Direct lit backlight with light recycling and source polarizers
First Claim
1. A direct lit backlight having an output face, comprising:
- a front reflective polarizer;
a back reflector;
a light source disposed between the reflective polarizer and the back reflector; and
a source polarizer at least partially covering the light source;
wherein light transmitted through the source polarizer is partially transmitted and partially reflected by the front reflective polarizer.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Direct lit backlights and associated methods are disclosed in which typically an array of light sources is disposed between a back reflector and a front reflective polarizer. Source polarizers are provided to cover the light sources. Light that passes through the source polarizer towards the front reflective polarizer is partially transmitted and partially reflected by the front reflective polarizer. The partial transmission and reflection can be balanced to enhance illumination uniformity over the output face of the backlight. Direct lit backlights having arrays of polarized light sources are also disclosed, including backlights in which the light sources use LED light sources, and backlights in which the polarized light sources are substantially aligned with each other.
48 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A direct lit backlight having an output face, comprising:
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a front reflective polarizer;
a back reflector;
a light source disposed between the reflective polarizer and the back reflector; and
a source polarizer at least partially covering the light source;
wherein light transmitted through the source polarizer is partially transmitted and partially reflected by the front reflective polarizer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A direct lit backlight, comprising:
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a front reflective polarizer;
a back reflector; and
an array of polarized light sources disposed between the reflective polarizer and the back reflector. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of making a direct lit backlight, comprising:
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providing a front reflective polarizer and a polarization-converting back reflector;
positioning a polarized light source between the front reflective polarizer and the back reflector; and
orienting the polarized light source relative to the front reflective polarizer to achieve a desired illumination across the backlight. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification