BACKLIGHT DEVICE, LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY APPARATUS, AND LIGHT DEFLECTING SHEET

• US 20090237593A1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hoshi, Mitsunari
• Granted Patent: US 8,107,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/62
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0021 for housing at least a part of the light source, e.g. by forming holes or recesses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133603 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133607 the light controlling member including light directing or refracting elements, e.g. prisms or lenses

Abstract

According to the present invention, by controlling the angular distribution of the light outputted from a light guide plate to enable the angular brightness distribution of the light emitted from a backlight device to be controlled, the thickness of a liquid crystal display apparatus having the backlight device is reduced as well as the brightness is improved due to the reduction in returned light amount. Furthermore, since light is sufficiently mixed in the light guide plate, light sources with comparative large unevenness are enabled to be used.

A backlight device according to the present invention includes a hole or a projection formed on the light outgoing plane of a light guide plate or the back plane opposing the light-outgoing plane, and a side face of the hole or the projection is directed roughly perpendicularly to the light-outgoing plane. Furthermore, specular reflection plates are arranged on the bottom plane and the side faces of the light guide plate. The angular distribution of light from a light source is maintained due to the roughly perpendicular side face of the hole or the projection so that the light is led within the light guide plate and outputted outside.

Claims

1. A backlight device comprising a light guide plate and at least one light source so that light is outputted outside from a light-outgoing plane of the light guide plate,

wherein the light guide plate includes a hole or a projection formed on the light outgoing plane or the back plane opposing the light-outgoing plane, and a side face of the hole or the projection is directed roughly perpendicularly to the light-outgoing plane or the back plane.

2. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide plate includes at least one opening formed therein so as to accommodate the light source therein.

3. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the side face of the hole or the projection provided on the light guide plate has a function to totally reflect almost entire light emitted from the nearest light source.

4. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the hole or the projection provided on the light guide plate is a circle or an ellipse.

5. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the hole or the projection provided on the light guide plate is a polygon.

6. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the hole or the projection provided on the light guide plate is a square.

7. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the shapes of the holes or the projections provided in the light guide plate are all the same.

8. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide plate is provided with a reflection structure composed of a specular reflection member arranged on at least one side of the side faces of the light guide plate.

9. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein shapes of a plurality of the holes or the projections arranged on the light guide plate are selected in accordance with the position from the light source so that the light emitted from the light source is difficult to be outside derived in the vicinity of the light source while the light emitted from the light source is easily outside derived at a comparatively distant place from the light source.

10. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode.

11. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a light source emitting multi-color light.

12. The backlight device according to claim 1, wherein the light source includes a light source having strong intensity distribution in a lateral direction.

13. The backlight device according to claim 12, wherein the ratio L/H of the height H of the projection provided on the light guide plate to the length L of the cross-section of the projection is:

L/H≧

tan α

,

where α

denotes an angle at which the light amount emitted from the light source having strong intensity distribution in a lateral direction is reduced to 25% of that at the main peak angle.

14. The backlight device according to claim 9, wherein the opening for arranging the light source therein has a columnar shape with side faces directed roughly perpendicularly to the light-outgoing plane of the light guide plate and the upper face roughly parallel thereto.

15. The backlight device according to claim 1, further comprising a light deflecting sheet arranged on the light-outgoing plane of the light guide plate,

wherein the light deflecting sheet outputs incident light having a specific angular distribution to have the angular brightness distribution including a peak in a specific direction relative to the light-outgoing plane of the light deflecting sheet.

16. The backlight device according to claim 15, wherein the light deflecting sheet is configured by juxtaposing pyramidal concave structures or concave structures with two triangular inclines and two trapezoidal inclines at least on the light-outgoing plane.

17. The backlight device according to claim 16, wherein the apex angle the pyramidal concave structure ranges from 66°

to 78°

.

18. The backlight device according to claim 16, wherein the angle defined by the two trapezoids constituting the concave structure ranges from 66°

to 78°

.

19. A liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a transmission liquid crystal display panel and a backlight device for illuminating the liquid crystal display panel from the back side,

wherein the backlight device includes a light guide plate and a light source assembled in the light guide plate, and

wherein the light guide plate is provided with a hole or a projection formed on a light-outgoing plane of the light guide plate or the back plane opposing the light-outgoing plane, and a side face of the hole or the projection is directed roughly perpendicularly to the light-outgoing plane or the back plane.

20. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a light deflecting sheet provided on the light outgoing plane of the light guide plate,

wherein the light deflecting sheet outputs incident light having a specific angular distribution with angular brightness distribution having a peak in a specific direction.

21. A light deflecting sheet arranged on a light outgoing plane of a light guide plate, the light deflecting sheet mixing light from a light source so as to derive the light outside and comprising pyramidal concave structures or concave structures with two triangular inclines and two trapezoidal inclines, the concave structures being juxtaposed at least on the light-outgoing plane.

22. The light deflecting sheet according to claim 21, wherein the apex angle of the pyramidal concave structure ranges from 66°

to 78°

.

23. The light deflecting sheet according to claim 21, wherein the angle defined by two trapezoids constituting the concave structure ranges from 66°

to 78°

.