U.S. patent number RE48,071 [Application Number 15/430,229] was granted by the patent office on 2020-06-30 for liquid crystal module with top-cut conical supports on the backlight chassis.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Funai Electric Co., LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is Funai Electric Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kota Sakuma.
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United States Patent |
RE48,071 |
Sakuma |
June 30, 2020 |
Liquid crystal module with top-cut conical supports on the
backlight chassis
Abstract
A liquid crystal module includes: a rectangular-frame-shaped
mold frame that is provided with a backlight therein; a liquid
crystal cell that is arranged on a front face of the mold frame and
is illuminated from a rear side by the backlight; a backlight
chassis that is made of metal and fixed on a rear face of the
backlight via a reflecting sheet made of synthetic resin; a
plurality of supports that are formed on the backlight chassis; and
a circuit board that is fixed to the supports by screwing, wherein
the support is formed in a top-cut conical shape by swelling the
backlight chassis backward by being subjected to drawing.
Inventors: |
Sakuma; Kota (Daito,
JP) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Funai Electric Co., Ltd. |
Osaka |
N/A |
JP |
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Assignee: |
Funai Electric Co., LTD.
(Osaka, JP)
|
Family
ID: |
1000004688020 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/430,229 |
Filed: |
February 10, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
11353858 |
Feb 14, 2006 |
7430026 |
Sep 30, 2008 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Feb 15, 2005 [JP] |
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P2005-037382 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02F
1/133608 (20130101); G02F 1/133608 (20130101); G02F
1/133604 (20130101); G02F 1/133604 (20130101); G02F
2201/46 (20130101); G02F 2201/46 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G02F
1/1333 (20060101); G02F 1/13357 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;349/58-60 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
English Patent Abstract of JP2004287120 from esp@cenet, published
Oct. 14, 2004, 1 page. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Tran; Henry N
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Osha Liang LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A liquid crystal module comprising: a rectangular-frame-shaped
mold frame that is provided with a backlight therein; a liquid
crystal cell that is arranged on a front face of the mold frame and
is illuminated from a rear side by the backlight; a backlight
chassis that is made of metal and fixed on a rear face of the
backlight via a reflecting sheet made of synthetic resin; a
plurality of supports that are formed on the backlight chassis; and
a circuit board that is fixed to the supports by screwing, wherein
the support is formed in a top-cut conical shape by swelling the
backlight chassis backward by being subjected to drawing, wherein
the supports are grouped into one of a first support and a second
support, wherein the first support is formed with a positioning
cylindrical portion protruding outward at a top face center
thereof, wherein the second support is formed with a fixing
cylindrical portion protruding inward at a top face center thereof
by burring, wherein the positioning cylindrical portion and the
fixing cylindrical portion are provided with a screw hole on an
inner circumferential face thereon, and wherein the circuit board
is fixed to a reverse face of the backlight chassis by positioning
the circuit board by engaging the positioning cylindrical portion
to a through-hole formed on the circuit board to concentrically
positioning the through-hole to the screw hole, and by screwing a
screw into the screw hole.
2. A liquid crystal module comprising: a rectangular-frame-shaped
mold frame that is provided with a backlight therein; a liquid
crystal cell that is arranged on a front face of the mold frame and
is illuminated from a rear side by the backlight; a backlight
chassis that is made of metal and fixed on a rear face of the
backlight via a reflecting sheet made of synthetic resin; a
plurality of supports that are formed on the backlight chassis; and
a .Iadd.first .Iaddend.circuit board that is fixed to the supports
by screwing, wherein the support is formed in a top-cut conical
shape by swelling the backlight chassis backward by being subjected
to drawing, .Iadd.and wherein the first circuit board is arranged
on the plurality of supports only.Iaddend..
3. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein the
supports are grouped into one of a first support and a second
support, wherein the first support is formed with a positioning
cylindrical portion protruding outward at a top face center
thereof, wherein the second support is formed with a fixing
cylindrical portion protruding inward at a top face center thereof
by burring, wherein the positioning cylindrical portion and the
fixing cylindrical portion are provided with a screw hole on an
inner circumferential face thereon, and wherein the .Iadd.first
.Iaddend.circuit board is fixed to a reverse face of the backlight
chassis by positioning the .Iadd.first .Iaddend.circuit board by
engaging the positioning cylindrical portion to a through-hole
formed on the .Iadd.first .Iaddend.circuit board to concentrically
positioning the through-hole to the screw hole, and by screwing a
screw into the screw hole.
