Coupling device and flat panel display device utilizing the same

Abstract

A coupling device includes a mounting frame mounted on a rear surface of a front shell of a display housing and having a plate portion disposed adjacent to a front surface of a bracket of the display and formed with a through hole. A coupling plate is mounted on the mounting frame such that the plate portion of the mounting frame is disposed between the coupling plate and the bracket. A fastening member extends through a through hole in the bracket, and the through hole in the plate portion of the mounting frame, and is fastened to the coupling plate so as to couple the bracket to the front shell.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 094211892, filed on Jul. 13, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a coupling device, more particularly to a coupling device for a housing of a flat panel display device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional flat panel display device is shown to include a front shell 1 made of plastic, and a bracket 2 made of metal. The front shell 1 has a rear surface formed with a plurality of internally threaded posts 31 (only one is shown) extending rearwardly toward the bracket 2, and a plurality of positioning posts 32 (only one is shown) extending rearwardly toward the bracket 2 and disposed respectively adjacent to the threaded posts 31. The bracket 2 has a plurality of extension plates 21 (only one is shown) corresponding respectively to the threaded posts 31 and the positioning posts 32. Each extension plate 21 is formed with a positioning hole 211 engaging the respective positioning post 32, and a through hole 212 aligned with the respective threaded post 31. A screw fastener (not shown) extends through the respective through hole 212 in the bracket 2, and engages threadedly the respective threaded post 31 so as to couple the bracket 2 to the front shell 1. However, since the front shell 1 is formed by injection molding, and since the positioning holes 211 and the through holes 212 in the extension plate 21 are formed by metal pressing process, if an error occurs in any one of the injection molding process and the metal pressing process, each positioning hole 211 may be misaligned with the respective positioning post 32 or each through hole 212 may be misaligned with the respective threaded post 31. As such, if the front shell 1 and the bracket 2 are forcedly assembled together, a Newton's ring phenomenon may occur as a result of a deformed assembly of the front shell 1 and the bracket 2. Furthermore, a distance between the front shell 1 and the bracket 2 may not be maintained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a coupling device and a flat panel display device utilizing the same that can eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coupling device for a display housing. The display housing includes a front shell having a rear surface, and a bracket having a front surface and formed with a through hole. The coupling device comprises:

a mounting frame adapted to be mounted on the rear surface of the front shell, having a plate portion adapted to be disposed adjacent to the front surface of the bracket and formed with a through hole that is adapted to correspond to the through hole in the bracket, the mounting frame further having at least one flexible portion such that the plate portion is movable relative to the front shell along a direction generally parallel to the plate portion;

a coupling plate mounted on the mounting frame such that the plate portion of the mounting frame is disposed between the coupling plate and the bracket; and

a fastening member adapted to extend through the through hole in the bracket, extending through the through hole in the plate portion of the mounting frame, and fastened to the coupling plate so as to couple the bracket to the front shell.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a flat panel display device comprises:

a display housing including a front shell having a rear surface, and a bracket having a front surface and formed with a through hole; and

a coupling device including

• • a mounting frame mounted on the rear surface of the front shell, disposed between the front shell and the bracket, and having a plate portion disposed adjacent to the front surface of the bracket and formed with a through hole that corresponds to the through hole in the bracket, the mounting frame further having at least one flexible portion such that the plate portion is movable relative to the front shell along a direction generally parallel to the plate portion,
  • a coupling plate mounted on the mounting frame such that the plate portion of the mounting frame is disposed between the coupling plate and the bracket, and
  • a fastening member extending through the through hole in the bracket and the through hole in the plate portion of the mounting frame, and fastened to the coupling plate so as to couple the bracket to the front shell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating how a front shell and a bracket of a conventional flat panel display device are coupled together;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of a flat panel display device according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a coupling device of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the coupling device of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a modified mounting frame;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary schematic sectional view showing the coupling device of the preferred embodiment in a state of use; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary schematic sectional view showing the coupling device of the preferred embodiment in another state of use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the preferred embodiment of a flat panel display device according to the present invention is shown to include a display housing and four coupling devices 4.

