IMAGE SOURCE UNIT AND DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20170315402A1
• Filed: 04/29/2016
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: KASHIWAGI, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,310,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/00 Optical elements other than lenses light guides G02B6/00; optical logic elements G02F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0231 the surface having microprismatic or micropyramidal shape macroscopic prism arrays G02B5/045
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0278 used in transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members

Abstract

Provided is an image source unit including a layer including a light transmissive portion and an in-between portion, which can improve the use efficiency of light from a light source and improve the quality of display, including a liquid crystal panel and an optical sheet arranged on a lower polarizing plate side from the liquid crystal panel, wherein: the optical sheet includes a base material layer, an optical functional layer, and an adhesive layer; the optical functional layer includes a plurality of light transmissive portions having one extending direction along a face of the base material layer having a predetermined cross section, arranged in a different direction from the extending direction at predetermined intervals, and a plurality of in-between portions formed in the intervals of the adjacent light transmissive portions; and the lower polarizing plate and the optical sheet are adhered to each other by the adhesive layer.

Claims

1. An image source unit comprising:

a liquid crystal panel including a lower polarizing plate, an upper polarizing plate, and a liquid crystal layer arranged between the lower polarizing plate and the upper polarizing plate; and

an optical sheet arranged on the lower polarizing plate side from the liquid crystal panel,

wherein;

the optical sheet includes a base material layer, an optical functional layer arranged on one face of the base material layer, and an adhesive layer;

the optical functional layer includes a plurality of light transmissive portions having one extending direction along a face of the base material layer and having a predetermined cross section, arrayed in a direction different from the extending direction at predetermined intervals, and an in-between portion(s) formed in each of the intervals of the adjacent light transmissive portions; and

the lower polarizing plate of the liquid crystal panel and the optical sheet are adhered to each other by the adhesive layer.

2. The image source unit according to claim 1, wherein the optical sheet includes a light diffuser between the optical functional layer and the lower polarizing plate.

3. The image source unit according to claim 2, wherein a rough face is provided as the light diffuser on a face of the base material layer, the face of the base material layer forming an interface between the base material layer and the adhesive layer, and the base material layer and the adhesive layer have a difference in refractive index.

4. The image source unit according to claim 2, wherein light diffusing particles are dispersed in the adhesive layer as the light diffuser.

5. The image source unit according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by an extending direction of a transmission axis of the lower polarizing plate and the extending direction of the light transmissive portions is in the range of from 0°

to 41.7°

in a front view of the liquid crystal panel.

6. The image source unit according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by an extending direction of a transmission axis of the lower polarizing plate and the extending direction of the light transmissive portions is in the range of from 0°

to 20°

in a front view of the liquid crystal panel.

7. The image source unit according to claim 1 further comprising a reflection type polarizing plate, wherein an angle formed by an extending direction of a transmission axis of the reflection type polarizing plate and the extending direction of the light transmissive portions is in the range of from 0°

to 41.7°

in a front view of the liquid crystal panel.

8. The image source unit according to claim 1 further comprising a reflection type polarizing plate, wherein an angle formed by an extending direction of a transmission axis of the reflection type polarizing plate and the extending direction of the light transmissive portions is in the range of from 0°

to 20°

in a front view of the liquid crystal panel.

9. The image source unit according to claim 7, wherein the optical sheet and the reflection type polarizing plate are directly layered to each other.

11. The image source unit according to claim 1, wherein a light-absorbing material is contained in the in-between portion(s).

12. A display device in which the image source unit according to claim 1 is placed in a housing.

13. The image source unit according to claim 1 further comprising an optical element layer, wherein the optical element layer includes a plurality of unit optical elements each having a cross section convex to the opposite side from the liquid crystal panel side and having one extending direction keeping the cross section, arrayed in a direction different from the extending direction.

14. The image source unit according to claim 13, wherein an angle formed by the extending direction of the light transmissive portions and the extending direction of the unit optical elements is no more than 10°

in a front view of the optical sheet.

15. The image source unit according to claim 13, wherein a reflection type polarizing film is arranged between the optical functional layer and the optical element layer.

16. The image source unit according to claim 13, wherein a refractive index of the in-between portion(s) is smaller than a refractive index of the light transmissive portions.

17. The image source unit according to claim 13, wherein a layer which reflects light is formed in the in-between portion(s), at interfaces between the in-between portion(s) and the light transmissive portions.

18. The image source unit according to claim 13, wherein a light-absorbing material is contained in the in-between portion(s).

19. The image source unit according to claim 13 further comprising a light source arranged on a side to which the unit optical elements of the optical element layer of the optical sheet are convex.

20. A display device in which the image source unit according to claim 13 is placed in a housing.

10. The image source unit according to claim′

, wherein the light transmissive portions each have a trapezoid cross section, and at the cross section, a lower base which is longer than an upper base faces to the liquid crystal panel side, and the upper base which is shorter than the lower base faces to the opposite side from the liquid crystal panel side.