Backlight assembly and liquid crystal display device having the same

• US 20060171139A1
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Joong-Hyun, Hwang, In-Sun
• Application Number:
  US11/272,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20060171139A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/29
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133604 with lamps
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device includes a backlight assembly and an LCD device associated with the backlight assembly. The backlight assembly includes a flat fluorescent lamp, a brightness enhancement member and a light diffusing member. The flat fluorescent lamp has a plurality of discharge spaces which generate light. The brightness enhancement member is on the flat fluorescent lamp, and guides the light generated from the flat fluorescent lamp toward a viewer'"'"'s side of the liquid crystal display device. The diffusion member is on the brightness enhancement member, and diffuses the guided light.

Claims

1. A backlight assembly comprising:

a flat fluorescent lamp having a plurality of discharge spaces to generate light;

a brightness enhancement member supported in operative relationships with the flat fluorescent lamp; and

a light diffusing member positioned on the brightness enhancement member.

2. The backlight assembly of claim 1, wherein the brightness enhancement member comprises a prism pattern having a plurality of triangular-shaped prism members that are adjacent to one another.

3. The backlight assembly of claim 2, wherein the brightness enhancement member further comprises a transparent film, and the prism pattern is formed on the transparent film.

4. The backlight assembly of claim 2, wherein the brightness enhancement member further comprises a transparent plate, and the prism pattern is formed on the transparent plate.

5. The backlight assembly of claim 2, wherein an interior angle of adjacent sides of walls of the prism members ranges from about 600°

to about 120°

.

6. The backlight assembly of claim 2, wherein a pitch between adjacent prisms is from about 10 μ

m to about 100 μ

m.

7. The backlight assembly of claim 5, wherein a pitch between adjacent prisms is from about 10 μ

m to about 100 μ

m.

8. The backlight assembly of claim 5, wherein a surface of the flat fluorescent lamp is spaced apart from a surface of the brightness enhancement member by a distance of from about 1 mm to about 10 mm.

9. The backlight assembly of claim 2, wherein an interior angle of adjacent sides of walls of the prism members is about 90°

, and a pitch between adjacent prisms is about 50 μ

m.

10. The backlight assembly of claim 9, wherein the flat fluorescent lamp is spaced apart from the brightness enhancement member by a distance of about 3 mm to about 4 mm.

11. The backlight assembly of claim 2, wherein an interior angle of adjacent sides of walls of the prism members is about 68°

, and a pitch between adjacent prisms is about 50 μ

m.

12. The backlight assembly of claim 11, wherein the flat fluorescent lamp is spaced apart from the brightness enhancement member by a distance of about 3 mm to about 4 mm.

13. The backlight assembly of claim 2, wherein a peak of each of the prisms is rounded.

14. The backlight assembly of claim 2, wherein the flat fluorescent lamp comprises:

a lamp body having a plurality of discharge spaces that are spaced apart from one another; and

an electrode on an end portion of the lamp body, the electrode crossing the discharge spaces.

15. The backlight assembly of claim 14, wherein the lamp body comprises:

a first substrate; and

a second substrate combined with the first substrate to form the discharge spaces, the second substrate including;

a plurality of discharge space portions spaced apart from the first substrate;

a plurality of space dividing portions between the discharge space portions, the space dividing portions making contact with the first substrate; and

a sealing portion that surrounds the discharge space portions and the space dividing portions, the sealing portion making contact with a peripheral portion of the first substrate.

16. The backlight assembly of claim 15, wherein the backlight assembly includes a plurality of prism patterns, and at least some of the space dividing portions have an associated prism pattern.

17. The backlight assembly of claim 1, wherein the light diffusing member comprises a diffusion plate.

18. The backlight assembly of claim 17, wherein the diffusion member further comprises at least one diffusion sheet on the diffusion plate.

19. The backlight assembly of claim 1, wherein the diffusion member comprises at least one diffusion sheet.

20. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a backlight assembly including;

a flat fluorescent lamp having a plurality of discharge spaces to generate light;

a brightness enhancement member supported in operative relationships with the flat fluorescent lamp; and

a diffusion member on the brightness enhancement member, the diffusion member diffusing the guided light; and

a liquid crystal display panel on the diffusion member.

21. The liquid crystal display device of claim 20, wherein the brightness enhancement member comprises a prism pattern having a plurality of triangular-shaped prism members that are adjacent to one another.

22. The liquid crystal display device of claim 21, wherein an interior angle of adjacent sides of walls of the prism members ranges from about 60°

to about 120 and a pitch between adjacent prisms is about 10 μ

m to about 100 μ

m.

23. The liquid crystal display device of claim 21, wherein a pitch between adjacent prisms is from about 10 μ

m to about 100 μ

m.

24. The liquid crystal display device of claim 22, wherein a pitch between adjacent prisms is from about 10 μ

m to about 100 μ

m.

25. The liquid crystal display device of claim 20, wherein the flat fluorescent lamp is spaced apart from the brightness enhancement member by a distance of about 1 mm to about 10 mm.

26. The liquid crystal display device of claim 20, wherein the diffusion member further comprises at least one diffusion sheet on the diffusion plate.

27. The liquid crystal display device of claim 20, wherein the backlight assembly further comprises:

a receiving container adapted to support the flat fluorescent lamp; and

an inverter that applies a discharge voltage to the flat fluorescent lamp to generate the light.

28. The liquid crystal display device of claim 27, wherein the backlight assembly further comprises:

an insulating member interposed between the flat fluorescent lamp and the receiving container, the insulating member supporting the flat fluorescent lamp;

a first frame interposed between the flat fluorescent lamp and the brightness enhancement member, the first frame fixing the flat fluorescent lamp; and

a second frame interposed between the diffusion member and the liquid crystal display panel, the second frame securing the brightness enhancement member and the diffusion member.