Patent Description:
The disclosure relates to a display apparatus, and more specifically, to a display apparatus including a sealing member.

In general, a display apparatus is an apparatus that displays an image on a screen, such as a television, a computer monitor, and a digital information display. In recent years, display apparatuses are often installed outside a building or an open-air place for advertisement. In addition, even not for advertisement purpose, display apparatuses may be installed outdoors, such as a garden or a rooftop.

When such a display apparatus is installed outdoors as described above, the display apparatus may be exposed to water due to various reasons, such as rain or snow. In addition, the display apparatus may be exposed to dust.

In order for the display apparatus to operate normally even at outdoors, the display apparatus needs to block inflow of water and dust. That is, the display apparatus needs to have a waterproof and a dustproof function. <CIT> discloses an electronic device including: a first case including a first wall portion formed with a first hook portion; a second case including a second wall portion formed with a second hook portion; a gasket that is pressed by a face on an opposite side of the second hook portion to an interlocking face with the first hook portion and a bottom face of a housing groove; and a restriction wall portion that extends towards the second case side along a back face of an opposite side of the second wall portion to the first hook portion side, and that is set with a height such that a position of an upper end of the restriction wall portion is higher than an upper end of the gasket in a free state of the gasket prior to fitting the first hook portion together with the second hook portion. <CIT> discloses an extruded sealing member.

Features of the present invention are set out in the appended claims.

Embodiments set forth herein and illustrated in the configuration of the disclosure are only the most preferred embodiments and are not representative of the full the technical spirit of the disclosure, so it should be understood that they may be replaced with various equivalents and modifications at the time of the disclosure.

The terms including ordinal numbers like "first" and "second" may be used to explain various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing a component from another. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Although the disclosure is described in relation to a flat panel display device <NUM> as an example of the display apparatus, but the disclosure may be applied to a variable (bendable of flexible) type display apparatus that is variable between a curved shape and a flat shape.

In addition, the disclosure is described in relation to an outdoor display apparatus as an example, but the disclosure may be applied to a display device installed indoors.

In addition, a term "forward" used herein indicates a direction parallel to the x-axis shown in <FIG>. Terms "upper side" and "lower side" indicate directions parallel to the z-axis shown in <FIG>. "Both sides" and "lateral sides' indicate a direction parallel to the y-axis shown in <FIG>.

Therefore, it is an aspect of the disclosure to provide a display apparatus including a sealing member having an improved structure.

It is another aspect of the disclosure to provide a display apparatus having waterproof and dustproof functions, and having improved assembly performance and productivity.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating the display apparatus according to the embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the display apparatus <NUM> includes a housing <NUM> forming the external appearance thereof. The housing <NUM> has an opening 10a. The opening 10a may be provided to pass therethrough from the front surface to the rear surfaces of the housing <NUM>. An image displayed by a display module <NUM> can be viewed to the outside through the opening 10a.

The housing <NUM> may have a box shape with front and rear surfaces that are open. The housing <NUM> may be provided to accommodate the display module <NUM> therein. The housing <NUM> may include a bezel portion <NUM> covering a front edge of the display module <NUM> and a side portion <NUM> bent from an edge of the bezel portion <NUM> rearward.

The display apparatus <NUM> includes the display module <NUM>. The display module <NUM> includes a display panel on which an image is displayed. The display module <NUM> is disposed inside the housing <NUM> such that an image displayed on the display panel is exposed to the outside of the housing <NUM> through the opening 10a.

Although not shown in the drawings, the display module <NUM> may further include a backlight unit that supplies light to the display panel. The backlight unit may be arranged while being spaced apart from the rear side of the display panel.

The backlight unit may include a plurality of light sources for generating light. The plurality of light sources represent an element that emits light. The plurality of light sources may include not only Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), but also all elements or devices that generate and emit light.

According to the concept of the disclosure, the display apparatus <NUM> may include a direct type backlight unit in which the light source is disposed directly below the display panel, or an edge type backlight unit in which the light source is disposed on a side of the display panel, as a non-emissive display panel. In addition, the display apparatus <NUM> may include an emissive type display panel in which a plurality of pixels constituting the display panel generate light by themselves to generate an image. That is, the display apparatus <NUM> according to the concept of the disclosure is not limited on the type of the display panel or the backlight unit.

