Liquid crystal cells – elements and systems – Particular structure – Holder – support – frame – or housing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-17
2003-11-25
Ton, Toan (Department: 2871)
Liquid crystal cells, elements and systems
Particular structure
Holder, support, frame, or housing
C349S060000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06654078
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal module mounting structure, and more particularly to a structure for mounting a liquid crystal module serving as a display to a mobile terminal such as a note type personal computer or a laptop computer.
A liquid crystal module mounted to a note type personal computer or a laptop computer will be described.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view illustrative of a note type personal computer or a laptop computer mounted with a liquid crystal module serving as a display. The personal computer comprises a body
20
and a cover
10
. A liquid crystal module
1
serving as a display of the computer is mounted to the cover
10
. The liquid crystal module
1
has a peripheral region surrounding a display area, and this peripheral region has a plurality of screw holes
1
b
. The cover
10
also has fixing parts
3
at positions corresponding to the screw holes
1
b
of the liquid crystal module
1
. The liquid crystal module
1
is fixed to the cover
10
by screws
2
which are driven tightly into the screw holes
1
b
and engaged to the fixing parts
3
of the cover
10
. A display area
1
a
of the liquid crystal module
1
is smaller in size than an entire part of the liquid crystal module
1
by the peripheral region on which the screw holes
1
b
are formed. Namely, it is difficult to enlarge the display area
1
a
of the liquid crystal module
1
without enlargement of the cover
10
.
Further, a thickness of the liquid crystal module
1
is decided dependent upon the necessary length of the screws
2
on the basis of the necessary strength in tightly fixing the liquid crystal module
1
to the cover
10
. Namely, it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the liquid crystal module
1
with keeping the necessary fixing strength.
In order to have solved the above problems with the conventional liquid crystal module mounting structure of
FIG. 1
, a side mount type liquid crystal module has been proposed.
FIG. 2
is a perspective view illustrative of decomposed side mount type liquid crystal module mounting structure. A liquid crystal module
1
has two opposite side faces which are vertical to a display surface
1
a
of the liquid crystal module
1
. Each of the two opposite side faces has two screw holes
4
which axes are parallel to the display surface
1
a
. The liquid crystal module
1
is engaged within inside walls of a bottom frame
5
. The bottom frame
5
has two opposite side faces, each of which has two screw holes
5
a
at positions corresponding to the screw holes
4
of the liquid crystal module
1
. The liquid crystal module
1
is engaged within the bottom frame
5
, whereby the screw holes
4
of the liquid crystal module
1
are aligned to the corresponding screw holes Sa of the bottom frame
5
. Screws
6
are driven tightly into the screw holes
5
a
and the screw holes
4
, so as to tightly fix the liquid crystal module
1
to the bottom frame
5
. A top frame
7
is placed on the bottom frame
5
.
The above side mount type liquid crystal module has the following disadvantage.
FIG. 3
is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrative of a mounting structure of a side mount type liquid crystal module to an outside frame. A liquid crystal module
1
is engaged within an outside frame
7
and a bottom frame
5
, wherein a distance “d” is present between an inside wall of the outside frame
7
and a side face of a back-light portion
8
of the liquid crystal module
1
, so that a screw
6
is driven into screw holes to penetrate the bottom frame
5
and the outside frame
7
and enters into the side portion of the liquid crystal module
1
. The distance “d” is necessary as a margin for driving the screw
6
. This distance “d” as the screw margin results in widening the liquid crystal module
1
.
Further, a space defined in the distance “d” is formed between the outside frame
7
and the back-light portion
8
. This space or the distance “d” makes small a ratio in area of a display surface
1
a
to the entire part of the liquid crystal module
1
. The area of the liquid crystal module
1
is limited by the cover to which the liquid crystal module is mounted. Namely, the space or the distance “d” makes small a ratio in area of the display surface
1
a
to the entire part of the cover.
FIG. 4
is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrative of a side portion having a screw hole of an outside frame shown in FIG.
3
. In view of securing a sufficient strength, a screw hole formation portion
4
for forming a screw hole for a screw
6
is made of a metal material, which is heavy more than a resin of a body of the outside frame
7
. The metal material for the screw hole formation portion
4
of the outside frame
7
results in increase in weight of the mobile terminal.
Further, the screw
6
has a diameter “r”. The screw hole formation portion
4
extends in a thickness direction of the liquid crystal module
1
. This screw hole formation portion
4
has margins “m
1
” and “m
2
”. A size of the screw hole formation portion
4
is “D” which is the sum of the diameter “r” of the screw
6
and the margins “m
1
” and “m
2
”. Those margins “m
1
” and “m
2
” make it difficult to further reduce the thickness of the liquid crystal module
1
.
The above screw formation portion
4
of the side mount type liquid crystal module is required to be formed to avoid a driver IC provided on the module. This means that a freedom in design of signal lines of the driver IC is reduced. The screw formation region of the side mount type liquid crystal module makes it difficult to obtain an optimum layout of the signal lines of the driver IC.
As described above, the screw formation region of the outside frame is made of a metal material, for which reason when the screw is driven through the screw hole in the screw formation region made of the metal material, then it is possible that a metal broken piece is generated, whereby the metal broken piece may form a short circuit on an electronic circuit.
The above described side mount liquid crystal module has a further disadvantage that if the mobile terminal mounted with the side mount liquid crystal module receives an external shock, then a mechanical stress due to the received shock is concentrated to the screw formation region of the outside frame. This mechanical stress concentration may provide damages to the liquid crystal panel and the outside frame.
The cover of the mobile terminal has the screw receiving portion for receiving the screw, for which reason a slide mold is necessary to form the cover. This means that the cost for forming the manufacturing line is high.
The screw receiving portion of the cover comprises a recessed portion which extends from the side face to an inside portion of the cover. The extension of the recessed portion as the screw receiving portion makes widen the width of the cover.
The side mount type liquid crystal module is inconvenient in removing the liquid crystal module from the cover by removing the screws in side direction.
The screw receiving portions are provided on side portions of the cover, for which reason the screw hole formation region is required to have a high strength by use of a high strength metal such as Mg allow which is, however, expensive and heavy and has a low formability.
In the above circumstances, it had been required to develop a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure for a mobile terminal free from the above problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure free from the above problems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure which allows size and weight reductions of the cover mounted with the liquid crystal module.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure which improves operability in assembling the cover.
It is yet a further object of the present
Baba Masatake
Fujishiro Fumihiko
Kato Katsuhiro
Miwa Tomoo
Nishiyama Michiaki
Chung David
NEC LCD Technologies Ltd.
Ton Toan
Young & Thompson
LandOfFree
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