KR20050104406A - Compact display module - Google Patents

Abstract

Compact display module (1) for use in electronic devices, comprising a flat display (2) having a front side with a display surface, and a carrier frame (3) supporting the display. A metal frame (7) is arranged over said front side with an aperture (10) at said display surface, said metal frame having a flat gasket-receiving portion (8) which is parallel to said display surface and extends around said aperture.

Description

Compact display module {COMPACT DISPLAY MODULE}

The present invention relates to an apparatus for displaying a module for use in an electronic device such as a portable wireless communication terminal. In particular, the present invention is useful for use in a wireless communication terminal having a removable and replaceable cover.

The first commercially available cellular telephone or terminal was introduced to the market at the end of 1980. Since then, much effort has been made to further miniaturize terminals from the miniaturization of electronic components and the development of more efficient batteries. Today, many manufacturers provide pocket size terminals with various capabilities and services such as packet oriented transmission and multiple radio band coverage. Thus, in order to attract customers, terminal manufacturers have taken a way to gain an edge over the competition, such as providing a terminal with a cover or a removable cover. If the user wants to change the appearance of his communication terminal, he can simply purchase a new cover of the desired type. Preferably, the old cover can be mounted after the old cover is released by a simple grip without the use of a tool. Detachable covers are generally fairly simple components formed from a single piece of plastic or possible metal in nature. This cover may represent only the front side of the terminal, i.e., the side of the terminal which generally has a terminal display and a user interface comprising a keypad, a microphone and a speaker. In this design, the cover forms a detachable part of the cover of the terminal, or optionally an auxiliary part to be attached to the outside of the cover. Optionally, the cover may include one or more pieces, such as a front piece and a back piece designed to almost enclose the terminal. Detachable covers are often provided in different colors and also have more advanced patterns such as logos or images. Conventional detachable lids may include means that primarily produce aesthetic effects to change the visual form of the terminal, but also affect the functionality of the terminal.

In a detachable or non-removable housing designed to cover the terminal front side or a portion thereof, a transparent front window is generally arranged to see the display and at the same time protect the display. In order to prevent moisture or dust from entering the space between the display and the protective window, a sealing gasket is usually arranged between them. This gasket is often designed to engage a portion of the plastic carrier frame that surrounds the display. The problem with this configuration is that the surface of the plastic carrier facing the protective window is generally not flat or wide enough to ensure a safe seal. As the surface of the plastic carrier becomes wider, the size of the display module increases, frustrating the general desire to provide as small a terminal as possible.

An alternative state of the solution of this technique is shown in FIG. 1, which shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the display module 1 with an upward facing front side. Here, it is clearly shown that the display 2 is supported by the plastic carrier 3. In the prior art embodiment shown, the display 2 is a liquid crystal display (LCD) comprising two glasses with an intermediate layer of liquid crystal. The polarizer 5 is attached to the upper part of the outermost glass. The dust gasket 6 is provided on the edge of the polarizer 5 designed to engage the housing of the electronic device in which the display module can be mounted. The problem with this prior art solution is that when the gasket 6 is applied as shown, it can be wrinkly poor in sealing. By further moving the gasket toward the flat surface portion of the polarizer 5, ie the center of the display module with respect to the right side of the figure, the visual portion of the display is reduced, negatively affecting the display dimensions.

Another problem associated with display modules relates to connections to other parts of electronic devices, such as printed circuit boards (PCBs). 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a prior art display module 1 with an LCD 2 and a polarizer 5. The driver 12 is connected to the LCD 2 and applies a voltage to the liquid crystal of the LCD 2. The flexible printed circuit board FPC 13 serves as a bus for the baseband circuit of the electronic device with the display module 1. The FPC 13 is sensory and, optionally, also has some component 14. Preferably, the plastic carrier for the LCD 2 is included in the solution of FIG. 1 as well as the display module 1, but is omitted in this figure for clarity. The plastic carrier may also have a cut-out or recessed portion where the FPC is placed so that the FPC does not need to extend around the plastic carrier. Today, many electronic devices, especially mobile phones, have replaceable covers or housings 11. However, since the FPC 13 is sensitive, it may be damaged when the housing 11 is off or during assembly. Moreover, the curvature of the FPC allocates some space that can be used for other purposes or to further downsize the electronic device.

