Patent Description:
This electronic device includes a display and a panel larger than the display. The panel is fixed to a front surface of the display with a transparent adhesive. A portion of the panel that protrudes from the display is fixed to a front surface of a support portion provided behind the display with an adhesive.

According to the electronic device having the above-described structure, when the panel is fixed to the support portion, the panel is easily distorted due to the flatness tolerance of the panel or the tolerance in formation of the support portion. Since the display is fixed to the panel over the entire area thereof, stress is easily transmitted to the display from the panel. Accordingly, the display may be distorted and cause a reduction in the image quality. In particular, when the panel and the display are large, the display is distorted to a large degree and over a large area due to the panel, and the image quality is significantly reduced.

<CIT> describes an invention relating to a liquid crystal display apparatus including a liquid crystal cell with reduced warpage to reduce degradation of the image quality due to warpage of the liquid crystal cell.

The liquid crystal display apparatus illustrated in <FIG> of <CIT> includes a transparent reinforcement plate bonded to a lower surface of the liquid crystal cell in <FIG> with an adhesive layer provided therebetween. The transparent reinforcement plate is placed on a projecting portion of an intermediate frame with a non-adhesive cushioning material provided therebetween. Another cushioning material is provided between an upper surface of the liquid crystal cell and an upper frame in <FIG>. Since the liquid crystal display apparatus is structured such that the reinforcement plate bonded to the liquid crystal cell is placed on the projecting portion of the intermediate frame with the cushioning material provided therebetween, the transparent reinforcement plate is not easily warped. Therefore, even when the liquid crystal cell is an in-plane switching (IPS) display cell, the occurrence of unevenness in black display can be reduced.

The liquid crystal display apparatus described in <CIT> is structured such that the liquid crystal cell and the transparent reinforcement plate that are bonded together are sandwiched by the cushioning materials from above and below. Therefore, the liquid crystal cell cannot be stably fixed. In addition, in the case where a touch sensor or the like is placed on the front surface of the liquid crystal cell, the liquid crystal cell moves when a finger touches the display screen, and the touch sensor cannot be easily operated.

<CIT> discloses a display device which includes a covering member having a curved surface part, a display panel bonded to the curved surface part while being curved along the curved surface part, a front frame bonded to the curved surface part while surrounding the entire outer circumference of the display panel, and a backlight that is fitted into the front frame, arranged to be opposed to the display panel, and has a gap between the backlight and part of an inner wall surface of the front frame. The front frame having a cylindrical shape is bonded to an edge of the covering member via a bonding layer.

<CIT> discloses a liquid crystal display device which includes a liquid crystal cell including a liquid crystal layer interposed between a pair of transparent substrates, and a backlight unit behind the liquid crystal cell. A frame includes an upper frame (front frame), a lower frame (rear frame), and an intermediate frame (middle frame). A transparent reinforcement plate covers the entire front surface of the liquid crystal cell.

<CIT> discloses a display module having a display panel, in which the periphery of the portion of a cover glass <NUM> to which the display panels 3a-<NUM> and 3b-<NUM> are adhered is adhered and fixed to flange portions 5a-<NUM> and 5b-<NUM> via adhesives 3a-<NUM> and 3b-<NUM>. In addition, the peripheries of the display surfaces of the display panels 3a-<NUM>, 3b-<NUM> are fixed to the flange parts 5a-<NUM>, 5b-<NUM>, so the adhesives 3a-<NUM>, 3b-<NUM> may also use non-light-transmitting adhesives. Since the display panels 3a-<NUM>, 3b-<NUM> are not bonded and fixed to the flange portions 5a-<NUM>, 5b-<NUM>, stress due to an external load is hardly transmitted to the display panels 3a-<NUM>, 3b-<NUM>.

The present invention addresses at least some of the above-described problems of the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for assembling a display apparatus that includes a display cell installed in a fixed manner and in which warpage of a cover panel and the display cell is reduced.

