Display device

Abstract

A display device includes a display module and a communication module disposed on the rear side of the display module. The communication module includes a frame, a sensing antenna, and a fixing unit. The frame and the rear side of the display module together define a receiving space. The sensing antenna is located within the receiving space. The fixing unit is disposed within the receiving space and fixes the sensing antenna relative to the receiving space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a display device having an inductive antenna. Prior Technology

[0002] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-257483 discloses a conventional display device that, in addition to display function, also has contactless IC card read / write function, and includes a frame, a liquid crystal display unit housed in the frame, and a read / write unit composed of elements such as an antenna, wherein the read / write unit is disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal display unit opposite to its display area.

[0003] However, this conventional display device lacks a structure to secure the read / write unit. Therefore, if this conventional display device is used in an environment where it shakes or vibrates (e.g., in vehicles or mobile card readers), the read / write unit is prone to displacement or damage, affecting the communication quality of the antenna. Furthermore, since the back side of the liquid crystal display unit lacks a support structure, over time, the display unit is prone to denting or displacement, further affecting display quality. This reduces the reliability and durability of the conventional display device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a display device that can overcome at least one disadvantage of the prior art.

[0005] The present invention provides a display device comprising a display module and a communication module disposed on the rear side of the display module. The communication module comprises: a frame that, together with the rear side of the display module, defines a receiving space; a sensing antenna located within the receiving space; and a fixing unit disposed within the receiving space and fixing the sensing antenna relative to the receiving space.

[0006] By using this fixing unit, displacement of the sensing antenna within the frame can be prevented, thus avoiding shift in the sensing position. Furthermore, friction between the sensing antenna and the back of the display module or the frame can be prevented, thus avoiding the generation of debris or particles. This ensures that the display device has excellent sensing or communication quality and durability.

[0007] The present invention also provides a display device, comprising a display module and a communication module disposed on the rear side of the display module. The communication module comprises: a frame that, together with the rear side of the display module, defines a receiving space; a sensing antenna located within the receiving space; and an insulating device disposed within the receiving space and abutting against the sensing antenna, wherein the surface of the communication module opposite to the display module is a flat surface.

[0008] By using this flat surface configuration, uneven display brightness caused by the recessed display module can be avoided, which in turn affects the display quality of the display device. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0009] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of the display device of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a variation of this embodiment; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating another variation of this embodiment; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating another variation of this embodiment; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a first variation of the fixing unit in this embodiment; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a second variation of the fixing unit in this embodiment; Figures 7A and 7B are cross-sectional schematic diagrams illustrating two variations of the third variant of the fixing unit in this embodiment; Figures 8A and 8B are top views illustrating two variations of the fourth variant of the fixing unit in this embodiment; Figures 9A to 9C are top views illustrating three variations of the fifth embodiment of the fixing unit; Figure 10 is a top view schematic diagram illustrating the communication module of this embodiment; Figures 11A to 11C are cross-sectional schematic diagrams illustrating several variations of this embodiment; Figure 12 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating another variation of this embodiment. Implementation

[0010] Before the present invention is described in detail, it should be noted that the drawings mentioned in the following description are only schematic representations of the basic concept of the present invention. Therefore, the drawings only show the components related to the present invention and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed, and the layout may also be more complex.

[0011] The display device of the present invention is suitable for sensing and displaying signals emitted by mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, wearable devices such as smartwatches, tablet computers, IC cards, etc.).

[0012] Referring to Figure 1, a first embodiment of the display device of the present invention includes a display module 1 and a communication module 2, wherein the display module 1 has opposite front and back sides, the front side is used for display, and the communication module 2 is disposed on the back side of the display module 1.

[0013] In this embodiment, the display module 1 is a liquid crystal display (LCD) and includes a liquid crystal panel 11, a backlight unit 12 disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 11, and a control unit 13, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the display module 1 may also be an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display or a light emitting diode (LED) display, etc.

