JPH07318933A - Liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a module solid and to facilitate the exchange of a light source by constituting a frame body with an upper frame and a bottom frame provided with engagement means fixing each other and providing a fixation means engaging a metal frame with the frame body on the side surface. CONSTITUTION:The frame body 4 supporting a liquid crystal cell 1 and housing a lighting means 3 is constituted of the upper frame 41 provided with the engagement means 411 fixing each other and the bottom frame 42 covering the light source 32 from a rear surface, and the light source 32 is held between the upper frame 41 and the bottom frame 42 on both ends to be fixed. The metal frame 5 with a nearly rectangular surface shape covering the liquid crystal cell 1 is provided with a first fixation means 52 engaged with the bottom frame 42 of the frame body 4 on the long side surface and a second fixation means 53 engaged with the upper frame 41 of the frame body 4 on the short side surface. Since the frame body 4 itself can be integrated, and the metal frame 5 is fixed to the frame body 4 on four sides, the module is made solid. Further, since the bottom frame 42 can be taken off only by taking off the fixation means 52 of the long side, the exchange of the light source 32 is facilitated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device having a liquid crystal cell and a lighting means integrally.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a liquid crystal display device, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-72514, a liquid crystal cell and an illuminating means including a light guide plate and a light source arranged below the liquid crystal cell are provided with a metal frame. It was supported and stored using the body to form a so-called module. In these modules, the lighting means is separately stored by a frame made of resin,
In many cases, the illuminating means and the liquid crystal cell can be handled independently by stacking the liquid crystal cell on the frame body and housing it in a metal frame.

[0003]

However, although the liquid crystal and the light guide plate have a relatively long service life, the light source has a much shorter service life and a higher failure rate than the liquid crystal cell. Therefore, the light source is replaced according to an appropriate elapsed time of use. In this case, both the metal frame and the resin frame have to be disassembled, so that the replacement workability is poor. If a simple fixing method is used to improve the replacement workability, the combination of the metal frame and the frame body becomes loose, and the gap between the liquid crystal cell and the light guide plate partially expands, causing uneven illumination, or between the liquid crystal cell and the light guide plate. This is inconvenient because dust is mixed in with the particles and is observed from the display surface, degrading the display quality.

[0004]

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is constituted by an upper frame and a bottom frame having locking means for fixing each other as a frame body for housing the illumination means. A metal frame having a substantially rectangular surface covering the liquid crystal cell has first fixing means for locking the frame body on the long side surface, and second fixing means for locking the upper frame on the short side surface. Is provided with a fixing means.

Further, according to the present invention, a bottom frame for covering at least the light source from the back surface is used as a frame body, and an upper frame having a locking means which is positioned between the liquid crystal cell and the illuminating means and locks with the bottom frame on the bottom side. The metal frame is provided with a fixing means that is locked to the upper frame of the frame body on the bottom side.

[0006]

As described above, since the frame body can be integrated by itself and the metal frame is fixed to the frame body at the four sides, the module is robust. After the housing is housed in the metal frame, the bottom frame can be removed by simply removing the fixing means on the long side, so that the light source can be easily replaced. Further, since such locking means and fixing means can be removed from the bottom side, workability is good.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. In the figure, 1
Is, for example, a twist nematic type or a super twist nematic type liquid crystal cell sandwiched between two substrates 11 and having a polarizing plate 12. A driving element 2 is connected to the periphery of the liquid crystal cell as necessary. It is a tape automated bonding (TAB) type in which a semiconductor element is fixed to a flexible substrate. Elastic cushioning materials 13 may be arranged above and below the liquid crystal 1 as necessary.

Reference numeral 3 is an illuminating means comprising a light guide plate 31 and a light source 32 arranged below the liquid crystal cell 1. The light guide plate 31 has a light diffusion plate 311 on the front surface and a reflection sheet 312 on the back surface.
The light source 32 is a linear light source including a cold cathode fluorescent lamp and a fluorescent lamp, and is separated from the light guide plate 31 along one side of the light guide plate 31. Are arranged in a non-contact manner with a reflection sheet 321, and are configured to efficiently guide the light of the light source to the light guide plate 31.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a frame for supporting the liquid crystal cell 1 and accommodating the illumination means 3, which is made of a resin molded product or the like. The frame body 4 includes an upper frame 41 having locking means 411 for fixing each other and a bottom frame 42 at least covering the light source from the back surface.
Is clamped at both ends by an upper frame 41 and a bottom frame 42. The upper frame 41 is arranged between the liquid crystal cell 1 and the illuminating means 4, and a through hole is formed substantially in the center so as to guide the light emitted from the surface of the light guide plate 31 to at least the effective display surface of the liquid crystal cell 1. have. The locking means 411 is composed of a protrusion having a claw integrally formed with the upper frame 41, and has a bottom frame 4
It is configured to be locked on the bottom surface of the liquid crystal display device 2 and is locked on the bottom surface side of the liquid crystal display device (module). It should be noted that the groove provided to give elasticity to the projection having the claw is provided with the light source 32.
The lead wire 322 may be used as a storage portion.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a metal frame having a substantially rectangular surface for covering the liquid crystal cell 1, having a through hole 51 provided at a substantially central portion of the surface so that a liquid crystal display can be observed, and fixing means is provided at a lower portion of a side surface. Have The metal frame 5 has a frame body 4 on the side surface on the long side,
More preferably, it has a first fixing means 52 which is locked to the bottom frame 42 of the frame body 4, and a second fixing means 53 which is locked to the upper frame 41 of the frame body 4 on the short side surface. There is. Such fixing means 52 and 53 are, for example, means for twisting the substantially L-shaped tongue piece provided on the extension of the side surface of the metal frame 5 so as to rotate and locking it to the frame body, The liquid crystal display device (module) can be fixed or removed from the bottom side by locking the bottom side of the upper frame of the frame. In addition to these locking means and fixing means, the frame body 4 and the metal frame 5
Further, although screws 6 and the like may be used as a fixing assisting means, the fixing must be performed by a structure that does not hinder the assembly and removal described below.

