Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems – Plural power supplies – Plural cathode and/or anode load device
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-03
2004-09-28
Wong, Don (Department: 2821)
Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems
Plural power supplies
Plural cathode and/or anode load device
C315S169100, C313S496000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06798149
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fluorescent luminous tube and a fabricating method thereof, wherein the fluorescent luminous tube has anode electrodes and grid electrodes arranged in a matrix form, the grid electrodes being formed on insulating separators.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 6A
to
6
C illustrate a graphic fluorescent display tube which is a type of prior art fluorescent luminous tubes, wherein
FIG. 6A
shows a plan view thereof;
FIG. 6B
, a cross-sectional view taken along a line “Y1—Y1” of
FIG. 6A
; and
FIG. 6C
, an expanded view of a portion of FIG.
6
B.
The prior art graphic fluorescent display tube includes an anode substrate
51
made of glass, filaments
61
, each serving as a cathode, an anchor
62
for applying tension to the filaments
61
, a supporting member
63
for supporting the filaments
61
, an insulating layer
64
, anode electrodes
71
, fluorescent layers
72
, separators
73
made of an insulating material, metal layers
74
, and wire grid electrodes
75
. The anode electrodes
71
and the wire grid electrodes
75
are arranged in a matrix form.
The fluorescent layers
72
of a dot array shape are disposed on the anode electrodes
71
. The wire grid electrodes
75
are securely formed on the metal layers
74
disposed on the separators
73
. Each of the separators
73
is formed to have a predetermined height by repeatedly printing an insulative paste on the anode electrodes
71
and, further, on the anode substrate
51
(between adjacent anode electrodes
71
). See, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1990-123649.
In
FIG. 6
, the dots of the fluorescent layer
72
are precisely arranged on the anode electrode
71
with a predetermined size and interval and the separators
73
are actually aligned between adjacent fluorescent dots in a direction perpendicular to the length of the anode electrodes
71
.
FIG. 7
illustrates a plan view of the anode substrate
51
to describe a case of misalignment of the separators
73
. The filaments
61
, the anchor
62
, the supporting member
63
, the metal layers
74
, and the wire grid electrodes
75
are omitted therein for the sake of simplicity.
If the separators
73
are misaligned, for example, to positions
73
′ shown in
FIG. 7
, each dot of the fluorescent layer
72
is partially buried thereby, so that a luminous area of the fluorescent layers
72
is reduced below a designed specification and the display quality is deteriorated. Accordingly, a printing mask used for forming the separators
73
should be very accurately aligned with respect to the fluorescent layers
72
.
As previously explained, the separators
73
are formed by repeatedly printing the insulative paste to be sequentially laminated on the anode electrodes
71
and on the anode substrate
51
(between adjacent anode electrodes
71
). Since, however, the insulative paste has a certain degree of fluidity, a first or a bottom paste layer of each separator
73
spreads over the anode electrodes
71
and the anode substrate
51
, thereby generating a broadened portion
731
at the bottom thereof, as shown in FIG.
6
C. Though the amount of spread depends on the paste employed, the broaden portion
731
normally enlarges a width of the separator
73
by about 50%.
Accordingly, a precise estimation of the size of the broadened portion
731
and an accurate alignment of the printing mask are needed in forming the separators
73
. These requirements make it difficult to properly form the separators
73
and thus lower the yield of the fluorescent luminous tube. Therefore, a costly printing apparatus capable of performing a highly accurate alignment is required in forming the separators.
Furthermore, the broadened portion
731
makes it difficult to reduce an interval of the separators
73
because a large portion of the interval between adjacent separators
73
is wasted by the broadened portion
731
; and therefor, the interval may be set with a greater design margin to prevent the dots of the fluorescent layer
72
from being buried thereby. For these reasons, it is very difficult to produce a high-resolution display by using a prior art fluorescent luminous tube.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a fluorescent luminous tube, e.g., a fluorescent display tube and the like, and a method for production thereof, wherein the generation of broadened portions of separators can be avoided on fluorescent layers even when the separators are misaligned, thereby producing a high-resolution display.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluorescent luminous device including: a substrate; a plurality of anode electrodes disposed directly on the substrate; fluorescent layers of a stripe pattern disposed on the anode electrodes; a multiplicity of separators disposed on the fluorescent layers and the substrate; grid electrodes respectively disposed on the separators, wherein the grid electrodes and the anode electrodes are arranged to form a matrix structure; and an electron-emitting source spaced apart from the fluorescent layers for exciting a fluorescent substance of the fluorescent layers.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluorescent display device including: a substrate; a plurality of anode electrodes disposed directly on the substrate; an array of fluorescent dots disposed on the anode electrodes; a plurality of separators disposed on the fluorescent dots and the substrate, wherein at least a part of each of two neighboring separators is located on one fluorescent dot; grid electrodes respectively disposed on the separators, wherein the grid electrodes and the anode electrodes are arranged to form a matrix structure; and an electron-emitting source spaced apart from the fluorescent dots for exciting a fluorescent substance of the fluorescent dots.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing an anode substrate for use in a fluorescent luminous tube, including the steps of: forming anode electrodes directly on a bare anode substrate; forming fluorescent layers of a stripe pattern or a dot array pattern on the anode electrodes; forming separators on the fluorescent layers and exposed portions of the bare substrate such that the separators are arranged across the anode electrodes; forming grid electrodes on the separators to form a semifinished substrate; and baking the semifinished substrate.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6312302 (2001-11-01), Na
patent: 2001/0008361 (2001-07-01), Ogawa et al.
patent: 2-123649 (1990-05-01), None
Iida Katsutoshi
Ogawa Yukio
Suzuki Hiroyuki
Yonezawa Yoshihisa
Bacon & Thomas
Dinh Trinh Vo
Futaba Corporation
Wong Don
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