WO2009011468A1

WO2009011468A1 - Manufacturing method for plain shape neon sign device without gas injection pipe

Info

Publication number: WO2009011468A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/003412
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yong Woo Park
Original assignee: World Tech Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2007-07-13
Filing date: 2007-07-13
Publication date: 2009-01-22

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a flat sign device from which a gas injection tube is removed, the flat sign device having a structure in which a front plate and a rear plate are sealed while a predetermined gap is formed, and an injection hole is provided at a predetermined location on the front plate or the rear plate, the method including a step of causing a cylindrical injection tube to be located over the injection hole, and sealing a portion of a plate, which comes into contact with the injection tube, using a first sealing member, a step of inserting a second sealing member into the injection tube, exhausting air from the flat sign device using a vacuum, and injecting a discharge gas, a step of melting the second sealing member by heating a plate that is located opposite the second sealing member, thus sealing the injection hole and a portion of the gap that neighbors the injection hole, and a step of removing the injection tube by melting the first sealing member. According to the present invention, the flat sign device of the present invention is formed such that the injection tube is completely removed, that is, such that the protruding sealing part is absent, as in the conventional technology. Accordingly, an effect in which the flat sign device can be very easily carried, stored, or handled can be realized.

Description

MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR PLAIN SHAPE NEON SIGN DEVICE WITHOUT

GAS INJECTION PIPE

[Technical Field]

The present invention relates to a flat (neon) sign device and, more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a flat sign device, from which a gas injection tube, in particular, a protruding sealing part thereof, is completely removed.

[Background Art] Generally, a neon sign device is one of light emitting devices for displaying characters or pictures (hereinafter referred to as 'advertising designs'), which are used for advertising purposes. Such a neon sign device is manufactured in such a way that a glass tube is deformed in a desired shape through heating, and inert discharge gas or the like is injected into the glass tube.

The conventional neon sign device, described above, is problematic in that the size thereof is relatively large, the overall structure, including a frame (a means for supporting the glass tube) , is large, the glass tube is easily damaged, and a high voltage, equal to or greater than 1 [kV] , must be applied thereto.

Meanwhile, in order to deform a glass tube having a predetermined diameter, a process of heating a portion of the glass tube, changing the state of part of the glass tube to a semi-molten state, and bending the semi-molten portion is performed. In this way, a predetermined advertising design is produced. Accordingly, an advertising design that can be implemented using the conventional neon sign device is restricted by the diameter of the glass tube, and the size of each of the characters and figures expressed via the bent glass tube is also restricted.

In order to solve the problems with the conventional neon sign device, as described above, a flat neon sign device has been developed. A detailed description thereof is given with reference to FIG. Ia. A front plate 10, on which an advertising design is displayed, and a rear plate 20 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined gap G and are coupled so as to be held parallel to each other. Induim Tin Oxide (ITO) or Antimony Tin Oxide (ATO) coating films 12 and 22, which act as transparent electrodes, are formed on the upper surface of the front plate 10 and the lower surface of the rear plate 20, respectively. Fluorescent layers 30, which emit visible rays when discharge occurs, are formed in respective cavities 24 formed in the upper surface of the rear plate 20. These cavities are spaces in which discharge occurs . The advertising design is determined by the cavities .

The front plate 10 and the rear plate 20, constructed as described above, are sealed by a sealing material 40 disposed between portions at the perimeters thereof, to thus allow a vacuum state to be created. In this case, the above-described gap G is formed by the sealing material 40. An inert gas, which is called a 'discharge gas' (for example: He, Ne or Xe) , is injected into the gap G and the cavities 24, which are formed by the plates 10 and 20. For reference, in addition to the particular example of the flat neon sign device having the above-described construction, a device having electrodes which are arranged otherwise is disclosed in detail in Korean Unexamined Pat. No. 10-2001-68169.

Meanwhile, in order to inject the discharge gas between the gap G and the cavities 24, a cylindrical injection tube 50 must be bonded and fixed over the injection hole 26, which is provided in the rear plate 20, as shown in FIG. Ib. In this case, liquid glass, of a kind similar to that of the plates 10 and 20, is used as the bonding and fixing material 60. For the use thereof, such liquid glass is generally melted using a thermal bonding means such as a torch, so that the melting point of the liquid glass must preferably be lower than those of the plates 10 and 20.

A process of injecting the discharge gas through the injection tube 50, which is provided as described above, and sealing the injection tube 50 must be performed. With reference to FIG. Ic, the intermediate portion of the injection tube 50 is heated using the thermal bonding means H, and sealing is thus achieved, as shown in FIG. Id.