A rear chassis may be provided on the rear surface of the display module <NUM>. The rear chassis may be provided to cover the rear surface of the display module <NUM>. A printed circuit board may be mounted on the rear chassis. In addition, as shown in <FIG>, a fan <NUM> may be mounted on the rear chassis. In addition, a support bracket <NUM> may be mounted on the rear chassis.

The fan <NUM> may be installed on the rear chassis that forms the rear of the display module <NUM>. The fan <NUM> may be disposed in a closed space formed by the housing <NUM>, a housing cover <NUM>, the rear chassis, and a sealing member <NUM>. The fan <NUM> may form an airflow in the closed space to discharge heat generated from the display module <NUM> to the outside of the display apparatus <NUM>. In detail, the fan <NUM> may allow air existing between the display module <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> to smoothly flow, to discharge heat from the display module <NUM> to the housing cover <NUM>.

The support bracket <NUM> may be mounted on the rear chassis. The housing cover <NUM> may be coupled to the support bracket <NUM>. Details thereof will be described below.

The display apparatus <NUM> includes the housing cover <NUM> coupled to the rear surface of the housing <NUM> to cover the opening 10a. The housing cover <NUM> is coupled to the rear surface of the housing <NUM> to cover the rear surface of the display module <NUM>.

According to the concept of the disclosure, the display apparatus <NUM> includes a sealing member <NUM> disposed between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> to seal a gap between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM>. The sealing member <NUM> seals the gap between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> to prevent moisture or dust from infiltrating into the display apparatus <NUM>.

The sealing member <NUM> may be provided to have a predetermined cross-sectional shape, and the cross-sectional shape will be described below. The sealing member <NUM> may be disposed along edges of the housing <NUM>. To this end, the sealing member <NUM> may have a length substantially corresponding to the lengths of the four sides of the housing <NUM>. In addition, the sealing member <NUM> may be provided in a closed loop shape without having a broken part. In the drawings, the sealing member <NUM> is illustrated in a rectangular shape for the sake of convenience of illustration, but since the sealing member <NUM> is formed of a flexible material, the shape may not be fixed. For example, the sealing member <NUM> may have an approximately elliptical shape before being coupled to the housing <NUM>.

<FIG> is an enlarged view illustrating portion B of <FIG>. <FIG> is a rear perspective view illustrating the display apparatus according to the embodiment of the disclosure, showing a state in which a housing cover is separated from the display apparatus. <FIG> is an enlarged view illustrating portion C of <FIG>. <FIG> is a view illustrating a sealing member included in the display apparatus according to the embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the housing <NUM> includes a sealing member groove 10b provided to allow the sealing member <NUM> to be inserted thereinto and a cover groove 10c provided to allow a bent portion 20a of the housing cover <NUM> to be inserted thereinto.

Each of the sealing member groove 10b and the cover groove 10c may be formed on the rear surface of the housing <NUM>. The sealing member groove 10b and the cover groove 10c may be arranged to be laterally spaced from each other. Each of the sealing member groove 10b and the cover groove 10c may be provided along the edge of the housing <NUM>. In addition, each of the sealing member groove 10b and the cover groove 10c may be formed by a portion of the rear surface of the housing <NUM> being recessed forward.

Referring to <FIG>, the display apparatus <NUM> may further include a connector case <NUM>. The connector case <NUM> may be coupled to the rear surface of the display module <NUM>. In detail, the connector case <NUM> may be mounted on the rear chassis of the display module <NUM>.

The connector case <NUM> may have an inner space <NUM> formed by being recessed toward the front of the display apparatus <NUM>. A plurality of connectors <NUM> may be provided in the inner space <NUM> of the connector case <NUM>.

In addition, the display apparatus <NUM> may further include a connector sealing member <NUM> provided along an edge of the connector case <NUM>. The connector sealing member <NUM> may be disposed between the connector case <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> to seal a gap between the connector case <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM>.

The housing cover <NUM> may include a cover hole <NUM> formed at a position corresponding to the connector case <NUM>. In addition, the display apparatus <NUM> may further include a connector cover <NUM> coupled to the housing cover <NUM> to cover the cover hole <NUM>.

The housing cover <NUM> may include a plurality of fastening holes <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The housing <NUM> or the support bracket <NUM> may include a plurality of fastening holes (not shown) corresponding to the fastening holes <NUM> of the housing cover <NUM>. By fastening a fastening member (not shown) to the fastening hole <NUM>, the housing cover <NUM> may be coupled to the housing <NUM> or the support bracket <NUM>. Although not shown, there is no limitation on the type of the fastening member. For example, the fastening member may be a screw.

Referring to <FIG>, the sealing member <NUM> according to the embodiment of the disclosure may be provided to be bendable at the corners of the housing <NUM> without a separate member.

In general, the housing <NUM> may be provided in a box shape having a rectangular opening. The housing <NUM> may have a square opening. In the case of a housing with a square or rectangular opening, the housing has four corners. In order to prevent moisture and dust from flowing into the housing <NUM>, the sealing member <NUM> needs to uniformly seal the entire circumference of the housing <NUM>. In order to seal the entire circumference of the housing <NUM>, the sealing member <NUM> needs to be bent at <NUM> degrees at the corner of the housing <NUM>. However, in a process of the sealing member being bent at <NUM> degrees, the thickness of the sealing member may become non-uniform to cause a gap to be formed between the sealing member and the housing cover.

When the conventional sealing member is bent at <NUM> degrees, the sealing member is compressed and becomes thicker to thereby generate a gap between the housing cover and the sealing member. Moisture and dust may infiltrate through the gap, and the sealing member may not function properly.

In the conventional technology, in order to remove such a limitation, a separate corner sealing member for sealing the corner of the display apparatus has been provided. The corner sealing member bent at <NUM> degrees is disposed at each corner, and thus, the display apparatus is provided with four corner sealing members. In addition, the corner sealing member has one end and the other end respectively coupled to a long side sealing member and a short side sealing member each provided in a straight line shape. In this process, an adhesive needs to be applied such that the one end of the corner sealing member is bonded to the long side sealing member and an adhesive needs to be applied such that the other end of the corner sealing member is bonded to the short side sealing member. Therefore, conventionally, the sealing member includes four corner sealing members, two long-side sealing members, and two short-side sealing members, and in order for the sealing members to form a closed loop, an adhesive needs to be applied twice for each corner sealing member. Therefore, a total of eight adhesive application processes are required.

According to the concept of the disclosure, the sealing member <NUM> may form a closed loop with only one adhesive application process. The sealing member <NUM> may be provided to be bendable at <NUM> degrees without a separate corner member at the corner of the housing <NUM>. In addition, as will be described with reference to <FIG>, the sealing member <NUM> may form a closed loop with only one application of an adhesive.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the sealing member <NUM> according to the concept of the disclosure may be provided to be bendable at <NUM> degrees without a separate corner member even at the corner of the housing <NUM>. Even when the sealing member <NUM> is bent at <NUM> degrees, the sealing member <NUM> may be not subject to a great change in thickness thereof. Accordingly, the sealing member <NUM> may prevent a lifting from occurring in the housing cover <NUM> due to a change in thickness thereof even at the corner of the housing <NUM>. That is, even at the corner of the housing <NUM>, a gap may not be formed between the sealing member <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM>.

According to the concept of the disclosure, the sealing member <NUM> may be provided to have a predetermined cross-sectional shape, and may be provided to extend in one direction. The sealing member <NUM> may be provided as a straight line shaped member having a uniform cross-sectional shape. Since the sealing member <NUM> is formed of a flexible material, the sealing member may be bent as described above, and a closed loop may be formed by bonding one end <NUM> of the sealing member to the other end <NUM> of the sealing member with an adhesive. That is, the closed loop may be formed with only one application of the adhesive.

Therefore, according to the concept of the disclosure, the production process of the sealing member may be simplified, and thus, productivity of the sealing member may be improved.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating the sealing member shown in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the sealing member <NUM> according to the embodiment of the disclosure may include a head portion <NUM> and a protrusion portion <NUM> extending from the head portion <NUM>.

The sealing member <NUM> may be disposed between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> to seal a gap between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM>. The sealing member <NUM> may be disposed such that the head portion <NUM> comes in contact with the housing cover <NUM> and the protrusion portion <NUM> is inserted into the sealing member groove 10b of the housing <NUM>.

