Abstract: A vehicle seat configured in such a manner that vibration occurring in the seat body can be suppressed without adding a special device such as a dynamic damper. A vehicle seat is configured in such a manner that an upper rail (26) connected to the seat body is slidably supported by a lower rail (28), which is affixed to the vehicle body side, through a pair of slide guides (42, 44) disposed next to each other in the front-rear direction of the seat. The distance (L) between the slide guides (42, 44) is set to be less than the half of the maximum slide amount (S) of the upper rail (26) relative to the lower rail (28). As a result of the configuration, the rigidity of support of the seat body by the vehicle body is reduced to reduce the resonance frequency of the seat body in the front-rear direction. This enables the resonance frequency of the seat body in the front-rear direction to be shifted from the resonance frequency of the vehicle body when the engine of the vehicle is idling.

Abstract: A display device includes two or more plasma tube array units to provide a large sized screen. Each plasma tube array unit includes pairs of scan and sustain electrodes. The plasma tube array units are disposed adjacent to each other in a longitudinal direction of the scan and sustain electrodes. One scan driver which selectively applies a scan signal to the scan electrodes is coupled to the two adjacent plasma tube array units at a position between the two adjacent plasma tube array units. Two sustain voltage drivers which apply respective sustain voltage to the sustain electrodes are coupled to the sustain electrodes of the two respective adjacent plasma tube array units on two respective outermost sides of the two respective adjacent plasma tube array units.

Abstract: A headrest can be rotated with respect to a seatback, and support strength in a vertical direction of the headrest can be improved. In a vehicular seat, lower side curved surfaces of headrest supports, to which leg portions of a headrest are coupled, slide on lower ends of support brackets and upper side curved surfaces of the headrest supports slide on upper ends of the support brackets, whereby rotation of the headrest supports about an axis along a horizontal direction of a seatback with respect to the support brackets is guided. Further, the lower side curved surfaces touch the lower ends of the support brackets and the upper side curved surfaces touch the upper ends of the support brackets, whereby movement of the headrest supports in a vertical direction of the seatback respect to the support brackets is suppressed.

Abstract: A vehicular seat capable of effectively mitigating lateral direction vibrations is provided. In the present vehicular seat (10), a pair of leg portions (32A) of a headrest frame (32) are coupled to a seatback frame (20) to be relatively turnable about a longitudinal direction axis of a seatback (18). Joint portions 32C are provided between the pair of leg portions (32A) and a middle portion (32B) of the headrest frame (32). Thus, the headrest (14) is made turnable to left and right with respect to the seatback (18). Furthermore, the headrest (14) is urged toward a middle position of the range of turning with respect to the seatback (18) by rubber members that are provided between a headrest support (24) and a support bracket (20C). Thus, when lateral direction vibrations are applied to the present vehicular seat (10), the headrest (14) functions as a dynamic damper.

Abstract: A vehicle seat capable, with a simple, lightweight structure, of improving a whiplash moderation effect from a head rest. In the vehicle seat (10), when there is an impact at a rear face of the vehicle, a support frame (50) that is fixed to a reclining rod (46) separately from a seatback frame (32) supports the waist area of a seat occupant from the vehicle rearward side. Thus, a load from the seat occupant that is inputted to the seatback frame (32) is reduced. Therefore, a displacement amount (deformation amount) of the seatback frame (32) to the vehicle rearward side may be suppressed. Thus, a duration until the head area of the seat occupant abuts against a headrest (16) may be shortened. Moreover, the support frame (32) that only supports the waist area of the seat occupant need only be fixed to the reclining rod (46). Therefore, a simple, lightweight structure may be formed.

Abstract: A gas discharge tube includes: a elongated tube within which an electron-emissive film is formed, and which is filled with a discharge gas and sealed; a plurality of pairs of display electrodes disposed on a display side of the elongated tube; a signal electrode disposed on a rear side of the elongated tube; and an elongated support member inserted into the elongated tube and extending in the length direction of the elongated tube. The support member has a curved shape so that a curved inner surface thereof forms a discharge space, has longitudinally extending opposite edges, and has a phosphor layer formed on the inner surface of the support member. The support member further has an end wall at each of longitudinally opposite ends thereof. The end walls and the curved inner surface form an elongated depression in the support member.

