Abstract:
A showcase is disclosed. The show case includes a display module. By using the light source and the light guiding plate of the display module, a portion of light generated by the light source can be emitted through the rear surface of the light guiding plate to illuminate an object and then the portion of light source can be regathered into the light guiding plate again to illuminate the display module.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of a U.S. provisional patent application No. U.S. 62/199,373 filed on Jul. 31, 2015, in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0120221 filed on Aug. 26, 2015, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a showcase used to display a product. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Generally, showcases are used to display various objects for exhibition. 
         [0006]    The showcase includes a housing in which an object is displayed, a transparent plate, such as a tempered glass, configured to cover a front of the housing, and a light source for generating light. The showcase is used to protect the object from the external environment as well as illuminate the object with light to improve viewing of the object within the showcase 
         [0007]    Among showcases, there is a showcase having a display panel, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, arranged in place of the transparent plate to display an image. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    Aspects of the exemplary embodiments provide a showcase having an improved structure. 
         [0009]    In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, this is provided a showcase including a display module and a housing. The display module includes a light guide plate comprising a plurality of prism grooves having triangular shape disposed on the front surface of the light guide plate and a light source configured to emit light into the light guide plate. The housing includes a reflector. At least a portion of light generated by the light source is reflected by the prism grooves to emit through a rear surface of the light guide plate to the showing space and the portion of light is reflected back to the light guide plate by the reflector. 
         [0010]    The display module comprises a pair of light sources corresponding to the left and right sides of the light guide plate, and each of the prism grooves has a form of an isosceles triangle, and two oblique sides of the isosceles triangle correspond to the left and right sides of the light guide plate. 
         [0011]    Each of the prism grooves may have a vertical angle ranged from 80 to 140 degrees. 
         [0012]    The oblique sides of the prism groove may be formed to be about 50 μm or less long. 
         [0013]    The light source may include a substrate extending to correspond to a side of the light guide plate, and a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged on the substrate. 
         [0014]    Sizes of the prism grooves increase with the distance from the light source. 
         [0015]    Quantity of the prism grooves increase with the distance from the light source. 
         [0016]    The showcase may further include a display panel arranged in front of the light guide plate. 
         [0017]    The portion of the light reflected back to the light guiding plate illuminates the display panel. 
         [0018]    The display module may include a middle mold configured to support the display panel, a front chassis combined onto the front side of the middle mold configured to support the display panel installed in the middle mold, and a rear chassis combined onto the rear side of the middle mold configured to maintain the light guide plate and the light source, and the middle mold, front chassis, and rear chassis may each be formed in the form of a rectangular ring to pass light. 
         [0019]    The showcase may further include a stand, located inside the showing space, configured to support an object to be displayed. 
         [0020]    In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, this is provided a display module including a light guide plate comprising a plurality of prism grooves having triangular shape disposed on the front surface of the light guide plate; and a light source configured to emit light into the light guide plate; wherein at least a portion of light generated by the light source is reflected by the prism grooves to emit through a rear surface of the light guide plate. 
         [0021]    The display module may further include a display panel positioned in front of the light guiding plate. 
         [0022]    At least another portion of light generated by the light source emits through the front surface of the light guiding plate to illuminate the display panel. 
         [0023]    Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]    The above and other aspects of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
           [0025]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a display module of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0029]      FIG. 5  shows cross-sectional views of a display guide plate and a light source of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a display guide plate and a light source of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a display guide plate and a light source of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment. 
       
    
    
       [0033]    Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like parts, components, and structures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0034]    Showcases in accordance with an exemplary embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. 
         [0035]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a showcase in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is a device for accommodating an object P for display and irradiating light onto the object P to improve viewing of the object. 
         [0036]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a display module of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 4 , the showcase includes a display module  10  for displaying an image, a housing  20  coupled onto the rear side of the display module  10  to form a display space  20   a  that accommodates the object P, and a stand  30  coupled onto the bottom of the display module  10  and the housing  20  such that the display module  10  and the housing  20  supported on top of the stand  30 . 
