JP4583100B2 - Frame that supports the display panel - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a frame body that supports a display panel, and more particularly to a frame body that supports a display panel having an operation knob for performing display operation of the display panel.

  In order to make it easy to see an operation knob such as a volume even in a dark place with an electronic device or the like, the periphery of the knob is illuminated with a ring-shaped daylighting plate. For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to illuminate the surroundings of the volume of an acoustic device, an LED (Light Emitted Diode) substrate and a lighting plate are arranged so that the axis of the volume is inserted, and the lighting plate is illuminated by the LED. Prior art has been described in which the periphery of a round knob attached to the axis of a volume is brightened with light. For this purpose, there is a drawback that the axis of the volume becomes longer, the cost becomes higher, and the rattling of the round knob becomes larger. As an improvement, it is disclosed that a ring-shaped daylighting plate with a bottom is used.

JP-A-8-97014

  Even in a monitor product using an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), illumination around the display operation knob is performed. For example, monitor products mounted on ships, vehicles, etc. may be used in the dark or in a low-brightness display state depending on circumstances. Even in such a case, it is easy to operate the brightness adjustment knob etc. As described above, a translucent diffusion plate that transmits and diffuses light is disposed around the operation knob on the front surface of the frame body such as a housing that supports the LCD, and the housing or the frame body is disposed behind the translucent diffusion plate. Light is emitted from the inside by an LED or the like, and the periphery of the operation knob is illuminated with the light diffused through the light transmissive diffusion plate.

  Even in this case, it is necessary to arrange a light transmissive diffusion plate having an area considerably larger than the projected area of the operation knob to sufficiently illuminate the periphery of the operation knob, resulting in an increase in cost. In particular, when the operation knob is enlarged in order to improve operability, a light diffusing plate having a larger area is required, and the cost is further increased. Further, since the surroundings of the operation knob are illuminated, the operation knob itself tends to become a shadow, and the tendency becomes more prominent as the operation knob is enlarged, and the visual appeal is lowered. In addition, if the control knob is enlarged to improve operability, the amount that the control knob protrudes from the frame increases, and when the monitor product is installed or moved, the control knob may cause unexpected contact with the human body or external objects. The operation knob itself may be damaged.

  As described above, for the operation knob provided on the frame body that supports the display panel such as the LCD, if the knob is enlarged to improve the operability, the cost for illuminating brightly increases. The degree of appeal may be low, and damage may occur.

  The objective of this invention is providing the frame which supports the display panel which can reduce the cost which illuminates an operation knob. Another object is to provide a frame that supports a display panel capable of improving the visual appeal of an operation knob. Another object is to provide a frame that supports a display panel that can suppress the occurrence of an operation panel breakage accident. The means described below serve at least one of these purposes.

  A frame body that supports a display panel according to the present invention is an operation knob that is provided on the frame body that supports the display panel and operates the operation shaft to perform display operation of the display panel, and at least a rear surface that faces the frame body An operation knob partly including a side made of a translucent material, a light emitting element provided in the frame and illuminating the operation knob from the back side, and a seal between the operation knob or the operation shaft and the housing A sealing member provided between the back side of the operation knob and the light emitting element, at least part of which is made of a light-transmitting material, and guides light from the light emitting element to the back side of the operation knob. And a seal member for illuminating from the back.

  The seal member preferably has a concave lens shape.

  In the frame supporting the display panel according to the present invention, it is preferable that the back surface of the operation knob has a concave portion facing the concave lens shape of the seal member.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the operation knob has a plurality of indentations for pinching with fingers, and the light from the light emitting element is guided and illuminated on the back side of the recesses of these indentations.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a sealing member is a member which performs a waterproof seal.

  In addition, it is preferable that the frame body that supports the display panel according to the present invention has a protruding portion that protrudes from the surface of the supporting display panel to the front surface, and the operation knob has substantially the same height as the protruding portion.

  With the above configuration, at least a part of the seal member is made of a light-transmitting material, which also serves as a light guide that guides light from the light emitting element to the back side of the operation knob, and illuminates the operation knob from the back side. Therefore, there is no need to provide a separate lighting plate, translucent diffuser plate, etc., and the size of the seal member may be about the area projected onto the frame of the operation knob, so the cost of illuminating the operation knob can be reduced. It becomes possible.

