JP2001083897A - Flat panel display device and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a flat panel display device thinner and smaller in size by making a curvature of a TCP(Tape Carrier Package) smaller by minimizing a necessary length of the TCP of the flat panel display device using the TCP. SOLUTION: In a flat panel display device and a manufacturing method thereof, a display panel 1 held on a main plane of a case 4 with a play is connected with a circuit board 3 held by a hook part 6 on a side face of the case by bending a TCP 2. The bent part 27 of the TCP 2 is provided with a main slit 7 for a curvature part, and is also provided with an auxiliary sub-slit 8 adjacently to the main slit 7. Releasing force applied to connection fixation between the TCP 2 and the display panel 1 is reduced by lifting the circuit board 3 by bending both of the slits, and then re-flattening the curvature of the auxiliary slit 8 to insert the circuit board 3 into the hook part 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connection structure between a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display device and a drive circuit board, and more particularly to a TCP (Tape Carrier Pa).
The present invention relates to a flat panel display device having a structure in which a display panel having a package (cage: tape carrier package) is easily attached to and detached from a housing, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As flat panel display devices, liquid crystal display devices, plasma display devices, electroluminescence devices, and the like are well known. Mobile information terminals, notebook personal computers,
Used as a display in a home word processor.

Hereinafter, a liquid crystal display device will be described as a typical example of a flat panel display device. In recent years, with the trend of downsizing and weight reduction of electronic devices equipped with a liquid crystal display device, further miniaturization of the liquid crystal display device is required. In particular, it is important how to reduce the area of the frame portion excluding the image display area from the area of the liquid crystal display device and how to reduce the thickness of the entire liquid crystal display device. I have.

In order to drive a liquid crystal display panel, a semiconductor drive element such as an LSI called a driver is required. Due to the above demand for miniaturization, this driver LSI
COG (Chip On Glas) directly forming on the display panel substrate
s) was developed, but if a defect occurs in the LSI,
There is a problem that all the panel substrates are wasted.
Therefore, a method in which a driver LSI is arranged in a TCP (Tape Carrier Package) using a TAB (Tape Automated Bonding) method and connected to a display panel substrate via the TCP has become mainstream.

The TCP manufactured by the TAB method is one in which a lead electrode is connected to a bump electrode (bump) of an LSI called a bare chip. As for the extraction electrode, the display panel side or the circuit board side is called an outer lead,
The SI side is called the inner lead. Structurally, a large number of striped copper foil electrodes are formed on an insulating base film such as a polyimide film. LSI
In order to connect the LSI with high reliability by crimping the protruding electrode to the inner lead, a thick film having high mechanical strength is used as the base film.

Therefore, when the TCP is folded and mounted, a bending process is facilitated by providing a slit only in a portion required to be bent, that is, a curved portion. T with such a slit or flexible part
A liquid crystal display device employing a CP is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 261656.
No. 4 and JP-A-9-265104.

In the liquid crystal display device disclosed in the latter publication, the liquid crystal panel is held by a stopper such as a projection attached to the housing, and the circuit board connected to the TCP is provided on the side surface of the housing. There has been disclosed a technique for facilitating assembling and disassembling by using a structure in which a hook is held.

The adoption of such a configuration in which the circuit board or panel is simply held without being bonded to the housing has the advantage that the liquid crystal panel can be easily replaced when the liquid crystal panel breaks down.

However, in order to hold the circuit board on the hook, a step of temporarily lifting the circuit board and inserting the circuit board inside the hook occurs. When simply fixing the circuit board to the side surface of the housing with an adhesive, it is only necessary to bend the TCP at the slit portion, and the length of the TCP can be the shortest distance.
When a step of lifting the circuit board is added, an extra length for the lifting is required. In addition, peeling stress is generated at the connection between the display panel and the TCP during lifting. Furthermore, after the circuit board is housed in the hook, the extra length of the TCP rises above the plane of the connection part, so that a structure for accommodating the extra part is required.

