Abstract:
The invention relates generally to a modular display panel for enclosing Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (“COTS”) display technologies. More particularly, the invention relates to a modular display panel for housing COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassemblies such as Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) for military and other severe environments. The modular display assembly can comprise a base plate, a first frame, a window, a second, a circuit located, and a plurality of light emitting diodes mounted on the circuit board. The COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly can be connected to the second frame.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention. 
         [0002]    The invention relates generally to a modular display panel for enclosing Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (“COTS”) display technologies. More particularly, the invention relates to a modular display panel for housing COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassemblies such as Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) for military and other severe environments. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art. 
         [0004]    Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (“COTS”) light emitting or transmitting display subassemblies are often fragile and susceptible to damage during movement or exposure to any sort of unstable environment. While COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassemblies may be acceptable in non-severe environments such as in a personal home, or at an office, they may be unacceptable in other areas. For example, in the military, the equipment used must be able to withstand exposure to a variety of severe environments such as forceful impacts, debris filled air, electromagnetic radiation, etc. 
         [0005]    However, to produce a COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly that can withstand exposure to a variety of harmful environments is often expensive. The usual options for the military are to produce the entire COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly themselves, which is undesirable due to the need for machinery and expertise in the display production, or to custom order a COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly, which is undesirable due to the costs required in redesigning the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly. Thus, there is a need for an invention to allow COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly to operate in severe environments at a reasonable cost. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is a modular display assembly for housing a COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly such as a Liquid Crystal Displays (“LCD”). The modular display assembly has a base plate, a first frame with a first opening, the first frame attached to the base plate to form a cavity, and a window attached to the first frame at the first opening for enclosing the cavity. A second frame with a second opening is located in the cavity. A circuit is located within the cavity adjacent the base plate. A plurality of light emitting diodes are mounted on the circuit board on the side facing the display sub assembly which is connected to the second frame. 
         [0007]    The first frame is preferably made from a metal coated glass filled plastic making it electrically and thermally conductive, and relatively impact resistant. The base plate is also preferably electrically and thermally conductive, and relatively impact resistant. The window is preferably made of a glass layer, a conductive indium tin oxide layer, or may be made of materials such as those disclosed in Saxena et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,167,309), which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. The window is preferably electrically and thermally conductive, and could also be relatively impact resistant. 
         [0008]    With the first frame, the window, and the base plate being electrically conductive, a Faraday cage is found around the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly. The Faraday cage protects the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly from electromagnetic or other types of interference and the display assembly from emitting electromagnetic or other types of interference. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0009]    The exact nature of this invention, as well as the objects and advantages thereof, will become readily apparent from consideration of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is an exploded side view of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a chart detailing input for testing performed on the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the present invention, a modular display assembly  30 . As can be seen, the modular display assembly  30  has a first frame  2  with a first opening, a window  14 , a second frame  4  with a second opening, a plurality of light emitting diodes  18  mounted on a circuit board  8  and a base plate  16 . It is contemplated that by mounting the light emitting diodes  18  on the circuit board  8  instead of having them be two separate components, space and costs could be saved. By mounting the light emitting diodes  18  on the circuit board  8 , space requirements are reduced, because there will be only one component instead of two. Thus, the width “w” of the modular display assembly  30  will be reduced. Furthermore, it will cost less to manufacture light emitting diodes  18  mounted on a circuit board  8  because there is only a need to produce one component instead of two separate components. 
         [0015]    A COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6  such as a liquid crystal display can be attached to the second frame  4 . As can be seen, the first frame  2  is attached to the base plate  16  to form a cavity  28 . A window  14  is attached to the first frame  2  at the first opening for enclosing the cavity  28 . 
         [0016]    The first frame  2  may be made of metal, glass, plastic, or a combination thereof, such as a metal coated glass filled plastic. The first frame  2  is preferably electrically and thermally conductive, and relatively impact resistant. The base plate  16  is also electrically and thermally conductive, and be relatively impact resistant. The window  14  is preferably made of glass layer  10 . The window  14  could also have a conductive indium tin oxide layer (not shown). The window  14  could be made of other materials, such as those disclosed in Saxena et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,167,309). The window  14  is preferably electrically and thermally conductive, and also relatively impact resistant. Adjacent the window  14  is an indium tin oxide layer heater and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield  22 . 