  Further, since the seal member has a concave lens shape, the light from the light emitting element can be efficiently condensed and guided to the back side of the operation knob.

  Moreover, since the back surface of the operation knob facing the concave lens shape of the seal member has a concave portion, the light condensed by the concave lens shape of the seal member is efficiently spread to the translucent material portion of the operation knob. The entire control knob can be illuminated more brightly.

  In addition, the operation knob has a plurality of depressions for pinching with fingers, and light from the light emitting element is guided to the recesses of these depressions, so that the operation knob is more easily reflected to the inner side of the operation knob. It can illuminate efficiently. Thus, since the shape of the operation depression is brightly illuminated as a whole from the back side, it is possible to improve the visual appeal compared to simply illuminating the periphery of the operation button. In particular, the degree of visual appeal can be further increased by devising the shape of the operation recess.

  In addition, since the sealing member is a waterproof seal, it is mounted on ships, vehicles, etc., and even when there is a concern about the entry of water etc., while preventing the entry of water etc. into the frame body supporting the display panel, Brightly illuminate the operation panel.

  In addition, since the operation knob is substantially the same height as the overhanging portion of the frame body, the operation panel can be prevented from colliding with the outside such as a human body, and the occurrence of an operation panel breakage accident can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a part of a monitor housing provided with an LCD panel is used as a frame for supporting the display panel. However, a display panel other than the LCD panel, such as a plasma display or a thin CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), is used. It may be a supporting frame. A display panel may be already attached to the frame, or a single frame that is not yet attached to the display panel may be used. Further, the frame and other elements may be combined to form one device.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an LCD monitor 10 used as a display device such as a personal computer (PC) or a control device in order to explain a frame that supports a display panel. The LCD monitor 10 is configured such that the LCD panel 12 is supported by a casing 22 including a frame body 20, and is supported by the stand 14 so as to be installed on a desk or the like. Is provided with an electronic circuit and the like necessary for display. The control unit that controls the operation of the LCD panel 12 may be housed in the frame 20 and the housing 22, or may be provided separately from the LCD monitor 10 and connected to the LCD monitor 10 with a signal cable or the like. Good.

  The LCD panel 12 is a display panel manufactured using LCD technology, and can be a monochrome display or a full color display. As the size of the display surface, a diagonal length of 380 mm (so-called 15 inch type), 460 mm (so-called 18 inch type), or the like can be used. Of course, it may be larger or smaller.

  The frame 20 is a part of the housing 22, particularly a frame-shaped member surrounding the periphery of the LCD panel 12. The frame 20 supports the LCD panel 12, draws signal lines from the LCD panel 12, and also has necessary peripheral circuits. And the like. In the above example, when the LCD panel 12 is a 380 mm type diagonal, a frame-like frame body 20 having a width of about 30 mm to 50 mm is used around it. An operation knob 30 for adjusting the brightness of the LCD panel 12 is provided on the front surface of the frame body 20.

  FIG. 2 is a front view and a side view of the LCD monitor 10 in which the stand 14 is omitted. In the above example, in the case of the LCD panel 12 of the diagonal 380 mm type, the size in the front view is about 360 to 400 mm in width, the height is about 280 to 320 mm, and the size in the side view is 30 to 60 mm in thickness. Degree. The frame body 20 projects from the LCD panel 12 to the front side, and as shown in the side view of FIG. 2, the upper and lower frame portions have a slightly arc-shaped front projecting portion 24 in particular. The operation knob 30 is provided on the right frame part, and is provided not on the overhanging part but in a place where the overhanging part is cut flat. Accordingly, the head portion of the operation knob 30 is suppressed to substantially the same height or slightly higher when viewed from the overhanging portion 24 of the frame body 20.

  Specifically, if the overall height of the operation knob 30 measured from the flat cut of the frame body 20 is determined, the height of the overhanging portion 24 of the frame body 20 is as high as this. Designed to. In this way, the overall height of the operation knob 30 is kept low, and the height of the overhanging portion 24 of the frame is set to the same level as this, so that the LCD monitor 10 can be operated during installation or movement. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the knob 30 is damaged by coming into contact with the human body or other external objects.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view centering on the operation knob 30, specifically, a cross-sectional view along the line AA in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the upper side of the paper surface is the front direction of the LCD monitor 10. Therefore, this direction is hereinafter referred to as the front surface side and the lower side of the paper surface is referred to as the back surface side.

