Patent Abstract:
A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal material sandwiched between a pair of substrates, optical components disposed behind the liquid crystal display panel, a frame-like mold which houses the liquid crystal display panel and the optical components, and a frame which houses the frame-like mold. The frame includes a bottom portion and a sidewall, and the bottom portion is provided with plural engaging through holes which are formed along the sidewall not to extend into the sidewall. The frame-like mold is provided with plural engaging protrusions which are disposed correspondingly to the engaging holes and protrude downward beyond a lower surface of the frame-like mold. The frame-like mold and the frame are fixed together by inserting each of the engaging protrusions into a corresponding one of the engaging through holes.

Full Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY  
       [0001]     The present application claims priority from Japanese application serial no. 2005-189234, filed on Jun. 29, 2005, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and in particular to a technology useful for application to a backlight of a liquid crystal display device.  
         [0003]     Widely used as display sections of portable equipment such as mobile phones are TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type liquid crystal display modules each provided with a small-sized color liquid crystal panel having subpixels in the order of 240×320×3 in number.  
         [0004]      FIG. 16A  is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a rough configuration of a conventional liquid crystal display module. As shown in  FIG. 16A , in the conventional liquid crystal display module, arranged in the order shown in  FIG. 16A  within a metal frame  16 , for example, a die cast frame made of magnesium alloy, are a liquid crystal display panel LCD, a mold  11  formed of synthetic resin, for example, and a light reflective sheet  12 . Disposed within the mold  11  are a light guide  10 , a group of optical sheets (upper and lower light diffusing sheets and a lens sheet)  15 , and a light source (white light emitting diodes)  13 .  
         [0005]     The liquid crystal display panel LCD is fabricated by attaching together a glass substrate TFTSUB provided with thin film transistors, drain lines, gate lines and others (not shown) and a glass substrate CFSUB provided with a counter electrode, color filters and others (not shown) with a sealing agent (not shown) interposed therebetween, then filling a liquid crystal material (not shown) into a space between the two glass substrates TFTSUB, CFSUB, and sealing off the space, and then attaching polarizing sheets POL 1  and PLO 2  on the outer surfaces of the two glass substrates TFTSUB and CFSUB, respectively. In  FIG. 16A , reference character DRV denote semiconductor chips for driving the subpixels of the liquid crystal display panel LCD  
         [0006]     The frame  16  in  FIG. 16A  is required to be electro-conductive so as to prevent EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) and mechanically strong, and therefore the frame  16  is formed of a magnesium alloy die cast, for example.  
         [0007]      FIG. 16B  is a cross-sectional view of the conventional liquid crystal display module of  FIG. 16A  in the assembled condition taken along line XVIB-XVIB of  FIG. 16A . The liquid crystal display panel LCD is attached to a recess formed in the mold  11  by using double-faced adhesive tapes  100 .  
         [0008]      FIGS. 17A and 17B  are illustrations for explaining the mold  11  shown in  FIGS. 16A and 16B ,  FIG. 17A  is a plan view of the mold  11 , and  FIG. 17B  is a cross-sectional view of the mold  11  taken along line XVIIB-XVIIB of  FIG. 17A . As shown in  FIGS. 17A and 17B , the mold  11  shown in  FIG. 16A  is of the shape of a frame (or a cylinder) having a rectangular cross section, and is formed with engaging portions la.  
         [0009]      FIGS. 18A-18C  are illustrations for explaining the frame  16  shown in  FIGS. 16A and 16B ,  FIG. 18A  is a plan view of the frame  16 , and  FIG. 18B  is a cross-sectional view of the frame  16  taken along line XVIIIB-XVIIIB of  FIG. 18A ,  FIG. 18C  is an enlarged view of an encircled portion A of  FIG. 18B , and  FIG. 18D  is an enlarged perspective view of the encircled portion A of  FIG. 18B . As shown in  FIGS. 18A-18D , the frame  16  has a bottom portion  30  and a sidewall  31  formed along the peripheries of the bottom portion  30 , and the frame  16  has through holes  1   b  therein extending continuously from the bottom portion  30  to the sidewall  31 .  
         [0010]      FIGS. 19A-19C  are illustrations for explaining a method of fixing together the mold  11  and the frame  16  shown in  FIG. 16A ,  FIG. 19A  is a plan view of an assembly of the mold  11  and the frame  16 ,  FIG. 19B  is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 19A  taken along line XIXB-XIXB of  FIG. 19A , and  FIG. 19C  is an enlarged view of an encircled portion B of  FIG. 19B . Incidentally, the liquid crystal display panel LCD, the light guide  10 , the group of optical sheets  15  or the light source  13  are not shown in  FIGS. 19A-19C  for the sake of simplicity.  
