BACKLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY

• US 20100271568A1
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JUNG, HYUN JUN, JUNG, SUNG SOO, AN, EUN SERB, BYOUN, DAE HYOUN
• Granted Patent: US 8,947,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/65
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0083 Details of electrical connections of light sources to drivers, circuit boards, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1336 Illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133608 including particular frames or supporting means
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a backlight assembly and a liquid crystal display (LCD) having the same, wherein the backlight assembly includes a light guide panel having a plurality of lateral sides; and a plurality of light source units each emitting light to a respective lateral side of the plurality of lateral sides, wherein at least two lateral sides of the plurality of lateral sides, which receive light emitted from two respective light source units of the plurality of light source units, are neighboring lateral sides, and wherein at least one lateral side is longer than an incident surface which receives light emitted from the light source unit.

Claims

1. A backlight assembly comprising:

a light guide panel having a plurality of lateral sides including at least a first lateral side and a second lateral side, wherein the first and second lateral sides are neighboring lateral sides of the light guide panel; and

a first light source unit and a second light source unit, wherein the first and second light source units face the first and second lateral sides, respectively,

wherein the first lateral side of the light guide panel is longer than an incident surface which receives light emitted from the first light source unit.

2. The backlight assembly according to claim 1, wherein the light guide panel further has stepped portions disposed on the neighboring lateral sides.

3. The backlight assembly according to claim 2, wherein the light guide panel has four corners, and the stepped portions are disposed at the four corners of the light guide panel.

4. The backlight assembly according to claim 2, wherein each of the stepped portions has a depth and a width by which the neighboring lateral sides of the light guide panel are inwardly cut out.

5. The backlight assembly according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of lateral sides of the light guide panel comprise two long sides and two short sides, and the stepped portions comprise first stepped portions and second stepped portions,

wherein the first stepped portions are cut inwardly by a first depth and a first width from the short sides of the light guide panel, and the second stepped portions are cut inwardly by a second depth and a second width from the long sides of the light guide panel and are connectively extended to the first stepped portions.

6. The backlight assembly according to claim 5, wherein one of the first and the second stepped portions has a greater width than the other, such that light emitted from the first light source unit does not overlap with light emitted from the second light source unit.

7. The backlight assembly according to claim 5, wherein one of the first and the second stepped portions has smaller depth and width than the other, so as to cover deformation of the light guide panel caused by thermal expansion.

8. The backlight assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light source units comprises a light emitting diode (LED) and a circuit board applying electric signals to the LED.

9. The backlight assembly according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of lateral sides of the light guide panel include a long side and a short side, and the stepped portions are formed at corners of one of the long side and the short side.

10. The backlight assembly according to claim 2, wherein the lateral sides of the light guide panel include a long side and a short side, and the stepped portions are formed at corners of one of the long side and the short side and at non-corner parts of the other one of the lateral sides of the light guide panel.

11. The backlight assembly according to claim 2, further comprising:

a connector electrically connected with the light source unit, wherein the connector is inserted in a space defined by at least one of the stepped portions.

12. A backlight assembly comprising:

a light guide panel including a first surface and a second surface;

a first light source unit emitting light to the first surface; and

a second light source unit emitting light to the second surface,

wherein the first surface of the light guide panel includes a first area facing the first light source unit to receive the light from the first light source, and a second area extended outward from the first area and disposed adjacent to the second surface of the light guide panel.

13. The backlight assembly according to claim 12, wherein the second surface of the light guide panel includes a first area facing the second light source unit to receive the light from the second light source, and a second area extended outward from the first area of the second surface and disposed adjacent to the first surface of the light guide panel.

14. The backlight assembly according to claim 12, wherein the first surface of the light guide panel is shorter than the second surface of the light guide panel.

15. The backlight assembly according to claim 12, wherein the second area of the first surface and the second area of the second surface each have a stepped part which is stepped inward from the light guide panel.

16. The backlight assembling according to claim 13, wherein the second area of the first surface is longer than the second area of the second surface.

17. A liquid crystal display (LCD) comprising a liquid crystal panel that displays images, and a backlight assembly that supplies light to the liquid crystal panel,

wherein the backlight assembly comprises:

a light guide panel having at least one cut part;

a plurality of light source units arranged along lateral sides of the light guide panel;

a lower cover having at least one supporting part corresponding to the cut part of the light guide panel; and

at least one stepped part disposed at a lateral corner of the light guide panel, being extended from borders with incident surfaces facing the light source units.

18. The LCD according to claim 17, wherein the cut part comprises first cut parts and second cut parts disposed at long sides and short sides of the light guide panel, respectively, and

the supporting part comprises first supporting parts and second supporting parts fitted with the first cut parts and the second cut parts, respectively.

19. The LCD according to claim 18, wherein one or more first and the second cut parts are disposed at predetermined intervals on the long side and the short side of the light guide panel, respectively.

20. The LCD according to claim 18, wherein the light guide panel further comprises sub-cut parts disposed substantially in the middle of the whole lengths of the first and the second cut parts, and

the lower cover comprises sub-supporting parts correspondingly fitted with the sub-cut parts.

21. The LCD according to claim 17, wherein the light guide panel further comprise a reflection sheet having a cut part for connection with the lower cover.

22. The LCD according to claim 17, wherein the at least one stepped part comprises first stepped parts cut inwardly by predetermined depth and width from the short sides of the light guide panel, and second stepped parts cut inwardly by predetermined depth and width from the long sides of the light guide panel and connectively extended to the first stepped parts.

23. The LCD according to claim 17, wherein the lateral sides of the light guide panel include a long side and a short side, and

the at least one stepped part is formed at a corner of one of the long side and the short side.

24. The backlight assembly according to claim 17, wherein the lateral sides of the light guide panel include a long side and a short side, and

the at least one stepped part includes a plurality of stepped parts which are formed at corners of one of the long side and the short side and at non-corner parts of the other one of the lateral sides of the light guide panel.

25. The backlight assembly according to claim 17, further comprising:

a connector electrically connected with the light source unit, wherein the connector is inserted in a space defined by the at least one stepped part.

26. The LCD according to claim 21, wherein the reflection sheet is partially cut to have a stepped area corresponding to the position of the at least one stepped part.

27. A display device comprising:

a signal processing unit processing image signals and audio signals received from the outside;

a liquid crystal panel displaying the image signals supplied from the signal processing unit; and

a backlight assembly supplying light to the liquid crystal panel,

wherein the backlight assembly comprises a light guide panel having at least one cut part, a plurality of light source units arranged along lateral sides of the light guide panel, a lower cover having at least one supporting part corresponding to the cut part of the light guide panel; and

at least one stepped part disposed at a of lateral corner of the light guide panel, being extended from borders with incident surfaces facing the light source units.

28. A backlight assembly comprising:

a light guide panel having a plurality of lateral sides; and

a plurality of light source units each emitting light to a respective lateral side of the plurality of lateral sides,

wherein at least two lateral sides of the plurality of lateral sides, which receive light emitted from two respective light source units of the plurality of light source units, are neighboring lateral sides, and

wherein at least one lateral side is longer than an incident surface which receives light emitted from the light source unit and at least one lateral side has a stepped portion.