US20100320886A1

US20100320886A1 - Display Device

Info

Publication number: US20100320886A1
Application number: US12/815,629
Authority: US
Inventors: Li-Fu Sung; Chung-Min Wang
Original assignee: AU Optronics Corp
Current assignee: AU Optronics Corp
Priority date: 2009-06-19
Filing date: 2010-06-15
Publication date: 2010-12-23
Also published as: TW201101825A; TWI416952B

Abstract

A display device includes a front frame, a panel module, and a back cover, wherein the panel module is disposed between the front frame and the back frame. The panel module includes an active area and a base respectively facing the front frame and the back cover. The back cover further includes a plurality of anchor portions and a plurality of wall connecting portions. The anchor portion extends from the back cover toward the base and is fixed on the base using a screw or other elements. The wall connecting portion is formed on one side of the anchor portion and is coupled with a hanger disposed on a wall using screws or other elements to hang the display device on the wall.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a display device and specifically to a display device that can be hung on a wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As the liquid crystal display has become the mainstream of the flat displays, its thickness and overall weight have gradually reduced as technology progresses. Reduction in thickness and overall weight of the liquid crystal display also improves the convenience and possibility of disposing the liquid crystal display on any desired places. In addition to placing the liquid crystal display on a table or within a television closet, a wall hanger can be provided for selectively placing the liquid crystal display on the wall as a wall-type liquid crystal display. However, the structure of the wall-type liquid crystal display needs to be adjusted to be firmly placed on the wall hanger. Therefore, the manufacturer needs to consider the relationship between the structural strength of the wall hanger and the overall weight of the liquid crystal display to ensure that the wall hanger will not crack to prevent the liquid crystal display from falling down due to excessive weight. Furthermore, the manufacturer must also consider the number of elements used in the wall hanger to decrease the production cost of the wall-type liquid crystal display and provide a better competitiveness.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional wall-type liquid crystal display 10. As FIG. 1 shows, the wall-type liquid crystal display 10 includes a back cover 11, a panel module 12, a bolt 13, a wall coupler 14, and a wall hanger 15, wherein the back cover 11 is disposed with through holes for the wall coupler 14 to pass through and couple with the panel module 12. The wall coupler 14 has a screw aperture corresponding to the through hole of the back cover 11 to allow the bolt 13 to pass through the wall hanger 15 to couple with the wall coupler 14. In this way, the wall-type liquid crystal display 10 is coupled with the wall hanger 15. As for the wall-type liquid crystal display illustrated in FIG. 1, the bolt 13 serves as a support element of the wall hanger 15 to withstand the weight of the conventional wall-type liquid crystal display 10. The above-mentioned wall hanger structure can support a heavier liquid crystal display, but the structure also requires more elements resulting in higher production cost.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another conventional wall-type liquid crystal display. As FIG. 2 shows, the wall-type liquid crystal display 10 includes a back cover 11, a panel module 12, a bolt 13, and a connector 16, wherein the connector 16 is disposed on the inner side of the back cover 11 facing the panel module 12. Furthermore, a through hole is formed on the back cover 11 for part of the connector 16 passing therethrough from the inner side of the back cover 11. The connector 16 has a screw aperture corresponding to the through hole of the back cover 11 to allow the bolt 13 to pass a through hole (not illustrated) of the wall hanger 15 and then couple with the connector 16. In this way, the connector 16 couples the liquid crystal display 10 with the wall hanger 15. As for the liquid crystal display 10 illustrated in FIG. 2, the back cover 11 supports the overall weight of the liquid crystal display 10. However, the back cover 11 having relatively small thickness can easily crack due to excessive weight of the liquid crystal display 10. In other words, the above-mentioned wall hanger structure cannot support the liquid crystal display having heavier weight.
Therefore, the bottleneck of designing the wall-type liquid crystal display is to reduce the number of elements and overall weight of the display while maintaining the structural strength of the display and lowering the overall production cost of the display.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device which can be hung on a wall-like structure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device using relatively fewer elements and having lighter weight.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a display device using relatively fewer elements and having lower production cost.
The display device of the present invention has a front frame, a panel module, and a back cover, wherein the panel module is disposed between the front frame and the back cover. The panel module includes an active area and a base, wherein the active area and the base face the front frame and the back cover, respectively. The back cover includes a plurality of anchor portions and a plurality of wall connecting portions, wherein the anchor portion extends from the back cover toward the base and is anchored on the base. The wall connecting portion is formed near the anchor portion for coupling with a wall hanger.
In one embodiment, the base of the panel module includes a base plate disposed on one side of the base facing the back cover to be coupled with the anchor portion. In one embodiment, the wall connecting portion is preferably formed on a virtual connection line between two anchor portions. Furthermore, a first distance exists between the wall connecting portion and the adjacent anchor portion and a second distance exists between two anchor portions. In order to maintain the structural strength of the back cover, the ratio between the first distance and the second distance is preferably less than ⅕. In different embodiments, the base also includes a lateral frame and a plurality of supporting ribs, wherein the lateral frame is disposed on the edge of the panel module and substantially surrounds the panel module. Each of the supporting rib goes across the lateral frame and two ends of the supporting rib are connected to two opposite sides of the lateral frame, wherein the anchor portions are connected to the supporting rib.