Flat panel display apparatus equipped with a supplemental stopper

[0002] This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. §119 from my utility model application entitled Flat Panel Display Apparatus Compensating Hinge Unit for Tilt Operation filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on Dec. 12, 1997 and there duly assigned Ser. No. 97-36964 by that Office.

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates to a flat panel display apparatus having a screen, and more particularly, to a flat panel display apparatus which can stop a tilt operation of a flat panel display apparatus when an excessive force is provided to a display unit which includes a flat panel display screen for viewing images in order to control a visual angle of the display unit forwardly or backwardly. Movement of the display unit so as to tilt forwardly or backwardly, or swivel to the left or right is enabled by a hinge unit which is connected between the display unit and a stand unit which supports the display unit on a given surface.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0006] Generally, a flat panel display apparatus includes a hinge device for controlling a visual angle of a display unit in a left or right swivel direction (about an axis perpendicular to a surface on which the flat panel display apparatus rests), and forward or backward tilt direction (about an axis parallel to the surface on which the flat panel display apparatus rests). The hinge device is connected between the display unit, having a flat panel, and a stand unit performing the function of supporting the display unit.

[0007] The hinge device performs a tilting operation to control a visual angle by enabling movement of the display unit forward or backward, and enables a swivelling operation of the display unit to the left or right.

[0008] Also, the hinge device includes a pair of stoppers to be operated when the display unit is moved at least a certain predetermined angle from a standard position. There are two kinds of stoppers, one kind stops tilting and the other kind stops swivelling, and two of each kind are equipped inside the hinge device.

[0009] However, the stoppers are formed so as to have a small size due to the narrowness of the internal structure and equipment space, etc., of the hinge device, and therefore, they do not have that strong durability.

[0010] Also, the operations of tilting and swivelling of the display unit are accomplished by a manual activity of a user. However, sometimes an excessive force in the tilting direction is applied to the display unit when swivelling the display unit left or right, and the tilt stoppers, which are used to prevent excessive tilt of the display unit, receive the excessive force due to this. In this case, it is difficult to support the display unit in the tilt directions with just the stoppers inside of the hinge device.

[0011] That is, if the display unit is moved slowly during the tilting operation, no serious problem arises, but if the display unit is operated with an excessive force, the stoppers inside the hinge device receive the excessive force. As a result, some problems may arise, for example, an obstacle to movement of the display unit, deterioration in the reliance of the flat panel display device, and weakened representative competitive power may result.

[0012] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a flat panel display apparatus having a hinge device that enables tilting of a flat panel display unit in a forward or backward direction, and swivelling in a right or left direction, and, which has a high degree of durability.

[0013] It is another object of the present invention to provide a flat panel display apparatus having a hinge device that enables tilting of a flat panel display unit in a forward or backward direction and swivelling in a right or left direction, has stoppers which stop the tilting operation of the flat panel display unit when a tilt angle exceeds a predetermined angle, and is capable of protecting the stoppers when an excessively large force is applied to the flat panel display unit in the tilt direction.

[0014] It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a flat panel display apparatus which has a great amount of durability by reinforcing stoppers which stops the tilting operation without any obstacle even though the display unit is tilted by an excessive force.

[0015] Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

[0016] The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a flat panel display device having a double stopper device in which supplemental stoppers are positioned outside of the hinge device in addition to stoppers positioned inside of the hinge device.

[0017] Therefore, the flat panel display apparatus of the present invention has stoppers mounted inside of the hinge device and supplemental stoppers mounted outside of the hinge device.

[0018] Also, the stoppers and supplemental stoppers perform a role that stops a rotation of tilt brackets of the hinge device for enabling tilting of the flat panel display unit, the tilt brackets being fixed to the lower part of the display unit.

[0019] Therefore, the flat panel display apparatus has a better reinforced hinge device because the tilting operation of the flat panel display unit is stopped by the supplemental stoppers in addition to the conventional stoppers.

[0020] Therefore, the above objects are further achieved by providing a flat panel display apparatus including a display unit having a screen; a stand unit supporting the display unit; a liquid crystal monitor having a hinge unit in which stoppers connected between the display unit and the stand unit are mounted, wherein the stoppers stop a tilting operation of the display unit; and supplemental stoppers formed outside of the hinge unit and which assist the operation of the stoppers.

[0021] One feature of the present invention is that the supplemental stoppers are mounted on both sides of the hinge main body of the hinge unit, and another feature of the present invention is that the supplemental stoppers are formed in accordance with the hinge main body.

[0022] Also, still another feature of the present invention is that a tilting operation of the display unit performed by the tilt brackets which are fixed to a lower part of the display unit, is stopped when the tilt brackets reach the supplemental stoppers.

[0023] These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flat panel display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a side view of a flat panel display apparatus showing a tilting operation of a display unit shown in FIG. 1;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a disassembled perspective view of a hinge device which enables the tilting operation shown in FIG. 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] FIG. 4 is a side view of relevant parts of the flat panel display apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; and

[0028] FIG. 5 is a side view showing an operation of the hinge device shown in FIG. 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Reference will now made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a flat panel display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display unit 10 having a liquid crystal display (screen) 11 displaying an image, a stand unit 20 supporting the display unit 10, a hinge unit 30 which connects the display unit 10 with the stand unit 20, and makes it possible to control the visual angle of the display unit 10 forwardly or backwardly (tilted about an axis extending along a bottom length of the display unit 10) or to the left or right (swivelling counterclockwise or clockwise about an axis extending perpendicular to the axis along the bottom length of the display unit 10).

