U.S. patent number RE49,065 [Application Number 14/181,299] was granted by the patent office on 2022-05-10 for liquid crystal panel assembly and liquid crystal display apparatus having the same.
This patent grant is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Jin-hyun Cho, Joon Kang.
United States Patent |
RE49,065 |
Cho , et al. |
May 10, 2022 |
Liquid crystal panel assembly and liquid crystal display apparatus
having the same
Abstract
A liquid crystal panel assembly includes a liquid crystal panel,
a backlight module having at least one light emitting diode (LED)
light source to irradiate light to the liquid crystal panel, and a
housing which surrounds the liquid crystal panel and the backlight
module. At least a portion of the housing adjacent to the at least
one LED light source is formed of a thermal-conductive
material.
Inventors: |
Cho; Jin-hyun (Seoul,
KR), Kang; Joon (Seoul, KR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. |
Suwon-si |
N/A |
KR |
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Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
(Suwon-si, KR)
|
Family
ID: |
1000005793585 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/181,299 |
Filed: |
February 14, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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11652009 |
Jan 4, 2011 |
7864258 |
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Reissue of: |
12953745 |
Nov 24, 2010 |
8115887 |
Feb 14, 2012 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Mar 13, 2006 [KR] |
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10-2006-0023068 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B
6/0085 (20130101); G02F 1/133308 (20130101); G02B
6/0073 (20130101); G02F 1/133615 (20130101); G02F
1/133314 (20210101); G02F 1/133334 (20210101); G02F
1/133317 (20210101); G02F 1/133628 (20210101) |
Current International
Class: |
G02F
1/1333 (20060101); F21V 8/00 (20060101); G02F
1/13357 (20060101); G02F 1/1335 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;349/58,65
;362/612,606,608,600,615-629 ;361/679.02 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1399160 |
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Feb 2003 |
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CN |
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1515937 |
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Jul 2004 |
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CN |
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1598660 |
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Mar 2005 |
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CN |
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1713042 |
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Dec 2005 |
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CN |
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8-248900 |
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Sep 1996 |
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JP |
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2002091330 |
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Mar 2002 |
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JP |
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2004-69825 |
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Mar 2004 |
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JP |
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2004-186004 |
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Jul 2004 |
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JP |
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2005084270 |
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Mar 2005 |
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JP |
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2005338178 |
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Dec 2005 |
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JP |
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2006-11242 |
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Jan 2006 |
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JP |
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2006066328 |
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Mar 2006 |
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JP |
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10-2003-0079777 |
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Oct 2003 |
|
KR |
|
Other References
Communication dated Nov. 6, 2014, issued by the European Patent
Office in counterpart European Application No. 14171255.4. cited by
applicant .
Communication from the State Intellectual property Office of P.R.
China in counterpart Chinese Application No. 200610165990.X. cited
by applicant .
Communication under Rule 71(3) EPC dated Jan. 24, 2014 issued by
the European Patent Office in corresponding European Patent
Application No. 06077004.7. cited by applicant .
Communication dated Jul. 5, 2016 issued by European Patent Office
in counterpart European Patent Application No. 14171255.4. cited by
applicant .
Communication dated Mar. 25, 2015, issued by the European Patent
Office in counterpart European Application No. 14171255.4. cited by
applicant .
Decision to Refuse dated Nov. 4, 2016, issued by the European
Patent Office in counterpart European Application No. 14171255.4.
cited by applicant .
Communication dated Sep. 27, 2019, issued by the European Patent
Office in counterpart European Application No. 14171255.4. cited by
applicant .
Communication dated Nov. 29, 2019, issued by the European Patent
Office in counterpart European Application No. 17 167 616.6. cited
by applicant .
Communication dated Feb. 26, 2020, issued by the European Patent
Office in counterpart European Application No. 17 167 616.6. cited
by applicant .
Communication dated Jul. 26, 2017, issued by the European Patent
Office in counterpart European Patent Application No. 17167616.6.
cited by applicant .
Jun. 28, 2010 Communication from the State Intellectual Property
Office of P.R. China in counterpart Chinese Application No.
200610165990.X. cited by applicant .
