Injection molding type display module and display panel

Abstract

The invention provides an injection molding type display module and a display panel. The display module comprises a circuit board, a supporting light guide layer and a film layer, the supporting light guide layer is composed of a supporting frame and a plurality of light guide sheets and is arranged between the circuit board and the film layer; the supporting frame is formed by injection molding of a non-light-transmitting material, and an opening is formed in the supporting frame; and the light guide sheet is formed by secondary injection molding in the opening of the supporting frame by adopting a light-transmitting material. The supporting frame is formed through injection molding of the non-light-transmitting material, the light guide piece is correspondingly formed in the supporting frame through secondary injection molding, and the integrated supporting light guide layer is obtained. The integrated structure can improve the light insulation effect between the light guide sheets and simplify the structure of the display module; and each part is formed by adopting an injection molding process, so that independent assembly is not needed, and the display panel can be adapted to different display panels.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of home appliance display panel technology, and in particular to an injection-molded display module and display panel. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of technology and the increasing improvement of people's living standards, home appliances are a very hot industry. In the field of home appliance display panels, display panels usually consist of two parts: the housing and the display module. The display module is the main component that enables the display of different patterns or text.

[0003] Existing display modules, such as the planar detachable light guide plate display module and home appliance display panel disclosed in Chinese utility model patent CN222928614U, typically use soft materials such as black foam or soft rubber as light-blocking components. However, the light-blocking effect of soft materials such as black foam is not ideal. They are relatively soft and have almost no positioning or fixing function. Therefore, positioning posts need to be set on each light guide plate to achieve positioning and fixing with the circuit board, which makes the assembly process very inconvenient. When using black foam to divide the light guide plates, it is easy to stick the foam crookedly, which affects the display effect of the display module.

[0004] On the other hand, the outer shell of existing display panels is mostly curved, while existing display modules are all flat structures. This inevitably creates a gap between the two after installation, affecting the stability of the display module and the touch response. To address this, Chinese utility model patent CN222801346U discloses a curved touch light guide plate display module and a home appliance display panel. This design uses an additional support structure to allow the display module to match the outer shell of the display panel. While this solves the gap problem to some extent, it complicates the overall structure and makes the processing and assembly more time-consuming and labor-intensive.

[0005] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the purpose of providing a clear and complete explanation of the technical solutions of this application and facilitating understanding by those skilled in the art. It should not be assumed that these technical solutions are known to those skilled in the art simply because they have been described in the background section of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address all or part of the problems of the prior art, this invention provides an injection-molded integrated support light guide layer to replace the existing black foam layer and light guide sheet. This not only improves the light-blocking effect between the light guide sheets but also simplifies the structure of the display module.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, this application provides an injection-molded display module, including a circuit board, a supporting light guide layer, and a film layer;

[0008] The supporting light guide layer is composed of a supporting frame and multiple light guide sheets, and is disposed between the circuit board and the film layer;

[0009] The support frame is formed by injection molding using a non-transparent material, and an opening is formed in the support frame;

[0010] The light guide sheet is formed by secondary injection molding of a light-transmitting material in the opening of the support frame.

[0011] By using non-transparent material injection molding to form a support frame, and then using secondary injection molding to form corresponding light guide sheets in the support frame, an integrated support light guide layer is obtained. The integrated structure can improve the light blocking effect between the light guide sheets and simplify the display module structure. Moreover, each component is formed by injection molding, so there is no need for separate assembly, and it can also be adapted to different display panels.

[0012] A fitting structure is provided at the junction of the opening and the light guide sheet; the fitting structure includes a fitting recess provided on the upper part of the side wall of the opening, and a corresponding fitting protrusion formed on the side of the light guide sheet during secondary injection molding. By matching the protrusion and the recess, the injection molding bonding effect of the two can be enhanced. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0013] The bottom surface of the supporting light guide layer is attached to the upper surface of the circuit board, and the film layer is disposed on the upper surface of the supporting light guide layer.

[0014] The supporting light guide layer has a planar structure, and the upper surface of the light guide sheet is flush with the upper surface of the supporting frame. The planar structure is simple to manufacture and suitable for planar display panels.

