KR102561190B1 - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

a display panel bent in one direction, an intermediate frame supporting the display panel and bent in one direction, and a lower frame bent in one direction in which the display panel and the intermediate frame are accommodated, wherein the intermediate frame has a predetermined curvature The display device includes a first support portion having a first support portion and a second support portion disposed opposite to the first support portion, wherein the first support portion has a thickness different from that of the second support portion.

Description

Display device {DISPLAY DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly, to a display device including a frame for supporting and fixing a display panel to have a predetermined curvature.

Display devices are divided into liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light emitting diode displays (OLED displays), plasma display panels (PDPs), and electrophoretic displays according to light emission methods. display), etc.

Recently, as screens of display devices have become larger, there has been a problem in that a visual difference between a viewer viewing the central portion of the screen and viewing both left and right ends of the screen increases. That is, when a viewer views an image displayed on the screen at a location corresponding to the center of a large display device, the image at the center of the screen can be clearly recognized, but the images at the left and right ends of the screen cannot be clearly recognized.

In order to compensate for this visual difference, a curved display device in which both left and right ends are concavely curved around the center of the screen has been developed. The curved display device may be classified into a landscape type in which the horizontal length is longer than the vertical length and curved in the horizontal direction, and a portrait type in which the horizontal length is shorter than the vertical length and curved in the vertical direction.

A curved display device is manufactured by combining a display panel manufactured in a flat shape with a fixed frame manufactured in a curved shape. At this time, a spring-back phenomenon occurs in which the display panel tries to return to its initial flat shape, but since the rigidity is different depending on the position of the fixing frame, the curvature of the curved display device may not be maintained uniformly as a whole.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a curved display device capable of having an overall uniform curvature.

a display panel bent in one direction, an intermediate frame supporting the display panel and bent in one direction, and a lower frame bent in one direction in which the display panel and the intermediate frame are accommodated, wherein the intermediate frame has a predetermined curvature The display device includes a first support portion having a first support portion and a second support portion disposed opposite to the first support portion, wherein the first support portion has a thickness different from that of the second support portion.

The first support part may have a different width from that of the second support part.

It may further include at least one light source disposed under the first support and providing light to the display panel.

The first support portion may have a greater thickness than the second support portion.

The first support part may have a greater width than the second support part.

The intermediate frame may include at least one selected from the group consisting of magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), and alloys thereof.

The lower frame may include a first flat part overlapping the first support part and a second flat part overlapping the second support part, and the first flat part may have a greater thickness than the second flat part.

The lower frame may have a thickness of 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

The intermediate frame may include a third support part and a fourth support part disposed between the first support part and the second support part.

The intermediate frame may include first to fourth sidewall portions bent and extended from the first to fourth support portions, respectively.

In the curved display device according to the present invention, the curvature of the curved display device may be uniformly maintained as a whole by changing the shape of the fixing frame supporting and fixing the display panel.

1 is a perspective view of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II' of FIG. 2 .
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' of FIG. 2 .
5 is a perspective view showing an intermediate frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

Since the present invention is capable of various changes and can be implemented in various forms, only specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in the main text. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and it should be understood that all changes, equivalents or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

In this specification, when a part is said to be connected to another part, this includes not only the case where it is directly connected, but also the case where it is electrically connected with another element interposed therebetween. In addition, when a part includes a certain component, this means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

In this specification, terms such as first, second, and third may be used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by the terms. The terms are used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components. For example, a first component could be termed a second or third component, etc., and similarly, a second or third component could also be termed interchangeably, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are attached to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

In this specification, the display device is described on the premise that it is a landscape type with a horizontal length longer than a vertical length and curved in a horizontal direction, but is not limited thereto.

In this specification, the display device is described on the premise that it is a liquid crystal display panel, but is not limited thereto, and the display panel may be an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel.

In addition, in the present specification, the display device is described on the premise that it includes an edge type backlight unit, but is not limited thereto, and may be a direct type backlight unit or a corner type backlight unit. .

1 is a perspective view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cut along line I-I' of FIG. it is a cross section

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the long side direction of the display device 100 is the first direction DR1, the short side direction of the display device 100 is the second direction DR2, and the thickness direction of the display device 100 is the third direction. (DR3).

1 to 3 , a display device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an upper frame (or referred to as a top chassis) 110, a display panel 120, and an intermediate frame (or referred to as a mold frame). ) 130, an optical sheet 140, a light guide plate 150, a light source unit 160, a reflective sheet 170, and a lower frame (or referred to as a bottom chassis) 180.