After a series of sealing steps has been performed, the length d (hereinafter, referred to as the 'sealed length') of the injection tube 50 is decreased and, as a result, a sealing part 50', which protrudes to about 15 mm ~ 30 mm, remains. Although, in FIG. Id, the longitudinal section of the sealing part is shown as an inverted test tube, the lower portion of the injection tube 50 is melted and sunk using the thermal bonding means in practice, and thus the shape of the sealing part 50' is as illustrated in FIG. Ie.

As described above, the conventional flat neon sign device has the sealing part, protruding to the sealed length d, so that great care is required upon carrying, storage, or handling thereof. Furthermore, after a product has been finished, the sealing part also acts as a limitation in a test process and a separate process of assembling fittings .

[Disclosure of the Invention] [Technical Problem]

Accordingly, a technical solution of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a flat sign device, from which a gas injection tube (protruding sealing part) is completely removed.

[Technical Solution]

The technical spirit of the present invention is applied to a flat sign device having a structure in which a front plate

110 and a rear plate 120 are sealed while a predetermined gap G is formed, and an injection hole 124 is provided at a predetermined location on the front plate or the rear plate, and is accomplished using a first step of causing a cylindrical injection tube 140 to be located over the injection hole 124, and sealing a portion of a plate, which comes into contact with the injection tube, using a first sealing member 150, a second step of inserting a second sealing member 160 into the injection tube, exhausting air from the flat sign device using a vacuum, and injecting a discharge gas, a third step of melting the second sealing member by heating a plate that is located opposite the second sealing member, thus sealing the injection hole and a portion of the gap that neighbors the injection hole, and a fourth step of removing the injection tube by melting the first sealing member.

According to the present invention, the melting points of both the first sealing member 150 and the second sealing member 160 are lower than those of the plates 110 and 120, and the melting point of the second sealing member is lower than that of the first sealing member.

Furthermore, the first sealing member 150 and the second sealing member 160 are made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) or Polyamide material, unlike the conventional bonding and fixing material 60, that is, the glass material, shown in FIG. Ib.

[Brief Description of the Drawings]

FIG. Ia is an illustrative view showing the construction of a conventional flat sign device,-

FIGS. Ib to Id are illustrative views showing a process of manufacturing the conventional flat sign; FIG. Ie is a picture showing the protruding sealing part of .the conventional flat sign; FIG. 2 is an illustrative view showing the basic construction of a flat sign device, to which the manufacturing method of the present invention is applied; and

FIGS. 3a to 3d are illustrative view showing the manufacturing method of the present invention.

*** Description of characters of principal elements *** 110: front plate 120: rear plate 124: injection hole 130: sealing material 140: injection tube 150: first sealing member 160: second sealing member G: gap H: heating means

[Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

The features and advantages of the present invention will be further clarified by the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the description of the present invention, the terms and words used in the present specification and claims should be interpreted as having meanings and concepts that conform to the technical spirit of the present invention based on the principle in which an inventor can appropriately define terms to describe his or her invention as is most appropriate. Furthermore, it should be noted that, when it is determined that the detailed descriptions of well-known functions, which are related to the present invention, and the constructions thereof may be unnecessary and may make the gist of the present invention unclear, such detailed descriptions will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 2, a flat sign device according to the present invention, from which a gas injection tube is removed,

(hereinafter referred to as ^λflat sign device') basically includes a front plate 110 and a rear plate 120. A gap G is formed using sealing material 130 in the same manner as described above. The circumferential portions of the front plate 110 and the rear plate 120 are sealed. The front plate

110 and the rear plate 120 are flat plates that are made of glass material. A circular pass-through injection hole 124, which is used to exhaust air using a vacuum and inject an inert gas, is provided at a predetermined location on the rear plate 120, preferably in the circumferential portion of the rear plate 120. Here, a description is made on the basis of the assumption that the injection hole 124 has a diameter R of about 3 mm - 5 mm, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the injection hole 124 may be provided in the front plate 110, rather than being provided in the rear plate. In the case where the injection hole is provided in the front plate 110, changes in technical details according such modification may be easily predicted. Accordingly, for ease of description, a description is made below on the basis of the assumption that the injection hole 124 is provided in the rear plate 120.

According to an applicable embodiment of the present invention, in the same manner as in the flat sign device that has been described with reference to FIGS. Ia to Ie, ITO or ATO coating films 112 and 122, which act as transparent electrodes, are formed on the upper surface of the front plate 110 and the lower surface of rear plate 120, respectively. Although cavities (not shown) , having respective fluorescent layers (not shown) , can be formed in the upper surface of the rear plate 120, the technical spirit of the present invention is substantially based on a series of manufacturing steps for sealing an injection tube 140 and making the injection tube flat, which will be described later, so that the present invention is not limited only to the structure, arrangement, and shape of the electrodes and cavities .