[0015] The supporting light guide layer has an arc-shaped structure. All supporting light guide layers are formed using injection molding and can be configured to correspond to the shape of the display panel, achieving a tight fit between the display module and the housing.

[0016] The upper surface of the circuit board has multiple display areas, and the light guide sheet is correspondingly disposed on each display area. Each display area is formed by multiple LEDs disposed on the upper surface of the circuit board, with the LEDs located on the side of the light guide sheet. The use of side-emitting technology minimizes the thickness of the display module, meeting the requirements of ultra-thin display modules.

[0017] In the supporting light guide layer, the lower area of ​​the side of the light guide sheet is not blocked by the supporting frame and is used to receive the light from the LED; the remaining area of ​​the side of the light guide sheet is blocked by the supporting frame. The supporting frame and the light guide sheet are integrated through injection molding, which makes it easy to control the exposed thickness of each side of the light guide sheet, and can meet the lighting requirements while minimizing light leakage.

[0018] On the other hand, this application also provides an injection-molded display panel, including a housing and an injection-molded display module as described in any of the first aspects; the display module is disposed in the housing.

[0019] The housing includes a first region and a second region; the first region is used to house the display module, and the second region is used to house the rotary screen.

[0020] The first region is an arc-shaped structure used to house the display module. Within the display module, the supporting light guide layer is also an arc-shaped structure, and its upper surface is configured to correspond to and match the arc-shaped structure of the first region. The supporting light guide layer is formed entirely through injection molding and can be configured to fit the shape of the display panel, achieving a tight fit between the display module and the housing.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the main beneficial effects of this application are: 1) The integrated support light guide layer has a better light blocking effect; 2) The support light guide layer reduces the number of modules and simplifies the positioning and fixing of the light guide sheet; 3) The rigid support light guide layer can improve the structural stability of the display module itself; 4) The shape, thickness and other dimensions of the injection-molded integrated support light guide layer are easy to adjust and can be applied to various types of panels. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a planar display module provided in this embodiment.

[0024] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of a planar display module provided in this embodiment.

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged schematic diagram of region A in the middle.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the assembled circuit board and supporting light guide layer in Example 1.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a planar display panel provided in this embodiment.

[0028] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of a planar display panel provided in this embodiment.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an arc-shaped display panel provided in this embodiment 2.

[0030] Figure 8 This is an exploded view of an arc-shaped display panel provided in this second embodiment.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the assembled circuit board and supporting light guide layer in Example 2. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The foregoing and other technical contents, features, and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front, or back, are merely for reference to the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the present invention.

[0033] In view of the problems of poor light blocking effect and inconvenient positioning and installation of light guide sheets caused by the use of soft materials as light blocking components in existing display modules, as well as the mismatch between flat display modules and curved shells of panels, this application provides an injection-molded display module and a display panel.

[0034] Example 1:

[0035] This embodiment provides an injection-molded display module and a display panel. First, please refer to the reference... Figures 1 to 6 As shown, both the display panel and the display module in this embodiment are planar.

[0036] refer to Figure 1 The image shown is a schematic diagram of a flat-panel display module after assembly. Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the corresponding display module. An injection-molded display module 1 includes a circuit board 10, a supporting light guide layer 11, and a film layer 12. The supporting light guide layer 11 is composed of an injection-molded integrated supporting frame 110 and multiple light guide sheets 111, disposed between the circuit board 10 and the film layer 12. The supporting frame 110 is formed by injection molding using a non-transparent material, and an opening 1100 is formed in the supporting frame 110. The light guide sheets 111 are formed by secondary injection molding using a transparent material within the opening 1110 of the supporting frame 110.

[0037] Specifically, the circuit board 10 is an integrated PCB circuit board. Multiple display areas are provided on the upper surface of the circuit board 10. Each display area is formed by several lamp beads 100 (i.e. LEDs) laid on the upper surface of the circuit board 10. A light guide sheet 111 is installed in the area, and the light is transmitted to the film layer 12 through the light guide sheet 111 to illuminate the corresponding pattern or text area. The circuit board 10 can also be provided with a touch sensing area that senses human body capacitance. The touch sensing area is usually formed by conductive materials such as copper foil on the circuit board 10, and is used to identify the touch position and trigger the corresponding button function.

[0038] In the prior art, when the light guide 111 is installed in the display area on the circuit board 10, in order to prevent light leakage between adjacent light guides 111, soft materials such as black foam are usually used to fill the gaps between adjacent light guides 111. However, the light blocking effect of black foam is not ideal, and light leakage is prone to occur. Moreover, the soft material itself is prone to deformation and cannot play a positioning and fixing role. Therefore, in the existing light guide 111, positioning posts (not shown) are generally set at the four corners of the light guide 111 to cooperate with the positioning holes (not shown) set on the circuit board 10 for positioning. Then, it can be fixed to the circuit board 10 by means such as hot melting. This not only makes the structure of the light guide 111 complex, but also makes the assembly process very inconvenient. In addition, when pasting the foam, it is easy to stick it crookedly, which affects the display effect of the display module.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the assembled circuit board and supporting light guide layer. (Reference) Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, an injection-molded integrated support light guide layer 11 is used to replace the existing combination of multiple discrete light guide sheets 111 and black foam, which simplifies the structure and assembly process of the display module and improves the performance of the display module.

[0040] Please refer to the reference. Figure 2 and Figure 4 In the planar display module 1 of this embodiment, a supporting light guide layer 11 is included, and a plurality of light guide sheets 111 are formed in the supporting light guide layer 11. The shape and number of light guide sheets 111 can be set according to the display area on the circuit board 10. In the planar display module 1 of this embodiment, each light guide sheet 111 is a plate structure, that is, its surface and bottom surface are basically planar, and its thickness is generally between 3 and 5 mm. In order to achieve a good light guiding effect, the light guide sheet 111 is usually formed by injection molding of a light-transmitting material (such as transparent acrylic).

[0041] To further improve the light guiding effect of the light guide sheet 111 and enable uniform light transmission, in this embodiment, frosted textures are also provided on the side and bottom surfaces of the light guide sheet 111, including a frosted texture (not shown in the figure) uniformly laid on the side (i.e., the bottom surface) of the light guide sheet 111 near the upper surface of the circuit board 10, and a frosted texture (not shown in the figure) uniformly laid on the side (i.e., the side surface) of the light guide sheet 111 near the lamp bead 100.

[0042] Figure 3 The diagram shows partial details of the supporting light guide layer 11, specifically... Figure 1 A magnified view of the area corresponding to region A in the middle. (Combined with...) Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in order to achieve the positioning and fixation of the light guide 111 and enhance the injection molding bonding effect between the light guide 111 and the support frame 110, a fitting structure is provided at the junction of the opening 1100 and the light guide 111. That is, a corresponding fitting structure is provided on the upper part of the side wall of the opening 1100 of the support frame 110 and the side of the light guide 111.

[0043] Specifically, such as Figure 3 As shown, a support frame 110 is first formed by injection molding. The support frame 110 includes an opening 1100, wherein a certain number of fitting recesses 1101 are provided on the upper part of the side wall of each opening 1100. The fitting recesses 1101 are formed by recessing a certain size in the side wall of the opening 1100. Then, a corresponding light guide sheet 111 is formed by secondary injection molding in the opening 1100 of the support frame 110. Since the fitting recesses 1101 are pre-formed on the side wall of the opening 1100, fitting protrusions 1110 that fit into the fitting recesses 1101 are formed on the side of the light guide sheet 111 during injection molding. Through the set fitting structure (i.e., the fitting recesses 1101 and fitting protrusions 1110 that cooperate with each other), the injection molding bonding effect of the light guide sheet 111 and the support frame 110 can be effectively enhanced, ensuring that the positioning of the two is accurate and the fixation is reliable.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, when the integrated support light guide layer 11 and circuit board 10 are installed in place, the bottom surface of the light guide sheet 111 in the support light guide layer 11 and the upper surface of the circuit board 10 are in contact with each other, and the upper surface of the light guide sheet 111 is basically flush with the upper surface of the support frame 110 (it is understandable that, considering manufacturing process errors, there is no absolutely flat surface).