Abstract: A display device (10) includes a plurality of gas discharge tubes (11R, 11G, 11B, . . . ) sandwiched between a front support plate (31) and a plurality of rear support plates (321, 322, . . . 328). The display device further includes: a plurality of display electrodes (2) formed on a surface of the front support plate facing the plurality of gas discharge tubes to extend across tube axes of the plurality of gas discharge tubes; a plurality of signal electrodes (3) formed on surfaces of the plurality of rear support plates facing the plurality of gas discharge tubes to extend along the longitudinal direction of the plurality of gas discharge tubes. Another rear support plate (330) for supporting the plurality of rear support plates is disposed on surfaces of the plurality of rear support plates opposite to the surfaces facing the plurality of gas discharge tubes.

Abstract: A vehicle seat (10) is equipped with a seat frame composed of a sub-frame (16) and a rod (30) provided between certain regions of the sub-frame. The rod is equipped with a minor vibration damping portion (34) that maintains rigidity of the seat frame when the seat frame is displaced by a large amount and suppresses an increase in rigidity of the seat frame when the seat frame is displaced by a small amount to reduce the level of minor vibrations in the vehicle seat.

Abstract: A display device includes a plurality of gas discharge tubes sandwiched between a front support plate and a rear support plate. A plurality of signal electrodes are formed on the rear support plate to extend along the longitudinal direction of the gas discharge tubes. The signal electrodes are divided into a plurality of groups. The distance between adjacent ones of the signal electrodes in each group has a first distance. The distance between adjacent ones of the signal electrodes between adjacent groups has a second distance that is larger than the first distance. Thus, a space may be provided between the two adjacent gas discharge tubes of the respective adjacent groups.

Abstract: A plasma arc tube display is fabricated by arranging a plurality of arc tubes having fluorescent substance layers on the inside and filled with a discharge gas, joining a front substrate and a rear substrate having electrodes to both surfaces of these arranged arc tubes, and interconnecting a plurality of plasma arc tube modules having frames facing the rear substrate with the flexible front substrate interposed therebetween to connect the electrodes installed on the front substrate to each other. Since the plasma arc tube modules can be folded, the plasma arc tube display can be easily transported even if it has a large-sized screen.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of driving a gas discharge display apparatus for displaying gray-scale display levels finer than those achieved by the conventional methods, and also to provide a gas discharge display apparatus with a driver capable of performing such a driving method. An opposed discharge between the sustaining electrode and the address electrode in addition to the conventional surface discharge is generated for the light emission from the fluorescent material in light emitting tubes. The method and the apparatus effect improvements in finer gray-scale display levels than those by the conventional methods.

Abstract: In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a color display device (10) includes a plurality of gas discharge tubes disposed side by side. The gas discharge tubes have respective phosphor layers (4R, 4G, 4B) of different materials for different colors disposed therein and containing discharge gas therein. Each of the gas discharge tubes has a plurality of light-emitting points disposed along the length thereof. The color display device further includes a plurality of display electrodes disposed on the display screen side of the gas discharge tubes, and a plurality of signal electrodes (3) disposed on the rear side of the gas discharge tubes. Voltage control layers (6R, 6G, 6B) are disposed between the phosphor layers and the signal electrodes. The voltage control layers are made of materials which change firing voltages applied between the display electrodes and the signal electrodes.

Abstract: This invention provides a display device capable of maintaining a high image quality of a display image even when a plurality of plasma tube array-type display sub-modules is joined horizontally to one another. A display device comprises a plasma tube array-type display sub-module in which a plurality of plasma tubes 31, 31, . . . , are arranged in parallel being held between an address electrode support sheet where address electrodes are formed and a display electrode support sheet 35 where display electrodes are formed, wherein the plurality of plasma tube array-type display sub-modules 30, 30, . . . , are joined horizontally to one another so that an interval between the adjacent plasma tube array-type display sub-modules 30, 30, . . . , and a clearance between the adjacent plasma tubes 31, 31 are substantially equal.