The invention relates to a method for assembling a display apparatus according to the appended claims. Embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims. According to an aspect not claimed in the claims, a display apparatus includes a display cell; a cover panel that is light-transmissive and that covers a portion of the display cell that faces in a forward direction, which is a displaying direction of the display cell; and a reinforcement member that is frame-shaped and has a rigidity higher than a rigidity of the cover panel, the reinforcement member being fixed to a rear surface of the cover panel that faces in a rearward direction. The display cell is fixed to the rear surface of the cover panel in a region surrounded by the reinforcement member.

Preferably, the display apparatus further includes a backlight device disposed behind the display cell, the backlight device being fixed to the reinforcement member, and at least one of the reinforcement member and the backlight device is fixed to a rear support member disposed behind the backlight device.

The display apparatus is configured such that the cover panel includes a bent portion or a curved portion, and that the reinforcement member is fixed to the rear surface of the cover panel at either of the bent portion and a portion near the bent portion, or either of at least a portion of the curved portion and a portion near the curved portion.

In the display apparatus, the reinforcement member includes a partition portion that partitions an inner space of the frame-shaped reinforcement member, and at least a portion of the partition portion is fixed to the rear surface of the cover panel.

In the display apparatus, preferably, the partition portion includes a plurality of ribs that project rearward and extend in a direction in which the bent portion is bent or the curved portion is curved, and at least a portion of a rearward-facing end portion of each rib is fixed to the rear support member.

According to an aspect of the invention, a method for assembling a display apparatus including a display cell and a cover panel that is light-transmissive and that covers a portion of the display cell that faces in a forward direction, which is a displaying direction of the display cell, includes the steps of:.

Preferably, the method for assembling the display apparatus of the present invention further includes the steps of:.

The method for assembling the display apparatus according to the present invention is such that the cover panel includes a bent portion or a curved portion, and that the reinforcement member is fixed to the rear surface of the cover panel at either of the bent portion and a portion near the bent portion, or either of at least a portion of the curved portion and a portion near the curved portion in the step (a).

According to the present invention, the frame-shaped reinforcement member is fixed to the rear surface of the cover panel. Therefore, the shape and flatness of the cover panel can be accurately set by the reinforcement member, and distortion of the display cell fixed to the rear surface of the cover panel can be reduced. Therefore, degradation of the image quality can be prevented.

In particular, since the cover panel has a three-dimensional shape including a bent portion or a curved portion, by fixing the reinforcement member to the rear surface of the cover panel, the dimensional accuracy of the three-dimensional shape of the cover panel can be maintained at a high level, and the flatness of the cover panel can also be maintained at a high level in a region in which the display cell is fixed. Therefore, distortion of the display cell, which is bonded to the cover panel over the entire area thereof, can be reduced.

<FIG> illustrate a display apparatus <NUM> which may be mounted in a vehicle. In <FIG>, the Y1 direction is forward, which is a displaying direction, and the Y2 direction is rearward, which is particularly opposite to the displaying direction. In Y2 direction (i.e. rearward direction), the X1 direction is leftward, the X2 direction is rightward, which are particularly in perpendicular direction to the displaying direction in a first plane. In Y1-Y2 direction the Z1 direction is upward, and the Z2 direction is downward, which are particularly in a perpendicular direction to the displaying direction in a second plane which is perpendicular to the first plane. Generally the X1-X2 direction, Y1-Y2 direction and the Z1-Z2 direction are the three-dimensional directions of a three-dimensional coordinate system (X-Y-Z coordinate system).

The display apparatus <NUM> is fixed to an instrument panel or a dashboard located at the front of a cabin of an automobile or to a center console when in use. The display apparatus <NUM> may be installed such that the Z1-Z2 direction thereof is vertical or at an angle such that the bottom thereof is shifted forward.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the display apparatus <NUM> includes a rear support member <NUM> disposed at the rear and a display panel assembly <NUM> disposed in front of the rear support member <NUM>. The display apparatus <NUM> is mounted in the vehicle by fixing the rear support member <NUM> to a portion of a vehicle body. As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the display panel assembly <NUM> includes a cover panel <NUM>, a reinforcement member <NUM>, a display cell <NUM>, and a backlight device <NUM> that are arranged in that order from front to rear and stacked together.

