Cooling system for liquid crystal display

• US 9,500,896 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.
• Inventors: Dunn, William, Diaz, Marcos
• Primary Examiner(s): Rude, Timothy L
• Application Number:
  US14/740,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20150362792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 81/06 Furniture aspects of radio, television, gramophone, or record cabinets for similar equipment supports attached to the wall or ceiling or floor stands F16M
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 11/10 Arrangements of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/043 Doors, covers A47F3/0434 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0434 Glass or transparent panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0063 for extracting light out both the major surfaces of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0085 Means for removing heat created by the light source from the package heat extraction or cooling elements for semiconductor light sources in general H01L33/64
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0088 of the light guide or other optical sheets in the package
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0095 Light guides as housings, housing portions, shelves, doors, tiles, windows, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133385 with cooling means, e.g. fans
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133628 with cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/01 transmissive
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2023/0025 on containers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/06 the advertising matter being combined with articles for restaurants, shops or offices on paper articles G09F23/10
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/35 being liquid crystals G09F9/302 takes precedence; liquid crystal materials C09K19/00; liquid crystal panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell per se G02F1/13

Abstract

The exemplary embodiments herein provide a transparent liquid crystal display (LCD) assembly having a glass panel with an LCD panel placed in front of the glass panel. A light guide may be positioned between the LCD panel and the glass panel and the light guide may have an edge. A substrate containing a plurality of LEDs is preferably positioned adjacent to the edge of the light guide and a thermal plate is preferably attached to both the substrate and the glass panel. The thermal plate may contain two portions which are substantially perpendicular to each other, where one of the portions is substantially parallel to the glass panel. In some embodiments, the LCD may be sandwiched in between a pair of glass panels, held opposite one another by a spacer.

Claims

1. A transparent liquid crystal display (LCD) assembly comprising:

a glass panel;

an LCD panel placed in front of the glass panel;

a light guide positioned between the LCD panel and the glass panel, the light guide having an edge;

a substrate containing a plurality of LEDs placed adjacent to the edge of the light guide; and

a thermal plate attached to the glass panel as well as the substrate wherein the thermal plate contains a first portion attached to the glass panel and a second portion attached to the substrate where the first portion is substantially perpendicular to the second portion.

2. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the thermal plate is in conductive thermal communication with the glass panel as well as the substrate.

3. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the thermal plate is attached to the rear glass by adhesive transfer tape.

4. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the substrate containing the LEDs is positioned substantially perpendicular to the rear glass.

5. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

an electronic component for operating the LCD placed in electrical connection with the LCD and attached to the thermal plate.

6. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a front bracket contacting a front surface of the light guide; and

a rear bracket contacting a rear surface of the light guide.

7. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 6, wherein:

the front bracket only contacts the front surface of the light guide and the rear bracket only contacts the rear surface of the light guide.

8. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the LCD panel is adhered to the front bracket.

9. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the light guide is a two way light guide.

10. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 9, wherein:

the light guide is configured such that the amount of light permitted to exit the rear surface of the light guide is at least 20% of the amount of light permitted to exit the front surface of the light guide.

11. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the light guide is constrained from movement towards or away from an intended viewer but is permitted to move vertically.

12. A transparent LCD assembly comprising:

a rear glass panel;

an LCD panel placed in front of the rear glass panel;

a printed circuit board (PCB) containing a plurality of LEDs placed near the LCD panel; and

a thermal plate having a first portion attached to the PCB and a second portion attached to the rear glass panel wherein the first portion of the thermal plate is substantially perpendicular to the second portion.

13. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 12, wherein:

the thermal plate is metallic.

14. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 12, wherein:

the second portion of the thermal plate is substantially parallel to the rear glass panel and the first portion of the thermal plate is substantially perpendicular to the second portion.

15. A transparent liquid crystal display (LCD) assembly comprising:

a front glass panel;

a rear glass panel;

a spacer sandwiched between the first and second glass panels to define a cavity;

an LCD panel placed within the cavity;

a light guide placed within the cavity and behind the LCD panel, the light guide having a top and bottom portion;

a first substrate containing a plurality of LEDs and placed adjacent to the top portion of the light guide;

a top thermal plate attached to the rear glass panel as well as the first substrate;

a second substrate containing a plurality of LEDs and placed adjacent to the bottom portion of the light guide; and

a bottom thermal plate attached to the rear glass panel as well as the second substrate wherein the top and bottom thermal plates each contain a first portion which is substantially parallel to the rear glass panel and the second portion which is substantially perpendicular to the first portion.

16. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 15 wherein:

the top thermal plate and bottom thermal plate are substantially the same width as the LCD panel.

17. The transparent LCD assembly of claim 15 wherein:

the spacer provides a gaseous seal between the front glass panel and the rear glass panel.