JP2013156429A - Liquid crystal module and liquid crystal display apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal module which reduces luminance unevenness due to the stress from a flexible printed board and to provide a liquid crystal display apparatus which suppresses a decrease in display quality.SOLUTION: A liquid crystal module 1 comprises: a liquid crystal display panel 2; a backlight unit 3 constituted by housing a light source in a box body 6 having a sidewall part; and a front holder 4 for surrounding a peripheral edge of the liquid crystal display panel 2 and a sidewall part 8 of the boxy body 6 of the backlight unit 3. The liquid crystal display panel 2 has a flexible printed board 5 in which one end part is connected to an outer edge surface of the liquid crystal display panel 2 and which extends along the side surface of the front holder 4, the backlight unit 3 is formed so that a part of the sidewall part 8 of the box body 6 is recessed to the inner side and is configured to have a recess 7 for disposing the flexible printed board 5. A liquid crystal display apparatus is manufactured by using the liquid crystal module 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal module and a liquid crystal display device.

  A liquid crystal display device can be thin, light, and small, can be driven at a low voltage, and has low power consumption. Therefore, a portable information terminal such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a notebook PC (personal PC) Widely used as display devices for various electronic devices such as portable PCs such as computers), desk-type PCs, and televisions. It is also widely used for so-called in-vehicle applications such as instrument panels for vehicles including automobiles.

The liquid crystal display device is configured using a liquid crystal module including a liquid crystal display panel.
In a liquid crystal display panel, a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a transparent substrate disposed on the viewer side and a transparent substrate disposed on the opposite side of the viewer so as to face the transparent substrate. Composed. The liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal display panel is made of, for example, nematic phase liquid crystal (hereinafter also referred to as nematic liquid crystal). On the inner surface of the substrate, a patterned transparent electrode made of, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or the like is provided. An alignment film is provided on the surface of each substrate in contact with the liquid crystal layer as an alignment control layer that realizes uniform initial alignment of the liquid crystal. Then, the liquid crystal layer changes its orientation from the initial alignment state in accordance with the electric field applied between the electrodes, and the polarization state of light transmitted through the liquid crystal layer is controlled. On the outer surfaces of the two substrates facing each other with the liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween, a pair of polarizing plates are arranged on the observer side and the opposite side with the two substrates interposed therebetween.

  Liquid crystal display panels are classified into several modes based on the initial alignment state of the liquid crystal layer and the operation of the liquid crystal when a voltage is applied. For example, a liquid crystal display panel such as a TN (twisted nematic) mode is conventionally known. In recent years, in a so-called in-vehicle liquid crystal display panel such as an instrument panel of a vehicle such as an automobile, in addition to a television, a PC, and a smartphone, an in-plane switching (IPS) mode (hereinafter abbreviated as IPS mode). ) Is actively used.

  In the IPS mode liquid crystal display panel, an electric field is applied in the direction of the surface of the substrate sandwiching the liquid crystal layer to rotate the liquid crystal in-plane parallel to the substrate. Light can be shielded in the absence of an electric field (state where no voltage is applied). In combination with a backlight or the like, light is switched by a change in birefringence.

  The IPS mode has characteristics such as a high contrast ratio when viewed from the front, a wide viewing angle, and excellent visibility. Therefore, the IPS mode is suitable for the configuration of an active matrix liquid crystal display panel in which switching elements such as TFTs (Thin Film Transistors) are provided for each pixel. It is considered suitable for providing.

  The above liquid crystal display panels such as the TN mode and the IPS mode are integrally combined with a backlight unit serving as a light source to constitute a liquid crystal module. Then, using a liquid crystal module, a liquid crystal display device having features such as thinning and miniaturization is manufactured. At this time, when a liquid crystal module is formed from a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display device is manufactured, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) that is advantageous for thinning and miniaturization is usually used (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-298699 A

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a conventional liquid crystal module.