Accordingly, a process of manufacturing a flat sign device from which an injection hole is removed, according to the present invention, is described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3a to 3d below.

FIG. 3a is a view showing an injection tube coupling step

(S310) . The cylindrical injection tube 140 having a predetermined length is located on the injection hole 124 of the rear plate, and a portion in which the injection tube and the lower plate come into contact with each other is bonded

(sealed) using a molten first sealing member 150. Here, the first sealing member 150 is made of material, such as Ethylene

Vinyl Acetate (EVA) or polyamide, which has a melting point lower than those of the plates 110 and 120, as described above.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3b, a second sealing member 160 has been inserted into the injection tube 140, and then the upper end 141 of the injection tube 140 is connected to a vacuum exhaust means and a discharge gas supply means, which are not shown. Thereafter, a vacuum exhaust (Out) and discharge gas injection (In) step (S320) is performed.

After the step (S320) has been completed, as shown in FIG. 3c, the second sealing member 160 is melted by heating the front plate 110, which is located opposite the second sealing member 160, using a separate heating means, and thus the injection hole 124 and a portion of the gap G that neighbors the injection hole are sealed at step S330. In this case, the state of the second sealing member after sealing is indicated by reference numeral 160' . In the present embodiment, the same material as that used for the first sealing member may be used as the second sealing member, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

One factor that must be considered when the above- described sealing step is performed is the melting point of the second sealing member 160. The melting point of the second sealing member must be lower than that of the first sealing member 150, which is used to couple the injection tube 140 at step S310. The reason for this is because the first sealing member 150 is melted again during the heating of the second sealing member 160 and, thus, the seal can be destroyed.

Furthermore, although, in FIG. 3c, the second sealing member 160 is expressed as having a rectangular shape, the second sealing member 160 may have a circular shape to more smoothly perform vacuum exhaust and discharge gas injection at the above-described step (S320) .

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3d, the injection tube 140 is separated and removed by melting the sealed portion of the injection tube 140, that is, the first sealing member 150, using a separate heating means, at step S340.

For reference, in the drawing, the region A is a depression ([H]) , which is generated due to variation in the volume of the second sealing member 160 that flows into the gap G at step S330. The generation of the depression A may be prevented by adjusting the volume of the second sealing member 160 inserted at step S320. In addition to the preliminary measure of adjusting the volume of the second sealing member, a subsequent measure of charging additional sealing material in the generated depression A may be used. [industrial Applicability]

The flat sign device of the present invention, which is manufactured through the above described steps (S310 to S340) , is formed such that the injection tube 140 is completely removed, that is, such that the protruding sealing part 50' (refer to FIG. Id) is absent, as in the conventional technology. Accordingly, an effect in which the flat sign device can be very easily carried, stored, or handled can be realized. As described above, although the technical spirit of the present invention has been described and illustrated in conjunction with the preferred embodiment for illustrative purposes, the present invention is not limited only to the construction and operation that have been illustrated and described as described above, and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the scope and technical spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that such appropriate modifications and changes and equivalents thereof are all included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

[Claims] [Claim l]

A method of manufacturing a flat sign device from which a gas injection tube is removed, the flat sign device having a structure in which a front plate (110) and a rear plate (120) are sealed while a predetermined gap (G) is formed, and an injection hole (124) is provided at a predetermined location on the front plate or the rear plate, the method comprising: a first step of causing a cylindrical injection tube (140) to be located over the injection hole (124) , and sealing a portion of a plate, which comes into contact with the injection tube, using a first sealing member (150) ; a second step of inserting a second sealing member 160 into the injection tube, exhausting air from the flat sign device using a vacuum, and injecting a discharge gas; a third step of melting the second sealing member by heating a plate that is located opposite the second sealing member, thus sealing the injection hole and a portion of the gap that neighbors the injection hole,- and a fourth step of removing the injection tube by melting the first sealing member.

[Claim 2]

The method according to claim 1, wherein: melting points of both the first sealing member (150) and the second sealing member (160) are lower than those of the plates (110, 120) , and a melting point of the second sealing member is lower than that of the first sealing member.

[Claim 3]

The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first sealing member (150) and the second sealing member (160) are made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) or Polyamide material.

[Claim 4] The method according to claim 1, wherein the injection hole (124) is located near a circumferential portion of the front plate or the rear plate.