Display device

Abstract

To provide a display device in which the number of components and / or assembly man-hours are reduced.SOLUTION: A display device of the present invention includes a case including an opening and a plurality of leaf spring parts, a surface panel covering the opening, a display unit housed in the case and held by the case so as to face the surface panel, and a buffer member sandwiched between the surface panel and the display unit, wherein each of the plurality of leaf spring parts includes a first elastic part pressing the display unit, the plurality of leaf spring parts are disposed so as to position the display unit in each of an up-down direction and a left-right direction, and the display unit is press-fitted and held by the plurality of leaf spring parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A known vehicle display device includes a display unit, a circuit board, and a case that houses them, and displays various information on the display unit based on vehicle signals input to the circuit board. Fixing means such as screws are used to assemble the display device. For example, in the display device described in Patent Document 1, the display unit is fixed to the case with screws. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-153739 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] From the viewpoint of cost and the like, there is a demand for a display device in which the number of parts and / or the number of manufacturing steps are reduced.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a display device with a reduced number of parts and / or assembly steps. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides: a case having an opening and a plurality of leaf spring portions; a surface panel covering the opening; a display unit accommodated in the case and held facing the front panel; a buffer member sandwiched between the front panel and the display unit; A display device comprising: Each of the plurality of leaf spring portions includes a first elastic portion that presses the display unit, the plurality of leaf spring portions are arranged to position the display unit in the up-down direction and the left-right direction, The display device is provided such that the display unit is press-fitted and held in the plurality of leaf spring portions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a display device is provided in which the number of parts and / or the number of assembly steps are reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a display device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the display device of FIG. 1 without showing the surface panel. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, in which (a) the main elements are shown and (b) the display unit and the cushioning member are not shown. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1, in which (a) the main elements are shown and (b) the display unit and the buffer member are not shown. [Figure 5] 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD, and FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing (a) a flat spring part provided with an assembly control portion and (b) a flat spring part not provided with an assembly control portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing various shapes of assembly management parts together with a display unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] In the drawings, the scale and aspect ratios have been changed as appropriate to facilitate understanding, and detailed structures and some components (connecting means, adhesive means, etc.) have been omitted. In addition, in the drawings, for ease of viewing, only some of the reference symbols may be assigned to multiple parts with the same attribute, or a symbol assigned in one drawing may be omitted in another drawing.

[0011] In this specification, terms specifying shapes and geometric conditions and their degrees (e.g., "flat," "rectangular," "cuboid," "plate," "surface," "center," and "parallel"), values ​​(e.g., length and ratio), directions (e.g., "up-down direction," "left-right direction," and "front-rear direction"), etc., are not to be construed as being bound by strict meanings, but rather as including the range within which similar functions can be expected.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a front view of a display device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the display device 1 of FIG. 1, without the front panel 20. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, showing (a) the main components and (b) the display unit 30 and the cushioning member 40, but not showing. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1, showing (a) the main components and (b) the display unit 30 and the cushioning member 40, but not showing. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC, line DD, and line EE in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing (a) a leaf spring portion 11a including an assembly control region 112 and (b) a leaf spring portion 11b without an assembly control region 112. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing various shapes of assembly control regions.

[0013] The display device 1 is mounted on, for example, vehicles (e.g., motorcycles, four-wheeled motor vehicles, and trains), ships, agricultural machinery, and construction machinery. The display device 1 displays vehicle information (e.g., driving speed and mileage), warning light indicators, surrounding information, etc. The display device 1 is installed so that the driver can see the display while driving. In the following description, the side of the display device 1 that is visible to the user (the display screen side of the display device 1) is referred to as the "front (front)." Furthermore, with regard to the positional relationship between the display device 1 and the elements that make up the display device 1, "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" refer to the same as those shown in Figures 1 to 5 unless otherwise specified.

[0014] The display device 1 comprises a case 10 having an opening and a plurality of leaf spring portions 11 (resin spring portions), a surface panel 20 covering the opening of the case 10, a display unit 30 housed in the case 10 and held in the case 10 facing the surface panel 20, a buffer member 40 sandwiched between the surface panel 20 and the display unit 30, and a circuit board 50 controlling the display unit 30.

[0015] The general shape of the case 10 is a flat rectangular cylinder with a bottom and a rectangular opening on the front side, and the case 10 has a plurality of leaf springs 11 on the inner surface of the bottom.

[0016] The material of the case 10 is not limited, but may be a light-blocking synthetic resin, for example, a light-blocking black synthetic resin, such as a black ABS resin. The case 10 is manufactured by, for example, injection molding.

[0017] A surface panel 20 is installed at the opening of the case 10 so as to cover the opening of the case 10. The surface panel 20 is fixed to the case 10 by welding or bonding the outer periphery surrounding the opening of the case 10 to the edge of the back surface of the surface panel 20 (the surface facing the case 10).