A conventional liquid crystal module 1001 includes a liquid crystal display panel 1002, a backlight unit 1003, a front holder 1004, and the like.
The liquid crystal display panel 1002 has a flexible printed circuit board 1005 connected to a part of the peripheral surface. The flexible printed board 1005 uses, for example, an anisotropic conductive film (ACF), and one end of the flexible printed board 1005 is physically and electrically connected to the liquid crystal display panel 1002.

  The backlight unit 1003 is configured by storing a light source, a light guide plate, and the like (not shown) in a box-like body 1006 having a side wall portion standing on a bottom surface portion.

  The liquid crystal display panel 1002 is placed on the backlight unit 1003 and supported from below.

  Then, a frame-shaped front holder 1004 is attached so as to surround and protect the periphery including the peripheral surface of the liquid crystal display panel 1002 and the side wall portion of the box-shaped body 1006 of the backlight unit 1003. The front holder 1004 is provided so that the liquid crystal display panel 1002 is fixed on the backlight unit 1003 from above and integrated, and the gap between the liquid crystal display panel 1002 and the backlight unit 1003 is sealed. Then, dust or the like is prevented from entering the box-like body 1006 of the backlight unit 1003 from the outside.

  In the liquid crystal module 1001, the liquid crystal display panel 1002 is placed on the backlight unit 1003 and is irradiated with light from the backlight unit 1003 from the back side, which is the lower side. And it is comprised so that an observer can observe an image from the front side which is an upper side.

  At this time, the flexible printed circuit board 1005 having one end connected to the peripheral surface of the liquid crystal display panel 1002 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the front holder 1004 and the side wall of the box-shaped body 1006 of the backlight unit 1003. . The flexible printed circuit board 1005 is sandwiched between the front holder 1004 and the side wall portion of the box-shaped body 1006, and is bent downward at the edge portion on the upper surface side of the box-shaped body 1006. It is arranged to extend along. The flexible printed board 1005 having such an arrangement is connected to an external control circuit (not shown) at the other end so as to receive a video signal and supply power to the liquid crystal display panel 1002.

  The flexible printed board 1005 is configured using, for example, a highly reliable polyimide resin film. Therefore, it has flexibility enough to enable the above-described bent state, but has superior strength and slightly higher rigidity than other flexible resin films. As described above, the front holder 1004 is installed so that the liquid crystal display panel 1002 is fixed on the backlight unit 1003 and foreign matter such as dust does not enter the backlight unit 1003. That is, the front holder 1004 is attached so that there is no gap between the front holder 1004 and the side wall of the box-like body 1006 of the backlight unit 1003.

  Therefore, when the liquid crystal module 1001 is assembled using the liquid crystal display panel 1002, the backlight unit 1003, and the front holder 1004, the flexible printed circuit board 1005 includes the side wall portion of the box-shaped body 1006 of the front holder 1004 and the backlight unit 1003. In some cases, distortion occurs in the inside.

  In the liquid crystal module 1001, flexible deformation of the flexible printed circuit board 1005 is difficult, and the distortion generated in the flexible printed circuit board 1005 cannot be absorbed and eliminated. Therefore, the distortion generated in the flexible printed circuit board 1005 may be transmitted as stress to the liquid crystal display panel 1002 fixed on the backlight unit 1003 and connected to the flexible printed circuit board 1005. Such stress applied to the liquid crystal display panel 1002 causes luminance unevenness in the liquid crystal display panel 1002. In particular, the luminance unevenness in the black display may cause a problem because it impairs the display quality of the liquid crystal display device including the liquid crystal display panel 1002. there were.

  Therefore, there is a demand for a liquid crystal module that can reduce stress applied to the liquid crystal display panel by the flexible printed circuit board and reduce luminance unevenness. More specifically, there is a need for a liquid crystal module that can reduce distortion generated in a flexible printed circuit board, reduce stress applied to the liquid crystal display panel from the flexible printed circuit board, and reduce luminance unevenness.

