Lighting unit and display device

• US 7,163,331 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2003
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Keiji, Suzuki, Toshihiro, Hamada, Tetsuya, Kobayashi, Tetsuya, Sugawara, Mari
• Primary Examiner(s): CARIASO, ALAN B
• Application Number:
  US10/641,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20040042233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 362/560, 362/561, 362608-610, 362/612, 362/616, 362/621, 362/622, 362/628
• US Class Current: 362/610
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/003 Lens or lenticular sheet or layer
• 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 6/0056 for producing polarisation effects, e.g. by a surface with polarizing properties or by an additional polarizing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side

Abstract

A lighting unit and a liquid crystal display device which can improve the efficiency of usable light. The lighting unit includes a light source, a light guide plate, and a truncated pyramid located between the light guide plate and the light source. The truncated pyramid has a base, a top smaller than the base, and a slope linking the base and the top. The light source is placed in close contact with the top of the truncated pyramid, and the light guide plate is placed in close contact with the base of the truncated pyramid. Light is propagated from a light emitting part of the light source to the light guide plate without passing through any air layer. Also, an unnecessary light removing structure is provided in the light guide plate near the incidence surface thereof.

Claims

1. A lighting unit comprising a light guide plate, a light source which is a light emitter, and a truncated pyramid arranged between the light guide plate and the light source, said truncated pyramid having

a base,

a top smaller than the base, wherein said top is an outermost peripheral planar surface, and

a slope extending between said base and said top,

said light source being arranged in close contact with said top of the truncated pyramid,

said light guide plate being arranged in close contact with said base of the truncated pyramid,

so that light is propagated from a light emitting part of the light source to the light guide plate without passing through any air layer.

2. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein said truncated pyramid and said light guide plate are integrated with each other, and the light source is attached to the truncated pyramid.

3. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein said light source and said truncated pyramid are integrated with each other, and the truncated pyramid is attached to the light guide plate.

4. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein:

if the refractive index of the truncated pyramid is n and an angle between the slope and a line parallel to an axis of the truncated pyramid is α

, the angle α

of the slope of the truncated pyramid is equal to or greater than arcsin (1/n).

5. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein:

if the refractive index of the truncated pyramid is n and an angle between the slope and a line parallel to an axis of the truncated pyramid is cx, the angle a of the slope of the truncated pyramid ranges from 30°

to 45°

.

6. A lighting unit according to claim 5, wherein the truncated pyramid comprises an adhesive member.

7. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting part of the light source is approximately equal to the top of the truncated pyramid.

8. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting surface of the light source is approximately equal to the top of the truncated pyramid.

9. A lighting unit according to claim 1, further including a reflecting member placed to at least partially surround the light source and the truncated pyramid.

10. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein a light absorbing member is located near a border between the light guide plate and the truncated pyramid, wherein the light absorbing member at least partially surrounds a portion of the truncated pyramid.

11. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein the light source comprises at least one LED.

12. A display device including a lighting unit according to one of claims 1 to 11, and a display element.

13. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a package having the light emitting part sealed within an envelope.

14. A lighting unit according to claim 13, wherein the light source has a light reflecting part behind the light emitting part and emits light forward for the truncated pyramid from the light emitting part in radial directions.

15. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the light guide plate includes two side edges between a first face and a second face; and

one of said side edges of said light guide plate is arranged in close contact with said base of the truncated pyramid.

16. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting part of the light source is smaller than the top of the truncated pyramid.

17. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting surface of the light source is smaller than the top of the truncated pyramid.

18. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein:

a light emitting surface of the light source is smaller than the top of the truncated pyramid;

the light source is attached to the top of the truncated pyramid using an adhesive; and

the adhesive has a slope wherein a surface of a side of the light source is smaller than a surface of a side of the truncated pyramid.

19. A lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein:

a light emitting surface of the light source is smaller than the top of the truncated pyramid;

the light source is attached to the top of the truncated pyramid using an adhesive so that the light source is embedded in the adhesive which is a partial sphere; and

the adhesive receives light emitted by a front of the light source and light emitted by a side of the light source and leads to the truncated pyramid.