Incidentally, the liquid crystal display device is a portable information terminal,
Since it is often used for a notebook personal computer, a display of a home word processor, etc., it is necessary to secure the vibration resistance and the thermal shock resistance while reducing the size. On the other hand, since the panel expands and contracts due to the thermal expansion of the panel main body as the screen size of the liquid crystal panel increases, the housing and the liquid crystal panel are no longer bonded. In this case, the liquid crystal panel is held only by stoppers such as projections attached to the housing. The dimensions of the liquid crystal panel and the positioning of the fasteners attached to the housing must always be made when manufacturing these liquid crystal panels and the housing, and to some extent (about 1).
(Several 0 mm) is taken into consideration that it occurs inevitably. In other words, in order to improve the yield of the product, it is usually necessary to set the distance between the fasteners attached to the housing smaller than the ideal size so that the LCD panel cannot be fitted into the housing. The length is set to be slightly larger. Therefore, even in the completed liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal panel may slightly shift on the housing.

[0011]

When the liquid crystal panel shifts as described above, a load is applied to the TCP connected to the liquid crystal panel, and the load is applied to the connection at the press-contact portion between the circuit board and the TCP due to the load. There is a possibility that the connection at the pressure contact portion of the TCP and the TCP may be disconnected, which causes a connection failure. It is difficult to absorb such a load only by the slit provided only in the curved portion of the TCP.

In the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-265104,
By bending the flexible part of TCP up to a position near the top surface of the liquid crystal panel, and then bending it down,
Even after the circuit board is held by the hook of the housing, the PCT is housed between the frame and the liquid crystal panel such that the curved portion of the PCT draws an arc having a large radius of curvature.

Therefore, it is meaningful to provide a large curved portion in order to prevent peeling due to the bending stress of the TCP for miniaturization, but from the viewpoint of making the flat panel display device thinner and smaller. Therefore, there is still room for improvement. In such a configuration having a large curved portion, the TCP extends over a longer distance, but it is desirable that the length of the TCP be as short as possible in terms of high frequency characteristics.

For reference, the above-described disconnection phenomenon is shown in FIG. 1 based on a process of attaching a liquid crystal panel and a circuit board to a housing.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 12C. First, the liquid crystal panel 1 is held on the main surface of the housing 4 (FIG. 12A). Next, T
The TCP 7 is provided in the slit 7 provided in the area where the CP 2 is curved.
2 is bent along the corner of the housing (FIG. 12B), and the hook 6 provided on the side surface of the housing 4 holds the circuit board (FIG. 12C).

As shown in FIG. 12B, when holding the circuit board 3 on the hook 6, it is necessary to raise the curved portion of the TCP 2 upward. When the TCP 2 is lifted in such a manner, a load is applied to the joint between the TCP 2 and the liquid crystal panel 1 in a direction in which the TCP 2 and the liquid crystal panel 1 are peeled off, and the connection of the wiring at the joint may be disconnected.

Further, when the TCP 2 is lifted upward, a load is further applied to a connection portion between the TCP 2 and the circuit board 3, and the connection between the TCP 2 and the circuit board 3 may be disconnected.

Needless to say, the above problem is not limited to the liquid crystal display device, but also occurs in other flat panel display devices.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a flat panel having a TCP connection configuration which makes it possible to further reduce the length of the TCP by minimizing the required length of the TCP and thereby further reduce the thickness and size of the TCP. An object of the present invention is to provide a shape display device and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0019]

The present invention does not merely focus on the structure required for the bent portion of the TCP after the display device is completed, but how the stress is reduced in the bending step of the slit for the curved portion. Considering whether it will occur, if it is configured to add a new auxiliary slit that bends only at the time of assembly and returns to a flat state after completion, no extra length is required, and not only at the time of assembly, This is achieved based on the point that the peeling stress can be reduced even after completion.

That is, according to the present invention, one end is connected to the display panel mounted on the main surface of the housing, the circuit board held by the hook portion provided on the side surface of the housing, and the display panel. Tape with the other end connected to the circuit board
A TCP package having a curved region between a first region substantially parallel to the main surface of the housing and a second region substantially parallel to the side surface of the housing. A flat panel, wherein at least one of the first region and the second region is provided with a region which is more easily deformable than its surroundings so as to extend in parallel with the extending direction of the curved region. A shaped display is obtained.