The head portion <NUM> may include a hollow <NUM>. The hollow <NUM> may be provided in an approximately semicircular or arc shape. In more detail, referring to <FIG>, the hollow <NUM> may have an upper portion in an approximately semicircular shape and a lower portion in an approximately rectangular shape. The hollow <NUM> may have an upper portion in a semi-circular shape, and the head portion <NUM> has an upper surface in a semi-circular shape to correspond in shape to the upper portion of the hollow <NUM>. The hollow <NUM> may have a cross section including an arc portion in an arc shape and a straight portion provided in a straight line. The arc portion may be arranged in the upper side of the hollow <NUM>, and the straight portion may be arranged in the lower side of the hollow <NUM>.

The upper surface of the head portion <NUM> may be provided in a curved surface. The upper surface of the head portion <NUM> may be provided in an arc shape, as described above. The head portion <NUM> includes a contact point <NUM> positioned at the center of the upper surface thereof. The contact point <NUM> indicates the highest point of the head portion <NUM>. The contact point <NUM> indicates a point at the highest position on the sealing member <NUM>. Meanwhile, the upper surface of the head portion <NUM> is provided to come in contact with the housing cover <NUM>. Accordingly, the upper surface of the head portion <NUM> can be referred to as a contact surface. The contact point <NUM> indicates the center of the contact surface. The center of the contact surface indicates the center of symmetry of the contact surface or the center point of the contact surface.

The head portion <NUM> further includes a pair of protrusions <NUM> disposed on both sides of the contact point <NUM>. The protrusion <NUM> disposed on one side of the contact point <NUM> and the protrusion <NUM> disposed on the other side of the contact point <NUM> are symmetrically disposed with respect to the contact point <NUM>. The protrusion <NUM> may be provided to have an approximately semicircular cross section. Since the contact point <NUM> is the highest point on the head portion <NUM>, the contact point <NUM> may be located higher than the highest point on the protrusion <NUM>. Although not shown in the drawing, the contact point <NUM> may be located on the same level as the highest point on the protrusion <NUM>. That is, the contact point <NUM> may be located at the same height as the highest point on the protrusion <NUM>.

The head portion <NUM> may further include a support portion <NUM> that forms a lower surface of the head portion <NUM> and protrudes to lateral sides of the protrusion portion <NUM>. The support portion <NUM> may be provided to come in contact with a support wall <NUM> of the housing <NUM> to be described below. The support portion <NUM> may be supported by the support wall <NUM>.

The protrusion portion <NUM> may be formed to extend downward from the head portion <NUM>. The protrusion portion <NUM> may be connected to the support portion <NUM>. The protrusion portion <NUM> and the head <NUM> may be integrally formed with each other. For example, the sealing member <NUM> may be formed by extruding a base material formed of a flexible material, such as rubber.

The protrusion portion <NUM> may further include a fixing groove <NUM> provided to allow a fixing protrusion <NUM>, which will be described below, to be inserted thereinto. The fixing grooves <NUM> may be provided on both sides of the protrusion portion <NUM>. The fixing grooves <NUM> may be provided in a pair. As the fixing protrusion <NUM> to be described below is inserted into the fixing groove <NUM>, the sealing member <NUM> inserted into the sealing member groove 10b may be prevented from being withdrawn from the sealing member groove 10b. The coupling force between the sealing member <NUM> and the sealing member groove 10b may be increased.

The protrusion portion <NUM> may further include a guide portion <NUM> provided to guide the protrusion portion <NUM> when the sealing member <NUM> is inserted into the sealing member groove 10b. The guide portion <NUM> may be provided at a lower end of the protrusion portion <NUM>, and may be provided to have a width that decreases as being extended downward. With the guide portion <NUM>, the sealing member <NUM> may be easily inserted into the sealing member groove 10b, and assembly and productivity may be improved.

Referring to <FIG>, in the sealing member <NUM> according to the embodiment of the disclosure, the height h1 of the head portion <NUM> in the upper and lower side direction on the drawing is provided to be smaller than the height h2 of the protrusion portion <NUM> in the upper and lower side direction on the drawing. This may be expressed as an equation as follows.

