JP2005257723A - Display module and portable telephone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem associated with appearance of an edge of an opening part as a window frame shaped shadow inside a display screen of a liquid crystal panel with the larger screen size in the case the opening part is arranged on a frame member so as to irradiate two liquid crystal panels with light from a common backlight. <P>SOLUTION: The portable telephone using the display module is equipped with a first liquid crystal panel 1 mounted on the principal face side of the telephone set body, a second liquid crystal panel 2 mounted on the rear face side of the telephone set body, a backlight 3 interposed between the liquid crystal panels 1, 2 and the frame member 4 on which the backlight 3 is mounted and which has the opening part 10 to transmit light from the backlight 3 to the second liquid crystal panel 2 side. The portable telephone is constructed in such a way that a specified face 4A, of the frame member 4 opposite to the backlight 3 and further oriented to the same direction as the direction to which the rear face of the second liquid crystal panel 2 is oriented, is made to be a face with light reflectance equal to, or lower than, that of the rear face of the second liquid crystal panel 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a display module including two liquid crystal panels and a mobile phone using the display module.

  As the mobile phone, a foldable mobile phone in which two casing portions forming the phone main body are opened and closed (foldable) by a hinge mechanism is mainly used. As this type of mobile phone, one having two liquid crystal panels is known. One is a liquid crystal panel that forms a main display portion that is visible when the housing portion is opened, and the other is a liquid crystal panel that forms a sub display portion that is visible even when the housing portion is closed. In general, since the main display unit has a larger screen size than the sub display unit, the size of each liquid crystal panel is determined accordingly.

  Here, since the liquid crystal panel is a light receiving display device in which the liquid crystal itself does not emit light, a backlight is required as a surface light source for displaying an image brightly. The backlight emits planar light from the back surface side (non-display surface side) of the liquid crystal panel. Light emitted from the backlight is selectively transmitted through the liquid crystal panel. At this time, the light incident from the back surface side of the liquid crystal panel escapes to the opposite display surface side according to the light transmittance of the liquid crystal, whereby an image is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal panel.

  Some mobile phones having two liquid crystal panels as described above incorporate a backlight for each liquid crystal panel. However, since the two liquid crystal panels are provided in the cellular phone body in a front-back positional relationship, if two backlights are incorporated between the two liquid crystal panels, the thickness of the phone body increases at that portion. Therefore, conventionally, a mobile phone is also known in which one backlight is used as a common surface light source and two liquid crystal panels can be irradiated with light simultaneously (for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a display module used in a mobile phone. In FIG. 7, two liquid crystal panels 1 and 2 are configured to be mounted on the frame member 4 together with the backlight 3. The liquid crystal panels 1 and 2 are each configured by using two glass plates, and liquid crystal is sealed between the glass plates. One liquid crystal panel (hereinafter referred to as a first liquid crystal panel) 1 forms a main display portion of a mobile phone, and the other liquid crystal panel (hereinafter referred to as a second liquid crystal panel) 2 forms a sub display portion of the mobile phone. To do. Therefore, the planar size (screen size) of the first liquid crystal panel 1 is set larger than that of the second liquid crystal panel 2.

  The backlight 3 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 5 that serves as a light source and a light guide plate 6. The required number of LEDs 5 are arranged on one side of the light guide plate 6. The light guide plate 6 guides the light emitted by the LEDs 5 and emits it as planar light along the thickness direction (bidirectional) of the light guide plate 6. Prism sheets 7 and 8 are laminated on the front and back surfaces of the light guide plate 6, respectively.

  The frame member 4 is formed by integral molding of resin, for example. A first frame portion 9 is provided on the outermost peripheral portion of the frame member 4. Further, the frame member 4 is provided with an opening 10, and a second frame portion 11 is provided so as to surround the opening 10. The first frame portion 9 protrudes in one thickness direction of the frame member 4, and the second frame portion 11 protrudes in the other thickness direction of the frame member 4.

  When the display module is assembled using the frame member 4, the first liquid crystal panel 1, the backlight 3, and the prism sheets 7 and 8 are fitted inside the first frame portion 9 as shown in FIG. In addition to mounting, the second liquid crystal panel 2 is fitted inside the second frame portion 11 and mounted. In this mounted state, the backlight 3 is interposed between the first liquid crystal panel 1 and the second liquid crystal panel 2. Further, the backlight 3 is sandwiched between the first liquid crystal panel 1 and the frame member 4.

