Light emissive panel unit

• US 5,863,114 A
• Filed: 03/07/1994
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Fumiaki, Miyahara, Masaki, Nagatani, Shinpei, Tanaka, Katsunori, Fukuhara, Motohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sember, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/206,145
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: 362/31, 362/26, 362/27, 362/331, 362/309, 362/333, 362/328, 362/329, 362/330, 362/334, 362/339, 362/335, 362/336, 362/337, 359/48, 359/42, 359/49, 359/50
• US Class Current: 362/328
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/02 of prismatic shape F21V5/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0043 provided on the surface of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• 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 6/0096 the lights guides being of the hollow type

Abstract

A light emissive panel unit includes a light source for emitting light, a prism plate into which the light emitted by the light source means incident, a part of the light being reflectable and another part of the light passing through the prism plate, and an adjusting element for partially adjusting an amount of light emitted from a surface of the prism plate.

Claims

1. A light emissive panel unit comprising:

light source means for emitting light;

a prism plate having first and second main surfaces, the light emitted by said light source means being incident on the first main surface, a first part of the incident light being reflected by the first main surface and a second part of the incident light passing through said prism plate and being emitted from the second main surface thereof; and

adjusting means for adjusting the relative amounts of the first and the second parts of the incident light, and thereby the amount of light emitted from the second main surface of said prism plate, as a function of a distance of a location along the second main surface of said prism plate at which the emitted light is incident on the first main surface, said adjusting means being provided on the first surface of said prism plate.

2. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adjusting means adjusts the amount of incident light reflected by said prism plate as a function of the distance of the location, along the second main surface of said prism plate from the light source means, at which the emitted light is incident on the first main surface.

3. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said adjusting means adjusts the relative amount of the first part to the second part of the incident light so as to cause the second part of the incident light, passing through said prism plate and being emitted from the second main surface thereof, to be of a substantially uniform intensity across the second main surface thereof.

4. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said adjusting means is adjusting portions formed on said prism plate, each of said adjusting portions lowering a function of said prism plate by which function the light is reflected so that the amount of light passing through said prism plate is increased.

5. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein a number of adjusting portions formed in an area away from said light source means is greater than a number of adjusting means formed in an area near said light source means.

6. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said adjusting portions is a small cylindrical block formed on said prism plate.

7. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said adjusting portions is a small hole formed on said prism plate.

8. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said adjusting portions is a small notch formed on said prism plate.

9. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said adjusting portions is a flat surface portion formed on said prism plate.

10. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said adjusting portions is a prism portion having a prism angle lower than that of each of said plurality of linear prisms, the prism angle being a base of each of the prism potion and said plurality of linear prisms.

11. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said prism plate has a plurality of linear prisms formed a surface of said prism plate so as to extend in a predetermined direction, the surface being opposite to the surface from which the light is emitted.

12. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein said adjusting means is a structure in which a prism angle of each of said plurality of linear prisms is reduced with going away from said light source, the prism angle being a base angle of each of said plurality of linear prisms.

13. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said light emissive panel unit has first and second opposite end portions, said prism plate extending therebetween, and said light source means includes a single cold-cathode lamp which is disposed at a corresponding one of said first and second end portions of said prism panel unit.

14. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 13, wherein the cold-cathode lamp extends in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in which said plurality of linear prisms extend.

15. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 14, wherein said adjusting means is prism portion formed on the surface on which said plurality of linear prisms is formed, the prism portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in which said plurality of linear prisms extend.

16. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said prism plate is formed of a plurality of prism layers.

17. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 3 wherein said adjusting means further comprises:

reflecting means for reflecting light and defining a space between the first main surface of said prism plate and said reflecting means, which space decreases progressively at distances progressively farther removed from the light source, wherein the light emitted from said light source means into the space between said prism plate and said reflecting means is repeatedly reflected by and between said first main surface of said prism plate and the reflecting means and thereby a first part of the incident light is confined in the space and a second part of the incident light is emitted from the second main surface of said prism plate.

18. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 17, wherein said light emissive panel unit has first and second opposite end portions, said prism plate extending therebetween, and wherein said prism plate and said reflecting means are formed so that said space therebetween is reduced progressively at distances progressively farther away from said light source means.

19. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 18, wherein said reflecting means comprises a substantially planar surface opposed to the first main surface of said prism plate and said prism plate is curved so that the space between said prism plate first main surface and said reflecting means is progressively smaller at distances progressively farther from said light source means.

20. This light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 18, wherein said first main surface of said prism plate and said reflecting means comprise respective, planar surfaces inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to said reflecting means so that the space between said prism Plate main surface and said reflecting means is progressively smaller at distances progressively farther from said light source means.

21. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 17, wherein said panel unit is of elongated configuration having first and second opposite ends, said reflecting means having a substantially planar surface extending between the first and second opposite ends of the panel unit, and said light source comprises a first lamp and a second lamp respectively disposed at the first and second opposite ends of the panel unit, and wherein said prism plate comprises first and second portions respectively inclined at predetermined angles with respect to said planar surface of said reflecting means so that corresponding spaces between the respective first and second portions and the planar surface of the reflecting means progressively decrease at progressively greater distances from said first and second lamps, at the respective, opposite ends of the panel unit, and toward a central portion of the panel unit.

22. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 3 further comprising:

reflecting means for reflecting light and defining a space between the first main surface of said prism plate and said reflecting means, wherein the light emitted from said light source means into the space between the first main surface of said prism plate and the reflecting means and reflected by the reflecting means, and comprising the first part of the incident light, is confined in the space.

23. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a diffusion plate for diffusing light, disposed in spaced relationship to the second main surface of said prism plate and receiving the second part of the incident light which passes through the prism plate.

24. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light emissive unit forms a display panel unit in which the amount of light emitted from the surface of said prism plate is partially adjusted by said adjusting means so that image patterns are formed on the surface of said prism plate.

25. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 24, wherein said adjusting means comprises a liquid crystal display element having first portions and second portions, light passing through the first portions and being diffused by the second portions.

26. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 25, wherein said first main surface of said prism plate is in contact with said liquid crystal display element.

27. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 24, wherein said light source means comprises a directional lighting source.

28. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 24, wherein said prism plate has a plurality of linear prisms each of which extends in a predetermined direction.

29. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 24, wherein said prism plate is a plurality of pyramid shaped prisms.

30. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 24, further comprising a diffusion sheet for diffusing light, provided on said prism plate.

31. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a liquid crystal display panel for displaying dot images, said light emissive unit forming a display panel unit in which said liquid crystal display panel is lightened by the light emitted from said prism plate.

32. A light emissive panel unit comprising:

light source means for emitting light;

a prism plate having first and second main surfaces, the light emitted by said light source means being incident on the first main surface, a first part of the incident light being reflected by the first main surface and a second part of the incident light passing through said prism plate and being emitted from the second main surface thereof; and

adjusting means for adjusting the relative amounts of the first and the second parts of the incident light, and thereby the amount of light emitted from the second main surface of said prism plate, as a function of the distance, along the second main surface of said prism plate from the light source means, at which the emitted light source is incident on the first main surface and so as to cause the second part of the incident light, passing through said prism plate and being emitted from the second main surface thereof, to be of a substantially uniform intensity across the second main surface thereof, said adjusting means further comprising reflecting means for reflecting light and defining a space between the first main surface of said prism plate and said reflecting means, which space decreases progressively at distances progressively farther removed from the light source, wherein the light emitted from said light source means into the space between said prism plate and said reflecting means is repeatedly reflected by and between said first main surface of said prism plate and the reflecting means and thereby a first part of the incident light is confined in the space and a second part of the incident light is emitted from the second main surface of said prism plate.

33. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 32, wherein said light emissive panel unit has first and second opposite end portions, said prism plate extending therebetween, and wherein said prism plate and said reflecting means are formed so that said space therebetween is reduced progressively at distances progressively farther away from said light source means.

34. The light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 33, wherein said reflecting means comprises a substantially planar surface opposed to the first main surface of said prism plate and said prism plate is curved so that the space between said prism plate first main surface and said reflecting means is progressively smaller at distances progressively farther from said light source means.

35. This light emissive panel unit as claimed in claim 33, wherein said first main surface of said prism plate and said reflecting means comprise respective, planar surfaces inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to said reflecting means so that the space between said prism plate main surface and said reflecting means is progressively smaller at distances progressively farther from said light source means.