Communication dated Aug. 4, 2011 from the European Patent Office in
counterpart European application No. 06077004.7. cited by
applicant.
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Primary Examiner: Deb; Anjan K
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sughrue Mion, PLLC
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
.[.This.]. .Iadd.More than one reissue application has been filed
for the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,115,877, filed as U.S.
application Ser. No. 12/953,745, which .Iaddend.is a Continuation
application of application Ser. No. 11/652,009, filed Jan. 11,
2007, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119 from
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-23068, filed on Mar. 13,
2006, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office.[., the entire
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.]..
.Iadd.The reissue applications are the present application, and
U.S. application Ser. No. 14/876,369, filed on Oct. 6, 2015, in the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The present application is an
application for reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,115,887, and U.S.
application Ser. No. 14/876,369 is a divisional of the present
application, filed on Oct. 6, 2015, in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office, which is also an application for reissue of U.S.
Pat. No. 8,115,887. .Iaddend.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A liquid crystal panel assembly comprising: a liquid crystal
panel; a backlight module .[.having at least one.]. .Iadd.arranged
adjacent to the liquid crystal panel, the backlight module
comprising: a light guide plate configured to guide light; and a
.Iaddend.light emitting diode (LED) light source .[.which
irradiates light to the liquid crystal panel and a light guide
plate which guides light from the at least one LED light source.].
.Iadd.arranged at an end of the light guide plate, the LED light
source configured to irradiate light in a lateral direction of the
light guide plate.Iaddend.; .[.and.]. a housing .[.which
surrounds.]. .Iadd.arranged to surround .Iaddend.the liquid crystal
panel and the backlight module, .Iadd.the housing comprising a
front housing and a rear housing; a frame-shaped connecting bracket
disposed between the front housing and the rear housing; a frame
arranged to be in contact with the housing; and a driving circuit
board connected to the liquid crystal panel through a flexible
board and disposed between the frame-shaped connecting bracket and
the front housing, .Iaddend. wherein .[.at least a portion of.].
the housing is formed of a thermal-conductive material,
.Iadd.wherein the LED light source comprises a circuit board and a
plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on the circuit
board, .Iaddend.and wherein the housing is arranged to be in
contact with .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.circuit board of the .[.at
least one.]. LED light source so that heat is transmitted from the
circuit board .[.of the at least one LED light source.]. to the
housing.
2. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein
.[.the housing comprises a front housing and a rear housing, and.].
the rear housing is formed of the thermal-conductive material.
3. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein
at least a portion of the rear housing near the .[.at least one.].
LED light source is formed of the thermal-conductive material.
4. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein
.[.the housing comprises a front housing and a rear housing, and.].
the rear housing is arranged to be in contact with the circuit
board of the .[.at least one.]. LED light source so that heat is
transmitted from the circuit board .[.of the lat least one LED
light source.]. to the rear housing.
5. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein
the rear housing is arranged to be in indirect contact with the
circuit board of the .[.at least one.]. LED light source so that
heat is transmitted from the circuit board .[.of the lat least one
LED light source.]. to the rear housing.
6. A liquid crystal panel assembly comprising: a liquid crystal
panel; a backlight module .[.having at least one.]. .Iadd.arranged
adjacent to the liquid crystal panel and comprising: a light guide
plate configured to guide light; and a .Iaddend.light emitting
diode (LED) light source .[.which irradiates light to the liquid
crystal panel and a light guide plate which guides light from the
at least one LED light source.]. .Iadd.arranged at an end of the
light guide plate, the light source configured to irradiate light
in a lateral direction of the light guide plate.Iaddend.; .[.and.].
a front housing and a rear housing which surround the liquid
crystal panel and the backlight module.[.,.]..Iadd.; a frame-shaped
connecting bracket disposed between the front housing and the rear
housing; a frame arranged to be in contact with the rear housing;
and a driving circuit board connected to the liquid crystal panel
through a flexible board and disposed between the frame-shaped
connecting bracket and the front housing, .Iaddend. wherein at
least a portion of the rear housing near the .[.at least one.]. LED
light source is formed of a thermal-conductive material,
.Iadd.wherein the LED light source comprises a circuit board and a
plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on the circuit
board, .Iaddend.and wherein the rear housing is arranged to be in
contact with .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.circuit board of the .[.at
least one.]. LED light source so that heat is transmitted from the
circuit board .[.of the at least one LED light source.]. to the
rear housing.
7. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein
the rear housing is arranged to be in indirect contact with the
circuit board of the .[.at least one.]. LED light source so that
heat is transmitted from the circuit board .[.of the lat least one
LED light source.]. to the rear housing.
8. A liquid crystal panel assembly comprising: a liquid crystal
panel; a frame to which the liquid crystal panel is mounted,
wherein .[.a least a portion of.]. the frame is formed of a first
thermal-conductive material; a backlight module .[.having at least
one.]. .Iadd.arranged adjacent to the liquid crystal panel and
comprising: a light guide plate configured to guide light; and a
.Iaddend.light emitting diode (LED) light source .[.which
irradiates light to the liquid crystal panel and a light guide
plate which guides light from the at least one LED light source.].
.Iadd.arranged at an end of the light guide plate, the light source
configured to irradiate light in a lateral direction of the light
guide plate.Iaddend.; and a housing .[.which surrounds.].
.Iadd.arranged to surround .Iaddend.the liquid crystal panel and
the backlight module, .Iadd.wherein the housing comprising a front
housing and a rear housing; a frame-shaped connecting bracket
disposed between the front housing and the rear housing; and a
driving circuit board connected to the liquid crystal panel through
a flexible board and disposed between the frame-shaped connecting
bracket and the front housing, .Iaddend. wherein at least a portion
of the housing is formed of a second thermal-conductive material,
.Iadd.wherein the light source comprises a circuit board and a
plurality of light emitting diodes mounted on the circuit board,
.Iaddend.and wherein the housing is arranged to be in contact with
.[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.circuit board of the .[.at least one.].
LED light source so that heat is transmitted from the circuit board
.[.of the at least one LED light source.]. to the housing.
9. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein
.[.the housing comprises a front housing and a rear housing, and.].
the rear housing is formed of the second thermal-conductive
material.
10. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 8,
wherein .[.the housing comprises a front housing and a rear
housing, and.]. at least a portion of the rear housing near the
.[.at least one.]. LED light source is formed of the second
thermal-conductive material.
11. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 8,
wherein .[.the housing comprises a front housing and a rear
housing, and.]. the rear housing is arranged to be in contact with
the circuit board .[.of the at least one LED light source.]. so
that heat is transmitted from the circuit board .[.of the at least
one LED light source.]. to the rear housing.
12. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 11,
wherein the rear housing is arranged to be in indirect contact with
the circuit board .[.of the at least one LED light source.]. so
that heat is transmitted from the circuit board of the .[.at least
one LED light source.]. to the rear housing.
.Iadd.13. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 1,
further comprising: a controller configured to control the driving
circuit board and the backlight module. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.14. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the driving circuit board is disposed at a side of the rear
housing. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.15. The liquid crystal panel assembly as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the driving circuit board is disposed on the frame-shaped
connecting bracket. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.16. A liquid crystal panel assembly comprising: a liquid
crystal panel; a backlight module arranged adjacent to the liquid
crystal panel and comprising: a light guide plate configured to
guide light; and a light emitting diode (LED) light source arranged
at an end of the light guide plate, the LED light source configured
to irradiate light in a lateral direction of the light guide plate;
a housing which surrounds the liquid crystal panel and the
backlight module, wherein the housing comprises a rear housing
arranged to surround a rear portion of the liquid crystal panel and
arranged to support the backlight module, and a front housing
arranged to surround a front portion of the liquid crystal panel; a
frame-shaped connecting bracket disposed between the front housing
and the rear housing; a frame arranged to be in contact with the
rear housing; and a driving circuit board connected to the liquid
crystal panel through a flexible board and disposed between the
frame-shaped connecting bracket and the front housing, wherein the
rear housing is formed of a thermal-conductive material, wherein
the LED light source comprises a circuit board and a plurality of
light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on the circuit board, and
wherein the rear housing is arranged to be in contact with the
circuit board so that heat is transmitted from the circuit board to
the rear housing. .Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a
liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus using a light emitting diode
(LED) as a light source.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus is a kind of flat panel
display (FPD) apparatus, which converts various electric
information generating from all sorts of devices into visual
information by using a change of transmissivity in a liquid crystal
according to a voltage applied thereto and displays it. Contrary to
a cathode ray tube (CRT) display apparatus, the FDP apparatus needs
a backlight because it does not have a self-luminosity. However,
the FDP apparatus consumes little electric power and can be used in
a portable type device because it is driven with a low driving
voltage. Thus, the FDP apparatus is widely used in a watch, a TV, a
monitor for computer, etc.
