Structure and display device

Abstract

The present invention provides a structure and a display device for enlarging a light-emitting region. Provided is a structure (100) having a partition plate (103) for separating a first space (101) and a second space (102), wherein the first space is sealed with a gas that emits light of a first color by irradiation with laser light, the second space is sealed with a gas that emits light of a second color by irradiation with laser light, and the partition plate includes a phosphor that emits light of a third color by irradiation with laser light. The structure may be cylindrical and the partition plate may have a spiral shape. The structure may have a prismatic shape and the partition plate may have a flat plate shape.

Description

Structure and display device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a structure and a display device.

[0002] The development of displays is progressing, and various methods have been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses a display device that includes an object that is irradiated with image light based on image information, a control device that controls the object so that the color at the position irradiated with the image light changes, and an irradiation device that irradiates the object with monochromatic image light based on the image information.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-103914

[0004] The display device of Patent Document 1 is divided into multiple parts, each of which has a moving spiral that emits light. However, the display device of Patent Document 1 can only emit light in the spiral area. Therefore, it is difficult to synchronize the spiral and the image light with the display device of Patent Document 1.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a structure and a display device that expands the light-emitting area.

[0006] The structure of the present disclosure has a partition plate separating a first space and a second space, the first space being filled with a gas that emits light of a first color when irradiated with laser light, the second space being filled with a gas that emits light of a second color when irradiated with the laser light, and the partition plate containing a phosphor that emits light of a third color when irradiated with the laser light.

[0007] The present disclosure provides structures and displays that provide increased area light emission.

[0008] 1A is a top view of a structure according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a side view of the structure according to the first embodiment of FIG. 1A as seen from B. FIG. 1B is a CC cross-sectional view of the structure according to the first embodiment of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a diagram of variations of a partition plate installed in a structure according to a second embodiment. FIG. 1D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure according to a second embodiment. FIG. 1E is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure according to a second embodiment irradiated with laser light. FIG. 1F is a diagram explaining display by irradiating a structure according to a second embodiment with laser light. FIG. 1G is a diagram explaining display by irradiating a related structure with laser light. FIG. 1H is a schematic diagram of a display device using the structures according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. 1I is a block diagram showing the configurations of a control device, a sensor, and a light source of a display device using the structures according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. 1I is a flowchart for display by a display device using the structures according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. 1J is a diagram explaining the configuration of a partition plate when a related structure is irradiated with laser light. FIG. 1J is a diagram explaining the configuration of a partition plate when a structure according to a third embodiment is irradiated with laser light. FIG. 1J is a diagram explaining the configuration of a laser light source when a related structure is irradiated with laser light. FIG. 1J is a diagram explaining the configuration of a laser light source when a structure according to a fourth embodiment is irradiated with laser light.

[0009] (Embodiments) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problems. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same elements are assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0010] (Explanation of Structures According to First and Second Embodiments) A structure according to the embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A-1C to 6. FIG. 1A is a top view of a structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a side view of the structure according to the first embodiment of FIG. 1A as viewed from B. FIG. 1C is a CC cross-sectional view of the structure according to the first embodiment of FIG. 1A. FIG. 2 is a diagram of variations of a partition plate installed in a structure according to a second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure according to the second embodiment irradiated with laser light. FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining how a structure according to the second embodiment is irradiated with laser light to display an image. FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining how a related structure is irradiated with laser light to display an image. The structures according to the first and second embodiments are used in display devices that display a predetermined image by irradiating a laser beam from a bottom surface thereof as excitation light and emitting light emitted by the excitation light from a side surface or a top surface thereof.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1A to 1C, the structure 100 according to the first embodiment includes a first space 101, a second space 102, a partition plate 103, and a vertical portion 104 of the partition plate. The structure 100 is cylindrical. For reference, Figures 1A to 1C show a three-dimensional coordinate system with x, y, and z axes. The partition plate 103 has a spiral shape and separates the first space 101 from the second space 102. The structure 100, the partition plate 103, and the vertical portion 104 of the partition plate are made of transparent materials, such as glass or plastic.