  In the display module configured as described above, when the LED 5 of the backlight 3 is caused to emit light, the emitted light is emitted from both surfaces of the light guide plate 6. At this time, the light emitted from one surface of the light guide plate 6 passes through the prism sheet 7 and is irradiated on the first liquid crystal panel 1, and the light emitted from the other surface of the light guide plate 6 is the prism sheet 8 and the opening 10. Is transmitted to the liquid crystal panel 2. Thereby, it is possible to simultaneously irradiate light to the two liquid crystal panels 1 and 2 using the common (one) backlight 3.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-287144 (see claim 1 and FIG. 4)

  By the way, in the conventional cellular phone, the frame member 4 that is a component of the display module is formed of white resin, so that the light emitted from the other surface of the light guide plate 6 as described above is transmitted to the surface of the frame member 4 ( A white surface) is actively reflected, and the reflected light is used as irradiation light to the first liquid crystal panel 1 to enhance optical characteristics such as luminance.

  However, in the opening 10 of the frame member 4, the light emitted from the other surface of the light guide plate 6 passes through the opening 10 and is irradiated to the second liquid crystal panel 2, so that the reflected light from there is very Less. In such a case, when the user using the mobile phone sees the first liquid crystal panel 1 from the front, the edge of the opening 10 of the frame member 4 appears as a window frame-like shadow. Therefore, there is a possibility that the user feels uncomfortable.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a case where an opening is provided in a frame member so as to irradiate light with a common backlight in two liquid crystal panels. The purpose is to prevent the edge of the opening from being seen as a window frame-like shadow in the display screen of the liquid crystal panel having the larger screen size.

  The display module according to the present invention includes two liquid crystal panels, a backlight that is interposed between the two liquid crystal panels, and irradiates both of the two liquid crystal panels, and the backlight is mounted. A frame member having an opening through which light from the backlight is transmitted to one liquid crystal panel side, the predetermined surface of the frame member facing the backlight and facing the same direction as the back surface of the one liquid crystal panel, The surface has a light reflectance equal to or lower than that of the back surface of the liquid crystal panel. A mobile phone according to the present invention uses the display module having the above-described configuration.

  In the display module according to the present invention and a mobile phone using the display module, a part of the light emitted from the backlight toward one liquid crystal panel is incident on a predetermined surface of the frame member. At this time, if the predetermined surface of the frame member is a surface having a light reflectance equal to or less than that of the back surface of the one liquid crystal panel, the predetermined surface of the frame member and the one liquid crystal panel at the edge of the opening of the frame member The boundary with the back side of is inconspicuous.

  Another display module according to the present invention includes two liquid crystal panels, a backlight that irradiates light to both of the two liquid crystal panels, and the backlight is mounted, and the light from the backlight is transmitted to one liquid crystal. And a frame member having an opening that allows light to pass through to the panel side, and a sheet member interposed between the backlight and the frame member, and facing the backlight and facing the same direction as the back surface of one liquid crystal panel The predetermined surface of the member is a surface having a light reflectance equal to or less than that of the back surface of one liquid crystal panel. Another mobile phone according to the present invention uses the display module having the above configuration.

  In another mobile phone according to the present invention and a mobile phone using the same, light irradiated from the backlight toward one liquid crystal panel is provided by interposing a sheet member between the backlight and the frame member. Is incident on a predetermined surface of the sheet member. At this time, if the predetermined surface of the sheet member is a surface having a light reflectance equal to or less than that of the back surface of the one liquid crystal panel, the predetermined surface of the sheet member and the one liquid crystal panel at the edge of the opening of the frame member. The boundary with the back side becomes inconspicuous.

  According to the mobile phone of the present invention, when the configuration in which light is irradiated with a common backlight to the two liquid crystal panels is adopted, the edge of the opening provided in the frame member becomes the shadow of the window frame and the other It can be made invisible from the liquid crystal panel side. Therefore, there is no possibility that the user who sees the display screen of the other liquid crystal panel will feel uncomfortable.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of a mobile phone to which the present invention is applied. In the illustrated mobile phone 100, two casing parts 101 and 102 forming a telephone body are rotatably connected by a hinge part 103 so that the two casing parts 101 and 102 can be opened and closed (foldable). This is a foldable mobile phone. 2A shows a state in which the mobile phone is opened, and FIG. 2B shows a state in which the mobile phone is closed (folded state).

  On the main surface side of one housing portion 101, there are input keys (such as numeric keys) for dialing dials that also serve as input functions for characters, operation buttons for selecting various functions, a call on button, a power supply and call off function. An operation surface 104 is provided on which various function buttons such as a button, a switching button, and a memory call button, a microphone unit (sending unit) for calling, and the like are arranged. In addition, a telescopic rod-type antenna unit 105 is provided on the back side of the housing portion 101 together with a battery pack housing unit (not shown). The antenna portion 105 can be provided in the other housing portion 102.

