1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid crystal display devices, more particularly, to a liquid crystal display device with a module assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many types of flat panel display devices available, including plasma display panels (PDP), field emission displays (FED), and the widely used liquid crystal display (LCD). FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a mounting structure of a liquid crystal display module according to related art. The liquid crystal display module 100 has a liquid crystal (LC) panel 110 and a polarizing sheet 108 disposed over the liquid crystal panel 110. The liquid crystal display module 100 further includes a backlight assembly. The backlight assembly comprises multiple prism sheets 116 and 117 and a diffusion sheet 118. Additionally, the liquid crystal display module 110 includes a main support 130 where the liquid crystal panel 110 and the backlight assembly are installed. The liquid crystal module 110 also includes a top case 140 that fastens the liquid crystal panel 110 to the main support 130 and protects the liquid crystal panel 110 from external impact.
Although not shown in FIG. 1, a lamp housing including one or more lamps is generally installed in the main support 130. One lamp is connected to an inverter (not shown) and emits light toward the liquid crystal panel 110. A light guide plate 120 is disposed under the diffusion sheet. A reflective plate 122 is disposed between the light guide plate and the main support 130. The light guide plate 120 receives light emitted by the lamp(s) and directs the received light to its output surface so that the light emitted by the lamp(s) can reach the liquid crystal panel 110 through the diffusion and prism sheets 118, 117 and 116. The reflective plate 122 reflects light emitted by the lamps toward the liquid crystal panel 110 to prevent loss of light and improve efficiency. The light emitted by the lamp(s) and propagated through the backlight assembly generates images on the display panel while the liquid crystal panel 110 is operated and driven.
The main support 130 supports the backlight assembly and the liquid crystal panel 110 therein. The top case 140 fastens the liquid crystal panel 110 and the backlight assembly into the main support 130 by coupling with the main support 130. The main support 130 and the top case 140 protect the liquid crystal panel 110 from external impact. The main support 130 is generally made of a plastic material sufficiently impact resistant.
In the related art liquid crystal display device depicted in FIG. 1, the top case 140 has a rectangular shape and an internal rectangular opening. The rectangular opening exposes a display area of the underlying liquid crystal panel 110. Images are displayed on the exposed display. Also the top case 140 of the related art liquid crystal display device is molded into a single body.
The single-bodied top case 140 of the related art has some disadvantages. The top case 140 may cause shape deformation due to twisting and bending of the single-bodied shape from impact during the fabrication and/or distribution processes. Moreover, as the liquid crystal panel 110 increases in size, the size of the top case 140 also increases. Therefore, the single-bodied top case 140 may suffer from excessive deformation during use. Furthermore, the large size single-bodied top case 140 increases distribution and transportation costs.