         [0011]     As shown in  FIGS. 19A-19C , the mold  11  is fixed to the frame  16  by inserting the engaging portions la formed in the sidewall of the mold  11  into the through holes  1   b  formed in the frame  16 , and engaging tips of the engaging portions la with the sidewall of the frame  16  (or hooking the tips of the engaging portions la to the sidewall of the frame  16 ).  
         [0012]     Incidentally, the shapes of the mold  11  and the frame  16  are schematically illustrated in  FIGS. 16A-19C  and later-explained figures for explaining the features of the present invention clearly, and therefore they do not always represent the shapes of the mold  11  and the frame  16  in practical applications.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     There was a problem with the method of fixing the method of fixing together the mold  11  and the frame  16  explained in connection with  FIGS. 19A-19C , in that, as shown in  FIG. 19C , light from the light source (white light emitting diodes)  13  (see  FIG. 16A ) leaks in an X direction (a direction indicated by an arrow C in  FIG. 19C ) and a Y direction (a direction indicated by an arrow D in  FIG. 19C ) via the through hole  1   b  formed in the frame  16 .  
         [0014]     However, since it is necessary to visually check the engaging portions  1   a  formed in the sidewall of the mold  11  and the through holes  1   b  in the frame  16 , for the purpose of seeing whether the mold  11  and the frame  16  are fixed together properly after assembling of the liquid crystal display module, it was difficult to prevent the above-explained leakage of light.  
         [0015]     The present invention has been made to solve the above-explained problems with the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a technology capable of reducing leakage of light from a backlight of a liquid crystal display device. The above-mentioned and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings.  
         [0016]     The following will explain briefly the summary of the representative ones of the inventions disclosed in this specification.  
         [0017]     (1) A liquid crystal display device comprising: a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal material sandwiched between a pair of substrates; optical components disposed behind said liquid crystal display panel; a frame-like mold which houses said liquid crystal display panel and said optical components; a light reflective sheet disposed behind said frame-like mold; and a frame which houses said frame-like mold and said light reflective sheet, wherein said frame comprises a bottom portion and a sidewall formed along a periphery of said bottom portion, said bottom portion is provided with a plurality of engaging through holes which are formed along said sidewall not to extend into said sidewall, said light reflective sheet is disposed on an upper surface of said bottom portion of said frame, and is provided with a plurality of cutouts disposed correspondingly to said plurality of engaging through holes such that said light reflective sheet does not lie over said plurality of engaging through holes, said frame-like mold is provided with a plurality of engaging protrusions which are disposed correspondingly to said plurality of engaging holes and protrude downward beyond a lower surface of said frame-like mold, and said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by inserting each of said plurality of engaging protrusions into a corresponding one of said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0018]     (2) The liquid crystal display device according to (1), wherein said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by engaging tips of said plurality of engaging protrusions with said sidewall of said frame.  
         [0019]     (3) The liquid crystal display device according to (1), wherein said frame-like mold is provided with a step on said lower surface thereof for positioning an edge of said light reflective sheet such that said step does not lie over said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0020]     (4) A liquid crystal display device comprising: a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal material sandwiched between a pair of substrates; optical components disposed behind said liquid crystal display panel; a frame-like mold which houses said liquid crystal display panel and said optical components; and a frame which houses said frame-like mold, wherein said frame comprises a bottom portion and a sidewall formed along a periphery of said bottom portion, said bottom portion is provided with a plurality of engaging through holes which are formed along said sidewall not to extend into said sidewall, said frame-like mold is provided with a plurality of engaging protrusions which are disposed correspondingly to said plurality of engaging holes and protrude downward beyond a lower surface of said frame-like mold, and said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by inserting each of said plurality of engaging protrusions into a corresponding one of said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0021]     (5) The liquid crystal display device according to (4), wherein said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by engaging tips of said plurality of engaging protrusions with said sidewall of said frame.  
         [0022]     (6) A liquid crystal display device comprising: a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal material sandwiched between a pair of substrates; optical components disposed behind said liquid crystal display panel; a frame-like mold which houses said liquid crystal display panel and said optical components; and a frame which houses said frame-like mold, wherein said frame comprises a bottom portion and a sidewall formed along a periphery of said bottom portion, said frame is provided with a plurality of engaging through holes formed along said sidewall, each of said plurality of engaging through holes extends from said bottom portion into a portion of said sidewall, said frame is further provided with a wall-like protrusion parallel with said side wall protruding from an edge of each of said plurality of engaging through holes, said edge facing toward an inside of said frame, said frame-like mold is provided with a plurality of engaging protrusions protruding horizontally from a sidewall thereof, said plurality of engaging protrusions being disposed correspondingly to said plurality of engaging holes, and said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by inserting each of said plurality of engaging protrusions of said frame-like mold into a corresponding one of said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0023]     (7) The liquid crystal display device according to (6), wherein said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by engaging tips of said plurality of engaging protrusions with said sidewall of said frame.  
