Display device

Abstract

To provide a compact display device that can be operated electrically and manually and can be wound.SOLUTION: A display device 10A includes: an OLED 12; a cylinder 14 for winding the OLED 12 from one end; a cover 18 for securing a winding space of the OLED 12 between the cylinder 14 and itself; a constant load spring 20 for imparting winding force of the OLED 12 to the cylinder 14; a motor 22 for imparting at least one of winding force and unwinding force of the OLED 12 to the cylinder 14; a drag mechanism 24 for transmitting rotation via a friction disk 58 between the motor 22 and the cylinder 14; and a withdrawal lever 26 that is provided in the other end of the OLED 12 and energizes withdrawal force that matches the winding force by the constant load spring 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a retractable display device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a retractable display device. In this display device, a display unit is wound and stored inside a stationary housing, and the display unit is moved up and down under the action of a motor using a link mechanism.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although a retractable display device can be stored in a small area and volume, the display device of Patent Document 1 is large as a whole because it has a link mechanism and the like. In addition, it is easy for the user to handle if the display device can be retracted or extended not only electrically but also manually.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a small retractable display device capable of electric and manual operations.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an OLED, a winding body that winds up the OLED from one end, a cover that secures a winding space for the OLED between the winding body, a constant load spring that applies a winding force of the OLED to the winding body, a motor that applies at least one of a winding force and a unwinding force of the OLED to the winding body, a drag mechanism that transmits rotation between the motor and the winding body via a friction element, and a weight provided at the other end of the OLED that biases a pulling force that balances the winding force by the constant load spring.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the above aspect of the present invention, it has a simple configuration in which rotation is transmitted between the motor and the winding body via a friction element. Moreover, since the constant load spring and the weight are balanced, a small motor is sufficient, and the overall size can be reduced. In addition, since slipping occurs at the location of the friction element, electric and manual operations are possible.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the display device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by this embodiment.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a display device 10 and its external devices according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the display device 10.

[0011] The display device 10 uses an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display) 12 as a display. The OLED 12 has characteristics such as being thin, lightweight, low power consumption, excellent in contrast and responsiveness. In addition, since the OLED 12 is flexible, it can be wound, but it has relatively strong bending elasticity and has a property of returning to a flat shape without an external force. The display device 10A according to the first embodiment and the display device 10B according to the second embodiment of the display device 10 will be described in order. In this example, the size of the OLED 12 is, for example, about 20 inches or 30 inches.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional front view of the display device 10 according to the first embodiment. The display device 10A includes an OLED 12, a cylinder (winding body) 14, a cover 18, a constant load spring 20, a motor 22, a drag mechanism 24A, a draw bar (weight) 26, a control unit 28, and a display control unit 30. The cylinder 14 is cylindrical, and the OLED 12 is wound around its surface from one end 12a. In the description of the display device 10A, the extending direction of the cylinder 14 is defined as the X direction. The cylinder 14 is cylindrical, and the X direction corresponds to the axial direction of the cylinder 14. The constant load spring 20, the motor 22, and the drag mechanism 24A are provided on the opposite side of the cylinder 14. The side of the constant load spring 20 is defined as the X1 direction, and the side of the motor 22 and the drag mechanism 24A is defined as the X2 direction.

[0013] The hollow portion 14a of the cylinder 14 is provided with a control unit 28 and a display control unit 30. The control unit 28 and the display control unit 30 are in an elongated shape and are provided along the X direction. The control unit 28 and the display control unit 30 are connected by a control line.

[0014] The control unit 28 corresponds to the motherboard in a normal personal computer, controls the entire display device 10A, and is connected to an external device via an interface cable 31. The interface cable 31 forms a spiral portion 31a so that the rotation of the cylinder 14 is not transmitted to the outside. The control unit 28 also controls the motor 22. The control unit 28 rotates the motor 22 forward and backward based on a predetermined operation signal, thereby applying a winding force and an unwinding force of the OLED 12 to the cylinder 14. However, depending on the specifications, at least one of the winding force and the unwinding force of the OLED 12 may be applied. For the power transmission between the control unit 28 and the motor 22, a spiral portion may be provided on the power line, or a slip ring may be used.

[0015] Examples of the external devices include a keyboard 32, a mouse 34, a communication port 36, and an external battery 38. These external devices are connected as needed and may be disconnected when not needed. The control unit 28 may be outside the display device 10A. The battery may be inside the display device 10A.

