Backlight module capable of reducing width of central frame of double screens, and display device

Abstract

A backlight module capable of reducing the width of a central frame of double screens, the backlight module including: a back plate; a frame structure, the frame structure defining an X-axis, a Y-axis and a Z-axis, which are perpendicular to one another, and including a partition member, which is arranged on the back plate and is provided with a bottom plate and a vertical plate, wherein the vertical plate is fixed to the bottom plate in the Z-axis direction and has two surfaces away from each other, the two surfaces are each provided with a plurality of engaging and fixing structures, which are arranged on the vertical plate in a protruding manner and spaced apart in the Y-axis direction, two front frames are respectively mounted on two sides of the vertical plate in the Z-axis direction, each front frame engages with a part of the vertical plate adjacent thereto, the back plate and the two front frames jointly form two accommodating spaces, and the two accommodating spaces are located on the two sides of the vertical plate; a plurality of light guide plates, which are respectively arranged in the two accommodating spaces; and a plurality of light-emitting elements, which are arranged adjacent to the plurality of light guide plates.

Description

Backlight module and display device capable of reducing width of central border of dual screens

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202311283712.4 filed on October 7, 2023, entitled “Multi-screen backlight module and display device with partition” and Chinese patent application No. 202410447438.8 filed on April 15, 2024, entitled “Backlight module and display device capable of reducing the width of the central border of dual screens”. The entire contents of these two applications are hereby incorporated into this application by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a backlight module and a display device, and in particular to a backlight module and a display device capable of reducing the width of a central frame of a dual screen. Background Art

[0003] With the trend toward smart cars, in order to accommodate designs with different display functions on the same display surface, multiple backlight modules need to be combined in a splicing manner to achieve the function of displaying multiple images on the same surface.

[0004] Under current technology, multi-screen displays are typically manufactured using a die-casting process. The existing die-cast backplane structure has its forming limitations, which restricts the size of the dual-screen spacing, resulting in large gaps between adjacent backlight modules. This leads to noticeable dark areas between the backlight modules, making it impossible to visually create a sense of continuity between images across the modules.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a backlight module and a display device that can reduce the width of the central border of a dual-screen, and the backlight module can improve visual continuity.

[0007] According to the purpose of the present invention, a backlight module that can reduce the width of the central border of a dual screen is provided, comprising a back panel; a frame structure that defines mutually perpendicular X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, the frame structure comprising a partition that is arranged on the back panel and has a bottom panel and a vertical panel, the vertical panel is fixed to the bottom panel along the Z-axis direction, the vertical panel has two surfaces facing each other, and both surfaces have a plurality of fixing structures, which are protruded from the vertical panel and spaced apart along the Y-axis direction, two front frames are respectively installed on both sides of the vertical panel along the Z-axis direction, each front frame is fixed to its adjacent vertical panel, the back panel and the two front frames together form two accommodating spaces, and the two accommodating spaces are located on both sides of the vertical panel; a plurality of light guide plates are respectively arranged in the two accommodating spaces; and a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged adjacent to the plurality of light guide plates.

[0008] In some embodiments, the fastening structures located on the two surfaces are staggered along the Y-axis direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, each front frame includes two first side walls arranged parallel to the X-axis direction and a second side wall and a third side wall arranged parallel to the Y-axis direction. Each first side wall is connected to the same side of the second side wall and the third side wall, and the second side wall is clamped to its adjacent vertical plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, the back panel includes two outer walls arranged parallel to each other along the X-axis direction, and the two outer walls are arranged corresponding to each other. The first side wall of each front frame is arranged on the outer side surface of each outer wall of the back panel. The two outer walls respectively have openings. The two ends of the second side wall of each front frame are respectively located in these openings, and a shading member is provided to cover each opening.

[0011] In some embodiments, the second side wall of each front frame has a plurality of fixing holes, which are respectively engaged with the plurality of fixing structures of the vertical plate.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first side wall of each front frame has multiple outer snap holes, the outer surfaces of the two outer walls of the back plate have multiple outer snap structures, and the multiple outer snap holes are respectively snapped into the multiple outer snap structures.

[0013] In some embodiments, the back plate and the separators of the frame structure are made of metal, and the fastening structures are formed by stamping.