Hereinafter, the intermediate frame 130, the optical sheet 140, the light guide plate 150, the light source unit 160, the reflective sheet 170, and the lower frame 180 are collectively referred to as a backlight unit. The components listed above have a concavely curved shape to match the shape of a curved surface.

Fixed frames such as the upper frame 110, the middle frame 130, and the lower frame 180 may be manufactured to have a certain curvature. The display panel 120 may have a curved shape before being combined with the fixed frame, or may have a curved shape by being combined with the fixed frame.

That is, if the display panel 120 is of a flexible type, it may have a curved shape by being coupled to the fixed frame, and if the display panel 120 is of a rigid type, it has a certain curvature before being inserted into the fixed frame. can have In general, the display panel 120 may have a certain curvature by being manufactured in a flat shape and then coupled to a fixed frame. The fixed frame may have a radius of curvature of 950 mm to 5000 mm.

The upper frame 110 has an open window through which the display area (active area) of the display panel 120 is exposed to the outside, and may be disposed to cover the top edge and side surface of the display panel 120 . .

The upper frame 110 fixes the top edge of the display panel 120 to prevent the display panel 120 from being separated from the backlight unit, and can be fixed to the middle frame 130 and the lower frame 180 . there is. The upper frame 110 may be fixed to the middle frame 130 and the lower frame 180 through hook coupling and/or screw coupling.

The upper frame 110 may be formed of a metal material having rigidity such as stainless steel or a material having good heat dissipation characteristics such as aluminum or aluminum alloy. The upper frame 110 may be formed by a mold press process or the like to have a predetermined curvature.

The display panel 120 is a rectangular plate shape that displays an image using light and is a flexible panel that can be bent in at least one direction. The two relatively long sides (hereinafter referred to as long sides) of the display panel 120 have a concavely curved shape with a constant curvature, and the two relatively short sides (hereinafter referred to as short sides) have a straight shape. The display panel 120 according to another embodiment may have a short side concavely curved with a constant curvature, and a long side may have a straight line shape.

The display panel 120 includes a first substrate 121, a second substrate 123 opposite to the first substrate 121, and a liquid crystal layer formed between the first substrate 121 and the second substrate 123 (not shown). city), including

The first substrate 121 includes a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix form, thin film transistors for applying a driving voltage to each of the pixel electrodes, and various signal lines for driving the pixel electrodes and thin film transistors.

The second substrate 123 is disposed to face the first substrate 121 and includes a common electrode made of a transparent conductive material and a color filter. Color filters may include red, green, and blue.

The liquid crystal layer (not shown) is interposed between the first substrate 121 and the second substrate 123 and is rearranged by an electric field formed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode. As such, the rearranged liquid crystal layer adjusts the transmittance of light emitted from the backlight unit, and the adjusted light passes through the color filter to display an image to the outside.

In addition, a lower polarizing plate 121a on the rear surface of the first substrate 121 and an upper polarizing plate 123a on the upper surface of the second substrate 123 may be further disposed, respectively. The upper polarizer 123a and the lower polarizer 121a may have areas corresponding to those of the display panel 120 . The upper polarizer 123a may transmit only a specific polarized light among light arriving from the outside, and may absorb or block the rest. The lower polarizer 121a may transmit only a specific polarized light among light output from the backlight unit, and may absorb or block the rest.

A driving circuit board 125 may be disposed on at least one side of the display panel 120 . The driving circuit board 125 may apply driving signals to various signal lines disposed on the first board 121 . The driving circuit board 125 includes a gate driving circuit board for applying scan signals and a data driving circuit board for applying data signals.

The display panel 120 and the driving circuit board 125 are electrically connected by at least one flexible circuit board 127 . One end of the flexible circuit board 127 overlaps and is electrically connected to a part of the first board 121 , and the other end overlaps and is electrically connected to a part of the driving circuit board 125 . The flexible circuit board 127 may be, for example, a Chip on Film (COF) or a Tape Carrier Package (TCP). Hereinafter, the flexible circuit board 127 will be described on the premise that it is a COF. The number of flexible circuit boards 127 may have various values depending on the size and driving method of the display panel.

The driving chip 129 may be mounted on the flexible circuit board 127 . The driving chip 129 may generate various driving signals for driving the display panel 120 . The driving chip 129 is a timing controller and a data driving circuit integrated into one chip, and may be expressed as a driver integrated circuit (IC) or a source integrated circuit (IC).

