JP2011175055A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a display panel from being damaged starting from the corner, when an external force is applied to a display device. <P>SOLUTION: The display device includes a display panel 2 having a pair of glass substrates 6, 7, and first support frame 31 and a second support frame 33, which hold the display panel 2 with each abutting against a pair of main surfaces of the display panel 2. The first support frame 31 supports the display panel 2 while at least one of the corners 211 of the main surface of the display panel 2 is exposed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device.

  In a conventional liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal display panel is fixed by attaching the metal frame to the circuit board in contact with the entire outer peripheral edge including the corner of one surface of the glass substrate of the liquid crystal display panel. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP-A-5-165018

  By the way, when a glass substrate is scribed and shaped to form an outer shape, cracks may exist at the corners of the glass substrate, and the corners become brittle. In the liquid crystal display device, since the metal frame is in contact with the entire periphery including the corner of one surface of the glass substrate of the liquid crystal display panel, an external force is applied to the liquid crystal display device through the metal frame. There is a problem that stress concentrates on the corner of the glass substrate, and the glass substrate is chipped or cracked starting from the corner.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to suppress damage to a display panel starting from a corner when an external force is applied to the display device.

In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention,
A display panel having at least one transparent substrate;
A first support frame and a second support frame that sandwich the display panel in contact with a pair of main surfaces of the display panel,
The display device is characterized in that the first support frame supports the display panel in a state where at least one corner portion of one main surface of the display panel is exposed.

In the display device, it is preferable that the first support frame supports the display panel in a state where all corners of one main surface of the display panel are exposed.
In the display device, it is preferable that the second support frame supports the display panel in a state where at least one corner portion of the other main surface of the display panel is exposed.
In the display device, it is preferable that the second support frame supports the display panel in a state where all corners of the other main surface of the display panel are exposed.
In the display device, preferably, a contact plate portion of the first support frame or the second support frame that contacts the main surface of the display panel has a notch portion that is notched outward. The opening formed in the peripheral part is provided and the said corner | angular part is exposed through the said notch part.
In the display device, preferably, the contact plate portion of the first support frame or the second support frame that contacts the main surface of the display panel has an opening in which the entire peripheral portion overlaps the transparent substrate. A hole penetrating the contact plate portion is provided outside the opening, and the corner portion is exposed through the hole.
In the display device, it is preferable that the contact plate portion overlaps a portion of the peripheral portion of the main surface of the display panel excluding the corner portion.
In the display device, preferably, at least one of the first support frame and the second support frame is made of metal.
In the display device, it is preferable that the display panel includes the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which are the at least one transparent substrate, the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which are arranged to face each other. It is a liquid crystal display panel which has a liquid crystal layer arrange | positioned between transparent substrates.
In the display device, it is preferable that the first support frame supports a surface of the second transparent substrate opposite to a surface facing the first transparent substrate,
The second support frame supports a surface side of the first transparent substrate opposite to a surface facing the second transparent substrate.
Preferably, the display device further includes a light source device that is provided on one surface side of the liquid crystal display panel and emits light toward the liquid crystal display panel,
The second support frame supports the liquid crystal display panel and the light source device.
In the display device, preferably, the display panel is an EL display panel in which an electroluminescence light emitting layer is provided on a substrate.

  According to the present invention, since the support frame fixes the display panel with the corners of the display panel exposed, it is possible to prevent stress from concentrating on the corners of the display panel when an external force is applied to the display device. As a result, the display panel can be prevented from being damaged starting from the corner.

1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing an overall configuration of a display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is arrow sectional drawing of the surface along the II-II line | wire shown by FIG. 1 is a front view of a display device according to a first embodiment. It is a front view of the display apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the disassembled perspective view which showed typically the whole structure of the display apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a rear view of the display apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using drawing. However, although various technically preferable limitations for implementing the present invention are given to the embodiments described below, the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

<First Embodiment>
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the overall configuration of the display device 100 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of the display device 100. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the display device 100 includes a light source device 1, a display panel 2, a frame 3, and the like.