[0045] Since the display module 1 in this embodiment adopts side-emitting technology, the LED beads 100 are to be correspondingly arranged on the side of the light guide sheet 111. Therefore, in the supporting light guide layer 11, when the light guide sheet 111 is injection molded into the opening 1100 of the supporting frame 110, the side of the light guide sheet 111 cannot be completely joined with the side wall of the opening 1100. Instead, at least a portion of the lower side of each light guide sheet 111 needs to be exposed to accommodate the LED beads 100 and receive the light emitted by the LED beads 100 (i.e., the area left is sufficient to accommodate the LED beads 100). The remaining portion of the side of the light guide sheet 100 will be completely joined with the supporting frame 110 and thus completely covered and shielded, thereby preventing light leakage between adjacent light guide sheets 111.

[0046] The film layer 12 is typically a black-and-white or colored film, and multiple areas (not shown in the figure) for displaying patterns or text are provided on the film layer 12; these areas correspond to the display areas on the light guide sheet 111 and the circuit board 10. In some cases, touch functionality is integrated into the film layer 12, for example, by using a composite film layer, where a touch-sensing area is provided and the signal is transmitted to the circuit board 10. It is understood that the touch-sensing function can be implemented in either the circuit board 10 or the film layer 12.

[0047] In this embodiment, considering that the support frame 110 and the lamp bead 100 are relatively close, it is also necessary to ensure that the support frame 110 has certain flame-retardant properties, that is, it is necessary to use flame-retardant materials.

[0048] It is understandable that, to ensure the stability of the display module structure, a certain fixing structure is needed to achieve a stable connection between the circuit board 10, the supporting light guide layer 11, and the film layer 12. In this embodiment, a feasible method is to provide several positioning posts (not shown in the figure) on the supporting frame 110, and corresponding positioning holes on the circuit board 10. The positioning posts are hot-melt posts, and the positioning posts are fixed to the circuit board 10 by hot-melt bonding; then the film layer 12 is glued and fixed to the supporting light guide layer 11. Of course, other fixing methods can also be used, such as gluing or screw fixing, to fix the supporting light guide layer 11 to the circuit board 10.

[0049] In this embodiment, the support frame 110 is injection molded from non-transparent plastic, and the support frame 110 and the light guide sheet 111 are integrated through secondary injection molding, ensuring a tight fit between the support frame 110 and the light guide sheet 111. The light blocking effect is greatly improved compared to the black foam material. At the same time, the injection-molded integrated support light guide layer 11 is made of plastic, which has better strength and rigidity, effectively ensuring the setting position of the light guide sheet 111 and improving the structural stability of the display module 1 itself.

[0050] The above is a display module provided in this embodiment one. This embodiment one also provides a display panel, such as... Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the display panel includes a housing 2, which includes at least two areas. The first area is used to install the display module 1, and the second area is used to install the rotary screen 20. Of course, the second area can also be used to install other components with display or control functions, such as digital tubes, lamp cavity structures, etc.

[0051] In this embodiment, the display module 1 is fixed inside the housing 2 by setting snaps or threaded posts around the housing 2.

[0052] In this embodiment, the first region of the housing 2 is a planar structure.

[0053] Example 2:

[0054] Since the existing circuit boards and their light guide sheets are basically planar structures, the existing display modules are also generally planar structures. When they are installed in irregularly shaped housings (such as housings with arc structures), there will inevitably be gaps between them. That is, the distance between the housing surface and the display module surface varies at different locations. The existence of these gaps will lead to the display module not being installed securely, and will also affect the touch sensing effect.

[0055] This second embodiment provides an injection-molded display module and a display panel; the main difference from the first embodiment is that the display module and display panel provided in this second embodiment are both arc-shaped structures, that is, the display module itself is an arc-shaped structure, so it can be closely matched with the arc-shaped shell of the display panel.

[0056] Please refer to Figures 7 to 9 (This can also be used as a reference) Figures 1-6 This invention provides an injection-molded display module and a display panel, both of which have an arc-shaped structure. First, an injection-molded display module 1 is provided, comprising a circuit board 10, a supporting light guide layer 11, and a film layer 12. The supporting light guide layer 11 is composed of an injection-molded integrated supporting frame 110 and a light guide sheet 111. This invention also provides a display panel, comprising a housing 2. The housing 2 includes at least two regions. The first region has an arc-shaped structure and is used to mount the display module 1. The second region is used to mount a rotary screen 20. Of course, the second region can also be used to mount other display or control components, such as digital tubes, lamp cavity structures, etc.