[0014] The liquid crystal panel 11 can be a different type of liquid crystal panel, such as a twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal panel, a multi-domain vertical alignment (MVA) liquid crystal panel, an in-plane switching (IPS) liquid crystal panel, or a fringe field switching (FFS) liquid crystal panel.

[0015] The backlight unit 12 includes a light source, a light guide mechanism, and a reflective sheet. The light source is disposed on one side of the light guide mechanism. The light guide mechanism may include an optical film and a light guide plate to guide the light emitted by the light source toward the liquid crystal panel 11 and to homogenize the light emitted by the light source to form a surface light source. The reflective sheet is disposed on the back side of the light guide plate opposite to the back side of the liquid crystal panel 11, reflecting the light emitted from the back side of the light guide plate toward the liquid crystal panel 11 to improve the luminous efficiency of the backlight unit 12. It should be noted that when the display module 1 is a self-emissive organic light-emitting diode display or a light-emitting diode display, the display module 1 does not have the backlight unit 12.

[0016] The control unit 13 is electrically connected to the traces in the liquid crystal panel 11, and can drive and control the display of the liquid crystal panel 11. It includes a flexible substrate 131 electrically connected to the scan lines and data lines of the liquid crystal panel 11, and a control circuit board 132 electrically connected to the traces in the flexible substrate 131. In this embodiment, the flexible substrate 131 is a flexible printed circuit board (FPC), and the control circuit board 132 is a printed circuit board (PCB), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0017] It should be noted that the LCD panel 11, the backlight unit 12, and the control unit 13 are existing technologies and are not within the scope of this invention. Further details regarding the structure and operating principles of these components will not be provided here.

[0018] The communication module 2 is used to sense and read signals emitted by the mobile device. In another embodiment, the communication module 2 may also have the function of writing information to the mobile device. In this embodiment, the communication module 2 includes a frame 21, a sensing antenna 22, a reading unit 23, and a fixing unit 24.

[0019] The frame 21 is configured to surround the periphery of the backlight unit 12 of the display module 1, and together with the back surface of the display module 1, defines a receiving space 20. In this embodiment, the frame 21 is made of a metal material (e.g., aluminum), but the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the frame 21 may also be made of other materials (e.g., plastic).

[0020] In this embodiment, the frame 21 includes an outer frame portion 211 surrounding the periphery of the backlight unit 12, and a protrusion portion 212 protruding from the outer frame portion 211 in a direction away from the display module 1. The outer frame portion 211 is located outside the protrusion portion 212 and surrounds the protrusion portion 212. The receiving space 20 is defined by the protrusion portion 212 and the back surface of the display module 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0021] In the variation shown in Figure 2, the frame 21 may not include the protrusion 212. That is, in this invention, the receiving space 20 is defined between the frame 21 and the back of the display module 1.

[0022] The sensing antenna 22 is located within the receiving space 20 and can receive signals emitted by the mobile device. The sensing antenna 22 can communicate with the mobile device, for example, via Near-Field Communication (NFC), WiFi, or Bluetooth. The mobile device can be, for example, a smartphone with NFC functionality, a tablet computer with NFC functionality, or an IC card using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