Another problem associated with display modules is that they are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). However, when small dimensions are desired, there are very few rooms outside the LCD to provide ESD connections to electronic devices. Moreover, preferably, the ESD connection should be placed near the battery connector of an electronic device such as a wireless communication terminal.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of a prior art display module with a gasket.

2 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of a prior art display module with an FPC connector.

Figure 3 shows schematically an elevational view of the front side of a preferred embodiment of the display module of the present invention in which a gasket is designed.

4 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of a display module designed in accordance with the present invention that is fitted with a gasket and housing.

5 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of a display module designed in accordance with the present invention via an FPC display connector.

6 schematically shows an elevation view of the back side of a preferred embodiment of a display module according to the invention.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a compact display module with improved suitability for use in a small size electronic device. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above drawbacks according to the prior art solutions.

According to a first aspect, this object is achieved by a compact display module for use in an electronic device, the compact display module comprising a flat display having a front side with a display surface and a carrier frame supporting the display, The metal frame is disposed above the front side with an opening in the display surface and has a flat portion parallel to the display surface and extending around the opening.

Preferably, a gasket is attached to the flat portion and designed to engage and seal with the protective window.

In one embodiment, the perimeter of the opening defines a viewable portion of the display surface.

Preferably, the display comprises a polarizer having an outer edge extending below and outside the perimeter of the metal frame opening.

According to a second aspect, the above object is achieved by a compact display module for use in an electronic device, the compact display module being a flat display having a front side with a display surface, attached at one end to the display surface, A flexible membrane connector extending back to the periphery of the side edge of the display, and a carrier frame for supporting the display, wherein the metal frame is disposed above the front side with an opening in the display surface, the metal frame being And a front portion parallel to the display surface and a side portion extending substantially perpendicular to the front portion over the side edges to cover the flexible membrane connector.

Advantageously, said side portion of the metal frame presses said flexible membrane connector to said side edge.

In one embodiment, the flexible membrane connector is a flexible printed circuit board FPC.

According to a third aspect, the above object is achieved by a compact display module for use in an electronic device, the compact display module comprising a flat display having a front side with a display surface and a carrier frame supporting the display; A metal frame is disposed above the front side with an opening in the display surface, the metal frame is a front portion parallel to the display surface, a side portion extending substantially perpendicular to the front portion over a side edge of a carrier frame; And a ground connector extending from the side portion to the back side of the display module.

Preferably, the ground connector is a tab-like leg member integrated with the metal frame.

In one embodiment, the ground connector is elastic and extends obliquely to the back side.

In a preferred embodiment according to the above aspect, the metal frame is attached to at least one side edge of the carrier frame.

In a preferred embodiment according to the above aspect, the metal frame has a material thickness of less than 1 mm.

In a preferred embodiment according to the above aspect, the metal frame has a material thickness between 0.05 mm and 1 mm.

According to a fourth aspect, the above object is achieved by a metal carrier for use in a compact display module including any of the features described above.

According to a fourth aspect, the above object is achieved by an electronic device comprising a compact display module including any of the features described above.

In a preferred embodiment, the electronic device is a portable wireless communication terminal.

The present description relates to the field of display modules for use in electronic devices, in particular wireless communication terminals. The term wireless terminal or communication terminal, also referred to briefly herein as a terminal, includes all mobile equipment designed for wireless communication with a base station, which may also be a mobile terminal or a stationary base station, for example. As a result, the term wireless terminal includes a mobile telephone, a pager, a communicator, an electronic organizer, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a digital enhanced cordless telephony (DECT). Thus, while the structure and features of the present invention are mainly described herein as examples in the implementation of a mobile phone, this is not to be construed as excluding embodiments and implementations of the present invention in other types of electronic devices. In particular, the present invention is suitable for use in any electronic device where compact size is important, ie primarily portable devices, but is not limited thereto. Moreover, the terms “comprising” or “comprising” when used to refer to features included in this description and the appended claims are not to be interpreted as excluding the presence of other feature elements or steps than those expressly stated. Emphasizes not.

