The present invention relates to packaging methods of plasma display panel modules (hereinafter called panel modules) which are known for thin, lightweight display devices with a large screen.
Due to their good viewability, plasma display devices are increasingly being adopted as promising display panels (thin display devices). Further developments to achieve high definition and larger screens are in progress.
Plasma display devices can be roughly divided into two types: AC and DC driven types. With respect to discharge type, there are plane discharge and opposed discharge types. Currently, AC type plane discharge plasma display devices are the most commonly used because of their potential for high definition, larger screen size, and ease of production.
These AC type plane discharge plasma display devices are manufactured using the following process. First, a pair of transparent glass substrates are disposed facing each other to create a space for discharge in between, and electrodes are disposed on these glass substrates. Once assembled, these glass substrates are called a plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as a “panel”). A panel module includes a chassis holding this panel and a display driving circuit block, attached to the chassis, that applies signals to the panel for display. A finished plasma display device refers to this panel module covered with a casing.
The above plasma display device can be manufactured in larger screen sizes more easily than other display devices such as liquid crystal displays and CRTs. In addition, it can achieve a sharper image than other large display devices. Accordingly, plasma display devices are increasingly being used as information display screens installed in locations where large audiences can view them, and for enjoying dynamic video images at home.
However, plasma display devices, although easy to manufacture in large-screen form, require large glass substrates, which are the major components of the panel. In addition, they generate a significant amount of heat during use because images are displayed by means of plasma discharge at selected cells. Accordingly, plasma display devices need countermeasures which were then not necessary in other display devices.
The manufacture of panels requires large-scale facilities. Accordingly, most display manufacturers recently purchase panel modules from panel manufacturers and attach other circuit blocks. They are then set in the casing to complete finished plasma display devices.
In this case, another countermeasure is needed to prevent panels from being damaged by impact during transportation of panel modules.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above disadvantage by preventing damage to panel modules during transportation.
To achieve this object, a packaging method of the present invention includes a panel module configured as follows. A pair of substrates with at least the front substrate transparent are disposed facing each other to create a discharge space in between, and electrodes are disposed on the substrates to configure a panel. The panel module is configured with a chassis which holds the panel and a display driving circuit block attached to the chassis for displaying images by applying signals to the panel. The packaging method of the present invention provides a resin front protective cover, which has substantially the same dimensions as a front frame of the finished plasma display device, to the periphery of the panel module to protect the periphery of the panel module.
Another packaging method of the present invention includes the panel module configured as follows. A pair of substrates with at least the front substrate transparent are disposed facing each other to create a discharge space in between, and electrodes are disposed on the substrates to configure the panel. The panel module is configured with a chassis which holds the panel and a display driving circuit block which is attached to the chassis for displaying images by applying signals to the panel. The packaging method of the present invention provides the resin front protective cover, which has substantially the same dimensions as the front frame of the finished plasma display device, to the periphery where a flexible wiring board is disposed for connecting the panel of the panel module and the display driving circuit block. A cushioning material containing an antistatic agent is applied to the inner face of the front protective cover at the position contacting the flexible wiring board.
As described above, the packaging method of the plasma display panel module of the present invention provides the resin front protective cover having substantially the same dimensions as the front frame of the finished plasma display device to protect the periphery of the panel module. Accordingly, damage to the panel module during transportation is preventable.
A plasma display device in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to
Striped address electrodes 7 covered with overcoat layer 6 are aligned in two or more lines on substrate 5 at the rear side which is disposed opposing substrate 1 at the front side. Address electrodes 7 are disposed so as to cross display electrodes 2 of scan electrodes and sustain electrodes. Walls 8 are disposed parallel to address electrodes 7 on overcoat layer 6 between address electrodes 7, and phosphor layer 9 is applied to the side faces of these walls 8 and the surface of overcoat layer 6.
These substrates 1 and 5 are disposed facing each other such that display electrodes 2 of scan electrodes and sustain electrodes, and address electrodes 7 cross perpendicularly with a very thin discharge space between them. The periphery of these substrates 1 and 5 is sealed, and pure or mixed helium, neon, argon and/or xenon gas is injected into the discharge space to serve as discharge gas. The discharge space is partitioned into blocks by walls 8 so that numerous discharge cells, in which display electrode 2 and the address electrode cross, are provided. Red, green, and blue phosphor layers 9 are sequentially disposed in each discharge cell.
