LIGHT GUIDE MODULE

• US 20150226907A1
• Filed: 11/27/2014
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: HU, Chia-Chuang, HSIAO, Shu-Li
• Application Number:
  US14/555,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20150226907A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0018 Redirecting means on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0045 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 19/30 Illumination of dials or hands dials in general G04B19/06; moving indicating means with numbers or hands, in general G04B19/20; arrangements for indicating different local apparent times by means of a globe illuminated from inside G04B19/22; continuous indication of the time by non-electric light sources G04B25/00, e.g. by electric lamps G04C17/02; illumination by electric lamps which function at fixed times or periodically G04C19/02; illuminated panels G09F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0041 Illumination devices

Abstract

A light guide module includes a light guide plate and a light source. The light guide plate has an active area and a light-mixed area. The active area has a centroid. The light source faces the light-mixed area, and the optical axis of the light source is not through the centroid of the active area, such that a perpendicular distance is formed between the optical axis of the light source and the centroid of the active area.

Claims

1. A light guide module comprising:

a light guide plate having an active area and a light-mixed area, wherein the active area has a centroid; and

a light source facing the light-mixed area, wherein an optical axis of the light source is not through the centroid of the active area, such that a perpendicular distance is formed between the optical axis of the light source and the centroid of the active area.

2. The light guide module of claim 1, wherein a shape of the active area is round, and the centroid of the active area is a circle center.

3. The light guide module of claim 1, wherein a shape of the active area is elliptical, and the centroid of the active area is an intersection point of a long axis and a short axis of the active area.

4. The light guide module of claim 1, wherein a shape of the light-mixed area is triangular or n-sided polygonal, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to four.

5. The light guide module of claim 1, wherein a shape of the light guide plate comprises round, elliptical, triangular, n-sided polygonal, or combinations thereof, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to four.

6. The light guide module of claim 1, wherein the light guide plate has at least one first sidewall and a plurality of second sidewalls that are adjacent to each other, the first sidewall surrounds the active area, two ends of the first sidewall are respectively adjacent to two of the second sidewalls, the second sidewalls surround the light-mixed area, and one of the second sidewalls faces the light source.

7. The light guide module of claim 6, wherein the number of the second sidewalls is two, and an included angle is formed between the two second sidewalls.

8. The light guide module of claim 6, wherein the number of the second sidewalls is four, a first included angle is formed between two of the four second sidewalls that are adjacent to the first sidewall, and a second included angle is formed between the other two second sidewalls.

9. The light guide module of claim 8, wherein the first included angle is in a range from 90 to 140 degrees, and the second included angle is in a range from 60 to 150 degrees.

10. The light guide module of claim 6, wherein the first sidewall and one of the second sidewalls are coplanar.

11. The light guide module of claim 6, wherein the light guide plate has a through round opening, such that the active area is ring-shaped.

12. The light guide module of claim 11, wherein the light guide module is a car lamp assembly.

13. The light guide module of claim 1, wherein the light guide plate has a through hole, such that a spindle penetrates outwards the light guide plate through the through hole, and the spindle is connected to an hour hand, a minute hand, a second hand, or combinations thereof.

14. The light guide module of claim 13, wherein the light guide module is a front light assembly of a watch.

15. The light guide module of claim 1, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode.

16. The light guide module of claim 1, wherein when the light source emits light, a portion of the light of the light source is not reflected by the light-mixed area and enters the active area, and another portion of the light of the light source is reflected by the light-mixed area and enters the active area.