Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
1996-04-15
2001-04-17
Silbaugh, Jan H. (Department: 1732)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S023100, C264S247000, C264S250000, C264S261000, C264S262000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216329
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to a display apparatus for use in a television receiver, a computer display, etc., having an improved vibration resistance, and a process for producing such a display apparatus.
A display apparatus suitable for alleviating a vibration and an impact applied to a liquid crystal panel has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application (JP-A) 3-203773.
FIG. 5
shows an example of such a liquid crystal display apparatus having a vibration and impact-alleviating structure.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, the liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal panel unit P, a backlight unit B, and apparatus housing members C
1
and C
2
for accommodating the liquid crystal panel unit P and the backlight unit B.
The liquid crystal panel unit P includes a fixing plate
2
, a diffusion plate
59
, a liquid crystal panel
10
and a peripheral circuit board
12
. The fixing plate
2
is provided with an opening
2
a
. To a lower surface of a whole peripheral portion surrounding the opening
2
a
of the fixing plate
2
, the diffusion plate
59
is affixed by screws (not shown) so as to close the opening
2
a
. The liquid crystal panel
10
is applied with a silicone adhesive applied onto an upper surface of the whole peripheral portion surrounding the opening
2
a
of the fixing plate
2
so as to close the opening
2
a.
On the other hand, a fixing plate-support member
3
is disposed so as to surround the fixing plate
2
. Thus, the fixing plate-support member
3
is shaped to have an opening
3
a
providing a prescribed gap between the member
3
and the fixing plate
2
. The gap is filled with a silicone adhesive
6
as an elastic member so as to support the fixing plate
2
in an air hang or air suspension state by the support member
3
via the elastic member
6
. More specifically, the adhesion with the elastic member
6
is performed by holding the fixing plate
2
within the opening
3
a
of the fixing plate-support member
3
to leave a gap and filling the gap with a silicone rubber-type adhesive, followed by curing of the adhesive.
The fixing plate-support member
3
is affixed to a frame member
68
having a sectional shape of roughly “L”and having an opening
68
a
, which is closed with a protective plate
11
. The protective plate
11
is formed of a transparent and rigid glass plate. The frame member
68
, the protective plate
11
, the fixing plate-support member
3
, the elastic member
6
and the liquid crystal panel unit P are disposed to define an almost closed space A
2
in combination. When the liquid crystal panel unit supported in an air-suspension state with the elastic member
6
is supplied with an external impact or vibration, the vibration is suppressed by the air damper effect of the space A
2
, and the flexural deformation of the fixing plate
2
is minimized to minimize the flexural deformation of the liquid crystal panel
10
, thus providing an improved impact resistance.
On the other hand, on a lower surface of the frame member
68
, a sponge (elastic member)
61
is applied in a frame shape along a whole periphery of the opening
68
a
. Because of the elasticity of the sponge
61
, the vibration of the liquid crystal panel
10
is also absorbed.
The frame member
68
is affixed to the upper housing member C
1
, to which the lower housing member C
2
is detachably affixed to accommodate the liquid crystal panel unit P, etc.
Below the liquid crystal panel unit P, the backlight unit B is disposed by affixing it to the upper housing member C
1
with screws
58
. At a spacing between the backlight unit B and the lower housing C
2
, a panel control board (not shown) is disposed to convert signals from a computer (not shown) into a form suitable for liquid crystal drive and control the liquid crystal display apparatus.
Onto the backlight unit B, a sponge member
63
is applied in a frame shape so as to be abutted to the fixing plate
2
. The fixing plate
2
, the diffusion plate
59
, the sponge
63
and the backlight unit B, in combination, form an almost closed space A
1
. Similarly as the space A
2
, the almost closed space A
1
shows an air damper effect to suppress a vibration of the liquid crystal panel unit P supported in an air suspension state with the elastic member
6
caused by an external impact, thereby minimizing the flexural deformation of the liquid crystal panel
10
and providing an improved impact resistance. Because of the elasticity, the sponge
63
also has a function of absorbing the vibration of the liquid crystal panel
10
.
The above-described display apparatus is accompanied with difficulties that the operation of filling the gap between the fixing plate
2
and the fixing plate-support member
3
with an appropriate amount of the silicone adhesive
6
and the curing of the adhesive takes almost a half day or longer, so that the productivity thereof is lowered to result in an increased production cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a display apparatus and a process for production thereof allowing a lower production cost.
According to the present invention, there is provided a display apparatus, comprising: a display panel, a support means for supporting the display panel, and a housing for accommodating the display panel and the support means, said support means including a first member to which the display panel is attached, a second member attached to the housing, and an elastic member disposed between the first and second members, wherein said first and second members are integrally thermally bonded to each other via the elastic member. Herein, it is preferred that the second member is provided with an opening, and the first member is disposed within the opening.
The elastic member may preferably comprise a thermoplastic elastomer and be formed to have a sectional shape like a character “U”, “H”, “N” or “M”. It is also preferred to use a liquid crystal panel as a display panel and dispose the liquid crystal panel within the housing so as to support the liquid crystal panel by the housing via the elastic member.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a process for producing a display apparatus of the type described above, including a step of disposing the first member and the second member at prescribed positions within a mold, and an injection molding step of forming the elastic member between the first and second members by injection molding. In this case, the elastic member may preferably be formed by insert molding, or two- or multi-color molding.
According to the display apparatus as constituted above of the present invention, even when the second member is supplied with a vibration or impact, the transmission of the vibration or impact to the first member is suppressed because an elastic member is disposed between the first and second members.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1605205 (1926-11-01), Bellamy
patent: 2663910 (1953-12-01), Danielson et al.
patent: 5137769 (1992-08-01), Landi
patent: 5150231 (1992-09-01), Iwamoto et al.
patent: 5430266 (1995-07-01), Austin, Jr. et al.
patent: 5808707 (1998-09-01), Niibori et al.
patent: 03203773 (1991-09-01), None
Kaga Hiromitsu
Uehara Makoto
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Lee Edmund H.
Silbaugh Jan H.
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