrode 5. Others are formed in substantially the same manner.

The character information in this pattern example is alarm, timer, c
chrono (= chronograph) month, date, hour
(hour), m1nute (minute), s e cond or see (second), hourset (hour setting), m1
The display mode instruction for ``nute set'' (minute setting) is
and 5unday (Sunday), monday (Monday)
, tue day (abbreviation of Tuesday), we
d day (abbreviation of Wednesday), thu
day (thursday (')I omitted, Thursday),
friday (Friday), sat day (5at
This information is limited to display information for each day of the week (Saturday).

Display examples are sequentially shown in FIGS. 5a''-r.

As is clear from comparison with Fig. 4, the relatively long segment 1c'1 on the left end is the letter h in Fig. 5 f, i, and the next short segment 1/1 is the letter t in Fig. 5.・・・・・・・・・
, the rightmost inverted character segment 1d is the alphabetical character y of ~r in the same figure.
These limited alphabetic information, such as, are displayed with better balance of the entire display.

Incidentally, each segment corresponds to the character information a"-r in FIG. 5 as shown in the table below.

FIG. 6 shows a case where it is applied to a display cell of an electronic watch, in which a first display pattern 8 of 5% digits, which is well known in the past, and a second display pattern 8 including a lattice-like part of the present invention explained in FIG. It has a display pattern 9.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the main electrical circuit used in this display cell.

Oscillator 10, frequency divider 11. Second counter 12, minute counter 13, hour counter 14, day counter 15, month counter 1
6. The configuration of the day counter 17 is conventionally known.

Here, the contents of each count of the second counter 12, minute counter 13, and hour counter 14 are determined by the external switch input S1. S2,
The signal is supplied to the display cell 20 via a first decoder/driver 19 controlled by a control circuit 18 that operates as appropriate, such as 83, and is displayed in a first display pattern 8 (see FIG. 6).

Note that although the circuit example of FIG. 7 omits the alarm, timer, chronograph circuit, etc., these contents are also supplied to the display cell 20 as appropriate via the first decoder/driver 19 under the control of the control circuit 18. The first display pattern 8 is displayed.

The second decoder driver 21 controls the control contents of the control circuit 18, the day counter 15, the month counter 16, and the day counter 17.
The contents of each count are inputted, and each of these contents is selected by a control signal from the control circuit 18 and supplied to the display cell 20.

That is, if the control content of the control circuit 18 is selected, the above-mentioned display mode information is displayed in alphabetical characters in the second display pattern 9, and if the count content of the day counter 17 is selected, the day of the week is displayed in the same way. Display information is displayed in alphabetical characters.

Also, here, the count contents of the day counter 15 and month counter 16 are input, but these are simultaneously selected and supplied to the display cell 20, so that in the second display pattern 9, the month and day are displayed numerically. I have to.

The details of the second decoder/driver 21 are shown in FIG.

The decoder includes decoders 22°23.24 for mode display, day display, month and day display, and gate circuit 25.
One of these is selected and taken out in response to a control signal from a control circuit (not shown in FIG. 8).

The gate circuit 26 processes each set of multiple segments to sequentially output one segment signal line each, and further outputs the liquid crystal dynamic drive with % bias and % duty via the next stage driver 27. I am trying to convert it into a signal.

The timing circuit 28 is a timing source for % bias and % duty, and is connected to the gate circuit 26 and the driver 27.
A timing signal is input to each, and each is processed in synchronization.

As described above, the present invention forms segments based on a lattice pattern that partially protrudes in the vertical direction, and divides the segments into three in the vertical direction to form a common electrode, making wiring suitable for dynamic drive with a % duty. In addition to making it easy to use, segments can be used effectively to display arbitrary information consisting of lowercase letters in a well-balanced manner throughout the display, making it an optimal display device for use in electronic watches and the like.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1A is a segment pattern diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a common electrode pattern diagram, FIG. 2 is a segment pattern diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a segment pattern and common electrode pattern diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example according to FIG. 4.
The figure is a plan view of a watch display cell showing an application example of Fig. 4, Fig. 7 is a main part electric circuit diagram of the same application example, and Fig. 8 is a plan view of a watch display cell showing an application example of Fig. 4.
FIG. 3 is an electrical circuit diagram showing the main parts of the figure in more detail. 1a, Ib, 1c, 2a, 2b, 2e...-Segment, 3...First common electrode, 4...
Second common electrode, 5...Third common electrode, 6,7.
·····wiring.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1 vertically arranged segments 1at1b and laterally arranged segments 2a, 2b. Based on a lattice pattern formed by arranging an appropriate number of 2c in parallel,
forming at least a plurality of segments 1c arranged vertically on the upper extensions of the segments Ia and 1b, and connecting the segments 1atIb and 1c and the segments 2a and 2b to 2C to form a segment signal; In addition, the segment is divided into 1° in the vertical direction. A first common electrode, segment 1a, corresponds to section 2a. 2b corresponding to the second common electrode, segment) 1b. A display device in which a third common electrode is formed corresponding to the 20 parts, and the display device is dynamically driven at a duty ratio of %. 2. In claim 1, segment 1
A display device characterized in that C is formed on all upper extensions of the segments 1a and 1b. 3 In claim 1, segment 1
segments 10' of different lengths as c. 1. A display device characterized by forming a 1/.