Image-forming apparatus

Details Image-forming apparatus Image-forming apparatus

2000-02-23

2003-06-24

Patel, Vip (Department: 2879)

Electric lamp and discharge devices

With luminescent solid or liquid material

Vacuum-type tube

C313S238000, C313S268000, C313S292000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06583552

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
There are conventionally an image-forming apparatus using an electron-emitting device, a plasma display panel (hereinafter briefly called a PDP), etc. as an image-forming apparatus of a flat type. Two kinds of electron-emitting devices using a thermionic cathode and a cold cathode are known as the electron-emitting device. For example, the above image-forming apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 62-200636, 62-252050, 05-74380, 04-43538, 08-264112, 08-321254 and 11-25860, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,324, etc.
A field emission type (FE type), a metal/insulating layer/metal (MIM type), a surface conduction type, etc. begin to be practically used in the cold cathode.
In the image-forming apparatus using the electron-emitting device, the electron-emitting device and an image forming member are arranged within an airtight container. More concretely, electrons emitted from plural electron-emitting devices arranged on a rear plate are irradiated to a fluorescent substance (image forming member) on a face plate arranged oppositely to the rear plate so that an image is formed.
For example, when the above image-forming apparatus is used as a display, it is necessary to apply a high voltage of from several kV to several tens kV to the image forming member (fluorescent substance). Therefore, the above rear plate and the face plate are spaced from each other by a supporting member called an outer frame, etc. at a predetermined distance to secure a sufficient electric insulating property between the face plate and the rear plate. Joining portions of the above supporting member and the rear and face plates (outer circumferential portions of both the plates) are joined (airtightly sealed) to each other by a joining member so that the airtight container is formed. A pressure reducing state required to emit electrons is formed within the airtight container.
Here, one example of the structure and a manufacturing method of a conventional airtight container will be briefly explained on the basis of FIG.
7
.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, an airtight container
710
is constructed by a rear plate
702
, a face plate
701
and a supporting member
703
. The supporting member
703
is formed by four structural members
703
-
1
,
703
-
2
,
703
-
3
and
703
-
4
formed in a plate shape (a rectangular parallelepiped).
The supporting member
703
is prepared by combining the above four structural members with each other in a frame shape and fixing these members to each other in advance by a bond such as low melting point glass.
A joining layer
704
such as low melting point glass is next formed in a joining portion of the rear plate
702
and the face plate
701
. Thereafter, the supporting member
703
is nipped at a center and the rear plate
702
and the face plate
701
are aligned and stuck to each other. Further, while a load is applied to the rear and face plates, these plates are heated to a softening temperature of the joining layer
704
and are then cooled. Finally, the interior of the container is evacuated through an exhaust pipe (not shown) and a vacuum atmosphere or a gas atmosphere is formed within the container. Thereafter, the container is sealed by using a sealing method of the exhaust pipe, or an exhaust-pipeless method for forming the above atmosphere within a vacuum chamber and performing a seal attaching operation so that the airtight container
710
is completed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has an object to provide an image-forming apparatus with good yield and high reliability by devising and improving the shape of a supporting member.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an image-forming apparatus, characterized in that:
the image-forming apparatus includes an airtight container comprising:
a rear plate arranging plural electron-emitting devices therein;
a face plate arranged oppositely to the rear plate and having an image forming member; and
a supporting member arranged between the rear plate and the face plate, for prescribing the distance between the face and rear plates, the interior of which being held in a pressure reducing state, and that:
the supporting member has four nook portions (four corners) and shapes of the four nook portions (four corners) have curvature on an inner or outer side of the container.
In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided an image-forming apparatus, characterized in that:
the image-forming apparatus includes an airtight container comprising:
a rear plate arranging plural electron-emitting devices therein;
a face plate arranged oppositely to the rear plate and having an image forming member; and
a supporting member arranged between the rear plate and the face plate, for prescribing the distance between the face and rear plates, the interior of which being held in a pressure reducing state, and that:
the supporting member has four nook portions (four corners) and shapes of the four nook portions (four corners) have curvature on inner and outer sides of the container.
The electron-emitting device may be a cold cathode electron-emitting device and may be also a surface conduction electron-emitting device.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5834891 (1998-11-01), Novich
patent: 5903097 (1999-05-01), Lee
patent: 660 357 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 701 265 (1996-03-01), None
patent: 62-200636 (1987-09-01), None
patent: 62-252050 (1987-11-01), None
patent: 4-43538 (1992-02-01), None
patent: 5-74380 (1993-03-01), None
patent: 7-235255 (1995-09-01), None
patent: 8-264112 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 8-321254 (1996-12-01), None
patent: 11-25860 (1999-01-01), None

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