JP2013213911A - Display device and method of manufacturing the same, and portable electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent deterioration in display quality due to distortion of a liquid crystal module and/or a protection panel.SOLUTION: A flexible substrate 13 extends outwards from an edge of a liquid crystal module 11, and is folded back to a side opposite to the side of a protection panel 12. A spacer 15 for keeping an interval between the flexible substrate 13 and the protection panel 12 is provided to the protection panel 12 separated from the liquid crystal module 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device including a display module, a protection panel, and a flexible substrate, a manufacturing method thereof, and a portable electronic device.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a conventional liquid crystal display device. As shown in FIG. 2A, a liquid crystal display device 100 having a so-called directly attached structure in which the display surface side of the liquid crystal module 101 and the protective panel 102 are directly attached with an adhesive tape or the like is known. It has been.

  The liquid crystal module 101 includes a surface light emitting unit 101a and a light modulating unit 101b. The planar light emitted from the surface light emitting unit 101a is modulated for each pixel by the light modulating unit 101b, passes through the protective panel 102, and reaches the user, so that the user visually recognizes various images. be able to.

  The liquid crystal module 101 is provided with a flexible substrate 103 that electrically connects the liquid crystal module 101 and other circuits. The flexible substrate 103 has flexibility, extends from one end portion of the liquid crystal module 101 toward the outside of the one end portion, is folded back, and is below the liquid crystal module 101 (on the side opposite to the display surface side). It is growing. In the liquid crystal display device 100, the liquid crystal module 101 and the flexible substrate 103 are accommodated in the housing 104, and the protective panel 102 is provided so as to cover the opening of the housing 104.

JP 09-073071 (published March 18, 1997)

  Regarding the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device 100 having the above configuration, variation occurs in the shaping process of folding the flexible substrate 103, and the flexible substrate 103 is not folded back tightly, but is folded back while being bent as shown in FIG. In some cases, the protective panel 102 may come into contact. In this case, due to the bending of the flexible substrate 103, the protective panel 102 is pressed in the direction of the arrow F2, and the surface light emitting unit 101a is pressed in the direction of the arrow F1.

  Due to the pressing, the protective panel 102 is distorted, the liquid crystal module 101 is distorted, or a part of the liquid crystal module 101 is peeled off from the protective panel 102 as shown in FIG. As a result, the display quality is degraded. In particular, since the liquid crystal module 101 has a resin layer inside, when the liquid crystal module 101 is distorted or bent, the thickness of the resin layer changes on the order of several μm to several hundred μm. There is a possibility that the transmission characteristics may change and yellowing that partially changes to yellow may occur.

  A configuration for avoiding this problem is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of another conventional liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display device 200 shown in FIG. 5A is different from the liquid crystal display device 100 shown in FIG. 5 in that a spacer 205 is provided, and the other configurations are the same. In addition, the structure which has the same function attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits the description.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the spacer 205 is provided between the protective panel 102 and the portion from the end of the liquid crystal module 101 to the vicinity of the folding of the flexible substrate 103. The spacer 205 prevents the flexible substrate 103 from coming into contact with the protective panel 102, thereby avoiding the above problem.

  However, in the case of the liquid crystal display device 200 shown in FIG. 6A, another problem occurs. This point will be described with reference to FIG. 6B and FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a direct bonding process between the liquid crystal module 101 and the protective panel 102 in the liquid crystal display device 200. FIG. 6B shows the liquid crystal display device 200 in which another problem has occurred. It is sectional drawing which shows this structure.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the liquid crystal module 101 is provided with a flexible substrate 103 before the direct attachment step, and a spacer 205 is provided in a portion from the base end of the flexible substrate 103 to the vicinity of the turn-up. In the direct bonding process, the liquid crystal module 101 provided with the flexible substrate 103 and the spacer 205, the protection panel 102, and the transparent double-sided tape 226 for bonding the liquid crystal module 101 and the protection panel 102 are used.

  First, the double-sided tape 226 is attached to the protective panel 102 (arrow 241). Next, the protective panel 102 with the double-sided tape 226 is attached to the light modulation unit 101b of the liquid crystal module 101 (arrow 242). Thereafter, by removing the bubbles existing between the protective panel 102 and the liquid crystal module 101 by evacuation, the direct pasting step is completed.

  However, in the direct bonding step, the spacer 205 may be deformed, and a part of the spacer 205 may enter between the protective panel 102 and the liquid crystal module 101 and be crushed as shown in FIG. In this case, the situation is similar to the situation shown in FIG. 7, which may cause a reduction in display quality and cause yellowing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device and the like that can prevent deterioration in display quality due to distortion of the display module and the protection panel.