In this embodiment, the display housing includes a larger front shell 6 made of plastic, and a smaller rectangular bracket 5 made of metal. The front shell 6 has a rear surface 60. The bracket 5 has four extension plates 51, each of which extends outwardly from a periphery of the bracket 5, is disposed adjacent to a respective one of four corners of the bracket 5, and has a front surface 510. The rear surface 60 of the front shell 6 is formed with four sets of hollow tubular bodies 61 and positioning posts 62 corresponding respectively to the extension plates 51 of the bracket 5. The tubular body 61 and the positioning post 62 in each set extend respectively and rearwardly toward the front surface 510 of the respective one of the extension plates 51. Each extension plate 51 is formed with a through hole 511 corresponding to the respective tubular body 61, and a positioning hole 512 permitting extension of the respective positioning post 62 therethrough, as shown in FIG. 3. Each tubular body 61 has an open end 611 (see FIG. 4).

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, each of the coupling devices 4 includes a mounting frame 41, a coupling plate 42, a fastening member 43, and a pair of engaging members 63.

For each coupling device 4, the engaging members 63 are fixed on the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6 so as to define an open-ended engaging groove 6311 between the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6 and each of the engaging members 63, are spaced apart from each other, and are disposed on opposite sides of a respective one of the tubular bodies 61 on the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6. In this embodiment, each engaging member 63 is an engaging block that has an inner lateral side 631 formed with the engaging groove 6311, and an inclined guiding face 630, as shown in FIG. 4.

The mounting frame 41 is mounted on the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6. In this embodiment, the mounting frame 41 has a plate portion 411 disposed between the front surface 510 of a respective one of the extension plates 51 and the respective one of the tubular bodies 61 on the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6 and formed with a through hole 415 corresponding to the through hole 511 in the respective one of the extension plates 51, opposite flexible lateral supporting portions 412 connected respectively and integrally to opposite lateral sides of the plate portion 411 and extending toward the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6, and a pair of engaging flanges 413 extending respectively and integrally from ends of the lateral supporting portions 412 away from each other and engaging respectively the engaging grooves 6311. Each engaging flange 413 is generally U-shaped, and has two opposite side flange portions 4131, and a middle flange portion 4132 engaging the respective one of the engaging grooves 6311 and interconnecting the side flange portions 4131 to define a notch 4133 among the middle flange portion 4132 and the side flange portions 4131. The engaging members 63 engage respectively and fit tightly the notches 4133 in the engaging flanges 413 of the mounting frame 41 so as to position the engaging flanges 413 on the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6. In this embodiment, the plate portion 411 has a curved section, as best shown in FIG. 5. Alternatively, the plate portion 411 can be flat, as shown in FIG. 4A. Each of the lateral supporting portions 412 has a projecting member extending inwardly toward the other one of the lateral supporting portions 412 such that the coupling plate 42 is disposed between and adjacent to the plate portion 411 and the projecting members. In this embodiment, each projecting member includes two projecting lugs 414 disposed respectively adjacent to two opposite sides 4111, 4112 of the plate portion 411.

The coupling plate 42 is mounted on the mounting frame 41, and is disposed between the plate portion 411 and the respective tubular body 61 on the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6. In this embodiment, the coupling plate 42 is supported on the projecting lugs 414 of the lateral supporting portions 412, and has two opposite sides 425, 426, each of which is formed with a flange 427 extending rearwardly. The plate portion 411 of the mounting frame 41 is disposed between and adjacent to the flanges 427 such that the coupling plate 42 is positioned relative to the plate portion 411 of the mounting frame 41. The coupling plate 42 includes a central anchoring portion 421 having a first surface 423 adjacent to the plate portion 411 of the mounting frame 41, and a second surface 422 opposite to the first surface 423 and distal from the plate portion 411 of the mounting frame 41. The anchoring portion 421 of the coupling plate 42 is formed with a fastening hole 424 that extends from the first surface 423 to the second surface 422 and that has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the respective tubular body 61. In this embodiment, the fastening hole 424 has a through-hole section 4241 that extends from the first surface 423 of the anchoring portion 421 and that converges toward the second surface 422 of the anchoring portion 421, and a threaded-hole section 4242 extending from the second surface 422 of the anchoring portion 421 and connected to the through-hole section 4241.