  The operation knob 30 is a knob that is arranged on the front side of the frame body 20 and can be operated with a finger. The operation knob 30 is attached to the tip of the operation shaft 44 of the display adjustment element 42 provided on the circuit board 40 arranged inside the frame body 20, and is operated by turning the operation knob 30 with a finger or pushing it with a finger. It has a function of adjusting the display of the LCD panel 12 by operating the shaft 44 and changing the output of the display adjustment element 42. Specifically, the brightness can be adjusted by turning the operation knob 30, and automatic adjustment of the image can be performed by pressing the operation knob for a long time, for example, for 2 to 3 seconds.

  The operation knob 30 as a whole has a gently rounded raised shape on the front side and is made of a material that transmits light. As a material that transmits light, that is, a light-transmitting material, a resin, glass, crystal, amorphous material, or the like that is colored transparent or translucent and transmits light can be used. For example, a blue or green transparent resin can be used. The entire operation knob 30 does not need to be made of a light-transmitting material, and as will be described later, the portion illuminated from the back side only needs to be made of at least a light-transmitting material. Further, a metal powder or the like may be partially mixed with a light-transmitting material to give a more reflective effect, or a process for giving a diffusion effect such as a mat treatment to the surface of the operation knob 30 may be performed.

  The operation knob 30 is provided with three recesses 32 on the front side thereof. The three recesses 32 are for making it easy to rotate the operation knob 30 with, for example, two fingers such as a thumb and an index finger. Of course, the number of depressions may be other numbers. This is shown in FIG. 4 as a plan view of the operation knob 30. In this example, the diameter of the operation knob 30 is slightly larger from about 28 mm to 30 mm, the indentation 32 is oval in plan view, and is recessed so that the belly of the finger hits, and the length of the short axis is about 8 mm. is there. A shallow recess 34 is also provided at the top of the operation knob 30. This is to make it easier to push the operation knob 30. A lateral hole 36 provided from the lateral direction to the center of the operation knob 30 is a set screw through hole for fixing the operation knob 30 to the operation shaft 44 of the display adjustment element 42 by a set screw. Such an operation knob 30 can be obtained by a molding technique using a translucent material.

  Returning to FIG. 3 again, a recess 38 is provided on the back side of the operation knob 30. As will be described later, the concave portion 38 corresponds to a light intake port that receives light from the light emitting element 50 through the seal member 60. By adopting the concave shape, the taken-in light can be bent outward and spread, and the light can be spread over a wide portion of the translucent material.

  In FIG. 3, the light emitting element 50 is disposed on the circuit board 40 inside the frame 20 in the vicinity of the display adjustment element 42. The light emitting element 50 is for illuminating the back side of the operation knob 30, and for example, an LED can be used. The light emission wavelength characteristic of the light emitting element 50 can be selected according to the illumination color of the operation knob 30. The light emitting elements 50 are arranged around the display adjustment element 42, and the number thereof can be three according to the number of the depressions 32. Of course, other numbers may be used.

  The tip of the operation shaft 44 of the display adjustment element 42 protrudes from the front side of the frame body 20, and therefore, an opening is provided on the front side of the frame body 20. And the sealing member 60 is arrange | positioned so that the opening around the operating shaft 44 may be covered. The seal member 60 is a substantially ring-shaped member, and the inner diameter is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the operation shaft 44, and the outer diameter is set sufficiently larger than the diameter of the opening of the frame body 20. When the seal is used for waterproofing, the outer diameter side of the seal member 60 cooperates with the shape of the wall portion of the frame body 20 to form a labyrinth structure that makes it difficult for water or the like to enter the frame body 20. Similarly, the inner diameter side preferably cooperates with the operation shaft 44 to have a labyrinth structure that makes it difficult for water or the like to enter the inside of the frame body 20.

  The seal member 60 is made of a translucent material, and when the seal is waterproof, it is preferable to use a material that does not allow water to pass. For example, the same material as the operation knob 30 may be used. Concave portions 62 are provided on the front side surface and the back side surface of the seal member 60, respectively, so that the cross-sectional shape is a concave lens shape. For example, the concave portion 62 can be formed between the two concentric circles coaxially with the inner diameter hole of the seal member 60. It is preferable that the position of the recess 62 is arranged so as to be directly above the arrangement of the light emitting element 50. The recess 62 may be only on the back side or only on the front side of the seal member 60. Such a seal member 60 can be obtained by a molding technique using a translucent material.