  The display panel 2 is of an active matrix type, and as shown in FIG. 2, a predetermined gap is provided, and the front of the rectangular first glass substrate (first transparent substrate) 6 and the rectangular first The back surface of the 2nd glass substrate (2nd transparent substrate) 7 is opposingly arranged, and is comprised. Here, the substrate included in the display panel 2 is not limited to a glass substrate, and may be another transparent insulating substrate such as a plastic substrate. The display panel 2 is a liquid crystal display panel configured by sandwiching a liquid crystal layer (not shown) between the first glass substrate 6 and the second glass substrate 7. First and second transparent electrodes (not shown) are provided on the inner surfaces of the first glass substrate 6 and the second glass substrate 7 facing each other. The first and second transparent electrodes form a plurality of pixels in a matrix form that control the transmission of light by changing the alignment state of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer by applying a voltage. Further, a polarizing plate 23 is attached to the front surface (one main surface of the display panel 2) of the second glass substrate 7 on the observation side. On the other hand, an optical sheet 24 including a polarizing plate is attached to the back side of the first glass substrate 6 on the back side (the other main surface of the display panel 2). Here, the optical sheet 24 may include a polarizing plate and a retardation plate, or may include a reflective polarizing plate and a ¼λ plate, and can be appropriately changed depending on the application. Further, the first glass substrate 6 on the back side is formed with an overhang portion 61 that projects from the second glass substrate 7 on the observation side. A driver element 25 for applying a driving voltage between the transparent electrodes is mounted on the overhanging portion 61. In addition, a flexible wiring substrate 26 for supplying a control signal from an external circuit to the driver element 25 is connected to the overhang portion 61.

  A plurality of corner portions 211 and 212 are formed on the display panel 2. That is, four corners 211 are formed on the front side of the display panel 2 by the front and side surfaces of the second glass substrate 7, and the back side of the first glass substrate 6 is formed on the back side of the display panel 2. And four corners 212 are formed by the side surfaces.

Next, the light source device 1 will be described.
The light source device 1 emits light toward the display panel 2 and is disposed behind the display panel 2, that is, on the opposite side of the display panel 2 from the observation side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light source device 1 includes a reflection sheet 11, a light guide plate 4, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) unit 15, a frame 80, optical sheets 41, 42, and 43, and a light shielding sheet. 12.

  The reflection sheet 11 is disposed opposite to the back surface of the light guide plate 4 and reflects light emitted from the back surface of the light guide plate 4 to the inside of the light guide plate 4.

  The light guide plate 4 is formed in a rectangular shape in front view by a plate-like transparent member. The front surface side of the light guide plate 4 is an emission surface 44, and the rear surface side of the light guide plate 4 is disposed in contact with the front surface of the reflection sheet 11. An LED unit 15 is attached to one side of the front side of the light guide plate 4 via a double-sided tape 18. An incident surface 47 on which light from the LED unit 15 enters is formed on the side surface of the light guide plate 4 on the one side portion side.

  The LED unit 15 supplies light to the light guide plate 4 and includes a flexible wiring board 16 and a plurality of LEDs 17. Each of the plurality of LEDs 17 is a light source having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The LED 17 faces the incident surface 47 of the light guide plate 4, and a light emitting surface 171 is formed on the facing surface. The light emitted from the LED 17 enters the light guide plate 4 from the incident surface 47 and is emitted from the emission surface 44 in the front direction of the light guide plate 4.

  The optical sheets 41, 42, and 43 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and are stacked on the emission surface 44 of the light guide plate 4. Here, the optical sheet 41 immediately above the emission surface 44 is a light scattering sheet that diffuses the emission light from the emission surface 44 to make the luminance uniform. Each of the optical sheets 42 and 43 is a prism sheet in which a flat surface is formed on one surface and many fine linear prisms are formed on the other surface. The optical sheets 42 and 43 are arranged so that the flat surfaces face the light guide plate 4 side, and linear prisms are arranged in parallel to each other.

  The optical sheets 41, 42, and 43 have main body portions 411, 421, and 431 and locking portions 412, 422, and 432 that extend from the edges of the main body portions 411, 421, and 431, respectively. With these optical sheets 41, 42, 43, the light emitted from the emission surface 44 of the light guide plate 4 can be emitted in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the optical sheet 43.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light shielding sheet 12 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in front view, and prevents light from leaking from the periphery of the optical sheet 43 surrounding the peripheral edge of the front surface of the optical sheet 43. To do. The light shielding sheet 12 is supported by the frame 80 while being sandwiched between the optical sheet 24 and the optical sheet 43 of the display panel 2.

  The frame 80 is a resin member formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape that accommodates the reflection sheet 11, the light guide plate 4, the optical sheets 41, 42, 43, and the light shielding sheet 12. An extending portion 82 that extends inward is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the frame 80. The light shielding sheet 12 and the optical sheets 41, 42, and 43 are supported by the extending portion 82. At positions corresponding to the locking portions 412, 422, and 432 of the optical sheets 41, 42, and 43 on the front surface of the extending portion 82, there are engaging concave portions 821 that engage the locking portions 412, 422, and 432, respectively. Is formed. The engaging recess 821 is formed in a shape corresponding to the engaging portions 412, 422, and 432 to be engaged.

The frame 3 has a metal first support frame 31 whose outer shape is substantially rectangular in plan and a metal second support frame 33 whose outer shape is substantially rectangular in plan, and the light source device 1 and the display panel 2. Support.
FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the display device 100 showing the positional relationship between the first support frame 31 and the display panel 2.

