Assembly structure for flat panel display

An assembly structure for flat panel display includes a housing with a skid structure therein to fit the flat panel display, a connector with a male portion and a female portion mounted on the flat panel display and a system mainboard on the housing respectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an assembly structure for flat panel display, and more particularly to the assembly structure for flat panel display using house with skid.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Liquid crystal display device, which is a par flat display device, is a kind of household electric appliance in nowadays daily life, such as television or monitor of a computer, display device on a calculator, display screen of watch or mobile phone, display device of controlling system, or display panel of CD player. Application of liquid crystal display device is so wildspread, so assembly between electrical devices is very important. Most liquid crystal display devices are electrically connected to system mainboards via flexible printed circuit board, in which there are control devices for controlling liquid crystal display devices on the system mainboards. System mainboards have circuits layout on a printed circuit board, and control devices which are IC (integrated circuits) chip fabricated by semiconductor process are connected to system mainboards.

Referring toFIG. 1, a flexible printed circuit board102is around peripheral of a liquid crystal display device100. One end of the flexible printed circuit board102is electrically connected to pins of the liquid crystal display device100, and another end will electrically connected to a system mainboard104, as shown in FIG.2. The liquid crystal display device100includes a liquid crystal display panel110and a backlight plate120, wherein the liquid crystal display panel110has a lower transparent substrate112, a liquid crystal layer114on the lower transparent substrate112, and an upper transparent substrate116on the liquid crystal layer114. The backlight plate120has a light guide plate122and a light source124on one end surface thereof. This kind of backlight plate120used in the liquid crystal display device100is now most useful transparent type of liquid crystal display device. One end of the flexible printed circuit board102is electrically connected to the lower transparent substrate112, and another end is electrically connected to the system main board104by using connector108. The advantage of using flexible printed circuit board can be shown inFIG. 2, because assembled volume of liquid crystal display device can be reduced substantially.

The assembly structure of liquid crystal display device can be shown in many documents and patents in every country, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,733 introducing assembles of liquid crystal display device in a laptop computer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,404 introduces a rigid connector used for a system mainboard and liquid crystal display device. TW patent 476,122 shows a method for assembling flat display device with an opaque substrate, wherein liquid crystal display panel, printed circuit board, and heat sink are connected with each other. TW Patent 422,933, which belongs to Samsung, shows liquid crystal display module with printed circuit board. TW patent 448,337, which belongs to Seiko-Epson, introduces a flexible clip adapter to connect input end and driving circuits.

Another method for connecting liquid crystal display device and control device of system mainboard is to form control chip on the lower substrate of a liquid crystal display device directly by using semiconductor manufacturing process, which is called COG (chip on glass) process. A typical COG process can be shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,248. Although this process can reduce thickness of display, however, such advance and complex process has high cost and low yield in mass production.

However, electric appliance used in daily life must go toward to minimized volume, but the above mentioned assemble structure method is hard to achieve minimized volume. Hence, we need another method to reduce volume and weight of display.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, an assembly structure for a flat display device is provided.

It is another object of this invention that a skid structure is used in housing to install flat display convenient.

It is a further object of this invention that a connector is used for connecting flat display device and system mainboard to assemble and disassemble thereof fast.

It is still another object of this invention that gold finger structures and slot structures are used for connection between flat display device and system mainboard to assemble and disassemble thereof fast.

It is still further object of this invention that flexible printed circuit board is omitted in conventional liquid crystal display device to reduce thickness and weight thereof.

In one embodiment, an display device assembly comprises a flat display device having four side surfaces and being provided with a first interface connector on one of the side surfaces; and a housing for receiving said flat display device, being formed as a U shape having three inner surfaces, and being provided with a second interface connector exposed to one inner surface at a bottom side of the U shape to match with the first interface connector, two skids on two inner surfaces at two sides of the U shape to guide the flat display device to slide into the housing, and a system main board allocated at the bottom side of the U shape and built with the second interface connecter thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Some sample embodiments of the present invention will now be described in greater detail. Nevertheless, it should be recognized that the present invention can be practiced in a wide range of other embodiments besides those explicitly described, and the scope of the present invention is expressly not limited except as specified in the accompanying claims.

This invention provides a flat display device structure which comprises a flat display device, a housing with a system mainboard therein and a skid to receive said flat display device, and a first connector and a second connector electrically connecting thereto when the flat display device is assembled into the housing through the skid, wherein the first connector is mounted on the flat display device and the second connector is mounted on the system mainboard.

The flat display device is reflective liquid crystal display device, and the assembly structure of the flat display device comprises a touch panel on the liquid crystal display device. The first connector is welded on the flat display device and the second connector is welded on the system mainboard.

The first connector can have a gold finger structure, and the second connector is then a slot structure and welded on the system mainboard. The assembly structure of flat display device includes a cover to fix the flat display device, and the housing has a fixing hole to fix the cover.

Next, a preferred embodiment of assembly structure if flat display device according to this invention is set forth. Referring toFIG. 3, a housing12has a set of skid14inside the housing12to fit a flat display device10, such as liquid crystal display device. At the bottom of the housing12, a system mainboard11has circuits and controller for controlling the flat display device10, a set of connector20, has a first connector20-1and a second connector20-2, mounted on the flat display device10and system mainboard11respectively. The first connector20-1is always a male portion of the connector20, and the second connector20-2is always a female portion of the connector20. Installation of the first and second connectors20-1,20-2is welded on the flat display device10and the system mainboard11respectively. When the flat display device10is put into the housing12through skid14, the connector20can electrically connect with each other such that the controller and circuits on the system mainboard11can drive the flat display device10.

Referring toFIG. 4, a top view illustrates the flat display device out into the housing12. The skid14in the housing12should be custom-made according to the side size of flat display device10to be fixed in the housing12. Turning back toFIG. 3, size of the housing12should fasten the flat display device10, so length of skid14preferred to about equal to side length of the flat display device10.

The flat display device10in this embodiment usually uses liquid crystal display device which comprises display panel and light source. For example, liquid crystal display devices with back light source or front light source can be applied to this invention. Moreover, a touch panel can be also used and located on the liquid crystal display device. Sizes of housing12and skid14are only to be considered to fit whole flat display device with touch panel.

Material of housing should be firm and solid, preferable insulating material, such as plastic, rubber, or other similar material.

The first connector20-1mounted on the flat display device10, as shown inFIG. 3, can be designed as gold finger structure, as shown inFIG. 5, while the second connector20-2mounted on the system mainboard11now becomes slot structure. When the flat display device10installed into the housing12, connection between flat display device10and system mainboard11will be as easy as like add-on card installed into slot structure, or memory card installed into bank slot. Another advantage of the gold finger structure22-1is that many pins can be designed, especially for liquid crystal display device with extremely large number of electrodes. The gold finger structure22-1can satisfy such requirement. If the connector20, as shown inFIG. 3, is used in this invention, more than one connector are necessary when one connector can not provide enough electric connection for the flat display device10. Furthermore, the gold finger structure22-1can omit step of installation or welding the first connector20-1, as shown inFIG. 3, to the flat display device10.

Referring toFIG. 6, a cover13is designed to fix or fasten the flat display device10after flat display device10is put into the housing. At least one fixing hole13-1is located on the housing12to fix or fasten the cover13.

This invention makes use of housing with skid structure and by means of connector such that flat display device and system mainboard can be assembled or disassembled fast and easily. Moreover, using of gold finger structure and slot as connection tools for flat display device and system mainboard can also be assembled or disassembled fast and easily. Further, omitted flexible printed circuit board in conventional liquid crystal display device can reduce thickness and weight and increase integrity.