In the plasma display panel in which electrodes are configured as above, address discharge occurs between the address electrode and scan electrode by applying a write pulse between the address electrode and scan electrode. Then, after selecting the discharge cell, the discharge is sustained between the scan electrode and sustain electrode by applying a periodic sustaining pulse which alternates between the scan electrode and sustain electrode to display the required image.
Next, write discharge occurs at the cross point of a predetermined address electrode D1 to DN and scan electrode SCN2 in the second row as a result of applying a positive write pulse voltage +Vw (V) to the predetermined address electrode D1 to DN corresponding to the discharge cell in the second row, and applying a negative scan pulse voltage −Vs (V) to scan electrode SCN2 in the second row.
The same operation as described above is executed sequentially. Lastly, write discharge occurs at the cross point of a predetermined address electrode D1 to DN and scan electrode SCNM in row M by applying a positive write pulse voltage +Vw (V) to the predetermined address electrode D1 to DN corresponding to the discharge cell in the M row and applying a negative scan pulse voltage −Vs (V) to scan electrode SCNM in M row.
In the next sustain period, all scan electrodes SCN1 to SCNM are simultaneously sustained at 0 (V), and negative sustain pulse voltage −Vm (V) is applied to all sustain electrodes SUS1 to SUSM. This generates a sustain discharge between scan electrodes SCN1 to SCNM and sustain electrodes SUS1 to SUSM at the cross points where write discharge has occurred. Then, negative sustain pulse voltage −Vm (V) is alternately applied between all scan electrodes SCN1 to SCNM and all sustain electrodes SUS1 to SUSM to maintain sustain discharge in the discharge cells to be displayed. Images are displayed on the panel as a result of emission of this sustain discharge.
In the next erase period, all scan electrodes SCN1 to SCNM are simultaneously sustained at 0 (V); then erase pulse voltage −Ve (V) is applied to all sustain electrodes SUS1 to SUSM to generate erase discharge for stopping discharge.
The above operation enables the display of information of one screen on the plasma display device.
Panel 10 is adhered onto the front of chassis 14, typically made of aluminum, via heat-conducting sheet 15. Several circuit blocks 16 are attached to the rear face of chassis 14 for driving panel 10 for display. Heat-conducting sheet 15 efficiently transfers heat generated in panel 10 to chassis 14 for heat dissipation. Circuit blocks 16 contain an electric circuit for driving and controlling the display on panel 10, and are electrically connected to an electrode leader drawn to the edge of panel 10 using several flexible wiring boards (not illustrated) extending beyond the four edges of chassis 14.
Boss 14a is provided protruding from chassis 14 at the rear face, typically by integral die-casting for attaching circuit block 16 or securing back cover 12. Chassis 14 may also be configured with a fixing pin on a flat aluminum sheet.
Control circuit block 23, disposed approximately at the center of chassis 14, converts video data to video data signal corresponding to the number of pixels on panel 10 based on video signals from the input circuit, and supplies it to address driver circuit block 22. In addition, control circuit block 23 generates a discharge control timing signal, and supplies it to scan driver circuit block 20 and sustain driver circuit block 21 for controlling driving for display including grayscale control. Power supply block 24 supplies voltage to each of the aforementioned circuit blocks, and is disposed substantially at the center of chassis 14, same as control circuit block 23.
Wall 14b is provided on chassis 14 for partitioning each circuit block.
Bracket 25 is for mounting the panel onto a stand pole 27, and is provided at the bottom in the height direction of chassis 14.