According to the concept of the disclosure, since the height h2 of the protrusion portion <NUM> is provided larger than the height h1 of the head portion <NUM>, the coupling force of the sealing member <NUM> to the sealing member groove 10b may be increased. When the height h2 of the protrusion portion <NUM> is relatively small, the sealing member <NUM> may be easily separated from the sealing member groove 10b by an external force. In particular, the sealing member <NUM> may be separated from the corner of the housing <NUM> where a strong coupling force is required. As a result, a gap may be formed between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM>, and moisture and dust may infiltrate into the gap. As described above, in the sealing member <NUM> according to the concept of the disclosure, the height h2 of the protrusion portion <NUM> is greater than the height h1 of the head portion <NUM>, so that the sealing member <NUM> may be coupled to the sealing member groove 10b with a strong coupling force. Accordingly, even when the sealing member <NUM> is bent at <NUM> degrees at the corner of the housing <NUM>, the sealing member <NUM> may be prevented from being withdrawn from the sealing member groove 10b. The sealing member <NUM> may seal a gap between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> even at the corner of the housing <NUM>, and prevent moisture and dust from infiltrating into the gap.

Hereinafter, the length of the sealing member <NUM> in the left and right side direction on <FIG> may be referred to as a width.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, the maximum width w1 of the head portion <NUM> may be equal to the width w1 of the support portion <NUM>. In other words, the head portion <NUM> may have a maximum width at the support portion <NUM>. The protrusion portion <NUM> may have a maximum width at the upper end thereof connected to the head portion <NUM>.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, the maximum width w1 of the head portion <NUM> and the maximum width of the protrusion portion <NUM> are set to satisfy the following relational expression.

That is, the maximum width w2 of the protrusion portion <NUM> is provided larger than <NUM>/<NUM> of the maximum width w1 of the head portion <NUM>.

In the conventional technology, the width of the protrusion portion is excessively small compared to the width of the head portion, which causes a difficulty in stably seating the sealing member in the sealing member groove. In order to remove such a limitation, according the conventional technology, an adhesive is applied to the sealing member groove before the sealing member is inserted into the sealing member groove. However, such a process needs to be performed several to tens of times along the edge of the housing. Accordingly, the assembling performance of the sealing member is lowered and productivity is lowered.

According to the concept of the disclosure, the width of the protrusion portion <NUM> may be sufficiently large compared to the width of the head portion <NUM>. Accordingly, the sealing member <NUM> may be stably seated in the sealing member groove 10b without application of a separate adhesive. An operator may easily couple the sealing member <NUM> to the sealing member groove 10b using a rolling jig (not shown) and the like. In this case, a process of applying an adhesive to the sealing member groove 10b or the sealing member <NUM> may be omitted. Accordingly, according to the concept of the disclosure, when assembling the sealing member <NUM> to the sealing member groove 10b, assembling performance is improved, and further, the productivity of the display apparatus <NUM> may be improved.

<FIG> is a view illustrating cross sections of a housing, a sealing member, and a housing cover included in the display apparatus according to the embodiment of the disclosure before being coupled to each other. <FIG> is a view illustrating cross sections of a housing, a sealing member, and a housing cover included in the display apparatus according to the embodiment of the disclosure which are coupled to each other. <FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of <FIG>, which shows a state in which the housing, the sealing member, and the housing cover are coupled to each other.

Hereinafter, a process of arranging the sealing member <NUM> between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> in the display apparatus <NUM> according to the embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the support bracket <NUM> may be accommodated in the housing <NUM>. According to the embodiment of the disclosure, the support bracket <NUM> may be coupled to the rear chassis of the display module <NUM>. As the support bracket <NUM> is coupled to the rear chassis, and the housing cover <NUM> is coupled to the support bracket <NUM>, the housing cover <NUM> may be provided to cover the rear surface of the housing <NUM>. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the housing cover <NUM> may be provided to be directly coupled to the housing <NUM> or the rear chassis of the display module <NUM> without using the support bracket <NUM>.

In the following description, a term "lateral (sideways)" indicates a direction parallel to the x-axis shown in <FIG>. Further, "upward" or "downward" indicates a direction parallel to the y-axis shown in <FIG>.

The housing <NUM> may include an extension portion <NUM> extending laterally from the side portion <NUM> toward the inside of the housing <NUM>. In addition, the housing <NUM> may include a pair of support walls <NUM> extending upward from the extension portion <NUM>. The sealing member groove 10b formed to allow the sealing member <NUM> to be inserted thereinto may be defined by the pair of support walls <NUM> and the extension portion <NUM>.

