Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure is generally related to instrument clusters and, more particularly, to assembling parts of the instrument cluster using common mounting points.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] An instrument cluster is a board or a panel that is installed in a vehicle and used for displaying a set of information. The instrument cluster is mounted on the dashboard and helps the driver to know the vehicle's status while driving. It is also known as the gauge cluster.
[0003] In recent days digital instrument clusters have become quite common which need LCD or LED displays paired with complex PCBAs (Printed Circuit Board Assembly). Conventionally, the display and the PCBA are mounted separately to an outer housing of the instrument cluster or to the vehicle frame using separate fasteners, thereby making the assembly expensive, more complex and bulkier.
[0004] For example, JP2016037173A discloses a display device for a vehicle which is provided with a noise countermeasure structure achieving high vibration resistance. This display device for a vehicle includes a display unit having a display which displays vehicle information and a shield member, and a first circuit board on which control means for controlling the display unit is mounted, the first circuit board configured to output a driving signal to the display panel. A cushioning member is sandwiched between the shield member and a ground electrode of the first circuit board to ground the shield member. The display panel and the circuit board are connected separately to the housing of the dashboard stack.
[0005] The display and the PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) are generally fragile components and are susceptible to vibration loads from the vehicle, thereby getting damaged during the long run.
[0006] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, there is a need to provide a novel display assembly that reduces the number of parts required to assemble and also make the assembly less bulky and less expensive.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a display assembly that assembles a display panel, a rear cover, and a circuit board into a single stack using common mounting points to reduce the numbers of parts required for assembly.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a display assembly that reduces the time required for assembling the display panel, the rear cover, and the circuit board.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a display assembly that is easy in design, sturdy, economical, and less bulky.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a display assembly that isolates the display panel and the circuit board from external impact like vibration and shock loads.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention relates to a display assembly for mounting a display panel, a rear cover, and a circuit board into a single stack by using four studs through common mounting points. It has ability to provide insulation to the circuit board and the display panel and avoid external impact like vibration and shock loads, thereby making the design sturdy, easier and less bulky.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, disclosed is a display assembly. The display assembly comprises a display panel, a rear cover and a circuit board. The display panel is anyone of an LCD (Liquid crystal display), an LED (Light-emitting diode) display, a segment display, or an (Organic Light-emitting diode) OLED display and is configured to display a set of information. The rear cover provides structural strength to the display panel. The circuit board is sandwiched between the display panel and the rear cover, wherein the display panel, the rear cover and the circuit board are connected to each other using common mounting points to form a single stack. The circuit board is a printed circuit board (PCB) that includes at least one capacitor, a resistor, an inductor, ICs (Integrated Circuits), and a processor. The display panel comprises display studs extending towards the circuit board, wherein the display studs form the mounting point to receive fasteners to connect the display panel to the circuit board. The display studs are four in numbers disposed in proximity to the four corners of the display panel. The rear cover comprises cover studs extending towards the circuit board and the cover studs form the mounting point to receive fasteners to connect the rear cover to the circuit board. The cover studs are four in numbers disposed in proximity to the four corners of the rear cover. The display studs and the cover studs are coaxial to each other.
[0014] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the display assembly further comprises a supporting frame, a glass cover, a first isolator and a second isolator. The supporting frame is configured to connect the single stack to a vehicle. The supporting frame has an H-shape cross-section that is configured to receive the display panel on a first side and the circuit board on its second side. The supporting frame comprises frame attachments configured to attach the display assembly to the vehicle. The glass cover is in contact with the supporting frame, wherein the glass cover is configured to cover the display panel. The glass cover comprises an attachment extension configured to connect the glass cover to the supporting frame. The first isolator is disposed between the display panel and the supporting frame. The second isolator is disposed between the rear cover and the supporting frame.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of systems, methods, and embodiments of various other aspects of the disclosure. Any person with ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g. boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. It may be that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of one element may be implemented as an external component in another, and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale. Non-limiting and non-exhaustive descriptions are described with reference to the following drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating principles.
