Display device

Abstract

To provide a technique for reducing the amount of work required to bond a cover glass to a frame.SOLUTION: A display device is provided, comprising a display element, a cover glass arranged such that a back surface thereof faces a display surface of the display element, a frame bonded to the back surface of the cover glass to accommodate the display element, and a bonding part formed on the back surface of the cover glass to bond the cover glass to the frame.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device.

Background Art

[0002] In a display device using a liquid crystal display element, an OLED display element, etc., in order to protect the display element, a resin or glass cover may be provided in front of the display element. In this case, in order to enhance transparency (appearance), thin-film rigidity, electrostatic touch sensitivity (high dielectric constant), etc., a glass cover is more likely to be adopted than a resin cover.

[0003] Citation Document 1 describes a display device having a cover glass covering the display surface of the display, a first holding portion (frame) that holds the peripheral edge portion of the cover glass from the back side, and a second holding portion that is in contact with the surface of the first holding portion opposite to the cover glass and holds the display.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] ​When a frame holding components is overlapped and adhered to the back surface of a cover glass, the frame and the cover glass in this overlapped state are fixed by a jig until the adhesive cures. At this time, the shapes of the outer edge portions of the frame and the cover glass vary depending on the design of the display device, and since it is difficult to hold every corner of the frame and the cover glass with a general-purpose jig, the outer edge portions are fixed with a clamp or the like. For this reason, there has been a problem in that the number of manufacturing steps increases because steps for attaching a clamp to the outer edge portions of the frame and the cover glass and steps for removing the clamp after the adhesive cures are required.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology capable of reducing the man-hours required for adhering a cover glass and a frame.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, a display device of the present disclosure includes: a display element; a cover glass whose back surface is disposed to face the display surface of the display element; a frame that is adhered from the back side of the cover glass and houses the display element; and a coupling portion formed on the back surface of the cover glass for coupling the cover glass and the frame.

[0008] Thus, the display device of the present disclosure includes a coupling portion on the back surface of the cover glass, and by coupling the cover glass and the frame with this coupling portion, fixing by a clamp is made unnecessary, and steps for attaching a clamp and steps for removing a clamp can be reduced.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology capable of reducing the man-hours required for adhering a cover glass and a frame.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0012] <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of a display device 1 according to the present embodiment. The display device 1 includes a cover glass 10, an adhesive 20, a display element 30, a frame 40, a housing 50, an adhesive 60, and a cover-side coupling portion 70.

[0013] In FIG. 1, the housing 50 is an outer package of the device that houses the cover glass 10, the adhesive 20, the display element 30, and the frame 40. The housing 50 is not particularly limited in terms of material, but can be formed of, for example, metal or plastic. By attaching the housing 50 to a target position such as a vehicle, the display device 1 is fixed with the display surface facing the user's viewing position side.

[0014] The frame 40 has a box-shaped main body 43 having a space for accommodating the display element 30 therein, and a frame-shaped portion 44 located outside the main body 43. The frame 40 is adhered to the outer edge portion of the cover glass 10 from the back side of the cover glass 10 so that the frame-shaped portion 44 surrounds the display element 30, and holds the cover glass 10. That is, the frame 40 holds the display element 30 bonded to the cover glass 10 via the cover glass 10. Note that the frame 40 is not limited to a configuration that houses the entire display element 30 therein, and may be a configuration that surrounds the outer periphery of the display element 30 and houses a part of the display element 30 so that the rear portion of the display element 30 is exposed. The frame 40 is not particularly limited in terms of material, and can be formed of, for example, metal or plastic.

[0015] The display element 30 is an element that displays an image in response to an image signal, such as an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display element or a liquid crystal display element. The display element 30 receives an image signal from another device and displays an image based on the image signal. The display element 30 may be provided with a touch panel on the display surface 31 side. Further, when the display element 30 is a liquid crystal display element, a backlight for illuminating the display element 30 may be provided behind the display element 30.

[0016] The cover glass (cover panel) 10 is a plate-shaped member that protects the display element 30. At least a region of the cover glass 10 that overlaps with the display region of the display element 30 is formed to be transparent. The cover glass 10 is disposed on the front side of the display element 30 so that the back surface 12 faces the display surface 31 of the display element 30.