Each of the pair of support walls <NUM> may further include a fixing protrusion <NUM> protruding toward the sealing member groove 10b. The fixing protrusion <NUM> may be provided to be inserted into the fixing groove <NUM> of the sealing member <NUM>. Since the fixing protrusion <NUM> is inserted into the fixing groove <NUM>, the sealing member <NUM> may be more stably coupled to the sealing member groove 10b. As the fixing protrusion <NUM> is inserted into the fixing groove <NUM>, the coupling force between the sealing member <NUM> and the sealing member groove 10b may be increased.

Referring to <FIG>, the protrusion portion <NUM> of the sealing member <NUM> may be inserted into the sealing member groove 10b. According to the concept of the disclosure, when the sealing member <NUM> is inserted into the sealing member groove 10b, the sealing member <NUM> may be stably seated in the sealing member groove 10b without an adhesive being applied to the sealing member <NUM> or the sealing member groove 10b. The operator may easily seat the sealing member <NUM> in the sealing member groove 10b using a rolling jig (not shown) or the like. Accordingly, assembly and productivity of the display apparatus <NUM> may be improved.

Referring to <FIG>, after the sealing member <NUM> is inserted into the sealing member groove 10b, the housing cover <NUM> may be coupled to the support bracket <NUM>. The housing cover <NUM> includes the plurality of fastening holes (<NUM> in <FIG> ), and the support bracket <NUM> may include a fastening portion <NUM> corresponding to the fastening hole <NUM> of the housing cover <NUM>. The user may couple the housing cover <NUM> to the support bracket <NUM> by passing a fastening member (not shown), such as a screw, through the fastening hole <NUM> and then fastening the fastening member to the fastening portion <NUM>. As the housing cover <NUM> is coupled to the support bracket <NUM>, the housing cover <NUM> may cover the rear surface of the housing <NUM>. In addition, the housing cover <NUM> may cover the rear surface of the display module <NUM>. As described above, the housing cover <NUM> may be coupled to the housing <NUM> rather than to the support bracket <NUM>, and the housing cover <NUM> may be coupled to the rear chassis forming the rear surface of the display module <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the housing cover <NUM> may include the bent portion 20a formed by one end of the housing cover <NUM> being bent downward. The bent portion 20a may be inserted into the cover groove 10c of the housing <NUM>. The bent portion 20a may be inserted into the cover groove 10c, thereby primarily preventing moisture and dust from flowing into the gap between the housing cover <NUM> and the housing <NUM>. However, even when the bent portion 20a is inserted into the cover groove 10c, since the gap between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> is not sealed, waterproof and dustproof effect may not be ensured.

When the housing cover <NUM> is coupled to the support bracket <NUM>, the head portion <NUM> of the sealing member <NUM> may be compressed by the housing cover <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

According to the concept of the disclosure, when the head portion <NUM> of the sealing member <NUM> is compressed by the housing cover <NUM>, at least three points <NUM>, 113a, and 113b are provided to make line contact with the housing cover <NUM>. The head portion <NUM> may come in contact with the housing cover <NUM> at the contact point <NUM> as well points 113a and 113b each of the pair of protrusions <NUM> in a line contact manner.

In the conventional technology, the upper surface of the sealing member is provided as a flat surface. In the case of the conventional sealing member, the sealing member has been often biased to one side relative to the extending direction of the sealing member in a process of the sealing member come in contact with the housing cover. Particularly, with respect to the direction in which the sealing member extends, part of the sealing member is biased to one side, and remaining part of the sealing member is biased to the other side. When the sealing member is biased to one side with respect to the direction in which the sealing member extends, a contact area between the upper surface of the sealing member and the housing cover may be reduced, thereby reducing the sealing ability. In particular, at an inflection point at which the sealing member formed to be biased to one side starts to be biased to the other side, the gap between the sealing member and the housing cover may increase, and the sealing performance may be significantly lowered.

According to the concept of the disclosure, the head portion <NUM> of the sealing member <NUM> may be provided to make a line contact with the housing cover <NUM> on at least three points <NUM>, 113a, and 113b. Accordingly, the contact area between the sealing member <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> may be increased, and the sealing performance of the sealing member <NUM> may be improved.