  The operation of the above configuration will be described. For example, when the LCD monitor 10 starts up, a light emission signal is supplied to the light emitting element 50 from a light emitting element driving circuit (not shown), and light is emitted from the light emitting element 50. The emitted light from the light emitting element 50 is collected by the concave portion 62 on the back side of the seal member 60 as in the optical path indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3, passes through the seal member 60 made of a translucent material, and sealed. The member 60 is bent outward by a concave portion on the front side of the member 60 and a concave portion 38 on the back side of the operation knob 30 facing the member 60. Therefore, light spreads over a wide range of the light-transmitting material of the operation knob 30, and the operation knob 30 is illuminated brightly from the back side.

  In this configuration, the seal member 60 also functions as a light guide that guides light, and the operation knob 30 can be illuminated brightly from the back side with a small number of components.

  In addition, since the operation knob 30 is provided with a recess 32 for operating with a finger and a recess 34 for pressing with a finger, the light is further transmitted by a recess on the back side of the recesses 32, 34. Reflected inward. Thereby, the operation knob is more effectively illuminated, and the appeal degree can be improved visually. The degree of visual appeal can be further improved by devising the degree of depressions and depressions, cuts, and the like.

  In addition, since the diameter of the operation knob 30 is slightly larger and the operation depressions 32 and 34 are provided in this way, the operability of the operation knob 30 can be easily rotated and pushed, and the operation knob 30 can be operated. It can be made smaller. In the above dimension example, the total height H of the operation knob 30 shown in FIG. 3, that is, the height of the operation knob 30 measured from the plane on the front surface side of the frame body 20 can be about 11 mm. Conventionally, when a height that is easy to operate with fingers of a normal dial type operation knob is examined, H = about 17 mm. Therefore, compared with the conventional example, a considerably low profile operation knob can be obtained. If the height is about this level, the height of the projecting portion 24 of the frame 20 of the LCD monitor 10 can be adjusted to the height as described with reference to FIG. It is possible to reduce the possibility of being damaged by contact with the human body or other objects without protruding too much from the body 20.

In an embodiment concerning the present invention, it is a figure showing an LCD monitor provided with a frame which supports a display panel. In embodiment which concerns on this invention, it is the front view and side view of a LCD monitor. It is sectional drawing along the AA line of FIG. It is a top view of the operation knob in the embodiment according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

  10 LCD monitor, 12 LCD panel, 14 stand, 20 frame, 22 housing, 24 overhang, 32, 34 recess, 36 side hole, 38, 62 recess, 40 circuit board, 42 display adjustment element, 44 operation axis, 50 Light emitting element, 60 seal member.

Claims (6)

An operation knob that is provided on a frame that supports the display panel and operates the operation shaft to perform display operation of the display panel, and at least a part including a rear side facing the frame is made of a translucent material. Control knob
A light emitting element provided in the frame and illuminating the operation knob from the back side;
A seal member that seals between the operation knob or the operation shaft and the housing, and is provided between the back side of the operation knob and the light emitting element, and at least a part thereof is made of a translucent material. A seal member for guiding the light from the back of the operation knob and illuminating the operation knob from the back,
A frame that supports the display panel. In the frame which supports the display panel according to claim 1,
The seal member has a concave lens shape, and is a frame for supporting a display panel. In the frame which supports the display panel according to claim 2,
A frame for supporting a display panel, characterized in that a back surface of the operation knob has a concave portion facing the concave lens shape of the seal member. In the frame which supports the display panel according to claim 1,
The operation knob has a plurality of indentations for pinching with fingers, and a frame that supports the display panel, wherein light from the light emitting element is guided and illuminated on the back side of the recesses of these indentations. In the frame which supports the display panel according to claim 1,
The frame member that supports the display panel, wherein the seal member is a member that performs waterproof sealing. In the frame which supports the display panel according to claim 1,
The frame has an overhanging portion that protrudes from the surface of the supporting display panel to the front,
The operation knob has a height that is substantially the same as the overhanging portion, and a frame that supports the display panel.

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