Abstract:
A display apparatus to wirelessly communicate with an external apparatus includes a display part to form a picture, a wireless communication unit to wirelessly communicate with the external apparatus, disposed externally with respect to the display part to communicate a signal between the external apparatus and the display part, and a coupling part to detachably couple the wireless communication unit to the display part. The display apparatus easily attaches a wireless communication unit to the display part, and detaches the wireless communication unit therefrom.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-65566, filed on Aug. 19, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present general inventive concept relates to a display apparatus, and more particularly, to a display apparatus to wirelessly communicate with an external apparatus.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     A display apparatus refers to a television, a computer monitor, and the like, comprising a display module for forming a picture, and a casing supporting the display module.  
         [0006]     The display module includes a CRT (cathode ray tube), an LCD (liquid crystal display), a PDP (plasma display panel), or another related device.  
         [0007]     As an example of the display apparatus, Korean Patent First Publication No. 2003-58118 discloses a conventional plasma display apparatus wirelessly connected to a set-top box of a digital television to form a picture.  
         [0008]     In the conventional plasma display apparatus, an RF antenna is fixedly placed outside a PDP screen to receive an RF signal output from the set-top box, which in turn is connected to various A/V devices and a cable.  
         [0009]     However, such an antenna placed on a surface of the display apparatus to receive a signal from an external apparatus should be easily attachable to the display apparatus and detachable therefrom, while improving an external appearance of the display apparatus.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     Accordingly, the present general inventive concept provides a display apparatus that can easily attach a wireless communication unit to a display part, and detach the wireless communication unit therefrom.  
         [0011]     Additional aspects and/or advantages of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present general inventive concept.  
         [0012]     The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept are achieved by providing a display apparatus that can wirelessly communicate with an external apparatus, the display apparatus comprising a display part to form a picture, a wireless communication unit, to wirelessly communicate with the external apparatus, disposed outside of the display part to communicate a signal between the external apparatus and the display part, and a coupling part to detachably couple the wireless communication unit to the display part.  
         [0013]     The wireless communication unit may comprise a wireless communication module, to wirelessly communicate with the external apparatus to communicate the signal between the external apparatus and the display part, and a front cover and a back cover to support the wireless communication module.  
         [0014]     The wireless communication unit may further comprise an indicating part electrically connected to the wireless communication module to turn on when the wireless communication module receives the signal from the external apparatus.  
         [0015]     The wireless communication unit may further comprise an upper cover provided at an upper part of the front cover and the back cover to transmit light from the indicating part and to emit the light externally.  
         [0016]     The coupling part may comprise a locking part provided in one of a back of the display part and the wireless communication unit, and an engaging part provided in the other of the back of the display part and the wireless communication unit and to engage with the locking part.  
         [0017]     The display apparatus may comprise a fixing bracket placed on the back of the display part, and on which one of the locking part and the holding part is formed.  
         [0018]     An inclined surface may be formed on the back of the display part on which the fixing bracket is installed, and a bending part may be formed on the wireless communication unit corresponding to the inclined surface.  
         [0019]     Coupling bosses may be formed on the back of the display part, screw insertion holes may be formed on the fixing bracket corresponding to the coupling bosses, and screws may be inserted into the screw insertion holes to couple with the coupling bosses. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]     These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a display apparatus according to an embodiment the present general inventive concept;  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the display apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a wireless communication of the display apparatus of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described in order to explain the present general inventive concept while referring to the figures.  
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective of a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the display apparatus comprises a display part  1  to form a picture, and a base part  30  to support the display part  1 .  
         [0026]     The display part  1  can comprise a display module  9  to form the picture, a front casing  16  and a back casing  20  to support the display module  9 .  
         [0027]     The front casing  16  supports a front portion of the display module  9 , and the back casing  20  supports a back portion of the display module  9 . Between the front casing  16  and the display module  9  an optical filter  15  can be provided.  
         [0028]     The display module  9  can comprise a PDP (plasma display panel) assembly  10  to form the picture, and a main PCB (printed circuit board) assembly  11  to drive the PDP assembly  10 . The display module  9  is not limited to the PDP assembly  10 , and may alternatively comprise an LCD (liquid crystal display) assembly, a CRT (cathode ray tube) assembly, or the like.  
         [0029]     The optical filter  15  protects a front portion of the PDP assembly  10  and blocks EMI (electromagnetic interference).  
         [0030]     The main PCB assembly  11  can comprise a main PCB  12  provided with a plurality of control components, and a supporting bracket  13  to support the main PCB  12  at the PDP assembly  10 . A first side of the main PCB  12  is coupled to a port part  14  externally exposed through a port part mounting hole  21  formed at the back casing  20 . The port part  14  comprises a plurality of ports, such as for example, a power input terminal and a cable connecting terminal.  
         [0031]     The base part  30  can comprise a base member  31  to support the display part  1  at an installation surface, and a pair of supports  32  provided in an outward direction from the base member  31 .  
