Light source device

• US 7,004,610 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Rayon Company Limited (Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Rayon Company Limited (Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Tomoyoshi, Hayashi, Yasuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Ward, John Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zeade, Bertrand
• Application Number:
  US10/381,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20040022050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 362/31, 362/27, 362/26, 362/308, 362/326, 362/328, 362/329, 362/299, 362/337, 362/336, 362/330, 362/582, 362/606, 349/61, 349/64, 385/146, 385/901, 359/559, 359/831
• US Class Current: 362/606
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0021 for housing at least a part of the light source, e.g. by forming holes or recesses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources

Abstract

The index of refraction of a light guide (6) for transmitting light outputted from a primary light source (1) is ng, and the light guide (6) has a light input end face (9), a light output surface from which the transmitted light is outputted, and a back surface opposed to the light output surface. A leaky ray modulator (8) is provided to at least either the light output surface or the back surface. The leaky ray modulator (8) has a composite layer (50) provided on the light output surface or the back surface and composed of first refractive index regions (3) having a refractive index n1 (ng>n1) and second refractive index regions (4) having a refractive index n2 (n2>n1) and a third refractive index layer (5) provided on the composite layer (50) and having a refractive index n3 (n3>n1). A reflecting plate (7) is provided adjacent to the back surface of the light guide (6).

Claims

1. A light source device comprising:

a primary light source;

a light guide constituting a waveguide for transmitting a light outputted from the primary light source, having a refractive index of ng, and including a light input end face on which a light emitted from the primary light source is made incident, a light output surface for outputting a transmitted light, and a back surface

positioned in a side opposite the light output surface; and

a light leakage modulator attached to at least one of the light output surface and the back surface of the light guide, and including a composite layer positioned on the light output surface or the back surface and having a plurality of first refractive index

regions each having a refractive index of n1 (here, ng>

n1) and a plurality of second refractive index regions each having a refractive index of n2 (here, n2>

n1), and a third refractive index layer positioned on the composite layer and having a refractive index of n3 (here, n3>

n1).

2. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein a fourth refractive index layer having a refractive index of n4 (here, ng>

n4>

n1) is disposed between the light guide and the light leakage modulator.

3. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein a density of the second refractive index regions indicated by an area occupied by the second refractive index regions per unit area of the composite layer is changed from place to place in a surface of the composite layer.

4. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein an average thickness Hi of the first refractive index regions and an average minimum dimension W2 in an in-plane direction of the second refractive index regions satisfy a relationship of

1≦

(W2/H1)≦

30.

5. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein n2<

ng is set.

6. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the third refractive index layer or the composite layer has a light control function, and the light control function is at least one of a directional light output function or a light diffusion function.

7. The light source device according to claim 6, wherein in the third refractive index layer of the light leakage modulator attached to the back surface of the light guide or in a member arranged on the third refractive index layer, a directional light output function unit is formed by arraying many elongated prisms each including two prism surfaces in a direction substantially vertical to a propagation direction of a light in the light guide in parallel with one another.

8. The light source device according to claim 7, wherein inclination of a prism surface of the elongated prisms near the primary light source is 80 to 100°

with respect to the light output surface, and inclination of a prism surface far from the primary light source is 35 to 55°

with respect to the light output surface.

9. The light source device according to claim 7, wherein a layer having a refractive index smaller than a refractive index of a layer or a member in which the directional light output function unit is formed is laminated to fill concave and convex configuration of an elongated prism array of the directional light output function unit.

10. The light source device according to claim 7, wherein onto the directional light output function unit, a prism sheet having an elongated prism array corresponding to an elongated prism array of the directional light output function unit in one side and being made of a material of a refractive index substantially equal to that of a layer or a member in which the directional light output function unit is formed, is fitted through a layer having a refractive index smaller than that of the layer or the member in which the directional light output function unit is formed so that the elongated prism arrays correspond to each other.

11. The light source device according to claim 10, wherein the layer having the refractive index smaller than that of the layer or the member in which the directional light output function unit is formed is an air layer.

12. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the primary light source is a substantially point-shaped light source.

13. The light source device according to claim 12, wherein the primary light source is constituted of an LED.

14. The light source device according to claim 13, wherein the primary light source is a collection of LED'"'"'s.

15. The light source device according to claim 13, wherein a peak half value width of an emission pattern of the LED is 10 to 120°

in a direction vertical to the light output surface of the light guide, and 80 to 180°

in a direction parallel to the light output surface of the light guide.

16. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the primary light source uses means for dividing a light from at least one of the LED'"'"'s to form a smaller division light sources and aligning the division light sources and/or means for converting a light from at least one of the LED'"'"'s into a continuous linear light source.

17. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the primary light source is at least one point-shaped light source and, in the back surface of the light guide, a directional light output function unit is formed in which many arc-shaped elongated prisms each including two prism surfaces are arrayed in parallel with one another to surround the primary light source.

18. The light source device according to claim 17, wherein inclination of a prism surface of the elongated prisms near the primary light source is 80 to 100°

with respect to the light output surface, and inclination of a prism surface far from the primary light source is 35 to 55°

with respect to the light output surface.

19. The light source device according to claim 17, wherein a layer having a refractive index smaller than a refractive index of a layer or a member in which the directional light output function unit is formed is laminated to fill concave and convex configuration of an elongated prism array of the directional light output function unit.

20. The light source device according to claim 17, wherein onto the directional light output function unit, a prism sheet having an elongated prism array corresponding to an elongated prism array of the directional light output function unit in one side and being made of a material of a refractive index substantially equal to that of a layer or a member in which the directional light output function unit is formed, is fitted through a layer having a refractive index smaller than that of the layer or the member in which the directional light output function unit is formed so that the elongated prism arrays correspond to each other.

21. The light source device according to claim 20, wherein the layer having the refractive index smaller than that of the layer or the member in which the directional light output function unit is formed is an air layer.

22. The light source device according to claim 17, wherein the point-shaped light source is arranged in a concave portion formed in the back surface opposite the light output surface of the light guide.

23. The light source device according to claim 17, wherein the point-shaped light source is constituted of an LED.

24. The light source device according to claim 23, wherein the point-shaped light source is a collection of LED'"'"'s.

25. The light source device according to claim 23, wherein a peak half value width of an emission pattern of the T,F,D is 10 to 120°

in a direction vertical to the light output surface of the light guide, and 80 to 180°

in a direction parallel to the light output surface of the light guide.

26. A surface light source device of an edge lighting system including as a primary light source a linear light source device of claim 6, which extends in a direction orthogonal to the light input end face.

27. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the device is a front lighting light source device to be arranged in an observation side with respect to an object illuminated by a light emitted from the light source device, and the light source device is transparent so as to transmit at least a part of the light from the object illuminated by the light source device to the observation side.

28. A surface light source device comprising:

at least one point-shaped light source;

a rectangular light guide having a light input surface on which a light from the point-shaped light source is made incident and a light output surface for outputting an inputted light; and

a directional light output function unit formed in a back surface of the light guide opposite the light output surface by arraying many arc-shaped elongated prisms each including two prism surfaces to surround the point-shaped light source in parallel with one another.

29. The surface light source device according to claim 28, wherein inclination of a prism surface of the elongated prisms near the point-shaped light source is 80 to 100°

with respect to the light output surface, and inclination of a prism surface far from the point shaped light source is 35 to 55°

with respect to the light output surface.

30. The surface light source device according to claim 28, wherein, a layer having a refractive index smaller than a refractive index of a layer or a member in which the directional light output function unit is formed is laminated to fill concave and convex configuration of an elongated prism array of the directional light output function unit.

31. The surface light source device according to claim 28, wherein onto the directional light output function unit, a prism sheet having an elongated prism array corresponding to an elongated prism array of the directional light output function unit in one side and being made of a material of a refractive index substantially equal to that of a layer or a member in which the directional light output function unit is formed, is fitted through a layer having a refractive index smaller than that of the layer or the member in which the directional light output function unit is formed so that the elongated prism arrays correspond to each other.

32. The surface light source device according to claim 28, wherein the layer having the refractive index smaller than that of the layer or the member in which the directional light output function unit is formed is an air layer.

33. The surface light source device according to claim 28, wherein the point-shaped light source is arranged in a concave portion formed in the back surface opposite the light output surface of the light guide.

34. The surface light source device according to claim 28, wherein the point-shaped light source is constituted of an LED.

35. The surface light source device according to claim 34, wherein the point-shaped light source is a collection of LED'"'"'s.

36. The surface light source device according to claim 34, wherein a peak half value width of an emission pattern of the LED is 10 to 120°

in a direction vertical to the light output surface of the light guide, and 80 to 180°

in a direction parallel to the light output surface of the light guide.