  A display device according to the present invention includes a display module, a translucent protective panel that is directly attached to the display surface of the display module, and a flexible substrate that electrically connects the display module and another circuit. In order to solve the above-described problem, the flexible substrate extends outward from an end of the display module, and is folded back to the side opposite to the protective panel. A spacer for maintaining a distance between the substrate and the protective panel is provided on the protective panel so as to be separated from the display module.

  According to said structure, since the spacer is provided between the flexible substrate and the protection panel, the contact with the said flexible substrate and the said protection panel can be prevented. Therefore, distortion of the display module and the protective panel can be prevented, and deterioration of display quality due to the distortion can be prevented.

  Further, the spacer is provided not on the display module but on the protective panel so as to be separated from the display module. Therefore, distortion of the display module and the protection panel due to the spacer being provided between the display module and the protection panel can be prevented, and deterioration of display quality due to the distortion can be prevented.

  In the display device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the spacer has an inclined surface whose end on the display module side is inclined toward the protective panel as it goes toward the display module. In this case, when the spacer is inserted between the flexible substrate and the protective panel after the display module and the protective panel are directly attached, the tip of the spacer is narrowed by the inclined surface. , Easy to insert.

  In the display device according to the present invention, it is preferable that a surface of the spacer that contacts the flexible substrate is curved along a curved shape toward the folded position of the flexible substrate. In this case, compared with the case where it is not curved, the area where the spacer and the flexible substrate come into contact with each other is widened, so that the pressure applied between them can be reduced.

  In the display device according to the present invention, the spacer may be provided on the protective panel so that the position of the end opposite to the display module side is the folding position of the flexible substrate. preferable. In this case, since the flexible substrate can be folded back using the position of the opposite end as a mark, manufacturing variations in the folding position of the flexible substrate can be suppressed.

  In addition, it is preferable that the said spacer and the said flexible substrate are adhere | attached. In this case, the flexible substrate can be prevented from moving alone due to external vibration.

  Examples of the display panel used in the display module include a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) panel, a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), and the like.

  Moreover, if it is a portable electronic device provided with the display apparatus of the said structure, there can exist an effect similar to the above-mentioned.

  A method for manufacturing a display device according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a display device including a display module and a flexible substrate that electrically connects the display module and another circuit. The step of directly attaching a translucent protective panel to the display surface side of the display module in which the flexible substrate is provided on the outside from the end of the display module, and maintaining the distance between the flexible substrate and the protective panel A spacer for separating the display module from the display module and installing the spacer on the protective panel; and a step of folding the flexible substrate to the opposite side of the protective panel.

  According to said method, since a spacer is provided between a flexible substrate and a protection panel, a contact with the said flexible substrate and the said protection panel can be prevented. Therefore, distortion of the display module and the protective panel can be prevented, and deterioration of display quality due to the distortion can be prevented.

  Further, the spacer is provided not on the display module but on the protective panel so as to be separated from the display module. Therefore, distortion of the display module and the protection panel due to the spacer being provided between the display module and the protection panel can be prevented, and deterioration of display quality due to the distortion can be prevented.

  Further, after the display module and the protective panel are directly attached, a spacer is installed on the protective panel. Therefore, when the display module and the protective panel are directly attached, it is possible to prevent the display quality from being deteriorated due to the spacer entering between the two.

  In the method for manufacturing a display device according to the present invention, the step of installing includes the step of positioning the spacer so that the position of the end of the spacer on the side opposite to the display module side is the folding position of the flexible substrate. It is preferable that the flexible substrate is folded at the end of the spacer on the side opposite to the display module side.

  In this case, since the position of the end portion in the spacer serves as a mark for folding the flexible substrate, variations in the folding position of the flexible substrate can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the spacer is provided between the flexible substrate and the protective panel, the flexible substrate and the protective panel come into contact with each other, and the display module and the protective panel are distorted. There exists an effect that quality can be prevented from deteriorating. In addition, since the spacer is provided not on the display module but on the protection panel so as to be separated from the display module, the spacer is provided between the display module and the protection panel, and the display module is provided. In addition, it is possible to prevent the protective panel from being distorted and the display quality from being deteriorated.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the outline | summary of the spacer in the said liquid crystal display device. It is a front view, a bottom view, a left side view, and a right side view of the spacer. It is an exploded view of the liquid crystal display device. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the conventional liquid crystal display device. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of another conventional liquid crystal display device. It is an exploded view of the other liquid crystal display device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Basic configuration of the liquid crystal display device 10)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a liquid crystal display device 10 (display device) according to the present embodiment. As illustrated, the liquid crystal display device 10 electrically connects a liquid crystal module 11 (display module), a protection panel 12 that protects the display surface side of the liquid crystal module 11, and the liquid crystal module 11 and other circuits (not shown). The configuration includes a flexible substrate 13 to be connected, a casing 14 for housing the liquid crystal module 11 and the flexible substrate 13, and a spacer 15 for maintaining a distance between the protective panel 12 and the flexible substrate 13.

