JP7518941B2 - Display device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a display device.

In display devices such as flat-screen televisions, it is common to fasten the rear cabinet to the chassis (a metal frame on which circuit boards and other electronic components are mounted) with screws. That is, screws are fastened from the rear side of the display device, and the rear cabinet is fixed to the chassis with these screws.

In recent years, flat-screen TVs have become larger, and as a result, the cabinets that make up their exteriors have also become larger. As a result, when fixing the rear cabinet to a chassis or the like with screws, many screws are now used due to strength issues and issues with cabinet warping caused by thermal expansion. However, with the conventional structure in which the screws are fastened from the rear side of the display device, many screws are exposed on the rear side of the device, which causes problems with the aesthetic appearance of the device.

In response to this, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure for fixing the rear cabinet without using screws. That is, the display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to fix the rear cabinet by fitting a band-shaped edge plate provided on the peripheral frame of the rear cabinet into the peripheral frame of the front cabinet.

JP 2011-109506 A

However, the conventional configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration deformation due to thermal expansion of components, and is in fact not a configuration that can handle cases where a difference in thermal expansion occurs between the two cabinet components (the front cabinet and the rear cabinet).

For example, if the cabinet fixing method in Patent Document 1 is applied to fixing a rear cabinet (usually a resin component) to a chassis (usually a metal component), the cabinet may warp, and in some cases the components may be damaged. This is because the rear cabinet and chassis are made of different materials, and there is a large difference in the amount of deformation due to thermal expansion (which can be 4 to 5 mm in large display devices).

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a display device that can accommodate thermal expansion.

One aspect of the present invention is a display device having a first member and a second member that faces the first member and has a different thermal expansion coefficient, in which an engagement member having two opposing engagement arms is attached to the first member, and an engagement protrusion is provided on the second member that engages with the two engagement arms of the engagement member so as to be sandwiched between them.

At least one of the two engaging arms has a convex portion that bulges toward the opposing other engaging arm, and the engaging protrusion has a concave portion that fits into the convex portion.

The first member is one of a metal member and a resin member attached to the metal member, and the second member is the other of the metal member and the resin member.

The engagement member is attached so as to be slidable relative to the first member in a first direction.

The engaging protrusion engaged with the engaging arm of the engaging member is slidable relative to the engaging arm in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

The engagement protrusion is integral with the second member.

The thermal expansion coefficient of the second member is higher than the thermal expansion coefficient of the first member.

The engaging member has a first long hole aligned along the first direction, and is attached to the first member by a screw passing through a boss provided on the first member through the first long hole.

The engaging member has a second elongated hole aligned along the first direction, and a guide protrusion provided on the first member is inserted into the second elongated hole to attach the engaging member to the first member.

The first member is a metal member, the second member is a rear cabinet that is a resin member attached to the rear side of the metal member, and the first direction is a direction along a short side of the rear cabinet.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the chassis and the rear cabinet of the display device in accordance with the first embodiment, as viewed from the chassis side. 2 is a perspective view of the chassis of FIG. 1 as seen from the rear side. 1A is a perspective view of a hook member as viewed from above, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the hook member as viewed from below. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing a structure for attaching a hook member to a chassis, in which (a) is a top view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of (a). FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear cabinet of FIG. 1 as seen from the front side. FIG. 10 is a side view showing an engagement state between one hook member and one engagement protrusion when the rear cabinet is attached and fixed to the chassis in the display device of Embodiment 1. FIG. 13 is a side view showing an engagement state between one hook member and one engagement protrusion when the rear cabinet is attached and fixed to the chassis in the display device of the third embodiment. FIG.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The display device according to this embodiment includes a chassis 100 and a rear cabinet 200 shown in Fig. 1, and is premised on a structure in which the rear cabinet 200 is fixed to the chassis 100. Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the chassis 100 and the rear cabinet 200 in the display device, and shows the state as viewed from the chassis 100 side (the state as viewed from the front side of the display device).

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the chassis 100 as seen from the rear side. A plurality of hook members (engagement members) 110 are attached to the rear surface of the chassis 100 (the surface facing the rear cabinet 200). In this embodiment 1, the chassis 100 corresponds to the first member (the member to which the engagement members are attached) described in the claims. The hook members 110 can be attached to any position on the rear surface of the chassis 100 with screws 120 (see Figure 4), but the attachment positions and number of the hook members 110 are not particularly limited in the present invention.