[0031] Therefore, the angle of the display unit 10 is able to be controlled not only to the left or right (counterclockwise or clockwise rotation) but also forwardly or backwardly tilted by the hinge unit 30 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0032] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the hinge unit 30 includes a hinge main body 31 which is prevented from separating from the top of the stand unit 20 and an opening 32 is formed in the hinge main body 31. The opening 32 is engaged by a protrusion (not shown) of the stand unit 20 so as to enable the hinge main body 31 to swivel about an axis perpendicular to the surface on which the stand unit 20 rests in response to a force provided by a user on the display unit 10, thereby causing the display unit 10 to swivel about the same axis. The hinge main body 31 includes a plurality of fixing bosses 33 extending from an upper surface of the hinge main body 31.

[0033] Each of a pair of tilting apparatus units 40 has a hinge bracket 41 and a tilting bracket 44 which rotates around a tilting shaft 43 as a center of rotation at one side of the hinge bracket 41. The tilting bracket 44 has an engagement unit 44a, a lower tilting protruding end unit 44band an upper tilting protruding end unit 44c. The lower tilting protruding end unit 44bis at a right angle to the upper tilting protruding end unit 44c. Each of the tilting brackets 44 is mounted to a lower part of the display unit 10 and moves in accordance with the display unit 10. The hinge brackets 41 are fixed to the hinge main body 31 by a plurality of screws 42 which pass through holes of the hinge brackets 41 and engage corresponding ones of the plurality of bosses 33.

[0034] A tilt stopper 45 is fixed to an outside end of a respective tilting shaft 43, and each tilt stopper 45 includes an upper stopper protruded end unit 45aand a lower stopper protruded end unit 45b. Each engagement unit 44ais always maintained between the lower stopper protruding end unit 45band the upper stopper protruding end unit 45aof its respective tilt stopper 45.

[0035] The following description refers only to one of the tilting apparatus units 40, but applies equally to both. The engagement unit 44aof the tilting bracket 44 moves between the upper stopper protruded end unit 45aand the lower stopper protruded end unit 45b, and the tilting operation of rotating the tilting bracket 44 around the tilting shaft 43 as the center of rotation is stopped by the tilt stopper 45, thereby stopping tilting of the display unit 10 forwardly or backwardly.

[0036] The tilting apparatus units 40, except for the tilting brackets 44, are formed in the hinge unit 30, between the hinge unit main body 31 and a hinge cover (not shown).

[0037] Also, a pair of supplemental stoppers 50 is formed to protrude from respective sides of the hinge main body 31. The supplemental stoppers 50 are integrally formed to the hinge main body 31 which is molded by injection or the supplemental stoppers 50 are fixed separately to the hinge main body 31.

[0038] Each supplemental stopper 50 is formed to engage with the corresponding lower tilting protruded end unit 44bor the corresponding upper tilting protruded end unit 44cwhich are formed from a cut of the lower part of the tilting bracket 44.

[0039] The operation of the tilting mechanism of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

[0040] FIG. 4 shows one of the tilting apparatus units 40 in a state that the display unit 10 is vertical. The other tilting apparatus unit 40 is in the same state. Once again, the following description relates to only one of the tilting apparatus units 40 and a corresponding supplemental stopper 50, but applies to the other set as well. In this state, the engagement unit 44aof the tilting bracket 44 is in the middle between the upper stopper protruded end unit 45aand the lower stopper protruded end unit 45b.

[0041] Accordingly, if a force is applied to the display unit 10 so as to incline forwardly (counterclockwise in FIG. 5) the liquid crystal display 11 of the display unit 10, the tilt bracket is rotated in the counterclockwise direction as well, shown in FIG. 5 since the tilting bracket moves in conjunction with the display unit 10.

[0042] When the display unit is tilted forwardly by a certain angle, the engagement unit 44aof the tilting bracket 44 engages the upper stopper protruded end unit 45aand the lower tilting protruded end unit 44bengages the supplemental stopper 50.

[0043] Conversely, if the display unit 10 is tilted backwardly by a certain angle (clockwise in FIG. 5), the tilting bracket 44 is rotated clockwise and the engagement unit 44aengages the lower stopper protruded end unit 45b, and the supplemental stopper 50 engages the upper tilting protruded end unit 44cof the tilting bracket 44 at the same time, and therefore the tilting operation of the display unit 10 including the tilting brackets 44 is stopped.

[0044] As a result, the tilting operation of the display unit 10 forwardly or backwardly is stopped by the stoppers 45 and the supplemental stoppers 50.

[0045] Therefore, the flat panel display device of the present invention has a more reinforced construction because the display unit is stopped not only by the tilt stoppers 45 but also by the supplemental stoppers 50.

[0046] Accordingly, a tilting operation is stopped with a reinforced construction by using supplemental stoppers 50 in addition to the tilt stoppers 45, even when tilting operation for controlling visual angle is done with an excessive force, and the tilt stoppers and the supplemental stoppers are free from any obstacles.

[0047] According to the description as set forth above, the present invention has an effect of providing a flat panel display apparatus with a greater reliance and free from obstacles, by reinforcing the stoppers which stop the tilting operation with supplemental stoppers, even when the display unit is tilted using an excessive force.

[0048] Although a few preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.