JP2870648B2 - Surface-emitting panel neon sign - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a surface-emitting panel-type neon sign using discharge, and particularly to a neon sign having a characteristic electrode structure.

[Prior Art] All conventional neon signs using discharge have a series of discharge paths in a "one-stroke" manner corresponding to the sign to be displayed, and electrodes at both ends of the discharge path. In general, a discharge path is made to emit light for display by discharge.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such a display method, the display pattern is limited to a band shape, and the degree of freedom in design is greatly restricted.

Furthermore, since the electrodes are provided at both ends of the discharge path, the distance between the electrodes is generally long, and the voltage required for the discharge reaches several thousand volts. Is also big. Moreover,
Attempting to draw a complicated pattern in order to compensate for the disadvantages in the design described above has many problems, such as a longer discharge path in proportion to that, and a higher firing voltage.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a neon sign that can easily configure an arbitrary display pattern while maintaining a low discharge starting voltage.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a neon sign that can be made thin and easy to manufacture.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a neon sign that reduces the influence of ion bombardment during discharge and extends the life of a product.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The neon sign 1 of the surface-emitting panel type according to the present invention comprises:
As shown in FIG.
A plurality of discharge spaces 10 separated from each other and sealed between the back plate 7 and the electrode portion 6 disposed on the back plate 7; A translucent face plate 9 provided so as to be able to stop;
Each discharge space 10 is provided with a light-emitting gas selectively sealed.

Further, the above-mentioned electrode part 6 is composed of two substantially parallel strip electrodes 20.
20a is a set of electrode pairs 23, and the electrode pairs 23 are arranged over substantially the entire surface of the back plate 7.

The gas filled in at least one discharge space 10 is assumed to generate ultraviolet rays 12 and the phosphor layer 8 having a predetermined pattern is provided on the back surface side of the face plate 9 constituting the discharge space 10. Can be.

Further, it is also possible to enclose air of 1 atm or more in a discharge space in which light emission is not required among the plurality of discharge spaces.

Further, the back plate 7 is made substantially flat over the entire surface,
It is preferable that the strip-shaped electrode 20 be covered with the dielectric layer 21 and the protective layer 22, and between the strip-shaped electrodes 20a and 20b of each electrode pair 23, an alternating pulse having a peak voltage exceeding the discharge starting voltage be applied. .

Furthermore, a light shielding film 34 may be provided on a part of the face plate 9.

[Operation] In the neon sign 1 having the above configuration, a voltage exceeding the discharge starting voltage is applied between the two strip electrodes 20a and 20b forming the electrode pair 23. Then, a discharge occurs between the electrodes located in the discharge space 10 in which the luminescent gas is sealed, and light corresponding to the discharge color of the gas is emitted to the outside from the translucent face plate 9.

At the time of such discharge, the phosphor layer 8 is placed on the face plate 9.
Is provided and a gas that generates ultraviolet rays 12 at the time of discharge is enclosed, the ultraviolet rays 12 excite the phosphor 8 and the phosphor 8
Is displayed in a color corresponding to the emission color of.

Further, when a plurality of discharge spaces 10 are provided and a discharge space in which air of 1 atm or less is enclosed is provided, discharge is not performed in the discharge space, and a portion that does not emit light can be formed without changing the electrode portion.

When the surface of the electrode 20 is covered with the dielectric layer 21 at the time of the discharge, the electrode is sputtered by ion bombardment at the time of the discharge, as well as preventing the adverse effect due to the oxidation of the electrode. Is prevented beforehand. Further, once a discharge is generated by the electric field generated in the discharge space 10, the discharge can be maintained at a voltage lower than the discharge starting voltage by the wall charges accumulated on the surface of the dielectric layer 21.

Further, the protective layer 22 covering the protective layer 22 enhances the emission of electrons, lowers the firing voltage, and maintains a stable discharge.

Further, when a light-shielding film 34 is provided on a part of the face plate 9, the portion provided with the light-shielding film 34 does not transmit or emit light, and a display with high contrast is performed.

[Embodiment] An example in which the neon sign 1 according to the present invention is provided in a building and is a display device 2 that indicates the direction of an emergency exit and that operates independently of the neon sign 1 will be described. It is needless to say that the display can be used by changing the display content, the installation method, the arrangement position of the power supply unit, and the like as appropriate, in substantially the same manner as a conventional neon sign for use in decoration or decoration.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a display device 2 embodying the present invention has a hollow casing 3 having an open front side and a neon sign 1 for closing an opening 4 of the casing 3.
And a power supply unit 5 in the housing 3 for supplying predetermined power to the neon sign 1.

In the neon sign 1, a plurality of discharge spaces 10 are provided between a planar back plate 7 having an electrode portion 6 as shown in FIG. The phosphor layer 8 is excited by ultraviolet rays 12 generated by a discharge 11 performed in each space 10 to perform a predetermined light-emitting display with visible light 13. The neon sign 1 is attached to the housing 3 by locking the joining surface 14 provided around the face plate 9 from the front and rear with the opening peripheral edge 15 of the housing 3 in a state of being exposed to the outside from the opening 4 of the housing 3. ing.

The face plate 9 is formed by bending and forming a rectangular thin transparent glass plate. A background portion 16 is formed to swell to a uniform depth on the front side while leaving a narrow bonding surface 14 at a peripheral portion. At the approximate center of the background portion 16, an arrow-shaped display portion 17 whose projection height is slightly higher than the background portion 16 is formed via a boundary surface 18. Further, for example, a phosphor layer 8a that emits white light is applied on the inner surface side of the display unit 17 in accordance with the arrow shape of the boundary surface 18, while the "emergency" is positioned on the inner surface side of the background unit 16 below the display unit 17. The character pattern 19 of "exit" is drawn with, for example, a white phosphor layer, and the remaining portion of the background portion 16 is painted with, for example, a phosphor layer 8b that emits green light.

The back plate 7 is a flat transparent glass plate having a rectangular thin plate shape having substantially the same outer peripheral shape as that of the face plate 9, and has an electrode portion 6 provided on the upper surface side of the back plate 7.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the electrode portion 6 includes a strip-shaped electrode 20 disposed in parallel at substantially equal intervals over substantially the entire surface of the back plate 7, and a dielectric layer 21 covering the strip-shaped electrode 20. And a protective layer 22 further covering the upper surface of the dielectric layer 21.

Each strip-shaped electrode 20 has a narrow strip shape slightly shorter than the short side of the back plate 7 and is formed by connecting two adjacent electrodes 20a and 20b to each other.
A plurality of electrode pairs 23 are provided on the back plate 7. The electrodes 23 are arranged in parallel over substantially the entire surface of the back plate 7 at a distance equal to the distance between the electrodes 20a and 20b, and
Are connected in parallel with each other via the connection wires 24 at the portion 14a covered by
26. The electrode groups 25 and 26 are formed on the back plate 7 by forming, for example, gold or silver on the back plate 7 by a thick film printing technique, and are completed through a melting and firing process.

The dielectric layer 21 is made of, for example, high lead glass such as Dupont 9543 (trade name), and is formed so as to uniformly cover the electrode 20 by a thick-film printing technique similarly to the formation of the electrode. electrode
When the surface of the dielectric layer 20 is covered with the dielectric layer 21, not only the adverse effect due to the oxidation of the electrodes is prevented, but also the insulation deterioration between the electrodes due to the sputtering of the electrodes 20 due to ion bombardment during the discharge is prevented.

The protective layer 22 is a MgO (magnesia) film formed by, for example, a vacuum evaporation method or a thick film printing technique,
Emission of electrons during discharge is facilitated, and stable discharge at low voltage can be maintained.

