Panel module for an LCD module having inter-substrate flexible wires
View Patent ↗A panel module for an LCD device has an LCD panel including a TFT panel and a counter panel, signal line and scanning line drive boards for connecting to external circuits, and TCPs connecting together the TFT panel and the drive boards. The signal line driver TCP has a plurality of slits in the film substrate thereof and bent at the slits, allow the signal line drive board to be located on the rear side of the backlight unit of the LCD device. The panel module is suited any of stacked, L-shaped or U-shaped board structure.
1. A panel module for use in an LCD (liquid crystal display) device, comprising:
first and second substrates sandwiching therebetween a liquid crystal layer, said second substrate having mounted thereon an array of switching elements each for driving a corresponding pixel, and a plurality of signal lines and a plurality of scanning lines for transmitting data signals and selecting signals, respectively, to said switching elements;
a signal line driver TCP (tape carrier package) and a scanning line driver TCP each for driving said signal lines and said scanning lines, respectively;
a signal line driver substrate connected to said signal line driver TCP and supported by said second substrate via said signal line driver TCP;
a scanning line driver substrate connected to said scanning line driver TCP and supported by said second substrate via said scanning line driver TCP; and
at least one TCP of said signal line driver TCP and said scanning line driver TCP having a bendable structure, wherein said at least one TCP allows a corresponding at least one of said signal line driver substrate and said scanning line driver substrate to be located at a rear side of said second substrate upon bending of said at least one TCP,
inter-substrate flexible wires for connecting together said signal line driver substrate and said scanning line driver substrate, having at least one connecting wire having a first portion, a second portion and an intermediate portion intermediate said first and second portions, and, in a pre-assembled configuration, lying generally in the same plane, and in an assembled position, lying generally in the same plane, said first portion lying in a rear side of said scanning line driver substrate and said second portion lying in a front side of said signal line driver substrate, with said intermediate portion traversing between said rear side and said front side.
2. The panel module according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one TCP has a plurality of slits extending parallel to one another, and is bendable at said slits.
3. The panel module according to claim 1 , wherein said inter-substrate flexible wires are supported on said second substrate except for both end portions of said inter-substrate flexible wires.
4. The panel module according to claim 3 , wherein said first substrate has a smaller area than said second substrate, and said inter-substrate flexible wires are supported on a peripheral area of said first substrate.
5. The panel module according to claim 1 , wherein said inter-substrate flexible wires are formed as a wire harness including a pair of plugs at both ends of said wire harness.
6. An LCD (liquid crystal display) module for use in an LCD device, comprising a panel module and a backlight unit disposed at a rear side of said panel module, said panel module comprising:
first and second substrates sandwiching therebetween a liquid crystal layer, said second substrate having mounted thereon an array of switching elements each for driving a corresponding pixel, and a plurality of signal lines and a plurality of scanning lines for transmitting data signals and selecting signals, respectively, to said switching elements;
a signal line driver TCP (tape carrier package) and a scanning line driver TCP each for driving said signal lines and said scanning lines, respectively;
a signal line driver substrate connected to said signal line driver TCP and supported by said second substrate via said signal line driver TCP;
a scanning line driver substrate connected to said scanning line driver TCP and supported by said second substrate via said scanning line driver TCP; and
at least one TCP of said signal line driver TCP and said scanning line driver TCP having a bendable structure, wherein said at least one TCP allows a corresponding at least one of said signal line driver substrate and said scanning line driver substrate to be located at a rear side of said backlight unit upon bending of said at least one TCP,
inter-substrate flexible wires for connecting together said signal line driver substrate and said scanning line driver substrate, having at least one connecting wire having a first portion, a second portion and an intermediate portion intermediate said first and second portions, and, in a pre-assembled configuration, lying generally in the same plane, and in an assembled position, lying generally in the same plane, said first portion lying in a rear side of said scanning line driver substrate and said second portion lying in a front side of said signal line driver substrate, with said intermediate portion traversing between said rear side and said front side.
7. The LCD module according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of said second substrate and said backlight unit has a groove for receiving said inter-substrate flexible wires.
8. The LCD module according to claim 6 , wherein said inter-substrate flexible wires are formed as a wire harness including a pair of plugs at both ends of said wire harness.
9. The panel module according to claim 1 further comprising:
the at least one connecting wire, in an unassembled configuration, extending in a first direction and, in an assembled configuration, extending partly in the first direction and then folded back in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
10. The panel module according to claim 6 further comprising:
the at least one connecting wire, in an unassembled configuration, extending in a first direction and, in an assembled configuration, extending partly in the first direction and then folded back in a second direction opposite to the first direction.