WO2022025929A1

WO2022025929A1 - Display panel apparatuses with reduced thicknesses

Info

Publication number: WO2022025929A1
Application number: PCT/US2020/044609
Authority: WO
Inventors: Derek Kyle Joseph KANAS; Chanwoo Park; Alan Man Pan TAM; Super Liao
Original assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority date: 2020-07-31
Filing date: 2020-07-31
Publication date: 2022-02-03

Abstract

According to examples, an apparatus may include a display panel having a front side, a back side, and a bottom edge. The apparatus may also include a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first portion, a second portion, a first side, and a second side, in which the first portion is positioned on the back side of the display panel, the first side faces the back side of the display panel, and the second portion extends beyond the bottom edge of the display panel. The apparatus may further include a first component connected to the first side of the PCB on the second portion of the PCB to reduce or minimize a thickness of the apparatus.

Description

DISPLAY PANEL APPARATUSES WITH REDUCED THICKNESSES

BACKGROUND

[0001] Display devices may often include a chassis within which components of the display panels may be housed. The components may include a display panel and a printed circuit board to generate drive signals for driving the display panel among various other components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Features of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not limited in the following figure(s), in which like numerals indicate like elements, in which:

[0003] FIG, 1 shows a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an example apparatus including a display panel and a printed circuit board (PCB) in which a first component is connected to the PCB in a manner to reduce or minimize a thickness of the apparatus;

[0004] FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional back view of the example apparatus depicted in FIG, 1; and

[0005] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an example computing device including a display panel section and a base section, in which a dual-sided PCB may be provided in the display panel section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0006] For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present disclosure Is described by referring mainly to examples. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be readily apparent however, that the present disclosure may be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In other instances, some methods and structures have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the present disclosure.

[0007] Throughout the present disclosure, the terms “a” and “an” are intended to denote at least one of a particular element. As used herein, the term “includes” means includes but not limited to, the term “including" means including but not limited to. The term “based on” means based at least in part on.

[0008] Disclosed herein are apparatuses, which may be, for instance, display devices and computing devices, such as laptop computers, tablet computers, monitors, and/or the like. The apparatuses may include a display panel and a printed circuit board (RGB) that may generate drive signals for driving the display panel. The RGB may be a dual-sided RGB such that components may be connected to both sides of the RGB. Sn addition, a portion of the RGB may extend beyond a bottom edge of the display panel such that a first component may be connected to the extending portion along a side that faces the display panel. Particularly, a portion of the RGB may extend into a gap area beneath the display panel and the first component may be connected to that portion of the RGB and may thus be located beneath the display panel.

[0009] Through implementation of features of the present disclosure, the thickness of an apparatus that includes a display panel and a RGB may be reduced or minimized. That is, by extending the PCB to have a section that is below the display panel and by positioning a relatively tali component, such as a display connector on a side of the PCB that faces the display panel in that section, the overall width of the apparatus may not be constrained to include the height of the relatively tail component. In addition, the thickness of the apparatus may be reduced or minimized by positioning each of the components having heights that exceed a predefined height in the section that faces the display panel.

[0010] Reference is first made to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a cross- sectional side view of a portion of an example apparatus 100 including a display panel 102 and a printed circuit board (PCB) 110 in which a first component 120 is connected to the PCB 110 in a manner to reduce or minimize a thickness of the apparatus 100. FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional back view of the example apparatus 100 depicted in FIG, 1. It should be understood that FIGS. 1 and 2 may include additional attributes and that some of the attributes described herein may be removed and/or modified without departing from the scopes of the features depicted in those figures.

[0011] The apparatus 100, which may also be referenced herein as a display device, a computing device, and/or the like, may include a display panel 102 and a printed circuit board (RGB) 110. The apparatus 100 may be a television, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, or the like. The apparatus 100 may also be implemented as a flat display device, a curved display device, and/or the like. In addition, the display panel 102 may include a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate and a liquid crystal display (LCD), a TFT substrate and active matrix organic light emitting diodes (AMO-LED), a TFT substrate and organic light emitting diodes (OLED), and/or the like. As shown, the display panel 102 may include a front side 104, a back side 106, and a bottom edge 108, in which the front side 104 of the display panel 102 may display content thereon.

[0012] Generally speaking, the RGB 110 may generate a drive signal for driving the display panel 102 through receipt of signals from, for instance, a motherboard, and may thus be electrically connected to the display panel 102. The RGB 110 may have a first portion 112, a second portion 114, a first side 116, and a second side 118. The RGB 110 may be a dual-sided PCB in that, for instance, components of the apparatus 100 may be connected to the PCB 110 on both the first side 116 and the second side 118 of the PCB 110. The PCB 110 may include electronic traces to which the components may be connected on both the first side 116 and the second side 118. As shown, the first portion 112 of the PCB 110 may be positioned on the back side 106 of the display panel 102 and the first side 116 of the PCB 110 may face the back side 106 of the display panel 102. In some examples, the first side 116 of the PCB 110 may contact the back side 106 of the display panel 102.

[0013] A first component 120 may be connected to the first side 116 of the PCB 110 on the second portion 114 of the PCB 110. The first component 120 may be connected to the PCB 110 through any suitable connection technique, including, for instance, through soldering, through insertion into a socket for the first component 120 on the PCB 110, and/or the like. According to examples, the first component 120 may be a display connector for the display panel to which a cable connector (not shown) may be connected. In these examples, the first component 120 may be connected to a motherboard of a computing device (which may be the apparatus 100 or another apparatus) and may receive signals from the motherboard that may drive the display panel 102 to display content. In other examples, the first component 120 may be another type of component, e.g., another type of connector, or the like.

[0014] As also shown, the second portion 114 may extend beyond the bottom edge 108 of the display panel 102 and Into a space behind a bottom bezel 122 of the apparatus 100. The first component 120 may also be positioned on the second portion 114 inside of the space behind the botom bezel 122. In one regard, by extending the PCB 110 beyond the bottom edge 108 of the display panel 102, e.g., in the negative Y-direction, and connecting the first component 120 to the first side 118 of the PCB 110, the thickness 124, e.g,, in the X-direction, of the apparatus 100 may be reduced or minimized. That is, if the first component 120 were connected to the second side 118 of the PCB 110, the thickness 124 of the apparatus 100 may be significantly larger than as shown in FIG. 1. Although not shown, the apparatus 100 may include a back cover behind the second side 118 of the PCB 110. The apparatus 100 may also include a light source (not shown), such as a backlight, as well as other elements that may function to enable the display panel 102 to display content as well as to perform other functions in the apparatus 100.

[0015] According to examples, the first component 120 may be a component having a height that exceeds a predefined height. The predefined height may be a height that when added to the second side 118 of the PCB 110, e.g., in the X-direction, causes the thickness 124 of the apparatus 100 to be greater than a minimal possible thickness 124 given the thicknesses of other elements in the apparatus 100 that are located behind the display panel 102. That is, for instance, the predefined height may be a height that is equal to or slightly less than the height of an element located behind the display panel 102 that may not be moved to another location in the apparatus 100. In these examples, the first component 120 may be connected to the first side 116 of the PCB 110 based on the first component 120 having a height that exceeds the predefined height. By way of particular example, the predefined height may be greater than about 0.8 mm.

[0016] In some examples, a second component 200 (FIG. 2) having a height that exceeds the predefined height may be connected to the first side 116 of the RGB 110 instead of the second side 118 of the PCB to also reduce or minimize the thickness 124 of the apparatus 100. By way of particular example, the second component 200 may be a backlight connector, an inductor, and/or the like.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus 100 may include a display panel section 202 and a base section 204, The display panel section 202 may include the display panel 102, the PCB 110, the first component 120, etc. The base section 204 may include a keyboard, a motherboard (not shown), a trackpad (not shown), etc. In this regard, the apparatus 100 depicted in FIG, 2 may be a laptop computer in which the display panel section 202 may be rotatable with respect to the base section 204. To facilitate the relative rotation, the apparatus 100 may include a pair of hinge sections 206, 208.

[0018] As also shown in FIG. 2, the display panel section 202 may include an area between the hinge sections 206, 208. In addition, the second portion 114 of the PCB 110 may extend between the hinge sections 206, 208 and may be narrower than the first portion 112 of the PCB 110. The first component 120 and the second component 200, when connected to the first side 116 of the PCB, may also be positioned between the hinge sections 206, 208, The first component 120 and the second component 200 are depicted with dashed lines to denote that these components are on the first side 116 of the PCB 110, e.g., on the opposite side of the PCB 110 than as shown in FIG, 2.

[6019] According to examples, the display panel section 202 may include other components that may have thicknesses that are shorter than the predefined height, e.g., shorter than the first component 120. For instance, an antenna cable 210 having such a thickness may he provided along the edges of the display panel section 202, e.g., outside of the PCB 110. In these examples, the thickness 124 of the display panel section 202 may also include the thickness of the antenna cable 210 positioned on the back side 106 of the display panel 102. The display pane! section 202 may further include other types of components, such as antennas, sensors, a PCB daughter board, cables, and/or the like. In addition, or alternatively, a third component 212 having a thickness that is shorter than the predefined height may be connected to the second side 118 of the PCB 110. The third component 212 may be, for instance, a resistor, a capacitor, an inductor, a display panel driver IC, a power driver IC, and/or the like. In some examples, the third component 212 may have a thickness that is around 0.8 mm or less.

[0020] Reference is now made to FSG. 3, which depicts a block diagram of an example computing device 300 including a display panel section 302 and a base section 304, in which a dual-sided PCB 110 may be provided in the display panel section 302. It should be understood that FIG. 3 may include additional attributes and that some of the attributes described herein may be removed and/or modified without departing from scopes of the features depicted in FIG. 3.

[0021] The computing device 300 depicted in FIG. 3 may be equivalent to the apparatus 100 depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 and thus, some of the elements that are common to each of these figures are labeled with the same reference numerals. That is, for instance, the display panel section 302 may include a display panel 102 and a dual-sided PCB 110. In addition, a first component 120 having a predefined height may be connected to a first side 116 of the PCB 110 at a second portion 114 of the PCB 110. The second portion 114 of the PCB 110 may extend between the hinge sections 206, 208 and the second portion 114 may be narrower than the first portion 112 of the PCB 110. The display panel section 302 may also include a bezel 306 that may extend around a periphery of the display panel 102.

[0022] The base section 304 may include a motherboard 308 and a cable 310 may connect the motherboard 308 to the first component 120. The motherboard 308 may communicate signals to drive the display panel 102 through the PCB 110 such that the display panel 102 may display certain content. The cable 310 may extend through one of the hinge sections 206. In some examples, a second component 200 (not shown) may be connected to the first side of the PCB 110 at the second portion 114. By way of particular example, the second component 200 may be a backlight connector and the motherboard 308 may be connected to the second component 200 via the cable 310 or another cable (not shown).

[0023] Although described specifically throughout the entirety of the instant disclosure, representative examples of the present disclosure have utility over a wide range of applications, and the above discussion is not intended and should not be construed to be limiting, but is offered as an illustrative discussion of aspects of the disclosure.

[0024] What has been described and illustrated herein is an example of the disclosure along with some of its variations. The terms, descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration and are not meant as limitations. Many variations are possible within the scope of the disclosure, which is intended to be defined by the following claims - and their equivalents - in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising: a display panel having a front side, a back side, and a bottom edge; a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first portion, a second portion, a first side, and a second side, wherein the first portion is positioned on the back side of the display panel, the first side faces the back side of the display panel, and the second portion extends beyond the bottom edge of the display panel; and a first component connected to the first side of the PCB on the second portion of the PCB to reduce or minimize a thickness of the apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first component comprises a display connector for the display panel.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a second component connected to the first side of the PCB on the second portion of the PCB.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second component comprises a backlight connector.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a pair of hinge sections, wherein the second portion of the PCB extends between the pair of hinge sections.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the PCB is narrower than the first portion of the PCB.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: an antenna cable positioned along the back side of the display panel outside of the PCB.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a third component having a thickness that is smaller than a thickness of the first component, the third component being positioned on the second side of the PCB.

9. A computing device comprising: a base section including a motherboard; and a display panel section including: a display panel; a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first portion and a second portion, a first side of the PCB being positioned along a back side of the display panel and the second portion extending beyond an edge of the display panel; a first component connected to the first side of the PCB on the second portion of the PCB; and a cable connecting the first component to connect the motherboard,

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the display section panel is hingedly connected to the base section via a pair of hinge sections and wherein the second portion of the PCB extends between the pair of hinge sections,

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the second portion of the PCB is narrower than the first portion of the PCB.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the display section further comprises a backlight connector connected to the first side of the PCB,

13. A display device comprising: a display panel; a display printed circuit board (PCB) positioned adjacent to the display panel, the display PCB having a first side and a second side, the first side facing the display panel and the second side facing away from the display panel, wherein a portion of the first side extends beyond an edge of the display panel; and a first component connected to the portion of the first side of the display PCB that extends beyond the edge of the display panel.

14, The display device of claim 13, wherein the portion of the first side of the display PCB that extends beyond the edge of the display panel is narrower than a portion of the display PCB that does not extend beyond the edge of the display panel.

15. The display device of claim 13, further comprising: a backiight connector connected to the portion of the first side of the display PCB that extends beyond the edge of the display panel.