Abstract:
Disclosed is a car A/V system including a display part rotatably provided at a side of the housing part coupled to the inside of a car, and a disk player part provided on a rear surface of the display part for playing various disks. The car A/V system minimizes a thickness of the whole product and enables a visual confirmation of the disk inserted therein when power is not supplied thereto.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. P2004-10106, filed on Feb. 16, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to an AV system, and more particularly, to a car AV system.  
         [0004]     2. Discussion of the Related Art  
         [0005]     In general, a car A/V (Audio/Visual) system including a tuner, a cassette deck, and a CD player is used for listening to music or radio.  
         [0006]     Particularly, in recent years, in accordance with a development of an LCD (Liquid-Crystal Display) technology, the car A/V system is provided with the LCD installed on the car for enabling to watch TV, VCD (Video Compact Disc) or DVD (Digital Video Disc) during transportation. There are various types of the A/V system such as a stand-alone type, a ceiling mount type, and a headrest type.  
         [0007]     An example of the ceiling mount type A/V system applied by a same applicant of this patent is described in a korean patent application with an application number of 20-2003-0000610. However, the related art mentioned above has a problem that a total size of the system is increased due to an LCD monitor  12  and a DVD player  13  separately manufactured and provided at a side of a housing part  11  and a center thereof as illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0008]     Accordingly, in recent years, the ceiling mount type A/V system is provided in a minimized total size as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The ceiling mount type A/V system includes a housing part  21  and a DVD player  23  formed as a single body such that the housing part  21  forms an outer appearance of the DVD player  23 , and an LCD monitor  22  provided on a bottom surface of the housing part  21 . Therefore, the total size on both left and right sides of the ceiling mount type A/V system is reduced compared to the related art.  
         [0009]     In this case, an opening  21   a  for inserting a disk (CD or DVD) is provided on a front surface of the housing part  21  and various parts such as an optical pickup and a turntable as well as various circuit parts included in the DVD player  23  are provided in the housing part  21 .  
         [0010]     On a front bottom surface of the housing part  21 , various switches (not illustrated) are provided for operating the DVD player  23 , and on a rear surface of the housing part  21 , a terminal for connecting the system with exterior equipments is provided.  
         [0011]     In this instance, an undescribed number  1  is a ceiling inside of the car. However, the unified type car A/V system abovementioned has a problem of increasing the thickness of the whole system owing to the DVD player  23  and the LCD monitor  22  lied one upon another.  
         [0012]     In addition to the aforementioned problem, there is another problem of damaging a disk by forcibly inserting the disk into the system wherein a disk is placed already. In the unified type car A/V system, the disk is inserted into the system and then rotated, thus it is difficult to confirm whether the disk is in or not unless a power is supplied thereto.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a car A/V system that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.  
         [0014]     An object of the present invention is to provide a car A/V system with a minimized total thickness of the product.  
         [0015]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a car A/V system enabling a visual confirmation of a disk inserted therein when power is not supplied thereto.  
         [0016]     Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.  
         [0017]     To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a car A/V system includes a housing part coupled to a predetermined location in a car, a display part rotatably provided at a side of the housing part, and a disk player part provided on a rear surface of the display part for playing various disks.  
         [0018]     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]     The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings;  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a car A/V system according to the related art.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating another example of a car A/V system according to the related art.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating an A/V system with a display part being ejected according to the present invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a car A/V system with a display part being closed according to the present invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is a base plane view illustrating a car A/V system provided on a car ceiling according to the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating a car A/V system with a cover opened according to the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.  
         [0027]     Hereinafter, with reference to  FIG. 3  to  FIG. 7 , an embodiment of the car A/V system will be described in detail. First, the car A/V system of the present invention includes a housing part  100 , a display part  200 , and a disk player part  300  provided on a rear surface of the display part  200  as illustrated in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 .  
         [0028]     The housing part  100  forming an outer appearance of the AV system is provided on a ceiling  1  inside of a car as illustrated in the embodiment.  
         [0029]     In this case, the housing part  100  has an advantage of minimizing a total size of on a AV system because the disk player part  300  such as the DVD player is not provided therein.  
         [0030]     Particularly, only circuit parts (not illustrated) for various controls are provided in the housing part  100 . In this case, the various circuit parts do not largely influence a thickness of the housing part  100  and enable a disperse installation thereby the total size of the AV system is minimized.  
         [0031]     In other words, the total thickness is minimized to a portion whereon the display part  200  is lied owing to an advantage of the disperse installation of the circuit parts in around the housing part  100 .  
         [0032]     By an influence of the circuit board, a part of circuit parts is, of course, provided in a center of the housing part  100 . Therefore, it is desirable to design the circuit board (not illustrated) such that circuit parts with a low height are provided in the center of the housing part  100  and circuit parts with a high height are provided around an outer wall of the housing part  100 .  
         [0033]     It is desirable to further include a receiving part  110  on a lower surface of the housing part  100 , particularly on the portion the display part  200  is overlaid, for minimizing the total thickness and a decline of a design effect resulted in the display exposed outside.  