         [0024]     (8) The liquid crystal display device according to (6), further comprising a light reflective sheet disposed on an upper surface of said bottom portion of said frame, wherein said light reflective sheet is provided with a plurality of cutouts disposed correspondingly to said plurality of engaging through holes such that said light reflective sheet does not lie over said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0025]     (9) The liquid crystal display device according to (6), further comprising a light reflective sheet disposed on an upper surface of said bottom portion of said frame, wherein said frame-like mold is provided with a step on said lower surface thereof for positioning an edge of said light reflective sheet such that said step does not lie over said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0026]     (10) The liquid crystal display device according to (8), wherein said frame-like mold is provided with a step on said lower surface thereof for positioning an edge of said light reflective sheet such that said step does not lie over said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0027]     (11) A liquid crystal display device comprising: a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal material sandwiched between a pair of substrates; optical components disposed behind said liquid crystal display panel; a frame-like mold which houses said liquid crystal display panel and said optical components; a light reflective sheet disposed behind said frame-like mold; and a frame which houses said frame-like mold and said light reflective sheet, wherein said frame comprises a bottom portion and a sidewall formed along a periphery of said bottom portion, said frame is provided with a plurality of engaging through holes which are formed along said sidewall, each of said plurality of engaging through holes extends from said bottom portion into a portion of said sidewall, said light reflective sheet is disposed on an upper surface of said bottom portion of said frame, and is provided with a plurality of cutouts disposed correspondingly to said plurality of engaging through holes such that said light reflective sheet does not lie over said plurality of engaging through holes, said frame-like mold is provided with a plurality of engaging protrusions protruding therefrom and disposed correspondingly to said plurality of engaging holes, and said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by inserting each of said plurality of engaging protrusions of said frame-like mold into a sidewall-side portion of a corresponding one of said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0028]     (12) A liquid crystal display device comprising: a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal material sandwiched between a pair of substrates; optical components disposed behind said liquid crystal display panel; a frame-like mold which houses said liquid crystal display panel and said optical components; alight reflective sheet disposed behind said frame-like mold; and a frame which houses said frame-like mold and said light reflective sheet, wherein said frame comprises a bottom portion and a sidewall formed along a periphery of said bottom portion, said frame is provided with a plurality of engaging through holes which are formed along said side wall, each of said plurality of engaging through holes extends from said bottom portion into a portion of said sidewall, said light reflective sheet is disposed on an upper surface of said bottom portion of said frame, said frame-like mold is provided with a plurality of engaging protrusions protruding therefrom and disposed correspondingly to said plurality of engaging holes, said frame-like mold is further provided with a step on said lower surface thereof for positioning an edge of said light reflective sheet such that said step does not lie over said plurality of engaging through holes, and said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by inserting each of said plurality of engaging protrusions of said frame-like mold into a sidewall-side portion of a corresponding one of said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0029]     (13) The liquid crystal display device according to (12), wherein said light reflective sheet is provided with a plurality of cutouts disposed correspondingly to said plurality of engaging through holes such that said light reflective sheet does not lie over said plurality of engaging through holes.  
         [0030]     (14) The liquid crystal display device according to (12), wherein said frame is further provided with a wall-like protrusion parallel with said side wall protruding from an edge of each of said plurality of engaging through holes, said edge facing toward an inside of said frame.  
         [0031]     (15) The liquid crystal display device according to (12), wherein said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by engaging tips of said plurality of engaging protrusions with said sidewall of said frame.  
         [0032]     (16) A liquid crystal display device comprising: a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal material sandwiched between a pair of substrates; optical components disposed behind said liquid crystal display panel; a frame-like mold which houses said liquid crystal display panel and said optical components; and a frame which houses said frame-like mold, wherein said frame-like mold is provided with a plurality of protrusions protruding from an upper surface of said frame-like mold, each of said plurality of protrusions is provided with an engaging through hole, said frame comprises a bottom portion and a sidewall formed along a periphery of said bottom portion, said sidewall is provided with a plurality of engaging protrusions correspondingly to said engaging through holes, and said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by inserting each of said plurality of engaging protrusions into a corresponding one of said engaging through holes in said frame-like mold.  
         [0033]     (17) The liquid crystal display device according to (16), wherein said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by engaging tips of said plurality of engaging protrusions with vicinities of said engaging through holes in said frame-like mold.  
         [0034]     (18) A liquid crystal display device comprising: a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal material sandwiched between a pair of substrates; optical components disposed behind said liquid crystal display panel; a frame-like mold which houses saidliquid crystal display panel and said optical components; and a frame which houses said frame-like mold, wherein said frame-like mold is provided with a plurality of protrusions protruding therefrom, said frame comprises a bottom portion and a sidewall formed along a periphery of said bottom portion, said sidewall is provided with a plurality of engaging recesses correspondingly to said plurality of engaging protrusions, and said frame-like mold and said frame are fixed together by inserting each of said plurality of engaging protrusions of said frame-like mold into a corresponding one of said plurality of recesses.  