  The present invention has been made in view of these points. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal module that can reduce luminance unevenness. And it is providing the liquid crystal display device which suppressed the fall of the display quality using the liquid crystal module with which the brightness nonuniformity was reduced.

  Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

A first aspect of the present invention is a liquid crystal display panel;
A backlight unit configured to house a light source in a box-like body having a side wall portion standing on the bottom surface portion, and on which a liquid crystal display panel is placed;
A liquid crystal module having a front holder surrounding a peripheral edge of the liquid crystal display panel and a side wall portion of the box-shaped body of the backlight unit,
The liquid crystal display panel has a flexible printed circuit board having one end connected to the peripheral surface of the liquid crystal display panel and extending along the side surface of the front holder,
The backlight unit relates to a liquid crystal module, wherein a part of the side wall portion of the box-like body is formed so as to be recessed inward, and has a recessed portion for disposing a flexible printed circuit board.

  1st aspect of this invention WHEREIN: It is preferable that the depth of the recessed part of a backlight unit is 0.5 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

  1st aspect of this invention WHEREIN: It is preferable that the recessed part of a backlight unit is formed in the groove | channel shape where a bottom face is flat between the upper end of a side wall part, and a lower end.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the concave portion of the backlight unit is formed such that the bottom surface is inclined with respect to other portions of the side wall portion where the concave portion is not formed. The angle formed by the upper surface is preferably larger than the angle formed by the other part of the side wall portion and the upper surface of the box-shaped body.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the liquid crystal display panel is preferably an in-plane switching mode liquid crystal display panel.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal display device comprising the liquid crystal module according to the first aspect of the present invention.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a liquid crystal module suitable for reducing luminance unevenness is provided.

  According to the 2nd aspect of this invention, the liquid crystal display device with which the fall of the display quality was suppressed is provided.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows typically the structure of the liquid crystal module of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the backlight unit of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the liquid crystal module of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows typically the structure of the liquid crystal module of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the conventional liquid crystal module.

  The present inventor constructed a liquid crystal display device using a conventional liquid crystal module 1001 similar to that shown in FIG. 5, displayed an image, and examined unevenness in display.

  As a result, when the conventional liquid crystal module 1001 is assembled, the flexible printed circuit board 1005 is sandwiched between the front holder 1004 and the side wall portion of the box-shaped body 1006 of the backlight unit 1003, and the flexible printed circuit board 1005. Will be distorted inside. Then, as described above, it has been found that such distortion becomes stress and is transmitted to the liquid crystal display panel 1002 to cause luminance unevenness in the liquid crystal display panel 1002. This luminance unevenness impairs the display quality of a liquid crystal display device using the liquid crystal display panel 1002.

  Furthermore, as a result of the examination, it has also been found that the luminance unevenness of the liquid crystal display panel 1002 generated by the stress from the flexible printed circuit board 1005 described above has a difference in generation intensity depending on the liquid crystal mode.

  In other words, the luminance unevenness of the liquid crystal display panel 1002 due to the stress is the liquid crystal display in any mode such as TN mode, STN (Super Twisted Nematic) mode, VA (Vertical Alignment Bend) mode, OCB (Optically Compensated Bend) mode, and IPS mode. This also occurs in the panel 1002. It was found that the strength is high in the IPS mode liquid crystal display panel 1002, and luminance unevenness due to stress is remarkable in the liquid crystal module 1001 using the IPS mode liquid crystal display panel 1002.

  Accordingly, the present inventor has improved the structure of a liquid crystal module including a liquid crystal display panel having a flexible printed circuit board, a backlight unit, and a front holder so as to reduce distortion generated in the flexible printed circuit board. And it was comprised so that the brightness nonuniformity could be reduced by reducing the stress added to a liquid crystal display panel from a flexible printed circuit board. As a result, even when an IPS mode liquid crystal display panel was used, a liquid crystal module capable of reducing luminance unevenness due to the stress was produced, and a liquid crystal display device was produced using the liquid crystal module, thereby leading to the present invention.