The cover panel <NUM> is composed of a light-transmissive plate member. In this specification, an object referred to as being light-transmissive has a total light transmittance of, for example, greater than or equal to <NUM>%. More preferably, the total light transmittance is greater than or equal to <NUM>%. The cover panel <NUM> is a glass plate or a plastic plate. In a preferred embodiment, the cover panel <NUM> is composed of a glass plate.

The cover panel <NUM> has a three-dimensional shape, and includes a first flat portion <NUM> at the left side (X1 side), a second flat portion <NUM> at the right side (X2 side), and a bent portion <NUM> at the boundary between the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM>. The dimension of the second flat portion <NUM> in the vertical direction (Z1-Z2 direction) is greater than that of the first flat portion <NUM>, and the area of the second flat portion <NUM> is greater than that of the first flat portion <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> have an opening angle α facing forward (in the Y1 direction) therebetween at the bent portion <NUM>. The opening angle α may be set to any angle in accordance with the design of the display apparatus <NUM>.

As illustrated in the sectional view of <FIG> and the enlarged partial sectional view of <FIG>, the cover panel <NUM> has a three-dimensional shape. The cover panel <NUM>, which is a glass plate, for example, is bent to form a corner portion or bent with a small curvature in the left-right direction (X1-X2 direction) at the bent portion <NUM> thereof. In this case, the corner portion or the center of curvature extends in the vertical direction (Z1-Z2 direction). The cover panel <NUM> may instead have a curved portion between the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM>. The curved portion is a portion having a relatively large curvature in the left-right direction (X1-X2 direction). Thus, the cover panel <NUM> may be bent to form a corner portion or be bent with any curvature, which may large or small, at the boundary between the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM>.

The cover panel <NUM> includes a cover coat, which is a light-transmissive hard film, on a front surface thereof that faces in a forward direction (Y1 direction), which is the displaying direction. The cover panel <NUM> also includes a frame-shaped light non-transmissive layer (decorative layer) <NUM> formed on a rear surface thereof that faces in a rearward direction (Y2 direction) by printing or painting. The first flat portion <NUM> includes a light non-transmissive region (decorative region) 21b, which is a frame-shaped region in which the light non-transmissive layer <NUM> is formed, and a display region 21a, which is a central region surrounded by the light non-transmissive layer <NUM>. The second flat portion <NUM> includes a light non-transmissive region (decorative region) 22b, which is a frame-shaped region in which the light non-transmissive layer <NUM> is formed, and a display region 22a, which is a central region surrounded by the light non-transmissive layer <NUM>. The light non-transmissive layer <NUM> is also provided on the bent portion <NUM>, and the bent portion <NUM> is also a light non-transmissive region. A touch panel of an electrostatic capacity detection type or a resistance variation detection type for detecting the coordinate position of a finger contact point is preferably provided on the front surface or the rear surface of the cover panel <NUM> in at least one of the display regions 21a and 22a.

As illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, the reinforcement member <NUM> disposed behind the cover panel <NUM> is frame-shaped. A columnar-plate-shaped partition portion <NUM> that extends in the vertical direction (Z1-Z2 direction) is disposed in the frame-shaped reinforcement member <NUM> and formed integrally therewith. The reinforcement member <NUM> includes a first frame portion <NUM> having a rectangular shape on the left side (X1 side) of the partition portion <NUM> and a second frame portion <NUM> having a rectangular shape on the right side of the partition portion <NUM>. The first frame portion <NUM> has a first window portion 31a that opens therein. The first frame portion <NUM> continuously surrounds the four sides, that is, the top, bottom, left, and right sides, of the first window portion 31a. The second frame portion <NUM> has a second window portion 32a that opens therein. The second frame portion <NUM> continuously surrounds the four sides, that is, the top, bottom, left, and right sides, of the second window portion 32a.