  On the main surface side of the other casing portion 102, a main display unit 107 is provided together with a speaker unit (receiving unit) 106 for calling. The speaker unit 106 and the main display unit 107 are provided on the main surface side of the housing portion 102. The main surface side of the casing portions 101 and 102 refers to a side facing each other when the cellular phone 100 is closed (folded), and a side opposite to the main surface (back surface side) is referred to as a back surface side. Therefore, when the cellular phone 100 is closed, the main display unit 107 is disposed to face the operation surface 104.

  On the other hand, a sub-display unit 108 is provided on the back side of the housing portion 102. The back surface of the housing part 102 refers to a surface opposite to the main surface (back side) of the housing part 102. The sub display unit 108 is smaller in size than the main display unit 107. Further, when the mobile phone 100 is opened and the main display unit 107 is viewed from the front, the display area of the sub display unit 108 is arranged in the display area of the main display unit 107.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a display module incorporated in the housing portion 102 of the mobile phone 100. This display module is mainly configured by using a first liquid crystal panel 1, a second liquid crystal panel 2, a backlight 3, and a frame member 4. The first liquid crystal panel 1 corresponds to the other liquid crystal panel in the present invention, and the second liquid crystal panel 2 corresponds to one liquid crystal panel in the present invention. The backlight 3 includes an LED 5 serving as a light source and a light guide plate 6. Further, prism sheets 7 and 8 are laminated on both surfaces (front and back surfaces) of the light guide plate 6, respectively. These basic module configurations are as described in the above prior art. This display module is incorporated in the housing portion 102 of the mobile phone 100. In that case, the first liquid crystal panel 1 constitutes the main display unit 107, and the second liquid crystal panel 2 constitutes the sub display unit 108. The first liquid crystal panel 1 is provided on the main surface side of the housing portion (phone body) 102, and the second liquid crystal panel 2 is provided on the back surface side of the housing portion 102.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the frame member employed in the embodiment of the present invention. The frame member 4 is provided with the first frame portion 9 and the opening portion 10 as described in the prior art, and the second frame in a state of surrounding the opening portion 10 on the opposite side to the first frame portion 9. A portion 11 (see FIG. 3) is provided. The first liquid crystal panel 1, the backlight 3 and the prism sheets 7 and 8 are mounted inside the first frame portion 9, and the second liquid crystal panel 2 is mounted inside the second frame portion 11. It is like that. On the other hand, the predetermined surface 4A (hatched portion in the figure) of the frame member 4 is subjected to a coloring process and / or a roughening process in order to adjust the light reflectance of the predetermined surface 4A. Has been.

  The predetermined surface 4 </ b> A of the frame member 4 is a plane extending from the opening edge of the opening 10 to the first frame 9. The predetermined surface 4A is formed on the back surface (non-display surface) or the back surface of the first liquid crystal panel 1 when the first liquid crystal panel 1 and the backlight 3 are mounted inside the first frame portion 9 as described above. The surface faces the light 3. The predetermined surface 4 </ b> A is a surface facing in the same direction as the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2 when the second liquid crystal panel 2 is mounted inside the second frame portion 11. By adjusting the light reflectivity of the predetermined surface 4A by coloring processing or roughening processing, the predetermined surface 4A is equal to or less than the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2 (however, the minimum value is Greater than 0%). In addition, when an optical sheet is laminated | stacked for a certain reason on the back surface of the 2nd liquid crystal panel 2, the light reflectivity of the back surface of the 2nd liquid crystal panel 2 including this optical sheet shall be specified.

  As the coloring treatment, a resin material used for resin molding of the frame member 4 is a colored resin having high light absorption, preferably a black resin, or the predetermined surface 4A of the frame member 4 after resin molding. A treatment such as applying a high-concentration paint having high light absorption, preferably a black paint (hereinafter also referred to as a colored paint) can be considered. Further, as the surface roughening treatment, fine irregularities are formed on the cavity surface of the resin molding die, and the frame member 4 is molded using the resin molding die, or the frame member 4 after the resin molding. There may be a case where minute irregularities are formed by performing blasting, dot processing, embossing, etc. on the predetermined surface 4A.

  In addition, as a combination of these treatments, for example, when minute irregularities are formed on a predetermined surface of the frame member 4 resin-molded using a colored resin by blasting, dot treatment, embossing, or the like, A case may be considered in which, after the frame member 4 is molded using a resin forming mold having irregularities formed, a paint is applied to the predetermined surface 4A of the frame member 4. In addition to this, after forming minute irregularities on the predetermined surface 4A of the frame member 4 by roughening treatment, the predetermined surface 4A is subjected to coloring treatment, or a high concentration (for example, pre-mixed fine particles) There may be a case where fine irregularities are formed by applying the black paint) to the predetermined surface 4A of the frame member 4 to disperse the fine particles mixed in the paint over the entire predetermined surface 4A.

  Furthermore, the frame member 4 is not limited to resin, and can be made of metal such as aluminum. When the frame member 4 is made of metal, the entire frame surface can be colored by surface treatment such as plating or blackening treatment. Further, the coloring process and the roughening process on the frame member 4 may be performed on the entire frame including the predetermined surface 4A.

  In the mobile phone including the display module having the above-described configuration, for example, when the light reflectance of the predetermined surface 4A of the frame member 4 is set to the light reflectance equivalent to the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2, the LED 5 of the backlight 3 is used. When the emitted light is guided by the light guide plate 6 and emitted from both surfaces of the light guide plate 6 toward the first liquid crystal panel 1 and the second liquid crystal panel 2, respectively, a predetermined surface of the frame member 4 is obtained. The light incident on 4A and the light incident on the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2 are reflected with the same reflectance. Thereby, the boundary between the predetermined surface 4 </ b> A and the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 3 becomes inconspicuous at the edge of the opening 10 of the frame member 4. Therefore, when the mobile phone 1 is opened and the display screen of the main display unit 107 is viewed, the edge of the opening 10 of the frame member 4 does not appear as a window frame-like shadow in the screen.

  In addition, the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2 is set to have a sufficiently low light reflectance so that light from the light guide plate 6 is efficiently taken into the panel. Therefore, even when the light reflectance of the predetermined surface 4 </ b> A of the frame member 4 is kept lower than the light reflectance of the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2, the edge of the opening 10 of the frame member 4 becomes inconspicuous. Therefore, the edge of the opening 10 of the frame member 4 does not appear as a window frame-shaped shadow in the display screen of the main display unit 107. In addition, it is possible to adjust the optical characteristics of the illumination system using the backlight 3 by performing a coloring process or a roughening process on the predetermined surface 4A of the frame member 4.

  Here, when the display module is configured by using the white frame member 4 after the resin molding as it is, a minute amount is formed on the predetermined surface 4A by blasting using particles (sand) having a particle size of No. 150 according to JIS standard. In the case where the display module is configured using the frame member 4 formed with unevenness, the appearance of the shadow by the opening 10 was compared. In the former case, the shadow was easily confirmed, whereas in the latter case Almost no shadow was confirmed.

  In the above embodiment, the predetermined surface 4A of the frame member 4 is a surface having a light reflectance equal to or lower than that of the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2, but other than this, for example, FIG. As shown, the seat member 12 is fitted inside the first frame portion 9 of the frame member 4 so as to cover the predetermined surface 4A, and the predetermined surface (hatched portion in the figure) 12A of the sheet member 12 is It is good also as a surface which has the light reflectivity equivalent to the back surface of the 2nd liquid crystal panel 2, or less.

  The sheet member 12 is constituted by a thin resin sheet, for example. The light reflectance of the predetermined surface 12A of the sheet member 12 can be adjusted by a coloring process. Specific examples of the coloring treatment include a case where a colored resin is used for resin molding of the sheet member 12 and a case where a colored paint is applied to the predetermined surface 12A of the sheet member 12 after resin molding. The sheet member 12 is interposed between the prism sheet 8 adjacent to the backlight 3 and the frame member 4 in the display module shown in FIG. The predetermined surface 12 </ b> A of the sheet member 12 faces the back surface of the first liquid crystal panel 1 and the backlight 3 and is arranged in the same direction as the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2. An opening 13 is formed in the sheet member 12. The opening 13 is formed in substantially the same shape and size as the opening 10 of the frame member 4, and overlaps the opening 10 when the sheet member 12 is laminated on the predetermined surface 4 </ b> A of the frame member 4.

  In the mobile phone including the display module having the above-described configuration, for example, when the light reflectance of the predetermined surface 12A of the sheet member 12 is set to the light reflectance equivalent to that of the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2, the LED 5 of the backlight 3 When the emitted light is guided by the light guide plate 6 and light is emitted from both surfaces of the light guide plate 6 toward the first liquid crystal panel 1 and the second liquid crystal panel 2, respectively, a predetermined surface of the sheet member 12 is obtained. The light incident on 12A and the light incident on the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2 are reflected with the same reflectance. Thereby, the boundary between the predetermined surface 12A of the sheet member 12 and the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 3 becomes inconspicuous at the edge of the opening 10 of the frame member 4. Therefore, when the mobile phone 1 is opened and the display screen of the main display unit 107 is viewed, the edge of the opening 10 of the frame member 4 does not appear as a window frame-like shadow in the screen.