In addition, according to the concept of the disclosure, since the hollow <NUM> of the sealing member <NUM> is provided in a substantially semicircular shape, and the upper shape of the head portion <NUM> is also provided in a semicircular shape, even when the head portion <NUM> is compressed by the housing cover <NUM>, the head portion <NUM> may be prevented from being biased to one side or the other side of the protrusion portion <NUM>. In addition, as described above, since the maximum width w2 of the protrusion <NUM> is relatively large, the head portion <NUM> may be prevented from being biased to one side or the other side of the protrusion portion <NUM> in a state in which the protrusion portion <NUM> is inserted into the sealing member groove 10b.

Accordingly, according to the concept of the disclosure, even when the sealing member <NUM> is compressed by the housing cover <NUM>, the sealing member <NUM> may be prevented from being biased to one side or the other side with respect to the direction in which the sealing member <NUM> extends. In addition, the sealing member <NUM> may be provided to make a line contact with the housing cover <NUM> on at least three points <NUM>, 113a, and 113b. Accordingly, the sealing member <NUM> may uniformly seal the gap between the housing <NUM> and the housing cover <NUM> over the entire area of the sealing member <NUM>. That is, the sealing ability of the sealing member <NUM> may be improved. In addition, the waterproof and dustproof capabilities of the display device <NUM> may be improved.

<FIG> is a rear perspective view illustrating the display apparatus according to the embodiment of the disclosure, which shows a connector cover in an open state. <FIG> is an enlarged view illustrating portion D of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the display apparatus <NUM> according to the embodiment of the disclosure may include the connector case <NUM>. The connector case <NUM> may be mounted on the rear chassis forming the rear surface of the display module <NUM> so as to be disposed between the rear chassis and the housing cover <NUM>.

The connector case <NUM> may have the inner space <NUM> formed by being recessed toward the front of the display apparatus <NUM>. A plurality of connectors <NUM> may be provided in the inner space <NUM> of the connector case <NUM>. The plurality of connectors <NUM> may include a power receiver.

The housing cover <NUM> may include the connector cover <NUM> disposed at a position corresponding to the connector case <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the connector cover <NUM> may be hinged to the housing cover <NUM> so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing cover <NUM>. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. The connector cover <NUM> may be detachably coupled to the housing cover <NUM> rather than being hinged to the housing cover <NUM>.

The connector cover <NUM> may include a plurality of fastening holes 22b. The plurality of fastening holes 22b may be provided to correspond to a fastening portion (not shown) provided in the connector case <NUM>. The user may fix the connector cover <NUM> to the connector case <NUM> by passing a fastening member (not shown) through the fastening hole 22b and then fastening the fastening member to the fastening portion.

The connector case <NUM> may further include the connector sealing member <NUM> provided to seal a gap between the connector case <NUM> and the connector cover <NUM> when the connector cover <NUM> is coupled to the connector case <NUM> to cover the connector case <NUM>. The connector sealing member <NUM> may prevent moisture and/or dust from entering the inner space <NUM> of the connector case <NUM> from the outside of the display apparatus <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the connector cover <NUM> has a plurality of first cable grooves 22a allowing to pass cables (not shown) extending from the outside of the display apparatus <NUM> to the inner space <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the connector case <NUM> may include a plurality of second cable grooves <NUM> provided to correspond to the plurality of first cable grooves 22a, respectively. The first cable groove 22a and the second cable groove <NUM> may form one hole when the connector cover <NUM> is coupled to the connector case <NUM>. A cable (not shown) may be withdrawn from the inner space <NUM> to the outside of the connector case <NUM> through the hole. Even when the connector cover <NUM> covers the connector case <NUM>, the cable (not shown) may be withdrawn out of the connector case <NUM> through the cable hole (not shown) formed by the first cable groove 22a and the second cable groove <NUM>.

