Lighting device, and electronic device using the same

• US 6,626,551 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Osamu, Funamoto, Tatsuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Payne, Sharon
• Application Number:
  US09/791,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20010021107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 362/23, 362/26, 362/29, 362/31, 362/84, 362/30, 200/313-315, 349/69
• US Class Current: 362/84
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/70 having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard mounting together a plurality of independent switches H02B
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/012 programmable
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/018 Electroluminescent panel
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/02 programmable
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/037 using organic materials, e.g. organic LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/044 Edge lighting of layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/06 Reflector
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/062 Light conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials

Abstract

A composite lighting device is provided, which is inexpensive and has high uniformity in brightness, in which light emitted from an end face of a backlight having an organic EL device is used to illuminate input buttons and the like. The lighting device includes a transparent substrate having one principal plane on which a transparent electrode film, a luminescent layer, and a reflective electrode film are at least formed. In the lighting device, a liquid crystal display unit is adjacently disposed on the other principal plane, and a light-guide element is adjacent to an end face of the substrate, so that input buttons embedded into the light-guide element are illuminated.

Claims

1. A lighting device, comprising:

an organic electroluminescent element;

a transparent substrate, said substrate having a first principal plane on which light from said organic electroluminescent element is incident and a second principal plane opposite from the first principal plane,

the light incident on said substrate comprising a first light emitted from the second principal plane of said substrate, and a second light emitted from a third plane different from the first principal plane and the second principal plane, the first light illuminating a first object and the second light illuminating a second object different from the first object; and

a reflector member disposed above the second principal plane of the transparent substrate that transmits a first light component of the first light having a specific wavelength, and that reflects a second light component different from the first light component, the first light component illuminating an object and the second light component illuminating an object different from the object illuminated by the first light component.

3. An electronic device, comprising:

the lighting device according to claim 1;

a display unit diposed above the second principal plane of the transparent substrate illuminated by the first light to display arbitrary information; and

a key input unit diposed adjacent to the third plane of the transparent substrate illuminated by the second light.

2. A lighting device, comprising:

an organic electroluminescent element; and

a transparent substrate, said substrate having a first principal plane on which light from said organic electroluminescent element is incident and a second principal plane opposite from the first principal plane,

the light incident on said substrate comprising a first light emitted from the second principal plane of said substrate, and a second light emitted from a third plane different from the first principal plane and the second principal plane, the first light illuminating a first object and the second light illuminating a second object different from the first object, said organic electroluminescent element disposed below the first principal plane of the transparent substrate, said organic electroluminescent element having a pixel region formed of pixels on which the first light is generated to display arbitrary information, and an illuminator region on which the second light is generated to illuminate the second object.