         [0017]    Because the first frame  2 , the window  14 , and the base plate  16  are electrically conductive, they could form a Faraday cage around the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6 . This protects the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6  from electromagnetic or other types of interference and the display assembly from emitting electromagnetic or other types of interference. Because the first frame  2 , the base plate  16 , the window  14  are relatively impact resistant, the structure will prevent damage to the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6 . Furthermore, the first frame  2 , the window  14 , and the base plate  16  are preferably sealed to protect the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6  from humidity, salt fog, and harmful particles such as sand, rocks, debris, or dust. 
         [0018]    Diffusers and/or film  26  could be located between the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6  and the light emitting diodes  18 . The present invention contemplates that drive electronics  12  for driving the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6  is located in the cavity adjacent any one of the sides of the circuit board  8  adjacent to the base plate  6 . 
         [0019]    The base plate  16  works in conjunction with the first frame  2  and the window  14  to maintain the drive electronics  12 , circuit board  8 , light emitting diodes  18 , diffusers and/or film  26 , the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6 , second frame  12  relatively immobile during shock and vibration. 
         [0020]    The second frame  4  is adjacent to the drive electronics  12 . The second frame  4  works in conjunction with the first frame  2  and window  14  to maintain the drive electronics  12 , circuit board  8 , light emitting diodes  18 , diffusers and/or film  26 , and the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6  in a relatively immobile state during shock and vibration. 
         [0021]    The second frame  4  works in conjunction with first frame  2  and the base plate  16  to maintain the drive electronics  12 , circuit board  8 , light emitting diodes  18 , diffusers and/or film  26 , the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6  in a relatively immobile state during shock and vibration. 
         [0022]    The present invention prevents the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6  from being damaged by reducing the likelihood that the components contained within the modular display assembly  30 , such as drive electronics  12 , circuit board  8 , light emitting diodes  18 , diffusers and/or film  26 , the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6  will move around in the cavity  28 . 
         [0023]    The modular display assembly is mounted, for example, on a customer bulkhead  24 , such as on an airplane, a helicopter, a tank, a car, a boat, a bunker, for example. 
         [0024]    The modular display assembly  30  preferably also has a bezel and controls  20  to allow a user to control the COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6 , such as brightness and contrast. There could also be an optional connector and electromagnetic interference filter  40  connected to the base plate  16  and the circuit board  8 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is an exploded side view of the present invention while  FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the present invention. As can be seen, the modular display assembly  30  has a window  14 , a first frame  2 , a second frame  4 , diffusers and/or film  26 , a COTS light emitting or transmitting display subassembly  6 , a plurality of light emitting diodes  18  mounted on a circuit board  8 , and a base plate  16  in a sandwich structure. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the modular display assembly  30  has a height “h,” a length “l” and a width “w.” The three axis of the display assembly  30  related to the dimensions by the x axis being parallel to the width “w,” the z axis being parallel to the height “h,” and the y axis being parallel to the length “l.” 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a chart detailing input for testing successfully performed on two samples of the present invention. These samples of the present invention were tested for four hours, fully operational, on each axis x, y, and z with each axis x, y, and z in turn being parallel to the ground. For example, four hours of operational testing was done with the axis x parallel to the ground. Four hours of operational testing was done with the y axis parallel to the ground. Four operational hours of testing was done with the z axis parallel to the ground. Both samples of the present invention met all operational requirements, without damage, throughout the 12 total hours of testing. 
         [0027]    In each of the 4 hours of testing for each axis, one hour was spent meeting the MIL-STD-810 vibration requirements of the H-1 Cobra Helicopter, including Gunfire Vibration  32 , one hour was spent meeting the Endurance Vibration requirements of the E-2D Hawkeye carrier bound aircraft  34 , one hour was spent meeting the Functional Vibration requirements of the E-2D Hawkeye carrier bound aircraft  36 , and one hour was spent meeting the Endurance Vibration requirements of the MH-60 Helicopter  38 . 
         [0028]    As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the chart summarizes and compares the random vibration requirement for the 3 avionics platforms, and presents frequency (Hz) vs. power spectral density (PSD) in g 2 /Hz where g is the force of gravity (approx. 9.80665 m/s 2  or approx. 32.174 ft/s 2 ) for each test that the present invention was subjected to. The present invention had no anomalies or performance issues such as flicker for the 4 hours of testing on each axis x, y, and z. 
         [0029]    Furthermore, the two samples of the modular display assembly  30  were also subjected to 20 Functional Shocks and 40 Crash Safety Shocks. There were no anomalies or performance issues such as flicker in the present invention during these tests.