         [0037]    The display module  10  includes a display panel  11 , a light guide plate  12  arranged behind the display panel  11  for guiding light, and two light sources  13  arranged toward the left and right sides of the light guide plate  12  for supplying light toward the left side and the right side of the light guide plate  12 . 
         [0038]    A middle mold  14  arranged between the display panel  11  and the light guide plate  12  supports the display panel  11 , a front chassis  15  maintains the display panel  11  installed in the middle mold  14  by supporting the outer side of a front portion of the display panel  11 , and a rear chassis  16  coupled onto the rear portion of the middle mold  14  to supports the light guide plate  12  and the light source  13  therein. 
         [0039]    The display panel  11  may be formed of a liquid crystal panel in the form of a rectangular plate for receiving light supplied through the light guide plate  12  to display an image. 
         [0040]    The light guide plate  12  may be formed by a transparent material to pass light with a form of a rectangular plate corresponding to the display panel  11 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 5  shows cross-sectional views of a display guide plate and a light source of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a display guide plate and a light source of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment. On the front of the light guide plate  12 , reflection patterns are formed to reflect light backward, as shown in  FIG. 5 . The reflection patterns are formed by concaved prism grooves  12   a  having a triangular cross section, as shown in  FIG. 5 . Each of the prism grooves  12   a  is formed such that the base is located opposite to the display panel  11  while the two oblique sides correspond to both sides of the light guide plate  12  on which the light sources  13  are arranged. 
         [0042]    In this embodiment, each of the prism grooves  12   a  is formed as an isosceles triangle with the two oblique sides having the same length, which may be 50 μum or less. Furthermore, the vertical angle of the prism grooves  12   a  is formed to be in a range from 80 to 140 degrees, such that most of light entering into the light guide plate  12  through both sides of the light guide plate  12  may be reflected backward by the two oblique sides of each of the prism grooves  12   a.    
         [0043]    The light sources  13  each include a substrate  13   a  in the form of a bar vertically extending to correspond to the left side or the right side of the light guide plate  12 , and light emitting diodes (LEDs)  13   b  arranged on a side of the substrate  13   a  corresponding to a side of the light guide plate  12  for irradiating light toward the side of the light guide plate  12 . The LEDs  13   b  are arranged at a distance from one another on the side of the substrate  13   a.    
         [0044]    Each of the middle mold  14 , the front chassis  15 , and the rear chassis  16  has the form of a rectangular ring. The structure of the middle mold  14 , the front chassis  15 , and the rear chassis  16  supports the outer sides of the display panel  11  and light guide plate  12  while enabling the light that passes the light guide plate  12  to be delivered forward to the display panel  11  or backward to the housing  20 . 
         [0045]    The housing  20  is in the form of the hull with an open front such that the interior of the housing  20  constitutes the display space  20   a  to accommodate the object P for display. Inside the display space  20   a,  there may be a white reflector having about 80% of reflectivity. 
         [0046]    The stand  30  is arranged under the display module  10  and housing  20  to provide support and contains various substrates  13   a  to drive the display module  10 . The stand  30  allows the object P to be placed at a certain height or higher, thereby allowing a viewer to more conveniently view the object P in the display room  20   a.    
         [0047]    Operation of the showcase arranged as described above will now be described in detail. 
         [0048]    First, with the object P placed in the display space  20   a,  light is generated from the LEDs  13   b  of the two light sources  13 . The light generated from the LEDs  13   b  enters the light guide plate  12  through the left and right sides of the light guide plate  12 . Most of the light entering the light guide plate  12  travels along the light guide plate  12  and is reflected backward by the oblique sides of the prism grooves  12   a  arranged on the front of the light guide plate  12 . The reflected light is output backward through the rear of the light guide plate  12  and delivered into the display space  20   a  formed inside the housing  20 , illuminating the display space  20   a  and the object P. With the white reflector formed on the inner surfaces of the housing  20  that constitutes the display space  20   a,  the light is reflected at the inner wall of the display room  20  to enter back into the light guide plate  12  through the rear of the light guide plate  12 . The light entering into the light guide plate  12  through the rear passes through the light guide plate  12  and is supplied to the display panel  11 . 