That is, the TCP employed in the present invention is:
An easily deformable region (hereinafter, referred to as a slit) that facilitates bending is provided not only for the bending portion, but also a new auxiliary slit for temporarily bending is provided. If the slit for the bending portion is called a main slit, the auxiliary slit can be called a sub slit.

Further, in such a flat panel display device, the curved region in which the main slit is formed is positioned and arranged so as to be lower than the surface level of the first region.

The TCP slit has a structure in which a plurality of conductive wires are covered with a flexible insulating film having a thickness smaller than the thickness of the insulating film near the connection region of the driver element provided in the TCP.

Further, according to the present invention, in the flat panel display device, the display panel is held with play in the housing, and the mechanical displacement between the display panel and the housing is absorbed by the slit. It is characterized by having such a configuration.

In the flat panel display device of the present invention, the auxiliary slit of the TCP may be provided in the first area, and may be connected to the main slit in the curved area to form a wide slit.

Furthermore, it is desirable that the interval between the two slits is larger than the depth of the hook portion.

In the TCP of the present invention, a large number of lead wires are covered with an insulating flexible film, and the slit is formed in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the TCP extends from the liquid crystal panel to the circuit board. The slit is formed by coating the surface of the conductive part with a flexible coating member thinner than the main part.

Further, according to the present invention, a step of holding a display panel provided with a tape carrier package (TCP) connected to a circuit board in a housing, and a step of forming a slit for a curved portion provided in the TCP Curving the auxiliary slit to raise the circuit board so that the lower end of the circuit board exceeds the tip of the hook provided in the housing; and returning the curved of the auxiliary slit to a flat state and placing the circuit board in the hook. And a step of inserting the flat panel display device.

Particularly, the auxiliary slit is provided between the bending portion slit and the display panel, and the bending direction of the auxiliary slit is opposite to the bending direction of the bending portion slit in the step of lifting the circuit board. It is characterized by being bent.

Alternatively, the auxiliary slit is provided between the bending portion slit and the circuit board, and the bending direction of the auxiliary slit is the same as the bending direction of the bending portion slit in the step of lifting the circuit board. It is characterized by being bent.

Alternatively, the auxiliary slit is provided between the bending portion slit and the display panel, and is connected to and integrated with the bending portion slit to form a wide common slit, and lifts the circuit board. In the process, the bending direction of the common slit is opposite to the bending direction in the vicinity of the circuit board and in the vicinity of the display panel.
In particular, in such a method of manufacturing a flat panel display device, the display panel is held with play in the housing.

According to the present invention having such characteristics, TC
The load applied to P is absorbed not only by the slit in the curved portion but also by the presence of another slit region which is temporarily curved during assembly. Therefore, when the liquid crystal panel or the circuit board moves on the housing, the slit can reduce the load applied to the TCP. This can prevent poor connection between the liquid crystal panel and the circuit board when the circuit board is mounted, and can reduce the T when a vibration or impact test is performed.
The disconnection of the CP can also be prevented. Further, the number of assembling steps and assembling members of the liquid crystal display device can be reduced.

[0033]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A liquid crystal display will be described as a typical example of a flat panel display according to a first embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS.

In this specification, the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 1, one end of a plurality of TCPs 2 is connected to an upper side and a left side of the liquid crystal panel.
A circuit board 3 is connected to the other end of P2.
In the illustrated example, six TCPs are provided on the left side on the common circuit board 3.
, And 13 TCPs are connected to the common circuit board 3 on the upper side. Such a liquid crystal panel 1 is
It is mounted on the upper surface of the frame-shaped housing 4. A pair of projections 51 and 52 for positioning the liquid crystal panel are provided at the four corners of the housing 4, respectively, and as shown in FIG.
The circuit board 3 is held by the hooks 6 provided on the side surfaces of the housing 4 by bending the TCP 2. In the illustrated example, three hook portions 6 are formed on the side surface of the housing. As the housing 4, one formed by molding resin molding or one formed by punching a metal plate is used. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the enlarged view of FIG. T in this example
In CP2, the main slit 7 and the sub slit 8 are provided in parallel. The main slit 7 is provided along a curved portion of the TCP 2, and the sub slit 8 is provided on a horizontal plane of the TCP 2, that is, a plane parallel to the main surface of the housing 4. In particular, the sub slit 8 is disposed so as to be located between the connection between the liquid crystal panel 1 and the TCP 2 and the main slit 7.