[0012] The first space 101 is filled with a gas that emits light of a first color when irradiated with laser light, such as a gas that emits red light, such as neon gas.

[0013] The second space 102 is filled with a gas that emits light of a second color when irradiated with laser light. The second space 102 is filled with a gas that emits light of a blue color, such as argon gas. The first space 101 and the second space 102 are completely separated by a partition plate 103, and the gases inside do not mix.

[0014] The partition plate 103 emits light of a third color when irradiated with a laser beam. The partition plate 103 contains a green nitride phosphor such as beta-sialon. Preferably, the vertical portion 104 of the partition plate does not contain a green nitride phosphor.

[0015] By rotating such a cylindrical structure and irradiating the bottom surface with laser light, a space that emits red, blue, or green light in a time-division manner can be created. The rotation may be performed around a central axis 105. Alternatively, the cylindrical structure may be rotated with a radius equal to a line extending from an axis that passes through the center of the cylindrical structure and is perpendicular to the side surface of the cylindrical structure.

[0016] The structure is not limited to the cylindrical structure described above, but may be a prismatic structure. In other words, the structure may be a columnar structure. The prismatic structure may be a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, a triangular prism, a pentagonal prism, or any other polygonal prism. As shown in Figure 2, a color display is possible by sandwiching a flat plate-shaped partition plate shown in hatched between the prismatic structure.

[0017] The flat partition plate is preferably sandwiched so as to cross all of the coordinate axes of the three-dimensional coordinate system of the prismatic structure, namely the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis. Furthermore, the flat partition plate preferably equally separates the volume of the first space 101 and the volume of the second space 102 of the prismatic structure. The rotation is performed by rotating the prismatic structure around a line extending from an axis passing through the center of the prismatic structure and perpendicular to the side surface of the prismatic structure. In other words, as shown in FIG. 3 , the structure may be configured such that when the structure is rotated in relation to the positional relationship between the structure and the rotation center, the first space 301, the second space 302, and the partition plate 303 pass through a certain space. This allows a three-dimensional object to be displayed in color.

[0018] FIG. 3 can also be considered a schematic diagram of a cross section of a cubic structure in which the partition plates pass through the diagonal vertices of a square. The following explanation will be based on this diagram. Consider the case where laser light 401 is irradiated onto the structure 300, as shown in FIG. 4 . To emit red light in the structure of FIG. 3 , the laser light for stimulating the emission passes through a region that emits blue light and a region that emits green light before reaching the region that emits red light. With such an optical path, the emission of not only the desired red light but also other colors may occur. Therefore, in order to emit the desired color, ionization phenomena such as emission by absorption of two or more photons or tunnel ionization by concentrating a powerful laser beam are used, rather than emission by single-photon absorption.

[0019] The wavelength of the laser light is preferably outside the visible range. For example, infrared light with a wavelength of 780 nm or more or ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 380 nm or less can be used. If the laser light is in the visible range, even if the object does not emit light, the laser light can be seen due to the Tyndall effect, and light may be mixed. When light is mixed, the light will not be the intended color.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the imaging region 501 in FIG. 3 . The imaging region 501 is the region indicated by the dotted line. The imaging region 501 is a region through which the structure passes within a certain space and is imaged by the irradiated laser light. The light-emitting region is a region that emits light of a predetermined color by the laser light and includes the first space 301, the second space 302, and the partition plate 303. With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 , a method of moving the structure 300 to form the imaging region 501 will be described. As described above, the structure 300 is rotated around a radius that is a line extending from an axis that passes through its center and is perpendicular to the side surface of the structure. At this time, the structure 300 physically moves laterally, but this is considered as horizontal movement in the lateral direction, which is indicated by an arrow in FIG. 5 . When displaying red, green, or blue at all positions in the drawing area 501, when the light-emitting structure 300 is shifted in the same direction as the rotation direction, all of the red, green, and blue light-emitting areas must pass through the drawing area 501.