         [0035]     To be brief, the advantage provided by the representative ones of the inventions disclosed in this specification is that the liquid crystal display device in accordance with the present invention is capable of reducing the leakage of light from its backlight. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0036]     In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate similar components throughout the figures, and in which:  
         [0037]      FIG. 1A  is a plan view of a mold in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0038]      FIG. 1B  is a side view of the mold of  FIG. 1A ;  
         [0039]      FIG. 2A  is a plan view of a frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0040]      FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional view of the frame of  FIG. 2A  taken along line IIB-IIB of  FIG. 2A ;  
         [0041]      FIG. 2C  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated A, of the frame of  FIG. 2B ;  
         [0042]      FIG. 2D  is a perspective view of the circled portion A of the frame  16  of  FIG. 2B ;  
         [0043]      FIG. 3A  is a plan view illustrating a condition where the mold is inserted within the frame;  
         [0044]      FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view of the mold and the frame of  FIG. 3A  taken along line IIIB-IIIB of  FIG. 3A ;  
         [0045]      FIG. 3C  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a circled portion, designated B, of  FIG. 3B ;  
         [0046]      FIG. 3D  is a cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal display module of Embodiment 1 in an assembled condition;  
         [0047]      FIG. 4A  is a rear plan view of a liquid crystal display module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0048]      FIG. 4B  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated C, of  FIG. 4A ;  
         [0049]      FIG. 4C  is an illustration for explaining a problem which may arise in the configuration of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3C ;  
         [0050]      FIG. 5  is an illustration for explaining a shape of a light reflective sheet and a step of a mold of a liquid crystal display module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0051]      FIG. 6A  is a plan view showing a condition in which the mold is fitted within the frame;  
         [0052]      FIG. 6B  is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 6A  taken along line VIB-VIB of  FIG. 6A ;  
         [0053]      FIG. 6C  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated D, of  FIG. 6B ;  
         [0054]      FIG. 7A  is a rear plan view of the liquid crystal display module;  
         [0055]      FIG. 7B  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated A, of  FIG. 7A ;  
         [0056]      FIG. 8A  is an illustration for explaining a frame in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0057]      FIG. 8B  is an illustration for showing a through hole made in a prior art frame explained in connection with  FIGS. 17A  to  19 C;  
         [0058]      FIG. 9A  is a plan view of a mold in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0059]      FIG. 9B  is a cross-sectional view of the mold of  FIG. 9A  taken along line IXB-IXB of  FIG. 9A ;  
         [0060]      FIG. 10A  is a plan view of a frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0061]      FIG. 10B  is a cross-sectional view of the frame of  FIG. 10A  taken along line XB-XB of  FIG. 10A ;  
         [0062]      FIG. 10C  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated A, of  FIG. 10B ;  
         [0063]      FIG. 10D  is a cross-sectional view of the frame of  FIG. 10A  taken along line XD-XD of  FIG. 10A ;  
         [0064]      FIG. 11A  is a plan view of an assembly of the mold and the frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0065]      FIG. 11B  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 11A  taken along line XIB-XIB of  FIG. 11A ;  
         [0066]      FIG. 11C  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated B, of  FIG. 11B ;  
         [0067]      FIG. 12A  is a plan view of a frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0068]      FIG. 12B  is a cross-sectional view of the frame of  FIG. 12A  taken along line XIIB-XIIB of  FIG. 12A ;  
         [0069]      FIG. 12C  is a side view of a circled portion, designated A, of  FIG. 12A ;  
         [0070]      FIG. 13A  is a plan view of a mold  11  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0071]      FIG. 13B  is a cross-sectional view of the mold of  FIG. 13A  taken along line XIIIB-XIIIB of  FIG. 13A ;  
         [0072]      FIG. 14A  is an plan view of an assembly of the mold and the frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0073]      FIG. 14B  is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 14A  taken along line XIVB-XIVB of  FIG. 14A ;  
         [0074]      FIG. 15A  is a perspective view of a frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0075]      FIG. 15B  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated A, of  FIG. 15A ;  
         [0076]      FIG. 16A  is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a rough configuration of a conventional liquid crystal display module;  
         [0077]      FIG. 16B  is a cross-sectional view of the conventional liquid crystal display module of  FIG. 16A  in an assembled condition taken along line XVIB-XVIB of  FIG. 16A ;  
         [0078]      FIG. 17A  is a plan view of a conventional mold;  
         [0079]      FIG. 17B  is a cross-sectional view of the mold taken along line XVIIB-XVIIB of  FIG. 17A ;  
         [0080]      FIG. 18A  is a plan view of the conventional frame;  
         [0081]      FIG. 18B  is a cross-sectional view of the frame taken along line XVIIIB-XVIIIB of  FIG. 18A ;  
         [0082]      FIG. 18C  is an enlarged view of an encircled portion A of  FIG. 18B ;  
         [0083]      FIG. 18D  is an enlarged perspective view of the encircled portion A of  FIG. 18B ;  
         [0084]      FIG. 19A  is a plan view of an assembly of the conventional mold and the conventional frame;  
         [0085]      FIG. 19B  is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 19A  taken along line XIXB-XIXB of  FIG. 19A ; and  
         [0086]      FIG. 19C  is an enlarged view of an encircled portion B of  FIG. 19B . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0087]     The embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail by reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals or symbols designate functionally similar components or portions throughout the figures for explaining the embodiments, and repetition of their explanation is omitted. Dimensions of certain of the components or portions are exaggerated for clarity.  