The flexural rigidity of the reinforcement member <NUM> in a curvature direction along every imaginary axis on a plane parallel to the surfaces of the cover panel <NUM> is greater than the flexural rigidity of the cover panel <NUM> in the same direction. The torsional rigidity of the reinforcement member <NUM> about every imaginary axis on a plane parallel to the surfaces of the cover panel <NUM> is greater than the torsional rigidity of the cover panel <NUM> about the same imaginary axis. To achieve this, the reinforcement member <NUM> is produced by die casting by using a metal material, such as magnesium or a magnesium alloy. The flexural rigidity is the product of the geometrical moment of inertia I and the Young's modulus E, and the torsional rigidity is the product of the polar moment of inertia J and the modulus of rigidity G. In this specification, the term "rigidity" includes the concepts of both of the above-described rigidities.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a vertical rib <NUM> that extends straight in the vertical direction (Z1-Z2 direction) and a plurality of horizontal ribs <NUM> arranged with gaps therebetween in the vertical direction (Z1-Z2 direction) are formed integrally with each other on the rear surface of the partition portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> that faces in the rearward direction (Y2 direction). The vertical rib <NUM> and the horizontal ribs <NUM> project rearward (in the Y2 direction) from the partition portion <NUM>. The vertical rib <NUM> has the shape of a long thin plate whose thickness direction is the left-right direction (X1-X2 direction) and that has plate surfaces parallel to the Y-Z plane. The horizontal ribs <NUM> have the shape of a plate whose thickness direction is the vertical direction (Z1-Z2 direction) and that have plate surfaces parallel to the X-Y plane. The horizontal ribs <NUM> extend two-dimensionally in the X1-X2 direction, which is a bending direction or a curving direction, on the rear surface of the partition portion <NUM>.

The front surface of the reinforcement member <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the rear surface of the cover panel <NUM> that faces in the rearward direction (Y2 direction) with an adhesive layer <NUM> provided therebetween. The adhesive layer <NUM> is illustrated in the sectional views of <FIG>, and <FIG>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the adhesive layer <NUM> is provided between the rear surface of the cover panel <NUM> and the front surface of each of the first frame portion <NUM> and the second frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM>, so that the first frame portion <NUM> and the second frame portion <NUM> are bonded and fixed to the cover panel <NUM> over the entire circumferences thereof.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the adhesive layer <NUM> is also provided between the front surface of the partition portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> and the rear surface of the cover panel <NUM> so that the partition portion <NUM> and the cover panel <NUM> are bonded and fixed to each other. In other words, the partition portion <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the rear surface of the bent portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> or the rear surface of a portion on the left or right side of and near the bent portion <NUM>. When the cover panel <NUM> includes a curved portion, the partition portion <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the rear surface of at least a portion of the curved portion or a portion on the left or right side of and near the curved portion.

The first frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> is bonded to the light non-transmissive region 21b formed on the first flat portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM>, and the second frame portion <NUM> is bonded to the light non-transmissive region 22b formed on the second flat portion <NUM>. The partition portion <NUM> is bonded to the light non-transmissive region in the region including the bent portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM>. Therefore, the reinforcement member <NUM> is not disposed behind the display regions 21a and 22a of the cover panel <NUM>.

The reinforcement member <NUM> is produced by die casting by using a metal material. Therefore, the reinforcement member <NUM> has a high dimensional accuracy, and the front surface of the first frame portion <NUM> and the front surface of the second frame portion <NUM> are highly flat. In contrast, since the cover panel <NUM> is a flat plate, the flatness tolerance of the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> is large, and the flatness tolerance increases as the areas of the flat portions <NUM> and <NUM> increase. In addition, the opening angle α between the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> has a large variation. The variation in the opening angle α is particularly large when the cover panel <NUM> is made of glass. However, the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> are respectively bonded to the first frame portion <NUM> and the second frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM>, the partition portion <NUM> is bonded to the rear surface of the bent portion <NUM>, and the rigidity of the reinforcement member <NUM> is higher than that of the cover panel <NUM>. Therefore, even when the cover panel <NUM> has large errors in the flatness and the opening angle α by itself, by fixing the reinforcement member <NUM> to the cover panel <NUM>, the flatness of the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> and the accuracy of the opening angle α can be maintained at high levels.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the vertical rib <NUM> and the horizontal ribs <NUM> are formed on the rear surface of the partition portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM>. Therefore, the strength of the partition portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> is increased, and the opening angle α between the first frame portion <NUM> and the second frame portion <NUM> does not easily change even when an external force is applied. In the case where the opening angle α of the cover panel <NUM> differs from that of the reinforcement member <NUM> and the cover panel <NUM> is largely distorted, stress is applied to the reinforcement member <NUM> by the cover panel <NUM> when the cover panel <NUM> and the reinforcement member <NUM> are bonded together. However, also in this case, the reinforcement member <NUM> is not distorted because the reinforcement member <NUM> has a high strength. As a result, the flatness of the cover panel <NUM> and the accuracy of the opening angle α can be maintained at high levels.

