Patent Application
20110069248
This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 98131580, filed on Sep. 18, 2009. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of specification.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a display, and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display (LCD).
2. Description of Related Art
A backlight module used in an LCD of a notebook computer usually has an edge reflector disposed at a side-edge of a light source thereof in addition to having a reflection sheet for reflecting a light beam into a light guide plate (LGP) in the backlight module. For example, Taiwan Patent No. 1257511 and Taiwan Patent No. M331123 disclose a backlight module, wherein an L-type reflection sheet is disposed at a side-edge of a light source of the backlight module and serves as an edge reflector, so that a light beam emitted by the light source is reflected into an LGP in the backlight module.
Usually, a plurality of frames are disposed between an outer cover and a bezel of an LCD, and the frames are for fixing the above-mentioned edge reflector and other parts in the LCD. However, too many disposed frames would apparently increase the thickness and the weight of the LCD and also increase the assembling time and the manufacturing cost. To solve the above-mentioned problem, Taiwan Patent No. 575767 provides a design that an outer cover and a bezel in an LCD are further utilized to fix the parts therebetween, so that at least a part of the frames may be saved.
In addition, the LCD usually employs an inner cover disposed between the reflection sheet and the outer cover thereof, where the inner cover extends from a location under the light source to a location over the light source so as to define the above-mentioned edge reflector. Obviously, the above-mentioned inner cover would increase the thickness and the weight of the LCD as well, and the inner cover makes a notebook computer inconvenient for carrying.
Accordingly, the invention is directed to an LCD with lighter and thinner configuration.
Other advantages of the invention should be further indicated by the disclosures of the invention, and omitted herein for simplicity.
To achieve one of, a part of or all of the above-mentioned advantages, or to achieve other advantages, an embodiment of the invention provides an LCD, the LCD includes an outer cover, a backlight module, a liquid crystal panel, and a bezel. The backlight module includes a reflection sheet, a light guide plate (LGP), an edge reflector, and a light source. The reflection sheet is disposed on the outer cover and faces the outer cover. There is an interval between the outer cover and the reflection sheet. The LGP is stacked on the reflection sheet, and the edge reflector is disposed on the outer cover, wherein a containing space is defined by the outer cover and the edge reflector. The light source is disposed in the containing space. The liquid crystal panel is stacked on the LGP. The bezel is assembled to the outer cover and has a window. The outer cover and the bezel enclose the backlight module and the liquid crystal panel, and the window exposes the liquid crystal panel.
Based on the depiction above, the embodiment or embodiments of the invention may have at least one of the following advantages: there is no inner cover between the reflection sheet and the outer cover, and no inner cover is advantageous to make the LCD lighter and thinner.
Other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the further technological features disclosed by the embodiments of the present invention wherein there are shown and described preferred embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of modes best suited to carry out the invention.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. On the other hand, the drawings are only schematic and the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. Similarly, the terms “facing,” “faces” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect facing, and “adjacent to” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass directly and indirectly “adjacent to”. Therefore, the description of “A” component facing “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component directly faces “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Also, the description of “A” component “adjacent to” “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component is directly “adjacent to” “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
Referring to
The reflection sheet 122 is disposed on the outer cover 110 and faces the outer cover 110, and there is an interval D between the outer cover 110 and the reflection sheet 122 so as to avoid the outer cover 110 squeezing the reflection sheet 122 when the outer cover 110 is deformed by applying an external force on the outer cover 110. The LGP 124 is stacked on the reflection sheet 122, and the edge reflector 126 is disposed on the outer cover 110. A containing space S is defined by the outer cover 110 and the edge reflector 126, and the light source 128 is disposed in the containing space. The liquid crystal panel 130 is stacked on the LGP 124. The bezel 140 is assembled to the outer cover 110 and has a window 142. In more details, the bezel 140 has two regions, wherein the window 142 is a transparent region and the peripheral edge surrounding the window 142 is an opaque region. The outer cover 110 and the bezel 140 enclose the backlight module 120 and the liquid crystal panel 130, while the window 142 exposes the liquid crystal panel 130, so that, viewing from outside of the bezel 140, the bezel 140 looks as a smooth surface with a nice shape.
The reflection sheet 122 and the edge reflector 126 are able to reflect the light beam emitted by the light source 128 into the LGP 124, so that the displaying frame of the liquid crystal panel 130 has sufficient luminance to facilitate viewers watching the displaying frame of the liquid crystal panel 130 through the window 142. It should be noted that under the configuration of the embodiment, there is no inner cover between the reflection sheet 122 and the outer cover 110. As a result, the LCD 100 of the embodiment of the invention is lighter and thinner.
Referring to
In other words, the frame 150 functions to fix the backlight module 120, support the liquid crystal panel 130, and lock the optical films 129, and the frame 150 is able to free the LCD 100 from disposing other frames for supporting the liquid crystal panel 130 or locking the optical films 129.
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In summary, the embodiment or embodiments of the invention may have at least one of the following advantages: there is no inner cover between the reflection sheet and the outer cover, so that the LCD is lighter and thinner. In addition, the frame for fixing the backlight module further functions to support the liquid crystal panel and lock the optical films, and therefore no additional other frames are required to support the liquid crystal panel or lock the optical films, so that the weight and the thickness of the LCD may be further reduced, and the assembling time and the manufacturing cost may be saved. Besides, in the above-mentioned embodiments of the invention, the outer cover, the inner cover, the frame, and the bezel may be made of, for example, metal or plastic. In particular, when at least one of the outer cover, the inner cover, the frame, and the bezel is made of plastic, the weight and the thickness of the LCD may be further reduced.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form or to exemplary embodiments disclosed. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its best mode practical application, thereby to enable persons skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use or implementation contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Therefore, the term “the invention”, “the present invention” or the like does not necessarily limit the claim scope to a specific embodiment, and the reference to particularly preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The abstract of the disclosure is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure of any patent issued from this disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Any advantages and benefits described may not apply to all embodiments of the invention. It should be appreciated that variations may be made in the embodiments described by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Moreover, no element and component in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element or component is explicitly recited in the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98131580 | Sep 2009 | TW | national |