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of a display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of a present invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates an isometric view of a display panel 202 of the display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a supporting frame 204 of the display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of the display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0022] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of the display panel 202, a circuit board 404 and a rear cover 402 connected to each other to form a single stack, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures, and in which example embodiments are shown. Embodiments of the claims may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The examples set forth herein are non-limiting examples and are merely examples among other possible examples.
[0024] Some embodiments of this invention, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.
[0025] It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although any systems and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present invention, the preferred systems and methods are now described.
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of a present invention. The display assembly 100 is configured to be installed in a vehicle 604 (shown in Fig. 4) and used for displaying information that may be consumed by a user of the vehicle 604. The display assembly 100 may be mounted on a dashboard of the vehicle 604 and may help the user to know the vehicle's 604 status on the go.
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The display assembly 100 comprises a display panel 202, a supporting frame 204, a glass cover 206, a first isolator 208, a rear cover 402 (shown in FIG. 4), a circuit board 404 (shown in FIG. 4) and a second isolator 406 (shown in FIG. 4).
[0028] In an embodiment, the display panel 202 is configured to display a set of information. Further, the set of information is anyone of a speed of the vehicle 604, a revolution per minute (RPM) of an engine, an odometer reading, battery state of charge (SOC), among others. In an embodiment, the display panel 202 is anyone of an LCD (Liquid crystal display), an LED (Light-emitting diode) display, a segment display, or an (Organic Light-emitting diode) OLED display.
[0029] In an embodiment, the supporting frame 204 defines a first side 210. The display panel 202 and the glass cover 206 are configured to be received on the first side 210 of the supporting frame 204. The first isolator 208 is configured to be disposed between the display panel 202 and the supporting frame 204. In an embodiment, the first isolator 208 is a foam, wherein the foam is silicon rubber. The supporting frame 204 comprises frame attachments 212 that are configured to attach the display assembly 100 to the vehicle 604.
[0030] In an embodiment, the glass cover 206 is attached to the supporting frame 204, wherein the glass cover 206 is configured to cover the display panel 202. Further, the glass cover 206 comprises attachment extensions 214 that are configured to connect the glass cover 206 to the supporting frame 204. The supporting frame 204 comprises attachment extensions 216 corresponding to the attachment extensions 214 to attach the glass cover 206 to the supporting frame 204.
[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates an isometric view of the display panel 202, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The display panel 202 comprises display studs 304 extending towards the circuit board 404, wherein the display studs 304 form a mounting point to receive fasteners 702 (shown in FIG. 7) to connect the display panel 202 to the circuit board 404. Further, the display studs 304 are four in numbers disposed in proximity to the four corners of the display panel 202.
[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment, the rear cover 402 is configured to provide structural strength to the display panel 202. In an embodiment, the circuit board 404 is sandwiched between the display panel 202 and the rear cover 402, wherein the display panel 202, the rear cover 402, and the circuit board 404 are connected to each other using common mounting points to form a single stack. Further, the circuit board 404 is a printed circuit board (PCB) that includes at least one capacitor, a resistor, an inductor, ICs (Integrated Circuits), a processor, among others.
[0033] In an embodiment, the single stack mounting of the display panel 202, the rear cover 402, and the circuit board 404 reduces the numbers of parts required for assembly.
[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the circuit board 404 is made of an FR4 (Flame Retardant level 4) material with copper layers for electrical connections. The FR4 material is strong, water-resistant, and provides good insulation between copper layers that minimizes interference and supports good signal integrity.
[0035] In an embodiment, the supporting frame 204 defines a second side 408. The circuit board 404 and the rear cover 402 are configured to be received on the second side 408 of the supporting frame 204.
[0036] In an embodiment, the second isolator 406 is disposed between the rear cover 402 and the supporting frame 204. The second isolator 406 is configured to connect the rear cover 402 with the supporting frame 204. In an embodiment, the second isolator 406 is a sealant.
[0037] The display panel 202 and the circuit board 404 are sensitive to vibration, wherein, if not contained, the vibrations may compromise the durability of the display panel 202 and the circuit board 404. The vibrations and shocks absorbed by the supporting frame 204 are contained from being transmitted to the display panel 202 and the circuit board 404 using the combination of the first isolator 208 and the second isolator 406.