  Hereinafter, a liquid crystal module and a liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the structure of the liquid crystal module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The liquid crystal module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid crystal display panel 2, a backlight unit 3, a front holder 4, and the like. The front holder 4 is provided and can be suitably used as a liquid crystal module of a liquid crystal display device used for so-called in-vehicle use such as an instrument panel of a vehicle including an automobile.

  The liquid crystal display panel 2 of the present embodiment is a transmissive type, and can be an IPS mode liquid crystal display panel 2. In the liquid crystal module 1 of the present embodiment, the liquid crystal display panel 2 can be a liquid crystal display panel such as a TN mode, an STN mode, a VA mode, and an OCB mode in addition to the IPS mode.

  The liquid crystal display panel 2 in the IPS mode is between a transparent substrate disposed on the front side which is the upper side in FIG. 1 and a transparent substrate disposed on the back side which is the lower side facing the transparent substrate. And a liquid crystal layer made of nematic liquid crystal. The front substrate can be an array substrate on which active elements such as TFTs and electrodes are arranged, and the back substrate can be a color filter substrate on which color filters are arranged.

  The liquid crystal display panel 2 has a flexible printed circuit board 5 connected to a part of the peripheral surface. The flexible printed circuit board 5 can be configured using, for example, a highly reliable polyimide resin film having high heat resistance and high strength. The flexible printed circuit board 5 has a strip-like shape. For example, one end of the flexible printed circuit board 5 is physically and electrically connected to the liquid crystal display panel 2 by using an anisotropic conductive film (ACF: Anisotropic Conductive Film). To do.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a driver IC 10 for driving the liquid crystal display panel 2 can be disposed in a part of the peripheral portion of the liquid crystal display panel 2.

  The backlight unit 3 is configured by accommodating a light source (not shown in FIG. 1) in a box-like body 6 having a bottom surface portion and a side wall portion 8 standing on the bottom surface portion. The box-shaped body 6 can store a light guide plate as shown in FIG. And the backlight unit 3 is formed so that a part of the side wall part 8 of the box-shaped body 6 may be dented inside, and as a space for arranging the flexible printed circuit board 5, it is wider than the flexible printed circuit board 5. A recess 7 is provided.

  That is, in the backlight unit 3, the side wall portion 8 erected on the bottom surface portion of the box-shaped body 6 is formed so as to be bent inward at a part thereof to form the concave portion 7. The concave portion 7 is formed in a groove shape in a region between the upper end and the lower end of the side wall portion 8. And the recessed part 7 is formed so that a bottom face may be a plane and the shape of a longitudinal cross section may become a quadrangle. That is, the concave portion 7 has a side surface and a flat bottom surface formed by a part of the side wall portion 8 that is bent inward of the box-shaped body 6.

  In the backlight unit 3, the depth to the bottom surface of the concave portion 7 of the side wall portion 8 of the box-like body 6 (shown as W in FIGS. 2 and 3) is preferably 0.5 mm or more and 20 mm or less. . And it is more preferable that they are 4 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

  The concave portion 7 of the backlight unit 3 is provided so as not to cause distortion in the flexible printed circuit board 5 disposed therein, but if the depth (W) is shallower than 0.5 mm, the space of the concave portion 7 is too small. The occurrence of the distortion in the flexible printed circuit board 5 cannot be sufficiently suppressed. On the other hand, if the depth (W) of the concave portion 7 is deeper than 20 mm, the space of the concave portion 7 is too large, leading to an increase in the size of the box-like body 6 and the backlight unit 3, and an increase in the size of the liquid crystal module 1. I will. Therefore, it is preferable to determine the depth (W) of the recess 7 in consideration of the effect of suppressing the distortion in the flexible printed circuit board 5 and the miniaturization of the liquid crystal module 1.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of the backlight unit of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the box-like body 6 of the backlight unit 3 has a side wall portion 8 standing on the bottom surface portion thereof, and has a structure in which the upper portion is released. And inside the box-shaped body 6, the LED lamp 11 and the light guide plate 12 which are light sources are accommodated. A plurality of LED lamps 11 are arranged on the LED flexible printed circuit board 13, and are arranged so as to face the side surfaces of the light guide plate 12 that serve as the light incident surface.