Such a LCD apparatus usually includes a liquid crystal panel, and a
backlight module arranged adjacent to the liquid crystal panel.
The liquid crystal panel is provided with a pair of substrates
arranged in a minutely spaced-apart relation to each other, a
liquid crystal interposed in a space between the substrates, and a
driving circuit to drive the liquid crystal.
According to a method of driving the liquid crystal, the liquid
crystal panel is classified into an active matrix type to drive a
pixel capacity by using switch elements, a passive matrix type to
drive a pixel capacity without using switch elements, etc.
Particularly, the active matrix type liquid crystal panel can be
further classified into a type using three terminal type switch
elements such as thin film transistors (TFT), a type using two
terminal type switch elements such as thin film diodes (TFD),
etc.
The backlight module is provided with a light guide plate arranged
adjacent to the liquid crystal panel, and a light source to
irradiate light to the light guide plate. Light conveyed to the
light guide plate from the light source is guided to the liquid
crystal panel through a diffusing plate and/or a prism.
A fluorescent lamp, such a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL), an
external electrode fluorescent lamp (EEFL), etc., is usually used
as the light source of the backlight module. However, the
fluorescent lamp is disadvantageous in that a lifespan is shortened
due to a change of gas pressure in plasma, an inverter is required
to realize a high driving voltage of several hundred volts
necessary for plasma discharge, and a consumption efficiency of
electric power is low.
Accordingly, recently a light emitting diode (LED) is in the
spotlight as the light source for use in the backlight module. The
LED is a light emitting element, which produces light by a light
emitting phenomenon generating when a voltage is applied to a
semiconductor. The LED is advantageous in that as compared with the
conventional light source such as a fluorescent lamp, a size is
relatively small, a lifespan is guaranteed for a relatively long
time, an energy efficiency is relatively high since an electric
energy is directly converted into a light energy, and a relatively
low driving voltage is required.
However, when the LED is used as the light source for the backlight
module in the LCD apparatus, it is disadvantageous in that due to
heat of high temperature generating while the LED is operated, the
liquid crystal panel is subject to a negative influence and a light
emitting performance of the LED itself is deteriorated.
Accordingly, recently, there have been developed and disclosed
various types of heat emitting structures, which can effectively
emit the heat from the LED.
FIG. 1 is a side section view exemplifying a related art LCD
apparatus.
As shown in the drawing, the related art LCD apparatus includes a
liquid crystal panel 1, a backlight module 2 to irradiate light to
the liquid crystal panel 1, a controller 3 to drive the liquid
crystal panel 1 and the backlight module 2, and a frame 4 to which
the liquid crystal panel 1 and the backlight module 2 are
mounted.
A driving circuit board (not shown) for liquid crystal is connected
to the liquid crystal panel 1.
The backlight module 2 includes a LED light source 5. The LED light
source 5 is provided with a plurality of LEDs 5a, and a circuit
board 5b on which the plurality of LEDs 5a are mounted.
At a rear side of the LED light source 5 is arranged a heat
radiating member 7 having a plurality of heat radiating pins 7a.
The heat radiating member 7 emits heat generating from the LED
light source 5 to the outside.
The controller 3 includes a power supply, an inverter, a main
control board, all sorts of electric elements and sensors, etc.,
which are not shown in the drawing, and controls a whole operation
of the LCD apparatus. The frame 4 is provided with a front frame
part 4a to which the liquid crystal panel 1 is mounted, and a rear
frame 4b arranged behind the front frame part 4a.