         [0032]     The supports  32  are inserted into the back casing  20  of the display part  1  through a corresponding pair of support insertion openings  23  formed on a lower part of the back casing  20 , and coupled to a corresponding pair of support coupling parts  22  provided inside of the back casing  20 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the display apparatus of  FIG. 1 . Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a wireless communication unit  40  is placed on a back of the display part  1  through which an external apparatus and the display part  1  can wirelessly communicate with each other. Hereinbelow, a set-top box will be referred to as an example of the external apparatus to wirelessly communicate with the display part  1  thorugh the wireless communication unit  40 , but the external apparatus is not limited to the set-top box. Here, the set-top box will not be described in detail nor shown in a drawing since the set-top box is known in the art.  
         [0034]     The wireless communication unit  40  is detachably coupled to the back casing  20  of the display part  1  by a coupling part to be described later, and a bending part  48  can be formed at the wireless communication unit  40  corresponding to an inclined surface  25  of the back casing  20 . Thus, the bending part  48  contacts the inclined surface  25  of the back casing  20  when the wireless communication unit  40  is coupled to the back casing  20 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the wireless communication unit  40 . Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the wireless communication unit  40  comprises a wireless communication module  49  to wirelessly communicate a signal with the set-top box, a front cover  43  to support a front portion of the wireless communication module  49 , a back cover  44  to support a back portion of the wireless communication module  49 , and an upper cover  45  disposed at an upper part of the front cover  43  and the back cover  44 . The upper cover  45  can be semi-transparent to allow light to pass therethrough.  
         [0036]     The wireless communication module  49  comprises a sending/receiving module  41  to wirelessly send/receive the signal to/from the set-top box and a sub PCB  42  electrically connected to the sending/receiving module  41  and the main PCB assembly  11  of the display part  1 .  
         [0037]     A sub PCB supporting bracket  47  can be provided between the sub PCB  42  and the front cover  43  to support the sub PCB  42  at the front cover  43 , and an LED (light emitting diode) part  46  is provided in the sub PCB  42  as an indicating part being turned on to indicate when the sending/receiving module  41  receives the signal from the set-top box.  
         [0038]     The LED part  46  is turned on when the sending/receiving module  41  receives the signal from the set-top box, to generate light. As the light generated from the LED part  46  passes through openings of the front cover  43 , and is then emitted externally through the semi-transparent upper cover  45 , a user can confirm that the wireless communication unit  40  receives the signal from the set-top box.  
         [0039]     The sub PCB  42 , supported by the sub PCB supporting bracket  47 , relays the signal between the sending/receiving module  41  and the main PCB assembly  11  and controls the LED part  46  to turn on/off.  
         [0040]     The coupling part comprises a locking part  51  of a fixing bracket  50  provided at the back casing  20  of the display part  1 , and an engaging part  52  provided at the front cover  43  of the wireless communication unit  40  to be engaged with the locking part  51 .  
         [0041]     The fixing bracket  50  can correspond to the inclined surface  25  of the back casing  20 , and can be installed on a back of the back casing  20  by screws  54 .  
         [0042]     Screw insertion holes  53  can be formed in the fixing bracket  50  corresponding to a plurality of coupling bosses  24  formed on the back casing  20  of the display part  1 . Thus the screws  54  pass through the screw insertion holes  53  and are coupled to the coupling bosses  24  of the back casing  20 .  
         [0043]     The locking part  51  can be provided as one or more hooks on the fixing bracket to couple with the front cover  43  of the wireless communication unit  40 , and the engaging part  52  is formed on the front cover  43  of the wireless communication unit  40  corresponding to the locking part  51 , so that the locking part  51  can be inserted into the engaging part  52 . Although the locking part  51  is described as being provided at the back casing  20  of the display part  1 , and the engaging part  52  is described as being provided at the front cover  43  of the wireless communication unit  40 , the locking part  51  and the engaging part  52  are not limited to this configuration. Alternatively, the locking part  51  may be provided at the front cover  43  of the wireless communication unit  40 , and the engaging part  52  may be provided at the back casing  20  of the display part  1 .  
         [0044]     In the display apparatus according to the present general inventive concept as described above, the wireless communication unit  40  can be easily attached to the back of the display part  1  by inserting the locking part  51  formed on the back casing  20  of the display part  1  into the engaging part  52  of the wireless communication unit  40 . Then, the display part  1  can wirelessly communicate with the external apparatus, such as the set-top box.  
         [0045]     Meanwhile, the wireless communication unit  40  can be easily detached from the display part  1  by gripping the wireless communication unit  40  and releasing the locking part  51  of the fixing bracket  50  from being inserted into the engaging part  52  of the wireless communication unit  40 .  
         [0046]     Further, a user can have an improved external appearance of the display apparatus since the wireless communication unit  40  is mounted on the back of the display part  1 .  
         [0047]     Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.