  In addition to the LED lamp 11 and the like, an optical sheet such as a reflection sheet, a diffusion sheet, and a prism sheet (not shown) can be disposed inside the box-shaped body 6. Furthermore, an inner frame (not shown) having a frame shape for supporting the liquid crystal display panel 2 from below can be provided on the upper portion of the side wall portion 8 of the box-shaped body 6.

  The front holder 4 of the liquid crystal module 1 has a frame shape so that an image displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 2 can be observed from the front side, which is the upper side in FIG. The front holder 4 can be made of a high-strength metal, and can be configured using, for example, stainless steel, aluminum, or the like.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the liquid crystal module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the liquid crystal display panel 2 is placed on the upper surface side of the backlight unit 3 and supported from below by the backlight unit 3.

  The frame-shaped front holder 4 is installed so as to surround and protect the peripheral edge including the peripheral surface of the liquid crystal display panel 2 and the side wall portion 8 of the box-like body 6 of the backlight unit 3. The front holder 4 fixes the liquid crystal display panel 2 on the backlight unit 3 from above and integrates them. In addition, the front holder 4 is provided so as to seal a gap between the liquid crystal display panel 2 and the backlight unit 3. The front holder 4 functions to prevent foreign matters such as dust from entering the box-like body 6 of the backlight unit 3 from the outside.

  Thus, the liquid crystal display panel 2 is placed on the backlight unit 3 and is irradiated with light from the backlight unit 3 from the back side, which is the lower side. And it is comprised so that an observer can observe an image from the front side which is an upper side.

  In the liquid crystal module 1, the flexible printed circuit board 5 having one end connected to the peripheral surface of the liquid crystal display panel 2 is bent downward and arranged so as to extend along the side surface of the front holder 4. . The flexible printed circuit board 5 is connected to an external control circuit (not shown) at the other end to constitute a liquid crystal display device. Then, it receives a video signal from the control circuit, supplies power to the liquid crystal display panel 2, and displays an image on the liquid crystal display panel 2 in the liquid crystal display device.

  At this time, the flexible printed circuit board 5 is bent downward at a portion where the concave portion 7 is formed in the edge portion on the upper surface side of the box-like body 6 of the backlight unit 3, and is formed on the side wall portion 8 of the box-like body 6. It is disposed in the recess 7. The recess 7 is a space having the above-described depth. Therefore, as in the conventional liquid crystal module 1001 in FIG. 5, it is possible to avoid a state in which the flexible printed circuit board 1005 is firmly sandwiched between the front holder 1004 and the side wall portion of the box-shaped body 1006 of the backlight unit 1003. it can. In the liquid crystal module 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the flexible printed circuit board 5 is disposed inside the recess 7 so as to be relatively freely deformable.

  Therefore, in the liquid crystal module 1, it is possible to prevent the flexible printed circuit board 5 from being distorted when it is assembled. That is, the flexible printed circuit board 5 is firmly sandwiched between the front holder 4 and the side wall portion 8 of the box-like body 6 of the backlight unit 3, and the occurrence of distortion in the inside can be reduced. 5, which is a problem of the conventional liquid crystal module 1001 shown in FIG. 5, is a phenomenon in which distortion is transferred to the liquid crystal display panel 1002 as stress in the flexible printed circuit board 1005 and causes uneven brightness in the liquid crystal display panel 1002. Can do.

  Hereinafter, the evaluation of luminance unevenness performed for a liquid crystal display device manufactured using the liquid crystal module 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail.