[0023] It should be noted that the protrusion 212 can be adapted to change its projected shape or projected area size on a reference plane perpendicular to the top view direction (the vertical direction facing the front of the display module 1, i.e., the direction from top to bottom in Figure 1) as needed. For example, the projected area of ​​the protrusion 212 can be equal to, greater than, or even much larger than the projected area of ​​the sensing antenna 22. When its proportion of the projected area relative to the frame 21 is increased, a larger accommodating space 20 can be provided, thereby providing freedom in the placement of the sensing antenna 22, and also providing enough space to accommodate multiple sensing antennas 22. In this embodiment, the length and width of the sensing antenna 22 are 60mm and 40mm respectively, and the projected area of ​​the protrusion 212 is much larger than the projected area of ​​the sensing antenna 22, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0024] The reading unit 23 and the sensing antenna 22 are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the frame 21 (i.e., the reading unit 23 is disposed on the back side of the frame 21, outside the receiving space), and are electrically connected to the sensing antenna 22. The reading unit 23 includes a reader circuit substrate capable of reading the signal received by the sensing antenna 22. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG1, the reading unit 23 and the sensing antenna 22 are formed on the same flexible printed circuit board and are electrically connected to each other, with a portion of the flexible printed circuit board extending through the frame 21. In a variation shown in FIG3, the reading unit 23 is formed on a printed circuit board and is electrically connected to the sensing antenna 22 (e.g., through wire bonding or a connector). In another variation shown in Figure 4, the sensing antenna 22 is formed on a flexible printed circuit board, and the reading unit 23 is formed on a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board and the flexible printed circuit board are electrically connected via a connecting line 25 passing through the frame 21. The connecting line 25 is a signal transmission line, such as a coaxial cable. In another embodiment, the reading unit 23 may have the function of writing information into the mobile device.

[0025] The fixing unit 24 is disposed within the receiving space 20 and fixes the sensing antenna 22 relative to the receiving space 20. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 10 (the display module 1 is not shown in Figure 10), the fixing unit 24 includes an insulating device 241 that abuts against the sensing antenna 22 and a sheet material 242 fixed to the frame 21 and for attaching the sensing antenna 22. Specifically, the insulating device 241 is fixed to the back of the frame 21 or the display module 1 and fixes the sensing antenna 22 in a surrounding and abutting manner. The insulating device 241 is made of non-metallic materials such as optical sheets, silicone sheets, or foam. The sheet material 242 is a ferrite sheet located between the sensing antenna 22 and the frame 21, but the present invention is not limited thereto; in other embodiments, the sheet material 242 may also be, for example, double-sided adhesive, or a combination of ferrite sheet and double-sided adhesive. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the top view direction, the projected area of ​​the ferrite sheet on the reference plane is equal to the projected area of ​​the inductive antenna 22 on the reference plane; and the insulating device 241 includes an insulating member having a hollow portion for the inductive antenna 22 to be properly accommodated therein, and substantially filling the portion of the accommodating space 20 not occupied by the inductive antenna 22 and the sheet material 242, so that the surface of the communication module 2 opposite to the display module 1 becomes a flat surface, that is, the surface of the inductive antenna 22 attached to the back of the display module 1 and the surface of the insulating member attached to the back of the display module 1 form a coplanar plane, thus avoiding the problem of uneven display brightness caused by the recess of the display module 1, thereby affecting the display quality of the display device of the present invention.

[0026] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, both the display module 1 and the communication module 2 can be connected to a device (e.g., a computer) with signal transmission, reception, or processing functions. Specifically, the device can receive the signal read by the reading unit 23 of the communication module 2, process it, and then transmit the processed signal to the display module 1, displaying relevant information through the display module 1. However, this invention is not limited thereto.

[0027] The following will describe several variations of the fixed unit 24.

[0028] In the first variation shown in Figure 5, the fixing unit 24 includes an insulating device 241 that abuts against the induction antenna 22, but without the sheet material 242.

[0029] In the second variation shown in Figure 6, the fixing unit 24 includes a sheet material 242 fixed to the frame 21 and for attaching the induction antenna 22, without the provision of an insulating device 241. The sheet material 242 is a ferrite sheet located between the induction antenna 22 and the frame 21, and the projected area of ​​the ferrite sheet is equal to the projected area of ​​the induction antenna 22.

