Shadow mask structure of a color cathode ray tube

Abstract: A cathode ray tube with a shadow mask (202d), the shadow mask structure being suspended and fixed behind the panel of the cathode-ray tube. Plate spring (21d) for connecting the shadow mask structure and the panel are arranged to apply pulling and stretching at either the sides or the corners to the shadow ask frame, so as to hold the shadow mask firmly to the skirt (11) without deforming the shadow mask.

Description: The present invention relates to a color cathode ray tube with a shadow mask structure. The structure and the method for suspending a shadow mask inside a color cathode ray tube has been improving with new designs of large color cathode tubes. The examples of such improvements include the structures which are revealed in U. S. Pat. No. 3,890,526 to Palac, U. S. Pat. No. 4,358,702 to Gijrath et al., and U. S. Pat. No. 4,652,792 to Tokida. Gijrath et al.'s shadow mask support on panel 10 having skirt 11 is illustrated in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. In the structure, shadow mask structure 20a is suspended via four plate springs 21a. Plate spring 21a is welded to peg 22a and to shadow mask structure 20a. The locations of plate springs 21a are at the four corners (or vertices) of shadow mask structure 20a. It is noted that FIG. 1 shows only one corner of the structure. Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings illustrates Palac's device. Shadow mask structure 20b is mounted on face plate 10b via four U-shaped plate springs 21b. Each of pegs 22b is affixed to studs 12b having an opening 13b and plate spring 21b. Tokida's shadow mask support structure is shown in FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings. Shadow mask 202C is held by elastic biases 21C, one plate of which is welded to the shadow mask frame 201 C and the other plate of which is engaged with stud 12C. In each of the above inventions, the structures which function as springs are placed so that they exert forces which compress each of the shadow masks inwards, as shown by the direction of the arrows in FIGs. 1-3. The compression forces are necessary to hold the shadow masks from excessively moving or vibrating; however, the compression forces also tend to distort or to deform the shadow mask or frame. Such distortions ultimately cause incorrect landing of electron beams on the masks, resulting in images with poor color. It is the object of the present invention to provide a color cathode-ray tube having a shadow mask with an improved suspending structure, to prevent an abnormal deformation of the shadow mask, and to reduce the deterioration of color quality of images produced on the shadow mask. According to the present invention, the color cathode-ray tube comprises: an electron gun; a funnel having a neck in which the electron gun is placed; a panel being connected with the funnel to form a tubular sphere and having a screen on the inner surface thereof; and a shadow mask structure located inside the tubular sphere, the shadow mask structure being at the back of the panel, the shadow mask structure comprising a number of supports for indirectly supporting the shadow mask structure, each support being attached to the panel, a shadow mask, and a number of elastic bias for connecting the shadow mask to the supports, each elastic bias being attached to the shadow mask, each elastic bias being connected to one of the supports, the elastic biases being placed to apply stretching forces on the shadow mask. The above and other objects and advantages of ths invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following detailed description of the presently preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which: FIGs. 1-3 are partial schematic, cross-sectional views of conventional shadow mask supporting structures of color cathode-ray tubes; FIG. 4 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a shadow mask supporting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a plate spring according to the present invention; FIG. 6 is a partial, schematic, cross-sectional view of the shadow mask supporting structure along the line V-V in FIG. 4; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a plate spring according to the present invention; FIG. 8 is a partial schematic, cross-sectional view of the shadow mask supporting structure shown in FIG. 7, when asembled with other parts; FIG. 9 is a partial, schematic, cross-sectional view of the shadow mask supporting structure according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein it is applied to frameless shadow mask structure; FIGs. 10 is partial, perspective, schematic view of the shadow mask supporting structures of an embodiment of the present invention wherein plate springs are affixed to a corner portion of the shadow mask frame; FIG. 11 is partial, perspective, schematic view of the shadow mask supporting structures of an embodiment of the present invention wherein plate springs are affixed to a side portion of the shadow mask frame. FIG. 12 is a partial perspective, schematic view of the shadow mask supporting structure having a plate spring according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 13 is a partial, cross-sectional view of a shadow mask supporting structure having the plate spring shown in FIG. 12 wherein shadow mask structure is assembled with the panel. FIG. 4 shows a front, cross-sectional view of a shadow mask supporting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. At the four corners of the shadow mask structure, with shadow mask 202d and frame 201d at its center, are elastic bias means. Like parts are indicated by the same reference numerals as those used in other figures throughout the specification. The composition of the elastic bias means is shown in FIGs. 5 and 6. Each of four plate springs 21d is attached to a corner of frame 201d. It is noted that frame 201d holds shadow mask 202d. Each plate spring 21d is hooked to head 221d of stud 22d, which in turn is fixedly attached to skirt 11. Here it is noted that the plate springs 21d are placed so that they exert forces which stretch the shadow mask outwardly, as shown by the direction of the arrow in Fig. 6. Another plate spring 21e is shown in FIGs. 7 and 8. Welding face 211e and locking face 212e form a flexible structure about a single joint. To hold spring 21e in its place, head 221e (FIG. 8) is slotted into locking hole 213c via slot 214e, the locking hole's diameter is slightly larger than the neck portion of stud 22e. When desired, head 221e may be locked into its position as shown in FIG. 8 by, first holding the plate spring so that it is forcibly stretched toward the head 221e, and then inserting head 221e into slot 214e and pulling down and releasing the plate spring so that the head 221e is locked in the locking hole 213e completing the locking process. The shape of head 221e is as shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention. Shadow mask 202f is located in the center of the whole shadow mask structure 20f lacking a shadow mask frame. Near the edge of shadow mask 202f, rib 204f is provided. Rib 204f serves as a frame in the ordinary shadow mask structure. Plate spring 21f shown in FIG. 9 is slightly different from plate spring 21e in FIG. 7 and 8. Welding face 211e of plate spring 21e in FIG. 7 is larger than that of plate spring 21f in FIG. 9. It is observed that stud 22d in FIG. 9 is also different from stud 22e in FIG. 8 but the same as that in Fig. 6. Head 221d of stud 22d in FIG. 9 is shaped like a block when viewed from side. Head 221e of stud 22e FIG. 8 has the shape of a cone, with bevelled top and bottom. It is noted that plate springs 21g may be mounted about the centers of the sides of frame 201g of shadow mask 202g, rather than at the four corners. If it is desired that plate springs 21g be attached to the corners, L-shaped fixing plates 24g may be used to indirectly connect plate springs 21g to the corners of shadow mask 202g as shown in FIG.10. Two perpendicular faces of fixing plates 24g may be placed such that they contact the inner faces of frame 201g. The structure is such that, if pulling force is applied to plate spring 21g, this force is then transferred via fixing plates 24g to frame 201g and to shadow mask 202g. Different types of fixing plates may be used to mount plate spring 21e. For example, fixing plate 24h of FIG. 11 may be used. In the figure, fixing plate 24h is welded to frame 201h supporting shadow mask 202h. In this configuration, the frame 201h is pulled outwards by plate spring 21e and shadow mask 202h is in turn pulled outwards by its frame 201h. FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, plate spring 21i faces away from shadow mask 202i and toward frame 201i. Locked position of plate spring 21i is shown in FIG. 13. The plate spring 21i is hooked to the head of stud by way of opening 214i and locking hole 213i. In all of the above embodiments, plate springs are mounted either on the sides of shadow mask (or its frames) or the corners. The plate springs may be attached directly or indirectly via accessories such as fixing plates. In any case, the plates springs are used to apply pulling forces on the mounted shadow mask as shown by the direction of the arrows in Figs. 6, 8, 9 and 13. Shadow masks in general distort less under stretching forces than under compression forces of equal magnitude. Thus, the mounting apparatus of the present invention deforms shadow masks less than the conventional mounts. Although only a few embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the preferred embodiments without departing from the invention as defined in claim 1. For example, coil spring may be used in place of the plate springs.

Claims: A color cathode-ray tube comprising: an electron gun; a funnel having a neck in which the electron gun is located; a panel connected with the funnel and forming a tubular sphere; and a shadow mask structure located inside the tubular sphere, at the back of the panel, the shadow mask structure comprising: a plurality of support means (22d;22e) for indirectly supporting the shadow mask structure, each support means being fixedly attached to the inner surface of said panel; a shadow mask (202d); and a plurality of elastic bias means (21d-21i) for connecting the shadow mask to the support means and for applying pulling and stretching forces on said shadow mask, each elastic bias means being connected to one of the support means. A color cathode-ray tube as in claim 1, in which said elastic bias means comprises a plate spring comprising two plate portions, one plate portion being welded to said shadow mask structure and the other being provided with a hole of a predetermined diameter, and in which said support means comprises a stud whose head is of a larger diameter than a neck portion for insertion in and locking at said hole. A color cathode-ray tube as in claim 2, in which the cross-section of said other plate portion of said plate spring is stepped in shape and a slotted hole is provided in the outermost surface of said other plate portion and has a slot linked thereto, which slot is in a sloping surface at a predetermined angle to said hole. A color cathode-ray tube as claimed in claim 2, in which said hole and an opening communicating with said hole are provided in said other plate portion of said plate spring. A color cathode-ray tube as in claim 1, wherein said elastic bias means comprises: a fixing plate connected to a side of said shadow mask; and a plate spring comprising two plate portions, one plate portion being welded to said fixing plate and the other being connected to said supporting structure. A color cathode-ray tube as in claim 1, wherein said elastic bias means comprises: a fixing plate connected to a corner of said shadow mask; and a plate spring comprising two plate portions, one plate portion being welded to said fixing plate and the other being connected to said supporting structure. A color cathode-ray tube as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said support means (22e) comprises a conically shaped head and a neck, the narrowest portion of said head being connected to said neck. A color cathode-ray tube as claimed in any of claims 2, 3, 4 or 7, wherein said head of said support means is substantially flat in shape, forming a step with said neck portion.

Inventors: LEE OK-TAEK, LEE, OK-TAEK
Applicants: SAMSUNG DISPLAY DEVICES CO LTD, SAMSUNG DISPLAY DEVICES CO., LTD.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: H01J29
IPC codes: H01J29