Surface light source and light guide used therefor

• US 20050237768A1
• Filed: 08/15/2003
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Rayon Company Limited (Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Rayon Company Limited (Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Hiroki, Yamashita, Tomoyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,139,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/620
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side

Abstract

A light guide (4) for guiding light emitted from a primary light source (2), having a light incident face (41) which light emitted from the primary light source (2) enters and a light emitting face (43) from which the guided light is emitted. The light emitting face (43) is uneven surface having a large number of micro convex curved surface areas. The average slant angle θa is 0.3° to 30°. The ten-point average roughness Rz is 0.7 μm to 10 μm. A light deflector (6) composed of a prism sheet is disposed beside the light emitting face (43).

Claims

1. A plate-shaped light guide for a planar light source device, which guides light emitted from a primary light source, the light guide comprising:

a light incident face which the light emitted from the primary light source enters and a light emitting face from which the guided light is emitted,

wherein the light emitting face is a finely uneven surface, an average slant angle θ

a of the finely uneven surface is in a range of 0.3°

to 30°

, and a ten-point average roughness Rz is in a range of 0.7 μ

m to 10 μ

m.

2. The light guide for the planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein a central-line average roughness Ra of the finely uneven surface is in a range of 0.08 μ

m to 1.5 μ

m.

3. The light guide for the planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein the finely uneven surface includes a large number of micro convex curved surface areas.

4. The light guide for the planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide has a rectangular plate shape, and the light incident face is formed corresponding to one edge of the rectangular plate-shaped light guide.

5. The light guide for the planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide has a rectangular plate shape, and the light incident face is formed corresponding to one corner portion of the rectangular plate-shaped light guide.

6. A planar light source device comprising:

the light guide for the planar light source device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;

the primary light source disposed adjacent to the light incident face of the light guide; and

a sheet-shaped light deflection element disposed adjacent to the light emitting face of the light guide, the light deflection element comprising;

a light incoming surface positioned facing the light emitting face of the light guide; and

a light outgoing surface on the opposite side, a plurality of elongated prisms being juxtaposed and formed on the light incoming surface.

7. The planar light source device according to claim 6, wherein each of the elongated prisms of the light deflection element linearly extends substantially in a direction parallel to an edge of the light guide facing the light incident face.

8. The planar light source device according to claim 6, wherein each of the elongated prisms of the light deflection element circularly extends substantially centering on a corner portion corresponding to the light incident face of the light guide.

9. The planar light source device according to claim 7, wherein the primary light source is a linear light source extending in a direction substantially parallel to an edge corresponding to the light incident face of the light guide.

10. The planar light source device according to claim 8, wherein the primary light source is a spot light source disposed adjacent to a corner portion corresponding to the light incident face of the light guide.