Abstract:
A liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a fabrication method are provided. Black ink is printed on an inner surface of a side wall of a main supporter on which a liquid crystal panel is mounted, thereby improving a light leakage due to brightness of the side wall of the main supporter. The liquid crystal display (LCD) device including: a liquid crystal panel outputting an image; a backlight installed on a rear surface of the liquid crystal panel and emitting light to a front surface of the liquid crystal panel; and a main supporter receiving the liquid crystal panel and the backlight and fixing them, wherein an ink layer made of certain ink is formed on an inner surface of a side wall of the main supporter to prevent a light leakage of the backlight through the side wall of the main supporter.

Description:
[0001]    The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in priority Korean Application No. 10-2011-0093099, filed on Sep. 15, 2011, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a fabrication method thereof, and more particularly, to an LCD device in which a light leakage through of a side wall of a main supporter is improved and a fabrication method thereof. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
       [0003]    In general, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device is a display device in which data signals according to image information are individually provided to pixels arranged in a matrix form to adjust light transmittance of the pixels to thus display a desired image. 
         [0004]    Thus, the LCD device includes a liquid crystal panel in which pixels are arranged in a matrix form and drivers for driving the pixels. 
         [0005]    The liquid crystal panel includes a thin film transistor array substrate and a color filter substrate which are attached in a facing manner with a uniform cell gap maintained therebetween, and a liquid crystal layer formed in the cell gap between the array substrate and the color filter substrate. 
         [0006]    Here, a common electrode and a pixel electrode are formed on the liquid crystal panel formed as the array substrate and the color filter substrate are attached, to apply an electric field to the liquid crystal layer. 
         [0007]    Thus, when a voltage of the data signal applied to the pixel electrode is controlled in a state in which a voltage is applied to the common electrode, liquid crystal of the liquid crystal layer rotates by dielectric anisotropy according to an electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrode, allowing light to be transmitted or blocked by pixel, to thus display characters or images. 
         [0008]    In this case, the LCD device is a light receiving type device, rather than emitting light by itself, which displays an image by adjusting transmittance of light received from the outside, so it requires an additional device, i.e., a backlight, for irradiating light to the liquid crystal panel. 
         [0009]    The backlight is divided into an edge type backlight in which lamps are disposed at one side or at both sides of the liquid crystal panel and light is reflected, diffused and collected (or focused) through light guide plate, a reflective plate, and optical sheets so as to be transmitted to the front surface of the liquid crystal panel, and a direct type backlight in which lamps are disposed on a rear surface of the liquid crystal panel to allow light to be directly transmitted (or irradiated) to the front surface of the liquid crystal panel. 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a sectional view schematically showing a portion of a related art LCD device, in which a portion of the configuration of an LCD device having an edge type backlight is schematically shown. 
         [0011]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the related art LCD device includes a liquid crystal panel  10  outputting an image as liquid crystal is injected between the color filter substrate  6  and the array substrate  5 , and a backlight installed on a rear surface of the liquid crystal panel  10  to emit light to the entire surface of the liquid crystal panel  10 , and a main supporter  45  for receiving and fixing the liquid crystal panel  10  and the backlight. 
         [0012]    At this time, upper and lower polarizers  1  and  11  are attached to an outer portion of each of the color filter substrate  6  and the array substrate  5 , and the upper polarizer  1  polarizes light that goes through the liquid crystal panel and the lower polarizer  11  polarizes light that goes through the backlight. 
         [0013]    In detail, in the backlight, an LED assembly (not shown) generating light is installed at one side of a light guide plate  42 , and a reflective plate  41  are installed on a rear surface of the light guide plate  42 . 
         [0014]    Here, although not shown, the LED assembly includes an LED array, an LED printed circuit board (PCB) driving the LED array, and a heat dissipation pad dissipating heat generated from the LED array. 
         [0015]    Light emitted from the LED array is made incident to a lateral side of the light guide plate  42  made of a transparent material, and the reflective plate  41  disposed on the rear surface of the light guide plate  42  reflects light transmitted from the rear surface of the light guide plate  42  toward the optical sheets  43  on an upper surface of the light guide plate  42 , thus reducing a loss of light and improving uniformity. 
         [0016]    At an upper portion of the backlight configured thusly, the liquid crystal panel  10  comprised of the color filter substrate  6  and the array substrate  5  is mounted through the main supporter  45 , and the liquid crystal panel  10 , the main supporter  45 , and the backlight are coupled through adhesive tapes  46  and  47  to constitute the LCD device. 
