JPS63184782A - Information display body and display device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an information display body and a display device using the same.

(Prior Art) As is well known, visual information is sometimes written on the surface of a display medium such as a film, and displayed by exposing this display medium, for example, through a display window of a display device.

One of the display media used for such displays is
It has a reversible property that develops color when heated and disappears when cooled.
Heat-sensitive display materials are also known that are reusable by using chemical substances that have hysteresis characteristics with respect to temperature. Due to the above-mentioned properties, this display body displays image information by utilizing a phenomenon in which two states, coloring and decoloring, can coexist at a certain temperature, but in order to maintain the display state of image information, There is a problem in that the display body must always be maintained at a temperature at which the two states can coexist, for example, by heating or cooling.

On the other hand, in recent years, heat-sensitive materials have been discovered that can reversibly repeat a cloudy state and a transparent state depending on the heating temperature, and can stably maintain either state below a certain temperature.

This heat-sensitive material (hereinafter referred to as thermochromic material) is composed of a matrix material made of thermoplastic resin or the like and an organic low-molecular substance dispersed in the matrix material. t depending on its temperature
It has the property that the state after cooling changes to 0 or less.

That is, as shown in the second diagram, this thermochromic material has two state transition points t0 to t and t to tz (to<t, 70<t2) at a temperature higher than to, and t2.
After heating to the above temperature, when the temperature is lowered to below t0, the film becomes cloudy and becomes light-shielded.

On the other hand, if it is heated to a temperature range indicated by t□ and then cooled to below t0, it becomes transparent with high transmittance.

Furthermore, if the heating state is between t0 and t1, or between t0 and t1,
In the case of a temperature between 2 and 2, depending on the heating temperature, the white turbidity of the thermochromic material shows a continuous intermediate cloudy state from a transparent state to a maximum white cloudy state when cooled.

In FIG. 2, for the thermochromic material which is initially in a cloudy state, the solid line shows the light transmittance curve during heating, and the broken line shows the transmittance curve after cooling to below t0. The thermochromic material, which is initially in a transparent state, exhibits similar characteristics except for the transmittance below t1.

Examples of thermochromic materials used here are as follows. That is, the matrix material includes polyester, polyamide, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polystyrene, silicone resin,
One or more polymers selected from thermoplastic resins such as polyvinyl chloride, pinylidene chloride-vinyl chloride copolymer, and vinylidene chloride-acrylonitrile copolymer can be used.

The organic low-molecular substances include saturated or unsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids or their esters, amides and ammonium salts, saturated or unsaturated halogenated fatty acids or their esters, amides and ammonium salts, arylcarboxylic acids or their ester,
Among the amides and ammonium salts, one or more substances selected from organic compounds having 10 to 30 carbon atoms can be used. Particularly preferred substances include linear saturated higher fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, and behenic acid, or their esters, amides, and ammonium salts.

Such a thermochromic material is laminated on, for example, a colorless and transparent base material to exhibit a partially cloudy state, and these compositions are constituted as one information display body.

This display material is made by combining the above-mentioned composition as one unit into many layers, and utilizes the properties of thermochromic material to display image information by combining it with a colored background plate, for example. It is now possible to display (
For example, JP-A-57-92370, JP-A-57-2
12481).

Further, for displaying such an information display body, for example, a display device having a display window for exposure is used.

That is, this display device is located at a position facing the 1 display window,
For example, a black colored background board is brought close to the information display body, and the temperature control is applied to the information display body to appropriately select the transparent state or the cloudy state of the information display body. In particular, when the transparent state is selected, , information is displayed using the color of the background board.

By the way, as mentioned above, in the case of conventional information display bodies, when displaying in different colors, it is necessary to superimpose several sets of information display bodies composed of a transparent material and a thermochromic material. Because it will be.

Information display bodies have become larger, especially thicker, making handling more and more inconvenient;
When a transparent or cloudy state is selected, there is a problem that only a monochrome display can be performed in combination with a background plate, and as a result, only a small number of types of display can be performed.

(Objective) In view of the problems of conventional information display bodies, an object of the present invention is to provide a display body that has a simple structure and is capable of displaying using a large number of colors.