Abstract: A display device (12) has a display screen, the display screen comprising a plurality of gas discharge tubes (20R, 20G, 20B, . . . 28R, 28G, 28B) disposed side by side. Each of the gas discharge tubes includes a phosphor layer (4) formed therein and also includes a discharge gas contained therein. Each gas discharge tube has a plurality of light-emitting points. Each of the plurality of gas discharge tubes (20R, 20G, 20B, . . . 28R, 28G, 28B) is curved along the longitudinal direction thereof. The display screen is formed by combining the plurality of gas discharge tubes having different magnitudes of curvature.

Abstract: A method of driving a display device of a plasma tube array type includes: applying, in a first address period, a scan pulse sequentially to display electrodes, each being one display electrode of each display electrode pair in a first group of display electrode pairs; applying, thereafter, a first supplemental pulse of a same polarity as that of the scan pulse to other display electrodes, each being the other display electrode of each display electrode pair in the first group of display electrode pairs, while applying a second supplemental pulse of a polarity opposite to that of the first supplemental pulse, to address electrodes; and applying, thereafter in the first address period before a second address period, a third supplemental pulse of a polarity opposite to that of the first supplemental pulse to the other display electrode of each display electrode pair in the first group of display electrode pairs.

Abstract: A gas discharge tube includes: a elongated tube within which an electron-emissive film is formed, and which is filled with a discharge gas and sealed; a plurality of pairs of display electrodes disposed on a display side of the elongated tube; a signal electrode disposed on a rear side of the elongated tube; and an elongated support member inserted into the elongated tube and extending in the length direction of the elongated tube. The support member has a curved shape so that a curved inner surface thereof forms a discharge space, has longitudinally extending opposite edges, and has a phosphor layer formed on the inner surface of the support member. The support member further has an end wall at each of longitudinally opposite ends thereof. The end walls and the curved inner surface form an elongated depression in the support member.

Abstract: A discharge tube array includes a plurality of elongated discharge tubes (10) each including an internal fluorescent layer. The discharge tubes (10), arranged in parallel, are sandwiched between paired substrates (20, 21). One of the substrate (20) is provided with a plurality of display electrodes (30) each extending across the discharge tubes (10). A plurality of connection terminals (14) are formed on the tube wall of the outermost one of the discharge tubes (10), to be connected with the display electrodes (30). The connection terminals (14) are primarily for electrical connection with the display electrodes of another discharge tube array.

Abstract: A light emitting portion and an electrode board including electrodes for driving the light emitting portion for light emission are provided as separate members. This allows the light emitting portion to have a smaller thickness, and widens the choices of substrate materials for the electrode board. Therefore, a flexible material can be used for the electrode board, thereby imparting the display device with flexibility. Further, the light emitting portion and the electrode board can be separately produced, so that the degree of freedom is increased in the production of the display device. Therefore, the light emitting portion and the electrode board can be produced in different steps or in different production lines. Further, the light emitting portion, the electrode board and other components can be individually evaluated for quality, thereby reducing the production costs of the display device.

Abstract: A discharge tube array includes a plurality of narrow discharge tubes (10) each provided with an internal fluorescent layer (13). The array also includes a holder (20) formed with a hollow portion (21) for holding the discharge tubes (10) in a mutually parallel state, where the discharge tubes (10) are removably inserted into the hollow portion (21). The holder (20) is provided with a plurality of first electrodes (23) disposed along the discharge tubes (10), and with a plurality of second electrodes (24A, 24B) opposing the first electrodes (23) across the hollow portion (21) and extending in a direction intersecting with the first electrodes (23).

Abstract: A light-emitting discharge tube in which an outer wall surface of a glass tube is made less susceptible to flaws by forming a protective film on the outer wall surface of the glass tube, a method of fabricating the light-emitting discharge tube, and a protective film forming apparatus are provided. The light-emitting discharge tube defines light-emitting discharge regions by a plurality of external electrodes. The outer wall surface of the light-emitting discharge tube (the glass tube) is coated with the protective film (a metal film, a conductive metal oxide film, an insulating metal oxide film, or an organic film).