.Iadd.4. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein
the support comprises opening at a top face of the support, and
wherein the first circuit board is fixed by a screw through the
opening. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.5. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein
the plurality of supports comprises one or more first supports and
one or more second supports of which a shape is different from a
shape of the first support. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.6. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein
the first circuit board contacts with a top face of the support.
.Iaddend.
.Iadd.7. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein
the support comprises a protruding portion at a top face of the
support, and wherein the first circuit board contacts with the
protruding portion. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.8. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein
the support comprises a protruding portion at a top face of the
support, and wherein the first circuit board comprises opening
inserted by the protruding portion. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.9. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein at
least one of the plurality of supports comprises a protruding
portion at a top face of the support, and wherein the first circuit
board contacts with the protruding portion. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.10. The liquid crystal module according to claim 9, wherein
the at least one of the plurality of supports comprising the
protruding portion is disposed near an end portion of the first
circuit board. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.11. The liquid crystal module according to claim 7, wherein
the protruding portion comprises opening, and wherein the first
circuit board is fixed by a screw through the opening.
.Iaddend.
.Iadd.12. The liquid crystal module according to claim 9, wherein
two of the plurality of supports comprise a protruding portion at a
top face of the support, and wherein the two supports are disposed
near one of side edges of the first circuit board. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.13. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, further
comprises: a second circuit board, wherein the second circuit board
is disposed on a plurality of supports formed in a top-cut conical
shape. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.14. The liquid crystal module according to claim 13, wherein
the second circuit board is a digital circuit board. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.15. The liquid crystal module according to claim 13, wherein
the first circuit board is a main circuit board. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.16. The liquid crystal module according to claim 13, wherein
the first circuit board and the second circuit board are disposed
on a same plane. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.17. The liquid crystal module according to claim 13, wherein
a size of the first circuit board is larger than a size of the
second circuit board. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.18. The liquid crystal module according to claim 17, wherein
a number of the supports on which the first circuit board is
disposed is larger than a number of the supports on which the
second circuit board is disposed. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.19. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein
the support is formed on a plane of the backlight chassis that is
approximately parallel to a display surface of the liquid crystal
cell. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.20. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein
holes formed by raising does not exist between the reflecting sheet
and the first circuit board. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.21. The liquid crystal module according to claim 2, wherein
the support comprises a cylindrical portion protruding from an
opposite face of a top face of the supports, wherein the first
circuit board is fixed by a screw through the cylindrical portion.
.Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field
The present invention relates to an economical liquid crystal
module used for a television set or a monitor for personal computer
use characterized in that: the number of parts is small and the
machining does not cost much labor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional liquid crystal module is disclosed in
JP-2004-287120. An example of the conventional liquid crystal
module will be explained referring to FIGS. 6 to 11. This is a
desktop type television set. In the housing 1 which is composed of
a front panel 1a and a rear cover 1b, the rectangular-frame-shaped
mold frame 2 is arranged. Inside the mold frame 2, the backlight 3
is provided. On the front face of the mold frame 2, the liquid
crystal cells 4 are arranged. On the rear face of the backlight 3,
the backlight chassis 6 made of metal is fixed via the reflecting
sheet 5 made of white synthetic resin, so that the liquid crystal
cells 4 can be illuminated from the rear side by the backlight 3.
In this connection, reference numeral 7 is a diffusion plate,
reference numeral 8 is a bezel, and reference numeral 9 is a
support rod.
As shown in FIG. 7, the backlight chassis 6 includes: a
rectangular-plate-shaped chassis body 6a; a pair of side plates 6b
which are bent at right angles from both side edges of the chassis
body 6a; and four leg plates 6c which are bent from both end
portions of the side plates 6b at right angles. The backlight
chassis 6 is engaged with the rear cover 1b and the mold frame 2
via the engaging holes 10 of the leg plates 6c.