  The first support frame 31 is provided so as to support the front side of the display panel 2 and cover the display panel 2 and the light source device 1 from the front side. A substantially rectangular display opening 312 is formed in the top plate (contact plate portion) 311 of the first support frame 31. The display area G of the display panel 2 can be viewed from the viewing side through the display opening 312. Further, the display opening 312 is formed to be slightly smaller than the entire front surface of the display panel 2 when viewed from the front, and the front peripheral edge of the display panel 2 is in contact with and supported by the first support frame 31.

  In addition, notches 313 are formed at the four corners of the display opening 312 formed in a substantially rectangular shape so as to expose the corners 211 of the display panel 2. The cutout 313 is formed by cutting out from the corner of the display opening 312 so as to extend outward along the bisector of the corner 211 when viewed from the front. That is, the first support frame 31 is not in contact with the corner portion 211 of the display panel 2. Thereby, even if an external force is applied to the display device 100 and an external force is applied to the peripheral portion of the display panel 2 via the first support frame 31, no stress is concentrated on the corner portion 211 of the display panel 2, and the display panel It is possible to prevent the two corner portions 211 from being broken or chipped.

  The number of the notches 313 is not limited to four and may be one to three. Further, the shape and size of the four notches 313 are not limited to the illustrated example, and may be any shape and size that can expose the corners 211 of the display panel 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light source device 1 and the display panel 2 are accommodated in the second support frame 33, and the first support frame 31 is engaged so as to cover them.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When the LED 17 is turned on, the light emitting surface 171 emits light, and light enters the incident surface 47 of the light guide plate 4. The incident light is guided in the light guide plate 4 and emitted from the emission surface 44 toward the front side. The light emitted from the light guide plate 4 passes through the optical sheets 41, 42, and 43 and enters the back side of the display panel 2. Thereby, the light source device 1 illuminates the display panel 2 from the back side.
The first support frame 31 supports the front side of the display panel 2, the second support frame 33 supports the back side of the light source device 1, and the display device 100 is supported by the first support frame 31 and the second support frame 33. The outer shape is formed. When an external force is applied to the display device 100, the external force is transmitted to the peripheral portion of the display panel 2 via the first support frame 31. However, since the first support frame 31 is not in contact with the corner portion 211 of the display panel 2, it is difficult for stress to concentrate on the corner portion 211. Therefore, it can suppress that the corner | angular part 211 of the display panel 2 is cracked or chipped.

  According to the present embodiment, the notch 313 is formed at the corner of the display opening 312 of the first support frame 31 that covers the front peripheral edge of the display panel 2, and the corner 211 on the front side of the display panel 2 is the first. It is exposed without contacting the support frame 31. Even if an external force is applied to the first support frame 31 and a stress is generated in the display panel 2, it does not concentrate on the corner portion 211. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the corner portion 211 of the display panel 2 from being broken or chipped. Moreover, in this embodiment, since all the parts except the exposed corner | angular part 211 among the peripheral parts of the front of the display panel 2 have overlapped with the top plate 311 of the 1st support frame 31, the display panel 2 is damaged. The display panel 2 can be reliably held while suppressing the above. In the present embodiment, the case where both the first support frame 31 and the second support frame 33 are made of metal has been described as an example. However, neither of these may be made of metal, or either one of them. May be made of metal.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The portions corresponding to the display device in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the display device 100A according to the second embodiment.
A substantially rectangular display opening 312a is formed in the top plate 311a of the first support frame 31a of the present embodiment. The display opening 312a is formed slightly smaller than the entire front surface of the display panel 2a when viewed from the front, and the entire peripheral edge of the display opening 312a overlaps the front surface of the display panel 2. In the first support frame 31a in the present embodiment, holes 314a are formed so that the corners 211a of the display panel 2a are exposed instead of the notches 313 being formed. Therefore, also in the present embodiment, the first support frame 31a is not in contact with the corner portion 211a of the display panel 2a. The hole 314a is a circular hole that penetrates the top plate 311a. The holes 314a are formed outside the four corners of the rectangular display opening 312a when viewed from the front, and do not communicate with the display opening 312a.
The number of holes 314a is not limited to four and may be one to three. Further, the shape and size of the four holes 314a are not limited to the illustrated example, and any shape and size that can expose the corner portion 211a of the display panel 2 may be used.

  According to the second embodiment, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, a hole 314a is formed in the first support frame 31a, and the corner portion 211a of the display panel 2a is exposed without coming into contact with the first support frame 31a. As a result, even if an external force is applied to the frame 3a and a stress is generated in the display panel 2a, the stress is not concentrated on the corner 211a, and the corner 211a of the display panel 2a is prevented from being cracked or chipped. it can.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The portions corresponding to the display device in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the overall configuration of the display device 100B according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 5, the light source device is not shown.
FIG. 6 is a schematic rear view of a display device 100B according to the third embodiment.