The specific configuration of the hook member 110 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, (a) is a perspective view of the hook member 110 seen from above, and (b) is a perspective view of the hook member 110 seen from below. For ease of explanation, the surface of the hook member 110 that comes into contact with the chassis 100 is referred to as the bottom surface.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hook member 110 generally has a base portion 111 and an engaging arm portion 112. The base portion 111 is a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular shape, and when the hook member 110 is attached to the chassis 100, the bottom surface of the base portion 111 faces the chassis 100. The engaging arm portion 112 is erected so as to protrude vertically from the top surface of the base portion 111, and in the hook member 110, the two engaging arms 112 are arranged side by side so as to face each other. Furthermore, the arrangement direction of the two opposing engaging arms 112 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the base portion 111.

Each of the engaging arms 112 has a shape with a mountain-shaped convex portion 112A that bulges toward the opposing other engaging arm 112. In other words, the distance between the two opposing engaging arms 112 narrows at the top of the convex portion 112A, creating a constriction, and then widens again from this top toward the tip of the engaging arm 112.

The base portion 111 is formed with one mounting slot (first slot) 113 and two guide slots (second slots) 114. The mounting slot 113 is provided for mounting the hook member 110 to the chassis 100. The mounting slot 113 is provided between the two engaging arms 112 and is formed so that its longitudinal direction coincides with that of the base portion 111. The guide slot 114 serves as a guide when the hook member 110 slides relative to the chassis 100, and is provided to eliminate wobble of the hook member 110. The guide slot 114 is provided on the outer side of each of the two engaging arms 112 and is formed so that its longitudinal direction coincides with that of the base portion 111. It is preferable that the mounting slot 113 and the two guide slots 114 have the same longitudinal length.

Furthermore, a plurality of small protrusions 115 (six in FIG. 3) may be formed on the underside of the base portion 111. These small protrusions 115 are intended to reduce the contact area between the hook member 110 and the chassis 100, making it easier for the hook member 110 to slide against the chassis 100.

Figure 4 shows the structure of mounting the hook member 110 to the chassis 100, where (a) is a top view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of (a). A boss 122 is provided at the mounting position of the hook member 110 on the chassis 100, and this boss 122 is inserted into the mounting slot 113 of the hook member 110 and the screw 120 is fastened from above. It is also desirable to insert a washer 121 between the screw 120 and the boss 122. The height of the boss 122 is set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the base portion 111 of the hook member 110. As a result, the hook member 110 is not completely fixed even when the screw 120 is fastened, and the mounting slot 113 of the hook member 110 slides over the boss 122, allowing the hook member 110 to be slidably mounted to the chassis 100.

The chassis 100 also has a guide protrusion 101 formed adjacent to the boss 122 at the attachment position of the hook member 110 on the chassis 100. This guide protrusion 101 is inserted into the guide long hole 114 of the hook member 110. In other words, the hook member 110 is restricted in rotation by the boss 122 inserted into the attachment long hole 113 and the guide protrusion 101 inserted into the guide long hole 114, allowing the hook member 110 to slide smoothly relative to the chassis 100.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the chassis 100 has one guide protrusion 101, while the hook member 110 has two guide slots 114. By forming two guide slots 114 in this way, the hook member 110 is point-symmetrical when viewed from above, and when attaching the hook member 110 to the chassis 100, it can be attached in either orientation when rotated 180 degrees when viewed from above, improving the ease of attaching the hook member 110.