         [0017]    At this time, in order to make the design thinner, the LCD device fabricated to be used in a mobile phone in which a top case component is eliminated and the liquid crystal panel  10  is attached to the main supporter  45  is assembled to a set  50 . The main supporter  45  serving as a frame of the backlight uses a white color resin in order to maximize light efficiency. Thus, an upper side wall of the main supporter  45  having a white color is seen to be brighter while the backlight is driven, and after the LCD device is assembled to the set  50 , a light leakage is generated at a viewing angle. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    An aspect of the present invention provides a liquid crystal display (LCD) device capable of improving a light leakage generated at a viewing angle after the LCD device is assembled to a set, and a fabrication method thereof. 
         [0019]    Another aspect of the present invention provides an LCD device capable of improving a light leakage without increasing a tack time, and a fabrication method thereof. 
         [0020]    The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
         [0021]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal display (LCD) device including: a liquid crystal panel outputting an image; a backlight installed on a rear surface of the liquid crystal panel and emitting light to a front surface of the liquid crystal panel; and a main supporter receiving the liquid crystal panel and the backlight and fixing them, wherein an ink layer made of certain ink is formed on an inner surface of a side wall of the main supporter to prevent a light leakage of the backlight through the side wall of the main supporter. 
         [0022]    The main supporter may be made of a white color resin. 
         [0023]    The ink layer may be formed on at least one of four sides (left-right-top-bottom) of the side walls of the main supporter. 
         [0024]    The ink layer may be formed on all of the four sides of the side walls of the main supporter. 
         [0025]    The ink layer may be made of black ink. 
         [0026]    The ink layer may be made of ink of a color including gray color, other than black color. 
         [0027]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, including: coating certain ink on a pad; aligning the pad at an upper portion of a main supporter used for an LCD device so as to be positioned; pressing the pad to the main supporter to form an ink layer made of the ink on an inner surface of a side wall of the main supporter; mounting a liquid crystal panel at an upper portion of the main supporter where the ink layer is formed, so as to be fixed thereto; and fixing a backlight to the main supporter. 
         [0028]    Black ink may be coated on a sponge type pad. 
         [0029]    The pad may be formed as a stamp pad with black ink imbued therein. 
         [0030]    The pad may be pressed to the main supporter by utilizing a jig. 
         [0031]    The ink layer may be formed on at least one of four sides (left-right-top-bottom) of the side walls of the main supporter. 
         [0032]    The ink layer may be formed on the entire four surfaces of the side wall of the main supporter. 
         [0033]    According to embodiments of the present invention, in the LCD device and a fabrication method, since black ink is printed on an inner surface of the side wall of the main supporter on which the liquid crystal panel is mounted, a light leakage due to brightness of the side wall of the main supporter can be improved. 
         [0034]    In particular, the LCD device and its fabrication method according to embodiments of the present invention have a low unit cost (e.g. U.S. $0.135) and an excellent tack-time when compared to a double injection molding scheme. Also, since existing injection-molding equipment can be used as is, additional investments in equipment are not required and there are no special considerations that need to be taken into account when designing the required parts and components. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0035]      FIG. 1  is a sectional view schematically showing a portion of a related art liquid crystal display (LCD) device. 
           [0036]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view schematically showing a portion of an LCD device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0037]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a portion of an LCD device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0038]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view schematically showing a portion of an LCD device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0039]      FIGS. 5A to 5C  are views showing an example of a method of printing black ink on an inner surface of a side wall of a main supporter in the LCD device according to the second embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0040]    A liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a fabrication method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0041]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view schematically showing a portion of an LCD device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a portion of the configuration of an LCD device having an edge type backlight is schematically shown. However, the present invention can be applicable to an LCD having a direct type backlight, without being limited thereto. 
         [0042]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the LCD device according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel  110  outputting an image, and a backlight installed on a rear surface of the liquid crystal panel  110  to emit light to the entire surface of the liquid crystal panel  110 , and main supporters  145   a  and  145   b  for receiving and fixing the liquid crystal panel  110  and the backlight. 
         [0043]    The liquid crystal panel  110  includes a color filter substrate  106  and an array substrate  105  which are attached in a facing manner with a uniform cell gap maintained therebetween, and a liquid crystal layer (not shown) formed in the cell gap between the color filter substrate  106  and the array substrate  105 . 