The plurality of flexible circuit boards 127 attached to one side of the display panel 120 are bent along the sidewall of the lower frame 180, and the driving circuit board 125 is disposed on the sidewall or rear edge of the lower frame 180. It can be.

The intermediate frame 130 has a square ring shape. The intermediate frame 130 supports the display panel 120 and accommodates the optical sheet 140 and the light guide plate 150 . The intermediate frame 130 may be formed in a single form, but may be formed in plural and then assembled as needed. A more detailed configuration of the intermediate frame 130 will be described later.

The optical sheet 140 is disposed on the light guide plate 150 to diffuse or condense light transmitted from the light guide plate 150 . The optical sheet 140 includes a diffusion sheet, a prism sheet, and a protection sheet. A diffusion sheet, a prism sheet, and a protection sheet are sequentially laminated on the light guide plate 150 in the order listed.

The prism sheet condenses the light guided by the light guide plate 150, the diffusion sheet diffuses the light condensed by the prism sheet, and the protective sheet serves to protect the prism sheet. Light passing through the protective sheet is provided to the display panel 120 side.

The light guide plate 150 uniformly supplies light received from the light source unit 160 to the display panel 120 . After the light guide plate 150 is manufactured in a flat shape, it may have a predetermined curvature by being combined with a fixed frame. The light guide plate 150 is made of a material that can be bent to have a predetermined curvature.

The light guide plate 150 may be formed in a rectangular plate shape, but is not limited thereto. When a light source such as an LED chip is used, the light guide plate 150 may be formed in various shapes including predetermined grooves or projections according to the location of the light source. .

Although the light guide plate 150 is described as a plate for convenience of description, it may be formed in a sheet or film form to slim the display device 100 . That is, the light guide plate 150 may include both a plate and a film for guiding light.

The light guide plate 150 may include a light-transmitting material to efficiently guide light, for example, an acrylic resin such as PMMA (PolyMethylMethAcrylate) or a material such as polycarbonate (PolyCarbonate).

A reflective sheet 170 is disposed between the light guide plate 150 and the lower frame 180 . The reflective sheet 170 improves light efficiency by reflecting light emitted from the lower portion of the light guide plate 150 toward the display panel 120 .

The light source unit 160 includes a light source 161 and a circuit board 163 on which the light source 161 is disposed. The light source 161 may be disposed at a corner portion of the light guide plate 150 or at a light incident side surface. That is, the light source 161 may emit light to a corner portion or a light incident side surface of the light guide plate 150 . The light source 161 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described on the premise that light is emitted to the long side of the light guide plate 150 .

The light source 161 may include at least one LED chip (not shown) and a package (not shown) accommodating the LED chip. For example, the LED chip (not shown) may be a gallium nitride (GaN)-based LED chip emitting blue light.

The number of light sources 161 may have various values in consideration of the size of the display panel 120 and uniformity of luminance. The circuit board 163 may be a printed circuit board (PCB) or a metal printed circuit board (metal PCB).

Although not shown, a wavelength converter (not shown) may be disposed between the light guide plate 150 and the light source unit 160 . The wavelength converter (not shown) may include a material that converts a wavelength of light. For example, the wavelength converter may convert a wavelength of blue light emitted from a blue LED light source into white light.

Also, although not shown, a heat dissipation member (not shown) may be disposed between the light source unit 160 and the lower frame 180 . The heat dissipation member dissipates heat generated in the light source unit 160 to the outside. When the light source unit 160 is disposed in a bar or line shape on one side of the lower frame 180, the heat dissipation member may also be disposed in a metal frame having a bar or line shape. there is. As such, the heat dissipation member may have various shapes according to the shape of the light source unit 160 .

The reflective sheet 170 may be made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to have reflectivity, and one surface thereof may be coated with, for example, a diffusion layer containing titanium dioxide. Also, the reflective sheet 170 may be formed of a material containing a metal such as silver (Ag).

The lower frame 180 maintains the skeleton of the display device 100 and protects various components accommodated therein. The lower frame 180 may be made of a metal material having rigidity such as stainless steel or a material having good heat dissipation characteristics such as aluminum or aluminum alloy. The lower frame 180 may be formed by a mold press process or the like to have a predetermined curvature.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along II-II' of Figure 2, Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an intermediate frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 to 5 , the intermediate frame 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes first to fourth support parts 131a, 131b, 131c, and 131d supporting a lower edge of a display panel and first to fourth support parts 131a, 131b, 131c, and 131d. The first to fourth side wall portions 132a, 132b, 132c, and 132d bent and extended from each of the four support portions 131a, 131b, 131c, and 131d may be included.