[0017] The adhesive 20 is an optical material that bonds the display element 30 and the cover glass 10 It is one form. The adhesive 20 may be a material containing, for example, acrylic or silicone, and may be formed of a material having a refractive index close to that of the member on the display surface 31 side of the cover glass 10 or the display element 30. The adhesive 20 may be, for example, in a liquid or gel state before bonding, and may be an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosetting resin that cures by ultraviolet rays or heat when bonding the display element 30 and the cover glass 10. Not limited to this, the adhesive 20 may be an adhesive sheet in which an adhesive is applied to a sheet-like member.

[0018] The cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are adhered by an adhesive 60. The adhesive 60 is not particularly limited in material, but may be, for example, an acrylic resin-based adhesive, a urethane resin-based adhesive, an epoxy resin-based adhesive, a silicone-based adhesive, or the like. Also, the adhesive 60 may be a thermosetting resin or an ultraviolet curable resin that cures by heat or ultraviolet rays.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the cover-side coupling portion 70, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the cover-side coupling portion 70, and FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the configuration of the cover-side coupling portion 70.

[0020] The cover-side coupling portion 70 is formed on the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 and is a member for coupling the cover glass 10 and the frame 40. The cover-side coupling portion 70 is an engaging convex portion that is orthogonal to the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 and extends toward the frame side (rear side). That is, the cover-side coupling portion 70 extends from the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 toward the rear of the display device 1. Hereinafter, the direction in which the cover-side coupling portion 70 extends is also referred to as the extending direction 81.

[0021] The cover-side coupling portion 70 is formed in a cylindrical shape with one end 71 connected to the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 and the other end 72 having an opening 73. As shown in FIG. 4, the cover-side coupling portion 70 of the present embodiment has a quadrangular shape when viewed from the back surface, that is, a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the extending direction 81. However, the cross-sectional shape of the cover-side coupling portion 70 is not limited to this, and may be a polygon with five or more sides, or other shapes such as a circle or an ellipse. Further, the cover-side coupling portion 70 in FIG. 4 is cylindrical and has a shape with a cavity inside the cylinder (hollow shape), but the cover-side coupling portion 70 is not limited to this, and may have a solid shape (for example, a columnar shape).

[0022] The cover-side coupling portion 70 has a joint portion 74 in contact with the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10, an engaging main body portion 75 extending from the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 in the extending direction 81, and a claw portion 76 protruding from the engaging main body portion 75 in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction 81.

[0023] The joint portion 74 projects outward from the outer peripheral surface 751 of the engaging main body portion 75 and is formed along the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10. The joint portion 74 makes the contact area between the cover-side coupling portion 70 and the cover glass 10 larger than the cross-sectional area of the engaging main body portion 75, and enhances the strength of the connection portion with the cover glass 10.

[0024] The claw portion 76 is provided at the outer edge portion forming at least one side of the quadrangle at the other end 72 of the engaging main body portion 75. In the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4, the claw portion 76 is provided only at the outer edge portion 721 forming one side of the quadrangle, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the claw portion 76 may be provided at the outer edge portions of two to four sides.

[0025] The cover-side coupling portion 70 is formed of, for example, a resin material. Note that this resin material may contain auxiliary materials such as glass fillers and carbon fillers. Further, the cover-side coupling portion 70 may be formed of an elastomer.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the state before the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are joined and the state after the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are joined. The frame 40 is provided with a frame-side coupling portion 41 for engaging with the cover-side coupling portion 70. The frame-side coupling portion 41 in FIG. 5 is a form of an engaging concave portion into which the engaging convex portion (cover-side coupling portion 70) is inserted. The frame 40 of the present embodiment is provided with a hole 411 penetrating in the front-rear direction at a position corresponding to the cover-side coupling portion 70, and the portion constituting the hole 411 functions as a frame-side coupling portion 41 that engages with the cover-side coupling portion 70. Note that the frame-side coupling portion (engaging concave portion) 41 may have any shape as long as it engages with the cover-side coupling portion 70, and is not limited to a through hole.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, when the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are relatively pressed against each other, the cover-side coupling portion 70 fits into the frame-side coupling portion 41, and the claw portion 76 comes out to the back surface 42 side of the frame 40. Here, the claw portion 76 engages with the frame-side coupling portion 41 by protruding outside the inner wall surface forming the hole 411 of the frame 40 in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction 81, thereby joining the cover glass 10 and the frame 40. The cover-side coupling portion 70 and the frame-side coupling portion 41 are provided at the outer edge portions of the cover glass 10 and the frame 40, respectively. In this case, the positions where the cover-side coupling portion 70 and the frame-side coupling portion 41 are provided may be positions where a gap is likely to occur between the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 due to distortion of the frame 40 or the like. In FIG. 5, an example in which one (a pair) of the cover-side coupling portion 70 and the frame-side coupling portion 41 are provided is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a plurality of pairs of the cover-side coupling portion 70 and the frame-side coupling portion 41 may be provided. For example, when the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are polygonal, a pair of the cover-side coupling portion 70 and the frame-side coupling portion 41 may be provided at the outer edge portions forming each side of the polygon.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a method of forming the cover-side coupling portion 70. In step A, first, the cover glass 10 before the cover-side coupling portion 70 is formed is set in a molding machine.