  The liquid crystal display panel 2 of the liquid crystal module 1 constituting the liquid crystal display device to be evaluated is an IPS mode liquid crystal display panel 2. In the liquid crystal module 1, the recess 7 of the backlight unit 3 has a depth to the bottom of 4 mm. As a comparative example, a conventional liquid crystal display device composed of a liquid crystal module 1001 using an IPS mode liquid crystal display panel 1002 similar to that shown in FIG. 5 was used.

  The evaluation of luminance unevenness was performed according to the standard of VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association).

  As a specific method, since it is easy to confirm the occurrence of unevenness in black display, predetermined uniform black display (application of OFF voltage) and luminance measurement are performed on the entire surface of the liquid crystal display panel of the liquid crystal module of each liquid crystal display device. Nine points are determined. The nine measurement points include the center position and the four corner positions of the liquid crystal display panel so as to be dispersed in the liquid crystal display panel, and in addition, the center of two adjacent corners of the four corners. Includes location. Since the four corners include four sets of two adjacent corners, the luminance measurement points are 9 points in total. The luminance is measured at these nine points. Next, a point having the minimum luminance (Bmin) and a point having the maximum luminance (Bmax) are obtained from the nine measurement points, and (Bmin) / (Bmax) (%) is calculated as uniformity data. .

  Using the uniformity data ((Bmin) / (Bmax) (%)) thus obtained, a comparison is made between a liquid crystal display device manufactured using the liquid crystal module 1 and a conventional liquid crystal display device, and luminance unevenness is obtained. Perform an evaluation.

  In the liquid crystal display device manufactured using the liquid crystal module 1, the uniformity data ((Bmin) / (Bmax) (%)) was 86.6%. On the other hand, in the conventional liquid crystal display device composed of the liquid crystal module 1001, the uniformity data was 73.7%.

From the above evaluation results, in the liquid crystal display device manufactured using the liquid crystal module 1, the stress applied to the liquid crystal display panel 2 by the flexible printed circuit board 5 is reduced, the display uniformity on the liquid crystal module 1 is high, and the luminance unevenness is high. It was found that does not occur.
On the other hand, in a conventional liquid crystal display device manufactured using the liquid crystal module 1001, stress is applied to the liquid crystal display panel 1002 by the flexible printed circuit board 1005, so that the display uniformity on the liquid crystal module 1001 is low and luminance unevenness occurs. I understood it.

<Embodiment 2>
In the liquid crystal module according to the embodiment of the present invention, the recess formed in the box-shaped body of the backlight unit can have a different shape from the recess 7 of the liquid crystal module 1 of the first embodiment described above. And when arranging the flexible printed circuit board connected to the liquid crystal display panel, it is possible to suppress generation of distortion more effectively.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the structure of the liquid crystal module of the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The liquid crystal module 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 except that the structure of the recess 107 formed in the side wall portion 108 of the box-like body 106 of the backlight unit 103 is different. The liquid crystal module 1 of the first embodiment has the same structure. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  The liquid crystal module 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes the liquid crystal display panel 2, the backlight unit 103, the front holder 4, and the like. The liquid crystal module 101 includes the front holder 4 and can be suitably used as a liquid crystal module of a liquid crystal display device used for so-called in-vehicle use such as an instrument panel of a vehicle such as an automobile.

  The backlight unit 103 is configured by storing a light source (not shown in FIG. 4) in a box-like body 106 having a bottom surface portion and a side wall portion 108 erected on the bottom surface portion and having an open upper portion. Is done. The box-like body 106 can store optical sheets such as a reflection sheet, a diffusion sheet, and a prism sheet in addition to a light source. Further, an inner frame (not shown) having a frame shape for supporting the liquid crystal display panel 2 from below can be provided on the upper portion of the side wall portion 108 of the box-like body 106.

  The light source of the backlight unit 103 can be configured using a plurality of LED lamps (not shown) as in the liquid crystal module 1 of the first embodiment described above. Similar to the liquid crystal module 1 of the first embodiment, a plurality of LED lamps are arranged on an LED flexible printed circuit board (not shown) so that each of the LED lamps faces a side surface that becomes a light incident surface of a light guide plate (not shown). It can be used in an array.

