Liquid crystal display device with its upper and lower cases clamped by crimping portions thereof

• US 6,411,353 B1
• Filed: 04/20/1999
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Toriyama, Yoshio, Hasegawa, Kaoru, Kobayashi, Kengo, Yarita, Katsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOAN C
• Application Number:
  US09/294,346
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 349/58, 349/62, 349/63, 349/67, 349/150, 349/46, 349/59, 349/61
• US Class Current: 349/59
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13452 Conductors connecting driver circuitry and terminals of panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/465 Snap -fit
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/503 Arrangements improving the resistance to shock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display element having a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower substrates, a flexible circuit board disposed around a periphery of the liquid crystal display element, an illuminating light source having a line light source, a light guide and a reflector and disposed behind the liquid crystal display element, a metal upper case having a sidewall bent back and a display window, a resin lower case for housing the illuminating light source. The upper and lower cases are clamped by crimping plural nails formed in the sidewall of the upper case at an outer surface of the lower case after stacking the liquid crystal display element, the flexible circuit board and the illuminating light source between the upper and lower cases. An electrical connection between the upper case and a grounding pattern formed on the flexible circuit board is made by at least one component in chip form having a conductive region and being attached to a portion of the grounding pattern bent over the lower substrate, and a metal tape having one end thereof being interposed between opposing portions of the upper and lower cases which are pressed against each other and the other end thereof being positioned to be pressed against the conductive region of the at least one component.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal display element having a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower substrates,

a flexible circuit board disposed around a periphery of a lower of said lower substrate,

an illuminating light source under said liquid crystal display element,

an upper case made of metal, having an upper portion provided with a window corresponding to a useful display area of said liquid crystal display element and a sidewall bent from a periphery of the upper portion thereof,

a lower case made of resin for housing said illuminating light source,

said upper case and said lower case being clamped by crimping a plurality of nails formed in said sidewall of said upper case at an outer surface of said lower case and having said liquid crystal display element and said flexible circuit board being disposed therebetween,

wherein an electrical connection between said upper case and a grounding pattern formed on said flexible circuit board is made by at least one component in chip form having a conductive region and being attached to a portion of said grounding pattern bent over said lower substrate, and a metal tape having one end thereof being interposed between opposing portions of said upper and lower cases and an other end thereof being positioned on an upper side of said lower case to be pressed against said conductive region of said at least one component in chip form.

2. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said lower case is provided with a recess for housing each of said at least one component in chip form at said upper side thereof, and a sheet of elastic material interposed between said metal tape and a bottom of said recess.

3. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one component in chip form comprises a ceramic substrate and a metallized film formed on said ceramic substrate.

4. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one component in chip form is a chip capacitor.

5. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one component in chip form is a chip resistor.

6. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one component in chip form is 2 mm at most in length, width and thickness.

7. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one component in chip form is a sheet made of metal.

8. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal display element having a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower substrates,

an illuminating light source comprising a line light source, a light guide and a reflector and disposed under said liquid crystal display element,

an upper case made of metal, having an upper portion provided with a window corresponding to a useful display area of said liquid crystal display element and a sidewall bent down from a periphery of the upper portion thereof,

a lower case made of resin for housing said illuminating light source and having a peripheral frame portion for supporting said light guide,

said upper case and said lower case being clamped by crimping a plurality of nails formed in said sidewall of said upper case at an outer surface of said lower case and having said liquid crystal display element and said flexible circuit board being disposed therebetween,

wherein a rubber cushion is disposed between a lower side of said light guide and peripheral portions of said lower case at least in the vicinity of portions where said upper case and said lower case are clamped by crimping said plurality of nails.

9. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal display element having a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower substrates,

an illuminating light source under said liquid crystal display element,

an upper case made of metal, having an upper portion provided with a window corresponding to a useful display area of said liquid crystal display element and a sidewall bent down from a periphery of the upper portion thereof,

a lower case made of resin for housing said illuminating light source,

said upper case and said lower case being clamped by crimping a plurality of nails formed in said sidewall of said upper case at an outer surface of said lower case and having said liquid crystal display element and said flexible circuit board disposed therebetween,

wherein each of said plurality of nails is crimped in a plane parallel with an underside of said lower case and has at least one bend before being crimped in cross section parallel to said plane.