         [0044]    Although not shown, a common electrode and a pixel electrode are formed on the liquid crystal panel formed as the color filter substrate and the array substrate are attached, to apply an electric field to the liquid crystal layer. When a voltage of the data signal applied to the pixel electrode is controlled in a state in which a voltage is applied to the common electrode, liquid crystal of the liquid crystal layer rotates by dielectric anisotropy according to an electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrode, allowing light to be transmitted or blocked by pixel, to thus display characters or images. 
         [0045]    In order to control a voltage of a data signal applied to the pixel electrode by pixel, a switching element such as a thin film transistor (TFT) is provided in each of the pixels. 
         [0046]    Upper and lower polarizers  101  and  111  are attached to outer portions of the liquid crystal panel  110 , and the upper polarizer  101  polarizes light that goes through the liquid crystal panel and the lower polarizer  111  polarizes light that goes through the backlight. 
         [0047]    In detail, in the backlight, a light source such as an LED assembly (not shown) generating light is installed at one side of a light guide plate  142 , and a reflective plate  141  are installed on a rear surface of the light guide plate  142 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto and a light source employing a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) may also be used. 
         [0048]    Although not shown, the LED assembly includes an LED array, an LED printed circuit board (PCB) driving the LED array, and a heat dissipation pad dissipating heat generated from the LED array. 
         [0049]    Light emitted from the LED array is made incident to a lateral side of the light guide plate  142  made of a transparent material, and the reflective plate  141  disposed on the rear surface of the light guide plate  142  reflects light transmitted from the rear surface of the light guide plate  142  toward the optical sheets  143  on an upper surface of the light guide plate  142 , thus reducing a loss of light and improving uniformity. 
         [0050]    At an upper portion of the backlight configured thusly, the liquid crystal panel  110  comprised of the color filter substrate  106  and the array substrate  105  is mounted through the main supporters  145   a  and  145   b.  The liquid crystal panel  110 , the main supporters  145   a  and  145   b,  and the backlight are coupled through adhesive tapes  146  and  147  to constitute the LCD device. At this time, the adhesive tapes  146  and  147  attach (or couple) the liquid crystal panel  110  and the main supporters  145   a  and  145   b.  The adhesive tapes  146  and  147  may be configured as a black upper adhesive tape  146  preventing a light leakage to the edge of the optical sheets  143  and a lower adhesive tape  147  coupling the main supporters  145   a  and  145   b  and the reflective plate  141 . 
         [0051]    Here, in the main supporters  145   a  and  145   b  according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the side wall  145   a  involving a possibility of a light leakage is injection-molded with a black color resin, having a double injection mold structure. 
         [0052]    Thus, after a set  150  is assembled, an existing problem of a light leakage generated at a viewing angle may be solved, but double injection molding equipment should be disadvantageously applied. 
         [0053]    Namely, in order to injection-mold a mounting portion  145   b  of the main supporters  145   a  and  145   b,  on which the liquid crystal panel  110  is to be mounted, at the later surface of the light guide plate  142 , with a white color resin and the side wall  145   a  of the main supporters  145   a  and  145   b,  which may cause a light leakage, with a black color resin, double injection molding equipment should be employed, and this makes the configuration complicated and lengthening an injection mold time to increase a tack time. Also, when the double injection molding is applied, strength is weak in comparison to a single resin, having a possibility in which cracks may be formed in the interface of the two different types of resins. 
         [0054]    Thus, in order to avoid such a problem, black ink may be printed only on the inner surface of the side wall of the main supporters potentially causing a light leakage. This will be described in detail through a second embodiment of the present invention as follows. 
         [0055]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a portion of an LCD device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0056]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view schematically showing a portion of an LCD device according to the second embodiment of the present invention in which a portion of the configuration of an LCD device having an edge type backlight is schematically shown. However, the present invention can be applicable to an LCD having a direct type backlight, without being limited thereto. 
         [0057]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the LCD device according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel  210  outputting an image, and a backlight installed on a rear surface of the liquid crystal panel  210  to emit light to the entire surface of the liquid crystal panel  210 , and a main supporter  245  for receiving and fixing the liquid crystal panel  210  and the backlight. 
         [0058]    The liquid crystal panel  210  includes a color filter substrate  206  and an array substrate  205  which are attached in a facing manner with a uniform cell gap maintained therebetween, and a liquid crystal layer (not shown) formed in the cell gap between the color filter substrate  206  and the array substrate  205 . 