The display cell <NUM> includes a first display cell element <NUM> and a second display cell element <NUM> that are independent of each other. The first display cell element <NUM> and the second display cell element <NUM> are transmissive liquid crystal display cells. Each liquid crystal display cell includes two light-transmissive substrates having electrode layers on inner surfaces thereof, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the light-transmissive substrates, a color filter provided on the inner surface of one of the light-transmissive substrates, and polarizing layers. The display apparatus <NUM>, which is mounted in a vehicle, preferably includes liquid crystal display cells driven by the IPS method. A liquid crystal display cell driven by the IPS method does not transmit light when no voltage is applied, and therefore has a good appearance when the display cell is not driven. In addition, the liquid crystal display cell driven by the IPS method has a wide viewing angle when driven, and is therefore suitable for use as a large display cell mounted in a vehicle. However, the liquid crystal display cell driven by the IPS method has a problem that the displayed image has unevenness in black display when the liquid crystal display cell is distorted.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the first display cell element <NUM> is bonded to the rear surface of the first flat portion <NUM> in the first window portion 31a of the first frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM>. A front surface of a transparent substrate provided at the front of the first display cell element <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the rear surface of the first flat portion <NUM> with a transparent optical adhesive layer <NUM> provided therebetween over the entire area thereof. As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the second display cell element <NUM> is bonded to the rear surface of the second flat portion <NUM> in the second window portion 32a of the second frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM>. A front surface of a transparent substrate provided at the front of the second display cell element <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the rear surface of the second flat portion <NUM> with a transparent optical adhesive layer <NUM> provided therebetween over the entire area thereof.

The display panel assembly <NUM> is configured such that the cover panel <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the reinforcement member <NUM> having a high rigidity, so that the flatness of the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> is maintained at a high level. Therefore, the first display cell element <NUM> bonded to the first flat portion <NUM> and the second display cell element <NUM> bonded to the second flat portion <NUM> are not largely distorted, so that the occurrence of unevenness in black display in the displayed image can be easily reduced.

The backlight device <NUM> includes a first backlight <NUM> and a second backlight <NUM> that are independent of each other. As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the first backlight <NUM> includes a support body <NUM> in which a light source and a light guide that guides light from the light source toward the first display cell element <NUM> are retained. As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the second backlight <NUM> includes a support body <NUM> in which a light source and a light guide that guides light from the light source toward the second display cell element <NUM> are retained.

The support body <NUM> of the first backlight <NUM> is frame-shaped and includes a flange portion 53a formed along four sides thereof. As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the flange portion 53a is bonded and fixed to the rear surface of the first frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> with an adhesive layer <NUM> provided therebetween. The support body <NUM> of the second backlight <NUM> is frame-shaped and includes a flange portion 54a formed along four sides thereof. As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the flange portion 54a is bonded and fixed to the rear surface of the second frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> with an adhesive layer <NUM> provided therebetween. The first backlight <NUM> and the second backlight <NUM> are respectively fixed to the first frame portion <NUM> and the second frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> without being fixed to the cover panel <NUM>.

The display panel assembly <NUM>, in which the reinforcement member <NUM> and the display cell <NUM> are fixed to the cover panel <NUM> and in which the backlight device <NUM> is fixed to the reinforcement member <NUM>, is fixed to and supported by the rear support member <NUM>.

The rear support member <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> is formed by injection molding by using a synthetic resin material or by die casting by using a metal material. As illustrated in <FIG>, the rear support member <NUM> includes a first planar support portion <NUM>, a second planar support portion <NUM>, and a bent portion (or curved portion) <NUM> located at the boundary between the first planar support portion <NUM> and the second planar support portion <NUM>. The first planar support portion <NUM> includes a rear support plate 6a having a rectangular shape and a side wall portion 7a that extends forward (in the Y1 direction) from the top, bottom, and left sides of the rear support plate 6a. The second planar support portion <NUM> includes a rear support plate 6b having a rectangular shape and a side wall portion 7b that extends forward (in the Y1 direction) from the top, bottom, and right sides of the rear support plate 6b.