Between the frame 4 and the backlight module 2 are arranged a first
shield 8 to surround the backlight module 2 and the liquid crystal
panel 1, and a second shield 9 to surround the controller 3.
The first and the second shields 8 and 9 are made of an
electric-conductive material so as to shield all sorts of
electromagnetic waves generating from the backlight module 2 and
the controller 3.
However, such a related art LCD apparatus is disadvantageous in
that the heat radiating member 7 used for emitting the heat of high
temperature generating from the LED light source 5 occupies a large
installation space, thereby increasing a size of the LCD
apparatus.
Further, the related art LCD apparatus is disadvantageous in that
there is no heat radiating structure to emit all sorts of heat of
high temperature generating from the controller 3, thereby
deteriorating a display quality of the LCD apparatus.
Also, the related art LCD apparatus is disadvantageous in that
there is installed a shield structure such as the first and the
second shields 8 and 9 to intercept the electromagnetic waves
generating from the backlight module 2 and the liquid crystal panel
1, thereby increasing the number of assembling parts and processes
and enlarging a volume of the LCD apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention address at least the
above problems and/or disadvantages. Accordingly, an aspect of the
present invention is to provide a liquid crystal panel assembly and
a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus having the same, which can
realize a more-compacted size.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a liquid
crystal panel assembly and a LCD apparatus having the same, which
have a greatly enhanced display quality.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a
liquid crystal panel assembly and a LCD apparatus having the same,
which can realize a high-energy efficiency.
Also another aspect of the present invention is to provide a liquid
crystal panel assembly and a LCD apparatus having the same, which
can more effectively emit heat of high temperature generating from
a light emitting diode (LED) light source of a backlight
module.
According to one aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a liquid crystal panel assembly
comprising a liquid crystal panel, a backlight module having at
least one LED light source which irradiates light to the liquid
crystal panel, and a housing which surrounds the liquid crystal
panel and the backlight module, wherein at least a portion of the
housing adjacent to the at least one LED light source is formed of
a thermal-conductive material.
The housing may comprise a front housing part which exposes a
screen of the liquid crystal panel to the outside, and a rear
housing part arranged at a rear side of the backlight module, and
the rear housing part may be formed of a thermal-conductive
material.
The rear housing part may be arranged to surround the at least one
LED light source.
The backlight module may further comprise a light guide plate which
guides light from the at least one LED light source, a diffusing
plate which diffuses light from the light guide plate to the liquid
crystal panel, and a reflecting plate which reflects light from the
light guide plate to the diffusing plate.
The at least one LED light source of the backlight module may
comprise a pair of LED light sources arranged symmetrically to each
other at both sides of the light guide plate.
According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, there is provided a LCD apparatus comprising a
liquid crystal panel assembly comprising a liquid crystal panel,
and a backlight module having at least one LED light source which
irradiates light to the liquid crystal panel, and a frame to which
the liquid crystal panel assembly is mounted, wherein at least a
portion of the frame adjacent to the at least one LED light source
is formed of a thermal-conductive material.
The frame may comprise a front frame part which exposes a screen of
the liquid crystal panel to the outside, and a rear frame part
arranged behind the front frame part, and the rear frame part may
be formed of a thermal-conductive material.
The rear frame part may be formed of a thermal and
electric-conductive material.
The liquid crystal panel assembly may further comprise a housing
which surrounds the liquid crystal panel and the backlight module,
and at least a portion of the housing adjacent to the at least one
LED light source may be formed of a thermal-conductive
material.
The housing may comprise a front housing part which exposes a
screen of the liquid crystal panel to the outside, and a rear
housing part arranged at a rear side of the backlight module, and
the rear housing part may be formed of a thermal-conductive
material.
The rear housing part may be arranged to surround the at least one
LED light source.
The rear housing part may be in contact with the frame.
According to also another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, there is provided a LCD apparatus comprising a
liquid crystal panel assembly comprising a liquid crystal panel,
and a backlight module having at least one LED light source which
irradiates light to the liquid crystal panel, and a frame to which
the liquid crystal panel assembly is mounted, the frame being
formed of a thermal-conductive material.
