Illumination device and liquid crystal apparatus including same

• US 6,020,944 A
• Filed: 12/04/1996
• Issued: 02/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoshi, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUDEK, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US08/763,631
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 349/62, 349/63, 349/65, 362/31, 385/37, 359/256
• US Class Current: 349/62
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/28 for polarising used in stereoscopes G02B30/25
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0056 for producing polarisation effects, e.g. by a surface with polarizing properties or by an additional polarizing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13355 Polarising beam splitters [PBS]
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13362 providing polarized light, e.g. by converting a polarisation component into another one

Abstract

An illumination device is formed from a light-transmissive light guide member, and a light source disposed on a side of the light guide member to emit light to the light guide member. The light guide member is formed to include an anisotropic grating preferably at a boundary between an anisotropic member having a refractive index anisotropy and a substantially non-anisotropic member laminated on the anisotropic member. The anisotropic grating may be formed as a one-dimensionally arranged grating for causing selective diffraction of, e.g., an ordinary ray. As a result, the illumination device is caused to function as a planar light source emitting linearly polarized light of a uniform luminance distribution suitably used in combination with a transmission-type or reflection-type liquid crystal device to form a small-sized and thin liquid crystal apparatus.

Claims

1. An illumination device, comprising:

a light-transmissive light guide member, and a light source disposed on a side of the light guide member to emit light to the light guide member;

wherein the light guide member includes an anisotropic grating.

2. An illumination device according to claim 1, wherein said light guide member comprises an anisotropic member having a refractive index anisotropy.

3. An illumination device according to claim 1, wherein said anisotropic grating is a one-dimensionally arranged grating and has a refractive index distribution in its arrangement direction;

said refractive index distribution is periodical for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction and substantially uniform for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction parallel to the arrangement direction.

4. An illumination device according to claim 1, wherein said anisotropic grating is a one-dimensionally arranged grating and has a refractive index distribution in its arrangement direction;

said refractive index distribution is periodical for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction parallel to the arrangement direction and substantially uniform for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction.

5. An illumination device according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the light guide member comprises an anisotropic member having a refractive index anisotropy, and a non-anisotropic member having a refractive index anisotropy smaller than that of the anisotropic member laminated on the anisotropic member so as to form the anisotropic grating at the boundary between the anisotropic member and the non-anisotropic member.

6. An illumination device according to claim 1, wherein a reflector is disposed on a back surface of the light guide member.

7. An illumination device according to any of claims 1-4, further comprising:

a first reflector disposed on a side of the light guide member for reflecting light emitted from the light source and transmitted through the light guide member, and

a first phase device disposed on a path of the light emitted from the light source and subjecting the light to polarization conversion.

8. An illumination device according to claim 7, herein said first phase device is disposed along said first reflector.

9. An illumination device according to claim 8, wherein said first reflector is disposed opposite to the light source with the light guide member disposed therebetween.

10. An illumination device according to claim 9, wherein said first phase device has a wedge-shaped cross-section and provides a boundary with the light guide member;

the boundary being inclined with respect to the first reflector.

11. An illumination device according to claim 7, wherein said light source is disposed in a pair so as to sandwich the light guide member, said first reflector is disposed in a pair so as to sandwich the light guide member, and said first phase device is disposed within the light guide member so as to be separated from the first reflector.

12. A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising:

an illumination device emitting light, and a liquid crystal device illuminated by the light emitted from the illumination device;

wherein said illumination device is disposed along the liquid crystal device and includes a light-transmissive light guide member, and a light source disposed on a side of the light guide member to emit light to the light guide member;

the light guide member including an anisotropic grating.

13. A liquid crystal apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said light guide member comprises an anisotropic member having a refractive index anisotropy.

14. A liquid crystal apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said anisotropic grating is a one-dimensionally arranged grating and has a refractive index distribution in its arrangement direction;

said refractive index distribution is periodical for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction and substantially uniform for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction parallel to the arrangement direction.

15. A liquid crystal apparatus according according to claim 13, wherein said anisotropic grating is a one-dimensionally arranged grating and has a refractive index distribution in its arrangement direction;

said refractive index distribution is periodical for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction parallel to the arrangement direction and substantially uniform for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction.

16. A liquid crystal apparatus according to any of claims 13-15, wherein said anisotropic grating is a one-dimensionally arranged grating having an arrangement pitch, and said light crystal device comprises a matrix of pixels including pixels arranged in the arrangement direction of the anisotropic grating at a larger pitch than the alignment pitch of the anisotropic grating.

17. A liquid crystal apparatus according to according to any of claims 13-15, wherein the light guide member comprises an anisotropic member having a refractive index anisotropy, and a non-anisotropic member having a refractive index anisotropy smaller than that of the anisotropy laminated on the anisotropic member so as to form the anisotropic grating at the boundary between the anisotropic member and the non-anisotropic member.

18. A liquid crystal apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a reflector is disposed on a back surface of the light guide member.

19. A liquid crystal apparatus according to any of claims 13-15, wherein said liquid crystal device comprises a liquid crystal layer, and a color filter layer disposed closer to the light guide member than the liquid crystal layer.

20. A liquid crystal apparatus according to any of claim 13-15, further comprising a polarization analyzer means on a viewer side of the light guide member.

21. A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising:

an illumination device emitting light, and a liquid crystal device illuminated by the light from the illumination device to allow selective transmission of the light therethrough for data display,

wherein said illumination device is disposed long the liquid crystal device and includes a light-transmissive light guide member, and a light source disposed on a side of the light guide member to emit light to the light guide member;

the light guide member including an anisotropic grating and provided with a reflector disposed opposite to the liquid crystal device with respect to the light guide member disposed therebetween.

22. A liquid crystal apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said anisotropic grating is a one-dimensionally arranged grating and has a refractive index distribution in its arrangement direction;

said refractive index distribution is periodical for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction and substantially uniform for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction parallel to the arrangement direction.

23. A liquid crystal apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said anisotropic grating is a one-dimensionally arranged grating and has a refractive index distribution in its arrangement direction;

said refractive index distribution is periodical for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction parallel to the arrangement direction and substantially uniform for linearly polarized light having an electric vector-vibrating direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction.

24. A liquid crystal apparatus according to any of claims 21-23, further including a light-scattering layer between the reflector and the light guide member.

25. A liquid crystal apparatus according to any of claims 21-23, further including a phase device disposed between the reflector and the light guide member, for subjecting light incident thereto to polarization conversion.

26. A liquid crystal apparatus according to any of claims 21-23, further including a polarizer disposed between the light guide member and the liquid crystal device, for removing unnecessary polarization component leaked out of the light guide member.