[0016] The display control unit 30 controls the display of the OLED 12 and is, for example, a timing controller. A slit 14b (see FIG. 2) is formed in the cylinder 14, and one end 12a of the OLED 12 is connected to the display control unit 30 via a plurality of display control lines 30a from the slit 14b. The display control unit 30 is preferably provided along the horizontal direction in the vicinity of one end 12a of the OLED 12 from the viewpoint of the horizontal display timing, and a layout along the X direction in the hollow portion 14a is suitable.

[0017] The cover 18 is a cylindrical housing that covers the entire display device 10A, and both ends are closed by lids 18a and 18b. The lids 18a and 18b may be provided with a power switch, a brightness adjustment switch for the OLED 12, an elevation switch for the OLED 12, etc. In the X1 direction of the cover 18, a bulging portion 18d for accommodating the constant load spring 20 is formed. The cover 18 has a diameter that is somewhat larger than that of the cylinder 14, and a winding space 16 for the OLED 12 is secured between the cover 18 and the cylinder 14. The diameter of the cover 18 is about 30 mm in this embodiment.

[0018] A slit 18c (see FIG. 2) through which the OLED 12 is unwound is formed in the cover 18. The other end 12b of the OLED 12 extends out of the slit 18c. A pull-out bar 26 is provided over the entire length of the other end 12. The pull-out bar 26 is for gripping when unwinding the OLED 12, and is made of, for example, a stainless steel material, and has a diameter that is easy to grip. The pull-out bar 26 applies a force Fd (see FIG. 2) that unwinds the OLED 12 downward due to its own weight when the display device 10A is horizontal.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the constant load spring 20. In FIG. 4, a part is shown by a virtual line. The constant load spring 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The constant load spring 20 is provided at the end of the cover 18 in the X1 direction. The constant load spring 20 has an elastic band 40, a first pulley 42, and a second pulley 44. The first pulley 42 and the second pulley 44 are supported by a first shaft 46a and a second shaft 46b of a spring support member 46. The spring support member 46 is fixed to the lid 18a. A sensor for detecting the rotation angle may be provided between the first pulley 42 and the first shaft 46a so that the control unit 28 can grasp the unwinding amount of the OLED 12.

[0020] The cylinder support portion 42a at the X2 side end of the first pulley 42 is moderately wide in the X direction and is fixed to the inner wall of the cylinder 14 via the rubber ring 48. The first pulley 42 has a larger diameter than the second pulley 44. The first pulley 42 has a larger width in the X direction than the second pulley 44 and forms a bearing structure with the first shaft 46a. This bearing structure is, for example, a two-row type, and the cylinder 14 is stably supported and can rotate smoothly. The first shaft 46a has a hollow structure, and the interface cable 31 passes through the inside. The interface cable 31 is fixed by the grommet 47 in the hollow portion of the first shaft 46a. The first pulley 42 is coaxial with the cover 18, and the second pulley 44 is located at the bulging portion 18d. A part of the constant load spring 20 is arranged at the bulging portion 18d, but most of it is accommodated inside the cylindrical portion of the cover 18 and is sufficiently small and lightweight.

[0021] The elastic band 40 is a metal spring material having a bending elasticity such that it curls in its natural state, like a so-called spiral spring. The elastic band 40 hardly stretches in the tensile direction. The first pulley 42 is provided at the X1 side end of the cylinder 14 and is wound in a direction opposite to the direction in which the elastic band 40 curls in its natural state. The second pulley 44 winds up the elastic band 40 unwound from the first pulley 42 in the natural spiral direction.

[0022] Such a constant load spring 20 always exerts a constant elastic force regardless of the amount of unwinding of the elastic band 40 and applies a rotational force to the first pulley 42. This rotational force applies a force Fu (see Figure 2) for winding the OLED 12 to the cylinder 14. The winding force Fu and the above-mentioned unwinding force Fd are set to be equal. The forces Fu and Fd are, for example, about 800 gf, although they also depend on the size of the OLED 12 and the like.

