Display device

Abstract

Provided is a display device that achieves improved assembly workability. A display device 10 comprises: a display 3; a case 5 that holds the display 3; and a housing 8 that houses the display 3 and the case 5. The housing 8 is provided with a plurality of leaf springs 8c, one of the case 5 and the housing 8 has a plurality of claws 5h, the other of the case 5 and the housing 8 has a plurality of locking parts 8d that respectively lock the plurality of claws 5h, and the plurality of claws 5h or the plurality of locking parts 8d of the housing are provided in the plurality of leaf springs 8c, respectively.

Description

Display device

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a display device that includes a liquid crystal panel, a circuit board arranged parallel to the liquid crystal panel on the rear side of the liquid crystal panel, a light source mounted on the circuit board, a light guide that guides light from the light source to the liquid crystal panel, a case provided on the circuit board to hold the light guide, and a housing that accommodates the above members, wherein the case and the housing are fixed by screws.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-150818

[0004] However, in the display device described in Patent Document 1, since the case and the housing are fixed by screws, the assembling workability is complicated, leaving room for improvement in this respect.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a display device capable of improving assembling workability.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the display device according to the present invention includes: a display; a case that holds the display; and a housing that accommodates the display and the case, wherein the housing includes a plurality of leaf springs, one of the case and the housing has a plurality of claws, the other of the case and the housing has a plurality of locking portions that respectively lock each of the plurality of claws, and the plurality of claws or the plurality of locking portions provided in the housing are each disposed on the plurality of leaf springs.

[0007] According to the present invention, there is provided a display device capable of improving assembling workability.

[0008] An exploded perspective view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A perspective view of a partial configuration of the display device according to the embodiment. A perspective view of a partial configuration of the display device according to the embodiment. A perspective view of a case, a light source substrate and a circuit board of the display device according to the embodiment. A view from an obliquely front side of a housing of the display device according to the embodiment. A cross-sectional view showing a locking structure of the case and the housing of the display device according to the embodiment. A plan view of a display device according to a modified example. A cross-sectional view taken along line I-I shown in FIG. 7 of a display device according to a modified example.

[0009] One embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] In this specification, terms that specify shape, color, physical properties (e.g., light transmission and light blocking), direction and geometric conditions (e.g., orthogonal), and the degree thereof shall be interpreted not strictly, but to include the extent to which similar functions can be expected. Furthermore, in the following description, explanations of known technical matters will be omitted where appropriate to facilitate understanding of this disclosure.

[0011] The display device 10 shown in Figure 1 is configured, for example, as a vehicle instrument. In each figure, the X-axis extends horizontally, the Y-axis extends vertically, and the Z-axis extends front-to-back. Unless otherwise specified, the left-to-right, up-to-down, and front-to-back directions used below refer to the X, Y, and Z axes. Note that the arrow indicating the X-axis points to the right, the arrow indicating the Y-axis points upward, and the arrow indicating the Z-axis points forward.

[0012] The display device 10 comprises, in order from front to back, a cover glass 1, a buffer member 2, a display 3, a light guide 4, a case 5, a light source substrate 6 on which a light source 6a is mounted, a circuit board 7, and a housing 8. The light source 6a is, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

[0013] The cover glass 1 is mainly composed of inorganic or organic glass, is translucent, and allows the user to see through it to view various information displayed on the display 3. The cushioning member 2 is formed in a frame shape from an elastic material and is sandwiched between the cover glass 1 and the display 3. The display 3 is a liquid crystal panel, which is illuminated by light from the light source 6a and displays various information such as vehicle speed information.

[0014] The light guide 4 is formed in a plate shape from a translucent synthetic resin and, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, has a facing surface 4a that faces the display 3 and a lower surface 4b that is located below the facing surface 4a. The facing surface 4a is the surface that faces forward and is located behind the display 3. The lower surface 4b is the surface that faces downward and faces the light source substrate 6. Light from multiple light sources 6a arranged on the light source substrate 6 enters the lower surface 4b and is guided into the interior of the light guide 4. The light guided into the interior of the light guide 4 is emitted from the facing surface 4a to illuminate the display 3.

[0015] The light guide 4 is configured such that the distance between the opposing surface 4a and its back surface decreases as it moves away from the light source 6a. Furthermore, a dot-like rough surface (textured surface) may be formed on the back surface of the light guide 4 by printing, mold processing, or the like. The dot density is set to increase as it moves away from the light source 6a. By adjusting the dot density of this rough surface, the amount of light emitted from the opposing surface 4a can be made uniform.

[0016] The display device 10 may further include one or more optical sheets between the light guide 4 and the display 3. Examples of one or more optical sheets include a diffuser, a prism sheet, and combinations thereof.

[0017] Case 5 is formed in a box shape that opens towards the front and holds the display 3 and the light guide 4. Case 5 is made of, for example, a white synthetic resin material. As shown in Figure 1, Case 5 has four wall portions 5a that surround the sides of the light guide 4. The four wall portions 5a form a rectangular frame shape when viewed from the front of Case 5. Note that Case 5 is not limited to a box shape, but may be frame-shaped as long as it can hold the display 3.

[0018] Here, one of the four wall portions 5a, which corresponds to the light source substrate 6, will be referred to as the specific wall portion 5ap below. As shown in Figure 1, this specific wall portion 5ap is provided with multiple through holes 5b corresponding to multiple light sources 6a. This configuration allows light from multiple light sources 6a to be efficiently incident onto the light guide 4.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the specific wall portion 5ap has a groove 5c into which the front end of the light source substrate 6 is fitted. In addition to the specific wall portion 5ap, the case 5 also includes a first elastic portion 5e having a first claw portion 5d for fixing the rear end of the light source substrate 6, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. This structure of the case 5 allows the light source substrate 6 to be held stably. The first elastic portion 5e mainly has a restoring force in the X direction and is provided on both the left and right sides of the specific wall portion 5ap (only one of the first elastic portions 5e is shown in Figures 3 and 4).

[0020] Furthermore, the case 5 is provided with a second elastic portion 5g having a second claw portion 5f, which is located on each of the four wall portions 5a that face each other in the left-right direction (only one of the second elastic portions 5g is shown in Figure 3). As shown in Figure 3, the second claw portion 5f is locked to the circuit board 7. The second elastic portion 5g also has a restoring force mainly in the X direction. And, as can be seen by comparing Figures 3 and 4, the first elastic portion 5e and the second elastic portion 5g extend in the same direction (rearward). This improves assembly workability.

[0021] Furthermore, case 5 is provided with claws (third claws) 5h on each of the pair of wall portions 5a that face each other in the left-right direction among the four wall portions 5a (only one claw 5h is shown in Figure 3). The claws 5h are provided on both sides of the second elastic portion 5g. As shown in Figure 6, the claws 5h are locked into the locking portion provided on the leaf spring 8c of the housing 8, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the claws 5h are provided on each of the pair of wall portions 5a that face each other in the left-right direction among the four wall portions 5a, but the wall portion 5a on which the claws 5h are provided is not limited. In this specification, when simply referred to as "claws," it refers to the third claws.

[0022] The light source substrate 6 is a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) with a long shape in the left-right direction. Furthermore, there are multiple light sources 6a mounted on the light source substrate 6, arranged along the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the light source substrate 6.

[0023] The light source substrate 6 stands in the front-to-back direction, facing the lower surface 4b of the light guide 4. This ensures that the light source 6a faces the lower surface 4b of the light source substrate 6. In this way, the display device 10 can receive illumination light from the lower surface 4b of the light guide 4 located behind it, thus minimizing the space required behind the display 3. Therefore, the display device 10 can be constructed using efficient modules.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the light source substrate 6 has an overhang 6b at its longitudinal end. The first claw portion 5d is locked to the rear end surface of the overhang portion 6b. This hook mechanism using the first claw portion 5d allows the case 5 and the light source substrate 6 to be easily assembled.

[0025] The circuit board 7 is a PCB on which a controller that controls the operation of the display device 10 is mounted. The circuit board 7 is electrically connected to the light source substrate 6 and is located behind the case 5. As mentioned above, the first claw portion 5d fixes the rear end of the light source substrate 6, but as shown in Figure 4, a notch 7a is formed in the corner of the circuit board 7 corresponding to the first claw portion 5d (a missing portion is provided). The first claw portion 5d is located within the notch 7a. In this way, by providing a portion of the circuit board 7 that avoids the first claw portion 5d, the circuit board 7 can be easily assembled to the case 5.

[0026] The housing 8 is formed from, for example, a synthetic resin material and houses internal components such as the display 3, light guide 4, case 5, light source substrate 6, and circuit board 7. The housing 8 is formed in a box shape with a bottom, and the peripheral wall portion of the housing 8 and the peripheral edge portion of the cover glass 1 are fixed by well known fixing means. The housing 8 has a bottom wall portion 8a, a peripheral wall portion 8b, and an opening facing the bottom wall portion 8a. As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the housing 8 is provided with a plurality of thin plate-shaped leaf springs 8c at positions spaced inward from the peripheral wall portion 8b located in the left-right direction. The leaf springs 8c have locking portions 8d that engage with the claws 5h. The leaf springs 8c contribute to the positioning and holding of the case 5. The locking portions 8d can be any shape that engages with the claws 5h, and examples of the shape of the locking portions 8d include recesses and through holes. The plate surface of the leaf spring 8c and the substrate surface of the circuit board 7 are perpendicular, the substrate surface of the circuit board 7 and the substrate surface of the light source substrate 6 are perpendicular, and the plate surface of the leaf spring 8c and the substrate surface of the light source substrate 6 are perpendicular. The arrangement of the leaf spring 8c and the locking portion 8d is not limited to the arrangement in this embodiment, and any arrangement corresponding to the claws 5h of the case 5 is acceptable.

[0027] The display device 10 is constructed from the elements described above. Since the case 5 has multiple claws 5h and the leaf spring 8c of the housing 8 has a locking portion 8d that engages with the claws 5h, the case 5 and the housing 8 can be fixed together without screws, as shown in Figure 6, resulting in good assembly workability. In another embodiment, the leaf spring 8c of the housing 8 may have claws 5h, and the case 5 may have a locking portion 8d that engages with the claws 5h. In this case as well, the case 5 and the housing 8 can be fixed together without screws, resulting in good assembly workability. Furthermore, the number of locking portions 8d or claws 5h provided on one leaf spring 8c does not have to be one. Two or more locking portions 8d or two or more claws 5h may be provided on one leaf spring 8c.

[0028] (Modification) The display device 10 described above may also include an indicator display unit 9, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. The indicator display unit 9 emits light to display an indicator composed of characters, figures, icons, or a combination thereof. For example, as shown in Figure 7, the indicator display unit 9 is provided above the area where the display 3 displays information as an image. As shown in Figure 8, the indicator display unit 9 includes an indicator light source 9a and a light box 9b. The indicator light source 9a is composed of an LED and is mounted on the circuit board 7. The light box 9b is a cylindrical part formed by a part of the case 5 and guides the light emitted by the indicator light source 9a to the cover glass 1. On the cover glass 1, an indicator is formed in the area illuminated by the light from the indicator light source 9a by a combination of, for example, a light-transmitting portion and a light-shielding portion formed by printing. The indicator display unit 9 displays information by the light emitted by this indicator.

[0029] The display 3 described above is a liquid crystal panel, but it may also be other displays, including self-emissive displays such as organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and μLED displays. If the display 3 is a self-emissive display, the display device 10 does not require a light guide 4 and a light source substrate 6 for illuminating the display 3.

[0030] This invention allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of this invention. In other words, the scope of this invention is indicated not by the embodiments, but by the claims. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the equivalent scope of the meaning of the invention are considered to be within the scope of this invention.

[0031] 10…Display device 1…Cover glass, 2…Cushioning member, 3…Display 4…Light guide, 4a…Opposite surface, 4b…Lower side surface 5…Case 5a…Wall, 5ap…Specific wall 5b…Through hole, 5c…Groove 5d…First claw, 5e…First elastic part 5f…Second claw, 5g…Second elastic part 5h…Claw (Third claw) 6…Light source substrate, 6a…Light source, 6b…Protruding part 7…Circuit board, 7a…Notch 8…Housing 8a…Bottom wall, 8b…Peripheral wall 8c…Leaf spring, 8d…Locking part 9…Indicator display part, 9a…Light source for indicator, 9b…Lightbox

Claims

1. A display device comprising a display, a case for holding the display, and a housing for housing the display and the case, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of leaf springs, one of the case or the housing has a plurality of claws, the other of the case or the housing has a plurality of locking parts for locking each of the plurality of claws, and the plurality of claws or the plurality of locking parts of the housing are each provided on the plurality of leaf springs.

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