Display device

Abstract

To provide a display device which enables reduction of a thickness of a case and improvement of cooling performance.SOLUTION: A display device 1 according to an embodiment includes: a case 10 having an air inlet port 12; a display part housed in the case 10; a circuit board 40 which controls a display unit 20, is mounted with an IC chip 41 which generates heat, and is housed in the case 10; a blower 60 which is housed in the case 10, suctions air from the air inlet port 12, and discharges air into the case 10; and a shield case 50 which thermally contacts with the IC chip 41 and is cooled by the air discharged from the blower 60 and made of a metal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display device mounted on a vehicle or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Display devices incorporating electronic components that generate a large amount of heat are provided with heat dissipation measures to prevent damage, such as a cooling fan, a heat sink, or other heat dissipation member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-055413 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To improve cooling efficiency, methods such as increasing the size of the cooling fan or increasing the surface area of ​​the heat sink are available, but these methods pose a problem in that the dimensions of the display device case increase in order to accommodate these.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a display device that can reduce the thickness of the case and improve the cooling performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the display device of the present disclosure includes a case having an air intake, a display unit housed in the case, and a display unit that controls the display unit and generates heat. Multiple The case comprises a circuit board that is housed in the case and that carries electronic components; a blower that is housed in the case and draws in air from the air intake port and discharges the air into the case; and a metal that is in thermal contact with the electronic components and is cooled by the air discharged from the blower. and a plurality of box-shaped members that cover the electronic components, and beam members that connect the box-shaped members.and a plate member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the display device of the present disclosure, the case can be made thinner, and the cooling performance can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view showing a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from the front. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the display device from the rear. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the display device of FIG. 2 with the rear cover removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an external view showing a display device as another embodiment of the display device of the present disclosure, viewed from the front. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the display device from the rear with the rear cover removed. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5 . [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 5 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a display device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The display device according to the present disclosure can be mounted on vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles, ships, agricultural machinery, and construction machinery. FIG. 1 is an external view showing a display device 1, which is an embodiment of a display device according to the present disclosure, from the front. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the display device 1 from the rear. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the display device 1 of FIG. 2 with the rear cover 19 removed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

[0010] In the following description, "front (front face)", "rear (rear face)", "upper", "lower", "right", and "left" follow the definitions of "Fr.", "Re.", "To.", "Bo.", "R", and "L" in Figures 1 to 8. Note that the side of the display device 1 that is visible to the user is defined as "front".

[0011] The display device 1 is disposed on the instrument panel of the vehicle so that the display unit 20 faces the windshield of the vehicle. The display device 1 is a so-called head-up display that allows a user to view an image (information) displayed on the display unit 20 on an opaque black ceramic portion on the outer periphery of the windshield as a virtual image. The display device 1 mainly includes a case 10, a display unit 20 (display section), a protective cover 30, a circuit board 40, a shield case 50 (plate member), and a blower 60.

[0012] Case 10 mainly houses and supports display unit 20, circuit board 40, and blower 60. Case 10 also has the necessary structure to be fixed to a fixing destination, such as the instrument panel of a vehicle. Case 10 has a main body 11 and a back cover 19. Main body 11 (protective cover 30) forms the front face 10a of case 10, and back cover 19 forms the back face 10b of case 10.

[0013] The main body 11 is made of, for example, a metal (magnesium alloy, aluminum, etc.) or a resin with high thermal conductivity. The main body 11 is a box-shaped member that opens to the rear. The main body 11 has air outlets 13 formed in two places, on the left and right ends of the side surface 11a facing downward. The air outlets 13 discharge air that has been discharged from the fan 60 and has cooled the shielding case 50 to the outside of the case 10. The main body 11 also has a support rib 14 for supporting (placing) a portion of the circuit board 40 facing an IC chip 41 (described later) above the surface 11b.

[0014] The rear cover 19 is made of, for example, metal or resin (electro-galvanized steel plate, ABS resin, thermoplastic resin, etc.). The rear cover 19 is a thin plate-like member that covers the main body 11 from the rear and covers the circuit board 40 and the blower 60. The rear cover 19 is detachably fixed to the main body 11 by a fixing structure such as a hook. The rear cover 19 has an air intake port 12 that exposes the suction port 61 of the blower 60.

[0015] The display unit 20 includes a liquid crystal display element and a light source substrate. The liquid crystal display element is, for example, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type liquid crystal display panel formed by sealing liquid crystal molecules between a pair of glass substrates. 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 behind the liquid crystal display element. The display unit 20 also includes necessary components such as a light guide plate for dispersing LED light over the entire surface of the liquid crystal display element, a reflector provided behind the light guide plate, and a diffuser provided in front of the light guide plate. The display unit 20 is connected to the circuit board 40 by a flexible printed circuit board (not shown).

[0016] The protective cover 30 is a light-transmitting plate-like member (for example, inorganic glass, polycarbonate resin, or PMMA resin). The protective cover 30 covers the main body 11 from the front, thereby protecting the display unit 20 inside from dust and other particles. The protective cover 30 is optically bonded to the front surface of the display unit 20 with a light-transmitting adhesive.

