ILLUMINATION DEVICE AND LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20110304798A1
• Filed: 06/10/2010
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: TANAKA, Atsuyuki, MASUDA, Takeshi, SUMINOE, Shinji, ITOH, Kohji
• Application Number:
  US12/797,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20110304798A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/64
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133603 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133605 including specially adapted reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133608 including particular frames or supporting means

Abstract

An illumination device 10 includes a diffusion plate 13 for diffusing light emitted from light sources 17, which diffusion plate 13 is fixed on first partition walls 11 and provided on upper sides of light source blocks 18. The arrangement makes it possible to provide a high-quality illumination device and a high-quality liquid crystal display device in each of which unevenness in luminance and color is restrained so that a luminance distribution becomes constant.

Claims

1. An illumination device capable of adjusting luminance per light-emitting region, comprising:

first partition walls by which a plurality of light-emitting regions are separated;

light sources each for emitting light having different wavelengths, the light sources being provided in a respective of the plurality of light-emitting regions;

second partition walls which are provided higher than the first partition walls and which enclose the plurality of light-emitting regions;

optical means for diffusing the light emitted from each of the light sources, the optical means being supported by the second partition walls; and

a diffusion section for diffusing the light emitted from the each of the light sources, the diffusion section being fixed on the first partition walls so as to be disposed on upper sides of the plurality of light-emitting regions.

2. The illumination device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

fixing members for fixing the diffusion section to the first partition walls,

each of the fixing members including a support section for supporting the optical means.

3. The illumination device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

each of the first partition walls has a bottom surface whose length in a width direction is longer than that of a top surface of the each of the first partition walls, where (i) the top surface is a surface, of the each of the first partition walls, that has contact with the diffusion section, (ii) the bottom surface is another surface, of the each of the first partition walls, that has contact with a plane on which the light sources are provided, and (iii) the width direction is a direction that defines a thickness of the each of the first partition walls, and

the each of the first partition walls has a side surface with respect to the top surface which side surface is formed at least partially in a recessed curved-surface shape.

4. The illumination device as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

the recessed curved-surface shape is formed such that a part of the side surface of the each of the first side walls draws a part of an ellipse, in a cross-sectional plane of the each of the first side walls which plane cuts across along a direction vertical to an extending direction of the each of the first partition walls.

5. The illumination device as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

the recessed curved-surface shape is formed such that a part of the side surface of the each of the first side walls draws a part of a parabola, in a cross-sectional plane of the each of the first side walls which plane cuts across along a direction vertical to an extending direction of the each of the first partition walls.

6. The illumination device as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

each of the second partition walls has a surface which faces a corresponding first partition wall and which at least partially has a recessed curved-surface shape so as to form a pair with a curved-surface shape of the corresponding first partition wall.

7. The illumination device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

each of the light sources is an LED element.

8. The illumination device as set forth in claim 3, wherein a circuit component for driving a corresponding light source is provided inside a corresponding first partition wall.

9. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

an illumination device as set forth in claim 1; and

a liquid crystal panel.