[0030] In the third variation shown in Figures 7A and 7B, the projected area of ​​the ferrite sheet is larger than the projected area of ​​the inductive antenna 22, which can more effectively suppress signal interference from the metal frame 21 or other external components to the inductive antenna 22. Therefore, by ensuring that the projected area of ​​the ferrite sheet is equal to or greater than the projected area of ​​the inductive antenna 22, the communication quality of the communication module 2 can be effectively improved, thereby enhancing the reliability of the display device of the present invention. Here, Figure 7A shows the state in which the fixing unit 24 only includes the sheet material 242 (i.e., the ferrite sheet); Figure 7B shows the state in which the fixing unit 24 includes the insulating device 241 and the sheet material 242.

[0031] In the fourth variation shown in Figures 8A and 8B, the insulating device 241 of the fixing unit 24 includes four insulating members, which are disposed around the induction antenna 22 and abut against the four sides or four corners of the induction antenna 22 respectively, thereby fixing the induction antenna 22 by surrounding and abutting against it. Here, Figure 8A shows the state in which the four insulating members of the insulating device 241 abut against the four sides of the induction antenna 22 respectively; Figure 8B shows the state in which the four insulating members of the insulating device 241 abut against the four corners of the induction antenna 22 respectively.

[0032] In the fifth variation shown in Figure 9A, the insulating member of the insulating device 241 has a slightly larger recess than the inductive antenna 22 that houses the inductive antenna 22, and a plurality of protrusions extending toward and abutting against the inductive antenna 22. In other words, these protrusions fix the inductive antenna 22 by surrounding and abutting against it. Referring to Figure 9A, the recess is located in the middle portion of the insulating member, and there are four protrusions, each abutting against one of the four sides of the inductive antenna 22. Referring to Figure 9B, the recess is located on the side edge of the insulating member, and there are three protrusions. These three protrusions, along with one side of the frame 21 adjacent to the recess, abut against one of the four sides of the inductive antenna 22, respectively, to jointly fix the inductive antenna 22. Referring to Figure 9C, the hollow portion is located at the corner of the insulating member, and there are two protruding teeth. These two protruding teeth, along with the two sides of the frame 21 adjacent to the hollow portion, abut against the four sides of the induction antenna 22 to jointly fix the induction antenna 22. In other variations, the protruding teeth can also be configured to abut against the corners or other parts of the induction antenna 22. It should be noted that when the insulating member is a sheet material and its hollow portion is located in an off-center position, flipping the same insulating member allows it to be used in several different designs for placing the induction antenna 22 in different positions within the receiving space 20.

[0033] In this invention, the insulating device 241 is not limited to filling the receiving space 20. In the variation shown in Figures 11A to 11C, the insulating device 241 may also fix the inductive antenna 22 without filling the receiving space 20. In the example shown in Figure 11C, the surface of the communication module 2 opposite to the display module 1 (i.e., the surface formed by the surface of the inductive antenna 22 attached to the back of the display module 1 and the surface of the insulating member attached to the back of the display module 1) is a flat surface.

[0034] It should be noted that, in the configurations shown in Figures 6, 7A, 8A, 8B, 11A, and 11B, if the sensing antenna 22 is designed to be extremely thin, it can also avoid the problem of uneven display brightness caused by the recess of the display module 1.

[0035] In another variation of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, the insulating device 241 substantially covers the inductive antenna 22 from all sides. Therefore, the flat surface of the communication module 2 opposite to the display module 1 is formed by attaching the insulating device 241 to the back surface of the display module 1. It should be noted that, in order to achieve the purpose of making the surface of the communication module 2 opposite to the display module 1 a flat surface, not limited to the above embodiment, in another embodiment, a sheet material (e.g., a reflective sheet) can also be attached to the surface of the communication module 2 facing the back surface of the display module 1 to form the flat surface.

[0036] It is worth noting that when the liquid crystal panel 11 of the display module 1 is an inverted horizontal field-switching (IPS) liquid crystal panel or a boundary field-switching (FFS) liquid crystal panel, the pixel electrodes and common electrodes made of transparent conductive materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO) are located on the thin-film transistor array substrate, and there are slits between these electrodes. Therefore, the transmission signal between the sensing antenna 22 and the mobile device can be partially transmitted through the display module 1 via these slits to the sensing antenna 22 or the mobile device.