The display panel assembly <NUM> is placed on the rear support member <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the first frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the front surface of the rear support plate 6a of the rear support member <NUM> and the inner surface of the side wall portion 7a with an adhesive layer <NUM> provided therebetween. As illustrated in <FIG>, the second frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the front surface of the rear support plate 6b of the rear support member <NUM> and the inner surface of the side wall portion 7b with the adhesive layer <NUM> provided therebetween. In addition, as illustrated in <FIG>, at least a portion of a rearward-facing end portion 35a of each horizontal rib <NUM> formed on the rear surface of the partition portion <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the front surface of the bent portion <NUM> of the rear support member <NUM> or a portion near the bent portion <NUM> with the adhesive layer <NUM> provided therebetween. Preferably, a rearward-facing end portion of the vertical rib <NUM> is also bonded to the front surface of the bent portion <NUM> or a portion near the bent portion <NUM>.

According to the display apparatus <NUM>, the cover panel <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the reinforcement member <NUM> having a high rigidity, so that the flatness of the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> can be maintained at a high level, and that the first display cell element <NUM> and the second display cell element <NUM> are not easily distorted. In addition, as illustrated in <FIG>, and <FIG>, the first frame portion <NUM>, the second frame portion <NUM>, and the partition portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> are fixed to the rear support member <NUM>, so that the overall strength of the display apparatus <NUM> is increased. Therefore, even when an external force is applied to the display apparatus <NUM> when the rear support member <NUM> is fixed to a vehicle body, the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> are not easily distorted.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the first frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> is abutted against and bonded and fixed to the front surface of the rear support plate 6a of the rear support member <NUM> and the inner surface of the side wall portion 7a that extends along three sides, and the second frame portion <NUM> is abutted against and bonded and fixed to the front surface of the rear support plate 6b and the inner surface of the side wall portion 7b that extends along three sides. In particular, since the reinforcement member <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the side wall portion 7a and the side wall portion 7b, which each extend along three sides, with the adhesive layer <NUM> provided therebetween, the strength of an outer peripheral portion of the rear support member <NUM> can be maintained at a high level. Accordingly, damage does not easily occur even when an external impact is applied, and edge portions of the cover panel <NUM> and the reinforcement member <NUM> are not easily separated from the rear support member <NUM> in the forward direction.

A method for assembling the display apparatus <NUM> will now be described.

The display apparatus <NUM> is assembled by assembling the display panel assembly <NUM> and then attaching the display panel assembly <NUM> to the rear support member <NUM>. To assemble the display panel assembly <NUM>, the reinforcement member <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the rear surface of the cover panel <NUM> with the adhesive layer <NUM> interposed therebetween. In this step, even when the cover panel <NUM> has large errors in the flatness and the opening angle α by itself due to, for example, distortion caused in a forming process, since the cover panel <NUM> is bonded to the reinforcement member <NUM> having a rigidity higher than that of the cover panel <NUM>, the cover panel <NUM> can be bonded and fixed to the reinforcement member <NUM> such that the shape thereof is corrected. Accordingly, the cover panel <NUM> can be shaped into a three-dimensional shape corresponding to the shape of the reinforcement member <NUM>. Therefore, after the bonding process, the flatness of the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> can be maintained at a high level, and the accuracy of the opening angle α between the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> can also be maintained at a high level.

After the reinforcement member <NUM> is bonded to the cover panel <NUM>, the first display cell element <NUM> is bonded to the rear surface of the first flat portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> with the optical adhesive layer <NUM> interposed therebetween in the first window portion 31a of the first frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM>, and the second display cell element <NUM> is bonded to the rear surface of the second flat portion <NUM> with the optical adhesive layer <NUM> interposed therebetween in the second window portion 32a of the second frame portion <NUM>. In addition, the first backlight <NUM> is fixed to the first frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> behind the first display cell element <NUM>, and the second backlight <NUM> is fixed to the second frame portion <NUM> of the reinforcement member <NUM> behind the second display cell element <NUM>.

