KR20010036312A - Display unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A display unit is provided, which can display images of several high resolutions continuously and does not need to be connected to an electric main socket, and is supplied with a power by an independent power supply. CONSTITUTION: According to a self-powered display unit(2) to display at least two continuous varying images observed by an observer, at least one wall part of a housing(4) is formed with a linear lens array(8) having a lens type front(6) and a flat back surface. A display transportation body(10) is flat and weighs light and can be replaced, and comprises a replaceable film or paper arranged in the housing separated from the rear surface as far as a focus length of the lens. And a DC driving unit(14) has a high efficiency and a low energy consumption and its power is supplied by a battery. The DC driving unit is for displacing the display transportation body periodically during at least the same distance as the distance between two adjacent lens of the array. The DC driving unit comprises a motor combined with a cam, and a bottom edge part of the display transportation part is supported and contacted by the cam indirectly.

Description

Display unit {Display unit}

The present invention relates to a display unit, in particular a display unit for displaying two or more successive change images of an image observed by an observer.

Various kinds of multi-image display devices are well known. Such devices are used for advertising, educational purposes, guidelines, games, and many other purposes. These devices typically include a prism that rotates about their axis, or alternatively a device that projects in a closed cycle. However, all these devices require a significant amount of power for their operation and therefore must be connected to the power mains. Moreover, such a device is considerable in size since the required drive means and parts thereof are relatively complex.

The basic optical principle to replace complex lithography for lenticular lens arrays is well known from the prior art, for example, US Pat. No. 5,494,445, which discloses a general know-how to alternatively display several images. However, to date, this knowledge has not been adequately used for advertising. Accordingly, there is a need for a dynamic multi-image display to be used in a place such as a shopping center, which can be fixed to a wall or attached to a shelf to function independently and to provide information about the goods to be sold.

Such displays operate on their own power, i.e. without being connected to the main building. Observers approaching from different directions require the ability to provide high resolution images over a wide range of viewing angles, sometimes on both sides. On the maintenance side, at least three to four months of operation are required without battery replacement. The messages in the advertisements should be easily replaceable on site by unskilled workers without difficulty. The display unit should be cost effective: that is, it should not exceed the price of the product being promoted.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simple and economical display unit based on the optical principle, which can continuously display several high resolution images and does not need to be connected to an electric main.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a display unit for displaying several large and small continuous images which are operable for a long time period and are powered by independent power sources.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive advertising display in which the projected message is easily replaceable and can be altered by an unskilled maintainer without any technical background.

According to the present invention, there is provided a magnetic display unit for displaying at least two or more continuous change images observed by an observer, which unit is a linear lens array having at least one wall portion having a lens-shaped front and a flat rear surface. The housing made, a lightweight, substantially planar display carrier positioned within the housing at a distance away from the rear surface to be at least as large as the focal length of the lens, and at least at a distance equal to the distance between two adjacent lenses in the array; It is composed of a high efficiency, low energy consumption and battery operated DC drive device for periodically displacing the display carrier.

1 is a sectional view of a unit according to the present invention;

2 is a front view of a display carrier for displaying a change image according to the present invention;

3 is an illustration of a unit displaying the letter "A";

4 is a schematic side view showing the drive means and the eccentric attached thereto;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional view of a display unit incorporating driving means for driving an eccentric similar to the eccentric of FIG.

6 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of a display unit according to the present invention;

7 is a partial front cross-sectional view of a display unit and a fitting for attaching it to a shelf;

8 and 9 are front and sectional views, respectively, of the display unit according to the present invention incorporating a watch;

10 and 11 are front and sectional views respectively showing another embodiment of the display unit incorporating a clock;

FIG. 11A is an enlarged detail view showing the enclosure of FIG. 11 in detail; FIG.