Flexible wiring board 28 connects the electrode leader of the scan electrode and sustain electrode on panel 10, and scan driver circuit block 20; and sustain driver circuit block 21 and a printed circuit board. Flexible wiring board 29 connects the electrode leader of the address electrode on panel 10 and the printed wiring board of address driver circuit block 22. As shown in
In the exemplary embodiment, as shown in
Front frame 11 is secured onto chassis 14 by screw 33, as shown in
The present invention prevents damage to the panel module by shocks experienced during transportation when the panel module as configured above in the plasma display device is shipped. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are detailed below with reference to
The exemplary embodiment shown in
Front protective cover 41 is made by molding polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin into substantially the same dimensions as front frame 11. This front protective cover 41 has a basically L-shape section face, and is applied to cover the periphery where flexible wiring boards 28 and 29 for connecting panel 10 of panel module 40 and the display driving circuit block are disposed. As shown in
On the inner face of front protective cover 41 corresponding to flexible wiring board 28, cushioning material 42, typically made of spongy rubber containing an antistatic agent, is disposed. Flexible wiring boards 28 originally protruding to both sides, as shown in
Rear protective cover 43 is made of corrugated cardboard and has substantially the same dimensions as the back cover of the finished plasma display device. At both ends in the width direction of this rear protective cover 43 made of corrugated cardboard, reinforcement 44, made by stacking several corrugated cardboard sheets, is provided. There are four holes 44a provided on this reinforcement 44. Four bosses 14c integrally provided on chassis 14, to which metal fittings for attaching the plasma display device to the wall will be screwed, are inserted into these holes 44a. Reinforcement 44 is fixed to chassis 14 using screw 45 for anchoring the metal fitting.
In addition, notch 44b is provided on reinforcement 44 at one side of rear protective cover 43, and two stand poles 46 made of aluminum, resin, and paper tubing are detachably set in this notch 44b. In addition, as shown in
More specifically, there is a difficulty in installing panel module 40 except for the cases that casing and stand are not required, such as when the plasma display device is set into a wall for business use. In the present invention, installation work is facilitated because panel module 40 can be kept upright using rear protective cover 43 as a stand by inserting stand pole 46 into rear protective cover 43 as described above.
Hole 44a on reinforcement 44 shown in
Moreover, thickened portion 48, made by stacking several corrugated cardboard sheets, same as reinforcement 44, is provided at the top and bottom at the center part of rear protective cover 43. This increases the cushioning effect for suppressing the bouncing pressure applied to the panel center if panel module 40 is accidentally tipped over or dropped during transportation.
Furthermore, direction arrow mark 49 is placed at approximately the center of the rear protective cover to identify the top and bottom of panel module 40, and catch 50 for carrying panel module 40 is made by cutting a part of this reinforcement 44 at both ends of reinforcement 44 in the width direction.
Accordingly, packed module 51 is configured by attaching front protective cover 41 and rear protective cover 43 to panel module 40.
The exemplary embodiment shown in
Still another exemplary embodiment shown in
Yet another exemplary embodiment shown in
In other words, the exemplary embodiments shown in
Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment shown in
A rectangular parallelepiped-shaped packaging box is configured with bottom box 61a with short height dimension and top box 61b with long height dimension. Top box 61b covers bottom box 61a. Cushioning materials 62a, 62b,. 63a, and 63b are respectively disposed on the bottom inner face of bottom box 61a and the top inner face of top box 61b. Packed module 51 covered with sheet 64 is held with these cushioning materials 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b, and stored in the packaging box.
Cushioning material 62a is disposed at the corner of bottom box 61a, and cushioning material 62b is disposed at approximately the center of bottom box 61a. Groove 65 is provided on both cushioning materials 62a and 62b for respectively fitting reinforcement 44 and thickened portion 48 of rear protective cover 43 shown in
In other words, the packaging method of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention applies resin front protective cover 41 to the periphery of the front face of panel module 40 and applies rear protective cover 43 to the rear face of panel module 40 where the display driving circuit is disposed. This permits the use of protective covers of substantially the same size as the outer dimensions of the finished plasma display device. Accordingly, panel module 40 may be packaged using a regular packaging box used for the finished plasma display device, eliminating the need to make a new packaging box specifically designed for the panel module.
Moreover, front protective cover 41 for protecting panel module 41 is made of PET resin which is typically produced by recycling PET bottles, and rear protective cover 43 is made of corrugated cardboard. Accordingly, front protective cover 41 and rear protective cover 43, after being removed from panel module 40, are recyclable as resources, achieving environmentally-friendly packaging.
A rectangular parallelepiped-shaped packaging box is configured with bottom box 71a with short height dimension and top box 71b with long height dimension. Top box 71b covers bottom box 71a. Cushioning materials 72a, 72b, 73a, and 73b are respectively disposed on the bottom inner face of bottom box 71a and the top inner face of top box 71b. Packed module 51 covered with sheet 74 is held with these cushioning materials 72a, 72b, 73a, and 73b, and stored in the packaging box.
Cushioning material 72a is disposed at a corner of bottom box 71a, and cushioning material 71b is positioned at approximately the center of bottom box 71a by fitting protrusion 75 formed on cushioning material 72b to hole 76 created on the wall at approximately the center of bottom box 71a. Groove 77 is provided on cushioning materials 72a and 72b for respectively fitting, as shown in
Cushioning material 73a is disposed at a corner of top box 71b, and cushioning material 73b is disposed at approximately the center of top box 71b. As for cushioning materials 72a and 72b, grooves 77 and 78 are provided on cushioning materials 72b and 73b for fitting reinforcement 44 and thickened portion 48 on rear protective cover 43. These cushioning materials 73a and 73b secure the top part of packed module 51. In addition, as shown in
In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, thickened portion 48 to which cushioning material 73b is fitted is made thicker than reinforcement 44. However, if the entire rear protective cover 43 is made by stacking several corrugated cardboard sheets, there is no need to additionally form reinforcement 44 or thickened portion 48. In this case, thickened portion 48 is made to be thicker than other areas of rear protective cover 43.
As described above, the packaging method in the exemplary embodiments of the present invention employ a packaging box for holding packed module 51 with cushioning materials 72a, 72b, 73a, and 73b at least by the corners and approximately the top center and bottom center for storage. Thickened portion 48, which is thicker than the other areas, is provided on rear protective cover 43 at the position corresponding to cushioning material 73b which is disposed at approximately the top center of packed module 51. In addition, groove 77 is provided on cushioning material 73b for fitting this thickened portion 48. Cushioning material 73b is thus positioned by fitting thickened portion 48 on rear protective cover 43 and groove 77 in cushioning material 73b. Accordingly, cushioning material 73b assures to hold approximately the top center of packed module 51, protecting panel module 40 from impact during transportation.
In particular, panel module 40 with a large screen may significantly deform at the center. The present invention thus demonstrates the further advantageous effects of preventing damage by impact during transportation by securely holding approximately the center of panel module 40.
Next, yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to
As shown in
Module holding board 81 is applied to the rear face of chassis 14 where the display driving circuit block is disposed to cover the rear face of panel module 40. There are four holes 81a on module holding board 81. Through these holes 81a, screws 82 for fixing metal fittings for securing the plasma display device on the wall are screwed onto four bosses 14c integrally provided on chassis 14 for securing the plasma display device on the chassis 14. Notch 81b is also provided on module holding board 81, and two stand poles 83 for securing panel module 40 upright, using module holding board 81 as a stand, are stored in this notch 81b.
Module holding board 81 also has direction arrow mark 84 at approximately the center to identify the top and bottom of panel module 40. At both ends in the width direction, catch 85 is created by removing a part of module holding board 81 for carrying panel module 40.
Packed module 90 is held upright in a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped packaging box 91 made of corrugated cardboard by holder 93 having groove 92a into which the periphery of module holding board 81 fits, and two or more of these packed module 90 (3 modules in the drawing) are stored in packaging box 91. It is apparent from
The packaging method in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention uses module holding board 81 made of corrugated cardboard to protect panel module 40. This enables module holding board 81 to be recycled after opening packaging box 91 and removing panel module 40 from module holding board 81, achieving environmentally-friendly packaging.
Moreover, the use of module holding board 81 larger than the outer dimensions of panel module 40 facilitates packing of two or more modules in parallel as shown in
As described above, the packaging method in this exemplary embodiment of the present invention prevents damage to the panel module resulting from impact during transportation by using a module holding board made of corrugated cardboard. Since the module holding board for protecting the panel module is made of corrugated cardboard, the module holding board is recyclable after opening the packaging box and removing the panel module from the module holding board. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiment also offers packaging that contributes to environmental protection.
Furthermore, the use of a module holding board larger than the outer dimensions of the panel module for protecting the panel module facilitates the packing of two or more modules in parallel in the packaging box.
The packaging method of the present invention applies a resin front protective cover to the periphery of the panel module to prevent damage to the panel module during transportation. In addition, the front protective cover is made of PET resin which is obtainable by recycling PET bottles and containers. It is therefore recyclable as a resource after opening the packaging box and removing the panel module from the front protective cover. Accordingly, the present invention also offers packaging that contributes to environmental protection.
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2001-106741 | Apr 2001 | JP | national |
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