  The backlight unit 103 is formed so that a part of the side wall part 108 of the box-like body 106 is recessed inward, and as a space for arranging the flexible printed circuit board 5, a recessed part 107 having a width wider than that of the flexible printed circuit board 5. Have

  That is, in the backlight unit 103, the side wall portion 108 erected on the bottom surface portion of the box-like body 106 is formed so as to be bent inward at a part thereof to form the concave portion 107. The concave portion 107 is formed in a groove shape in a region between the upper end and the lower end of the side wall portion 108, and is formed so that the bottom surface is a plane and the shape of the longitudinal section is a quadrangle. The concave portion 107 has a side surface and a flat bottom surface formed by a part of the side wall portion 108 that bends inward of the box-like body 106.

  And in the module 101 of 2nd Embodiment, the recessed part 107 of the backlight unit 103 is formed so that the bottom face may incline with respect to the other part of the side wall part 108 in which the recessed part 107 is not formed. Therefore, in the backlight unit 103, the recess 107 is formed so that the angle formed by the bottom surface of the recess 107 and the top surface of the box-shaped body 106 is larger than the angle formed by the other part of the side wall portion 108 and the top surface of the box-shaped body 106. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal module 101 having the above components is configured such that the liquid crystal display panel 2 is placed on the upper surface side of the backlight unit 103 and supported from below by the backlight unit 103. Composed.

  The frame-shaped front holder 4 is installed so as to surround and protect the peripheral edge including the peripheral surface of the liquid crystal display panel 2 and the side wall portion 108 of the box-like body 106 of the backlight unit 103. The front holder 4 fixes the liquid crystal display panel 2 on the backlight unit 103 from above and integrates them. In addition, the front holder 4 is installed so as to seal a gap between the liquid crystal display panel 2 and the backlight unit 103. As a result, the backlight unit 103 prevents foreign matter such as dust from entering the box-like body 106 from the outside.

  In the liquid crystal module 101 according to the second embodiment, the flexible printed circuit board 5 is bent and disposed in the recess 107 as in the liquid crystal module 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. That is, in the liquid crystal module 101, the flexible printed circuit board 5 connected to a part of the peripheral surface of the liquid crystal display panel 2 is positioned below the portion where the concave portion 107 is formed on the edge portion on the upper surface side of the box-like body 106 of the backlight unit 103. It is bent to the side. The flexible printed circuit board 5 is bent and disposed in the recess 107 and extends along the side surface of the front holder 4.

  At this time, in the backlight unit 103, as described above, at the edge portion on the upper surface side of the box-shaped body 106, the angle formed by the bottom surface of the recess 107 and the upper surface of the box-shaped body 106 is It is formed so as to be larger than the angle formed by the upper surface of the box-like body 106. Therefore, the bending of the flexible printed circuit board 5 at the edge portion of the box-like body 106 is more gradual than the liquid crystal module 1 of FIGS. 1 to 3 and the conventional liquid crystal module 1001 of FIG. Further, the backlight unit 103 of the liquid crystal module 101 can guide more gently so that the flexible printed circuit board 5 is along the side surface of the front holder 4 by using the recess 107. That is, in the module 101 of the second embodiment, the concave portion 107 of the box-like body 106 of the backlight unit 103 also functions as a guide that determines the arrangement of the flexible printed circuit board 5.

  In the backlight unit 103, the depth to the bottom surface of the concave portion 107 of the box-like body 106 is preferably 0.5 mm or more and 20 mm or less. For example, the depth to the bottom surface of the recess 107 can be such that the upper end portion is 4 mm or more and 20 mm or less, and the lower end portion is 0.5 mm or more and less than 4 mm.