  The liquid crystal module 11 includes a surface light emitting unit 11a and a light modulation unit 11b. The planar light emitted from the surface light emitting unit 11a is modulated for each pixel by the light modulating unit 11b, passes through the protective panel 12, and reaches the user, so that the user visually recognizes various images. be able to. The surface light emitting unit 11a includes an LED (light emitting diode), an LED drive circuit, a light guide plate, a reflection plate, a diffusion plate, and the like. The light modulator 11b includes a polarizing plate, a color filter substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and the like. The details of the liquid crystal module 11 are publicly known, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The protective panel 12 is a translucent substrate, and the display surface side (light modulation part 11b) of the liquid crystal module 11, a colorless or colored double-sided tape (adhesive tape) 16 (see FIG. 4), adhesive It is directly pasted by an adhesive or other known bonding means. The protective panel 12 is made of a colorless or colored light-transmitting plastic such as an acrylic resin, glass, or the like.

  The flexible substrate 13 (flexible printed circuit (FPC)) extends from one end of the liquid crystal module 11 (in the example of FIG. 1, from the upper side (display surface side) of one end of the surface light emitting unit 11a) to the outer side of the one end. The liquid crystal module 11 extends and folds back and extends to the lower side of the liquid crystal module 11 (opposite to the display surface side), and is finally electrically connected to the other circuit such as a circuit board.

  The housing 14 is for housing and protecting various components such as the liquid crystal module 11 and the flexible substrate 13 included in the liquid crystal display device 10, and the opening of the housing 14 is covered by the protective panel 12. . The housing 14 is made of resin, metal material, or the like.

  The spacer 15 is an elastic body made of rubber or the like, is attached to the protection panel 12, and supports the flexible substrate 13. Thereby, it can prevent that the flexible substrate 13 contacts the protection panel 12, can prevent the distortion of the liquid crystal module 11 and the protection panel 12, and can prevent the display quality from being deteriorated due to the distortion.

  In the present embodiment, the spacer 15 is attached to the protection panel 12 while being separated from the liquid crystal module 11. Thereby, the distortion of the liquid crystal module 11 and the protection panel 12 due to the provision of the spacer between the liquid crystal module 11 and the protection panel 12 can be prevented, and the deterioration of the display quality due to the distortion can be prevented.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of the spacer 15 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view, a bottom view, a left side view, and a right side view of the spacer 15 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper portion, the front portion, and the lateral base end portion of the spacer 15 respectively have a top surface 21, a front surface 22, and an end surface 23 that are perpendicular to each other, and a rear portion. The (back surface portion) has a rear surface 24 that is a plane parallel to the front portion. Further, the side tip of the spacer 15 has an inclined surface 25 that is inclined upward (toward the protective panel 12) as it goes outward (toward the liquid crystal module 11). The lower portion of the spacer 15 has a curved surface 26 that curves downward from the inclined surface 25 side toward the end surface 23 side.

  According to said structure, the spacer 15 can contact | adhere to the protection panel 12 because the upper surface 21 of an upper part is a plane. The spacer 15 may be attached to the protective panel 12 by a known adhesive means such as a double-sided tape 16 (adhesive tape) or an adhesive.

  Further, the spacer 15 has the inclined surface 25 at the side tip portion, so that it can be easily inserted between the protective panel 12 and the flexible substrate 13. Therefore, even after the liquid crystal module 11 and the protective panel 12 are directly attached, the spacer 15 can be easily inserted between the protective panel 12 and the flexible substrate 13, and the spacer 15 is easily attached to the protective panel 12. be able to. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lateral tip 31 of the spacer 15 may be sharp, rounded, or cut by a plane parallel to the end face 23.

  In addition, since the curved surface 26 is provided below the spacer 15, the contact area between the spacer 15 and the flexible substrate 13 is larger than when the curved surface 26 is not provided. The pressure can be reduced. In order to prevent the flexible substrate 13 from moving alone due to external vibration, the flexible substrate 13 is desirably bonded to the curved surface 26 of the spacer 15 by a known bonding means.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the flexible substrate 13 is folded at the upper end 32 of the spacer 15. That is, the upper end 32 of the spacer 15 is the folding position of the flexible substrate 13. As a result, the flexible substrate 13 can be folded back using the position of the upper end 32 of the spacer 15 as a mark, so that manufacturing variations in the folded position of the flexible substrate 13 can be suppressed. As a result, the possibility of the flexible substrate 13 being bitten into the housing 14 due to the manufacturing variation can be suppressed.