By joining the joining surface 14 of the face plate 9 and the lower edge 27 of the boundary surface 18 to the back plate 7 having the above configuration, the first discharge space 10a corresponding to the background portion 16 of the face plate 9 and the display unit Second discharge space 10b corresponding to 17
In addition, the central portion of the face plate 9 is supported from the inside by the boundary surface 18 so as to increase the mechanical strength against external pressure when the discharge space 10 is evacuated to a low pressure. ing. The lower edge 27 of the joining surface 14 and the boundary surface 18 is fused to the back plate 7 via a frit seal or directly,
The first and second discharge spaces 10a and 10b can be individually sealed, and the chip tubes 28 and 29 provided respectively corresponding to the first and second discharge spaces 10a and 10b on the back plate 7 side. After the inside of the discharge space 10 is evacuated, a gas such as mercury that easily generates ultraviolet rays 12 at the time of discharge is sealed. The pressure of the sealed gas is appropriately changed according to the distance between the electrodes 20 and the type of gas. In the present embodiment, furthermore, in order to discharge under the same conditions in the first and second discharge spaces 10a and 10b, the type and pressure of the gas to be sealed in both spaces are kept the same, or the two spaces 10a and 10b are communicated in advance. It is possible to

The power supply unit 5 converts the commercial AC voltage 31 input via the outlet 30 into a pulse having a sufficiently high peak voltage exceeding a discharge starting voltage at the electrode unit 6 at a repetition frequency of, for example, about 20 to 50 kHz, and a pulse of about 10 μs. The pulse is converted into an alternating pulse having a width.
By applying an output voltage from the power supply unit 5 to the connection terminals 32 and 33 provided one after another, an alternating electric field of substantially the same magnitude is applied between all the adjacent electrodes 20 and 20 in a pulse shape, and the electrode unit 6 is turned on. A uniform discharge is performed in the disposed discharge space 10.

With the above configuration, the alternating pulse is supplied from the power supply unit 5 to the electrode group 25.
When applied between 26 and 26, the peak voltage of the pulse is sufficiently higher than the discharge starting voltage, and the intervals between the electrodes 20 are all set to be the same. A uniform discharge 11 is performed between the electrodes 20, and the gas in the discharge space 10 emits light in a plane along the electrode portion 6. The ultraviolet rays 12 emitted during the light emission uniformly excite the phosphors 8 provided on the face plate 9 to emit light. However, since the types of the phosphors provided on the display unit 17 and the background unit 16 are changed, Thus, light emission display is performed in a color unique to each phosphor.

In addition, the configuration of the electrode portion 6 is such that the electrode pair 23 is replaced by a comb-like shape having a plurality of pairs of the electrode pairs 23 as described above, and the electrode pairs 23 are arranged at the same interval as shown in FIG. The shape can be changed as appropriate, such as a spiral configuration. Also, the width of the electrode 20,
The interval or the installation position can also be changed in accordance with the size of the entire neon sign 1 or the pattern to be displayed. For example, with the electrode 20 having the same interval between the electrode pairs 23 and the electrode pairs 23 and By appropriately changing the distance between 23, it is possible to perform display in which the light emission intensity is partially different.

Further, instead of providing the strip-shaped electrode 20 in parallel with the short side of the back plate 7, the strip-shaped electrode 20 can be formed in parallel or inclined with the long side.

In addition, a light-shielding film 34 is provided in a portion not requiring light emission,
Any design signature can be configured. Also,
The face plate 9 may be made of colored glass.

Further, in the case where a plurality of discharge spaces 10 are provided, the display is performed only by the discharge color unique to the luminous gas sealed in different types for each discharge space 10 without providing the phosphor layer 8. You can also. Alternatively, only the discharge space 10 that requires light emission can be selectively sealed, and the rest can be opened to the atmosphere or filled with air of 1 atm or more to prevent partial discharge.

Further, by making the electrode 20 a transparent electrode, it is possible to display a sign from not only the face plate 9 side but also the back plate 7 side. Further, by providing the reflection film on the back surface side of the back plate 7, the light emission ratio from the face plate 9 side can be increased.