[0021] 6 shows an example in which a structure 600 in which a partition plate 603 is arranged perpendicular to the laser light is rotated in the same manner as the structure 300. In this case, only a region 602 that emits red light is present above the imaging region 604, and a region 601 that emits blue light and a green partition plate 603 are not present. Therefore, only red light can be emitted above the imaging region 604, and multiple colors cannot be displayed. In this way, in order to emit light of all colors in the imaging region 604, all of the red, green, and blue light-emitting regions must pass through the imaging region 604.

[0022] (Explanation of display device using structures according to first and second embodiments) Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a display device using structures according to first and second embodiments. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device, a sensor, and a light source of a display device using structures according to first and second embodiments. Fig. 9 is a flowchart for display by a display device using structures according to first and second embodiments. A display device using structures according to first and second embodiments will be described with reference to Figs. 7 to 9 .

[0023] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, a display device 700 using the structure of embodiments 1 and 2 includes a structure 701, a light source 702, a control device 703, a z-axis adjustment mechanism 704, an x-axis and y-axis adjustment mechanism 705, a sensor 706, and a rotation mechanism 707.

[0024] Structure 701 is the structure described in the first and second embodiments. Structure 701 is placed on and rotated by rotation mechanism 707. Rotation mechanism 707 is a platform that rotates like a turntable. In FIG. 7 , the central axes of rotation mechanism 707 and structure 701 are misaligned, but in the case of the structure according to the first embodiment, the central axes of rotation mechanism 707 and structure 701 may be the same. Furthermore, although the mechanism for moving structure 701 is rotation mechanism 707, it may also be a platform that vibrates harmonically back and forth on a single axis in the horizontal direction.

[0025] The x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are three-dimensional coordinate axes that are orthogonal to one another. The height direction of the structure 701 is the z-axis, and the horizontal directions are the x-axis and y-axis. Therefore, the bottom surface of the structure 701 is the xy plane facing the rotation mechanism 707. The side surface of the structure 701 is a plane parallel to the z-axis, and the top surface of the structure 701 is the xy plane opposite to 702 and the rotation mechanism 707.

[0026] The light source 702 is a light source that emits the monochromatic laser light described above, and is, for example, a laser irradiation device. The laser light emitted from the light source 702 is controlled by the x-axis and y-axis direction adjustment mechanisms 705 and the z-axis direction adjustment mechanism 704, and a condenser lens, so that the light is condensed at a predetermined position. The predetermined position is based on drawing information input to the control device.

[0027] 8 , the control device 703 includes a drawing point information generation unit 801, a drawing image analysis unit 802, a drawing position adjustment unit 803, and a light source control unit 804. The control device 703 is connected to a sensor 706 and acquires sensor information. The sensor information is position information of the structure 701 sensed by the sensor 706. The control device 703 synchronizes the position of the structure 701 with the laser light using the sensor 706.

[0028] Specifically, the drawing image analysis unit 802 analyzes how to draw in the drawing area based on the input drawing image, and generates drawing image information. The drawing image information is position information on the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis for the three colors of red, green, and blue that make up the drawing image. The drawing point information generation unit 801 determines the position at which to generate a drawing point in the drawing area based on the analysis information. The analysis information is obtained by analyzing the position information of the structure 701 and the position of the light point. The drawing point indicates a predetermined point to be irradiated with laser light based on the drawing image information.

[0029] The control device 703 is configured as a so-called information processing device. The information processing device includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes programs and a memory that stores the programs. The memory can be any storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The information processing device may be configured as a single device or multiple devices. The information processing device may also be a cloud server that distributes and processes some or all of its functions.

