Abstract:
In a Plasma Display Panel (PDP) apparatus, system and method including a circuit framework structure, a chassis structure coupled to the circuit framework structure, at least one thermal pad structure coupled to the chassis structure, a panel structure coupled to the at least one thermal pad structure and including a display portion and a non-display portion, an integrated circuit disposed behind said non-display portion of said panel structure, and at least one attachment fastener structure, which couples the structures, deleterious heat that is generated during operation of associated ICs can be efficiently dissipated. Thermal equilibration of the PDP may also be obtained, thus increasing the operational life of the PDP.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to the field of flat-panel displays, particularly plasma display panels (“PDP”) technology, along with associated methods of heat dissipation and thermal management.  
         [0003]     2. Related Art  
         [0004]     Traditionally, various electronic devices have utilized heat sink devices either integrally configured or attached to dissipate heat in thermally deleterious heat generating components in such devices. The same is true with flat-panel display modules, such as liquid crystal display (“LCD”) and PDP technologies, which generate enormous heat quantities. Heat sinks have been utilized to quickly but relatively inefficiently dissipate the heat generated in integrated circuits (“IC”).  
         [0005]     However, methods associated with heat sinks have several disadvantages. Heat sinks in flat-panel devices increase device costs, weight and dimensional thickness. All of these characteristics inevitably limit the application of heat sink configurations.  
         [0006]     Various ICs can operationally endure temperatures as high as 70-85° C. However, high temperatures can adversely impact display performance characteristics of a flat-panel display. Therefore, there is present need to reduce the operational working temperature of ICs, without increasing costs, to reach the appropriate thermal balance in a display panel.  
         [0007]     A conventional PDP display apparatus is depicted in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , a conventional heat sink  102  is attached to an IC  101  disposed on top of a printed circuit board (PCB)  103 . The PDP  100  of  FIG. 1  has a front panel  104  and a rear panel  105 . A thermal pad  106  is disposed between the rear panel  105  and a chassis/base plate  107 . Heat generated by the IC  101  is dissipated by the conventional heat sink  102  by means of conduction and convection, which is relatively inefficient.  
         [0008]     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a conventional flat display PDP panel includes a front panel  201  and a rear panel  202 . It can be further characterized, functionally, by a distinct display portion  203  and a non-display portion  204 . As a consequence of operation, the temperature in the display portion  203  is higher than the temperature in the non-display portion  204 . This temperature differential can produce thermal stresses, hot spots, and thermal fatigue, ultimately reducing the operational life or performance characteristics of the PDP.  
         [0009]     One of the most significant threats to the operational performance and lifetime of a conventional PDP lies in deleterious thermal environments caused by generated heat. As explained above, a dramatic temperature differential between the display and non-display portions of a PDP can result in a degraded, fractured or inoperable PDP panel. Thus, there is a present need for an apparatus and method that prevents the compromised or operational failure of a PDP panel by reducing the temperature difference between those portions.  
         [0010]     There is also a present need to reduce the ever-increasing temperature differentials over the operational and non-operational display portion, which lead to thermal expansion mis-match and structural fatigue performance of the displays.  
         [0011]     Accordingly, the present invention provides such a robust, versatile and cost-effective solution to both heat dissipation and thermal equilibration of associated PDP structures and assemblies.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The present invention has been made to solve the problems associated with the inability of a conventional PDP to provide a high level of efficiency in dissipating heat generated by associated ICs as described above.  
         [0013]     The present invention is directed toward enhancing the thermal management characteristics of a PDP by utilizing an apparatus and method for conducting heat away from an IC and equilibrating temperature differentials within the PDP.  
         [0014]     The present invention is directed toward permitting the efficient dissipation of deleterious heat that is generated during PDP operation of associated ICs.  
         [0015]     At least one of the above features and advantages may be achieved by providing an apparatus including a circuit framework structure, a chassis structure coupled to the circuit framework structure, at least one thermal pad structure coupled to the chassis structure, a panel structure coupled to the at least one thermal pad structure and including a display portion and a non-display portion, an integrated circuit disposed behind said non-display portion of said panel structure, and at least one attachment fastener structure, which couples the circuit framework structure, chassis structure, panel structure, integrated circuit and the at least one thermal pad structure.  
         [0016]     It is another feature of an embodiment of the present invention to utilize the heat generated by the ICs to achieve a thermally equilibrated state for the entire PDP, thus preventing the reduction in PDP panel operational life. This feature may be achieved by the thermal pad and/or chassis structure being disposed in the non-display portion of the plasma display panel. Thus, the present invention reduces the thermal imbalance between the display portion and the non-display portion in the PDP panel.  
         [0017]     As can be indicated from above, another feature of an embodiment of the present invention is to reduce the operational temperature of the IC without increasing cost or dimensional thickness.  
         [0018]     More specifically, it is a feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a more efficient plasma display panel thermal dissipation and equilibration apparatus compared to the conventional art. The apparatus is preferably configured such that a circuit framework structure, chassis structure and a panel structure, which has a display and non-display portion, that conducts heat away from an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is preferably disposed behind said non-display portion of said panel structure, while a thermal pad structure provides the conduit of the IC generated heat. The thermal pad structure may be directly or indirectly thermally coupled to the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is preferably disposed between the circuit framework structure and at least one thermal pad structure.  
         [0019]     It is another feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel thermal dissipation and equilibration system. The system is configured such a circuit framework means, chassis means and a panel means, which has a display and non-display portion, conducts heat away from an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is preferably disposed behind the non-display portion of the panel means, while a thermal pad means provides the conduit of the integrated circuit generated heat. The thermal pad means may be directly or indirectly thermally coupled to the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is preferably disposed between the circuit framework means and at least one thermal pad means.  
         [0020]     It is another feature of an embodiment of the present invention to a plasma display panel thermal dissipation and equilibration method. The method involves providing a circuit framework structure, chassis structure and a panel structure, which has a display and non-display portion, that conducts heat away from an integrated circuit. The method may further include disposing the integrated circuit behind the non-display portion of the panel structure, while providing a thermal pad structure as a conduit for the heat generated by the circuit. Alternately, a thermal pad structure is directly or indirectly thermally coupled to the integrated circuit. Finally, the integrated circuit is preferably disposed between the circuit framework structure and at least one thermal pad structure. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]     The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:  
         [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a conventional PDP structure.  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  illustrates a frontal view of a conventional PDP front and rear panel structures.  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a PDP structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a PDP structure according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the PDP structure with a Chip-on-Board configuration according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0027]      FIG. 6  illustrates a frontal view of the PDP structure according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0028]      FIG. 7  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the PDP structure according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0029]      FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate graphical representations of the temperature differential between the display portion and the non-display portion of PDP structures according to embodiments of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0030]     The following section describes various embodiments of the present invention based on drawings, while exemplifying the PDP thermal dissipation and equilibration apparatus, system and method of the present invention.  
         [0031]     Accordingly,  FIG. 3  illustrates a PDP  300  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The PDP  300  includes a chassis structure  301 , which extends beyond a display portion  302  toward a non-display portion  303 . The display portion  302  is that portion upon which a displayed image appears, as opposed to the non-display portion  303 , where an image does not appear visible from the vantage point of a flat panel display viewer. A circuit framework structure  304 , in this embodiment, includes a PCB  304   a  having circuit parts  304   b . The PCB  304   a  is coupled to a chassis structure  301  by an attachment fastener structure  305 . The attachment fastener structure  305  may be in various forms, e.g., securing screw, adhesive layer, etc. An IC  306  is disposed behind the non-display portion  303 . The IC  306  is illustrated above the non-display portion  303  in  FIG. 3 . The IC is  306  directly thermally coupled to a thermal pad structure  307 . The thermal pad structure  307  abuts a panel structure  308  including a rear panel structure  308   a , which is attached to a front panel structure  308   b.    
         [0032]     More specifically, the thermal pad structure  307 , in the non-display portion  303 , is attached to the IC  306 . The circuit framework structure  304  is attached and thermally coupled to the chassis structure  301 . Therefore, the above-mentioned features are provided. The heat in the non-display portion  303  is dissipated and transferred through the thermal pad structure  307  toward the PDP panel structure  308  to achieve a thermally equilibrated state. Similarly, heat in the IC  306  is also transmitted to the chassis structure  301  by means of the thermal pad structure  307 . Therefore, the configuration prevents the PDP  300  from operationally breaking down, at least due to extreme thermal stresses, without increasing the device cost.  
         [0033]     The present invention is applicable to flat-panel display module packages, such as PDPs and flip-chip module packages, such as chip-on-glass (“COG”), chip-on-film (“COF”), and chip-on-board (“COB”).  
