Liquid crystal cells – elements and systems – Particular structure – Holder – support – frame – or housing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-16
2004-04-20
Chowdhury, Tarifur R. (Department: 2871)
Liquid crystal cells, elements and systems
Particular structure
Holder, support, frame, or housing
C361S759000, C361S801000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06724445
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a display element frame preferably used to retain a display element of a liquid crystal display (LCD).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, the spread of liquid crystal displays (LCD) has become widespread as image display devices for personal computers and other various types of monitors. Generally, such a liquid crystal display (LCD) has a back light used as a sheet light source for lighting, which is disposed at the rear side of the LCD panel, so that the light is irradiated in uniform all over the liquid crystal surface having a predetermined area so as to visualize images formed on the LCD surface.
A liquid crystal display (LCD) comprises an LCD panel with a liquid crystal material interposed between two glass substrates; a circuit board mounted on the LCD panel and used to drive the LCD panel; a back light unit disposed on the rear side of the LCD panel with an LCD panel frame therebetween; and an armor frame for covering those items.
Various methods for retaining an LCD panel are disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Applications No. 9-304754, No. 10-68932, No. 10-214047, No. 10-319378, etc.
FIGS. 11 and 12
shows one of those methods. In
FIGS. 11 and 12
, an LCD panel
60
having a circuit board
61
, the circuit board
61
, and a frame
62
is shown.
FIG. 11
shows a case in which the LCD panel
60
and the circuit board
61
are separated from the frame
62
and
FIG. 12
shows a case in which the LCD panel
60
is retained by the frame
62
.
The frame
62
has stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
disposed at the four corners of the frame
62
so as to retain the LCD panel
60
. The stopper
62
a
retains a corner of the LCD panel
60
and the stoppers
62
b
to
62
d
retain notches
60
a
formed at a boundary between the LCD panel
60
and the circuit board
61
respectively.
The frame
62
is a solid molded one made of plastic unitarily with the stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
. A predetermined clearance is necessary between each of the stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
and the LCD panel
60
. Concretely, if the clearance is zero, the LCD panel
60
cannot be stored in the frame
62
. On the contrary, if the clearance is excessively large, the LCD panel
60
cannot be retained surely. In addition, if the clearance is large, the LCD panel
60
might cause the LCD panel
60
to hit the stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
when a vibration and/or a shock is applied to the frame
62
, resulting in a damage of the LCD panel
60
or the stoppers
62
a
to
62
d.
Those problems, however, can be solved if the frame
62
and the LCD panel
60
are formed accurately. In spite of this, because the dimensional accuracy of both plastic composing the frame
62
and glass for composing the LCD panel
60
is not high, it becomes quite expensive to obtain such a high dimensional accuracy. Especially for a large sized liquid crystal display (LCD).
Liquid crystal displays (LCD) have come to be employed more and more for such portable devices as lap-top personal computers. As known well, lap-top personal computers are apt to be affected by vibration and shock more than desk-top personal computers. Even when a proper clearance is secured between each of the stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
and the LCD panel, a large vibration/shock, when applied to a lap-top personal computer, might damage the LCD panel
60
or the stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
. For example, if a lap-top personal computer falls, the LCD panel
60
will be fatally damaged, resulting in loss of the display element. In order to avoid such damages, the LCD panels
60
employed for portable electronic devices should preferably be retained so as to absorb the vibration/shock more effectively.
Because the stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
are made of plastic, they can absorb vibration and shock to a certain degree. If they receive a large vibration/shock they will not be able to absorb the vibration/shock completely. To absorb such vibrations/shocks completely, it became effective to retain the LCD panel
60
in a softer material, for example, rubber stock at the stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
. In this case, the LCD panel
60
must have reduced thickness in accordance to the thickness of the stock rubber. This means narrowing the display area of the LCD panel
60
. For a liquid crystal display, it is a very important technical concept to reduce the frame in width, that is, to secure a wider display area of the LCD panel
60
. Thus, narrowing the display area goes against the technical concept trying to be achieved. In addition, using rubber in such a way will increase the manufacturing cost of the frame
62
.
The stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
of the conventional frame
62
are formed to compose cantilever beams with respect to the frame
62
as shown in
FIGS. 11 and 12
. Consequently, a deflection from the fixed end, caused by external forces, causes movement of the LCD panel
60
. However, the movement will be very small, since the stoppers
62
a
to
62
d
are not so high. Especially, such a movement is not recognized at the lower end, that is, at the fixed end. This is why the frame
62
and the LCD panel
60
have to be manufactured at a high dimensional accuracy respectively and they have been confronted with a problem of weak resistance to vibration/shock as described above.
It is not impossible for the conventional open sided beam type stoppers to have a large movement of the stoppers as described above. However, the present inventor has found that if the LCD panel frame, when formed unitarily with other necessary parts in a certain pattern, enables the stoppers to be moved largely in a planar direction.
The present inventor intends to solve the above problems by providing a frame that can be made of plastic and formed unitarily with other necessary parts, thereby preventing an increase in manufacturing cost of the frame over that of the conventional prior art.
Under such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a frame capable of retaining an LCD panel properly even when the dimensional accuracy of both frame and LCD panel is low. It is another object of the present invention to provide a frame capable of absorbing a vibration/shock more effectively than the conventional frame even when a large vibration/shock is applied to such a portable device, such as a lap-top personal computer, without reducing the display area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A feature of the present invention is to provide a frame for retaining an LCD panel with a liquid crystal material interposed between two glass substrates disposed so as to face each other. The frame has a frame body for placing the panel, an arm attached to the frame body oscillatably in a planar direction of the frame body, and a stopper formed at the arm so as to be protruded from the frame body and restrict the movement of the planar member in a planar direction.
Another feature of the present invention also provides a liquid crystal display (LCD) having an LCD panel composed of two laminated glass substrate. A back light unit is included for irradiating a light to the LCD panel. A frame is disposed between the LCD panel and the back light unit and is used to hold the LCD panel and restrict the movement of the LCD panel in the planar direction. The frame has a rectangular frame body with a predetermined thickness and an arm formed unitarily with the frame body at one of the corners of the frame body so that its one end becomes a fixed end and the other end becomes a free end with respect to the frame body within a range of the thickness of the frame body. A movable stopper is erected at the free end of the arm and is used to restrict the movement of the LCD panel.
Still another feature of the present invention includes a portable device having a rectangular glass substrate for composing a display element, as well as first and second controlling members for controlling the movement of the glass substrate in the planar direction. The first controlling member is disposed at one of the two sides composing a corner of the glass substrate
Chowdhury Tarifur R.
Jennings Derek S.
Nguyen Hoan
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