Light guide member, lighting apparatus using the light guide member, and method of fabricating the light guide member

• US 10,048,431 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hong-seok, Song, Hoon, Yoon, Jun-bo, Lee, Joo-hyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jong-Suk (James)
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsidulko, Mark
• Application Number:
  US15/174,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20160282546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 362610, 362615, 362617, 362618
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0827 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3842 Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/424 Moulding surfaces provided with means for marking or patterning for injection moulding B29C45/372
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0894 provided with masks or diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/0053 Moulding articles characterised by the shape of the surface, e.g. ribs, high polish mould construction therefor B29C33/42; surface shaping of articles B29C59/00; by incorporating filler in or near the surface B29C70/64
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00663 Production of light guides
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2083/00 Use of polymers having silicon, with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only, in the main chain, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects

Abstract

Provided are a light guide member, a lighting apparatus including the light guide member, and a method of fabricating the light guide member. The light guide member comprises: a body, which is formed as a transparent plate, including a first surface and a second surface facing the first surface; and a plurality of dimple type optical controllers formed beneath at least one of the first surface and the second surface and having reflective surfaces that reflect light proceeding between the first and second surfaces of the body toward at least one of the first and second surfaces.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a light guide member, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of protrusion molds on a template having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, each of the plurality of protrusion molds being disposed on the first surface and including a top surface that is wider than a bottom surface and a side surface under the top surface and inclined toward the top surface;

forming a transparent half-processed light guide member having a cross-section corresponding to the plurality of protrusion molds by applying a transparent material on the template on which the plurality of protrusion molds are formed; and

removing the template and the plurality of protrusion molds from the transparent half-processed light guide member so as to form the light guide member, which includes a first surface, a second surface facing the first surface, and a plurality of dimple type optical controllers, corresponding to the protrusion molds, in the first surface, wherein each of the plurality of dimple type optical controllers includes a reflective surface corresponding to the inclined side surface of each of the plurality of protrusion molds,

wherein the forming of the plurality of protrusion molds comprises;

forming a light blocking mask, having openings corresponding to the plurality of protrusion molds, on the first surface of the template, the template being formed of transparent material;

forming a photosensitive layer for forming the plurality of protrusion molds on the first surface of the template to cover the light blocking mask;

irradiating light to the photosensitive layer through the openings of the light blocking mask to form exposure regions corresponding to the shapes of the plurality of protrusion molds in the photosensitive layer, the light being incident to the second surface of the template; and

developing the photosensitive layer to obtain the plurality of protrusion molds from the exposure regions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the light is incident to the second surface of the template as diffused light via a diffusion unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the light is incident to the second surface of the template as parallel light in a first direction inclined with respect to the second surface of the template.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the light guide member is formed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the irradiating of the light further comprises:

irradiating the light to the photosensitive layer through the openings of the light blocking mask, the light being incident to the second surface of the template in a second direction inclined with respect to the second surface of the template, wherein the first direction and the second direction are symmetric with respect to the second surface.