Next, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rear cabinet 200 as seen from the front side. A plurality of engagement protrusions 210 are attached to the front side of the rear cabinet 200 (the surface facing the chassis 100). In this embodiment 1, the rear cabinet 200 corresponds to the second member (the member on which the engagement protrusions are provided) described in the claims. The engagement protrusions 210 are provided in the same number as the hook members 110 on the chassis 100, and the formation locations of the engagement protrusions 210 also face the attachment positions of the hook members 110 on the chassis 100. The engagement protrusions 210 can be molded from resin integrally with the rear cabinet 200.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing one engagement protrusion 210. The engagement protrusion 210 is composed of a base 211 and a head 212, and has a recess 213 near the boundary between the base 211 and the head 212. The recess 213 is a portion that fits into the protrusion 112A of the hook member 110. The base 211 is formed to stand upright from the rear cabinet 200, but its height does not need to be the same for all of the engagement protrusions 210. In other words, since the surface of the rear cabinet 200 on which the engagement protrusions 210 are formed is not necessarily a constant plane, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the rear cabinet 200 and the chassis 100 varies depending on the formation location of the engagement protrusion 210. In other words, the height of the base 211 is set according to the distance between the opposing surfaces of the rear cabinet 200 and the chassis 100 at the formation location of each engagement protrusion 210.

Figure 7 is a side view showing the engagement state between one hook member 110 and one engagement protrusion 210 when the rear cabinet 200 is attached and fixed to the chassis 100. When the hook member 110 and the engagement protrusion 210 are engaged, the engagement protrusion 210 is sandwiched between the two engagement arms 112 of the hook member 110, and at this time, two recesses 213 in the engagement protrusion 210 engage with the convex portions 112A of the engagement arms 112, respectively. The engagement state shown in Figure 7 can be easily obtained by pressing the head 212 of the engagement protrusion 210 against the tips of the two engagement arms 112 and pushing them in.

In this way, in the display device according to this embodiment, the hook member 110 attached to the chassis 100 is engaged with the engagement protrusion 210 provided on the rear cabinet 200, thereby attaching the rear cabinet 200 to the chassis 100 and fixing the rear cabinet 200. Compared to the conventional method of fixing the rear cabinet in which screws are fastened from the rear side of the display device, this fixing method can significantly reduce the number of screws exposed on the rear of the device, improving the aesthetic appearance of the device.

Furthermore, the method of fixing the rear cabinet 200 according to the first embodiment can also accommodate the difference in the amount of deformation caused by thermal expansion between the chassis 100 and the rear cabinet 200. This point is explained as follows.

First, as described above, the hook member 110 attached to the chassis 100 is not completely fixed to the chassis 100, but is capable of sliding in the longitudinal direction of the hook member 110. In other words, if the longitudinal direction of the hook member 110 is the first direction (direction A1 in FIG. 7), deformation due to thermal expansion in the first direction can be absorbed by the hook member 110 sliding against the chassis 100.

On the other hand, in the second direction (direction B1 in FIG. 7) perpendicular to the first direction, the engaging protrusion 210 engaged with the engaging arm 112 of the hook member 110 is able to slide relative to the engaging arm 112. In other words, deformation due to thermal expansion in the second direction can be absorbed by the engaging protrusion 210 sliding relative to the hook member 110.

In this way, the fixing method of the rear cabinet 200 according to this embodiment can absorb deformation due to thermal expansion in both the first direction and the second direction that are perpendicular to each other by sliding movement of the members, and can prevent warping of the rear cabinet 200 due to thermal expansion.

The fixing method of the rear cabinet 200 according to the first embodiment can significantly reduce the number of screws exposed on the rear surface of the device (can reduce the number of screws used to fix the rear cabinet 200), but is not limited to completely eliminating the number of screws exposed on the rear surface of the device. In other words, the fixing of the rear cabinet 200 does not have to be performed only by engaging the hook member 110 with the engagement protrusion 210, and a screw (a screw fastened from the rear side of the display device) may be used as an auxiliary. Note that such a fixing method using screw fastening cannot accommodate differences in the amount of deformation caused by thermal expansion, so it is preferable to use a location where the rear cabinet 200 can be fixed to the front cabinet (not shown) with a screw, rather than fixing the rear cabinet 200 to the chassis 100 with a screw. This is because the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the rear cabinet 200 and the front cabinet can be reduced by using both resin members.

Regarding the attachment direction of the hook member 110 to the chassis 100, it is preferable that the first direction (the sliding direction of the hook member 110 relative to the chassis 100) is a direction along the short side of the rear cabinet 200. This is for the following reasons.