The errors in the flatness and the opening angle α of the cover panel <NUM> itself are corrected in advance when the cover panel <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the reinforcement member <NUM> having a rigidity higher than that of the cover panel <NUM>. Therefore, when the first display cell element <NUM> and the second display cell element <NUM> are bonded to the rear surface of the cover panel <NUM>, the display cell elements <NUM> and <NUM> are not largely distorted due to the correction of the shape of the cover panel <NUM>. Accordingly, unevenness in black display due to distortion caused during the assembly does not occur on the first display cell element <NUM> and the second display cell element <NUM>.

After the display panel assembly <NUM> is assembled by the above-described steps, the display panel assembly <NUM> is attached to the rear support member <NUM>, and the reinforcement member <NUM> is fixed to the rear support member <NUM>. Since the reinforcement member <NUM> is made of a metal and has a high rigidity, even when a stress is applied to the reinforcement member <NUM> when the reinforcement member <NUM> is fixed to the rear support member <NUM>, the first frame portion <NUM> and the second frame portion <NUM> are not largely distorted. Therefore, the flatness of the first flat portion <NUM> and the second flat portion <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> can be maintained at a high level after the assembly, and the first display cell element <NUM> and the second display cell element <NUM> are not largely distorted. Accordingly, the occurrence of unevenness in black display, for example, can be prevented, and the image quality can be maintained at a high level.

According to the above-described embodiment, the display panel assembly <NUM> is fixed to the rear support member <NUM> by fixing the reinforcement member <NUM> to the rear support member <NUM>, and the backlight device <NUM> is not bonded and fixed to the rear support member <NUM>. However, the rear surface of the backlight device <NUM> of the display panel assembly <NUM> may be bonded and fixed to the rear support member <NUM> in addition to or instead of bonding and fixing the reinforcement member <NUM> to the rear support member <NUM>. In other words, according to the present invention, at least one of the reinforcement member <NUM> and the backlight device <NUM> is bonded and fixed to the rear support member <NUM>. To increase the overall impact strength of the display apparatus <NUM>, the peripheral portion of the reinforcement member <NUM> is preferably bonded and fixed to the rear support member <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>.

Claim 1:
A method for assembling a display apparatus (<NUM>) including a display cell (<NUM>), which includes a first display cell element (<NUM>) and a second display cell element (<NUM>), and a cover panel (<NUM>) that is light-transmissive and that covers a portion of the display cell (<NUM>) that faces in a forward direction, which is a displaying direction of the display cell (<NUM>), the method comprising the steps of:
(a) bonding and fixing a reinforcement member (<NUM>) that is frame-shaped and has a rigidity higher than a rigidity of the cover panel (<NUM>) to a rear surface of the cover panel (<NUM>) that faces in a rearward direction, wherein the cover panel (<NUM>) has a three-dimensional shape and includes a first flat portion (<NUM>), a second flat portion (<NUM>) and a bent portion (<NUM>) or a curved portion at the boundary between the first flat portion (<NUM>) and the second flat portion (<NUM>), and the reinforcement member (<NUM>) includes a partition portion (<NUM>) that partitions an inner space of the frame-shaped reinforcement member (<NUM>) and at least a portion of the partition portion (<NUM>) is bonded and fixed to the rear surface of the cover panel (<NUM>) at either of the bent portion (<NUM>) and a portion near the bent portion (<NUM>), or either of at least a portion of the curved portion and a portion near the curved portion; and
(b) bonding and fixing, after the step (a), the first display cell element (<NUM>) to a rear surface of the first flat portion (<NUM>) of the cover panel (<NUM>) with a transparent optical adhesive layer (<NUM>) interposed therebetween in a first window portion (31a) of a first frame portion (<NUM>) of the reinforcement member (<NUM>), and the second display cell element (<NUM>) to a rear surface of the second flat portion (<NUM>) of the cover panel (<NUM>) with a transparent optical adhesive layer (<NUM>) interposed therebetween in a second window portion (32a) of a second frame portion (<NUM>) of the reinforcement member (<NUM>).