The sealing member <NUM> may further include a cable hole sealing portion <NUM> inserted into the cable hole (not shown) formed by the first cable groove 22a and the second cable groove <NUM> to seal the cable hole (not shown). A plurality of connectors <NUM> may be provided in the connector case <NUM>, and a user may use only some of the plurality of connectors <NUM> as needed. A cable (not shown) connected to the connector <NUM> may be withdrawn from the inner space <NUM> to the outside of the connector case <NUM> through the cable hole (not shown). In this case, the cable (not shown) may block the cable hole (not shown). Accordingly, the cable hole may be sealed. However, a connector <NUM> not used by the user does not have a cable (not shown) and thus has the cable hole (not shown) kept open. In this case, moisture and dust may enter through the cable hole. To prevent such a limitation, the cable hole may be provided at the lower end of the connector case <NUM>. However, even when the cable hole is provided at the lower end of the connector case <NUM>, infiltration of moisture and dust is not easily prevented. The cable hole sealing portion <NUM> may be a configuration extending from the sealing member <NUM> and may be inserted into a cable hole (not shown), into which a cable is not inserted as being not used by a user, to seal the cable hole (not shown). The cable hole sealing portions <NUM> may be provided corresponding in number to the number of cable holes. Accordingly, each of the cable holes may be sealed by the cable or the cable hole sealing portion <NUM>.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating a sealing member of a display apparatus according to another embodiment of the disclosure. <FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating a housing, a sealing member, and a housing cover included in the display apparatus according to the another embodiment of the disclosure which are coupled to each other.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. Details of redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Referring to <FIG>, according to another embodiment of the disclosure, a sealing member <NUM> may include a head portion <NUM> and a protrusion portion <NUM>.

The head portion <NUM> includes a hollow <NUM> provided in an approximately semicircular shape, a contact point <NUM> located at the center of an upper surface of the head portion <NUM>, and a pair of protrusions <NUM> provided on both sides of the contact point <NUM>. Further, the head portion <NUM> may include a support portion <NUM> that forms a lower surface of the head portion <NUM> and is supported by the support wall <NUM> of the housing <NUM>.

The protrusion portion <NUM> may be formed to extend downward from the head portion <NUM>. The protrusion portion <NUM> may include a pair of fixing protrusions <NUM> protruding laterally from both sides of the protrusion portion <NUM>. In addition, the protrusion portion <NUM> may include a guide portion <NUM> provided to guide the sealing member <NUM> to be inserted into the sealing member groove 10b.

Referring to <FIG>, the sealing member groove 10b according to the embodiment of the disclosure may be provided with a fixing groove 15a. In detail, each of the pair of support walls <NUM> may be provided with the fixing groove 15a formed in a shape corresponding to the fixing protrusion <NUM> of the protrusion portion <NUM>. The fixing groove 15a may be formed by a portion of the support wall <NUM> being recessed inward. As the fixing protrusion <NUM> is inserted into the fixing groove 15a, the coupling force between the sealing member <NUM> and the sealing member groove 10b may be increased. Accordingly, the sealing member <NUM> may not be easily withdrawn from the sealing member groove 10b.

As is apparent from the above, the display apparatus can be provided with a sealing member having an improved structure.

The display apparatus can be provided with waterproof and dustproof functions, and improved assembly performance and productivity.

Claim 1:
A display apparatus (<NUM>) comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) including an opening (10a), a sealing member groove (10b) and a cover groove (10c) provided to be spaced from the sealing member groove;
a display module (<NUM>) including a display panel, the display module arranged inside the housing, so that the display panel is viewable through the opening;
a housing cover (<NUM>) coupleable to the housing so that the housing cover while coupled to the housing covers a rear surface of the display module, the housing cover including one end portion (20a) bent to be insertable into the cover groove (10c) of the housing; and
a sealing member (<NUM>, <NUM>), insertable into the sealing member groove (10b) of the housing, disposed between the housing and the housing cover, and configured to seal a gap between the housing and the housing cover, the sealing member including:
a contact surface convexly formed toward the housing cover, and
a first protrusion (<NUM>, <NUM>) and a second protrusion (<NUM>, <NUM>) arranged on the contact surface to both be symmetrical with respect to a center of the contact surface so that while the housing cover (<NUM>) is coupled to the housing (<NUM>), the center of the contact surface, a point of the first protrusion, and a point of the second protrusion come in contact with the housing cover, and
wherein at least a portion of the contact surface located between the first protrusion and the second protrusion is formed level with the first protrusion and the second protrusion or to protrude further than the first protrusion and the second protrusion toward the housing cover.