[0018] The case 10 accommodates a display unit 30, a cushioning member 40, and a circuit board 50. The circuit board 50 is connected to an external device by known connecting means (not shown). In another embodiment, the circuit board 50 may be disposed outside the case 10 instead of being accommodated in the case 10, for example, housed in an external housing separate from the case 10, and connected to the display unit 30 by known connecting means.

[0019] Case 10 has a plurality of leaf springs 11 on the inner surface of the bottom of case 10. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the plurality of leaf springs 11 are arranged to position display unit 30 in the up-down direction and the left-right direction (i.e., display unit 30 is sandwiched between two pairs of leaf springs 11 facing each other in the up-down direction and between two pairs of leaf springs 11 facing each other in the left-right direction), and display unit 30 is press-fit and held in the space surrounded by the plurality of leaf springs 11. This allows case 10 to hold display unit 30 without using fixing parts such as screws, leading to a reduction in the number of parts.

[0020] The press-fit holding of the display unit 30 by the plurality of leaf spring parts 11 refers to a state in which the display unit 30 is pressed into a space surrounded by the plurality of leaf spring parts 11 while bending the plurality of leaf spring parts 11 outward, and the display unit 30 is pressed by the restoring force of the plurality of leaf spring parts 11, so that the display unit 30 is attached to the case 10 without falling off. The restoring force of the plurality of leaf spring parts 11 refers to the force that is generated by bending the plurality of leaf spring parts 11 outward, causing the plurality of leaf spring parts 11 to return to their original shape.

[0021] Regarding the arrangement of the plurality of leaf springs 11, the plurality of leaf springs 11 are arranged on both sides of the display unit 30 in the vertical and horizontal directions, but are not limited to such an arrangement. In another embodiment, the leaf springs 11 are arranged only on one side (e.g., the upper side) in the vertical direction, and the leaf springs 11 are not arranged on the other side (e.g., the lower side), but a non-elastic body portion, such as the inner wall of the case 10, is arranged, and the display unit 30 may be sandwiched between the leaf springs 11 on one side and the non-elastic body portion, such as the inner wall of the case 10, on the other side. The same applies to the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the display unit 30 is held in the case 10 by the restoring force of the plurality of leaf springs 11. In this embodiment, the number of the plurality of leaf springs 11 is two or more. Furthermore, the inner wall of the case 10 that comes into contact with the display unit 30 may be thick in order to place the display unit 30 in a given position, for example, near the center of the case 10 when viewed from the front of the display device 1. Furthermore, the non-elastic body portion on the other side is not limited to the inner wall of the case 10.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the leaf spring portion 11 is a thin elastic plate that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the bottom of the case .

[0023] 6, in order to explain the shape of the leaf spring portion 11 of this embodiment, the side of the leaf spring portion 11 that comes into contact with the display unit 30 will be referred to as the front side, and the opposite side will be referred to as the back side, and the direction from the base of the leaf spring portion 11 to the tip will be referred to as the upward direction, and the direction from the tip to the base will be referred to as the downward direction. Note that these terms for explaining the shape of the leaf spring portion 11 are used independently of the definitions of the directions shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 for the purpose of explaining the shape of the leaf spring portion 11.

[0024] The leaf spring 11 includes a first elastic member 111 that is bent toward the rear side when the display unit 30 is assembled and that presses the display unit 30 with its restoring force. As shown in Figures 6a and 6b, the front side of the first elastic member 111 is slightly inclined from the front side toward the rear side as it moves upward on the leaf spring 11. This inclination allows the display unit 30 to be smoothly pushed toward the bottom of the case 10 and also allows the display unit 30 to be positioned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0025] The shape of the leaf spring portion 11 is not limited to that of the present embodiment, as long as it is a shape that can press-fit and hold the display unit 30 by means of a restoring force. From the viewpoint of formability of the case 10, it is preferable that the shape of the leaf spring portion 11 be a simple shape like the leaf spring portion 11 of the present embodiment.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, one or more of the plurality of leaf springs 11 may have an assembly control portion 112 at the tip of the leaf spring 11 to visually confirm whether the display unit 30 is correctly assembled when attaching the display unit 30 to the case 10. Visual confirmation can be performed by determining whether the assembly control portion 112 covers a portion of the front edge of the display unit 30 when viewed from the opening side of the case 10 during or after assembly. The assembly control portion 112 also contributes to preventing the display unit 30 from coming loose or falling off. As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, the assembly control portion 112 is disposed approximately in the center of the width of the leaf spring 11a. In this specification, among the plurality of leaf springs 11, those having the assembly control portion 112 are sometimes referred to as leaf springs 11a, and those not having the assembly control portion 112 are sometimes referred to as leaf springs 11b.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 6a, the assembly management area 112 may have a first inclined surface at its upper portion, which slopes downward from the rear side toward the front side. If the plurality of leaf springs 11 includes a leaf spring 11a, the assembly management area 112 may protrude slightly toward the front side, which may cause a physical obstacle when pushing the display unit 30. This may require the leaf spring 11a to be bent further toward the rear side. By providing the first inclined surface in the assembly management area 112, pushing the display unit 30 into the space surrounded by the plurality of leaf springs 11 eliminates the need to manually pinch the leaf spring 11a and bend it toward the rear side. Simply pushing the display unit 30 along the first inclined surface is sufficient. This simplifies the assembly process. In this embodiment, the first inclined surface is flat, but it may also be curved.

