Illuminating device and display device

• US 20070263137A1
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Yagyu, Shingo, Yamazaki, Tetsuhiro, Shigeta, Masanobu
• Application Number:
  US11/797,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20070263137A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/63
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133616 Front illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3167 for polarizing the light beam polarizing optical systems per se G02B27/28

Abstract

To provide a illuminating device that is of small size, light weight and that has lower production costs for illuminating a reflective type liquid crystal display device that performs high contrast, moreover high definition and high-quality image display, thereby enabling realization of an image display that is of small size and light weight and that can be produced at low-cost. The display device comprises a light source 5 disposed in a lateral position in relation to the image display surface 3 of the reflective type liquid crystal display device 2, that emits linearly polarized light, and a plurality of reflecting members 6 disposed to the front of the image display surface 3 and separated from the image display surface 3, that reflect light emitted from the light source 5 and inject this light substantially perpendicularly in relation to the image display surface 3. The plurality of reflecting members 6 are arranged to the front of part of the region of the image display surface 3 of the reflective type liquid crystal display device 2 and at least part of the light injected into the image display surface 3 that is reflected by the image display surface 3 is emitted toward the forward side of the image display surface 3.

Claims

1. A illuminating device used for illumination of a reflective type liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a light source part that is arranged in a lateral position in relation to the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device, that emits linear polarized light in a direction substantially parallel to the image display surface; and

a plurality of reflecting members, arranged in front of the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device and separated from the image display surface, that reflect the light emitted from the light source part and inject that light substantially vertically in relation to the image display surface,

wherein the plurality of reflective members are arranged to the front of part of the region of the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device and at least part of the light injected into the image display surface that is reflected by the image display surface is emitted toward the forward side of the image display surface.

2. The illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflecting members are arranged in front of not more than half of the region of the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device.

3. The illuminating device according to claim 1, the plurality of reflective members are such that the ratio of the pitch of the reflective members to the width of that part that the reflected light from the reflective members cannot pass is not greater than 0.07.

4. The illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflecting members are arranged inside a transparent, plane parallel plate arranged parallel to the image display surface and in front of the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device.

5. The illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflecting members are the side wall faces of either groove parts or concave parts formed in the front part of a transparent, plane parallel plate arranged parallel to the image display surface and in front of the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device.

6. The illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflecting members are arranged above the rear part of a transparent, plane parallel plate arranged parallel to the image display surface and in front of the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device.

7. The illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflecting members are the side wall faces of either convex parts or concave parts formed in the front part of a transparent, plane parallel plate arranged parallel to the image display surface and in front of the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device.

8. The illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein a light absorbing member is disposed in the part surrounding the reflecting member.

9. A displaying device comprising:

the illuminating device according to claim 1;

a reflective type liquid crystal display device illuminated by that illuminating device; and

an optical imaging system into which light reflected from the reflective type liquid crystal display device is injected, that forms either an actual or a virtual image of the image display surface of a reflective type liquid crystal display device,

wherein the optical imaging system operates such that when the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device accommodates a determined focal depth, the plurality of reflecting members are outside that focal depth.

10. A illuminating device that utilizes illumination of a reflective type liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a light source arranged in a lateral position in relation to the image display surface of a reflective type liquid crystal display device, that emits light that is substantially parallel to the image display surface; and

bologram elements disposed in front of the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device and separated from the image display surface, that diffracts at least a part of the light emitted from the light source, and injects this diffracted light into the image display surface at an angle within a determined range centered around a direction perpendicular to the image display surface,

wherein light is injected into the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device and modulated light modulated and reflected by this reflective type liquid crystal display device passes the hologram elements and is emitted to the frontal side of the image display surface.

11. The illuminating device according to claim 10, wherein the hologram elements only diffract those light elements among the light emitted from the light source that are of a determined polarization, and do not exert any diffraction effect on incoming light of a polarization orthogonal to that determined polarization.

12. The illuminating device according to claim 10, wherein the hologram elements focus, or scatter and diffract light from the light source.

13. A display device comprising:

the illuminating device according to the claim 10;

a reflective type liquid crystal display device illuminated by that illuminating device; and

an optical imaging system into which modulated light reflected from the reflective type liquid crystal display device is injected, that forms either an actual or a virtual image of the image display surface of a reflective type liquid crystal display device,

wherein the angle of light input from hologram elements to the image display surface of the reflective type liquid crystal display device which angle is within a determined range centered around a direction perpendicular to the image display surface, is the angle obtained as the light, after being reflected by the reflective type liquid crystal display device, is input to the optical imaging system.