Patent Application
20200186746
The field of the invention generally relates to on-board display monitors, such as seat-back mounted display monitors for vehicles, and more particularly, to protective covers for display monitors which protect passengers from head impact injury.
Typically, entertainment systems for vehicles have video displays installed at each passenger seat. For instance, video displays are provided at each passenger seat, such as mounted at each of the seatbacks of the passenger seats, and/or on cabin walls and/or deployable from an armrest for seats located at a bulkhead, i.e., in the first row of a section. Many of these systems allow each passenger to select from multiple video channels and/or audio channels, or even individually select and play videos from a library of videos. These video displays may also provide access to games, communication applications (e.g., telephone service, messaging, etc.), internet browsing, and other computer applications. Sometimes such displays are referred to as smart monitors due to the ability to provide computer applications and process and store data internally.
Such entertainment systems may be installed, and are currently utilized, on a variety of vehicles, including commercial passenger aircraft, passenger trains, automobiles, buses. For instance, many commercial passenger aircraft have in-flight entertainment system (“IFE”) having video displays located at each passenger seat.
The display monitors utilized in on-board entertainment systems generally include glass screens and/or other components which can present a risk of injury to a passenger in the event the display monitor is broken. For example, if there is a head impact on the display monitor, the glass screen can be broken and the broken glass can injure a passenger. Indeed, for on-board, in-flight entertainment systems on airplanes, there are rules and/or regulations regarding protection from injury caused by head impact with a display monitor. One such regulation is referred to as Head Impact Criteria (HIC) promulgated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). One of the criteria of the HIC requires that material that can cause a cut must be contained during an impact with the display monitor. Another criteria of the HIC specifies the amount of acceptable impact caused by the collision of a passenger with the display monitor.
Several designs for safeguarding display monitors have been previously disclosed. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2016/0297526 A1 discloses a delethalization cover which attaches to the front of a display monitor. The delethalization cover is formed of tempered glass, such that it provides a higher strength barrier which prevents glass from reaching a passenger in the event of the passenger's head impacting the cover and/or breaking the display monitor. However, the delethalization cover is heavy and relatively thick in order to provide sufficient strength and also does not contain the broken tempered glass in the event it does break due to an impact.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,411,452 also discloses a system for safeguarding a display monitor in the event of an impact. The system includes a monitor cover comprising a translucent panel having a frangible region which breaks away from the remainder of the panel upon an impact. Accordingly, the panel absorbs an impact by breaking in a safe, predictable manner, rather than shattering or forming shards.
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to an innovative display monitor cover for safeguarding a display monitor (e.g., a display monitor having a glass screen), such as preventing injury caused by a broken display monitor in the event of an impact to the display monitor. For instance, the display monitor cover may allow the display monitor assembly, including the display monitor and the cover, to meet the requirements of HIC set forth by the FAA.
The display monitor cover comprises a glass panel configured to cover an active display area of a display monitor. The glass panel has an interior surface which faces the display monitor and an exterior surface facing away from the display monitor, when the cover is mounted over the display monitor. The display monitor cover has a rim surrounding the perimeter of the glass panel. The rim has a front surface facing away from the display monitor when the cover is mounted over the display monitor. The rim interface between the exterior surface of the glass panel and the front surface of the rim is flush such that the exterior surface of the glass panel is flush with the front surface of the rim. In other words, there is not a step where the glass panel meets the rim.
The rim has a width extending outward from the interface with the glass panel. The rim is configured to be mounted over the display monitor. In one way, the rim is configured to be mounted to the front of the display monitor. For instance, the rim may be configured to be mounted to a front bezel of the display monitor, such as by adhesive, glue, fasteners, etc.
The display monitor cover also has a film applied and adhered to the exterior surface of the glass panel and extending onto, and adhered to the front surface of the rim. The film extends sufficiently onto the front surface of the rim such that the film remains adhered to the rim upon an impact to the glass panel which breaks the glass panel. The film may be adhered to the glass panel and the rim using pressure sensitive adhesive, or other suitable adhesive.
Accordingly, when mounted over a display monitor, the display monitor cover creates an enclosed space over the display monitor which contains any broken glass from both the glass panel and the glass screen of the display monitor and prevents such broken glass from exiting out of the enclosed space.
In another aspect, the display monitor cover may further comprise a reinforcing rod disposed in the rim. The reinforcing rod may extend along the entire rim, or any portion of the rim. In still another aspect, the rim may be formed of plastic and may be injection molded onto the reinforcing rod.
In yet another feature, the rim may be injection molded onto the glass panel such that the rim interface between the exterior surface of the glass panel and the front surface of the rim is flush. In other words, the exterior surface of the glass panel is flush with the front surface of the rim.
In still another feature, the exterior surface of the glass panel is beveled along an outer perimeter of the glass panel at the interface with the rim, and the front surface of the rim extends over the bevel such that the front surface of the rim is flush with the exterior surface of the glass. The bevel and the rim extending over the bevel provides mechanical retention of the glass panel to the rim.
In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to an innovative method of manufacturing a display monitor cover for safeguarding a display monitor (e.g., a display monitor having a glass screen). The method comprises insert-injection molding a rim onto a glass panel. The glass panel has a perimeter, an interior surface which faces the display monitor and an exterior surface facing away from the display monitor when the cover is mounted over the display monitor. The resulting rim has a front surface which faces away from the display monitor when the cover is mounted over the display monitor. The glass panel is inserted into an injection mold tool and the rim is injection molded onto the glass panel such that the rim surrounds a perimeter of the glass panel and the exterior surface of the glass panel is flush with the front surface of the rim (i.e., the rim interface between the exterior surface of the glass panel and the front surface of the rim is flush).
A film is applied and adhered to the exterior surface of the glass panel and the front surface of the rim such that the film extends from the exterior surface of the glass onto the front surface of the rim. The film extends sufficiently onto the front surface of the rim such that the film remains adhered to the rim upon an impact to the glass panel which breaks the glass panel. The film may be adhered to the glass panel and the rim using pressure sensitive adhesive, or other suitable adhesive.
In another aspect of the method, the rim is also insert-injection molded onto a reinforcing rod which extends along the rim. The reinforcing rod is inserted into the injection molding tool, along with the glass panel, and the rim is injection molded onto the reinforcing rod and the glass panel. Again, the rim surrounds the perimeter of the glass panel and the rim interface between the exterior surface of the glass panel and the front surface of the rim is flush such that the exterior surface of the glass panel is flush with the front surface of the rim.
Referring to
The display monitor cover 100 comprises a main panel 106. The main panel 106 may be formed of any suitable, substantially transparent or translucent material which allows the display monitor 102 to be viewed through the main panel 106. As some examples, the main panel may be made of glass, coated glass, colored glass, or the like. The main panel 106 is sized and shaped to cover an active display area 109 of the display monitor 102. The main panel 106 has an interior surface 108 which faces the display monitor 102 and an exterior surface 110 facing away from the display monitor 102, when the cover 102 is mounted over the display monitor 102 (see
The display monitor cover 102 has a rim (or frame) 112 surrounding the perimeter of the main panel 106. The rim 112 may surround, and be attached to, the entire perimeter of the main panel 106, or any portion of the main panel 106 sufficient to securely attach the rim 112 to the main panel 106. The rim 112 may be formed of any suitable material, such as plastic, metal, or the like. The rim 112 has a front surface 114 facing away from the display monitor 102 when the cover 100 is mounted over the display monitor 102, and a rear surface 116 facing towards the display monitor 102 when the cover 100 is mounted over the display monitor 102.
The front surface 114 of the rim 112 interfaces with the exterior surface 110 of the perimeter of the main panel 106 at a rim interface 118. The rim interface 118 between the front surface 114 of the rim 112 and the exterior surface 110 of the main panel 106 is flush such that the front surface 114 of the rim 112 is flush with exterior surface 110 of the main panel 106. As used herein, the term “flush” means that adjacent surfaces are even or level and in direct contact with each other.
As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
The film 132 extends a sufficient width onto the front surface 114 of the rim 112 such that the film 132 remains adhered to the rim 112 upon an impact to the main panel 106 which breaks the main panel 106, as depicted in
As depicted in
Referring now to
At step 208, a film 132 is applied to the exterior surface 110 of the main panel 106 and the front surface 114 of the rim 112. The film 132 is adhered to the exterior surface 110 of the glass panel 106 and the front surface 114 of the rim 112 using a pressure sensitive adhesive. The film 132 extends sufficiently onto the front surface 114 of the rim 112 such that the film 132 remains adhered to the rim 112 upon an impact to the main panel 106 which breaks the main panel 106 into broken pieces.
Although particular embodiments have been shown and described, it is to be understood that the above description is not intended to limit the scope of these embodiments. While embodiments and variations of the many aspects of the invention have been disclosed and described herein, such disclosure is provided for purposes of explanation and illustration only. Thus, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, not all of the components described in the embodiments are necessary, and the invention may include any suitable combinations of the described components, and the general shapes and relative sizes of the components of the invention may be modified. Accordingly, embodiments are intended to exemplify alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may fall within the scope of the claims. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except to the following claims, and their equivalents.