[0037] Therefore, when the liquid crystal panel 11 is a lateral electric field conversion type liquid crystal panel or a boundary electric field conversion type liquid crystal panel, the display device of the present invention can not only have a better viewing angle and better color reproduction, but also better communication quality. Furthermore, when the common electrode impedance of the liquid crystal panel 11 is in the range of 50Ω to 200Ω, the shielding of the common electrode on the transmitted signal can be reduced, thus further improving the signal transmission efficiency of the display device of the present invention.

[0038] Based on the above description, the advantages of the display device of the present invention can be summarized as follows:

[0039] First, by fixing the sensing antenna 22 with the fixing unit 24, displacement of the sensing antenna 22 within the frame 21 can be avoided, thus preventing a shift in the sensing position. Furthermore, friction between the sensing antenna 22 and the back of the display module 1 or the frame 21 can be avoided, preventing the generation of debris or particles. This ensures that the display device of the present invention has good sensing or communication quality and durability. Therefore, the display device of the present invention will not affect its communication function even in environments with shaking or vibration.

[0040] Second, by ensuring that the surfaces of the sensing antenna 22 and the insulating member in the communication module 2 that face the display module 1 are flat, the problem of uneven display brightness caused by the display module 1 being recessed can be avoided, thus preventing the display quality of the display device of the present invention from being affected. Therefore, the display device of the present invention will not affect its display function even in environments with shaking or vibration.

[0041] Third, by configuring the ferrite sheet 242 such that its projected area on the reference plane in the top view direction is equal to or greater than the projected area of ​​the induction antenna 22, the signal interference of the metal frame 21 or other external components to the induction antenna 22 can be effectively suppressed.

[0042] Fourth, by maximizing the accommodating space 20, the freedom of setting the sensing antenna 22 can be ensured.

[0043] However, the above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application and the contents of the patent specification shall still fall within the scope of the patent of the present invention.

[0044] 1: Display Module 11: LCD panel 12: Backlight unit 13: Control Unit 131:Soft substrate 132: Control circuit board 2: Communication Module 20: Accommodation space 21: Frame 211: Outer frame 212: Protrusion 22: Induction Antenna 23: Reading Department 24: Fixed Unit 241: Insulation device 242: Sheet material (ferrite sheet) 25: Connecting cable

Claims

1. A display device comprising a display module and a communication module disposed on the rear side of the display module, the communication module comprising: a frame defining a receiving space together with the rear side of the display module; a sensing antenna located within the receiving space; and a fixing unit disposed within the receiving space and fixing the sensing antenna relative to the receiving space, the frame including a protrusion defining the receiving space together with the rear side of the display module.

2. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The fixing unit includes an insulating component that is fixed to the frame and abuts against the induction antenna.

3. The display device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The fixing unit includes a sheet material fixed to the frame and for attaching the induction antenna.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The sheet material is a ferrite sheet.

5. The display device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The fixed unit substantially fills the portion of the accommodating space not occupied by the inductive antenna.

6. The display device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The display module includes a liquid crystal panel and a backlight unit disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel.

7. A display device comprising a display module and a communication module disposed on the rear side of the display module, the communication module comprising: a frame defining a receiving space together with the rear side of the display module; a sensing antenna located within the receiving space; and an insulating member disposed within the receiving space and abutting against the sensing antenna, wherein... The surface of the communication module opposite to the display module is a flat surface. The frame includes a protrusion that, together with the back of the display module, defines the receiving space.

8. The display device as claimed in claim 7, wherein, The flat surface is formed by the surface on which the inductive antenna is attached to the back of the display module and the surface on which the insulating member is attached to the back of the display module.

9. The display device as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein, The display module includes a liquid crystal panel and a backlight unit disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel.

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