Light-emitting apparatus having a plurality of overlapping panels forming recesses from which light is emitted

• US 20060221610A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chew, Tong Fatt, Pang, Siew It, Ng, Fook Chuin, Poh, Ju Chin
• Application Number:
  US11/097,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20060221610A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/247
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/005 provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/008 of the partially overlapping type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0085 Means for removing heat created by the light source from the package heat extraction or cooling elements for semiconductor light sources in general H01L33/64
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133603 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side

Abstract

In one embodiment, a light-emitting apparatus includes a substrate having i) a plurality of overlapping panels that form acute angles with respect to an imaginary surface that bisects the overlapping panels, and ii) a plurality of recesses formed between overlapping portions of the overlapping panels. The recesses are open to the first side of the substrate, and the first side of the substrate has a reflective surface. A plurality of light sources is positioned to emanate light from the recesses.

Claims

1. Light-emitting apparatus, comprising:

a substrate having i) a plurality of overlapping panels that form acute angles with respect to an imaginary surface that bisects the overlapping panels, and ii) a plurality of recesses formed between overlapping portions of the overlapping panels, wherein the recesses are open to a first side of the substrate, and wherein the first side of the substrate has a reflective surface; and

a plurality of light sources, positioned to emanate light from the recesses.

2. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the light sources is positioned such that its emitted light is at least partially blocked by an overhanging surface of one of the recesses.

3. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a light conditioner, positioned over the first side of the substrate so as to condition and pass light reflected from the first side of the substrate.

4. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of the light sources is positioned such that its emitted light is at least partially blocked by an overhanging surface of one of the recesses, and wherein the position(s) of the light source(s) and height(s) and width(s) of the recess(es) cause any light traveling directly between the light source(s) and the light conditioner to be reflected from the light conditioner toward the first side of the substrate.

5. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein each recess comprises at least first and second reflective surfaces, positioned to face each other from opposite sides of each light source.

6. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflective surface is a diffused reflective surface.

7. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 6, wherein the diffused reflective surface comprises dot patterns of diffused reflective surfaces.

8. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a specular reflective layer positioned below the dot patterns of diffused reflective surfaces.

9. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 6, wherein the diffused reflective surface is a uniform diffused surface.

10. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first reflective surface is a specular reflective surface.

11. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first reflective surfaces is a polarizing reflective surface.

12. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein each light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

13. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 12, wherein the LEDs comprise differently colored LEDs.

14. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 13, wherein ones of the LEDs have a luminous intensity spatial distribution having rotational symmetry about its optical axis.

15. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 13, wherein ones of the LEDs have an oval-shaped luminous intensity spatial distribution, with distinct major and minor axes in their luminous intensity spatial distribution.

16. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 15, wherein the oval-shaped luminous intensity spatial distribution has a viewing angle of between 20°

and 90°

in the minor axis, and a viewing angle of between 60° and

180°

in the major axis.

17. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 15, wherein the minor axis of the luminous intensity spatial distribution is oriented substantially perpendicular to the reflective surface of the substrate, and wherein the major axis of the luminous intensity spatial distribution is oriented substantially parallel to the reflective surface.

18. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 12, wherein the LEDs forming a given one of the light sources comprise a plurality of LED chips formed on a common substrate, with the LED chips being covered by an encapsulant.

19. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 12, wherein the LEDs forming a given one of the light sources are mounted on a substrate that is perpendicular to the LEDs'"'"' optical axes.

20. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 12, wherein the LEDs forming a given one of the light sources are mounted on a substrate that is parallel to the LEDs'"'"' optical axes.

21. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the light sources is mounted on a surface that is substantially perpendicular to one of the plurality of overlapping panels of the substrate.

22. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the light sources is mounted to the first side of the substrate.

23. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the light sources is mounted to one of the overhanging surfaces, within one of said recesses.

24. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light sources in at least some of the recesses are mounted on two or more surfaces of the recesses.

25. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more heat dissipating elements that are coupled to a second side of the substrate, opposite the first side.

26. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a number of heat dissipating elements that are coupled to the light sources.

27. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the overlapping panels form acute angles of between 0°

and 30°

with said imaginary surface.

28. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising second light conditioners positioned in or about said recesses to receive and condition the light emitted by the light sources.

29. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 28, wherein at least one of the second light conditioners is a light diffuser.

30. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 28, wherein at least one of the second light conditioners is prismatic.

31. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 28, wherein at least one of the second light conditioners is a holographic light diffuser.

32. The light-emitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of component parts.

33. A liquid crystal display (LCD), comprising:

a liquid crystal display panel having a plurality of LCD elements; and

a backlight positioned behind the display panel, the backlight comprising;

a substrate having i) a plurality of overlapping panels that form acute angles with respect to an imaginary surface that bisects the overlapping panels, and ii) a plurality of recesses formed between overlapping portions of the overlapping panels, wherein the recesses are open to the first side of the substrate, and wherein the first side of the substrate has a reflective surface; and

a plurality of light sources, positioned to emanate light from the recesses.

34. The LCD of claim 33, wherein at least one of the light sources is positioned such that its emitted light is at least partially blocked by an overhanging surface of one of the recesses.

35. The LCD of claim 33, further comprising a light conditioner, positioned over the first side of the substrate so as to condition and pass light reflected from the first side of the substrate.

36. The LCD of claim 35, wherein at least one of the light sources is positioned such that its emitted light is at least partially blocked by an overhanging surface of one of the recesses, and wherein the position(s) of the light source(s) and height(s) and width(s) of the recess(es) cause any light traveling directly between the light source(s) and the light conditioner to be reflected from the light conditioner toward the first side of the substrate.

37. The LCD of claim 35, wherein the light conditioner comprises one or more light diffusing layers.

38. The LCD of claim 35, wherein the light conditioner comprises one or more prismatic layers.

39. The LCD of claim 35, wherein the light conditioner comprises one or more light polarizing layers.