As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of top-cut conical supports 11
(shown in FIG. 9), which are formed by means of drawing, and a
plurality of substantially L-shaped supports 12 (shown in FIG. 10),
which are bent backward by means of raising, are formed on the
chassis body 6a at predetermined intervals. Idle end portions of
appropriate substantially L-shaped supports 12 (three supports 12
in this case) are bent into a substantially L-shape so that two
side edge positioning protrusion pieces 13a, 13b and one lower edge
positioning protrusion piece 13c can be formed (shown in FIG. 11).
The lower edge positioning protrusion piece 13d, the face of which
is on the same face as that of the lower edge positioning
protrusion piece 13c, is formed by raising the chassis body 6a
(shown in FIG. 7). The main circuit board 15 is made to come into
contact with the positioning protrusion pieces 13a to 13d and put
on the supports 11, 12. When the screws 17 are screwed into the
screw holes 16 of the supports 11, 12 via the main circuit board
15, the main circuit board 15 is fixed to a reverse face of the
backlight chassis 6.
The digital circuit board 18 is also fixed to the reverse face of
the backlight chassis 6 by the same procedure. Therefore, like
reference characters are used to indicate like parts and the
description of the procedure of fixing the digital circuit board 18
is omitted here.
According to the conventional structure, in order to fix the main
circuit board 15 to the backlight chassis 6, both drawing and
raising are conducted upon the chassis body 6a of the backlight
chassis 6 so as to form the supports 11, 12 of a plurality of
types, which takes time and much labor and increases the
manufacturing cost.
Since a large number of cutout holes 20 are formed on the chassis
body 6a of the backlight chassis 6 by raising, a ray of light G
transmitted through the reflecting sheet 5 passes through the
cutout holes 20 and the ventilation hole 21 (shown in FIG. 6) of
the rear cover 1b and leaks out backward.
In order to solve the above problems, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11,
the cutout holes 20 are closed with the shading sheet 22. When this
countermeasure is taken, the number of parts is increased by using
the shading sheet 22. Further, when this shading sheet 22 is stuck,
it takes much labor and the manufacturing cost is increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an economical liquid crystal module
characterized in that: the number of parts is small; and the
machining does not cost much labor.
A liquid crystal module including: a rectangular-frame-shaped mold
frame that is provided with a backlight therein; a liquid crystal
cell that is arranged on a front face of the mold frame and is
illuminated from a rear side by the backlight; a backlight chassis
that is made of metal and fixed on a rear face of the backlight via
a reflecting sheet made of synthetic resin; a plurality of supports
that are formed on the backlight chassis; and a circuit board that
is fixed to the supports by screwing, wherein the support is formed
in a top-cut conical shape by swelling the backlight chassis
backward by being subjected to drawing, wherein the supports are
grouped into one of a first support and a second support, wherein
the first support is formed with a positioning cylindrical portion
protruding outward at a top face center thereof, wherein the second
support is formed with a fixing cylindrical portion protruding
inward at a top face center thereof by burring, wherein the
positioning cylindrical portion and the fixing cylindrical portion
are provided with a screw hole on an inner circumferential face
thereon, and wherein the circuit board is fixed to a reverse face
of the backlight chassis by positioning the circuit board by
engaging the positioning cylindrical portion to a through-hole
formed on the circuit board to concentrically positioning the
through-hole to the screw hole, and by screwing a screw into the
screw hole.
A liquid crystal module including: a rectangular-frame-shaped mold
frame that is provided with a backlight therein; a liquid crystal
cell that is arranged on a front face of the mold frame and is
illuminated from a rear side by the backlight; a backlight chassis
that is made of metal and fixed on a rear face of the backlight via
a reflecting sheet made of synthetic resin; a plurality of supports
that are formed on the backlight chassis; and a circuit board that
is fixed to the supports by screwing, wherein the support is formed
in a top-cut conical shape by swelling the backlight chassis
backward by being subjected to drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a liquid crystal
module which is an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a view taken on line II-II in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the liquid crystal module;
FIG. 4A is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a primary
portion of the liquid crystal module, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged
perspective view of the primary portion of the liquid crystal
module;
FIG. 5A is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of another
primary portion of the liquid crystal module, and FIG. 5B is an
enlarged perspective view of another primary portion of the liquid
crystal module;
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional
example;
FIG. 7 is a view taken on line VII-VII in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the conventional example;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a primary
portion of the conventional example;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of another primary portion of
the conventional example; and
FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of still another primary
portion of the conventional example.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Now referring to the drawings, an explanation will he given of an
embodiment of the viewing limitation setting method according to
this invention.
