CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0186540 filed on Dec. 29, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a display apparatus in which a liquid crystal panel is disposed on a back-light unit.

Description of the Background

Generally, a display apparatus is provided to realize an image. For example, the display apparatus may include a liquid crystal panel disposed on a back-light unit. The back-light unit may provide light. The liquid crystal panel may realize the image using the light provided from the back-light unit.

The display apparatus may be used in various places. For example, the display apparatus may be installed in front of a passenger seat of a vehicle. The image realized by the display apparatus may distract the eyes of people around a user, for example a driver. Thus, in the display apparatus, the viewing angle may be selectively limited to prevent accidents due to distract the eyes of the people around the user. For example, the display apparatus may include a back-light unit in which a second light-guide plate is disposed on a first light-guide plate, and a viewing angle control unit disposed between the first light-guide plate and the second light-guide plate of the back-light unit.

The display apparatus may include a supporting element to support the viewing angle control unit and the second light-guide plate. The supporting element may couple with a cover bottom accommodating the light-source element, the first light-guide plate, the second light-guide plate and the viewing angle control unit. For example, at least one coupling hole may be formed in the cover bottom, and a portion of the supporting element may be fastened to the coupling hole of the cover bottom by an interference fitting method. However, in the display apparatus, particles may be generated during a coupling process of the supporting element with the cover bottom. The particles may block light emitted from the back-light unit. Thus, in the display apparatus, the particles may be recognized by the user as a dark spot.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to a display apparatus that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

More specifically, the present disclosure is to provide a display apparatus capable of preventing the deterioration of the image quality due to the coupling process of the supporting element.

The present disclosure is also to provide a display apparatus capable of preventing the particles generated during the coupling process of the supporting element from affecting the realization of the image.

Additional advantages and features of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the disclosure. The features and other advantages of the disclosure may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a display apparatus comprising a back-light unit. The back-light unit includes a first light-guide plate, a second light-guide plate and a light-source element. The light-source element includes a light-source circuit board in which a first light-source disposed on a side of the first light-guide plate and a second light-source disposed on a side of the second light-guide plate are mounted. A liquid crystal panel is disposed on the second light-guide plate of the back-light unit. A first viewing angle control unit is disposed between the first light-guide plate and the second light-guide plate of the back-light unit. The first viewing angle control unit includes first light-blocking patterns. A supporting element is disposed between an edge of the first light-guide plate and an edge of the first viewing angle control unit. The supporting element is in contact with a surface of the light-source circuit board between the first light-source and the second light-source.

The supporting element may include a metal.

A lower surface of the first viewing angle control unit toward the first light-guide plate may include a region being in contact with the supporting element.

An optical sheet may be disposed between the first light-guide plate and the first viewing angle control unit. An upper surface of the optical sheet toward the first viewing angle control unit may include a region being in contact with the supporting element.

The light-source element may include a first light-source region, a second light-source region and an intermediate region. The first light-source may be mounted in the first light-source region. The second light-source may be mounted in the second light-source region. The intermediate region may be disposed between the first light-source region and the second light-source region. The supporting element may be in contact with the intermediate region of the light-source circuit board. The second light-source region may be spaced away from the intermediate region.

The intermediate region may be in contact with the first light-source region.

The light-source circuit board may further include a connecting region being in contact with a side of the first light-source region and a side of the second light-source region.

A second viewing angle control unit may be disposed between the back-light unit and the liquid crystal panel. The second viewing angle control unit may include second light-blocking patterns. The second light-blocking patterns may extend in a direction perpendicular to the first light-blocking patterns.

In another aspect, there is provided a display apparatus comprising a first light-guide plate. At least one first light-source is disposed on a side of the first light-guide plate. A viewing angle control unit is disposed on the first light-guide plate. The viewing angle control unit includes light-blocking patterns. A second light-guide plate is disposed on the viewing angle control unit. The second light-guide plate overlaps the first light-guide plate. At least one second light-source is disposed on a side of the second light-guide plate. A liquid crystal panel is disposed on the second light-guide plate. A light-source circuit board includes an intermediate region between a first light-source region in which the first light-source is mounted and a second light-source region in which the second light-source is mounted. The intermediate region of the light-source circuit board is in contact with a supporting element. The supporting element extends between an edge of the first light-guide plate and an edge of the viewing angle control unit.

The first light-guide plate, the first light-source, viewing angle control unit, the second light-guide plate, the second light-source, the light-source circuit board and the supporting element may be accommodated in the cover bottom. The cover bottom may include a side wall disposed on a side of the first light-guide plate and a side of the second light-guide plate. The light-source circuit board may be attached to the side wall of the cover bottom by a substrate adhesive layer.

The intermediate region of the light-source circuit board may include at least one coupling hole. The supporting element may include at least one protruding portion which is fastened to the coupling hole of the light-source circuit board.

An element adhesive layer may be disposed between the light-source circuit board and the supporting element. The element adhesive layer may include at least one penetrating hole through which the protruding portion of the supporting element passes.

The supporting element may include an insulating material.

The supporting element may have a bar shape extending along an edge of the viewing angle control unit.

An air-gap may be disposed between the first light-guide plate and the viewing angle control unit. The air-gap may be disposed side by side with the supporting element.