         [0088]     Liquid crystal display modules of the embodiments in accordance with the present invention are TFT type liquid crystal display modules provided with a small-sized color liquid crystal display panel having subpixels on the order of 240×320×3 pieces, and they are used as display sections of portable equipment such as mobile phones and the like.  
       EMBODIMENT 1  
       [0089]     As in the case of the liquid crystal display panel LCD illustrated in  FIGS. 16A and 16B , a liquid crystal display panel LCD in accordance with Embodiment 1 is fabricated by attaching together a glass substrate TFTSUB provided with thin film transistors, drain lines, gate lines and others (not shown) and a glass substrate CFSUB provided with a counter electrode, color filters and others (not shown) with a sealing agent (not shown) interposed therebetween, then filling a liquid crystal material (not shown) into a space between the two glass substrates TFTSUB, CFSUB, and sealing off the space, and then attaching polarizing sheets POL 1  and PLO 2  on the outer surfaces of the two glass substrates TFTSUB and CFSUB, respectively.  
         [0090]     Since the present invention does not relates to an internal structure of the liquid crystal display panel LCD, the explanation of the details of the internal structure is omitted. The present invention is applicable to liquid crystal display panels LCD having any types of structures.  
         [0091]     In the liquid crystal display modules in Embodiment 1 and subsequent Embodiments, the explanation of components or portions similar to those in the conventional liquid crystal display module illustrated in  FIGS. 16A and 16B  is omitted.  
         [0092]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are illustrations for explaining a mold  11  in Embodiment  1 ,  FIG. 1A  is a plan view of the mold  11 , and  FIG. 1B  is a side view of the mold  11 .  
         [0093]     As shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the mold  11  differs from the mold  11  shown in  FIGS. 17A and 17B , in that the mold  11  of Embodiment 1 has a frame-like member (or a cylinder-like member) having a rectangular vertical cross section and is provided with protrusions  3   a  protruding downward from the frame-like member (or the cylinder-like member) which are used for engaging.  
         [0094]      FIGS. 2A  to  2 D are illustrations for explaining a frame  16  in Embodiment 1,  FIG. 2A  is a plan view of the frame  16 ,  FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional view of the frame  16  of  FIG. 2A  taken along line IIB-IIB of  FIG. 2A ,  FIG. 2C  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated A, of the frame  16  of  FIG. 2B , and  FIG. 2D  is a perspective view of the circled portion A of the frame  16  of  FIG. 2B .  
         [0095]     As shown in  FIGS. 2A  to  2 D, the frame  16  of Embodiment 1 has a bottom portion  30  and a sidewall  30  formed at the periphery of the bottom portion  30 , through holes  1   b  are made in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16  along the sidewall  31  such that through holes  1   b  do not extend into the sidewall  31 .  
         [0096]     As shown in a portion B of  FIG. 2C  and  FIG. 2D , the frame  16  of Embodiment 1 differs from the frame  16  shown in  FIGS. 18C and 18D , in that, in Embodiment 1, portions of the sidewall  31  adjacent to the through holes  1   b  are extended to a plane flush with a lower surface of the bottom portion  30 .  
         [0097]      FIGS. 3A  to  3 D are illustrations for explaining a method of fixing together the mold  11  and the frame  16  in Embodiment 1.  FIG. 3A  is a plan view illustrating the condition where the mold  11  is inserted within the frame  16 ,  FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view of the mold  11  and the frame  16  of  FIG. 3A  taken along line IIIB-IIIB of  FIG. 3A , and  FIG. 3C  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated B, of  FIG. 3B . For the sake of simplicity, the liquid crystal display panel LCD, the light guide  10 , the group of optical sheets  15  or the light source  13  are not shown in  FIGS. 3A  to  3 C.  FIG. 3D  is across-sectional view of the liquid crystal display module of Embodiment 1 in the assembled condition, and is similar to  FIG. 16B  illustrating the cross-sectional view of the conventional liquid crystal display module.  