(Structure) In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a method in which at least two heat-sensitive layers (hereinafter referred to as thermochromic layers) are provided without being mixed together, and each thermochromic layer is a separate layer. The second invention is characterized in that the information display body is movably provided with at least two layers without the thermocomic layers being intermixed, and at least the information display body is colored. It is characterized in that a recording thermal head is arranged on one side to control the heating state of the information display body in two or more stages.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of an information display body according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, the information display body 10 is constructed by laminating first and second thermochromic layers 10A and IOB, each made of a matrix material and an organic low-molecular substance, on a thin film.

This thermochromic layer can have a colorant such as a dye or a pigment mixed and dispersed in its matrix material. For example, the first thermochromic layer 10A can be made white (cloudy) by itself, and the second thermochromic layer 10A can be made white (cloudy) by itself. The thermochromic layer 10B is made into a red colored layer by mixing a red additive material.

Since this embodiment has the above-described structure, the shaded area in FIG. 1(B) is a cloudy area.

If the other parts are transparent, when looking upward, a white image can be seen in the cloudy part of the first thermochromic layer 10A, regardless of the state of the second thermochromic layer 10B. .

Further, when the first thermochromic layer 10A is transparent and the second thermochromic layer 10B is cloudy, the red color is visible due to the red coloring material in the second thermochromic layer 10B.

Furthermore, the first and second thermochromic layers 10A, 10
When B are both transparent, the reflected light is red due to the coloring material of the second thermochromic layer 10B, but for example, when the background plate 22 is black, the reflected light is red. Since light is also absorbed by the background plate 22, the transparent portion appears black.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the information display body can display information in three colors: white, red, and a color corresponding to the background color.

In the embodiment described above, the information display body was constructed by laminating the first and second thermochromic layers, but instead of coloring these thermochromic layers, a white thermochromic layer was used. A colored layer may be provided in between.

That is, an example of this case is shown in FIG. 1(C), in which the information display body initially has two thermochromic layers 10A exhibiting white color, and between these layers,
A colored layer 10C containing a red coloring material is arranged.

Since this embodiment has the above-described structure, the structure shown in FIG. 1 (D
) As shown in FIG. 1(B), when the viewpoint is placed upward, in the cloudy part of the thermochromic layer 10A on the viewpoint side (the shaded part in the figure), the color of the colored layer 10C is affected. A white image is visible.

- F. If the thermochromic layer 10A on the viewpoint side is transparent and the other thermochromic layer 10B is cloudy, the color will be red or pale due to the coloring material of the colored layer IOC and the cloudy part of the thermochromic layer. It looks red.

If all of the thermochromic layers are transparent, similar to the information display body shown in FIG. 1(A),
Although it is red due to the coloring material of the colored layer 10C, if the background plate 22 is black, the red maple light will also be absorbed, so the transparent portion will appear black.

Therefore, even in this embodiment, information can be displayed in three colors: white, red, and a color corresponding to the background.

In addition, examples of intervening a new layer in a thermochromic living room include Figure 1 (E), Figure 1 CG) and Figure 1 (
Transparent or colored insulation 10D as shown in H)
and 10D1 may be arranged.

The reason for intervening the heat insulating layer in the structure of these embodiments is to make it easier to distinguish the temperature level of each part of the thermochromic layer, and to also serve as a base material for the information display body.

That is, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1(E), (G), and (H), different temperature conditions are applied to the thermochromic layers arranged in the upper layer and the lower layer, and information is read by the thermal head of the writing section. This is to change the recording state.

It should be noted that the display mode obtained by these examples is based on the same principle as the display on the information display body shown in FIG. 1(A) and FIG. 1(C), and the same result is obtained. In FIG. 1(F) and FIG. 1(I), only the reflected light is shown and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

Further, in addition to the above example, it is also possible to further increase the number of thermochromic layers in the information display body 10.

That is, FIG. 9 shows that on both upper and lower surfaces of a transparent intermediate layer 10D, a white thermochromic layer 1 is provided on the upper surface.
0A and a second thermochromic layer 10E colored, for example, yellow (hereinafter referred to as "A color"), and a third thermochromic layer 10E colored, for example, in magenta color (hereinafter referred to as "A color") is laminated on the bottom surface. An information display body is shown that is constructed by laminating a thermochromic layer 10F and a fourth thermochromic JIIOG colored, for example, blue (hereinafter referred to as C color).