In such a construction, in assembling, the lighting means 3 is housed in the frame body 4, and the upper frame 41 and the bottom frame 42 are arranged.
Assemble and integrate. At this time, the periphery of the light guide plate 31 and both ends of the light source 32 are sandwiched between the upper frame 41 and the bottom frame 42.
1 and the bottom frame 42 are fixed by the locking means 411. The light guide plate 31 may be fitted to either the upper frame 41 or the bottom frame 42. When assembling the upper frame 41 and the bottom frame 42, the both are aligned and made to face each other, and if force is applied to this, the locking means is warped and then returned to the original state, so that both are integrated. Next, the liquid crystal cell 1 is overlaid on the surface side of the frame body 4,
The metal frame 5 is covered, and the tips of the fixing means 52 and 53 are horizontally rotated to fix the metal frame 5 to the frame body 4.
In this way, the illuminating means 3 and the liquid crystal cell 1 can be unitized and assembled, so that workability is good. Also,
The liquid crystal display device, that is, the module is robust because the metal frame 5 is fixed so as to hold the entire frame body 4 on the long side and the upper frame 41 is also fixed on the short side.

Then, when the light source 32 is replaced, the fixing means 52 only on the long side from the bottom surface of the liquid crystal display device (module) is removed by rotating the tip thereof. Then, the tip of a flat-blade screwdriver, for example, is applied to the claw of the locking means 411 to remove the locking means 411. In this way, since the metal frame remains fixed to the frame body 4 on its short side, only the bottom frame 42 of the frame body 4 can be removed, and the metal frame is held by the top frame 41 and the bottom frame 42. The light source 32 can be replaced very easily. In this case, the liquid crystal cell 1 includes a metal frame 1 and an upper frame 41.
Since it is housed and fixed by means of, it is not necessary to perform the alignment again, and dust is not mixed between the liquid crystal cell 1 and the light guide plate 31. Since the display surface of a display device is carefully observed, the display quality is remarkably deteriorated due to the appearance of shadows and foreign matter itself, and it is conspicuous. It is extremely useful that dust is not mixed in.

[0013]

As described above, since the frame body can be integrated by itself and the metal frame is fixed to the frame body at four sides, the assembly is easy and the module is robust. After the housing is housed in the metal frame, the bottom frame can be removed simply by removing the first fixing means on the long side, so that the light source can be easily replaced. Further, since such locking means and fixing means can be removed from the bottom side, workability is good, and since the liquid crystal cell and the light guide plate are not separated and disassembled after assembly, dust that affects the display is unlikely to be mixed in during replacement work.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA and a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid crystal cell 2 Driving circuit 3 Illuminating means 31 Light guide plate 32 Light source 4 Frame 41 Upper frame 411 Locking means 42 Bottom frame 5 Metal frame 52 First fixing means 53 Second fixing means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A liquid crystal cell, an illuminating means having a light guide plate and a light source arranged below the liquid crystal cell, a frame body for housing the illuminating means, and a metal frame having a substantially rectangular surface covering the liquid crystal cell. In the liquid crystal display device described above, the frame body is composed of an upper frame and a bottom frame having locking means for fixing each other, and the metal frame has a first fixing means for locking the frame body on the side surface on the long side. A liquid crystal display device having a second fixing means that has a short side surface and is locked to the upper frame of the frame body. 2. A liquid crystal display having a liquid crystal cell, an illuminating means having a light guide plate and a light source arranged below the liquid crystal cell, a frame for housing the illuminating means, and a metal frame for covering the liquid crystal cell. In the device, the frame body includes at least a bottom frame that covers the light source from the back surface, and an upper frame that is located between the liquid crystal cell and the illuminating means and that has locking means that locks the bottom frame with the bottom frame. The liquid crystal display device is characterized in that the frame has a fixing means that is locked to the upper frame of the frame body on the bottom side.