Light condensing filter

• US 7,180,690 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagao, Kimitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafer; Ricky D.
• Application Number:
  US11/076,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20050207035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 359/455, 359/625, 359/831, 359/837
• US Class Current: 359/837
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0061 to provide homogeneous light output intensity

Abstract

A light condensing filter has plural prisms formed on a surface of a flat substrate and on the opposite surface to the surface, and light from a light source is condensed by the plural prisms, wherein the plural prisms formed on the surface are designed in a linear shape extending in a specific direction on the surface and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the specific direction, the plural prisms formed on the opposite surface are designed in a linear shape extending in the direction perpendicular to the specific direction on the opposite surface and arranged in the specific direction, and the plural prisms formed on the surface and the plural prisms formed on the opposite surface are irregularly arranged.

Claims

1. A light condensing filter having plural prisms on a surface of a flat substrate and on an opposite surface to the surface, light from a light source being condensed by the plural prisms,

wherein the plural prisms on the surface each has a linear shape extending in a first direction and the plural prisms on the surface have an irregular arrangement in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,

the plural prisms on the opposite surface each has a linear shape extending in the second direction and the plural prisms on the opposite surface have an irregular arrangement in the first direction.

2. The light condensing filter according to claim 1, wherein an irregularity degree of the irregular arrangement of the plural prisms on the surface and an irregularity degree of the irregular arrangement of the plural prisms on the opposite surface are different from each other.

3. The light condensing filter according to claim 1, wherein the plural prisms each is a polygonal-columnar shape.

4. The light condensing filter according to claim 1, wherein the plural prisms each is a projecting portion having a curved surface.

5. The light condensing filter according to claim 1, wherein the plural prisms each is a projecting portion having a curved surface and a valley portion having a curved surface.

6. A light condensing filter having plural prisms on a first surface of a flat substrate, light from a light source being condensed by the plural prisms,

wherein the plural prisms on the first surface each has a linear shape extending in a first direction on the first surface and a same top angle and the plural prisms have an irregular arrangement in a continuous way in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and

the heights of the top portions of the respective prisms from the first surface are set to be equal to one another, and

the heights of the respective valley portions sandwiched by respective adjacent two prisms of the plural prisms from the surface are dispersive in that the position of the top portion of each of the prisms is random and a pitch P, which is the distance between the midpoints in the prism width direction of respective adjacent two prisms in the second direction, is dispersed so that the prisms are irregularly arranged.

7. The light condensing filter according to claim 6, wherein the top angle is from 45°

to 150°

.

8. The light condensing filter according to claim 7, wherein the top angle is from 60°

to 120°

.

9. The light condensing filter according to claim 6, wherein the light condensing filter has plural prisms further on a second surface opposite to the first surface of the flat substrate, and

the plural prisms on the second surface have an arrangement in the first direction.

10. The light condensing filter according to claim 9, wherein the plural prisms on the second surface have an irregular arrangement in a continuous way and each has a same top angle, and

the heights of the respective valley portions sandwiched by respective adjacent two prisms of the plural prisms from the second surface are dispersive in that the position of the top portion of each of the prisms is random and a pitch P, which is the distance between the midpoints in the prism width direction of respective adjacent two prisms in the second direction, is dispersed so that the prisms are irregularly arranged.

11. The light condensing filter according to claim 10, wherein the top angle is from 45°

to 150°

.

12. The light condensing filter according to claim 11, wherein the top angle is from 60°

to 120°

.

13. The light condensing filter according to claim 6, wherein the position of the top portion of each of the prisms is determined by the following equation (1):

Xi=<

xi>

+Δ

Xi 

 

(1)

wherein, <

xi>

=i×

d and Δ

Xi=(d/3)×

Ri;

Xi represents a coordinate of the top portion of the i-th prism in the second direction;

<

xi>

represents the average position coordinate of the top portion of the i-th prism in the second direction;

d is the average value of the distances in the second direction between the top portions of the prisms; and

Ri is a random number having a value of −

0.1≦

Ri≦

1.0.