[0038] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a supporting frame 204 of the display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment, the supporting frame 204 has an H-shape cross-section. In an embodiment, the supporting frame 204 is configured to connect the single stack to the vehicle 604. The supporting frame 204 defines clearance holes 502 for the display studs 304 to pass through for connecting the display panel 202 with the circuit board 404.
[0039] In an embodiment, the frame attachments 212 of the supporting frame 204 defines frame attachment holes 504 to allow fasteners to pass through to connect the supporting frame 204 to the vehicle 604.
[0040] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of the display assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment, a sealant 602 is configured to seal the glass cover 206 with the supporting frame 204. The supporting frame 204 is connected to the vehicle 604 using the frame attachments 212. In an embodiment, the reference numeral 604 may also correspond to a vehicle frame.
[0041] In an embodiment, the rear cover 402 may comprise cover studs 606 extending towards the circuit board 404. The cover studs 606 form the mounting point to receive fasteners 702 to connect the rear cover 402 with the circuit board 404.
[0042] In an embodiment, the cover studs 606 are four in numbers disposed in proximity to the four corners of the rear cover 402.
[0043] In an embodiment, the display studs 304 and the cover studs 606 are coaxial to each other.
[0044] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of the display panel 202, the circuit board 404 and the rear cover 402 connected to each other to form a single stack, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Multiple fasteners 702 disposed within the display studs 304 and the cover studs 606 are configured to attach the display panel 202 to the circuit board 404 and the rear cover 402 to the circuit board 404.
[0045] In an embodiment, the display studs 304, the cover studs 606, the clearance holes 502 defined by the supporting frame 204, and the fasteners 702 form the common mounting points.
[0046] Moreover, although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
, Claims:We Claim,
1. A display assembly (100), comprising:
a display panel (202) configured to display a set of information;
a rear cover (402) providing structural strength to the display panel (202);
a circuit board (404) sandwiched between the display panel (202) and the rear cover (402), wherein the display panel (202), the rear cover (402) and the circuit board (404) are connected to each other using common mounting points to form a single stack;
a supporting frame (204) configured to connect the single stack to a vehicle (604); and
a first isolator (208) disposed between the display panel (202) and the supporting frame (204).
2. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel (202) is anyone of an LCD (Liquid crystal display), an LED (Light-emitting diode) display, a segment display, or an (Organic Light-emitting diode) OLED display.
3. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit board (404) is a printed circuit board (PCB) that includes at least one capacitor, a resistor, an inductor, ICs (Integrated Circuits), and a processor.
4. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel (202) comprises display studs (108) extending towards the circuit board (106), wherein the display studs (304) form the mounting point to receive fasteners (702) to connect the display panel (202) to the circuit board (404).
5. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the display studs (304) are four in numbers and disposed in proximity to the four corners of the display panel (202).
6. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rear cover (402) comprises cover studs (606) extending towards the circuit board (404), wherein the cover studs (606) form the mounting point to receive fasteners (702) to connect the rear cover (402) to the circuit board (404), wherein the display studs (304) and the cover studs (606) are coaxial to each other.
7. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the cover studs (606) are four in numbers and disposed in proximity to the four corners of the rear cover (402).
8. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting frame (404) has an H-shape cross-section that is configured to receive the display panel (202) on first side (210) and the circuit board (404) on its second side (408).
9. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a glass cover (206) in contact with the supporting frame (204), wherein the glass cover (206) is configured to cover the display panel (202).
10. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the glass cover (206) comprises an attachment extension (214) configured to connect the glass cover (206) to the supporting frame (204).
11. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 9, comprising a sealant (602) configured to seal the glass cover (206) with the supporting frame (204).
12. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first isolator (208) is a foam configured to block vibration and shocks, wherein the foam (208) is silicon rubber.
13. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a second isolator (406) disposed between the rear cover (402) and the supporting frame (204), wherein the second isolator (406) is the sealant configured to block vibration and shocks.
14. The display assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting frame (204) comprises frame attachments (212) configured to attach the display assembly (100) to the vehicle (604).