[0028] 6a, the assembly management portion 112 may have a second inclined surface at its bottom that slopes downward from the front side to the rear side. The second inclined surface contributes to press-fitting and holding the display unit 30 by pressing the display unit 30 and preventing the display unit 30 from shifting. In this embodiment, the second inclined surface is flat, but it may also be curved.

[0029] In another embodiment, the assembly control site may have various shapes, such as a hook shape or a curl shape. From the viewpoint of simplifying the assembly work, it is preferable that the assembly control site have a site corresponding to the first inclined surface of the assembly control site 112 shown in FIG. 6. Specific examples of the shape of the assembly control site include shapes as shown in FIG. 7: a rectangular parallelepiped shape with flat upper and lower surfaces (FIG. 7a); a shape with a flat upper surface and a site corresponding to the second inclined surface (FIG. 7b); a shape with a site corresponding to the first inclined surface and a flat lower surface (FIG. 7c); a shape with sites corresponding to the first and second inclined surfaces, both of which are curved (FIG. 7d); and a shape with a flat upper surface and a site corresponding to the second inclined surface, which is curved (FIG. 7e).

[0030] The leaf spring portion 11a may include a second elastic portion 113 between the assembly management portion 112 and the first elastic portion 111. As shown in Figures 2, 5, and 6, the second elastic portion 113 is disposed approximately in the center of the leaf spring portion 11a in the width direction.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 6a, the second elastic portion 113 is thin and thinner than the first elastic portion 111. The ratio of the thickness of the second elastic portion 113 to the thickness of the first elastic portion 111 is appropriately set, for example, approximately 50% to 80%. As a mere example, the thickness of the first elastic portion is 1.2 mm to 2 mm, and the thickness of the second elastic portion is 1 mm to 1.6 mm. When the second elastic portion 113 is thin, the force required to bend the leaf spring portion 11a toward the rear side to avoid physical obstruction by the assembly management unit 112 is reduced. Furthermore, because the second elastic portion 113 is thin relative to the first elastic portion 111, when assembling the display unit 30 to the case 10, the amount of deformation of the leaf spring 11a can be large at the thin-set second elastic portion 113 and small at the first elastic portion 111. Since the deformation amount of the first elastic portion 111 is small, plastic deformation of the first elastic portion 111 can be prevented, and the designed holding force can be maintained even after long-term use.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6a, the width of the second elastic region 113 is narrower than the width of the first elastic region 111. The ratio of the width of the second elastic region 113 to the width of the first elastic region 111 is set appropriately, for example, 20% to 50%. As a mere example, the width of the first elastic region is 10 mm to 15 mm, and the thickness of the second elastic region is 3 mm to 5 mm. When the width of the second elastic region 113 is narrower, the force required to bend the leaf spring portion 11a toward the rear side to avoid physical obstruction by the assembly management unit 112 is reduced. Furthermore, because the second elastic region 113 is narrower than the first elastic region 111, the amount of deformation of the leaf spring 11a can be greater at the narrow second elastic region 113 and smaller at the first elastic region 111 when assembling the display unit 30 to the case 10. Since the deformation amount of the first elastic portion 111 is small, plastic deformation of the first elastic portion 111 can be prevented, and the designed holding force can be maintained even after long-term use.

[0033] The front panel 20 covers the opening of the case 10, thereby protecting the surface of the display unit 30 from impacts and preventing dust and other particles from entering the interior of the case 10 through the opening. The front panel 20 is a translucent plate-like member made of, for example, inorganic glass and synthetic resin, such as polycarbonate resin and PMMA resin. The front panel 20 has a black light-shielding layer formed thereon by painting or printing, for example, to prevent the viewer from seeing the interior of the case 10 and areas other than the display area of ​​the display unit 30. The boundary between the light-shielding layer of the front panel and the display area (light-transmitting area) may be made less noticeable by forming a dot shape or a gradation of different color tones.