[0017] The circuit board 40 is fixed to the main body 11 with screws or the like. The circuit board 40 mainly includes a control unit for controlling the display unit 20 and the blower 60. 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 or the like. Based on the acquired information, the control unit displays information on the display unit 20. The control unit is particularly equipped with an IC chip 41 (electronic component) called a graphics display controller (GDC) that controls the display unit 20. The IC chip 41 is mounted on the back surface 40b of the circuit board 40 and is an electronic component that generates relatively high heat.

[0018] The circuit board 40 is housed in the case 10 so that its surface is substantially perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and extends in the up-down, left-to-right directions. The circuit board 40 has a notch 46 cut from the bottom edge toward the top edge at a substantially central position in the left-to-right direction on the bottom edge. The notch 46 has dimensions larger than the outer shape of the blower 60. The position where the notch 46 is formed is determined depending on the arrangement of the blower 60, IC chip 41, and shield case 50.

[0019] The shielding case 50 is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity (e.g., iron, stainless steel, or aluminum) and has electromagnetic shielding and heat dissipation functions. The shielding case 50 is a box-shaped member with an opening, including a plate-shaped plate portion 52 and a sidewall 53 rising from the outer edge of the plate portion 52. In other words, the shielding case 50 does not have a rising structure like a heat sink with fins, and all parts are flat plate-shaped. The shielding case 50 covers the IC chip 41 and insulates it from external noise. The shielding case 50 is in thermal contact with the IC chip 41 via a thermally conductive sheet 45. The thermally conductive sheet 45 is positioned in close contact with the IC chip 41 and the shielding case 50, and transfers heat from the IC chip 41 to the shielding case 50.

[0020] Blower 60 is a known blower-type fan motor having a rectangular shape and an internal blade (rotor) 63 that rotates around an axis along the front-to-rear direction within case 10. Blower 60 has an intake port 61 and an exhaust port 62 that opens in a direction perpendicular to intake port 61. Intake port 61 draws air from the rear to the front through air intake port 12 of case 10. Exhaust port 62 discharges air into case 10 from below to above.

[0021] The blower 60 is arranged in the case 10 so as to be housed in the notch 46 of the circuit board 40. The blower 60 is fixed to the case 10 by, for example, screwing. As a result, the blower 60 is arranged in a front-to-rear direction relative to the circuit board 40. A direction approximately perpendicular to The blower 60 is housed in the case 10 so as to overlap with each other at the front and rear sides. The blower 60 is arranged so that the outlet 62 discharges air onto both the front side 40a and the rear side 40b of the circuit board 40. The blower 60 is also arranged so that the air discharged from the blower 60 is blown onto at least the shielding case 50 to cool the shielding case 50.

[0022] Such a display device 1 transfers heat from the IC chip 41 to the shielding case 50. Furthermore, the display device 1 cools the shielding case 50 and the circuit board 40 with air from the fan 60. As a result, the display device 1 indirectly dissipates heat from the IC chip 41 via the shielding case 50.

[0023] For example, if the display device 1 has a heat sink with multiple fins and dissipates heat from the IC chip 41 through the heat sink, the heat dissipation efficiency depends on the surface area of ​​the heat sink, and therefore the height of the fins is necessary. If such a heat sink were to be housed within the case 10, the thickness of the case 10 in the front-to-rear direction would increase, resulting in a larger display device 1. In particular, in order for the display device 1 to display an image on the black ceramic portion, the display device 1 must be housed in the limited space within the instrument panel, and therefore a compact case 10 is essential.

[0024] In contrast, in the display device 1 of this embodiment, the function of the heat sink is given to the shield case 50 having a plate-like (flat) portion that covers the IC chip 41, and this shield case 50 is cooled by the fan 60. Therefore, the thickness (height) in the front-to-rear direction can be made smaller than in a heat sink with tall fins, and as a result, the thickness of the case 10 can be made smaller.

[0025] In addition, the display device 1 is configured such that the fan 60 is connected to the circuit board 40 in the front-rear direction. A direction approximately perpendicular toThe display device 1 is housed in the case 10 so that the shield case 50 and the IC chip 41 are overlapped. This allows the thickness of the case 10 in the front-to-rear direction to be reduced. In particular, the display device 1 has a cutout 46 formed in the circuit board 40, and the fan 60 is disposed in the cutout space. This allows the fan 60 to be disposed within the area where the circuit board 40 is disposed when viewed from the front-to-rear direction of the display device 1 (the outer edge of the circuit board 40 if the cutout 46 is not provided), thereby reducing not only the thickness of the case 10 in the front-to-rear direction but also the dimensions in the up-down and left-to-right directions. Furthermore, since the fan 60 discharges air to both the front surface 40a and the back surface 40b of the circuit board 40, it is possible to cool not only the back surface 40b side where the shield case 50 and the IC chip 41 are disposed, but also the front surface 40a side.

[0026] Therefore, the display device 1 can have a thinner case 10 and improved cooling performance.

[0027] In the above-described display device 1, an example in which one IC chip 41 is mounted on the circuit board 40 has been described, but the display device of the present disclosure can also be applied to a case in which a plurality of IC chips 41 are mounted.

[0028] FIG. 5 is an external view showing a display device 101, which is another embodiment of the display device of the present disclosure, from the front. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the display device 101 from the rear with the rear cover 19 removed. Figure 7 shows the VII-VII FIG. Figure 8 shows the VIII-VIII FIG.

[0029] Display device 101 differs from display device 1 in that it is equipped with multiple IC chips 41, that it has a different shape of shield case 150, and that it has a thermal diffusion sheet 147 (thermal diffusion member). The same reference numerals are used to designate the same components and parts as display device 1, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0030] The circuit board 40 has two (plurality of) IC chips 41 arranged at required positions. In the display device 101, the IC chips 41 are arranged on the left and right sides of the fan 60.

[0031] The shield case 150 has a shape that covers two IC chips 41. Specifically, the shield case 150 has two box-shaped members 151 and one beam member 155.

[0032] The box-shaped member 151 is a member having an opening and includes a plate portion 152 and a side wall 153 rising from the outer edge of the plate portion 152 except for the portion where the beam is connected. The beam member 155 is a plate-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, and connects the two box-shaped members 151 by connecting portions of the sides of the two box-shaped members 151 that face each other in the left-right direction.

[0033] Beam member 155 does not have a structure corresponding to side wall 153, and beam member 155 does not form a closed space but is continuous with the space inside case 10. Shield case 150 is arranged so that beam member 155 is cooled by air discharged from outlet 62 of blower 60. Also, unlike shield case 50, beam member 155 does not have side wall 53, and therefore air is discharged to both sides of beam member 155.

[0034] The thermal diffusion sheet 147 is made of a graphite sheet with high thermal conductivity in a planar direction (in the present disclosure, the left-right direction connecting two IC chips 41), and is disposed over substantially the entire surface of the shield case 150 facing the IC chip 41 (circuit board 40). The thermal diffusion sheet 147 diffuses the heat transferred from the IC chip 41 to the shield case 150 via the thermal conduction sheet 45 to areas that are not in thermal contact with the IC chip 41. That is, the thermal diffusion sheet 147 diffuses the heat from areas that are in thermal contact with the IC chip 41 via the thermal conduction sheet 45 (hereinafter referred to as "contact areas") to areas of the beam member 155 that are not in thermal contact with the IC chip 41 (hereinafter referred to as "non-contact areas").

[0035] In such a display device 101, even if the circuit arrangement of the circuit board 40 does not allow the fan 60 to directly blow air onto the contact area of ​​the shielding case 150 for cooling, the heat can be diffused to the non-contact area by the thermal diffusion sheet 147, and the fan 60 can cool and dissipate the shielding case 150 in this non-contact area. This allows the display device 101 to have a thinner case 10 and improved cooling performance, just like the display device 1. Furthermore, since the display device 101 does not need to determine the position of the fan 60 in accordance with the position of the IC chip 41, the degree of freedom in designing the interior of the case 10 of the display device 101 can be improved.

[0036] Although the example in which the thermal diffusion sheet 147 is disposed on the surface facing the IC chip 41 has been described, it may be disposed on the opposite surface.

[0037] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims.

[0038] For example, the number and arrangement of the fans 60 and IC chips 41 are merely examples, and the number and arrangement are not limited to those in the display devices 1 and 101, and may be determined arbitrarily. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1, 101 display device 10 cases 11 Main unit 12 Air intake 13 Air exhaust port 14 Support rib 19 Back cover 20 Display unit (display section) 30 Protective Cover 40 Circuit Board 40a front 40b back 41 IC chips (electronic components) 45 Thermal Conduction Sheet 46 Notch 50, 150 Shield case (plate material) 52, 152 Plate part 53, 153 side wall 60 Blower 61 Intake port 62 Discharge port 147 Thermal diffusion sheet (thermal diffusion material) 151 Box-shaped member 155 Beam member

Claims

1. a case having an air intake; a display unit accommodated in the case; a circuit board housed in the case, the circuit board controlling the display unit and carrying a plurality of heat-generating electronic components; a blower housed in the case, which draws in air through the air intake port and discharges the air into the case; a plate member made of metal that is in thermal contact with the electronic components and cooled by the air discharged from the blower, the plate member having a plurality of box-shaped members that cover each of the electronic components, and beam members that connect each of the box-shaped members.

2. the case has a front surface on which the display unit is disposed and a back surface opposite the front surface, the circuit board is accommodated in the case, and is arranged substantially perpendicular to a front-rear direction connecting the front surface and the rear surface; The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the fan is accommodated in the case so as to overlap the circuit board in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

3. the circuit board has a cutout portion having a size larger than the outer shape of the fan; The display device according to claim 2 , wherein the blower is disposed within the cutout.

4. The display device according to claim 2 , wherein the air blower blows the air onto both sides of the circuit board.

5. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the air blower blows the air onto both sides of the plate member.

6. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat diffusion member that diffuses heat transferred from said electronic component to said plate member to an area of ​​said plate member that is not in thermal contact with said electronic component.

7. A display device as described in claim 1, wherein the plate member is a single plate member that is in thermal contact with multiple of the electronic components.

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