  The second support frame 33b is a metal member that can be locked to the first support frame 31b in a state in which the display panel 2b is housed inside. The second support frame 33b supports the back side of the display panel 2b, that is, the back side of the first glass substrate 6b via the optical sheet 24b. Further, the bottom plate (contact plate portion) 331b of the second support frame 33b is provided with a rectangular lighting opening 332b penetrating in the thickness direction. The daylighting opening 332b is formed to be approximately the same size as the display opening 312b of the first support frame 31b. The display panel 2b can be illuminated from the back side by taking in light from the daylighting opening 332b.

As shown in FIG. 6, two holes 333b and two notches 334b are formed in the second support frame 33b so that the four corners 212b of the display panel 2b are exposed. The hole 333b is a circular hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the bottom plate 331b. The holes 333b are formed at two corners on the flexible wiring board 26b side among the four corners of the bottom plate 331b when viewed from the back.
The notches 334b are formed at two corners away from the flexible wiring board 26b among the four corners of the daylighting opening 332b. The cutout portion 334b is formed by cutting out from the corner portion of the daylighting opening 332b so as to extend outward along the bisector of the corner portion 212b when viewed from the front.
Note that only one of the hole 333b and the notch 334b may be provided, or one hole 333b and one notch 334b may be provided. The sizes of the hole 333b and the notch 334b are not limited to the illustrated example, and may be any shape and size that can expose the corner 211b of the display panel 2b.

  The first support frame 31b supports the front side of the display panel 2b, that is, the front side of the second glass substrate 7b via the polarizing plate 23b.

  According to the third embodiment, the notch 313b is provided in the first support frame 31b, and the hole 333b and the notch 334b are provided in the second support frame 33b. Therefore, the front side of the display panel 2b is provided. Both the corner 211b and the back corner 212b can be exposed. As a result, even if an external force is applied to the frame 3b and stress is generated in the display panel 2b, the stress is not concentrated on the corners 211b and 212b, and the corners 211b and 212b of the display panel 2b are cracked or chipped. This can be suppressed. In addition, the display device 100B can be thinned by using a structure that does not include the light source device as in the present embodiment.

  In each of the above embodiments, the display panel may be an EL display panel in which an electroluminescence light emitting layer is provided on a transparent insulating substrate such as a glass substrate or a plastic substrate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light source device 2 Display panel 6 1st glass substrate (1st transparent substrate)
7 Second glass substrate (second transparent substrate)
31 First support frame 33 Second support frame 100 Display device 211 Corner portion 212 Corner portion 311 Top plate (contact plate portion)
314a Hole 312 Display opening (opening)
313 Notch 331b Bottom plate (contact plate)
332b Daylighting opening (opening)
333b hole 334b notch

Claims (12)

A display panel having at least one transparent substrate;
A first support frame and a second support frame that sandwich the display panel in contact with a pair of main surfaces of the display panel,
The display device, wherein the first support frame supports the display panel in a state where at least one of corners of one main surface of the display panel is exposed.   The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first support frame supports the display panel in a state where all corners of one main surface of the display panel are exposed.   3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the second support frame supports the display panel in a state where at least one corner portion of the other main surface of the display panel is exposed.   The display device according to claim 3, wherein the second support frame supports the display panel in a state where all corners of the other main surface of the display panel are exposed.   The contact plate portion of the first support frame or the second support frame that contacts the main surface of the display panel has an opening in which a notch that is notched outward is formed at the peripheral edge. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is provided and the corner portion is exposed through the notch portion.   Of the first support frame or the second support frame, the contact plate portion that contacts the main surface of the display panel has an opening whose entire peripheral edge overlaps the transparent substrate, and the abutting plate on the outside of the opening. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a hole penetrating the contact plate portion is provided, and the corner portion is exposed through the hole.   The display device according to claim 5, wherein the contact plate portion overlaps a portion of the peripheral portion of the main surface of the display panel excluding the corner portion.   8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first support frame and the second support frame is made of metal.   The display panel is disposed between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which are the at least one transparent substrate, and the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which are disposed to face each other. A display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device has a liquid crystal layer. The first support frame supports a surface of the second transparent substrate opposite to a surface facing the first transparent substrate;
The display device according to claim 9, wherein the second support frame supports a surface side of the first transparent substrate opposite to a surface facing the second transparent substrate. A light source device that is provided on one surface side of the liquid crystal display panel and emits light toward the liquid crystal display panel;
The display device according to claim 9, wherein the second support frame supports the liquid crystal display panel and the light source device.   The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display panel is an EL display panel in which an electroluminescence light emitting layer is provided on a substrate.

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