First, the sliding range in the first direction is limited to the longitudinal length of the mounting slot 113, but if this range is increased, the number of hook members 110 that can be attached within the limited installation range will decrease. Therefore, it is not preferable to make the sliding range in the first direction larger than necessary. On the other hand, the sliding range in the second direction can be easily increased by, for example, increasing the width of the engagement protrusion 210 in the second direction. For this reason, it is preferable to align the long side direction of the rear cabinet 200, in which the difference in the amount of deformation due to thermal expansion is larger, with the second direction, and to align the short side direction of the rear cabinet 200, in which the difference in the amount of deformation due to thermal expansion is smaller, with the first direction. In other words, by aligning the first direction, in which the sliding range is limited to the longitudinal length of the mounting slot 113, with the short side direction of the rear cabinet 200, in which the difference in the amount of deformation due to thermal expansion is smaller, the hook member 110 can be prevented from becoming larger than necessary in the longitudinal direction.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the first member to which the hook member 110 is attached is the chassis 100, and the second member to which the engagement protrusion 210 is provided is the rear cabinet 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible for the first member to which the hook member 110 is attached to be the rear cabinet 200, and the second member to which the engagement protrusion 210 is provided to be the chassis 100.

However, in order to provide the engaging protrusion 210 integrally with the second member, it is preferable to provide the engaging protrusion 210 on the side of the rear cabinet 200, which is a resin member, and to mold the engaging protrusion 210 integrally with the rear cabinet 200 from resin.

Third Embodiment
In the first embodiment, a configuration has been exemplified in which a protrusion 112A is provided on each of two engaging arms 112 of the hook member 110, and two corresponding recesses 213 are provided on the engaging protrusion 210. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in Fig. 8, a configuration may be used in which a protrusion 112A is provided on only one of the two engaging arms 112, and a corresponding recess 213 is provided on the engaging protrusion 210 at only one location.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be a basis for a restrictive interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not to be interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but is defined based on the claims. Furthermore, all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims are included.

[Additional Notes]
One aspect of the present invention is a display device having a metal member and a rear cabinet which is a resin member attached to the rear side of the metal member, wherein an engaging member having two engaging arms facing each other is attached to a first member which is one of the metal member and the rear cabinet, and an engaging protrusion which engages by being sandwiched between the two engaging arms of the engaging member is provided on a second member which is the other of the metal member and the rear cabinet, the engaging member is attached so as to be slidable in a first direction relative to the first member, and the engaging protrusion engaged with the engaging arm of the engaging member is slidable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction relative to the engaging arm.

According to the above configuration, the rear cabinet can be attached to the metal member and fixed by engaging the engaging protrusions on the second member with the engaging arms on the first member. This fixing method can significantly reduce the number of screws exposed on the rear of the device compared to the conventional method of fixing the rear cabinet, in which screws are fastened from the rear side of the display device, and can improve the aesthetic appearance of the device.

In addition, since the engaging member is slidable in a first direction relative to the first member, deformation due to thermal expansion in the first direction can be absorbed by the engaging member sliding against the first member. Furthermore, since the engaging protrusion is slidable in a second direction relative to the engaging arm, deformation due to thermal expansion in the second direction can be absorbed by the engaging protrusion sliding against the engaging member. In other words, deformation due to thermal expansion in both the first and second directions that are perpendicular to each other can be absorbed by the sliding movement of the member, and warping of the rear cabinet due to thermal expansion can be prevented.

In addition, in the above display device, at least one of the two engaging arms can be configured to have a shape with a convex portion that bulges toward the other opposing engaging arm, and the engaging protrusion can be configured to have a shape with a concave portion that fits into the convex portion.

In addition, in the above display device, the engaging member can have a first long hole along the first direction, a boss provided on the first member is passed through the first long hole, and the engaging member can be attached to the first member by a screw that is passed through the boss.

With the above configuration, even though the engaging member is attached to the first member by the screw, the engaging member is not completely fixed by tightening the screw, and the engaging member can be easily slidable relative to the first member.

In addition, in the above display device, the engaging member can be configured to have a second elongated hole along the first direction, and a guide protrusion provided on the first member is inserted into the second elongated hole to be attached to the first member.

According to the above configuration, the guide protrusion provided on the first member is inserted into the second long hole of the engagement member, and the rotation of the engagement member is restricted by the boss inserted into the first long hole and the guide protrusion inserted into the second long hole. This allows the engagement member to slide smoothly relative to the first member.