12 illustrates a cam for generating a stepwise movement of the display carrier;

Figure 13 is a schematic cross sectional view of a linear lens array having the same cross section as a known Fresnel lens;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a display unit including the lens array shown in FIG. And

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the display unit in which the lens array shown in FIG. 13 is integrally formed with the hollow extrusion panel. FIG.

The present invention will be described with reference to the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, which will be more clearly understood from this description.

In the specific examples with reference to the drawings, the details shown are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and are presented to facilitate understanding of the basic principles and conceptual features of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to express the structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary to the basic understanding of the invention, and in fact, the invention may be embodied in various forms, together with the drawings. It is apparent to one skilled in the art from one detailed description.

(Example)

1 to 3 show a display unit 2 for displaying two or more successive change images to be observed by an observer without moving the gaze. The unit 2 consists of a housing 4 having a front surface 6 composed of a lens array 8. The lens may be arranged in the form of a horizontal array extending horizontally as shown in FIG. 1 or alternatively, it may be composed of an array of honeycomb, spherical or other arrangements.

Behind the fixed front face 6, a lightweight display carrier 10 is arranged to be movable. The display carrier 10 is present on one or two surfaces in the form of a paper or a film, and here, for example, in a manner commonly known from US Pat. No. 5,100,330 or 5,488,451 or by other methods. The mark is printed. The optical principle upon which this method is based is the ability to visualize each one of the multiple images printed with minimal displacement with respect to the lens array 8 on the surface of the translucent or substantially transparent display carrier 10.

The indicator carrier 10 can be easily replaced with similar carriers by pulling it out of the slot 11 and gently inserting the replacement carrier. This is possible even by unskilled personnel.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the unit 2 also comprises a partition 12 located at the bottom of the housing, which partition is electrically driven drive means 14 having an outer axis 16. To accept. The detailed configuration of the drive means 14 will be described later. The outer shaft 16 is provided with an eccentric 18, which is better shown in FIG. 5, since its periphery is arranged so that the display carrier 10 is projected onto the chamber 20 located therein, the display carrier 10. The bottom edge 22 of the c) comes into contact with the bottom of the groove 24 provided along the circumference 26 of the eccentric 18. The carrier 10 is freely supported in the groove 24, but slips from the eccentric 18 during rotation of the eccentric 18 is prevented.

Referring to FIG. 5, which shows a front view of the eccentric 18, by way of example a long diameter R ₁ and a short radius R ₂ are drawn and the difference between them constitutes the length of displacement of the indicator carrier 10. do. Optionally, the eccentric 18 is provided with a weight 28 arranged about its outer circumference at a short radius R ₂ , the purpose of which is to slightly offset the weight of the indicator carrier against the displacement in the upward direction. .

Figure 5 illustrates the invention in more detail, in which the separating housing 4, the display carrier 10, guides 30 and 32 for guiding the movement of the display carrier and the display carrier 10 are placed on the circumference thereof. The eccentric 18 is shown. Also shown is a high efficiency and low energy consumption drive means 14, which is powered by a battery 36 and comprises an electric oscillator 34 connected to an electromagnet 38 having ferromagnetic arms 40, 42. do. Each of the free ends of the arms 40, 42 is configured as an amateur 44, 46, surrounds the magnetic core 48 but does not come into contact with it, and transfer gears 50, 52 to drive the eccentric 18. Coupled directly or indirectly to Each pulse emitted by the oscillator has a 180 ° rotational effect of the magnetic core 48. The contour of the eccentric changes its rotation to a linear displacement of the display carrier 10 in which the groove of the eccentric is freely supported on the circumferential circumference as described above. The radii R ₁ and R ₂ of the eccentric 18 are the distance D between two focal lines of two adjacent lenses positioned in the displacement direction of the total linear displacement of the display carrier 10. It is calculated to be at least the same length. The displacement of the display carrier 10 of this size has the effect of displaying a continuous image on the surface of the display carrier. The display carrier 10 is of minimal weight and, in view of the above effective driving means, which uses energy only for a relatively short period of the pulse generated by the oscillator 34, the power required for the operation of the unit. It is also minimal: the unit is therefore operable for an extended period of time without the need for replacement of the battery. Of course, the unit can be powered or assisted by a solar cell.