  The end surface 23 of the spacer 15 is preferably a plane perpendicular to the upper surface 21 because it is easy to position the upper end 32, but may be inclined or curved. In addition, the depth of the spacer 15, that is, the length from the front surface 22 to the rear surface 24, is preferably approximately the same as the width of the flexible substrate 13 (the length in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the flexible substrate 13 extends). However, there is no particular limitation. Further, the front surface 22 and the rear surface 24 of the spacer 15 may be inclined or curved, and are not particularly limited.

(Manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device 10)
Next, a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the liquid crystal display device 10. First, the liquid crystal module 11 is provided with a flexible substrate 13 in advance. Then, as shown in the figure, the double-sided tape 16 is attached to the protective panel 12 (arrow 41). The double-sided tape 16 is about the same size as the light modulation unit 11b.

  Next, the protective panel 12 to which the double-sided tape 16 is attached is attached to the light modulation unit 11b of the liquid crystal module 11 (arrow 42). Next, bubbles existing between the protective panel 12 and the liquid crystal module 11 are removed by evacuation. Thereby, the liquid crystal module 11 and the protection panel 12 are directly attached.

  Next, the spacer 15 is inserted between the protective panel 12 and the flexible substrate 13 with the side end portion having the inclined surface 25 facing the liquid crystal module 11 (arrow 43), and is attached to an appropriate position of the protective panel 12. . At this time, the spacer 15 is attached to the protective panel 12 so that the upper end 32 of the spacer 15 is disposed at an appropriate folding position of the flexible substrate 13.

  Next, the flexible substrate 13 is irreversibly bent at the upper end 32 of the spacer 15 to the opposite side of the display surface side. As described above, the upper end 32 of the spacer 15 can be used as a mark of the bending position of the flexible substrate 13.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the liquid crystal display device 10 using a liquid crystal panel. However, the present invention can be applied to a display device using an arbitrary flat display panel such as an organic EL panel or a PDP. .

  In addition, the liquid crystal display device 10 in which the liquid crystal module 11 and the protective panel 12 are directly attached is suitable as a display device for portable electronic devices such as a mobile phone and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) that require high mounting density. .

  As described above, the spacer is provided apart from the display module between the flexible substrate and the protection panel, so that the flexible substrate and the protection panel are in contact with each other, or the display module and the protection panel are in contact with each other. The display module and the protective panel can be prevented from being distorted and the display quality can be prevented from being deteriorated by providing the spacer between the display module and the display module and the protective panel. The present invention can be applied.

10 Liquid crystal display device (display device)
11 Liquid crystal module (display module)
12 Protective panel 13 Flexible substrate 14 Housing 15 Spacer

Claims (9)

A display device comprising: a display module; a translucent protective panel that is directly attached to the display surface side of the display module; and a flexible substrate that electrically connects the display module to another circuit,
The flexible substrate extends outward from the end of the display module and is folded back to the opposite side of the protective panel.
A display device, wherein a spacer for maintaining a distance between the flexible substrate and the protective panel is provided on the protective panel so as to be separated from the display module.   2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer has an inclined surface whose end on the display module side is inclined toward the protective panel as it goes toward the display module.   3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the spacer that contacts the flexible substrate is curved along a curved shape toward the folded position of the flexible substrate.   The spacer is provided on the protective panel so that the position of the end on the side opposite to the display module side is the folding position of the flexible substrate. The display device according to any one of the above.   The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the spacer and the flexible substrate are bonded to each other.   The display device according to claim 1, wherein a liquid crystal panel is used for the display module.   A portable electronic device comprising the display device according to claim 1. A manufacturing method of a display device comprising a display module and a flexible substrate for electrically connecting the display module and another circuit,
A step of directly attaching a translucent protective panel to the display surface side of the display module provided with the flexible substrate on the outside from the end of the display module;
A spacer for maintaining a gap between the flexible substrate and the protective panel, and installing the spacer on the protective panel apart from the display module;
And a step of folding the flexible substrate to the opposite side of the protective panel. In the step of installing, the spacer is installed on the protective panel so that the position of the end of the spacer opposite to the display module side is the position of the folding of the flexible substrate,
The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 8, wherein the step of folding back includes folding the flexible substrate at an end of the spacer opposite to the display module side.

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