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional wall-type liquid crystal display;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another conventional wall-type liquid crystal display;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the display device of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the display device in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4B is a schematic view of the connection jacket of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is another cross-sectional view of the display device in FIG. 3, wherein part of the melted second positioning portion is cured to form a stopper;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the display device in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B illustrate embodiments of the back cover of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the display device, wherein the base includes a plurality of supporting ribs;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the back cover in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the display device in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is a rear view of another embodiment of the display device in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides a display device; specifically a display device which can be hung on a wall. The display device described below is a liquid crystal display, but is not limited thereto; in different embodiments, the display device can include organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays or other flat display devices.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the display device 100 of the present invention, wherein the display device 100 includes a front frame 110, a panel module 200 and a back cover 300. In the present embodiment, the panel module 200 is a liquid crystal panel module, but is not limited thereto; in different embodiments, the panel module can include an OLED panel module or other flat panel module. As FIG. 3 shows, the panel module 200 is disposed between the front frame 110 and the back cover 300, wherein the panel module 200 includes an active area 210 (see FIG. 4) facing the front frame 100 and a base 220 (see FIG. 4) facing the back cover 300. The front frame 110 has a display opening 120 corresponding to the active area 210 of the panel module 200 to display images through the display opening 120. The panel module 200 includes a base plate 310 attached to the base 220. Furthermore, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, a plurality of anchor portions 320 and corresponding wall connecting portions 330 are formed on the surface of the base plate 310 facing the back cover 300 for screws, bolts, or other connecting elements to pass through and couple the back cover 300 with the back plate 310 and a wall hanger (not illustrated). The above-mentioned wall hanger preferably includes a plate disposed on a wall for the display device to be disposed thereon.
FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the display device 100 illustrated in FIG. 3. As FIG. 4A shows, the base plate 310 is attached to the base 220 of the panel module 200 to serve as the bottom of the base 200, wherein the material strength of the base plate 310 is preferably greater than that of the back cover 300. The above-mentioned material strength includes rigidity, tensile resistance, pressure resistance, and other parameters. In the present embodiment, the base plate 310 and the back cover 300 are made of metals and plastics respectively, but are not limited thereto. In different embodiments, the back plate 310 and the back cover 300 can be made of the same material; for example, both are made of metal or plastic.
In the present embodiment, the anchor portion 320 includes a drive-in pipe 321 and a first connecting element 322, wherein the first connecting element 322 of the present embodiment is a bolt, but is not limited thereto and can include screws or other connecting elements. As FIG. 4A shows, the drive-in pipe 321 projects toward the base plate 310 from the back cover 300. The drive-in pipe 321 of the present embodiment has a top surface 323 for correspondingly touching the surface of the base plate 310. The base plate 310 includes a base connecting portion 311, wherein corresponding screw openings are formed on the top surface 323 and the base connecting portion 311 to allow the first connecting element 322 to pass through and connect the back cover 300 with the base plate 310.
The wall connecting portion 330 of the present embodiment is formed next to the anchor portion 320. As FIG. 4A shows, the back cover 300 bears the overall weight of the display device 100 through the connecting portion 330 illustrated in FIG. 3. The back cover 300 distributes part of the weight of the display device to both the base plate 310 and the base plate 310 via the coupling between the anchor portion 320 and the base 220 of the panel module 200. In this way, the weight of the display device 100 is distributed amongst the structure formed by the assembled anchor portion 320 and the base plate 310. In other words, the coupling between the anchor portion 320 of the back cover 300 and the base plate 310 transforms the back cover 300 from a single layer structure to a composite structure with higher strength.
Furthermore, since the anchor portion 320 is in a cylinder form which inherently ensures a considerable structural strength, the anchor portion 320 can support the weight of the display device 100 without significant increasing the weight of the display device 100. In other words, the anchor portion 320 reduces the element used to dispose the display device 100 on a wall and the manufacture costs of the display device 100. In addition, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A, the drive-in pipe 321 has a cylindrical cone shape, but is not limited thereto; in different embodiments, the drive-in pipe 321 can have a perfect cylindrical shape, a rectangular prism shape or other suitable shape. As FIG. 4A shows, the diameter of the drive-in pipe 321 decreases toward the base plate 310. However, in different embodiments, the drive-in pipe 321 can have a constant diameter.
Please refer to both FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, wherein FIG. 4B is a schematic view of the connection jacket 332 illustrated in FIG. 4A. As FIG. 4A shows, the wall connecting portion 330 further includes a through hole 331 and the connection jacket 332, wherein the through hole 331 is formed on part of the back cover 300 near the drive-in pipe 321 and corresponds to a screw aperture (not illustrated) of a wall hanger 700. A second connecting element 338 passes through the through hole 331 of the wall connecting portion 330 and the screw aperture of the wall hanger 700. As FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B show, the connection jacket 332 includes a connecting portion 333 and a first positioning portion 334, wherein the through hole 331 of the wall connecting portion 330 accommodates at least part of the connecting portion 333. The connecting portion 333 of the present embodiment is a circular tube extending perpendicularly from the first positioning portion 334, but is not limited thereto; in different embodiments, the connecting portion 333 can have a square shape or other suitable shape. As FIG. 4B shows, the connecting portion 333 further includes a screw aperture 335, wherein screw threads are formed on the inner surface of the screw aperture 335 corresponding to the second connecting element 338 illustrated in FIG. 4A. In this way, the second connecting element 338 is rotatably screwed into the screw aperture of the wall hanger 700 and the screw aperture 335 of the connecting portion 333 and couples the back cover 300 with the wall hanger 700.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, a second positioning portion 340 is formed on the inner surface of the back cover 300. Furthermore, as FIG. 4B shows, a positioning through hole 336 is formed on the first positioning portion 334 and corresponds to the second positioning portion 340 of the back cover 300. Furthermore, the second positioning portion 340 is a cylinder extending from the inner surface of the back cover 300. As FIG. 4A shows, the second positioning portion 340 passes through positioning through hole 336 of the first positioning portion 334 and fixes the connection jacket 332 on the inner surface of the back cover 300. Furthermore, the back cover 300 and the second positioning portion 340 of the present embodiment are made of plastic material. Part of the second positioning portion 340 protruding out of the first positioning portion 334 can be melted in order to fix the connection jacket 332 on the back cover 300.