1 to 5 show the image display unit in only one direction, FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which an image which is changed in both directions of the unit is displayed. All that is required to implement this is to provide a second lens array 8 'on the other side of the unit and to provide images on both surfaces of the display carrier 10. In addition, the structure and operation of this embodiment are as described above with reference to Figs.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a split housing 4 in which an appropriate opening 54 is formed for coupling a fitting 56 for attaching the unit 2 to a shelf to a shelf, for example a merchandise display shelf in a supermarket or department store. to be. The fitting 56 is designed to be elastically connected to the unit 2 and more firmly connected to the shelf in order to prevent breakage in the event of an accident by a passing customer or operator. The flexible connection between the fitting 56 and the unit 2 is achieved and frictionally supported by an arm 58 coupled to the opening 54. A more robust connection is achieved by the metal bracket 60.

8-11 illustrate two embodiments for utilizing the coupling of the clock to the display unit of the present invention. 8 and 9 show a first of these embodiments, which shows a clock 62 operated by a standard clock movement 64 disposed inside the housing 4 of the unit 2, Therefore, a change display unit with a combined clock is provided. In the second embodiment shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the change display is located behind the clock face. This position facilitates both the operation of the clock 62 and the change of the display on the display carrier 10 by the common drive means 14.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the eccentric 18 is fixedly attached to and driven by the second shaft 16 of the common drive means 14, and has a central hole (of appropriate shape and size in the carrier 10). 17) Move inside.

FIG. 12 shows a cam with an eccentric 28, more precisely, three different radii of curvature r ₁ , r ₂ , r ₃ as well as a ramp 29 leading one curvature to the adjacent one. A cam follower in the form of a roller 66 is shown, which is installed in a fork 67 fixedly attached to the indicator carrier 10. When the cam is rotated in the direction of the arrow A, the roller 66 starts to roll along the curvature r ₁ . Since the curvature r ₁ is coaxial to the shaft 16, the carrier 10 is fixedly fixed until the roller 66 with the carrier 10 is changed by the ramp 29 to the next curvature r ₂ . From this point the roller 66 is again ″ dwell ″ until it is changed once more by the ramp 29 onto the next curvature r ₃ , at which point the indicator carrier 10 Maximum displacement is reached. When the end of the curvature r ₃ is reached, the roller 66 falls to the curvature r ₁ by the carrier 10 again at the lowest point. The cam therefore has three ″ dwell ″ portions and three ramps, converting the uniform rotation of its axis 16 into the stepwise rise of the display carrier 10. Such cams are particularly useful for large display units where the line of sight is viewed from a significant distance where the eye does not deviate much from the vertical position with respect to the unit.

The manufacture of an indicator carrier requires very precision, in particular in the dimensional relationship between the indication parameters and the pitch of the lens array. Such precision can be reliably achieved with a small display unit, but cannot be realized with a large unit due to unavoidable redundancy errors in the manufacture of display carriers, effects of temperature changes, and the like. Although this problem can basically be mitigated by increasing the linear lens width of the array, this step has its own serious drawbacks:

1) As the linear lens width in which the cross section is divided into circular arcs increases, the thickness of the lens also increases automatically, and the lens array of the increased width becomes very heavy and therefore expensive.

2) The wrinkled surface of the array is particularly bright and shiny, which impairs the visibility of the image. Dust is also likely to accumulate.

13 and 14 provide a lens that provides a solution to the above problem. This array consists of an inner group of linear lenses having a common cross-section, preferably a cross-section like the Fresnel lens which is already known per se, each group comprising a plurality of quasi-prismatic linear lenses. lenses: quasi, strictly speaking, since the inclined surfaces of these prisms are parts of the cylindrical surface), they consist of a central, substantially cylindrical lens surrounded by a side. Due to their large number of f (focal length f1, width m (Fig. 13) for linear Fresnel lenses), this type of lens has a relatively large width (e.g. 40 mm) combined with a reasonable short focal length. to provide.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a display unit using the quasi-prism linear lens array described above. 13 shows the display carrier 10 positioned at a distance f behind the lens array 84. Array 84 consists of a plurality of groups 86 each comprised of a central substantially cylindrical lens 88 flanked by a plurality of linear quasi-prism lenses 90. The array 84 is stacked in several parts, especially for large display units, but is preferably formed by an integrated one, i.e., by extrusion or embossing. The surface facing the observer is completely smooth, with much less reflection / shining and dust accumulation.

FIG. 14 shows a display unit in which the array of FIG. 13 is produced by extrusion, and ribs 92 are provided, both of which reinforce the array 84 and prevent breakage of the display carrier 10. The carrier 10 moves up and down as indicated by the arrow B by any of the means described above. The display unit of FIG. 14 is also provided with a light source such as fluorescent tube 94.

The unit of FIG. 15 is similar to that of FIG. 14 except that the array 84 consists of the front side of the hollow extruded panel, the back side 96 connected to the array 84 by ribs 92.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and features of the invention. Therefore, the invention is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not as restrictive of the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims rather than the detailed description of the invention, and also within the meaning and equivalent of the claims Include a change.

Claims (16)

A housing of a linear lens array having at least one wall portion having a lenticular front and a flat rear surface; At least one replaceable, lightweight, and substantially flat display carrier, the replaceable film or paper being disposed in the housing at a distance from the back surface to be at least equal to the focal length of the lens; A high efficiency, low energy consumption, battery powered DC drive means for periodically displacing the display carrier for a distance at least equal to a distance between two adjacent lenses of the array; Made of The drive means consists of a motor coupled to a cam, and the bottom edge of the display carrier is a magnetic force for displaying at least two successive change images observed by the observer, which are at least indirectly freely contacted and supported by the cam. Display unit. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the display carrier is in the form of a replaceable film or paper. The display device of claim 1, wherein the drive means is coupled to a cam means, the edge of the display carrier is at least indirectly adjacent to the cam means, and the total rise of the cam means is substantially with the required displacement distance of the display carrier. Same, display unit. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the motor is an electric motor powered by a solar cell array. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the motor is an impulse-driven stepping motor with an axis. 6. The display unit of claim 5, wherein the shock-driven stepping motor generates a shock and each shock generated by the stepping motor rotates the axis of the stepping motor by 180 °. The method of claim 5, wherein the axis is 2 r.p.m. And 4 r.p.m. Display unit, rotating at a speed between. 5. A display unit according to claim 4, wherein the cam is an eccentric. 5. The display unit according to claim 4, wherein the cam is further provided on an outer circumference to at least somewhat offset the weight of the display carrier in accordance with the displacement in the upward direction. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the display carrier is translucent or substantially transparent so that light passes therethrough. 2. The housing of claim 1, wherein the housing is composed of two parallel, spaced apart, wall portions each of which is an array of lenses, wherein the display carrier is arranged on both sides to simultaneously display an image on two sides of the unit. A display unit comprising an indication displayable on a surface. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises means for attaching the unit to a shelf. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the unit is in the form of a watch with a changing watch face. 4. A display unit according to claim 3, wherein the cam means is fixed to a second shelf of standard clock driving. The display unit of claim 1, wherein each of the lenses of the array is a linear lens of a cross section coinciding with a cross section of a Fresnel lens. 2. The lens array of claim 1 wherein the lens array is linear and the linear lens array consists of an extruded, front wall of a hollow two-sided panel, the rear wall of the panel connected to the front wall by a plurality of ribs. , Display unit.