The main slit 7 in the present invention is for forming a curved portion of the TCP, and is a slit necessary for facilitating bending. This can be said to be a slit for a curved portion.

The sub-slit 8 in the present invention is for temporarily bending the TCP and is returned to a flat state after assembly, but is a slit necessary for shortening the length of the TCP. This can be called an auxiliary slit, and is different in operation and position from the main slit 7.

Accordingly, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2661664 cited in the prior art discloses a liquid crystal display device employing a TCP provided with two slits for bending into a U-shape. It corresponds to the main slit in the present invention and does not disclose or suggest a sub-slit in the present invention.

The curved portion 27 of the TCP 2 is connected to the main surface 4 of the housing 4.
It is a region formed at a position facing the ridge line 43 where the 1 and the side surface 42 intersect and in parallel with the extending direction of the ridge line 43.
In other words, this is an area where the TCP 2 bends while the liquid crystal panel 1 is held by the housing 4 and the circuit board 3 is held by the hook 6.

The operation of holding the circuit board 3 on the hook 6 of the housing 4 by bending the TCP 2 is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the liquid crystal panel 1 is held in the housing 4 (FIG. 4A). Next, the TCP 2 is bent at the positions of the main slit 7 and the sub slit 8 by lifting the main slit 7 upward such that the sub slit 8 on the panel side becomes a fulcrum (FIG. 4B).
That is, when viewed from the upper surface side of the TCP 2, the TCP 2 has a mountain-folded curve in the main slit 7, and a valley-folded curve in the sub slit 8.

After that, by holding the circuit board 3 on the hook 6, the area of the sub slit 8 is released from the curved state and becomes flat (FIG. 4 (c)).

In the present embodiment, when the TCP 2 is folded in the mountains, the TCP 2 is in a valley-folded state in the region of the sub-slit 8, so that the stress when the TCP 2 is lifted upward is absorbed in the region of the sub-slit 8, The circuit board 3 can be housed in the hook 6 by bending the TCP 2 with almost no load applied to the press-contact portion.

Also, by adopting such TCP2,
When the liquid crystal panel 1 is shifted in the completed liquid crystal display device, the main slit 7 and the sub slit 8
2 is easily deformed, so that TCP2 and the circuit board 3 and T
It is possible to reduce the load applied to the portion of the press-contact portion with the CP2, and the TCP2 and the circuit board 3 and the TCP2 and the liquid crystal panel 1
Connection can be reliably maintained.

As described above, the main and sub slits 7 and 8 are TC
Although they are common in facilitating the curvature of P, as described above, their main functions are different. Further, the presence of both slits plays an important role of absorbing stress due to vibration or the like after assembly, and the effect of absorbing stress is drastically reduced without either one.

The driving LSI 11 is disposed between the main slit 7 and the circuit board 3 on the back side of the TCP 2. Although the LSI 11 may be provided on the front side of the TCP 2,
As shown in FIG. 3, if a notch is provided in a region of the circuit board 3 corresponding to the LSI 11 so that the LSI 11 fits therein, space efficiency is improved.

The details of the slit of the TCP 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In the TCP, a lead wire usually made of a copper foil 20 is attached to a polyimide base film 2 via an adhesive (not shown).
2 and a resist film 24. These films 22 and 24 electrically insulate the lead wire made of the copper foil 20 from the outside. On the other hand, the slit is formed by coating a lead wire made of a copper foil 20 with a polyimide-based flex resin 23. The LSI 11 is covered with a protective resin 25. This flex resin 23 is coated thinner than a normal TCP thickness. This allows the slit to be
It becomes possible to bend more easily than CP. Also,
Even if either the liquid crystal panel 1 or the circuit board 3 moves, the slit absorbs the force due to the movement, so that the load applied to each connection portion with the TCP can be reduced.