[0014] In some embodiments, the frame structure further comprises a flat plate disposed on the back plate, and the vertical plate is located between the bottom plate and the flat plate.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a display device comprising the aforementioned backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of the dual screens, and two display panels disposed above the frame structure.

[0016] In some embodiments, a glass cover is further included, which is disposed above the display panels. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to make the above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention more clearly understood, the accompanying drawings are now described as follows.

[0018] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of a dual-screen according to the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of components of a first embodiment of a backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central borders of dual screens according to the present invention.

[0020] FIG3 is a partial enlarged view of the frame structure of the first embodiment of the backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of dual screens according to the present invention.

[0021] FIG4 is a partial enlarged view of the portion marked A in FIG1 .

[0022] FIG. 5A is an exploded view of components of a second embodiment of a backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central borders of dual screens according to the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5A after assembly.

[0024] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of components of the display device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The directions "front," "back," "up," "down," "left," and "right" used herein are merely for ease of understanding. The present invention is not limited to these directions and can be adjusted based on actual circumstances. The present invention is described with the Z-axis as the up-down direction, the X-axis as the left-right direction, and the Y-axis as the front-back direction.

[0026] In order to clearly illustrate the specific implementation, structure and effects of the present invention, the following provides examples and illustrates them with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] 1 to 3 , a backlight module 100 capable of reducing the width of the central border of a dual-screen display is shown. The backlight module 100 comprises a back plate 21, a frame structure 20, two light guide plates 26, and a plurality of light-emitting elements 28. The backlight module 100 can be a direct-lit backlight module or an edge-lit backlight module.

[0028] The frame structure 20 defines mutually perpendicular X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The frame structure 20 includes a divider 23 disposed on the back plate 21. The divider 23 has a bottom plate 231 and a vertical plate 232. The bottom plate 231 is disposed above the back plate 21. The vertical plate 232 is fixed to the middle position of the bottom plate 231 along the Z-axis. The vertical plate 232 has two surfaces (i.e., the left and right surfaces of the vertical plate) that face away from each other along the X-direction. Both surfaces are provided with a plurality of fastening structures 232a. These fastening structures 232a are protruded from the vertical plate 232 and are spaced apart along the Y-axis. The fastening structures 232a are staggered along the Y-axis to prevent the fastening structures 232a on the same side from being too dense and affecting the structural strength of the vertical plate 232.

[0029] The two front frames 25 are mounted on the left and right sides of the vertical plate 232 along the Z-axis, respectively. In the backlight module 100 disclosed in this embodiment, the vertical plate 232 has two surfaces facing away from each other, both of which have a plurality of fastening structures 232a. These fastening structures 232a are protruding from the vertical plate 232 and spaced apart along the Y-axis. In other words, these fastening structures 232a have a double-sided latch design that can be snapped onto the two front frames 25 to complete the assembly and positioning of the two front frames 25. At the same time, the vertical plate 232 is located between the two light guide plates 26, effectively blocking light leakage and solving the problem of light leakage from the corresponding sides of the light guide plates 26.

[0030] Each front frame 25 includes two first sidewalls 251 arranged parallel to each other along the X-axis, and a second sidewall 252 and a third sidewall 253 arranged parallel to each other along the Y-axis. Each first sidewall 251 is connected to the same side of the second sidewall 252 and the third sidewall 253. The second sidewall 252 has a plurality of fixing holes 252a. The fixing structures 232a on the left and right sides of the vertical plates 232 engage with corresponding fixing holes 252a on the second sidewall 252 of the adjacent vertical plates 232, thereby forming a receiving space between the back panel 21 and the two front frames 25 on the left and right sides of the vertical plates 232. Two light guide plates 26 are disposed in the two receiving spaces along the XY plane, respectively. A plurality of light-emitting elements 28 are disposed adjacent to the light guide plates 26. In this embodiment of the present invention, the light-emitting elements 28 are disposed on the front and rear sides of the light guide plates 26. The light-emitting elements 28 and the light guide plates 26 are used to refract light from the backlight module 100. Because the securing structures 232a of the vertical panels 232 are interlaced, when only the light-emitting elements 28 on one side are illuminated, light leakage is effectively blocked by the front frame 25 and the vertical panels 232. This solves the problem of light leakage from the corresponding sides of the light guide plates 26. This prevents light from leaking to the other screen, affecting recognition and causing false touches, and also improves the contrast at the center joint of the two screens. In this embodiment of the present invention, the number of light guide plates 26 is equal to the number of accommodating spaces, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0031] Referring to Figure 4 , the back panel 21 includes two outer walls 211 arranged parallel to each other along the X-axis. The two outer walls 211 are disposed opposite each other. The first sidewall 251 of each front frame 25 is correspondingly disposed on the outer side of the outer wall 211 of the back panel 21. Each outer wall 211 has an opening 29. Because light leakage is still likely to occur at the corners of each front frame 25 when coupled to the partition 23 and the back panel 21, this embodiment utilizes the second sidewall 252 of the front frame 25 at both ends positioned within these openings 29. A light shielding member 31 is then used to cover each opening 29, thereby preventing light leakage from each opening 29. The light shielding member 31 can be a black rubber strip or tape, and is designed in a U-shape to block light leakage from three sides, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0032] To further illustrate, the first side wall 251 of each front frame 25 has a plurality of outer snap-fitting holes 251 a, and the outer surfaces of the two outer walls 211 of the back panel 21 have a plurality of outer snap-fitting structures 211 a. These outer snap-fitting structures 211 a snap into these outer snap-fitting holes 251 a, making the combination of the front frame 25 and the back panel 21 more stable and less prone to deformation.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present invention, the separator 23 between the backplate 21 and the frame structure 20 is made of metal. Ultra-thin sheet metal can be used to stamp the separator 23, thereby reducing the overall weight and volume of the backlight module 100 and lowering manufacturing costs. In this embodiment, the thickness of the backplate 21 is greater than that of the separator 23, and the backplate 21 and separator 23 are then riveted together. Due to the thinness of the separator 23, a more complex structure (i.e., the retaining structures 232a on the vertical plates 232) can be formed, thereby reducing the difficulty of forming. Furthermore, the width of the vertical plates 232 of the separator 23 can be adjusted based on the optical architecture on the left and right sides. Furthermore, the ultra-thin nature of the separator 23 reduces the distance between the vertical plates 232 of the separator 23. When the display panel 40 is installed, this reduces the dark areas on both sides of the display panel 40, improving visual continuity and maintaining optimal optical quality.

[0034] Please refer to Figures 5A and 5B, which illustrate a second embodiment of the backlight module 100 of the present invention that can reduce the width of the central border of a dual-screen display. In the second embodiment, the vertical plate 232 of the separator 23 can be fixed to the right end of the base plate 231 along the Z-axis direction, and the flat plate 24 is located to the right of the vertical plate 232, thereby forming a state in which the vertical plate 232 is interposed between the base plate 231 and the flat plate 24. In the second embodiment, the separator 23 is L-shaped. The flat plate 24 is arranged so that the flat plate 24 and the base plate 231 of the separator 23 are located at the same height, so that the light guide plate 26 located in the accommodating space can be located at the same height to facilitate light refraction. Alternatively, the thickness of the left and right sides of the backlight module 100 can be adjusted to match light guide plates 26 of different thicknesses, so that the left and right sides of the backlight module 100 can produce different optical properties or display different images.

[0035] Further, in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the backlight module 100 capable of reducing the width of the central border of a dual-screen display further includes a plurality of optical films 27 disposed within the accommodating space and above the two light guide plates 26. The front frame 25 and the vertical plate 232 block light emitted from the light-emitting surfaces of the optical films 27 from affecting adjacent light-emitting surfaces. The optical films 27 may include a diffuser or a prism sheet, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0036] FIG6 illustrates a display device 200 having two display panels 40 disposed above a frame structure 20 and a glass cover 50 disposed above the display panels 40. The two display panels 40 are positioned to correspond to the two accommodating spaces formed by the back panel 21 and the two front frames 25 on the left and right sides of the vertical plate 232. The ultra-thin sheet metal separator 23 reduces the dark area between the two display panels 40, improving the visual discontinuity between the two display images and maintaining good optical quality.

[0037] The backlight module 100 and the display device 200 of the present invention have a partition 23 made of ultra-thin sheet metal. The partition 23 is set between two adjacent light guide plates 26 on the back plate 21. It can effectively block light to prevent the side light of the two light guide plates 26 from interfering with each other and affecting the light output effect. It can also achieve the effect of an extremely narrow frame, reduce the dark area between the two display panels 40, improve the problem of visual discontinuity between the two display images, and enhance the overall display effect.

[0038] The backlight module 100 and display device 200 of the present invention can be applied to products with multi-screen displays. For example, in large-size automotive displays, if the display screens of the center console and the instrument panel are integrated into the same display device, the distance between the two screens and the frame width at the center joint of the two screens are getting smaller and smaller. In response to this trend, the present invention can use the separator 23 of the present invention to separate the light below the center console display screen and the instrument panel display screen, so that the black edge (i.e., dark area) between the two modules is minimized, achieving the maximum screen-to-body ratio while taking into account that each module does not affect each other when operating independently. Furthermore, the backlight module 100 disclosed in the present invention is applicable to both side-entry and direct-type models, and subsequent applications are not only for dual-screen, but can also be used for narrow-frame designs of multi-screen models. In addition, the separator 23 of the back panel 21 and the frame structure 20 can also be formed by stamping, which can reduce the weight, volume and unit price of the product.

[0039] Although the present invention is disclosed above with various embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field should be able to make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope defined by the appended claims.

[0040] [List of figure marks] 100: Backlight module 200: Display device 20: Frame structure 21: Back panel 211: Outer wall 211a: Outer snap-fit ​​structure 23: Partition 231: Bottom plate 232: Vertical plate 232a: Fastening structure 24: Flat plate 25: Front frame 251: First side wall 251a: Outer snap-fit ​​hole 252: Second side wall 252a: Fixing hole 253: Third side wall 26: Light panel 27: Optical film 28: Light-emitting element 29: Opening 31: Shading member 40: Display panel 50: Glass cover.

Claims

1. A backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of a dual screen, comprising: Back panel; The frame structure defines mutually perpendicular X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis, and includes: A separator, which is disposed on the back plate and has a bottom plate and a vertical plate, the vertical plate is fixed to the bottom plate along the Z-axis direction, the vertical plate has two surfaces away from each other, the two surfaces both have a plurality of fixing structures, the plurality of fixing structures are protruded from the vertical plate and are spaced apart along the Y-axis direction; as well as Two front frames, which are respectively installed on both sides of the vertical plate along the Z-axis direction, each of the front frames is clamped on the vertical plate adjacent to it, and the back plate and the two front frames together form two accommodating spaces, and the two accommodating spaces are located on both sides of the vertical plate; A plurality of light guide plates, which are respectively disposed in the two accommodating spaces; as well as A plurality of light emitting elements are disposed adjacent to the plurality of light guide plates.

2. The backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of the dual screens according to claim 1, wherein: The multiple fastening structures located on the two surfaces are staggered along the Y-axis direction.

3. The backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of the dual screens according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the front frames includes two first side walls arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction and a second side wall and a third side wall arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction. Each first side wall is connected to the same side of the second side wall and the third side wall, and the second side wall is clamped to the adjacent vertical plate.

4. The backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of the dual screens according to claim 3, wherein: The back plate includes two outer walls arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction, and the two outer walls are arranged corresponding to each other, the first side wall of each front frame is arranged on the outer side surface of each outer wall of the back plate, the two outer walls respectively have openings, the two ends of the second side wall of each front frame are respectively located in these openings, and a shading member is provided to cover each opening.

5. The backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of the dual screens according to claim 3, wherein: The second side wall of each of the front frames has a plurality of fixing holes, which are respectively engaged with the plurality of fixing structures of the vertical plate.

6. The backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of the dual screens according to claim 4, wherein: The first side wall of each of the front frames has a plurality of outer snap-in holes, and the outer surfaces of the two outer side walls of the back plate have a plurality of outer snap-in structures, and the plurality of outer snap-in holes are respectively snap-in engaged with the plurality of outer snap-in structures.

7. The backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of a dual screen according to claim 1, wherein: The back plate and the partition of the frame structure are made of metal, and the plurality of fastening structures are formed by stamping.

8. The backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of a dual screen according to claim 1, wherein: The frame structure also has a flat plate arranged on the back plate, and the vertical plate is between the bottom plate and the flat plate.

9. A display device, comprising: A backlight module capable of reducing the width of the central border of a dual screen according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and Two display panels are arranged above the frame structure. 10 . The display device according to claim 9 , further comprising a glass cover disposed above the two display panels.

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