FIGS. 1-5B are views showing a desktop type television set (liquid
crystal module) which is an embodiment of the present invention.
Instead of the substantially L-shaped supports 12 which are
conventionally formed on the backlight chassis 6, the top-cut
conical supports 11 are formed in this embodiment. Since the
structure except for that is substantially the same as the
structure shown in FIGS. 6 to 11, like reference characters are
used to indicate like parts and the explanations are omitted
here.
Each top-cut conical support 11 is the same as that shown in FIG. 9
and formed when the backlight chassis 6 is subjected to drawing so
that the top-cut conical support 11 can be swelled backward. At the
top face centers of appropriate supports 11 (three supports 11
corresponding to the left upper corner, the left lower corner and
the right lower corner of the main circuit board 15 shown in FIG. 2
in this case), as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the positioning
cylindrical portions 24, which protrude outward; are formed by
means of burring, and as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, at the top face
centers of the supports 11 except for the appropriate supports, the
fixing cylindrical portions 25, which protrude inward, are formed
by burring. On the inner circumferential face of each cylindrical
portion 24, 25, the screw hole 16 is formed.
The procedure of fixing the main circuit hoard 15 will he explained
as follows. When the through-holes 26 of the main circuit board 15
are engaged with the positioning cylindrical portions 24, the
through-holes 26 of the main circuit board 15 can be concentrically
positioned with respect to the screw holes 16 of the supports 11.
When the screws 17 are screwed into the screw holes 16 via the
through-holes 26, the main circuit board 15 can be fixed to a
reverse face of the backlight chassis 6.
Since the digital circuit board 18 is fixed to the reverse face of
the backlight chassis 6 by the same procedure, like reference
characters are used to indicate like parts and the procedure of
fixing the digital circuit board 18 is omitted here.
According to the above structure, in order to fix the main circuit
board 15 and the digital circuit board 18 to the backlight chassis
6, drawing is conducted on the backlight chassis 6 so that the
supports 11 of only one type can be formed. Therefore, compared
with the conventional structure in which the supports 11, 12 (shown
in FIGS. 6 to 11) of a plurality of types are formed, the machining
does not take much labor and the manufacturing cost can be
reduced.
Since only drawing is conducted on the backlight chassis 6 and no
cutout holes 20 (shown in FIG. 7) are formed on the backlight
chassis 6 by raising, there is no possibility of the leakage of
light G emitted by the backlight 3 leaks out backward. Accordingly,
unlike the conventional structure, it is unnecessary to stick the
shading sheet 22 (shown in FIGS. 10 and 11) to the backlight
chassis 6. Therefore, the number of parts can be decreased.
Further, labor to stick the shading sheet 22 onto the backlight
chassis 6 can be eliminated and the manufacturing cost can be
reduced.
Further, only when the through-holes 26 of the main circuit board
15 and the digital circuit board 18 are is engaged with the
positioning cylindrical portions 24 formed at the top-face centers
of the appropriate supports 11, the through-holes 26 of the circuit
boards 15, 18 can be concentrically positioned with respect to the
screw holes 16 of the supports 11 and the to screws 17 can be
smoothly screwed into the screw holes 16 via the through-hole
26.
In the embodiment described above, explanations are made into a
desktop type television set which is taken up as an example.
However, it should be noted that the present invention is not
limited to the above specific embodiment. For example, the present
invention can be applied to a liquid crystal module which is used
for a wall-mounted television set or a monitor for personal
computer use.
In the embodiment, the backlight chassis 6 is described to have no
cutout holes 20 formed thereon. S However, the backlight chassis 6
may include a cutout hole that is formed by raising.
Although the present invention has been shown and described with
reference to the embodiment, various changes and modifications will
be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein.
Such changes and modifications as are obvious are deemed to come
within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the invention as
defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *