Display device

• US 10,241,625 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeong, Chansung, Yoon, Dongjin, Park, Sangtae
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Nicholas J
• Application Number:
  US15/724,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20190004668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0204 Compact construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0271 Housings; Attachments or accessories for photometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0411 using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0414 using plane or convex mirrors, parallel phase plates, or plane beam-splitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0488 with spectral filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/08 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for photometry standard sources, also using luminescent or radioactive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421

Abstract

A display device is disclosed. The display device of present invention comprises a display panel; a light transmitting panel positioned at a front of the display panel, the light transmitting panel including a first edge and a second edge opposite to the first edge; a back cover positioned at a rear of the display panel; and a sensor unit adjacent to a lateral side of the display panel. The sensor unit includes a frame and a optical transmitter and a optical receiver. The optical transmitter includes a optical assembly and a optical bender.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display panel;

a protective panel positioned at a front side of the display panel;

an optical transmitter configured to emit light and positioned outer to a first lateral edge of the protective panel;

an optical receiver configured to sense the light emitted from the optical transmitter and positioned at a second lateral edge of the protective panel opposite the first lateral edge;

wherein the optical transmitter comprises;

a light assembly configured to emit the light; and

a reflective lens comprising a first side configured to reflect the light emitted from the light assembly and a second side configured to emit the reflected light toward the optical receiver,

wherein the second side comprises a first convex light ejecting surface and a second concave light ejecting surface.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein a path of the light between the light assembly and the reflective lens is outer to the first lateral edge of the protective panel.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the light emitted from the light assembly does not pass through the protective panel between the optical transmitter and the reflective lens.

4. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a printed circuit board (PCB), wherein the light assembly and the reflective lens are coupled to the PCB.

5. The display device of claim 1, further comprising an optical filter configured to allow only a particular wavelength of the directed light directed from the reflective lens to pass toward the optical receiver.

6. The display device of claim 5, wherein the particular wavelength corresponds to an infrared light wavelength.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the first side comprises a flat surface.

8. The display device of claim 7, wherein a surface of the second side continuously transitions from the first convex light ejecting surface to the second concave light ejecting surface.

9. The display device of claim 7, wherein the second concave light ejecting surface is adjacent to a third side of the reflective lens positioned to receive the light emitted from the light assembly.

10. The display device of claim 9, wherein the first side further comprises a convex extension surface adjacent to the third side of the reflective lens, wherein a surface of the first side continuously transitions from the flat surface to the convex extension surface.

11. The display device of claim 1 further comprising a frame, wherein the frame comprises:

a first receiving portion configured to accommodate the light assembly; and

a second receiving portion configured to accommodate the reflective lens.

12. The display device of claim 11, wherein the second receiving portion comprises a second receiving portion facing part positioned to face a flat surface of the first side of the reflective lens.

13. The display device of claim 12, wherein a gap between the second receiving portion facing part and the flat surface of the first side increases in a direction toward the optical receiver.

14. The display device of claim 12, wherein the frame further comprises a second receiving portion shielding part adjacent to the second receiving portion facing part, wherein the second receiving portion shielding part is recessed and configured to absorb incident light.

15. The display device of claim 1, wherein the reflective lens is elongated and extends along the first lateral edge of the display panel.

16. The display device of claim 1, wherein the optical receiver comprises:

a light sensor configured to sense light; and

a light directing part configured to direct the light reflected from the reflective lens to the light sensor.

17. The display device of claim 16, wherein:

the optical receiver is positioned outer to the second lateral edge of the protective panel; and

the light directed from the light directing part does not pass through the protective panel between the light directing part and the light sensor.

18. The display device of claim 16, wherein:

the light directing part corresponds to a receiving reflective lens configured to direct the reflected light toward the light sensor; and

the receiving reflective lens comprises;

a receiving first side configured to receive the light reflected from the reflective lens; and

a receiving second side configured to reflect the light received through the receiving first side, such that the reflected light exits the receiving reflective lens through a third side of the reflective lens toward the light sensor.