         [0098]     As shown in  FIGS. 3A  to  3 D, the mold  11  is fixed to the frame  16  by inserting the engaging protrusions  3   a  provided to the mold  11  into the through holes  1   b  made in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16 , and engaging the tips of the engaging protrusions  3   a  with the sidewall  31  of the frame  16  (or hooking the tips to the sidewall  31 ).  
         [0099]     As explained above, there has been a problem in that in the case of the configuration illustrated in  FIGS. 19A  to  19 C, light from the light source (a white light emitting diode)  13  (not shown) leaks through the through holes  1   b  made in the frame  16  in the X direction (the direction of the arrow C in  FIG. 19C ) and the Y direction (the direction of the arrow D in  FIG. 19C ). On the other hand, as shown in  FIGS. 2D and 3C , in Embodiment 1, the through holes  1   b  does not extend into the sidewall  31  of the frame  16 , and consequently, Embodiment 1 is capable of reducing the amount of the light from the light source  13  leaking in the X direction (the direction of the arrow C in  FIG. 19C ) through the through holes  1   b  made in the frame  16 .  
       EMBODIMENT 2  
       [0100]     Prior to explaining Embodiment 2, a problem will be explained which may arise in Embodiment 1.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  are rear views of the above-explained liquid crystal display module of Embodiment 1,  FIG. 4A  is a rear plan view of the liquid crystal display module, and  FIG. 4B  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated C, of  FIG. 4A .  FIG. 4C  is an illustration for explaining the problem which may arise in the configuration of Embodiment 1 shown in  FIG. 3C .  
         [0101]     In the configuration of Embodiment 1, as shown in  FIG. 3C , a rectangular light reflective sheet  12  is disposed on the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16 . In this case, a step  33  is formed on a surface of the mold  11  on its light-reflective-sheet- 12  side for positioning the light reflective sheet  12 . As shown in  FIGS. 3C and 4B , the edge portion (the edge portion of the long side) of the light reflective sheet  12  and the step  33  is disposed over the through hole  1   b  made in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16 . In  FIG. 3C , in a case where there is no gap between opposing portions of the mold  11  and the light reflective sheet  12 , there arises no problem. However, in actuality, as shown in  FIG. 4C , in some cases there is a gap  20  between opposing portions of the mold  11  and the light reflective sheet  12  due to dimensional tolerances of the components and variations in precision of manufacturing of the components, and therefore light from the light source  13  leaks toward the vicinities of the step  33  through the gap  20 .  
         [0102]     As described above, in Embodiment 1, the edge portion of the light reflective sheet  12  and the step  33  are visible through the through hole  1   b  in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16 , the leakage of light in the vicinities of the step  33  is visible from the Y direction (the direction indicated by an arrow D in  FIG. 4C ) outside of the frame  16 .  
         [0103]     In the following, Embodiment 2 will be explained which is capable of reducing the above-explained light leaking in the Y direction from the vicinities of the step  33 .  
         [0104]      FIG. 5  is an illustration for explaining the shape of the light reflective sheet  12  and the step  33  of the mold  11  of the liquid crystal display module in accordance with Embodiment 2, and is a plan view of the light reflective sheet  12  disposed on the mold  11  viewed from the side of the light reflective sheet  12  prior to fitting the mold  11  with the frame  16 . Cutouts  35  are formed at regions of the light reflective sheet  12  lying over the through hole  1   b  in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16  so that the light reflective sheet  12  does not lie over the through hole  1   b  in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16 . Further, the steps  33  of the mold  11  for positioning the light reflective sheet  12  are formed so that they do not to lie over the through hole  1   b  in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16 , considering the shape of the light reflective sheet  12 .  
         [0105]      FIGS. 6A  to  6 C are illustrations for explaining a method of fixing together the mold  11  and the frame  16  in accordance with Embodiment 2,  FIG. 6A  is a plan view showing a condition in which the mold  11  is fitted within the frame  16 ,  FIG. 6B  is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 6A  taken along line VIB-VIB of  FIG. 6A , and  FIG. 6C  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated D, of  FIG. 6B .  FIGS. 7A and 7B  are views of the liquid crystal display module of Embodiment 2 viewed from its rear side,  FIG. 7A  is a rear plan view of the liquid crystal display module, and  FIG. 7B  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated A, of  FIG. 7A .  
         [0106]     Consequently, in Embodiment 2, as shown in a circled portion, designated E, of  FIG. 6C  and  FIG. 7B , the edge portions (the edge portions of the long sides) of the light reflective sheet  12  or the steps  33  of the mold  11  are not visible through the through holes  1   b  made in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16 , and Embodiment 2 is capable of reducing the leakage of light from the vicinities of the steps  33  in the Y direction (the direction indicated by the arrow D in  FIG. 4C .  