  The concave portion 107 of the backlight unit 103 is provided so that the flexible printed circuit board 5 disposed therein is not distorted. Therefore, if the depth of the lower end portion of the recess 107 is shallower than 0.5 mm, the deformation of the flexible printed circuit board 5 is hindered between the box-like body 106 and the front holder 4 and the occurrence of the distortion is sufficiently suppressed. I can't. If the depth of the upper end portion of the recess 107 is deeper than 20 mm, the space of the recess 107 is too large, leading to an increase in the size of the box-like body 106 and the backlight unit 103, and an increase in the size of the liquid crystal module 101. I will. Therefore, it is preferable to determine the structure of the recess 107 in consideration of the effect of suppressing the distortion in the flexible printed board 5, the above-described guide function, and the miniaturization of the liquid crystal module 101.

  The liquid crystal module 101 according to the second embodiment having the above-described configuration is similar to the conventional liquid crystal module 1001 of FIG. 5 in that the flexible printed circuit board 1005 includes the front holder 1004 and the side wall portion of the box-shaped body 1006 of the backlight unit 1003. It is possible to avoid a state of being firmly sandwiched between the two. The liquid crystal module 101 is arranged so that the flexible printed circuit board 5 can be deformed relatively freely inside the recess 107.

  As a result, the phenomenon that the problem of the conventional liquid crystal module 1001 of FIG. 5 is that distortion is transmitted to the liquid crystal display panel 1002 as stress in the flexible printed circuit board 1005 and causes uneven brightness in the liquid crystal display panel 1002 is effective. Can be reduced.

  The liquid crystal display panel 2 is placed on the backlight unit 103 and is irradiated with light from the backlight unit 103 from the back side, which is the lower side. In the liquid crystal module 101, an observer can observe an image from the front side, which is the upper side.

  Furthermore, in the liquid crystal module 101, the flexible printed circuit board 5 can be connected to an external control circuit (not shown) at the other end to constitute a liquid crystal display device. In the liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal module 101 receives a video signal from the control circuit via the flexible printed circuit board 5 and supplies power to the liquid crystal display panel 2 to display an image with reduced luminance unevenness in the liquid crystal display device. Make it possible.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 101, 1001 Liquid crystal module 2, 1002 Liquid crystal display panel 3, 103, 1003 Backlight unit 4, 1004 Front holder 5, 1005 Flexible printed circuit board 6, 106, 1006 Box-shaped body 7, 107 Recessed part 8, 108 Side wall part 10 Driver IC
11 LED lamp 12 Light guide plate 13 Flexible printed circuit board for LED

Claims (6)

A liquid crystal display panel;
A light source is housed in a box-like body having a side wall portion erected on the bottom surface, and a backlight unit on which the liquid crystal display panel is placed;
A liquid crystal module having a front holder surrounding a peripheral edge of the liquid crystal display panel and the side wall portion of the box-shaped body of the backlight unit;
The liquid crystal display panel has a flexible printed circuit board having one end connected to a peripheral surface of the liquid crystal display panel and extending along a side surface of the front holder,
The liquid crystal module according to claim 1, wherein the backlight unit is formed so that a part of the side wall portion of the box-like body is recessed toward an inner side, and the concave portion in which the flexible printed circuit board is disposed.   The liquid crystal module according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the concave portion of the backlight unit is 0.5 mm or more and 20 mm or less.   3. The liquid crystal module according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion of the backlight unit is formed in a groove shape having a flat bottom surface between the upper end and the lower end of the side wall portion.   The concave portion of the backlight unit is formed such that the bottom surface is inclined with respect to other portions of the side wall portion where the concave portion is not formed, and is formed between the bottom surface and the top surface of the box-shaped body. 4. The liquid crystal module according to claim 3, wherein the corner is larger than an angle formed by another portion of the side wall portion and an upper surface of the box-shaped body.   The liquid crystal module according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display panel is an in-plane switching mode liquid crystal display panel.   A liquid crystal display device comprising the liquid crystal module according to claim 1.

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