Furthermore, in the above display device, the first member can be the metal member, and the second member can be the rear cabinet.

According to the above configuration, by providing the engagement protrusion on the rear cabinet side, which is a resin member, the engagement protrusion can be molded from resin integrally with the rear cabinet.

Furthermore, in the above display device, the first direction can be configured to be a direction along a short side of the rear cabinet.

According to the above configuration, the first direction in which the sliding range is limited to the longitudinal length of the first long hole is aligned with the short side direction of the rear cabinet in which the difference in the amount of deformation due to thermal expansion is smaller, thereby preventing the engagement member from becoming unnecessarily large.

In one aspect of the present invention, a display device has a rear cabinet attached to a metal member, and by engaging an engaging protrusion on a second member (e.g., the rear cabinet) with an engaging arm on a first member (e.g., the metal member), the number of screws exposed on the rear of the device can be significantly reduced, improving the aesthetics of the device. In addition, because the engaging member is slidable in a first direction relative to the first member and the engaging protrusion is slidable in a second direction relative to the engaging arm, deformation due to thermal expansion can be absorbed by the sliding movement of the members in both the first and second directions that are perpendicular to each other, preventing warping of the rear cabinet due to thermal expansion.

100: chassis 101: guide protrusion 110: hook member (engagement member)
111: Base portion 112: Engagement arm portion 112A: Convex portion 113: Mounting elongated hole (first elongated hole)
114 Guide slot (second slot)
115 Small protrusion 120 Screw 121 Washer 122 Boss 200 Rear cabinet 210 Engagement protrusion 211 Base 212 Head 213 Recess

Claims (10)

A display device having a first member and a second member opposed to the first member and having a different thermal expansion coefficient,
An engagement member having two engagement arms facing each other is attached to the first member,
the second member is provided with an engagement protrusion that is engaged with the two engagement arms of the engagement member so as to be sandwiched between the engagement protrusions ,
At least the second member is deformed by thermal expansion in a first direction,
Each of the two engaging arms has a protrusion that bulges toward the other engaging arm and faces each other in the first direction,
the engaging protrusion has a shape having two recesses that fit into the protrusions of the two engaging arms,
A display device characterized in that, in the engaging protrusion engaged with the engaging member, the two recesses facing both sides in the first direction are sandwiched between the protrusions of the two engaging arms . 2. The display device of claim 1,
The engaging protrusion has a shape including a head portion at a tip side of the engaging protrusion and two protruding portions protruding from both the left and right sides of the head portion,
The two recesses are formed on the opposite side of the two protruding portions from the tip side of the engagement protrusion,
A display device, characterized in that the left-right width between the two overhanging portions of the engaging protrusion is larger than the distance of a gap formed between the convex portions of the two engaging arms. 3. A display device according to claim 1 or 2,
the first member is one of a metal member and a resin member attached to the metal member,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the second member is the other of the metal member and the resin member. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A display device, wherein the engagement member is attached to the first member so as to be slidable in a first direction relative to the first member. 5. A display device according to claim 4,
The display device, wherein the engaging protrusion engaged with the engaging arm of the engaging member is slidable relative to the engaging arm in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The display device, wherein the engaging protrusion is integrally formed with the second member. 7. A display device according to claim 6,
A display device, characterized in that the second member has a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the first member. A display device having a first member and a second member opposed to the first member and having a different thermal expansion coefficient,
An engagement member having two engagement arms facing each other is attached to the first member,
the second member is provided with an engagement protrusion that is engaged with the two engagement arms of the engagement member so as to be sandwiched between the engagement protrusions,
The engagement member is attached to the first member so as to be slidable in a first direction,
The display device is characterized in that the engaging member has a first long hole along the first direction, a boss provided on the first member is passed through the first long hole, and the engaging member is attached to the first member by a screw passed through the boss. 9. A display device according to claim 8,
A display device characterized in that the engaging member has a second long hole along the first direction, and a guide protrusion provided on the first member is inserted into the second long hole to be attached to the first member. A display device according to claim 8 or 9,
the first member is a metal member,
the second member is a rear cabinet which is a resin member attached to a rear side of the metal member,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first direction is a direction along a short side of the rear cabinet.

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