Liquid crystal display module

• US 7,733,436 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2008
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yuto
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Richard H
• Application Number:
  US12/074,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 829 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 349/58
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0083 Details of electrical connections of light sources to drivers, circuit boards, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0091 of the light source relative to the light guide G02B6/0021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133322 Mechanical guidance or alignment of LCD panel support components
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side

Abstract

In a liquid crystal display module of edge light system, a periphery of a liquid crystal panel, a light guide plate and a reflective sheet are laid one upon another and surrounded by a case, and a lamp and a reflecting plate are disposed between an incidence surface of the light guide plate and a side of the case. A rear side of the module is not covered by the case. The reflecting plate is of a groove type that the lamp is held in the groove while an opening of the groove is opposed to the incidence surface. The case has an opening formed in a predetermined side of the case. The reflecting plate is insertable through the opening. The reflecting plate is slid from the opening while a reflecting plate bottom is in abutment against a side of the case, thereby being detachably attachable.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display module, comprising:

an edge light system in which a periphery of a liquid crystal panel, a light guide plate and a reflective sheet laid one upon another are surrounded by a case and a lamp and a reflecting plate are disposed between an incidence surface of the light guide plate and a side of the case;

the light guide plate has a wedge-shaped section that an incidence surface of the light guide plate is thicker than an opposite surface of the incidence surface;

the liquid crystal panel is disposed so as to be spaced from a front surface of the light guide plate;

the reflective sheet is closely adhered to the light guide plate so as to cover substantially an overall rear surface of the light guide plate, the module further comprising;

a frame, including opposite right and left longitudinal frame portions and a transverse frame portion connecting lower ends of the right and left longitudinal frame portions to each other and having a larger length than the longitudinal frame portions, the frame being formed into a C-shape, the reflective sheet, the light guide plate and the liquid crystal panel being sequentially laid one upon another inside the frame;

a control board disposed at a rear surface side of the frame and connected to the liquid crystal panel by a flat cable;

a bezel having a lower face abutting against the transverse frame portion of the frame with the flat cable interposed between the frame and the lower face of the bezel, a left side face abutting against the left longitudinal frame portion, a right side face abutting against the right longitudinal frame portion, and an upper face forming a housing together with the reflective sheet, the light guide plate and the liquid crystal panel sequentially laid one upon another inside the frame without abutting against the frame, the right side face formed with an opening communicating with the housing, the bezel fitted with the frame from the front side so as to cover the frame, the lamp including two cold cathode fluorescent lamps disposed in parallel to each other, and rectangular parallelepiped sockets fitted with both ends of the cold cathode fluorescent lamps respectively, the cold cathode fluorescent lamps coupled to each other and having respective terminals to which leads are connected respectively, the leads extending out of outer faces of the sockets;

a reflector formed by bending a metal plate so that the reflector has a C-shaped section and further formed into a shape of a groove including a front face, a rear face both substantially in parallel to each other and a base face connecting the front and rear faces to each other, the groove extending from side to side, the sockets closely adhered to an inside of each face of the groove, with the cold cathode fluorescent lamp held by the reflector along the groove, the reflector reflecting light from the lamp in a predetermined direction;

the incidence surface side of the light guide plate protrudes from a C-shaped opening of the frame in the housing; and

the reflector is formed so that the front face has a height smaller than a width of the opening and longer than a space between the incidence surface of the light guide plate and the upper face of the bezel;

the rear face has a height larger than the width of the opening;

the reflector passing through the opening, guided by a front side end of the light guide plate while the front face is in abutment against the front face of the light guide plate; and

the base face is in abutment against the upper face of the bezel and the rear face is in abutment against the rear face of the frame, thereby the reflector is slidingly inserted into the housing.

2. A liquid crystal display module, comprising:

an edge light system in which a periphery of a liquid crystal panel, a light guide plate and a reflective sheet laid one upon another are surrounded by a case and a lamp and a reflecting plate are disposed between an incidence surface of the light guide plate and a side of the case;

the case is formed so that a rear side of the liquid crystal display module is not covered by the case;

the reflecting plate is of a groove type that the lamp is held in the groove while an opening of the groove is opposed to the incidence surface;

the case has an opening formed in a predetermined side of the case, with the reflecting plate insertable through the opening; and

the reflecting plate is slid from the opening while a bottom of the reflecting plate is in abutment against a side of the case, the reflecting plate is detachably attachable;

the incidence surface side of the light guide plate protrudes from a C-shaped opening of a frame in a housing; and

a reflector is formed so that a front face of the reflector has a height smaller than a width of the opening and longer than a space between the incidence surface of the light guide plate and an upper face of a bezel;

a rear face of the reflector has a height larger than the width of the opening;

the reflector passing through the opening, guided by a front side end of the light guide plate while the front face of the reflector is in abutment against the front face of the light guide plate; and

a base face of the reflector is in abutment against the upper face of the bezel and the rear face of the reflector is in abutment against a rear face of the frame, thereby the reflector is slidingly inserted into the housing.

3. The module according to claim 2, wherein the reflecting plate is detachably attachable from the rear side of the case.

4. The module according to claim 2, wherein the reflecting plate includes a rear side plate which is sized so as to cover at least a part of the rear of the reflective sheet.

5. The module according to claim 2, further comprising a holding member which holds the lamp at a predetermined position in the groove of the light reflecting plate while being in abutment against at least a bottom plate of the reflecting plate, and an engagement structure locking the holding members at the predetermined position in the groove, the engagement structure being disposed between the holding member and the reflecting plate.

6. The module according to claim 5, wherein the engagement structure includes a protrusion formed on the holding member and a through hole formed through the bottom plate of the reflecting plate, and the protrusion protrudes through the through hole to an outer face side of the bottom plate, engaging a hole formed at a predetermined location in the case.

7. The module according to claim 2, wherein the light guide plate has a pair of opposite sides formed with respective incidence surfaces, and two sets of the lamps and the reflecting plates are provided on the incidence surfaces respectively.