[0057] Please refer to the reference. Figure 7 and Figure 8When the display module 1 is installed in the first area of ​​the housing 2, in order to adapt to the arc-shaped structure of the first area of ​​the housing 2 and avoid gaps between the display module 1 and the housing 2, in this second embodiment, the upper surface of the supporting light guide layer 11 is set to a shape that corresponds to and matches the arc-shaped structure of the first area of ​​the housing 2 (the film layer 12 is thin and easily deformable, and can adhere tightly to the surface of the supporting light guide layer 11 without affecting the fit between the display module 1 and the housing 2). This solves the fit problem between the display module 1 and the housing 2.

[0058] Figure 9 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the assembled circuit board and supporting light guide layer in this second embodiment. (Combined with...) Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the thickness of the light guide layer 11 is greater on one side and gradually decreases on the other side, presenting an overall shape that corresponds to and matches the arc-shaped structure of the first region of the shell 2.

[0059] Specifically, it can be understood that the upper surface of the existing circuit board 10 is basically planar, and therefore the bottom surface of the supporting light guide layer 11, which is in direct contact with the upper surface of the circuit board 10, is also planar. That is, the bottom surfaces of the supporting frame 110 and the light guide sheet 111 in the supporting light guide layer 11 remain planar, so as to ensure effective cooperation with the circuit board 10. On the other hand, since the first region of the housing 2 is an arc-shaped structure, in order to achieve a tight fit between the display module 1 and the housing 2, the shape and thickness of the supporting light guide layer 11 at different positions can be determined according to the arc-shaped structure of the first region of the housing 2. Since the supporting frame 110 and the light guide sheet 111 in the supporting light guide layer 11 are both formed by injection molding, it is very convenient to achieve different shapes and thicknesses to obtain a display module 1 that is tightly fitted to the first region of the housing 2.

[0060] The common English terms or letters used in this invention for clarity of description are for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting interpretations or specific uses. They should not be used to limit the scope of protection of this invention based on their possible Chinese translations or specific letters.

[0061] It should also be noted that in this article, relational terms such as “first” and “second” are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.

Claims

1. An injection-molded display module, characterized in that, Includes circuit board, supporting light guide layer and film layer; The supporting light guide layer is composed of a supporting frame and multiple light guide sheets, and is disposed between the circuit board and the film layer; The support frame is formed by injection molding using a non-transparent material, and an opening is formed in the support frame; The light guide sheet is formed by secondary injection molding of a light-transmitting material in the opening of the support frame.

2. The injection-molded display module according to claim 1, characterized in that, A fitting structure is provided at the junction of the opening and the light guide sheet; The fitting structure includes a fitting recess provided on the upper part of the side wall of the opening, and a fitting protrusion formed on the side of the light guide sheet during secondary injection molding.

3. The injection-molded display module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the supporting light guide layer is attached to the upper surface of the circuit board, and the film layer is disposed on the upper surface of the supporting light guide layer.

4. The injection-molded display module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The supporting light guide layer has a planar structure, and the upper surface of the light guide sheet is flush with the upper surface of the supporting frame.

5. The injection-molded display module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The supporting light guide layer has an arc-shaped structure.

6. The injection-molded display module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper surface of the circuit board is provided with multiple display areas, and the light guide sheet is correspondingly disposed on the display areas; The display area is formed by a plurality of LED beads disposed on the upper surface of the circuit board, the LED beads being located on the side of the light guide sheet.

7. The injection-molded display module according to claim 6, characterized in that, In the supporting light guide layer, the lower part of the side of the light guide sheet is not blocked by the supporting frame and is used to receive the light from the lamp bead; the remaining part of the side of the light guide sheet is blocked by the supporting frame.

8. An injection-molded display panel, characterized in that, It includes a housing and an injection-molded display module as described in any one of claims 1-7; the display module is disposed in the housing.

9. A molded display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that, The housing includes a first region and a second region; The first area is used to set the display module, and the second area is used to set the rotary screen.

10. A molded display panel according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first area is an arc-shaped structure used to house the display module; In the display module, the supporting light guide layer has an arc-shaped structure, and the upper surface of the supporting light guide layer is set to a shape that corresponds to and matches the arc-shaped structure of the first region.

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