Please refer to both FIG. 4A and FIG. 5, wherein FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the display device 100 with a pair of melted second positioning portion 340. As FIG. 5 shows, after the melted second positioning portion 340 is cured, a stopper 341 is formed. The diameter of the stopper 341 is greater than that of the screw aperture 335 illustrated in FIG. 4B and thus the stopper 341 will prevent the connection jacket 332 from escaping. In the present embodiment, the connection jacket 332 is made of metal, but is not limited thereto; in different embodiments, the connection jacket 332 can be made of plastic materials or other suitable materials. Furthermore, the second connecting element 338 of the present embodiment is a screw and corresponding threads are formed on the inner surface of the connecting portion 333, but are not limited thereto. In different embodiment, the second connecting element 338 includes rivets or other suitable connecting elements.
FIG. 6 is a back view of the display device 100 illustrated in FIG. 3. As FIG. 6 shows, each of the four corners of the back cover 300 is disposed with an anchor portion 320 and an adjacent wall connecting portion 330. Furthermore, a straight line 400 connects two anchor portions 320, wherein the connecting portion 330 is formed on the back cover 300 and on the line 400. In this way, the anchor portion 320 can efficiently distribute the weight exerted on the wall connecting portion 330 to the base 220 and reduces the weight exerted on the back cover 300. Furthermore, the arrangement of the anchor portions 320 and the wall connecting portion 330 are preferably symmetrical relative to each other to avoid excessive internal force and torque on the back cover 300. In the present embodiment, the wall connecting portion 330 is formed between two anchor portions 320 on shorter sides of the back cover 300, but is not limited thereto. In different embodiments, the wall connecting portions 330 can be formed on longer sides of the back cover 300 or on the diagonals of the back cover 300. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, the wall connecting portions 330 are formed on longer sides of the back cover 300 and on the diagonals of the back cover 300, respectively. As FIG. 6, FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show, a first interval 500 is kept between the anchor portion 320 and the wall connecting portion 330 on the line 400 while a second interval 510 is kept between two anchor portions 320. In the present embodiment, in order to maintain the structure strength of the back cover 300, the ratio between the first interval 500 and the second interval 510 is preferably smaller than 0.2. The connecting portion 330 is preferably disposed in the middle of two anchor portions 320, but is not limited thereto; in different embodiments, the distance between the connecting portion 330 and the anchor portion 320 can be adjusted according to the material and structural strength of the back cover 300.
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the display device. As FIG. 8 shows, the panel module 200 further includes a lateral frame 600, a first supporting rib 610 and a second supporting rib 620, wherein the lateral frame 600 is disposed around the panel module 200 and substantially encloses the edges of the panel module 200. Two ends of the first supporting rib 610 and those of the second supporting rib 620 are connected to the panel module 200, respectively, but are not limited thereto; in different embodiments, two ends of the first supporting rib 610 and those of the second supporting rib 620 can be connected to the lateral frame 600. The first supporting rib 610 and the second supporting rib 620 are connected to the lateral frame 600 and are parallel to two opposite sides of the lateral frame 600, but are not limited thereto. The first supporting rib 610 and the second supporting rib 620 can be connected perpendicularly to form a cross. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the display device 100 illustrated in FIG. 8. As FIG. 9 shows, the anchor portion 320 includes a top surface 323 for contacting the first supporting rib 610 and for the first connecting element 322 to pass through screw apertures (not illustrated) on both the top surface 323 and the first supporting rib 610 to couple the back cover 300 with the first supporting rib 610. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first supporting rib 610 and the second supporting rib 620 are preferably made of metallic material while the anchor portion 320 is preferably made of plastic material. In this way, the material strength of the supporting ribs 610, 620 is greater than that of the anchor portion 320, but is not limited thereto; the material of the first supporting rib 610 and the second supporting rib 620 can be altered according to the overall weight of the display device 100, location of the anchor portion 320, material of the back cover 300, or projected production cost. Otherwise, the display device 100 illustrated in FIG. 9 is substantially identical to the display illustrated in FIG. 4A and thus redundant explanation will not be repeated here.
FIG. 10 is a back view of the display device illustrated in FIG. 8. In the present embodiment, the anchor portions 320 are coupled with the first supporting rib 610 and the second supporting rib 620, and thus the anchor portions 320 are formed on the locations of the back cover 300 corresponding to the supporting ribs 610, 620. In other words, the locations of the anchor portion 320 on the back cover 300 corresponding to the supporting ribs 610, 620. As FIG. 10 shows, two ends of the first supporting rib 610 and those of the second supporting rib 620 are connected to two sides of the lateral frame 600, thus the anchor portion 320 is distributed in a straight line from one side of the lateral frame to the opposite side of the lateral frame, but is not limited thereto; in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, the display device 100 includes a cross-shaped third supporting rib 630, disposed on the side of the back cover 300 facing the panel module 200. The anchor portions 320 are also distributed on the back cover 300 in a cross shape corresponding to the shape of the third supporting rib 630.
The above is a detailed description of the particular embodiment of the invention which is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment described. It is recognized that modifications within the scope of the invention will occur to a person skilled in the art. Such modifications and equivalents of the invention are intended for inclusion within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

a front frame;

a panel module having an active area and a base, wherein the active area faces the front frame;

a back cover corresponding to the base of the panel module and being disposed between the front frame and the back cover, the back cover including:

a plurality of anchor portions extending toward the base and connected to the base; and

a plurality of wall connecting portions respectively adjacent to one of the anchor portions.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the base includes a base plate, and the plurality of anchor portions are connected to the base plate.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the base includes:

a lateral frame; and

a plurality of supporting ribs with two ends respectively connected to two opposite sides of the lateral frame to be disposed across the lateral frame, wherein the plurality of anchor portions are respectively connected to the supporting rib.

4. The display device of claim 1, wherein a material strength of the base is greater than a material strength of the base cover.

5. The display device of claim 1, wherein wall connecting portion includes:

a through hole; and

a connection jacket disposed in the through hole and connected to the back cover around the through hole.

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein the wall connecting portion is formed on a straight line connecting two adjacent anchor portions.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein a first distance exists between the wall connecting portion and the closest anchor portion and a second distance exists between the adjacent anchor portions, wherein a ratio between the first distance and the second distance is less than 0.2.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein the connection jacket includes a pipe extending from an outer surface of the back cover toward the base, a top of the pipe contacts and is connected to the base.

9. The display device of claim 8, wherein the top of the pipe has a surface in full contact with and is fixed on the base.

10. The display device of claim 8, wherein the pipe has a cone shape, the pipe close to the base has a smaller diameter.

11. The display device of claim 1, wherein the base cover has an outer surface, the anchor portion and the adjacent wall connecting portion are formed on respectively a first location and a second location on the outer surface, a vertical distance between the first location and the base is greater than a vertical distance between the second location and the base.