An example of specific dimensions of TCP2 is as follows.

The total thickness of the normal part is about 130 μm,
The thickness of the base film is about 75 μm, the thickness of the adhesive is about 12 μm, the thickness of the copper foil is about 18 μm, and the thickness of the resist film is about 25 μm. The total thickness of the slit portion is about 68 μm, and the thickness of the upper and lower flex resins is about 25 μm. The width of each of the slits 7 and 8 is 1-2 mm, and the interval between the main slit 7 and the sub slit 8 may be larger than the depth of the hook portion, that is, the distance for lifting the circuit board.

Considering the ease of lifting the circuit board, the position of the sub-slit 8 is preferably near the display panel. Therefore, the position of the sub-slit 8 is closer to the panel than the center between the main slit 7 and the panel. It is desirable to do.
As an example, if the distance between the main slit 7 and the panel is 6 mm, the sub slit 8 may be provided at a position 1 mm away from the panel side. Further, the main slit 7 is bent at a substantially right angle, while the bending angle of the sub slit 8 is small. Therefore, the width of the sub slit 8 may be smaller than the width of the main slit 7.

In this specification, illustrations of well-known structures that are not directly related to the present invention are omitted. That is, the frame of the liquid crystal panel 1 is held on the upper surface of the housing 4 to protect the TCP 2 and the circuit board 3, and the liquid crystal panel 1 is provided at several or more places on the liquid crystal panel side so that the liquid crystal panel 1 moves as much as possible. An elastic body such as rubber to be eliminated is not shown.

Further, other parts and the connection of these parts related to the liquid crystal display device of the present embodiment are the same as the parts and the connection of these parts related to the conventional liquid crystal display apparatus, and therefore they are not shown. For example, components related to the conventional liquid crystal display devices and connection modes of the components include the following. That is, a backlight or the like including a light guide plate that illuminates the liquid crystal panel 1 is housed in the housing 4. When the display capacity of the liquid crystal panel 1 is small, a circuit for processing a control signal may be incorporated in the circuit board 3. In this case, a new large circuit board for control is not required. In the case of a large liquid crystal panel, the circuit board 3 alone cannot cope with it, so a large control circuit board is separately arranged on the back side of the housing, and a jumper wire is used to move the circuit board 3 to the control circuit board. Electrical continuity is established. In that case, the circuit board 3 is used only to the extent that it simply serves as a connection board.

