Image display device and method

• US 7,321,459 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Murata, Kazuya, Takagi, Koji, Nihei, Norio, Kitano, Hajime, Masuda, Yoshitomo, Yakushiji, Gaku, Kawagoe, Takahiro, Tanuma, Itsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lester; Evelyn A.
• Application Number:
  US10/506,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20060033849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 359/296, 345/107, 345/48, 349/2
• US Class Current: 359/296
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1671 involving dry toners

Abstract

In the image display device according to the first aspect of the invention, a liquid powder composed of a solid material stably floating as a dispersant in a gas and exhibiting a high fluidity in an aerosol state is sealed between opposed substrates, at least one substrate being transparent, and the liquid powder is moved. Moreover, in the image display device according to the second aspect of the invention, a porous spacer is arranged between opposed substrates, at least one substrate being transparent, a liquid powder composed of a solid material stably floating as a dispersant in gas and exhibiting a high fluidity in an aerosol state is sealed, and the liquid powder is moved.

Claims

1. An image display device characterized in that a liquid powder composed of a solid material stably floating as a dispersant in a gas and exhibiting a high fluidity in an aerosol state is sealed between opposed substrates, at least one substrate being transparent, and the liquid powder is moved,

wherein the liquid powder does not have a repose angle as an index indicating its fluidity.

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein an apparent volume in a maximum floating state is two times or more than that in none floating state.

3. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein a time change of the apparent volume of the liquid powder satisfies the floating formula:

V₁₀/V₅>

0.8;

here, V₅ indicates the apparent volume (cm³) of the liquid powder after 5 minutes from the maximum floating state; and

V₁₀ indicates the apparent volume (cm³) of the liquid powder after 10 minutes from the maximum floating state.

4. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein an average particle size d(0.5) of a particle material constituting the liquid powder is 0.1-20 μ

m.

5. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein a particle size distribution Span of the particle material constituting the liquid powder, which is defined by the following formula, is not more than 5:

Span=(d(0.9)d(0.1))/d(0.5);

(here, d(0.5) means a value of the particle size expressed by μ

m wherein an amount of the particle material constituting the liquid powder having the particle size larger than this value is 50% and an amount of the particle material constituting the liquid powder having the particle size expressed by μ

m wherein an amount of the particle material constituting the liquid powder having a particle size smaller than this value is 10%, and d(0.9) means a value of the particle size expressed by μ

m wherein an amount of the particle material constituting the liquid powder having the particle size smaller than this value is 90%).

6. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid powder is immersed into a solvent before the liquid powder is sealed between the opposed substrates,

wherein a weight of the liquid powder before being immersed into the solvent is A,

wherein a weight of resin components after the liquid powder is immersed into the solvent at 25°

C. for 24 hours is B,

wherein a solvent insoluble rate of the liquid powder is defined by the following formula;

solvent insoluble rate (%)=(B/A)×

100, and

wherein the solvent insoluble rate is not less than 50%.

7. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid powder is a material, a surface of which is bonded by inorganic fine particles having an average particle size of 20-100 nm.

8. The image display device according to claim 7, wherein the liquid powder is a material, a surface of which is bonded by two or more kinds of inorganic fine particles.

9. The image display device according to claim 7, wherein the inorganic fine particles are treated by silicon oil.

10. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid powder is sealed between the substrates by means of an electrostatic coating apparatus.

11. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein a space between the opposed substrates is filled with a gas having a relative humidity at 25°

C. of not more than 60% RH.

12. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image display device is formed by a plurality of display cells.

13. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein a partition wall is formed by one of a screen-printing method, a sandblast method, a photo-conductor paste method and an additive method.

14. The image display device according to claim 13, wherein the partition wall has a cantilever structure.

15. A method of displaying an image characterized in that a liquid powder composed of a solid material stably floating as a dispersant in a gas and exhibiting a high fluidity in an aerosol state is sealed between opposed substrates, at least one substrate being transparent, and the liquid powder is moved;

wherein the liquid powder does not have a repose angle as an index indicating its fluidity.

16. An image display device characterized in that a porous spacer is arranged between opposed substrates, at least one substrate being transparent, a liquid powder composed of a solid material stably floating as a dispersant in gas and exhibiting a high fluidity in an aerosol state is sealed, and the liquid powder is moved.

17. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein the liquid powder does not have a repose angle as an index indicating its fluidity.

18. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein hot melt adhesive is applied on an outer portion of the porous spacer.

19. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein an open rate of the porous spacer at a display side having a transparent substrate is 50-95%.

20. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein pore sizes of the porous spacer are different at a display side and at a none display side, and (pore size a display side)/(pore size at none display side)>

1.1 is satisfied.

21. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein an apparent volume in a maximum floating state is two times or more than that in none floating state.

22. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein a time change of the apparent volume of the liquid powder satisfies the floating formula:

V₁₀/V₅>

0.8;

here, V₅ indicates the apparent volume (cm³) of the liquid powder after 5 minutes from the maximum floating state; and

V₁₀ indicates the apparent volume (cm³) of the liquid powder after 10 minutes from the maximum floating state.

23. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein an average particle size d(0.5) of a particle material constituting the liquid powder is 0.1-20 μ

m.

24. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein a particle size distribution Span of the particle material constituting the liquid powder, which is defined by the following formula, is not more than 5:

Span=(d(0.9)d(0.1))/d(0.5);

(here, d(0.5) means a value of the particle size expressed by μ

m wherein an amount of the particle material constituting the liquid powder having the particle size larger than this value is 50% and an amount of the particle material constituting the liquid powder having the particle size expressed by μ

m wherein an amount of the particle material constituting the liquid powder having a particle size smaller than this value is 10%, and d(0.9) means a value of the particle size expressed by μ

m wherein an amount of the particle material constituting the liquid powder having the particle size smaller than this value is 90%).

25. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein a solvent insoluble rate of the liquid powder, which is defined by the following formula, is not less than 50%:

solvent insoluble rate (%)=(B/A)×

100;

(here, A is a weight of the liquid powder before being immersed into the solvent and B is a weight of resin components after the liquid powder is immersed into good solvent at 25°

C. for 24 hours).

26. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein the liquid powder is a material, a surface of which is bonded by inorganic fine particles having an average particle size of 20-100 nm.

27. The image display device according to claim 26, wherein the liquid powder is a material, a surface of which is bonded by two or more kinds of inorganic fine particles.

28. The image display device according to claim 26, wherein the inorganic fine particles are treated by silicon oil.

29. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein the liquid powder is sealed between the substrates by means of an electrostatic coating apparatus.

30. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein a space between the opposed substrates is filled with a gas having a relative humidity at 25°

C. of not more than 60%.