         [0034]     In this case, it is desirable that a depth of the receiving part  110  is about the same as the thickness of the display part  200 . A side of the display part  200  is assembled to a side of the housing part  100  so as to be selectively received into the receiving part  110  of the housing part  100 .  
         [0035]     The display part  200  includes an LCD panel  210  for displaying a picture, a case  220  formed to cover a frame and a rear surface the LCD panel  210 , a coupler  230  coupled to a rear side of the housing part  100 , and an operator  240  having a plurality of operating buttons  241  as illustrated in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0036]     In this case, as illustrated in  FIG. 3  to  FIG. 5 , a hinge axis  101  is provided on the rear side of the coupler  230  and the coupler  230  being coupled with the hinge axis  101  is formed as a rotatable. Particularly, when the coupler  230  is rotated at a predetermined degree around the hinge axis  101 , it is desirable that the coupler  230  is fixed at the corresponding degree.  
         [0037]     Although an embodiment of the structure is not illustrated, the structure is broadly applied to a conventional car A/V system. The operating button  241  is a selection button for performing an action to the LCD panel  210  or controlling a tuning thereof.  
         [0038]     If the LCD panel  210  is formed of a touch screen, the operating button  241  is not provided. In this case, when the display part  200  stands perpendicular to the housing part  100 , the operator  240  is provided on a center lower part of the case  220  or on a portion extended in a round from the center lower part of the case  220  for a predetermined range.  
         [0039]     In addition to this, when the display part  200  is received in the receiving part  110 , it is difficult to eject the display part  200  manually because the display part  200  is received in the receiving part  110  of the housing part  100  as mentioned above.  
         [0040]     Accordingly, it is desirable that the display part  200  further includes a handle groove  221  on a front side of the rear surface thereof as illustrated in each drawing of the present invention. In this case, it is best desirable that the handle groove  221  is provided for a passenger to easily eject the display part  200 .  
         [0041]     Although it is not illustrated, the handle may be individually manufactured and assembled to the case  220 . When the display part  200  is closed, i.e., received in the receiving part  110 , the LCD panel  210  faces the receiving part  110  and the rear surface of the case  220  is provided in a bottom direction of the receiving part  110 .  
         [0042]     Although it is not illustrated, a general button system with an elasticity structure may be applied. In other words, the display part  200  bounded by an elasticity material such as a spring is released by pressing a button and then ejected from the housing part  100 .  
         [0043]     The disk player part  300  is coupled to the rear surface of the display part  200  (rear surface of the case), that is, an opposite side of the LCD panel  210  of the display part  200 .  
         [0044]     In this case, although it is desirable that the disk displer part  300  and the display part  200  are formed as a single body, they may be individually manufactured and assembled or installed. The disk displer part  300  performs a role of playing various disks (for example, CD or DVD) and can be a DVD player.  
         [0045]     Particularly, the disk player part  300  is not provided in the housing part  100  as the related art but a portion receiving the disk, i.e., a portion whereon a pick up device  310  and a turntable  320  are provided is exposed outside for enabling to identify whether the disk is received.  
         [0046]     It is desirable that a clamp  330  is provided on the turntable  320  of the disk player part  300 . In this case, the clamp  330  prevents the disk from leaving from a position of the disk during a rotation of the disk according to the rotation of the turntable  320 .  
         [0047]     However, although the clamp  330  is provided to the disk player part  300 , there is a problem of the disk separated from the turntable  320  if the disk is rotated when the disk player part  300  is up side down on the rear surface of the display part  200  or when the disk player part  300  is perpendicularly provided.  
         [0048]     Accordingly, it is desirable that the disk player further includes a cover  400  thereon as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . In this case, it is desirable that the cover  400  is formed in a ring form with an opening inside.  
         [0049]     Although it is not illustrated, an isolating film made of a transparent material may be further provided to the opening of the cover  400 , or the whole cover  400  may be made of the transparent material.  
         [0050]     Particularly, it is desirable that both ends of the cover are hinge-coupled with a rear side of the disk player part  300  as illustrated in  FIG. 6  such that the cover  400  is rotated without relation to the rotation of the display part  200 .  
         [0051]     In other words, it is desirable that the disk is changed when the display part  200  is received in the receiving part  110 , and when the display part  200  is ejected from the receiving part  110 .  
         [0052]     A hook  410  projected to a face of the disk player part  300  is provided on the cover  400  illustrated in  FIG. 4  and an eye  310  corresponding to the hook is further provided on the face of the disk player part  300 .  
         [0053]     In this case, unless a separate power is supplied for opening, the hook  410  is restrained on the face of the disk player part  300  so as to maintain the cover  400  closed.  
         [0054]     The disk player part  300  is electrically coupled with various circuit parts of the housing part  100  so as to receive and transmit various control signals through a gap provided at a junction between the display part  200  and the housing part  100 .  
         [0055]     Meanwhile, the A/V system of the present invention, as illustrated in aforementioned embodiment, is provided not only to the ceiling mount type A/V system provided on a car ceiling, but also to an adhesive A/V system such as a stand-alone type and a headrest type AV systems.  
         [0056]     As described above, the A/V system of the present invention has an effect of minimizing a thickness of the whole product by minimizing the thickness of an overlaid portion.  
         [0057]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.