The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the process flow of the liquid crystal display device manufacturing method.
Shown in First, as shown in FIG. 7, one end of the TCP 2 is pressed against the periphery of the liquid crystal panel 1. That is, the worktable 300
The liquid crystal panel 1 is arranged on the. An anisotropic conductive film 31 is disposed at a position where one end of the TCP 2 is pressed against the periphery of the liquid crystal panel 1, and one end of the TCP 2 in which two slits are already formed is placed on the anisotropic conductive film 31. The heated head 30 is brought into contact with the TCP 2 on which the anisotropic conductive film 31 is disposed from above, and the TCP 2 is connected to the liquid crystal panel 1 via the anisotropic conductive film. In this procedure, the TCP 2 is connected to predetermined positions of the liquid crystal panel 1 in the horizontal and vertical directions. Here, the predetermined position generally indicates any one of the two sides in the horizontal direction and any one of the two sides in the vertical direction of the rectangular liquid crystal panel. However, all four sides of the rectangular liquid crystal panel 1 have T
The CP2 may be connected. Also in the present embodiment, the four sides of the rectangular liquid crystal panel 1
CP2 may be connected.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, one end of the TCP 2 to which the TCP 2 and the liquid crystal panel 1 are connected is connected to another T.
The circuit board 3 is connected to one end of CP2. The connection method between the TCP 2 and the circuit board 3 includes a connection method by pressure welding and a connection method by soldering. That is, as described above, the circuit board 3 is pressed against the other end of the TCP 2 in the same manner as when one end of the TCP 2 is connected to the peripheral portion of the liquid crystal panel 1, and the other end of the TCP 2 is connected to the circuit board 3 via solder. There is a way to connect. The TCP 2 and the circuit board 3 are connected by one of these two methods. One circuit board 3 is provided in each of the horizontal and vertical directions, and one end of the TCP 2 in the horizontal or vertical direction is connected to each circuit board 3.
The circuit board 3 has a rectangular shape, the length of the long side is substantially equal to the horizontal or vertical direction of the liquid crystal panel, and the length of the short side is substantially equal to the thickness of the liquid crystal display device.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal panel 1 to which the circuit board 3 is connected via the
At a predetermined position. Here, the predetermined position is a position of a frame determined by protrusions 51 and 52 provided at four corners of the upper surface of the housing 4. The protrusions 51 and 52 set the distance between the protrusions 51 and 52 slightly larger than the size of the liquid crystal panel 1 so that the liquid crystal panel 1 is locked by the protrusions 51 and 52. The reason why the distance between the projections 51 and 52 is set to be larger than the size of the liquid crystal panel 1 is as follows.
This is because when manufacturing the liquid crystal panels 1 and 52 and the liquid crystal panel 1, a manufacturing tolerance is inevitably generated. Therefore, the protrusions 51, 5
If the interval 2 is set to be larger than the size of the liquid crystal panel 1, the yield of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.
Further, it is preferable that the liquid crystal panel 1 and the housing 4 are not bonded with an adhesive or the like in case the liquid crystal panel 1 is replaced due to a failure or the like. Also in the present embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 1 is held on the housing 4 by the projections 51 and 52 without bonding the liquid crystal panel 1 to the housing 4. As described above, since the liquid crystal panel 1 is held with play on the housing 4, the liquid crystal panel 1 may slightly shift on the housing 4.

After arranging the liquid crystal panel 1 on the upper surface of the housing 4, the two slits 7, 8 of the TCP 2 are bent to
The circuit board 3 is arranged on the hook 6 on the side surface of. Some hook portions 6 are provided on the side surface of the housing 4 (three are provided on one side surface in the present embodiment). Even when the circuit board 3 is arranged on the hook portion 6, the protrusion 51,
52, the hook portion 6
The circuit board 3 is not bonded. The reason for this is that
As with the arrangement of the liquid crystal panels 1 in 52, the liquid crystal panel 1 is exchanged and the yield of the liquid crystal display device is improved.

According to the liquid crystal display device and the method of manufacturing the same according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is easy to replace the liquid crystal panel 1. Liquid crystal panel 1 when circuit board 3 is mounted
In addition, it is possible to prevent the connection failure between the cable 2 and the circuit board 3 and to prevent disconnection of the TCP 2 when a vibration or impact test is performed. Further, the number of assembling steps and assembling members of the liquid crystal display device can be reduced.

Next, a second embodiment of the TCP according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The position of the main slit 7 for the bending portion is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the sub-slit 9 where the circuit board is temporarily bent only at the step of holding the circuit board on the hook 6 is formed by the circuit board 3 and the driver. LSI
11 is different from that of the first embodiment.

The liquid crystal display device of this embodiment and the method of manufacturing the same are the same as those of the first embodiment.
The folding form is slightly different as shown in FIG.

The operation of disposing the circuit board 3 on the hook 6 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the liquid crystal panel 1 is held in the housing 4 (FIG. 9A). Next, the TCP 2 is curved in a mountain fold at the position of the sub slit 9, and the TCP 2 is further curved in a mountain fold at the position of the main slit 7 in the curved portion of the TCP.
The lower end of the circuit board 3 is made to pass over the hook 6.
(FIG. 9 (b)). Thus, these two slits 7,
By appropriately bending the circuit board 9, the circuit board 3 can be arranged on the hook 6 without applying stress to each connection portion with the TCP 2 (FIG. 9C).