In the case of the display device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the long sides of the display panel 120 are supported by the first support part 131a and the second support part 131b that face each other, and the display panel 120 ) may be supported by the third support portion 131c and the fourth support portion 131d that are opposite to each other.

The first support portion 131a and the second support portion 131b may have a predetermined curvature. For example, the first support part 131a and the second support part 131b may be formed to have a radius of curvature of 950 mm to 5000 mm. The third support part 131c and the fourth support part 131d may be formed to have a straight shape.

The first support portion 131a may have a different thickness from that of the second support portion 131b. For example, when a component such as the light source 161 is disposed below the first support portion 131a, the thickness T ₁ of the first support portion 131a is equal to the thickness T ₂ of the second support portion 131b. can be bigger

Also, the first support portion 131a may have a different width from that of the second support portion 131b. For example, when a component such as the light source 161 is disposed below the first support portion 131a, the width W ₁ of the first support portion 131a is equal to the width W ₂ of the second support portion 131b. can be bigger

As such, the first support portion 131a may have a different stiffness from that of the second support portion 131b. In particular, the first support portion 131a on which components such as the light source 161 are disposed may have greater rigidity than the second support portion 131b.

Before the intermediate frame 130 is fastened to the display panel 120 and the lower frame 180 , the first support portion 131a may have a greater curvature than the second support portion 131b. For example, when the curvature of the first support portion 131a is 1000 mm, the curvature of the second support portion 131 b may be 970 mm.

The lower frame 180 according to an embodiment of the present invention may have a thickness of 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, the first flat portion 180a overlapping the first support portion 131a, and the second support portion ( 131b) and the second planar portion 180b overlapping may be included.

Since components such as the light source 161 and the circuit board 163 are further disposed on the first flat portion 180a, the first flat portion 180a may have a greater thickness than the second flat portion 180b. there is.

Since the first planar portion 180a and the second planar portion 180b have different thicknesses, stiffness varies depending on the position of the lower frame 180 .

In the middle frame 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the first support part 131a and the second support part 131b have different stiffnesses, the difference in stiffness of the lower frame 180 for each position is offset, thereby forming a curved surface. The display device may have a uniform curvature as a whole.

The intermediate frame 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include at least one selected from the group consisting of magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), and alloys thereof. The intermediate frame 130 may be formed using a die casting process or the like.

In the curved display device according to the present invention, the stiffness of the middle frame is formed differently for each position to offset the non-uniform curvature caused by the difference in stiffness of the lower frame, and the curvature of the curved display device can be maintained uniform throughout.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can implement it in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. You will understand that you can. Therefore, one embodiment described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting.

110: upper frame 120: display panel
130: intermediate frame 131a: first support
131b: second support part 131c: third support part
131d: fourth support part 132a: first side wall part
132b: second side wall portion 132c: third side wall portion
132d: fourth side wall portion 140: optical sheet
150: light guide plate 160: light source unit
170: reflective sheet 180: lower frame

Claims (10)

a display panel curved in one direction;
an intermediate frame supporting the display panel and bent in one direction; and
a lower frame accommodating the display panel and the intermediate frame and bent in one direction;
The middle frame,
a first support having a predetermined curvature; and
A second support disposed opposite to the first support; includes,
Further comprising at least one light source disposed under the first support and providing light to the display panel;
The first support has a greater thickness than the second support,
The lower frame,
a first plane portion overlapping the first support portion; and
A second flat portion overlapping the second support portion; includes,
The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first flat portion has a greater thickness than the second flat portion. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first support portion has a different width from that of the second support portion. delete delete The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first support portion has a greater width than the second support portion. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate frame includes at least one selected from the group consisting of magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), and alloys thereof. a display panel curved in one direction;
an intermediate frame supporting the display panel and bent in one direction; and
a lower frame accommodating the display panel and the intermediate frame and bent in one direction;
The middle frame,
a first support having a predetermined curvature; and
A second support disposed opposite to the first support; includes,
Further comprising at least one light source disposed under the first support and providing light to the display panel;
The lower frame,
a first plane portion overlapping the first support portion; and
A second flat portion overlapping the second support portion; includes,
The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first flat portion has a greater thickness than the second flat portion. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the lower frame has a thickness of 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate frame includes a third support part and a fourth support part disposed between the first support part and the second support part. 10 . The display device of claim 9 , wherein the intermediate frame includes first to fourth sidewall portions bent and extended from the first to fourth support portions, respectively.

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