Further, the formation positions of the chip tubes 28 and 29 for exhausting the inside of the discharge space 10 are not provided at right angles to the back plate 7 but are provided at the joint position with the face plate 9 in the horizontal direction. The sign 1 can be made thinner.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention provides a plurality of discharge spaces 10 between the back plate 7 and the face plate 9 and a plurality of strip-shaped electrodes 20 provided on the back plate 7.
Since a substantially planar discharge is made between the panels, the entire panel can be made thinner, and a sine pattern for performing light-emitting display can be arbitrarily configured, thereby greatly increasing the degree of freedom in design.

Furthermore, since the distance between the electrodes 20 can be set relatively small, the discharge starting voltage is also reduced, and the power supply unit 5 can be reduced in size and simplified.

In addition, by covering the surface of the electrode 20 with the dielectric layer 21 and the protective layer 22, adverse effects due to ion bombardment at the time of discharge are prevented beforehand, and the product life can be extended,
Stable discharge is maintained.

Further, by providing the face plate 9 with the light shielding film 34, a neon sign having a high contrast and an excellent display effect can be easily formed.

Furthermore, a standard product having the electrode portion 6 uniformly over the entire surface of the flat back plate 7 is used as a standard product, and the face plate 9 side is made to correspond to the sign shape to be displayed.
By forming the bulge 10, neon signs of various designs can be easily formed only by processing the face plate 9 side, and there are many advantages such as reduction of manufacturing cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic configuration of the present invention. 2 to 4 show an example in which the present invention is applied to a display device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view with a part cut away, and FIG. 3 is a partly enlarged view along the line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another electrode structure. 1 ... neon sign, 3 ... housing, 5 ... power supply section, 6 ...
... Electrode part, 7 ... Back plate, 8 ... Phosphor layer, 9
... face plate, 10 ... discharge space, 12 ... ultraviolet light, 20 ... strip electrode, 21 ... dielectric layer, 22 ... protective layer,
23 ... electrode pair, 34 ... light shielding film.

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A flat back plate (7) and two substantially parallel strip electrodes (20a, 20b) are formed as one set of electrode pairs (23), and substantially the entire surface of the back plate (7) is formed. The electrode portion (6) disposed over the electrode portion (6) is joined to the back plate (7) while covering the electrode portion (6), and a plurality of discharge spaces (10) are provided between the electrode portion (6) and the back plate (7). ) Is a surface-emitting panel-type neon sign comprising a light-transmitting face plate (9) which is provided so as to be sealable separately from each other, and a luminescent gas which is selectively sealed in each discharge space (10). 2. A luminescent gas sealed in the discharge space (10), which emits ultraviolet light (12), and a face plate constituting the discharge space (10) filled with the luminescent gas. The neon sign according to claim 1, wherein a phosphor layer (8) having a predetermined pattern is provided on the back side of (9). 3. A surface-emitting panel type neon sign according to claim 1, wherein air having a pressure of 1 atm or more is sealed in a discharge space in which light emission is unnecessary among the plurality of discharge spaces. 4. A plurality of pairs of electrodes (23) constituting the above-mentioned electrode portion (6) are provided, and the strip-shaped electrodes (20a and 20b) constituting each electrode pair (23) are formed linearly. The interval between the strip-shaped electrodes (20a and 20b) is set to be substantially the same as or longer than the interval between the strip-shaped electrodes (20a and 20b). 4. A neon sign according to claim 1, wherein the neon sign is a surface-emitting panel. 5. Each of said electrode pairs (23) comprises a dielectric layer (21).
And a protective layer (22), and each electrode pair (2
5. The neon sign according to claim 4, wherein an alternating pulse having a peak voltage exceeding a discharge starting voltage is applied between the strip electrodes (20a and 20b) constituting the third aspect. 6. A neon sign according to claim 1, wherein a light-shielding film (34) is provided on a part of said face plate (9).