3 shows a display module 1 having a front side facing up. The display module 1 preferably comprises a display 2 covered by a polarizer 5. The plastic carrier 3 is a printed circuit board (not shown) which supports the display and is designed with the first attachment means 4 and latches onto the cooperating attachment means on the PCB chassis without using any tools. Designed for easy attachment to (PCB) modules. For this purpose, the plastic carrier is further designed with guide tower 32 to engage with the guide pin on the chassis.

As is more clearly shown in the subsequent figures, the metal frame 7 is disposed above the plastic carrier, preferably by at least one latch 31 on the plastic carrier which is engaged with the recess 71 in the metal frame 7. It is attached to the plastic carrier. The metal frame 7 is preferably made from a single thin piece of metal and has a material thickness of less than 1 mm, preferably a material thickness between 0.05 mm and 1 mm, a material thickness of approximately 0.1 mm. The metal frame 7 has, in FIG. 1, a front part 8 which is almost covered by the gasket 40, which front part covers a part of the front side of the display module 1. Moreover, the metal frame 7 preferably has one, two, three or four side parts 9 extending downward from the front part 8. Holes or openings 10 that allow visual access to the display 2 are formed in the front portion of the metal carrier 7. Preferably, the front portion 8 extends slightly above the polarizer 5 so that the opening 10 sets the viewable portion of the display 2. The gasket 40 is preferably attached to the outside of the front portion 8 of the metal carrier 7 which extends endlessly around the opening 10.

4 shows the display module of FIG. 3 as shown in cross section through the side part 9. This figure clearly shows how the front part 8 extends slightly above the polarizer 5 from the side part 9 on the front side of the display. The housing or housing portion of the electronic device including the display module is disposed outside the metal frame 7. The housing also includes a protective front window 12 across the display 2. The front window 12 and the metal frame 7 oppose each other on a wide, almost flat surface, with a gasket 40 disposed therebetween. In this way, the metal frame provides a flat and relatively large area for the gasket 40 which is wider than the upper edge of the plastic carrier 3. This takes into account greater tolerances and more dustproof design for the assembly of the gasket 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the window 12 extends over the gasket 40, but may be selected as the gasket 40 hidden under the opaque portion of the housing 11 as well as the smaller window 12.

5 shows a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a display module 1 with a metal frame 7 applied over the display 2 according to the invention. 2, the plastic frame 3 has been omitted. The cross section is taken through the side of the display module where the FPC 13 extends from the display 2. In FIG. 3, this side faces to the left, and the FPC 13 can also be seen to extend below the metal frame 7 in this figure. Referring to FIG. 5, this figure illustrates how a large portion of the sensitive FPC 13 extending over the side edge of the display is protected by the metal frame 7. If the replaceable cover is designed to engage and squeeze into the FPC 13 to obtain a small compact electronic device, assembly and disassembly involves the risk of damaging the FPC 13. However, since the metal carrier 7 is permanently attached, meaning that it is not removed when the housing 11 is changed, it can be placed near the display 2 to squeeze the FPC 13 onto the display 2. have. As a result, with the metal frame 7 permanently attached, the overall length of the display module 1 is reduced. Thus, space is also reserved in the electronic device in which the display module can be introduced, which can be used for other purposes such as miniaturizing the device or including other components.