[0029] In Step B, the mold 83 is assembled on the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10. In Step C, the molten resin is injected into the space 84 formed between the cover glass 10 and the mold 83.

[0030] In Step D, after the resin is solidified, the mold 83 is removed. Thus, in this embodiment, the cover-side coupling portion 70 is formed on the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 by so-called outsert molding. Not limited thereto, the method of forming the cover-side coupling portion 70 may be to adhere the pre-formed cover-side coupling portion 70 onto the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 with an adhesive. Further, the method of forming the cover-side coupling portion 70 may be such that the cover-side coupling portion 70 is formed on the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 by a 3D printer.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the method of adhering the cover glass 10 and the frame 40. In Step G, the cover glass 10 is placed on the receiving jig 91. At this time, the display element 30 is bonded to the cover glass 10 via the bonding agent 20, and the cover glass 10 and the display element 30 are placed on the receiving jig 91 together.

[0032] In Step H, the adhesive 60 is applied onto the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10. In Step I, the frame-shaped portion 44 of the frame 40 is arranged to be connected to the vicinity of the outer edge on the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 with the adhesive 60 interposed therebetween. At this time, the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are aligned so that the cover-side coupling portion 70 can be fitted into the frame-side coupling portion 41.

[0033] In Step J, the pressing jig 92 is placed on the frame 40, and the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are relatively pressed. By the pressing of this pressing jig 92, the cover-side coupling portion 70 engages with the frame-side coupling portion 41, and the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are coupled.

[0034] In Step K, the adhesive 60 is cured, and after curing, the pressing jig 92 is removed. Note that The curing method of the adhesive 60 is appropriately selected according to the type of the adhesive 60, for example, waiting for a predetermined time until the adhesive solidifies by vaporization of a solvent or a chemical reaction, or accelerating the reaction by applying heat, ultraviolet rays, etc.

[0035] <Effects of the Embodiment> (1) As described above, the display device 1 of the present embodiment includes a cover-side coupling portion 70 that is formed on the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 and couples the cover glass 10 and the frame 40. In this way, in the display device 1 of the present embodiment, the cover-side coupling portion 70 is retrofitted on the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10, and when the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are adhered, the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are coupled (temporarily fixed) by the cover-side coupling portion 70. Therefore, the display device 1 does not include a step of clamping the outer edge portions of the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 during the adhesion or a step of removing the clamp after curing, and the man-hours during manufacturing can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. Further, when a plurality of pairs of the cover-side coupling portion 70 and the frame-side coupling portion 41 are provided and the coupling between the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 can be maintained even if the pressing jig is removed before the adhesive 60 solidifies, the next step can be shifted without waiting for the curing of the adhesive 60, so that the residence time in the manufacturing process can be shortened.

[0036] (2) In the display device 1, the cover-side coupling portion 70 is an engaging convex portion extending from the back surface of the cover glass 10 toward the frame side, and is inserted into an engaging concave portion provided in the frame 40 and engages with the engaging concave portion, thereby coupling the cover glass 10 and the frame. In this way, in the display device 1, since an engaging concave portion such as a hole is provided on the frame 40 side and the engaging convex portion is fitted into the hole to engage, the cover glass 10 and the frame can be engaged with a simple configuration, and the load during manufacturing can be reduced.

[0037] (3) The display device 1 has an engaging convex portion that is an engaging claw formed of an elastomer on the back surface of the cover glass 10, and the cover glass and the frame are coupled by the engaging claw engaging with the engaging concave portion. In this way, the display device 1 can engage the cover glass 10 and the frame with a simple configuration such as claw coupling, and can reduce the load during manufacturing. Further, since the engaging convex portion is formed of an elastomer, the insertion of the engaging convex portion into the engaging concave portion becomes smooth, and the engagement between the cover glass 10 and the frame can be facilitated.