Other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent to
those skilled in the art from the following detailed description,
which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses
exemplary embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and/or other aspects of certain exemplary embodiments of the
present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated
from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
FIG. 1 is a side section view exemplifying a related art LCD
apparatus;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view exemplifying a liquid
crystal panel assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross section view exemplifying a LCD apparatus in
accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 4 is a magnified cross section view of a portion IV of FIG. 3;
and
FIG. 5 is a magnified cross section view of a portion VI of FIG. 3
showing the rear housing part in contact with the LED light
source.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT
INVENTION
Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments
of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the
like elements throughout. The exemplary embodiments are described
below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the
figures.
FIG. 2 exemplifies a liquid crystal panel assembly in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3
and 4 exemplify a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus in
accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present
invention to which the liquid crystal panel assembly is
applied.
As illustrated in the drawings, the liquid crystal panel assembly
100 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention includes a liquid crystal panel 10, a backlight module 20
to irradiate light to the liquid crystal panel 10, and a housing
30.
The liquid crystal panel 10 may be one of various types of liquid
crystal panels, which has a pair of substrates arranged in a
minutely spaced-apart relation to each other, a liquid crystal
interposed in a space between the pair of substrates, etc.
The backlight module 20 is provided with at least one light
emitting diode (LED) light source 21, a light guide plate 22 to
guide light from the LED light source 21, a diffusing plate 23 to
diffuse light from the light guide plate 22 to the liquid crystal
panel 10, and a reflecting plate 24 arranged at a rear side of the
light guide plate 22.
The LED light source 21 includes a circuit board 21a, and a
plurality of LEDs 21b mounted on the circuit board 21a. The
respective LEDs 21b irradiate light in a lateral direction of the
light guide plate 22, the light guide plate 22 leads light from the
respective LEDs 21b to the diffusing plate 23, and the diffusing
plate 23 diffuses light conveyed from the light guide plate 22 to
the liquid crystal panel 10. The reflecting plate 24, which is
arranged at an opposite surface to a light emitting surface of the
light guide plate 22, reflects and guides light led onto the
opposite surface of the light guide plate 22 toward the diffusing
plate 23.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
LED light source 21 is configured, such that as illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of LED light sources are arranged at both
ends, e.g., upper and lower ends, of the light guide plate 22,
respectively, thereby uniformly conveying light all over the light
guide plate 22.
However, the present invention does not limit the number and the
arrangement of the LED light source 21. For instance, instead of
arranging the pair of LED light sources 21 at both ends of the
light guide plate 22 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a single LED
light source (not shown) can be arranged at the middle of the
backlight module 20.
Also, a condensing sheet 25 is interposed between the diffusing
plate 23 and the liquid crystal panel 10. The condensing sheet 25
functions to condense light diffused by the diffusing plate 23 into
an image area of the liquid crystal panel 10, like, e.g., a prism
sheet, a high brightness film, etc.
If a prism sheet is used as the condensing sheet 25, it does not
transmit an S wave, thereby reducing a light efficiency even though
a P wave is transmitted. Thus, a high brightness film such as a
dual brightness-enhanced film (DBEF) may be used as the condensing
sheet 25.
Such a high brightness film, as an improved reflective polarizer to
reduce a loss of light as generated in the prism sheet, converts a
direction of an S wave component into the same direction as that of
a P wave component to reduce a loss of the S wave, thereby
increasing a brightness.
The housing 30 is arranged to surround the liquid crystal panel 10
and the backlight module 20, either contacting with or being
adjacent to but without contacting with the LED light source 21 of
the backlight module 20 at a portion thereof. The housing 30
includes a front housing part 31 formed to expose an effective
display area of a screen of the liquid crystal panel 10 to the
outside, and a rear housing part 32 arranged behind the front
housing part 31.
The front housing part 31 has an opening 31a to expose the
effective display area of the screen of the liquid crystal panel 10
to the outside.
The rear housing part 32 is mounted at a rear side of the backlight
module 20, so that it is arranged to be either in contact or
adjacent to, but not being in contact with the LED light source 21
of the backlight module 20 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).