The circuit board 3 is arranged on the hook 6 not only in the case where the slits are curved in this order but also in the order of the slits to be curved at the positions of these two slits 7 and 9 and an appropriate size to be curved. You may.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The slit 10 provided in the TCP 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In a state where the liquid crystal panel 1 is held in the housing 4 and the circuit board 3 is held in the hook portion 6 between the vicinity of the portion where the TCP 2 and the circuit board 3 are connected and the vicinity of the portion where the TCP 2 is pressed against the liquid crystal panel 1, the TCP
A wide slit 10 is provided in a region where 2 is curved.

The slit 10 has a configuration in which the main slit 7 and the sub slit 8 in the first embodiment are combined, that is, the insulating film in the region between the slits is made thinner,
The whole structure is easy to bend. Therefore,
The area near the panel side of the slit 10 plays the same role as the sub-slit in the first embodiment, and only the area located in the curved portion of the TCP 2 plays the same role as the main slit 7.

The liquid crystal display of the present embodiment and the method of manufacturing the same are the same as in the first embodiment.

The operation when the circuit board 3 is held by the hook 6 provided on the side surface of the housing 4 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the liquid crystal panel 1 is held in the housing 4 (FIG. 11).
(A)). Next, the slit 10 is bent, and the circuit board 3 is bent.
The circuit board 3 is moved closer to the side surface of the housing while raising the box upward (FIG. 11B). After that, the circuit board 3 is held by the hook 6 (FIG. 11C).

Wide slit 10 provided in TCP 2
As a result, the TCP 2 can be smoothly curved with almost no load applied to the press-contact portion. Further, since the TCP 2 is curved by the slit 10, the circuit board 3 can be held by the hook 6 provided on the housing 4 with almost no load applied to the press contact portion.

Further, T where the slit 10 is provided
The CP2 allows the TCP2 to move freely at the position where the slit 10 is provided when the liquid crystal panel 1 shifts and moves in the completed liquid crystal display device. This gives T
It is possible to reduce the load applied to the portion of the CP2 and the circuit board 3 and the press-contact portion between the TCP2 and the TCP2, and it is possible to reliably maintain the connection between the TCP2 and the circuit board 3 and between the TCP2 and the liquid crystal panel 1.

As compared with the first and second embodiments, the method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display device of the present embodiment has an advantage that the number of slit forming steps is reduced correspondingly because there is only one slit.

[0070]

As described above, according to the present invention, the main slit as the slit for the curved portion and the sub-slit as the auxiliary slit for temporarily bending are formed by T
Since it is provided on the CP, it not only shortens the length of the TCP but also plays an important role of absorbing stress due to vibration and the like after assembly.

Also, from the viewpoint of automation of the assembling work necessary for mass production, since the effect of reducing the peeling stress on the connection portion of the TCP is exerted, the product yield at the time of mass production can be increased, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. This is a very practical and useful technology.

Also, a flat display panel such as a liquid crystal panel is held with play in the housing, and a circuit board connected to the TCP is held on a hook provided on the side of the housing to connect to the display panel. The display panel as well as the TCP and the circuit board used can be easily removed from the housing, and operations such as maintenance, repair, and replacement can be facilitated.

By adding an auxiliary slit to the TCP, when the display panel or the circuit board moves on the housing, the load applied to the TCP is reduced by the cooperation of the main slit and the sub slit. can do. This can prevent poor connection between the panel and the circuit board when the circuit board is mounted, and can also prevent disconnection of the TCP when a vibration or impact test is performed.

In particular, according to the present invention, a plurality of TCPs are provided on one side of the display panel, and a common circuit board commonly connected to the plurality of TCPs must be held by a plurality of hooks provided in the housing. Such a large flat panel display device has a great effect on improving the production yield, reliability, and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a TCP according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a step of attaching a liquid crystal panel provided with a liquid crystal panel to a housing.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the TCP of FIG. 1 is bent and a circuit board is held on a hook on a side surface of a housing.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a corner portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view for explaining an assembling process of holding the circuit board with TCP shown in FIG. 3 on a hook on a side surface of a housing.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing details of a TCP shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process of the flat panel display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the TCP according to the first embodiment of the present invention is pressed against a liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 8 shows a TCP according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a holding state of a circuit board with a TCP in the case where the circuit board is provided.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an assembling step of holding the circuit board with TCP shown in FIG. 8 on a hook portion on a side surface of a housing.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a TCP and a liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and a joint portion between the TCP and a circuit board.

