Display apparatus

• US 5,808,707 A
• Filed: 02/26/1996
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Masanori, Satoh, Takashi, Shioya, Yasushi, Niibori, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TIEP HUU
• Application Number:
  US08/606,946
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 349/58, 349/60, 349/150
• US Class Current: 349/60
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/503 Arrangements improving the resistance to shock

Abstract

An impact-resistant display apparatus is constituted by a display panel, a drive circuit for driving the display panel, a face plate disposed in front of the display panel, and a support member for supporting the display panel and the drive circuit. The display apparatus further includes a first elastic member between a rear side of the display panel and the support member, and a second elastic member between a front side of the display panel and the face plate. The first and second elastic members may preferably respectively define and almost closed space together with adjacent associate members so as to provide an air damper-effect.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

a display panel, a housing member disposed behind and with a spacing from the display panel, and a face plate having a transparent region disposed in front of the display panel;

said display apparatus further including;

a first elastic member disposed at a position surrounding a display region of the display panel between the display panel and the housing member so as to define a first almost closed space by the first elastic member, the display panel and the housing member, and

a second elastic member disposed at a position surrounding a display area of the display panel between the display panel and the face plate so as to define a second almost closed space by the second elastic member, the display panel and the face plate.

2. A display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive circuit including a flexible film circuit connected to the display panel.

3. A display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive circuit including a rigid circuit board and a flexible film circuit carrying a drive IC chip thereon, said rigid circuit board being connected to the flexible film circuit which in turn is connected to the display panel.

4. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first elastic member has a sectional shape having a thickness in a direction perpendicular to the display panel and a width in a direction parallel to the display panel so that the width is smaller than the thickness.

5. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face plate has a transparent portion comprising a chemically reinforced glass sheet.

6. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said face plate comprises a transparent substrate and a pair of optical films subjected to a non-glare treatment applied onto both surfaces of the substrate.

7. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said housing member comprises a backlight device for illuminating the display panel.

8. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second elastic member has a hardness which is smaller than or equal to that of the first elastic member.

9. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second elastic member is compressed in a direction perpendicular to the display panel.

10. A display apparatus according to claim 1, further including a circuit board for driving the display panel disposed on the panel-fixing member, and a regulating member for regulating a movement in a direction perpendicular to the panel-fixing member.

11. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display panel comprises a liquid crystal panel containing a smectic liquid crystal as an optical modulation material.

12. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein there is defined an inner unit which includes the face plate as a first member and a second member as a portion of said housing member disposed with a prescribed spacing from the first member, the display panel disposed between the first and second members, the second elastic member disposed between the first member and the display panel, and the first elastic member disposed between the second member and the display panel, so as to define the first almost closed space by the display panel, the second member and the first elastic member, and the second almost closed space by the display panel, the first member and the second elastic member.

13. A display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first elastic member has a rubber hardness of at most 50 deg.