[0030] The drawing position adjustment unit 803 controls a position adjustment mechanism for guiding the laser light to the drawing area based on the drawing image information. The position adjustment mechanisms are a z-axis direction adjustment mechanism 704 and x-axis and y-axis direction adjustment mechanisms 705. The light source control unit 804 controls the light source 702 based on relative position information obtained by the sensor. The relative position information is position information of the structure 701 with respect to the drawing point. The light source control unit 804 determines the timing of irradiating the laser light based on the sensed position information of the structure 701.

[0031] The control device 703 controls the light source 702 based on the image information to scan the laser light onto the structure 701. As the structure 701 traverses the entire drawing area, the scanned laser light causes the structure 701 to emit light.

[0032] The z-axis direction adjustment mechanism 704 is a mechanism for aligning the light emitted from the light source 702 with a predetermined position in the imaging area. The z-axis direction adjustment mechanism 704 is, for example, a lens that moves in the direction of the arrow in Figure 7. By moving in the direction of the arrow, the z-axis direction adjustment mechanism 704 can move the focus and change the position of the light-emitting point in the z-axis direction.

[0033] The x-axis and y-axis direction adjustment mechanism 705 is a mechanism for aligning the light emitted from the light source 702 with a predetermined position in the drawing area. The x-axis and y-axis direction adjustment mechanism 705 is, for example, a mirror that moves in the direction of the arrow in Figure 7. The x-axis and y-axis direction adjustment mechanism 705 can change the direction of the laser light by moving obliquely with respect to the xy plane, thereby changing the position of the light-emitting point on the x-axis and y-axis.

[0034] The sensor 706 is a sensor that senses the position of the structure 701. The sensor 706 is, for example, a camera. The sensor 706 may also be an optical sensor.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 9 , the control device 703 acquires the input drawing image (step S901). Next, the drawing image analysis unit 802 analyzes the drawing image (step S902). Next, the drawing point information generation unit 801 determines the generation positions of the drawing points of the drawing image (step S903). Next, the light source control unit 804 controls the laser irradiation device, and the drawing position adjustment unit 803 controls the z-axis adjustment mechanism 704 and the x-axis and y-axis adjustment mechanisms 705 to control the laser light (step S904). Along with the input of the drawing image, the control device 703 acquires sensor information from the sensor 706, and acquires position information of the structure 701 (step S905). Next, the control device 703 analyzes the position information of the structure 701 (step S906). After steps S904 and S906, the light source control unit 804 performs light irradiation (step S907). After step S907, steps S903 and S905 are performed continuously, and the display device 700 displays the image in a time-division manner.

[0036] (Explanation of Structure According to Third Embodiment) Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a partition plate when a laser beam is irradiated onto a related structure. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a partition plate when a laser beam is irradiated onto a structure according to the third embodiment. The structure according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11 .

[0037] 10, the size of the light spot is determined by the wavelength of the incident laser light 401, the diameter and angle of the incident laser light 401, the focal length of the lens, etc. It is important that the thickness of the partition plate 303 matches the size of the light spot.

[0038] For example, the size of the light spot at the focal point varies between a light spot generated at a position where the focal distance is longer and a light spot generated at a position where the focal distance is shorter. That is, the length of the light spot increases as the focal distance increases, and decreases as the focal distance decreases. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11 , the thickness of the partition plate 1101 increases as the focal distance increases to accommodate the varying light spot size. For example, the thickness of the partition plate 1101 decreases as the partition plate approaches the lower portion or bottom surface of the structure 1100. Thus, the thickness of the partition plate 303 is determined by, for example, the focal distance. By increasing the thickness of the partition plate 303 as the focal distance of the laser light 401 increases, color mixing can be prevented and an ideal single color can be expressed.

[0039] (Explanation of Laser Light Source According to Fourth Embodiment) Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a laser light source when a related structure is irradiated with laser light. Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a laser light source when a structure according to the fourth embodiment is irradiated with laser light. The laser light source according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 12 and 13 .

[0040] 12, the angle of incidence of the laser beam 401 varies depending on the scanning angle. When the laser beam 401 is scanned, the angle at which the laser beam 401 is incident on the partition plate 303 varies. The partition plate 303 acts as an optical boundary surface, and in some cases, there is a risk that the laser beam 401 will be totally reflected due to a difference in refractive index. This occurs because the laser beam 401 is irradiated and scanned from the bottom surface directly below the center of the structure 300.