  In addition, the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2 is set to have a sufficiently low light reflectance so that light from the light guide plate 6 is efficiently taken into the panel. Therefore, even when the light reflectance of the predetermined surface 12A of the sheet member 12 is suppressed to be lower than the light reflectance of the back surface of the second liquid crystal panel 2, the edge of the opening 10 of the frame member 4 becomes inconspicuous. Therefore, the edge of the opening 10 of the frame member 4 does not appear as a window frame-shaped shadow in the display screen of the main display unit 107. In addition, by applying a coloring process to the predetermined surface 12A of the sheet member 12, it is possible to adjust the optical characteristics of the illumination system using the backlight 3.

  Since the planar shape of the sheet member 12 is set in accordance with the size and position of the opening 10 of the frame member 4, the sheet shape is not limited to the sheet shape provided with the opening 13 as described above. For example, FIG. ) As shown in FIG. 6B, or a rectangular shape avoiding the portion corresponding to the opening 10 of the frame member 4 as shown in FIG. It is also possible to adopt a sheet shape.

1 is an external view of a mobile phone to which the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the state which opened and closed the mobile telephone shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the display module used for a mobile telephone. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the frame member employ | adopted by embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the sheet | seat member employ | adopted by other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of a sheet | seat member. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the display module used for a mobile telephone. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the assembly state of the display module used for a mobile telephone.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st liquid crystal panel, 2 ... 2nd liquid crystal panel, 3 ... Back light, 4 ... Frame member, 4A ... Predetermined surface, 10 ... Opening part, 12 ... Sheet member, 12A ... Predetermined surface, 100 ... Mobile phone , 101, 102 ... Case portion (cell phone main body), 107 ... Main display unit, 108 ... Sub display unit

Claims (11)

Two LCD panels,
A backlight interposed between the two liquid crystal panels and irradiating light to both of the two liquid crystal panels;
The backlight is mounted, and includes a frame member having an opening for transmitting light from the backlight to one liquid crystal panel side,
The predetermined surface of the frame member facing the backlight and facing the same direction as the back surface of the one liquid crystal panel is a surface having a light reflectance equal to or less than that of the back surface of the one liquid crystal panel. Display module. The display module according to claim 1, wherein a coloring process is performed on a predetermined surface of the frame member. The display module according to claim 1, wherein a roughening process is performed on a predetermined surface of the frame member. Two LCD panels,
A backlight for illuminating both of the two liquid crystal panels;
The backlight is mounted, and includes a frame member having an opening for transmitting light from the backlight to one liquid crystal panel side,
A sheet member is interposed between the backlight and the frame member, and a predetermined surface of the sheet member facing the backlight and facing the same direction as the back surface of the one liquid crystal panel is disposed on the one liquid crystal. A display module having a light reflectance equal to or lower than that of the back surface of the panel. The display module according to claim 4, wherein a predetermined surface of the sheet member is colored. Two LCD panels,
A backlight interposed between the two liquid crystal panels and irradiating light to both of the two liquid crystal panels;
The backlight is mounted, and includes a frame member having an opening for transmitting light from the backlight to one liquid crystal panel side,
A display module in which a predetermined surface of the frame member facing the backlight and facing the same direction as the back surface of the one liquid crystal panel is a surface having a light reflectance equal to or less than that of the back surface of the one liquid crystal panel is used. A mobile phone characterized by The mobile phone according to claim 6, wherein the one liquid crystal panel is provided on a back side of the telephone body, and the other liquid crystal panel is provided on a main surface side of the telephone body which is the opposite side. The mobile phone according to claim 6, wherein a screen size of the one liquid crystal panel is smaller than that of the other liquid crystal panel. Two LCD panels,
A backlight for illuminating both of the two liquid crystal panels;
The backlight is mounted, and includes a frame member having an opening for transmitting light from the backlight to one liquid crystal panel side,
A sheet member is interposed between the backlight and the frame member, and a predetermined surface of the sheet member facing the backlight and facing the same direction as the back surface of the one liquid crystal panel is disposed on the one liquid crystal. A mobile phone comprising a display module having a light reflectance equal to or less than that of a back surface of a panel. The mobile phone according to claim 9, wherein the one liquid crystal panel is provided on a back side of the telephone body, and the other liquid crystal panel is provided on a main surface side of the telephone body which is the opposite side. The mobile phone according to claim 9, wherein the screen size of the one liquid crystal panel is smaller than that of the other liquid crystal panel.

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