In such an information display body, information is written by a pair of writing heads (thermal heads) provided correspondingly to the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

The mode of display in this example is based on the same principle as in the case of the information display body shown in Fig. 1 above, and a multicolor display result is obtained by subtractive color mixing of colors. A detailed explanation will be omitted.

It should be noted that in the figure, a red color is obtained with the symbol a+b, and a purple color is obtained with a+b+c.

Therefore, even in this example, it is possible to display a plurality of colors corresponding to the number of superimposed thermochromic layers.

The information display body consisting of each structure described above basically has at least two thermochromic layers, but may also include a surface protection layer, a non-reflective layer, or an intermediate adhesive layer. Sometimes I do.

That is, 1. The purpose of providing each of these layers is to provide chemical protection for the ink material and mechanical Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, a protective layer 11 is provided on the surface of the information display body shown in FIG. 1.

According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to display information in three or more colors simply by bonding at least two thermochromic layers.

Next, a display device for displaying such an information display body will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the display device 20 is mounted and fixed on a pedestal 30 equipped with a container 31 for small items such as markers and blackboard erasers, and has a display window 20A formed in the front.

Inside the display device 20, there are a plurality of rollers 21a, 21b, 2 around which the belt-shaped information display body 10 is wound.
1c and 21d are arranged to transport the information display body 10 in the direction of the arrow shown.

On the other hand, a background board 22 whose surface is painted black, for example, is arranged at a position facing the display window 20A across the information display body 10, and inside the information display body 10 located on the opposite side of the background board 22. A heater constituting the eraser 23 is arranged.

As will be described in detail later, the eraser 23 is an information display body IO
The heating temperature for the information display element 10 is controlled to vary depending on the erasing method, and specifically, it is set to a temperature that makes the information display body 10 completely transparent or completely white. 'Furthermore, in front of the display window 20A in the direction in which the information display body 10 is transported, a writing device 24 consisting of one or a pair of thermal heads with the information display body lO in between is arranged. A reading device 25 consisting of a photoelectric conversion device including a CCD is arranged behind the display window 20A in the direction.

The writing device 24 is operated by receiving a signal from a device such as an image scanner or a facsimile via an interface (not shown), and the manner of operation based on the signal will be described later.

Further, the reading device 25 has a light source such as a fluorescent lamp and a mirror, similar to those used in conventional display devices, and image signals enter the CCD via this mirror, a lens, another mirror, etc. , from which electrical signals are transmitted to devices such as printers.

The display window 20A described above is generally covered with a transparent material such as glass or plastic, but if it is opened as shown in the figure, information can be written directly on the information display body 10 using a marker used on a commercially available whiteboard. can be included.

In the display device 20 described above, when the information display body 1O is transferred, information is erased by the eraser 23, and the writing device 24
information is written and displayed on the display window 20A.

Information is then read by the reading device 25.

By the way, when erasing information using the eraser 23,
Based on the properties of the thermochromic layer described above, two methods are used: 1) total transparency and 2) total whitening.

Therefore, in case l), as is clear from Figure 2,
The temperature of the information display body 10 is set to 70 degrees, and in case 2) it is set to be t2 or higher.

On the other hand, when writing, a single thermal head or a pair of thermal heads may be used for the information display body 1o, and each case will be explained as follows.

First, when using a single thermal head, in the method 1) of erasing information using the eraser 23 described above, the fourth
As shown in the figure, when the temperature conditions for the upper and lower sides of the thermochromic layer are set, at the display stage, it is possible to display three colors when viewed from the bottom of the information display body 10 in the figure. Become. Note that FIG. 4(A) shows the erase state, FIG. 4(B) shows the write state, and FIG. 4(C) shows the display state.

Also, how to erase information using the eraser 23 mentioned above 2)
In this case, if the temperature conditions for the upper and lower sides of the thermochromic layer are set as shown in FIG. 5, three colors can be displayed when viewed from below the information display body 10. Note that in FIGS. 4 and 5, reference numeral 22 indicates a black background plate.