       EMBODIMENT 3  
       [0107]     As in the case of the frame  16  shown in  FIG. 18D  and utilized for the prior art explained in connection with  FIGS. 17A  to  19 C, the frame  16  utilized for this Embodiment 3 is provided with through holes  1   b  extending from the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16  into the sidewall  31  of the frame  16 . However, in Embodiment 3, the size of the through holes  1   b  in the frame  16  are reduced such that the edge portions (the edge portions of the long sides) of the light reflective sheet  12  or the steps  33  of the mold  11  are not visible through the through holes  1   b  made in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16 .  
         [0108]      FIG. 8A  is an illustration for explaining the frame  16  in accordance with Embodiment 3, and shows a through hole  1   b  made in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16 . For comparison purposes,  FIG. 8B  is an illustration for showing the through hole  1   b  made in the prior art frame  16  explained in connection with  FIGS. 17A  to  19 C. Here  FIGS. 8A and 8B  are enlarged views of the through holes  16  and their vicinities viewed from the rear side of the frame  16 .  
         [0109]     Embodiment 3 shown in  FIG. 8A  is also capable of reducing light leakage from the vicinities of the step  33  (see  FIG. 4C ) in the Y direction (the direction indicated by the arrow D in  FIG. 4C ).  
         [0110]     Incidentally, while  FIG. 8A  illustrates a case where Embodiment 3 is applied to the frame  16  provided with the through holes  1   b  extending continuously from the bottom portion  30  into the sidewall  31 , Embodiment 3 is also applicable to the frame  16  provided with the through holes  1   b  which are formed in the bottom portion  30  along the sidewall  31 , but which do not extend into the sidewall  31  (that is, the through hole  1   b  are not made in the sidewall  31 ), as in the case of Embodiment 1.  
         [0111]     Further, Embodiment 3 is applicable to the following two cases: one is a case where the light reflective sheet  12  is provided with the cutouts  35  such that the light reflective sheet  12  does not lie over the through holes  1   b  made in the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16  as in the case of Embodiment 2; and the other is a case where the light reflective sheet  12  is not provided with the cutouts  35 .  
       EMBODIMENT 4  
       [0112]      FIGS. 9A and 9B  are illustrations for explaining the mold  11  in accordance with Embodiment 4,  FIG. 9A  is a plan view of the mold  11 , and  FIG. 9B  is a cross-sectional view of the mold  11  of  FIG. 9A  taken along line IXB-IXB of  FIG. 9A .  FIGS. 10A  to  11 C are illustrations for explaining a frame  16  in accordance with Embodiment 4,  FIG. 10A  is a plan view of the frame  16 ,  FIG. 10B  is a cross-sectional view of the frame  16  of  FIG. 10A  taken along line XB-XB of  FIG. 10A ,  FIG. 10C  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated A, of  FIG. 10B , and  FIG. 10D  is a cross-sectional view of the frame  16  of  FIG. 10A  taken along line XD-XD of  FIG. 10A .  FIGS. 11A  to  11 C are illustrations for explaining a method of fixing together the mold  11  and, the frame  16  in accordance with Embodiment 4,  FIG. 11A  is a plan view of an assembly of the mold  11  and the frame  16 ,  FIG. 11B  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 11A  taken along line XIB-XIB of  FIG. 11A , and  FIG. 11C  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated B, of  FIG. 11B .  
         [0113]     As shown in  FIG. 10D , Embodiment 4 provides a step portion  31 A in the sidewall  31  on the long sides of the bottom portion  30  of the frame  16  which is utilized in Embodiment 3 and which is a die cast frame formed of magnesium alloy, for example, and as shown in  FIG. 10A  Embodiment 4 provides the through holes  1   b  at desired positions. This configuration of the frame  16  provides wall-like protrusions  36  capable of preventing leakage of light at positions where the through hole  1   b  are made.  
         [0114]     To realize the above-explained configuration, in Embodiment 4, regions of the frame  16  formed with the through holes  1   b  are expanded outwardly as shown in  FIG. 11A , and engaging portions  1   a  formed on the sidewall are disposed at outside positions.  
         [0115]     In Embodiment 4, as shown in  FIG. 11C , the edge portions (the edge portions of the long sides) of the light reflective sheet  12  or the steps  33  of the mold  11  are not visible through the through holes  1   b  made in frame  16 , and consequently, Embodiment 4 is capable of reducing light leakage from the vicinities of the step  33  in the Y direction (the direction indicated by the arrow D in  FIG. 4C ).  