The fastening member 43, such as a screw fastener, extends through the through hole 511 in the respective extension plate 51 of the bracket 5 and the through hole 415 in the plate portion 411 of the mounting frame 41, and is fastened to the coupling plate 42 so as to couple the extension plate 51 of the bracket 5 to the front shell 6. In this embodiment, the fastening member 43 further extends through the through-hole section 4241 of the fastening hole 424 in the coupling plate 42, and engages threadedly the threaded-hole section 4242 of the fastening hole 424 in the coupling plate 42. It is noted that the plate portion 411 of the mounting frame 41 is disposed between the respective extension plate 51 and the coupling plate 42 so that it acts as a washer.

In such a configuration, even if there exists an error in the distance between the positioning hole 512 and the through hole 511 in any one of the extension plates 51 of the bracket 5 (i.e., for example, the distance between the positioning hole 512 and the through hole 511 in FIG. 6 is larger than that in FIG. 5) due to an imprecise in metal pressing process forming the positioning hole 512 and the through hole 511, for the corresponding coupling device 4, due to the presence of the flexible supporting portions 412, the plate portion 411 is movable relative to the front shell 6 along a direction generally parallel to the plate portion 411 such that the fastener member 43 can firmly engage the fastening hole 424 in the anchoring portion 421 of the coupling plate 42 of the corresponding coupling device 4 with slight deformation of the mounting frame 41, as shown in FIG. 6. Therefore, the Newton's ring phenomenon experienced in the aforesaid conventional flat panel display device can be avoided. Furthermore, while the mounting frame 41 is slightly deformed, the corresponding tubular body 61 on the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6 abuts against the coupling plate 42 so as to maintain a predetermined distance between the coupling plate 42 and the rear surface 60 of the front shell 6 such that a required distance between the front shell 6 and the bracket 5 can be maintained.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A coupling device for a display housing that includes a front shell having a rear surface, and a bracket having a front surface and formed with a through hole, said coupling device comprising:

a mounting frame adapted to be mounted on the rear surface of the front shell, having a plate portion adapted to be disposed adjacent to the front surface of the bracket and formed with a through hole that is adapted to correspond to the through hole in the bracket, said mounting frame further having at least one flexible portion such that said plate portion is movable relative to the front shell along a direction generally parallel to said plate portion;

a coupling plate mounted on said mounting frame such that said plate portion of said mounting frame is disposed between said coupling plate and the bracket; and

a fastening member adapted to extend through the through hole in the bracket, extending through said through hole in said plate portion of said mounting frame, and fastened to said coupling plate so as to couple the bracket to the front shell.

2. The coupling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coupling plate includes an anchoring portion having a first surface adjacent to said plate portion of said mounting frame, and a second surface opposite to said first surface and distal from said plate portion of said mounting frame, said anchoring portion of said coupling plate being formed with a fastening hole that extends from said first surface to said second surface, said fastening hole having a through-hole section that extends from said first surface of said anchoring portion and that converges toward said second surface of said anchoring portion, and a threaded-hole section extending from said second surface of said anchoring portion and connected to said through-hole section, said fastening member further extending through said through-hole section and engaging threadedly said threaded-hole section.

3. The coupling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plate portion of said mounting frame has a curved section.

4. The coupling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plate portion of said mounting frame is flat.

5. The coupling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting frame further includes opposite flexible lateral supporting portions connected respectively to opposite lateral sides of said plate portion and adapted to extend toward the rear surface of the front shell.

6. The coupling device as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of said lateral supporting portions has a projecting member extending inwardly toward the other one of said lateral supporting portions, said coupling plate being disposed between and adjacent to said plate portion and said projecting members of said lateral supporting portions.

7. The coupling device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said projecting member of each of said lateral supporting portions includes two projecting lugs disposed respectively adjacent to two opposite sides of said plate portion.

8. The coupling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said coupling plate has two opposite sides, each of which is formed with a flange extending rearwardly, said plate portion of said mounting frame being disposed between and adjacent to said flanges such that said coupling plate is positioned relative to said plate portion of said mounting frame.

9. The coupling device as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a pair of engaging members adapted to be fixed on the rear surface of the front shell so as to define an open-ended engaging groove between the rear surface of the front shell and each of said engaging members, said mounting frame further including a pair of engaging flanges extending respectively from ends of said lateral supporting portions away from each other and engaging respectively said engaging grooves.

10. The coupling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of said engaging flanges of said mounting frame is generally U-shaped, and has two opposite side flange portions, and a middle flange portion engaging a respective one of said engaging grooves and interconnecting said side flange portions to define a notch among said middle flange portion and said side flange portions, said engaging members engaging respectively and fit tightly said notches in said engaging flanges of said mounting frame so as to posit-ion said engaging flanges on the rear surface of the front shell.

11. A flat panel display device comprising:

a display housing including a front shell having a rear surface, and a bracket having a front surface and formed with a through hole; and

a coupling device including a mounting frame mounted on said rear surface of said front shell, disposed between said front shell and said bracket, and having a plate portion disposed adjacent to said front surface of said bracket and formed with a through hole that corresponds to said through hole in said bracket, said mounting frame further having at least one flexible portion such that said plate portion is movable relative to said front shell along a direction generally parallel to said plate portion, a coupling plate mounted on said mounting frame such that said plate portion of said mounting frame is disposed between said coupling plate and said bracket, and a fastening member extending through said through hole in said bracket and said through hole in said plate portion of said mounting frame, and fastened to said coupling plate so as to couple said bracket to said front shell.

12. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said coupling plate includes an anchoring portion having a first surface adjacent to said plate portion of said mounting frame, and a second surface opposite to said first surface and distal from said plate portion of said mounting frame, said anchoring portion of said coupling plate being formed with a fastening hole that extends from said first surface to said second surface, said fastening hole having a through-hole section that extends from said first surface of said coupling portion and that converges toward said second surface, and a threaded-hole section extending from said second surface of said coupling portion and connected to said through-hole section, said fastening member further extending through said through-hole section and engaging threadedly said threaded-hole section.

13. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said plate portion of said mounting frame has a curved section.

14. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said plate portion of said mounting frame is flat.

15. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said mounting frame further includes opposite flexible lateral supporting portions connected respectively to opposite lateral sides of said plate portion and extending toward said rear surface of said front shell.

16. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 15, wherein each of said lateral supporting portions has a projecting member extending inwardly toward the other one of said lateral supporting portions, said coupling plate being disposed between and adjacent to said plate portion and said projecting members of said lateral supporting portions.

17. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 16, wherein said projecting member of each of said lateral supporting portions includes two projecting lugs disposed respectively adjacent to two opposite sides of said plate portion.

18. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said coupling plate has two opposite sides, each of which is formed with a flange extending rearwardly, said plate portion of said mounting frame being disposed between and adjacent to said flanges such that said coupling plate is positioned relative to said plate portion of said mounting frame.

19. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said coupling device further includes a pair of engaging members fixed on said rear surface of said front shell so as to define an open-ended engaging groove between said rear surface of said front shell and each of said engaging members, said mounting frame further including a pair of engaging flanges extending respectively from ends of said lateral supporting portions away from each other and engaging respectively said engaging grooves.

20. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 19, wherein each of said engaging flanges of said mounting frame is U-shaped, and has two opposite side flange portions, and a middle flange portion engaging a respective one of said engaging grooves and interconnecting said side flange portions to define a notch among said middle flange portion and said side flange portions, said engaging members engaging respectively and fit tightly said notches in said engaging flanges of said mounting frame so as to position said engaging flanges on said rear surface of said front shell.

21. The flat panel display device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said rear surface of said front shell is formed with a hollow tubular body extending rearwardly toward said coupling plate for supporting said coupling plate so as to maintain a predetermined distance between said coupling plate and said rear surface of said front shell, said anchoring portion of said coupling plate having an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of said tubular body.