         [0049]    Accordingly, most of the light generated by the light sources  13  is reflected backward by the prism grooves  12   a,  illuminating the inside of the display space  20   a  and is again reflected back to the display panel  11 . 
         [0050]    The reflective structure of the showcase reduces the need for additional separate light sources for illuminating the object P, thereby allowing the showcase to have a thin compact profile. 
         [0051]    While the prism grooves  12   a  have the same size and are arranged at the same intervals in this embodiment, the size and arrangement are not limited thereto and it is also possible that some prism grooves  12   a - 1  located adjacent to the light sources  13  may be formed smaller in size than those  12   a - 1  located distant from the light sources  13 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . In other words, it is possible that the farther the prism grooves are located from the light source  13 , the larger they are formed in size. 
         [0052]    With the prism grooves  12   a - 1  formed of different sizes, less reflection of light may occur at the prism grooves  12   a - 1  having a smaller size located in a region adjacent to the light source  13 , which a relatively large amount of light reaches. On the contrary, more reflection of light may occur at the prism grooves  12   a - 1  having a larger size located in a region distant from the light source  13  that a relatively small amount of light reaches. Accordingly, light may be uniformly reflected by the prism grooves  12   a - 1  across the front of the light guide plate  12 . 
         [0053]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a display guide plate and a light source of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment. In an exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the prism grooves  12   a - 2  may be formed to have the same size, but the gaps between the prism grooves  12   a - 2  are relatively wide in the region adjacent to the light source  13  while being relatively narrow in the region distant from the light source  13 . In other words, it is possible that the quantity of prism grooves increases with the distance from the light source. 
         [0054]    With the prism grooves  12   a - 2  formed at different intervals, less reflection of light may occur at the prism grooves  12   a - 2  in a region adjacent to the light source  13 , which a relatively large amount of light reaches. On the contrary, more reflection of light may occur at the prism grooves  12   a - 2  in a region distant from the light source  13 , which a relatively small amount of light reaches because the number of the prism grooves  12   a - 2  distant from the light source  13  is greater. Accordingly, light may be uniformly reflected by the prism grooves  12   a - 2  across the front of the light guide plate  12 . 
         [0055]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a showcase, according to an exemplary embodiment. While the showcase includes the housing  20  to accommodate the object P in  FIG. 7 , it is not limited thereto and is also possible to provide a showcase to allow the object P to be rested on the top of the stand  30  without a configuration corresponding to the housing, as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0056]    While the showcase has the display panel  11  arranged in front of the light guide plate  12  for displaying an image in this embodiment, the showcase is not limited thereto and may be configured without the display panel, which may instead be replaced by a transparent member, such as tempered glass. 
         [0057]    Furthermore, while there are two light sources  13  respectively arranged toward the left and the right sides of the light guide plate  12  in this embodiment, the two light sources  13  may be arranged toward the top and bottom sides of the light guide plate  12 , or there may be four light sources respectively arranged toward the four sides, i.e., the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the light guide plate. 
         [0058]    Although the light source  13  includes the substrate  13   a  and the LEDs  13   b  in this embodiment, the light source  13  may employ point sources as LEDs or line sources that extend to correspond to the sides of the light guide plate. 
         [0059]    According to aforementioned exemplary embodiments, a showcase includes a light guide plate and a light source corresponding to a side of the light guide plate. Prism grooves are formed on the front of the light guide plate, by which most of the light entering into the light guide plate from the light source travels across a display space located behind and is reflected back in the forward direction, thereby enabling illumination of the display space with the light source used for a display panel, which eliminates a need for an additional light source to illuminate the object in the display space, and thus allows the showcase to have a thin profile. 
         [0060]    Several embodiments have been described, but a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate that various modifications can be made without departing the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, it will be apparent to those ordinary skilled in the art that the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described, which have been provided only for illustrative purposes.