[0041] 13, instead of irradiating and scanning the center of the structure 300 with laser light 401 from the bottom surface directly below, laser light 1301 is irradiated and scanned from the bottom surface diagonally below the center of the structure 300. At this time, the angle of incidence of the laser light 1301 with respect to the partition plate 303 is set to be more obtuse than when irradiating from directly below. This allows the laser light 1301 to be incident on the partition plate 303 at an angle within a predetermined range that does not cause total reflection.

[0042] The laser beam 1301 is irradiated onto the center of the structure 300 from diagonally below the bottom surface so as to be scanned without being totally reflected by the partition plate. For this purpose, the light source 702 is disposed diagonally below the bottom surface of the structure 300. Alternatively, the x-axis and y-axis direction adjustment mechanism 705 is disposed diagonally below the bottom surface of the structure 300. For example, the light source 702 or the x-axis and y-axis direction adjustment mechanism 705 may be disposed outside or inside the rotation mechanism 707 with respect to the structure 300. Furthermore, a mirror may be used in addition to the x-axis and y-axis direction adjustment mechanism 705 to adjust the optical path so that the laser beam 1301 is irradiated onto the bottom surface of the structure 300 from diagonally below.

[0043] When the laser light 1301 is irradiated from the bottom surface diagonally downward so that the laser light 1301 is incident on the partition plate 303 at an obtuse angle, the focal length becomes longer as the distance to the bottom increases, so the thickness of the partition plate 303 may be made thicker as the distance to the bottom increases.

[0044] Furthermore, if the laser beam 401 and the partition plate 303 are parallel, there is a possibility that the beam will not be focused at a desired position due to aberration. Therefore, it is preferable that the angle between the laser beam 401 and the partition plate 303 is greater than 0°.

[0045] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention.

[0046] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-124249, filed on July 31, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0047] The structure of the present disclosure can be used in a display device.

[0048] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Structure, 101 First space, 102 Second space, 103 Partition plate, 104 Vertical portion of partition plate, 105 Central axis, 300 Structure, 301 First space, 302 Second space, 303 Partition plate, 401 Laser light, 501 Drawing area, 601 Area emitting blue light, 602 Area emitting red light, 603 Partition plate, 604 Drawing area, 700 Display device, 701 Structure, 702 Light source, 703 Control device, 704 Z-axis direction adjustment mechanism, 705 X-axis and y-axis direction adjustment mechanism, 706 Sensor, 707 Rotation mechanism, 801 Drawing point information generation unit, 802 Drawing image analysis unit, 803 Drawing position adjustment unit, 804 Light source control unit, 1100 Structure, 1101 Partition plate, 1301 Laser light

Claims

1. A structure comprising a partition plate separating a first space from a second space, the first space being filled with a gas that emits light of a first color when irradiated with laser light, the second space being filled with a gas that emits light of a second color when irradiated with the laser light, and the partition plate containing a phosphor that emits light of a third color when irradiated with the laser light.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the structure is cylindrical and the partition plate is spiral-shaped.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the structure is in the shape of a rectangular column, and the partition plate is in the shape of a flat plate.

4. The structure of claim 3, wherein said partition equally separates the volume of said first space from the volume of said second space.

5. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the partition plate has a thickness that increases as the focal length of the laser light increases.

6. A display device comprising: a structure according to claim 1; a mechanism for rotating said structure; and a light source for irradiating said laser light from a bottom surface of said structure.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein an incident angle of the laser light is within a predetermined range in which the laser light is not totally reflected by the partition plate.

8. The display device according to claim 6, wherein the structure is prismatic, and the mechanism for rotating the structure rotates the structure around a radius equal to a line extending from an axis that passes through the center of the structure and is perpendicular to a side surface of the structure.

Images