6 shows a display module 1 from the back side according to an embodiment of the invention. Preferably, the metal frame 7 extends only over the front portion 8 and one or more side portions, as described above. However, in one embodiment, the ground connector 15 extends from the side portion 9 to the back portion of the display module 1. The display module 1 can be attached to the PCB module or chassis on this back side, in particular to the ground plane of the PCB module. The lower part 33 can be designed on the back side of the plastic carrier 3 of the display module 1 to receive the PCB module. Once assembled, ground connector 15 connects to a ground pad on the PCB module. As shown, the ground connector 15 preferably extends obliquely from the rear side plane into the rear side side. In such an embodiment, the ground connector is designed as an elastic spring so that contact with the ground pad is maintained more efficiently, where the ground pad is pressed against the display module backside with respect to the ground connector. In a preferred embodiment, the ground connector is designed as a tabbed leg member 15, which is integral with the side part 9 and is bent over the back corner edge of the plastic carrier 3. The recess 34 may also be disposed in the plastic carrier 3 to receive the ground connector 15.

In a preferred embodiment, the attachment means 4 are designed to engage a cooperating attachment holder in the PCB module or chassis. The attachment means comprise a side protruding member 4 from the plastic carrier 3 of the display module 1. The protruding member is preferably elastically installed in the plastic carrier which is integral with it, and the protruding member 4 is biased outward. The chamfered edge of the cooperating attachment holder guides the attachment means 4 and also automatically presses the attachment means inwardly so that it can extend to the holder means. When in place, the protruding member is grasped and engaged behind the shoulder of the holder means 17. An advantage according to the invention is that good rough guidance in assembly is achieved using little space. Moreover, faster assembly can be achieved. Preferably, the PCB module and the display module 1 are pressed against each other by manual force.

In a preferred embodiment, the display module 1 according to the invention is included in a portable wireless communication terminal such as a mobile phone.

The foregoing has described the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention. However, the present invention should not be construed as limited to the specific embodiments described above, but rather as a description rather than a limitation. Thus, it is understood that modifications may be made by those skilled in the art in these embodiments, as defined by the following claims.

Claims (16)

A compact display module (1) for use in an electronic device, comprising: a flat display (2) having a front side with a display surface, and a carrier frame (3) supporting the display, the compact display module comprising: A metal frame 7 is arranged above the front side with an opening 10 in the display surface, the metal frame having a flat portion 8 parallel to the display surface and extending around the opening. Compact display module. The method of claim 1, A compact display module, characterized in that the gasket (8) is attached to the flat portion, and is configured to seal in engagement with the protective window (12). The method according to claim 1 or 2, And the periphery of the opening defines a viewable portion of the display surface. The method of claim 3, wherein The display is characterized in that it comprises a polarizing plate (5) having an outer edge extending below and outside the periphery of the metal frame opening. A compact display module (5) for use in an electronic device, comprising: a flat display (2) having a front side with a display surface, attached to the display surface (12) at one end and back around the side edges of the display A compact display module comprising a flexible membrane connector 13 extending to the side and a carrier frame 3 supporting the display, A metal frame 7 is disposed above the front side with an opening 10 in the display surface, the metal frame being substantially in front of the front portion 8 parallel to the display surface and the front portion above the side edge. And a side portion extending vertically to cover the flexible membrane connector. The method of claim 5, And said side portion of said metal frame squeezes said flexible membrane connector to said side edge. The method of claim 5, The flexible membrane connector is a flexible printed circuit board FPC. A compact display module (1) for use in an electronic device, the compact display module comprising a flat display (2) having a front side with a display surface and a carrier frame (3) supporting the display. To A metal frame 7 is disposed above the front side with an opening 10 in the display surface, the metal frame being in front of the front portion 8 parallel to the display surface, the front portion above the side edge of the carrier frame. A compact display module, characterized in that it has a side portion (9) extending almost vertically and a ground connector extending from the side portion to the back side of the display module. The method of claim 8, And the ground connector is a tab type leg member integrated with the metal frame. The method of claim 8, And the ground connector is elastic and extends at an angle to the back side. In any one of the foregoing, The metal frame is attached to at least one side edge of the carrier frame. In any one of the foregoing, And the metal frame has a material thickness of less than 1 mm. In any one of the foregoing, The metal frame has a material thickness between 0.05 mm and 1 mm. Metal carrier (7) for use in a compact display module as recited in any one of the foregoing. An electronic device comprising the compact display module as recited in any of the preceding claims. The method of claim 15, The electronic device is a portable wireless communication terminal.