       EMBODIMENT 5  
       [0116]     The reason why the above-described light leakage is that the edge portions (the edge portions of the long sides) of the light reflective sheet  12  and the steps  33  of the mold  11  are visible through the through holes  1   b  made in the frame  16 .  
         [0117]     Embodiment 5 and subsequent Embodiment 6 prevent light leakage from the gap between the steps  33  and the light reflective sheet  12  by configuring the edge portions (the edge portions of the long sides) of the light reflective sheet  12  and the steps  33  of the mold  11  so as not to be visible from the outside of the frame  16 .  
         [0118]      FIGS. 12A  to  12 C are illustrations for explaining a frame  16  in accordance with Embodiment 5,  FIG. 12A  is a plan view of the frame  16 ,  FIG. 12B  is a cross-sectional view of the frame  16  of  FIG. 12A  taken along line XIIB-XIIB of  FIG. 12A , and  FIG. 12C  is a side view of a circled portion, designated A, of  FIG. 12A .  
         [0119]      FIGS. 13A and 13B  are illustrations for explaining a mold  11  in accordance with Embodiment 5,  FIG. 13A  is a plan view of the mold  11 , and  FIG. 13B  is a cross-sectional view of the mold  11  of  FIG. 13A  taken along line XIIIB-XIIIB of  FIG. 13A .  
         [0120]      FIGS. 14A and 14B  are illustrations for explaining a method of fixing together the mold  11  and the frame  16  in accordance with Embodiment 5,  FIG. 14A  is an plan view of an assembly of the mold  11  and the frame  16 , and  FIG. 14B  is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 14A  taken along line XIVB-XIVB of  FIG. 14A .  
         [0121]     As shown in  FIGS. 12A  to  12 C, the frame  16  of Embodiment 5 is provided with protrusions  3   b  on the sidewall  31  of the frame  16  for the engaging purpose. In Embodiment 5, as shown in  FIGS. 13A and 13B , regions on the top of the mold  11  corresponding to the above-mentioned protrusions  3   b,  respectively, are projecting outwardly, and through holes  1   c  are made in those projecting regions.  
         [0122]     As shown in  FIGS. 14A and 14B , in Embodiment 5, the mold  11  is fixed to the frame  16  by inserting the engaging protrusions  3   b  provided to the frame  16  into the through holes  1   c  made in the mold  11 , and engaging the tips of the engaging protrusions  3   a  with (or hooking the tips of the engaging protrusions  3   a  to) the vicinities of the through holes  1   c  in the mold  11 . In this configuration of Embodiment 5, recesses  37  are formed in the sidewall  31  of the frame  16  as shown in  FIG. 12C . Each of the recesses  37  is formed so as to extend beyond opposite ends of a corresponding one of the engaging protrusions  3   b . As shown in  FIGS. 14A and 14B , the projecting regions of the mold  11  each perforated with the through hole  1   c  are fitted into the recesses  37 .  
         [0123]     With the configuration of Embodiment 5, the edge portions (the edge portions of the long sides) of the light reflective sheet  12  or the steps  33  of the mold  11  are not visible from the outside of the frame  16 . Consequently, Embodiment 5 is capable of preventing the light leakage from the vicinities of the steps  33  of the mold  11 .  
       EMBODIMENT 6  
       [0124]      FIGS. 15A and 15B  are illustrations for explaining a frame  16  in accordance with Embodiment 6,  FIG. 15A  is a perspective view of the frame  16 , and  FIG. 15B  is an enlarged view of a circled portion, designated A, of  FIG. 15A .  
         [0125]     Embodiment 6 uses a frame and a mold similar to the prior art frame  16  and the prior art mold  11  explained in connection with  FIGS. 17A  to  19 C. As shown in  FIGS. 15A and 15B , the frame  16  utilized for this Embodiment 3 is provided with recesses  1   d  in an inner surface of the sidewall  31  of the frame  16  to be engaged with the tips  1   a  of the engaging portions  1   a  provided to the sidewall of the mold  11 .  
         [0126]     In Embodiment 6, the mold  11  is fixed to the frame  16  by inserting the engaging portions  1   a  (see  FIGS. 17A and 17B ) provided to the mold  11  into the recesses  1   d  formed in the inner surface of the sidewall  31  of the frame  16 , and engaging the tips of the engaging portions  1   a  with the sidewall  31  of the frame  16  (or hooking the tips to the sidewall  31 ).  
         [0127]     With the configuration of Embodiment 6, the edge portions (the edge portions of the long sides) of the light reflective sheet  12  (not shown) or the steps  33  (not shown) of the mold  11  are not visible from the outside of the frame  16 . Consequently, Embodiment 6 is also capable of preventing the light leakage from the vicinities of the steps  33  (see  FIG. 4C ) of the mold  11 .  
         [0128]     The invention made by the present inventors has been explained concretely based on the embodiments, and it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6