         [0034]      FIG. 4  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention wherein, similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , a PDP  400  includes a chassis structure  401  that extends to a non-display portion  402 , beyond a display portion  403 . A circuit framework structure  404  includes several circuit components  404   a  that are attached to a PCB  404   b . An IC  405  is directly thermally coupled to and disposed between a thermal pad structure  406   a  and the PCB  404   b . It should be noted that the thermal pad structure  406   b  is disposed between the chassis structure  401  and a panel structure  408 . An attachment fastener structure  407  secures the above-mentioned components to the chassis structure  401 , which are in-turn coupled to a rear panel structure  408   a  and a front panel structure  408   b  of the panel structure  408 . Therefore, in order to provide a feature of the present invention, this embodiment permits the operationally generated heat to be transferred to the non-display portion  402  so that a thermally equilibrated state is achieved. Thus, the PDP  400  will be less susceptible to thermally induced fractures and operational failures or degradations, as the temperature of the IC  405  can be lowered.  
         [0035]     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the circuit framework structure  404  may be supported at an end thereof by a supporter  409 . Alternately, the attachment fastener structure  407  may serve to support the circuit framework structure  404 , as well as securing the same to the chassis structure  401 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 5  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention illustrating an example of one of various mechanical modules, e.g., chip-on-film (“COF”) (as illustrated) and chip-on-board (“COB”), for PDP  500  coupled to a chassis structure  501 . A circuit framework structure  502  includes a PCB  502   a  having various circuit parts  502   b , wherein a film  503  is attached and coupled to a panel structure  504 . The panel structure  504  includes a rear panel structure  504   a , which is attached to a front panel structure  504   b . An IC  505  is indirectly thermally coupled to a thermal pad structure  506 , wherein the IC  505  is disposed between the circuit framework structure  502  and a chassis structure  501 . The thermal pad structure  506  is disposed between the chassis structure  501  and the rear panel structure  504   a , wherein the above-mentioned components are secured together by means of an attachment fastener structure  507 . In satisfaction of a feature of an embodiment of the present invention, the thermal pad structure  506  transfers heat generated from the IC  505 , indirectly through the chassis structure  501 , to the non-display portion  508 , which lowers the temperature of the IC  505  and thereby achieves a thermally equilibrated state between a display portion  509  and a non-display portion  508  of the PDP  500 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 6  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention from a back view perspective of a PDP  600 . A chassis structure  604  is disposed parallel to a rear panel structure  601  and a front panel structure  602 . ICs (not shown) are coupled to thermal pad structures  603  disposed behind a chassis structure  604  in such a manner as to permit the transference of operationally generated heat to the non-display portion (not shown).  
         [0038]      FIG. 7  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 7 , a PDP  700  includes a circuit framework structure  701 , which includes a PCB  701   a  that has various circuit parts  701   b  attached thereto. An IC  702  is disposed between the PCB  701   a  and a thermal pad structure  703 , wherein the height (“h”), e.g., thickness, of the thermal pad structure  703  has been increased. The thermal pad structure  703  is disposed between a chassis structure  704  and a panel structure  705 , which includes a rear panel structure  705   a  and a front panel structure  705   b  in a display portion  706 . In contrast, the thermal pad structure  703  is disposed between the IC  702  and the panel structure  705  in a non-display portion  707 . The above-mentioned components are secured together by means of attachment fastener structures  708 . In satisfaction of one of the features of the present invention, the thermal pad structure  703  transfers heat generated from the IC  702  directly to the non-display portion  707 . Thus, the temperature of the IC  702  is lowered more efficiently, thereby achieving a thermally equilibrated state. In other words, the thermal pad structure  703  is increased in thickness in an alternative embodiment to more directly transfer heat to the panel structure  705  and the chassis structure  704 .  
         [0039]      FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate graphical representations of the temperature differential between the display portion and the non-display portion of the PDP structures of the present invention. The temperature differential was approximately 37° C. Conventionally, the operational temperature of the IC is in the range of 75° C.˜80° C. According to the present invention, the ICs are installed in the non-display portion of a PDP in a configuration that permits lowering and equilibration of a temperature differential between the display portion and non-display portion of the PDP. Therefore, since the operational temperature of the IC is reduced, the panel display structure can be protected from operational degradation.  
         [0040]     Those skilled in the art will recognize that the device and methods of the present invention has many applications, and that the present invention is not limited to the representative examples disclosed herein. Although illustrative, the embodiments disclosed herein have a wide range of modification, change and substitution that is intended and in some instances some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features.  
         [0041]     Moreover, the scope of the present invention covers conventionally known variations and modifications to the system components described herein, as would be known by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.