[0034] The display unit 30 is housed in the case 10 and held in the case 10 facing the front panel 20. The display unit 30 includes a liquid crystal display element and a light source substrate. Examples of the liquid crystal display element include a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) liquid crystal display formed by sealing liquid crystal molecules between a pair of glass substrates and a segment-type liquid crystal display. The light source substrate is, for example, a substrate on which LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that illuminate the liquid crystal display element are mounted, and serves as a backlight for the liquid crystal display element. The light source substrate is disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal display element. The display unit 30 may include a light guide member to spread the light from the LEDs over the entire surface of the liquid crystal display element. The light guide member includes a light guide plate, a reflector provided on the back side of the light guide plate, and a diffuser provided on the front side of the light guide plate. The display unit 30 is controlled by a circuit board 50 and is connected to the circuit board 50 by, for example, a flexible printed circuit board.

[0035] The cushioning members 40 are arranged so as to be sandwiched between the front panel 20 and the display unit 30. The cushioning members 40 serve to fix the display unit 30 in place and prevent the display unit 30 from falling off the leaf springs 11. They also have a vibration-damping effect of suppressing the amplification of vibrations in the display unit 30 when the display device 1 is vibrated. The cushioning members 40 are elastic materials made of synthetic rubber, synthetic resin, composite materials thereof, etc., and may be, for example, sponge-like or solid. The cushioning members 40 may be attached to the front panel 20 and / or the display unit 30 by known adhesive means such as an adhesive or adhesive sheet. In this embodiment, a total of four cushioning members 40 are arranged on the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the front of the display unit 30. However, the number and arrangement of the cushioning members 40 are not limited thereto. For example, each of the cushioning members 40 arranged on the top, bottom, left, and right sides may be further divided, or a single annular member may be used.

[0036] The circuit board 50 is positioned by a base and a protrusion provided on the bottom of the case 10, and is disposed behind the display unit 30 so as to be substantially parallel to the rear surface of the display unit 30. The circuit board 50 is connected to external devices via a connecting means (not shown). The circuit board 50 mainly includes a control unit for controlling the display unit 30. The control unit includes a central processing unit (CPU), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), etc., and executes predetermined arithmetic processing according to, for example, a program written in the ROM. The control unit acquires, for example, vehicle speed, engine RPM, various vehicle information, navigation information, etc. from the vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) via various sensors, etc. The control unit displays information on the display unit 30 based on the acquired information.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and drawings, and modifications (including the omission of components) can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

[0038] In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, descriptions of well-known technical matters have been omitted as appropriate.

[0039] The present invention includes the following embodiments.

[0040] [1] A case having an opening and a plurality of leaf springs; a surface panel covering the opening; a display unit accommodated in the case and held in the case facing the front panel; a buffer member sandwiched between the front panel and the display unit; A display device comprising: Each of the plurality of leaf spring portions includes a first elastic portion that presses the display unit, the plurality of leaf spring portions are arranged to position the display unit in the up-down direction and the left-right direction, The display device, wherein the display unit is press-fitted and held in the plurality of leaf spring portions.

[0041] [2] The display device of [1], wherein one or more of the plurality of leaf spring portions has an assembly management portion that covers a portion of the front end of the display unit when viewed from the opening.

[0042] [3] The display device of [2], wherein the leaf spring portion having the assembly management portion has a second elastic portion between the assembly management portion and the first elastic portion, and the thickness of the second elastic portion is thinner than the thickness of the first elastic portion.

[0043] [4] A display device according to [2] or [3], wherein the leaf spring portion having the assembly management portion has a second elastic portion between the assembly management portion and the first elastic portion, and the width of the second elastic portion is narrower than the width of the first elastic portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1...Display device 10...Case 11. Leaf spring part 11a... Leaf spring portion with assembly control portion 11b: Leaf spring portion not provided with an assembly control portion 111... First elastic part 112 Assembly control area 113...Second elastic part 20. Surface panel 30 Display unit 40. Cushioning material 50 Circuit board

Claims

1. a case having an opening and a plurality of leaf spring portions; a surface panel covering the opening; a display unit accommodated in the case and held in the case facing the front panel; a buffer member sandwiched between the front panel and the display unit; A display device comprising: each of the plurality of leaf spring portions includes a first elastic portion that presses the display unit; the plurality of leaf spring portions are arranged to position the display unit in the up-down direction and the left-right direction, The display device, wherein the display unit is press-fitted and held in the plurality of leaf spring portions.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the plurality of leaf spring portions includes an assembly management portion that covers a part of a front end portion of the display unit when viewed from the opening.

3. 3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the leaf spring portion having the assembly management portion has a second elastic portion between the assembly management portion and the first elastic portion, and the thickness of the second elastic portion is thinner than the thickness of the first elastic portion.

4. 4. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the leaf spring portion having the assembly management portion has a second elastic portion between the assembly management portion and the first elastic portion, and the width of the second elastic portion is narrower than the width of the first elastic portion.

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