EDGE LIGHTING BACK LIGHT UNIT

• US 20100033988A1
• Filed: 08/05/2009
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Advanced Optoelectronic Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Optoelectronic Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Chiu, Kuan-Her, Chen, Irene
• Application Number:
  US12/535,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033988A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/619
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/001 the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0041 provided in the bulk of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0061 to provide homogeneous light output intensity
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects
• 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

Abstract

An edge lighting back light unit (BLU) includes at least a point illuminant, a light guide unit, and a light guide plate. The light guide unit includes a plurality of micro-structures for breaking the total reflection inside the light guide unit to generate a uniform linear light illuminating outside the light guide unit. Then, the light guide plate could reflect the light from the linear illuminant to form a uniformly planar illuminant. The edge lighting BLU in the present invention could reduce the components, lower the temperature, and avoid the light mura.

Claims

1. A light guide unit of a back light unit (BLU) comprising a plurality of micro-structures for breaking the total reflection inside the light guide unit to generate light illuminating outside the light guide unit, wherein a spatial distribution of the plurality of micro-structures is corresponding to a luminous intensity distribution of light from a point illuminant in the light guide unit for transforming the point illuminant to a uniformly linear illuminant.

2. The light guide unit of claim 1, wherein the light guide unit is a column-shaped light guide unit, and a shape of cross section of the light guide unit is circle, triangle, rectangle, trapezoid, rhombus, or polygon.

3. The light guide unit of claim 1, wherein the micro-structures are protruded from a surface of the light guide unit or caved into the surface of the light guide unit.

4. The light guide unit of claim 3, wherein the shape of the micro-structure is semicircle, V-shape or polyhedral cone, or is irregular shape.

5. The light guide unit of claim 1, wherein an area of each micro-structure is inversely proportional to the luminous intensity distribution in the light guide unit.

6. The light guide unit of claim 1, wherein the micro-structures are identical with each other, and a spatial distribution of the micro-structures is a density distribution of the micro-structures.

7. The light guide unit of claim 6, wherein the density distribution of micro-structures is inversely proportional to the luminous intensity distribution in the light guide unit.

8. The light guide unit of claim 1, wherein the micro-structures are formed by Injection-Molding, Electro Chemical Discharge Machining (ECDM), Laser Beam Machining (LBM), glass molded, or sand blasting.

9. A linear illuminant comprising:

at least a point illuminant; and

a light guide unit having a plurality of micro-structures for breaking the total reflection inside the light guide unit to generate a uniform light illuminating outside the light guide unit;

wherein a spatial distribution of the plurality of micro-structures is corresponding to a luminous intensity distribution of light from a point illuminant in the light guide unit.

10. The linear illuminant of claim 9, wherein the light guide unit is a column-shaped light guide unit, and a shape of cross section of the column-shaped light guide unit is circle, triangle, rectangle, trapezoid, rhombus, or polygon.

11. The linear illuminant of claim 10, wherein the point illuminant emits light into an end of the light guide unit.

12. The linear illuminant of claim 9, wherein the micro-structures are protruded from a surface of the light guide unit or caved into the surface of the light guide unit, and the shape of the micro-structure is semicircle, V-shape or polyhedral cone, or is irregular shape.

13. The linear illuminant of claim 9, wherein an area of each micro-structure is inversely proportional to the luminous intensity distribution in the light guide unit.

14. The linear illuminant claim 9, wherein the micro-structures are identical with each other, and the density distribution of micro-structures is inversely proportional to the luminous intensity distribution in the light guide unit.

15. An edge lighting back light unit (BLU) comprising:

at least a point illuminant;

a light guide unit having a plurality of micro-structures for breaking the total reflection inside the light guide unit to generate a light illuminating outside the light guide unit, wherein a spatial distribution of the plurality of micro-structures is corresponding to a luminous intensity distribution of light from the point illuminant to transform the point illuminant into a uniformly linear illuminant; and

a light guide plate for transforming the linear illuminant to a planar illuminant.

16. The edge lighting BLU of claim 15, wherein the light guide unit is a column-shaped light guide unit and a shape of cross section of the light guide unit is circle, triangle, rectangle, trapezoid, rhombus, or polygon.

17. The edge lighting BLU of claim 16, wherein the micro-structures are protruded from a surface of the light guide unit or caved into the surface of the light guide unit, and the shape of the micro-structure is semicircle, V-shape or polyhedral cone, or is irregular shape.

18. The edge lighting BLU of claim 17, wherein the point illuminant emits light into an end of the light guide unit, and an area of each micro-structure is inversely proportional to the luminous intensity distribution in the light guide unit.

19. The edge lighting BLU of claim 17, wherein the micro-structures are identical with each other and the density distribution of micro-structures is inversely proportional to the luminous intensity distribution in the light guide unit.

20. The edge lighting BLU of claim 15, wherein the light guide unit is positioned on a side of the light guide plate.