SURFACE EMITTER AND INTERNALLY ILLUMINATED SIGN INCORPORATING THE SAME

• US 20100212198A1
• Filed: 03/25/2008
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Amcrew Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Amcrew Incorporated
• Inventors: Ikeda, Daisuke, Matsunaga, Hideto, Koizumi, Nobuyuki, Tsukamoto, Masaru
• Application Number:
  US12/734,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20100212198A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 40/564
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/006 General building constructions or finishing work for buildings, e.g. roofs, gutters, stairs or floors; Garden equipment; Sunshades or parasols
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/22 electroluminescent electroluminescent light sources per se H05B33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/22 Advertising or display means on roads, walls or similar surfaces, e.g. illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/226 External wall display means; Facade advertising means
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes

Abstract

To provide a novel surface emitter incorporating an LED element improved in waterproofness or other practical functionality to enable the surface emitter to be used not only for a sign but also for other various applications, in appearance and in workability, and an internally illuminated sign incorporating the same surface emitter. A surface emitter 1 according to the present invention has a flexible substrate 11 having electric wiring 12, a plurality of LED elements 13 disposed substantially regularly on the substrate 11, and a top film 14 disposed on the LED elements 13 in a stretched manner. When the top film 14 is disposed on the substrate 11 in a stretched manner, the top film 14 is applied to the substrate 11 to come into close contact with projections and depressions formed by the LED elements 13. More specifically, a vacuum pressure bonding process is used in which a space between the LED elements 13 and the top film 14 is evacuated, and the top film 14 is heated and pressure-bonded to the surface of the LED elements 13.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A surface emitter, comprising:

a flexible substrate having electric wiring;

a plurality of LED elements disposed substantially regularly on the substrate; and

a top film disposed on the LED elements in a stretched manner,

wherein when said top film is disposed on the substrate in a stretched manner, the top film is applied to the substrate to come into close contact with projections and depressions formed by the LED elements.

8. The surface emitter according to claim 7, wherein when said top film is disposed on the substrate in a stretched manner to come into close contact with the projections and depressions formed by the LED elements, a space between the LED elements and the top film is evacuated, and the top film is heated and pressure-bonded to the surface of the LED elements.

9. The surface emitter according to claim 7, wherein said top film is a highly clingy and highly stretchable polyvinyl chloride film.

10. The surface emitter according to claim 8, wherein said top film is a highly clingy and highly stretchable polyvinyl chloride film.

11. The surface emitter according to claim 7, wherein the electric wiring that energizes said plurality of LED elements forms a mesh-shaped circuit, and even when a part of the circuit is cut out, the circuit supplies a current to a remaining LED element through a path bypassing the cutout part.

12. The surface emitter according to claim 8, wherein the electric wiring that energizes said plurality of LED elements forms a mesh-shaped circuit, and even when a part of the circuit is cut out, the circuit supplies a current to a remaining LED element through a path bypassing the cutout part.

13. The surface emitter according to claim 9, wherein the electric wiring that energizes said plurality of LED elements forms a mesh-shaped circuit, and even when a part of the circuit is cut out, the circuit supplies a current to a remaining LED element through a path bypassing the cutout part.

14. The surface emitter according to claim 10, wherein the electric wiring that energizes said plurality of LED elements forms a mesh-shaped circuit, and even when a part of the circuit is cut out, the circuit supplies a current to a remaining LED element through a path bypassing the cutout part.

15. The surface emitter according to claim 7, wherein said top film is not only a transparent film but also is a material having a low transparency, such as an obscure glass sheet, a frosted glass sheet, an interior wallpaper, and a printed material.

16. The surface emitter according to claim 8, wherein said top film is not only a transparent film but also is a material having a low transparency, such as an obscure glass sheet, a frosted glass sheet, an interior wallpaper, and a printed material.

17. The surface emitter according to claim 9, wherein said top film is not only a transparent film but also is a material having a low transparency, such as an obscure glass sheet, a frosted glass sheet, an interior wallpaper, and a printed material.

18. The surface emitter according to claim 11, wherein said top film is not only a transparent film but also is a material having a low transparency, such as an obscure glass sheet, a frosted glass sheet, an interior wallpaper, and a printed material.

19. An internally illuminated sign, comprising:

a sign case having a sign front surface, a side plate and a back plate; and

a surface emitter installed in the sign case,

wherein said surface emitter comprises a flexible substrate having electric wiring, a plurality of LED elements disposed substantially regularly on the substrate, and a top film disposed on the LED elements in a stretched manner, and when said top film is disposed on the substrate in a stretched manner, the top film is applied to the substrate to come into close contact with projections and depressions formed by the LED elements.

20. The internally illuminated sign according to claim 19, wherein when said top film is disposed on the substrate in a stretched manner to come into close contact with the projections and depressions formed by the LED elements, a space between the LED elements and the top film is evacuated, and the top film is heated and pressure-bonded to the surface of the LED elements.

21. The internally illuminated sign according to claim 19, wherein said top film is a highly clingy and highly stretchable polyvinyl chloride film.

22. The internally illuminated sign according to claim 19, wherein the electric wiring that energizes said plurality of LED elements forms a mesh-shaped circuit, and even when a part of the circuit is cut out, the circuit supplies a current to a remaining LED element through a path bypassing the cutout part.

23. The internally illuminated sign according to claim 19, wherein said top film is not only a transparent film but also is a material having a low transparency, such as an obscure glass sheet, a frosted glass sheet, an interior wallpaper, and a printed material.