[0023] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the drag mechanism 24A. The motor 22 and the drag mechanism 24A will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5. The motor 22 is, for example, a DC motor with a built-in speed reducer, and applies a winding force and an unwinding force of the OLED 12 to the cylinder 14 via the drag mechanism 24A. As described above, the motor 22 is provided at the end in the X2 direction in the cover 18. The motor 22 and its rotating shaft 50 are supported on the inner wall of the cover 18 via a bracket 52. A bearing may be provided between the rotating shaft 50 and the bracket 52.

[0024] The drag mechanism 24A is provided between the motor 22 and the cylinder 14, and has an adjustment nut 54, a coil spring 56, a friction disk 58, a bearing 60, and a fixing nut 62, and further includes the rotating shaft 50 of the motor 22 as a component. The motor 22 and the drag mechanism 24A are housed inside the cover 18 and are small and lightweight.

[0025] The rotating shaft 50 has a base end screw portion 50a with a relatively large diameter on the X2 side, a tip end screw portion 50b with a relatively small diameter on the X1 side, and an intermediate portion 50c with a medium diameter between the base end screw portion 50a and the tip end screw portion 50b. There is a step 50d at the boundary between the base end screw portion 50a and the intermediate portion 50c, and a step 50e at the boundary between the intermediate portion 50c and the tip end screw portion 50b. The tip end screw portion 50b has a two-plane D-cut shape in which two parallel planes 50ba are formed. The intermediate portion 50c has a two-plane D-cut shape in which two parallel planes 50ca are formed.

[0026] The bearing 60 has an outer ring 60a, an inner ring 60b, and a friction plate 60c. A two-plane D-cut hole 60d into which the tip end screw portion 50b is non-rotatably fitted is formed at the center of the inner ring 60b. The inner ring 60b is in a state where the base end screw portion 50a is fitted into the hole 60d, and the X2 side surface abuts against the step 50e, and the X1 side surface is fixed to the rotating shaft 50 by a fixing nut 62 that is screwed onto the base end screw portion 50a.

[0027] The outer ring 60a has the same diameter as the above-mentioned cylinder support portion 42a and is fixed to the inner wall of the cylinder 14 via a rubber ring 48. The friction plate 60c is an annular shape with an appropriately wide radial width and is provided along the periphery of the X2 side surface of the outer ring 60a. The friction plate 60c may be omitted according to the design conditions.

[0028] The friction disk 58 has a circular plate 58a and a friction plate 58b. The circular plate 58a is made of a metal material, and a two-sided D-cut hole 58c into which the intermediate portion 50c is non-rotatably fitted is formed at the center. The circular plate 58a is provided so as to be non-rotatable relative to the rotating shaft 50 and axially displaceable by fitting the intermediate portion 50c into the hole 58cd.

[0029] The circular plate 58a has the same diameter as the outer ring 60a. The friction plate 58b is the same as the friction plate 60c and is provided along the periphery of the X1 side surface of the circular plate 58a. That is, the friction plate 58b and the friction plate 60c face each other. The friction plates (friction elements) 58b, 60c desirably have a relatively small generated frictional force and little secular change, and are composed of, for example, a polyacetal material, a cork material, a felt material, etc. In FIGS. 3 and 5, the friction plates 58b, 60c are shown in a dot pattern. Also, the friction plates 58b, 60c are made dry to be stabilized without being affected by an oil film.

[0030] The adjustment nut 54 is adapted to be screwed onto the base end screw portion 50a, and the position of screwing can be adjusted manually or by a tool by opening the door 18e provided on the cover 18. Two adjustment nuts 54 may be provided to fix the position by a double nut type. The coil spring 56 is provided between the adjustment nut 54 and the friction disk 58, and the amount of compression is adjusted by the adjustment nut 54. In other words, the coil spring 56 that receives the biasing force from the base end screw portion 50a and the adjustment nut 54 elastically presses the outer ring 60a and the friction plate 60c that are the friction targets against the friction disk 58 including the friction plate 58b. The surface pressure between the friction plate 58b and the friction plate 60c is adjusted by the amount of compression of the coil spring 56, and the frictional force generated between the two can be adjusted. The frictional force generated between the friction plate 58b and the friction plate 60c is small, and in this embodiment, it is about 100 to 200 gf in terms of the force for unwinding and winding the OLED 12.