11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an assembling step of holding the circuit board with TCP illustrated in FIG. 10 on a hook portion on a side surface of a housing.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an assembling process of holding a circuit board connected to TCP in a conventional example on a hook provided on a side surface of a housing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid crystal panel 2 TCP 3 Circuit board 4 Case 51, 52 Projection 6 Hook part 7 Main slit 8 Subslit 9 Subslit 10 Wide slit 11 Driving LSI

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H05K 1/14 H05K 1/14 F

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A display panel mounted on a main surface of a housing, a circuit board held by a hook provided on a side surface of the housing, and one end connected to the display panel. Tape carrier with an end connected to the circuit board
A package (TCP), wherein the TCP forms a curved region between a first region substantially parallel to a main surface of the housing and a second region substantially parallel to a side surface of the housing. And a region that is more easily deformable than its surroundings is provided in at least one of the first region and the second region so as to extend in parallel with the extending direction of the curved region. Flat panel display device. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the easily deformable area of the TCP is provided in the first area, and is located between a curved area and a fixed connection area between the TCP and the display panel. The flat panel display device according to claim 1. 3. The flat panel display device according to claim 1, wherein the curved region is positioned and arranged so as to be lower than a surface level of the first region. 4. A structure in which the easily deformable region of the TCP is formed by covering a plurality of conductive wires with a flexible insulating film having a thickness smaller than a thickness of an insulating film near a connection region of a driver element provided in the TCP. The flat panel display device according to claim 1. 5. The display panel is configured so that play is held in the housing, and a mechanical displacement between the display panel and the housing is absorbed in the easily deformable region. The flat panel display device according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The flat panel according to claim 1, wherein the easily deformable area of the TCP is provided in the second area, and is located between the circuit board and the curved area. Shape display device. 7. The flat panel display device according to claim 1, wherein the easily deformable region of the TCP is provided in the first region and is connected to the curved region. 8. The flat panel according to claim 1, wherein a distance between a center of the curved region and a center of the easily deformable region provided in the first region is larger than a depth of the hook portion. Shape display device. 9. The TCP has a large number of lead wires covered with an insulating flexible film, and the slit has
An elongated hole is provided in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the TCP extends from the liquid crystal panel to the circuit board. This slit covers the surface of the conductive part with a flexible coating member thinner than the main part. The flat panel display device according to claim 1, wherein: 10. A plurality of the TCPs are connected to the circuit board common to them, and the circuit board is held by a plurality of hooks provided on the housing. The flat panel display device according to claim 1. 11. The TCP according to claim 1, wherein the driver element provided in the TCP is disposed on a curved inner surface side of the TCP so as to be located in a notch provided in the circuit board. Flat panel display. 12. A step of holding a display panel provided with a tape carrier package (TCP) connected to a circuit board in a housing, and bending a bending portion slit and an auxiliary slit provided in the TCP. Lifting the circuit board so that the lower end of the circuit board passes over the tip of the hook provided on the housing, and returning the curve of the auxiliary slit to a flat state to place the circuit board in the hook. And a step of inserting the flat panel display device. 13. The auxiliary slit is provided between the bending portion slit and the display panel, and the bending direction of the auxiliary slit in the step of lifting the circuit board is changed to the bending portion slit. The method for manufacturing a flat panel display device according to claim 12, wherein the flat panel display device is bent in a direction opposite to a bending direction of the flat panel display device. 14. The auxiliary slit is provided between the bending portion slit and the circuit board, and
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a bending direction of the auxiliary slit is bent in the same direction as a bending direction of the bending portion slit in the step of lifting the circuit board. 15. The auxiliary slit is provided between the bending portion slit and the display panel.
A wide common slit is formed by being connected and integrated with the bending portion slit, and the bending direction of the common slit in the step of lifting the circuit board is in the vicinity of the circuit board side and the vicinity of the display panel side. The method according to claim 12, wherein the bending directions are opposite to each other. 16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the display panel is held with play in the housing.