Optical member, method of manufacturing the optical member, and display device having the optical member

• US 20070086191A1
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Jin-Sung, Park, Jheen-Hyeok, Ha, Ju-Hwa, Joo, Byung-Yun, Paek, Jung-Wook
• Application Number:
  US11/525,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20070086191A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/268
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• 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: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members

Abstract

An optical member that lends itself to be more cost-effectively manufactured than a conventional optical member is presented. A display device made with the optical member can be thinner than the conventional optical member. The optical member includes a light-incident face that receives light emitted from a lamp positioned at a side of the optical member, a light-exiting face that is in a plane perpendicular to the light-incident face, and a light reflecting face opposite to the light-exiting face. A light-concentrating pattern having a plurality of concentric circles is formed on the light-exiting face. The light-concentrating pattern may be the Fresnel lens pattern. A diffusing pattern for diffusing the light is formed on the light reflecting face. Since patterns are formed on the optical member, additional optical sheet such as a prism sheet, a reflective polarizing sheet, a diffusion sheet, etc., is unnecessary.

Claims

1. An optical member comprising:

a light-incident face receiving light that is emitted by a lamp positioned by a side of the optical member;

a light-exiting face extending in a plane that is perpendicular to the plane of the light-incident face, the light-exiting face having a light-concentrating pattern that includes a plurality of concentric circles; and

a light reflecting face that is opposite to the light-exiting face.

2. The optical member of claim 1, wherein the light-concentrating pattern is a Fresnel lens pattern.

3. The optical member of claim 1, wherein the light reflecting face has a diffusing pattern diffusing and reflecting the light.

4. An optical member comprising:

a diffusion plate including a light-incident face receiving light that is emitted from a lamp and a light-exiting face that is opposite to the light-incident face; and

a lens sheet attached to the diffusion plate, the lens sheet having a lens array that includes a plurality of convex lenses making contact with the diffusion plate.

5. The optical member of claim 4, wherein each of the convex lenses has a semi-elliptical shape.

6. The optical member of claim 4, wherein the light-incident face has a light-concentrating pattern including a plurality of concentric circles that function as a prism.

7. The optical member of claim 6, wherein the light-concentrating pattern has a Fresnel lens pattern.

8. The optical member of claim 4, further comprising a light-concentrating sheet attached to the light-incident face, the light-concentrating sheet having a light-concentrating pattern that includes a plurality of concentric circles.

9. A method of manufacturing an optical member, comprising:

forming a coating film on a light-exiting face of a transparent resin plate;

patterning the coating film using a mold that has grooves of a pattern that is the reverse of a light-concentrating pattern, to form the light-concentrating pattern having a plurality of concentric circles that function as a prism on the coating film; and

hardening the light-concentrating pattern.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the coating film comprises an ultraviolet curable resin.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the light-concentrating pattern has a Fresnel lens pattern.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising forming a diffusing pattern on a light reflecting face of the transparent resin plate that is opposite to the light-exiting face.

13. A method of manufacturing an optical member, comprising:

forming a lens sheet on a light-exiting face of a diffusion plate, the lens sheet having an array of convex lenses making contact with the light-exiting face; and

forming a light-concentrating pattern on a light-incident face of the diffusion plate that is opposite to the light-exiting face, the light-concentrating pattern having a plurality of concentric circles.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein forming the lens sheet comprises:

forming a coating film on a base film;

patterning the coating film using a first master mold that has grooves of a pattern that is reverse of the array of convex lenses;

hardening the array of convex lenses; and

attaching the array of convex lenses to the light-exiting face for allowing the convex lenses to make contact with the light-exiting face.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the coating film comprises an ultraviolet curable resin.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein each convex lens in the array has a semi-elliptical shape.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein forming the light-concentrating pattern comprises:

forming a coating film on a base film;

patterning the coating film using a second master mold that has grooves of a pattern that is reverse of the light-concentrating pattern, to form a light-concentrating sheet having the light-concentrating pattern;

hardening the light-concentrating sheet; and

attaching the light-concentrating sheet to the light-incident face.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the coating film comprises an ultraviolet curable resin.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the light-concentrating pattern has a Fresnel lens pattern.

20. A display device comprising:

a lamp emitting light;

an optical member including a light-incident face and a light reflecting face that are opposite each other and a light-exiting face in a plane that is perpendicular to the light-incident face and the light-reflecting face, the light-incident face receiving the light from the lamp and having a light-concentrating pattern including a plurality of concentric circles; and

a display panel arranged on the light-exiting face of the optical member to display an image.

21. The display device of claim 20, wherein the light-concentrating pattern has a Fresnel lens pattern.

22. The display device of claim 20, further comprising:

a reflection plate positioned under the optical member; and

a diffusion sheet placed on the optical member.

23. A display device comprising:

lamps arranged parallel to each other and emitting light;

an optical member positioned to receive the light from the lamps, the optical member including a diffusion plate that includes a light-incident face and a light-exiting face that are opposite each other and a lens sheet attached to the diffusion plate, wherein the lens sheet has a lens array that includes a plurality of convex lenses making contact with the diffusion plate; and

a display panel positioned on the optical member to display an image.

24. The display device of claim 23, wherein each of the convex lenses has a semi-elliptical shape.

25. The display device of claim 23, wherein the light-incident face has a light-concentrating pattern including a plurality of concentric circles.

26. The display device of claim 25, wherein the light-concentrating pattern has a Fresnel lens pattern.

27. The display device of claim 23, further comprising a diffusion plate placed under the lamps.