[0031] The display device 10A configured in this way houses the OLED 12, the constant load spring 20, the motor 22, and the drag mechanism 24A inside the cylindrical cover 18, and is small, lightweight, inexpensive, and excellent in portability. The display device 10A does not require a link mechanism as shown in Patent Document 1, has a simple configuration and is lightweight, and since a large power for driving the link mechanism is not required, the motor 22 can be small.

[0032] Although the OLED 12 has a property of trying to return to a planar shape, it is always biased by the constant load spring 20, so it is maintained in an appropriate wound state with respect to the cylinder 14 and does not expand in the outer diameter direction inside the space 16 and contact the inner wall of the cover 18. Therefore, it does not slide and get damaged between the cover 18, nor receive unnecessary frictional force.

[0033] In the manual operation of the display device 10A, the OLED 12 can be unwound by gripping the drawer bar 26 and pulling it downward. At this time, the cylinder 14, the first pulley 42, and the outer ring 60a rotate integrally, while the rotating shaft 50, the friction disk 58, and the inner ring 60b do not rotate. Although the friction disk 58 receives a rotational force from the friction plate 58b, it is stopped because it is affected by the built-in speed reducer of the motor 22. A force of 10 gf is required to pull down the drawer bar 26. Using a reduction ratio of 1:120, it becomes 10 × 120 = 1200 gf. Even if the frictional force received by the friction disk 58 is quite large, the rotating shaft 50 does not rotate and remains stopped. Practically, the rotating shaft 50 cannot be rotated by hand even using pliers or the like. Slippage occurs between the friction plate 58b and the friction plate 60c, but the frictional force between the two is set to be sufficiently small and has almost no effect on the unwinding of the OLED 12.

[0034] Since the winding force Fu and the unwinding force Fd are basically set to be equal, the user can pull out the OLED 12 with a very light force regardless of the amount of unwinding from the cover 18, and moreover, a free-stop function of stopping at an arbitrary position can be realized.

[0035] Although it is desirable that the force Fu and the force Fd completely match, it may be difficult to completely balance them due to factors such as actual tolerances. However, even if there is a slight difference between the two, as described above, the frictional force of about 100 - 200 gf between the friction plate 58b and the friction plate 60c exhibits a light braking effect, enabling free-stop. When storing the OLED 12 in the cover 18, it can be wound around the cylinder 14 by the winding action of the constant-force spring 20 by gently pushing up the drawer bar 26. Free-stop is also possible during the winding process.

[0036] In the electric operation of the display device 10A, the motor 22 is rotated forward or backward. At this time, the motor 22 rotates the rotating shaft 50, the friction disk 58, and the inner ring 60b. Then, the rotation of the friction disk 58 is transmitted to the outer ring 60a via the friction plates 58b and 60c. Since the outer ring 60a is integrated with the cylinder 14, the cylinder 14 can rotate to unwind or wind up the OLED 12. A draw bar 26 that also serves as a weight is provided at the other end 12b of the OLED 12. Also in this case, the unwinding force Fd by the draw bar 26 is offset by the constant load spring 20, and the motor 22 can unwind and wind up the OLED 12 with a sufficiently small output. Stopping at an arbitrary position is also possible in the case of electric operation.

[0037] Also, since the power for driving the cylinder 14 by the motor 22 is sufficiently small, the frictional force between the friction plate 58b and the friction plate 60c is also small enough, and the deterioration of the friction plates 58b and 60c is small. Also, when the frictional force is reduced due to the wear of the friction plates 58b and 60c, the frictional force can be appropriately restored by readjusting the adjustment nut 54.

[0038] The required power for rotating the cylinder 14 by the motor 22 is sufficiently small, so the frictional force of the friction plates 58b and 60c for transmitting it is sufficiently small compared to 800 gf of the forces Fu and Fd, and it has been confirmed that about 100 to 200 gf is sufficient as described above. Based on the forces Fu and Fd, about 1 / 8 to 1 / 4 is sufficient.

[0039] As described above, in the display device 10A, the operations of unwinding and winding up the OLED 12 can be performed electrically and manually. In the display device 10A, since the constant load spring 20, the motor 22, and the drag mechanism 24A are provided on the opposite side, the weight balance is good. Also, when the lids 18a and 18b are removed, the drag mechanism 24A is exposed from the X1 side, and the motor 22 and the drag mechanism 24A are exposed on the X2 side, and the maintainability is good.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional front view of the display device 10B according to the second embodiment. In the display device 10B, a drag mechanism 24B is used instead of the above-described drag mechanism 24A. In the drag mechanism 24B, the same components as those in the drag mechanism 24A are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0041] The drag mechanism 24B is provided with a rotation shaft 70, a friction disk 70a, and an annular spacer 72. The rotation shaft 70 and the friction disk 70a correspond to the above-described rotation shaft 50 and friction disk 58. The friction disk 70a is integrally formed with the rotation shaft 70. A friction plate 70c is provided on the X1 side surface of the friction disk 70a. The friction plate 70c is the same as the above-described friction plate 58b. The annular spacer 72 is provided between the friction disk 70a and the inner ring 60b. The tip screw portion 70b of the rotation shaft 70 protrudes from the central hole of the inner ring 60b to the X1 side. The inner ring 60b is sandwiched and fixed by the annular spacer 72 and a fixing nut 62 that is screwed onto the tip screw portion 70b. The inner ring 60b and the tip screw portion 70b are preferably made non-rotatable relative to each other by a D-cut surface or the like. The drag mechanism 24B has a simpler structure compared to the drag mechanism 24A.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of use of the display device 10, where (a) is a diagram showing the storage state, (b) is a diagram showing the state of preparation for use, (c) is a diagram showing the state of use, and (d) is a diagram showing the storage state.

[0043] Since the display device 10 is small and lightweight, as shown in FIG. 7, it can be attached to the lighting desk stand S and moved to an arbitrary position for use. As shown in FIG. 7(a), in the storage state, keeping it in the vertical direction can suppress the occupied space.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 7(b), at the time of use, the display device 10 may be set horizontally at an arbitrary position and height. From this state, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the OLED 12 can be pulled out downward for use. As described above, the amount of pulling out of the OLED 12 can be arbitrarily set.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7(d), when it is set to the vertical direction again during storage, the unwinding force Fd in which the pulling bar 26 acts downward on the OLED 12 disappears. Then, only the winding force Fu by the constant load spring 20 acts on the OLED 12, and automatic winding becomes possible without using power. Of course, winding may be performed manually or electrically at this previous stage. The display device 10 may be stored while remaining horizontal. Since the display device 10 is small and lightweight, it can also be used as a wall-mounted type or a magnet-attached type.

[0046] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that it can be freely changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0047] 10, 10A, 10B Display device 12 OLED 12a One end 12b The other end 14 Cylinder (winding body) 14b Slit 16 Space 18 Cover 18c Slit 20 Constant load spring 22 Motor 24A, 24B Drag mechanism 26 Pulling bar (weight) 28 Control unit 30 Display control unit 40 Elastic band 42 First pulley 44 Second pulley 46 Spring support member 50 Rotation shaft 50a Base end screw portion 50b Tip screw portion 50c Intermediate portion 54 Adjusting nut 56 Coil spring 58 Friction disk 58b, 60c Friction plate 60a Outer ring Inner ring 60b Fixed nut 62 Friction plate 70c Annular spacer 72

Claims

1. An OLED, a winding body for winding the OLED from one end, a cover for securing a winding space of the OLED between the winding body, a constant load spring for applying a winding force of the OLED to the winding body, a motor for applying at least one of a winding force and a unwinding force of the OLED to the winding body, a drag mechanism for transmitting rotation between the motor and the winding body through a friction element, a weight provided at the other end of the OLED and biasing a pulling force that balances the winding force by the constant load spring, A display device characterized by comprising the above.

2. In the display device according to Claim 1, the winding body is cylindrical, and a display control unit of the OLED is provided inside along the cylinder axis direction A display device characterized by this.

3. In the display device according to Claim 1, the friction element is provided so as not to be relatively rotatable with respect to the rotation axis of the motor and to be axially displaceable, and a spring receiving an urging force by a screw and a nut elastically presses against a friction target. A display device characterized by this.

4. In the display device according to Claim 1, the constant load spring an elastic band that spirals in a natural state, a first pulley provided at one end of the winding body and wound in a direction opposite to the direction in which the elastic band spirals in a natural state, a second pulley for winding the elastic band unwound from the first pulley in the spiral direction of the natural state, having A display device characterized by this.

5. In the display device according to Claim 1, the motor, the drag mechanism, and the constant load spring are provided on the opposite side of the winding body. A display device characterized by this.

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