In addition, in the case of writing with a single thermal head,
In order to set the thermochromic layer of the information display body to a predetermined temperature, not only the heating conditions of the thermal head but also the transfer speed of the information display body and the thickness of both thermochromic layers or the colored layer or the like located between these layers must be adjusted. The thickness of the heat insulating layer is also set appropriately. - For example, when both thermochromink layers are transparent as shown in FIG. 5(C),
Since the allowable temperature range for t8 is about 10°C, the entire layer should be a thin film with a thickness of about 30 to 80 μm.
The speed is set to 0 nm/see or less.

Next, when using a pair of thermal heads, in the method 1) of erasing information using the eraser 23 described above, the sixth
As shown in the figure, once the temperature distribution between the upper and lower sides of the upper layer of the thermochromic layer is set, the display stage (Fig. 6 (C)
)) enables display of three colors when viewed from both the top and bottom of the information display body 10.

Furthermore, when erasing information 2) using the eraser 23 described above, even if the temperature distribution between the upper and lower sides of the thermochromic layer is set as shown in FIG. Display using three colors is possible. Reference numeral 22 in FIGS. 6 and 7 indicates a background plate colored black.

Note that in the thermal head, it is also possible to perform addition or redundant writing without performing erasing.

When using a single thermal head or a pair of thermal heads as described above, the energy applied to the thermal head can be reduced by heating the information display body 10 to near t0 at or just before the writing area as necessary. Or,
This is convenient for controlling the heating state in two or more stages.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that a heating roller may be used instead of the heater as the erase member, and furthermore, auxiliary means such as a cooling fan or a thermal bias may be provided for temperature control.

(Effects) As is clear from the above explanation, the present invention has a simple structure in which at least two thermochromic layers are provided without mixing each layer, without increasing the size of the information display body. Display of at least three colors is possible.

Furthermore, when displaying the above-mentioned information display, it is possible to select from a wide variety of writing formats, and even with a display device, it is possible to provide multicolor display with a single information display. Therefore, it is possible to change from a monotonous image display to a variety of displays.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1(A) is an explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of the information display body according to the present invention, FIG. 1(B) is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1(A), FIG. 1(C) to 1(K) are explanatory diagrams showing other embodiments of the information display body according to the present invention and their functions, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the temperature characteristics of the information display body according to the present invention, and FIG. The figure is an explanatory diagram of a display device showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 to 7 are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of writing on an information display body by the display device shown in FIG.
FIG. 8 is a side view of an information display body showing essential parts in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing another example of the information display body. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Information display body, IOA, IOB... Thermochromic layer, IOC... Colored layer, 100, IOD process... Heat insulation layer, 20... Display device, 24... Thermal head. Figure 7 (A) Figure f Figure C et al) Figure f (0 Figure A (r)) Figure f (E) Figure f (Cr) Figure 1 (F) Figure 7 (FD Figure f (1) Part β (A> Figure 2 TH: N ripening concentration Figure 3 Procedural amendment (method) May 1, 1985 1. Indication of the case 1988 Patent Application No. 19764 2. Title of the invention Information display body and display device 3 using the same, relationship with the case of the person making the amendment Name of patent applicant (674) Ricoh Co., Ltd. 4, Agent
Address: 4-5-4-6 Kyodo, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, "Brief explanation of drawings" column 7 of the specification subject to amendment, Contents of amendment

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The thermochromic layer is provided in at least two layers without being mixed, and each thermochromic layer is colored with a different color. Information display. 2. The information display body according to claim 1, wherein a heat insulating layer is disposed between at least two thermochromic layers. 3. The information display body according to claim 1, wherein a colored layer colored in a different color from the thermochromic layer is provided between at least two thermochromic layers. 4. At least two thermochromic layers are provided without intermixing, and each thermochromic layer rotatably supports an information display body colored in a different color. A display device characterized by displaying a plurality of colors by controlling a heating state in two or more stages using a thermal head corresponding to at least one surface of a body. 5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein independent thermal heads are associated with both sides of the information display body to add different information or the same information in a mirror image relationship to the information display body.