[0038] (4) The display device 1 has an engaging main body portion 75 extending from the back surface 12 of the cover glass 10 toward the frame side as the engaging convex portion, and a claw portion 76 protruding in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction 81 from the engaging main body portion 75. Further, the engaging convex portion of the present embodiment has a quadrangular cross section orthogonal to the extending direction 81, one end 71 is connected to the back surface of the cover glass 10, and has a claw portion protruding in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction 81 at an outer edge portion forming at least one side of the quadrangle at the other end 72. Thereby, the display device 1 can engage the cover glass 10 and the frame with a simple configuration such as claw coupling, and can reduce the load during manufacturing.

[0039] (5) The engaging convex portion of the display device 1 is cylindrical with one end 71 connected to the back surface of the cover glass and having an opening at the other end 72. By forming the engaging convex portion in a cylindrical shape (hollow shape) in this way, when the engaging convex portion is inserted into the engaging concave portion, the space inside the cylinder is compressed, making it easier to insert the engaging convex portion into the engaging concave portion. Thereby, even when a highly rigid material is adopted to ensure the strength of the engaging convex portion, the hollow shape enables insertion into the engaging concave portion, so that both strength and ease of insertion can be achieved, and the load during manufacturing can be reduced and the reliability can be improved.

[0040] <Modification Example> FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modification example of the cover-side coupling portion 70A and the frame-side coupling portion 41A. This modified example has a different configuration in that the frame-side coupling portion 41A is provided with the claw portion 412 compared to the above-described embodiment, and the other configurations are the same. Therefore, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements, and repeated explanations are omitted.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 8, in the frame 40 of this modified example, the claw portion 412 protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction 81 at the inner edge portion of the rear opening of the frame-side coupling portion 41A. Further, an engaging groove 77 that engages with the claw portion 412 is provided on the side surface of the cover-side coupling portion (engaging convex portion) 70A. Thus, when the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 are relatively pressed against each other, the cover-side coupling portion 70A fits into the frame-side coupling portion 41A, and the claw portion 412 of the frame-side coupling portion 41A engages with the engaging groove 77 of the cover-side coupling portion 70A to couple the cover glass 10 and the frame 40. Therefore, the display device 1 of this modified example does not require a step of clamping the outer edge portions of the cover glass 10 and the frame 40 when bonding them, nor a step of removing the clamp after curing, and can reduce the man-hours during manufacturing compared to the conventional case.

[0042] <Others> The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but these are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Various modifications based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art are possible without departing from the spirit of the claims. For example, it is possible to combine the respective configurations in the above-described embodiments, and to add, omit, substitute, and make other changes to the configurations.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0043] 1: Display device 10: Cover glass 12: Rear surface 20: Adhesive 30: Display element 31: Display surface 40: Frame 41, 41A: Frame-side coupling portion 42: Rear surface 43: Main body portion 44: Frame-shaped part 50: Housing 60: Adhesive 70, 70A: Cover-side coupling part 74: Joint part 75: Engagement main body part 76: Claw part 77: Engagement groove 81: Extension direction 83: Mold 84: Space 91: Receiving jig 92: Pressing jig 411: Hole 412: Claw part 721: Outer edge part 751: Outer peripheral surface

Claims

1. A display element, A cover glass whose back face is disposed to face the display surface of the display element, A frame that is adhered from the back side of the cover glass and houses the display element, A coupling portion that is formed on the back face of the cover glass and couples the cover glass and the frame, A display device comprising the above.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling portion is an engaging convex portion that extends from the back face of the cover glass toward the frame side, and is inserted into an engaging concave portion provided in the frame and engages with the engaging concave portion to couple the cover glass and the frame.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the engaging convex portion is an engaging claw formed of an elastomer on the back face of the cover glass, and the cover glass and the frame are coupled by the engaging claw engaging with the engaging concave portion.

4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the engaging convex portion has an engaging main body portion that extends from the back face of the cover glass toward the frame side, and a claw portion that protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction from the engaging main body portion.

5. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the engaging convex portion has a quadrangular cross section orthogonal to the extending direction, one end is connected to the back face of the cover glass, and a claw portion that protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction is provided at an outer edge portion forming at least one side of the quadrangle at the other end.

6. The display device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the engaging convex portion is cylindrical with one end connected to the back face of the cover glass and having an opening at the other end.

Images