The rear housing part 32 is formed of a thermal-conductive material
such as Al, Zr-electroplated steel, Cu, graphite,
thermal-conductive plastic, etc. so as to facilitate an emission of
heat of high temperature generating from the LED light source 21
therethough.
The rear housing part 32 may be configured in a shape to surround
the LED light source 21 to more facilitate the emission of the heat
of high temperature generating from the LED light source 21.
Referring to FIG. 4, the front and the rear housing parts 31 and 32
are interconnected by a frame-shaped connecting bracket 33. A
driving circuit board 15 for liquid crystal is disposed between the
connecting bracket 33 and the front housing part 31, and connected
to the liquid crystal panel 10 through a flexible board 14 to drive
and control a pixel capacity of the liquid crystal panel 10.
Similarly to the rear housing part 32, the connecting bracket 33 is
formed of a thermal-conductive material.
The LCD apparatus 200 in accordance with another exemplary
embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel
assembly 100 as described above, and a frame 40 to which the liquid
crystal panel assembly 100 is mounted.
The frame 40 is provided with a front frame part 41 to which the
liquid crystal panel 10 is mounted to expose an effective display
area of the screen thereof to the outside, and a rear frame part 42
mounted at a rear side of the liquid crystal panel assembly
100.
The front frame part 41 has an opening 41a corresponding to the
opening 31a of the front housing part 31 so as to expose the
effective display area of the screen of the liquid crystal panel 10
to the outside.
The rear frame part 42 is in contact with the rear housing part 32
which is in contact with the LED light source 21 of the liquid
crystal panel assembly 100.
The rear frame part 42 is formed of a thermal and
electric-conductive material such as Al, Zr-electroplated steel,
Cu, etc.
The rear frame part 42 at an inner side thereof may have a contact
part 42a to be in contact with and support the rear housing part 32
of the liquid crystal panel assembly 100. With the rear frame part
42 and the rear housing part 32 being in contact with each other,
the heat of high temperature generating from the LED light source
21 can be more effectively emitted to the outside through the rear
frame part 42 and the rear housing part 32.
Between the rear frame part 42 and the rear housing part 32 is
interposed a controller 50. The controller 50 includes a power
supply to control a supply of electric power, an inverter, a main
control board to control all sorts of controlling and driving
signals for the LCD apparatus 200, all sorts of electric elements
and sensors, etc., which are not shown in the drawings, and
controls a whole operation of the LCD apparatus 200.
As previously noted, being formed of the thermal and
electric-conductive material such as Al, Zr-electroplated steel,
Cu, etc, and arranged behind the controller 50, the rear frame part
42 also has an electromagnetic wave shield function which
effectively intercepts electromagnetic waves generating from the
controller 50 during the operation.
According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention as
described above, the rear housing part 32 and/or the rear frame
part 42 are formed of the thermal-conductive material. Accordingly,
the heat of high temperature generating from the LED light source
21 can be more effectively emitted to the outside, thereby reducing
a heating temperature of the LED light source 21. Thus, the display
quality of the liquid crystal panel assembly and the LCD apparatus
as well as the brightness of the LED light source 21 can be
enhanced.
Further, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present
invention, as the heat generating from the LED light source 21 is
effectively emitted to the outside as described above, the liquid
crystal panel assembly and the LCD apparatus can minimize the
consumption of electric power, thereby maximizing the energy
efficiency.
Also, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present
invention, the liquid crystal panel assembly and the LCD apparatus
is configured, such that a structure of emitting the heat from the
LED light source 21 is simplified as described above. Accordingly,
the liquid crystal panel assembly and the LCD apparatus can be
embodied to have a more-compacted size.
Also, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present
invention, the rear frame part 42 is formed of the thermal and
electric-conductive material so as to intercept the electromagnetic
waves generating from the controller 50. Accordingly, the LCD
apparatus does not need a separate electromagnetic wave shield
structure.
Although a few exemplary embodiments of the present invention have
been generally shown and described, it will be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that changes may be made in these exemplary
embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the
invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and
their equivalents.
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