         [0059]    Although not shown, a common electrode and a pixel electrode are formed on the liquid crystal panel  210  formed as the color filter substrate  206  and the array substrate  205  are attached, to apply an electric field to the liquid crystal layer. When a voltage of the data signal applied to the pixel electrode is controlled in a state in which a voltage is applied to the common electrode, liquid crystal of the liquid crystal layer rotates by dielectric anisotropy according to an electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrode, allowing light to be transmitted or blocked by pixel, to thus display characters or images. Certain driving circuit units  215  and  216  applying signals to the common electrode and the pixel electrode are connected to the array substrate  205  of the liquid crystal panel  210 . 
         [0060]    In order to control a voltage of a data signal applied to the pixel electrode by pixel, a switching element such as a thin film transistor (TFT) is provided in each of the pixels. 
         [0061]    Upper and lower polarizers  201  and  211  are attached to outer portions of the liquid crystal panel  210 , and the upper polarizer  201  polarizes light that goes through the liquid crystal panel  210  and the lower polarizer  211  polarizes light that goes through the backlight. 
         [0062]    In detail, in the backlight, a light source such as an LED assembly (not shown) generating light is installed at one side of a light guide plate  242 , and a reflective plate  241  are installed on a rear surface of the light guide plate  242 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto and a light source employing a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) may also be used. 
         [0063]    Although not shown, the LED assembly includes an LED array, an LED printed circuit board (PCB) driving the LED array, and a heat dissipation pad dissipating heat generated from the LED array. 
         [0064]    Light emitted from the LED array is made incident to a lateral side of the light guide plate  242  made of a transparent material, and the reflective plate  241  disposed on the rear surface of the light guide plate  242  reflects light transmitted from the rear surface of the light guide plate  242  toward the optical sheets  243  on an upper surface of the light guide plate  242 , thus reducing a loss of light and improving uniformity. 
         [0065]    At an upper portion of the backlight configured thusly, the liquid crystal panel  210  comprised of the color filter substrate  206  and the array substrate  205  is mounted through the main supporter  245 , and the liquid crystal panel  210 . The main supporter  245 , and the backlight are coupled through adhesive tapes  246  and  247  to constitute the LCD device. At this time, the adhesive tapes  246  and  247  attach (or couple) the liquid crystal panel  210  and the main supporter  245 . The adhesive tapes  246  and  247  may be configured as a black upper adhesive tape  246  preventing a light leakage to the edge of the optical sheets  243  and a lower adhesive tape  247  coupling the main supporter  245  and the reflective plate  241 . 
         [0066]    AT this time, the main supporter  245  according to the second embodiment of the present invention may include a black ink layer  245 ′ made of black ink and formed on the inner surface of the side wall that may cause a light leakage. 
         [0067]    The black ink layer  245 ′ of the main supporter  245  may be formed through printing performed three to five times by using sponge or a stamp pad. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and an inkjet printing method may also be used. 
         [0068]    Here, the printing may be performed on the entirety of the four left, right, upper and lower surfaces of the side wall of the main supporter  245 , or may be performed on a particular surface among the four surfaces. 
         [0069]    As for the color of printing, any colors such as gray, or the like, other than black, may also be used so long as it can suppress a brightness phenomenon. 
         [0070]      FIGS. 5A to 5C  are views showing an example of a method of printing black ink on an inner surface of a side wall of a main supporter in the LCD device according to the second embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0071]    As shown in  FIG. 5A , after coating black ink  265  on the sponge type pad  260 , the sponge type pad  260  is aligned on an upper portion of the main supporter  245  so as to be positioned. 
         [0072]    In this case, the pad  260  may be a stamp pad with the black ink  265  imbued therein. 
         [0073]    Thereafter, as shown in  FIG. 5B , the pad  260  is pressed to the main supporter  245  by using a jig (not shown) to form the black ink layer  245 ′ on the inner surface of the side wall of the main supporter  245 . 
         [0074]    After the printing operation is performed three to five times, as shown in  FIG. 5C , the pad  260  is removed from the main supporter  245 . 
         [0075]    In this manner, in the second embodiment of the present invention, by printing black ink on the inner surface of the side wall of the main supporter on which the liquid crystal panel is mounted, a light leakage due to brightness of the side wall of the main supporter can be improved. 
         [0076]    In particular, in the second embodiment of the present invention, for example, the unit cost (0.135$) can be lowered and an excellent tack time can be obtained in comparison to the double injection molding method (about 0.177$) according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above on the basis of a 3.2″ backlight. Also, since existing injection molding equipment is used as is, investments in any additional equipment are not required and there are no special considerations that need to be taken into account when designing the required parts or components. 
         [0077]    As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.