Edge lighted device with polarization

• US 7,201,510 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2003
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2002
• 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): O'Shea; Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cranson, Jr.; James W
• Application Number:
  US10/523,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20050248960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 362/19, 362/606, 362/607, 362/620, 362/600, 362/617, 362/626, 349/65
• US Class Current: 362/617
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• 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 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement 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: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side

Abstract

A planar light source device includes a primary light source (1), a light guide (3) which leads the light emitted from the primary light source (1), and having a light incident face (31) to which the light emitted from the primary light source (1) comes in, and a light emitting face from which the led light goes out, a light deflection element (4) arranged adjacent to the light emitting face (33) of the light guide (3), and a polarization separation element (6) disposed on the side of a light outgoing surface (42) of the light deflection element (4), and having a function of transmitting one of polarization components of the incident light and reflecting the other of the polarization components. The full width at half maximum of the luminance distribution of the incident light upon the polarization separation element (6) in an XY plane parallel to the travel direction of the light in the light guide (3) is 25° or less. The reference symbol 7 indicates a liquid crystal display element.

Claims

1. A planar light source device comprising:

a primary light source;

a light guide leading light emitted from the primary light source, and having a light incident face to which the light emitted from the primary light source comes in, and a light emitting face from which the light goes out;

a light deflection element disposed adjacent to the light emitting face of the light guide; and

a polarization separation element disposed on the side of a light outgoing surface of the light deflection element, and having a function of transmitting one of polarization components of an incident light and reflecting the other of the polarization components, wherein a full width at half maximum of a luminance angular distribution of light incident upon the polarization separation element in a direction parallel to a travel direction of the light in the light guide is 25°

or less.

2. The planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein the full width at half maximum of the luminance angular distribution of light incident upon the polarization separation element in a direction vertical to the travel direction of the light in the light guide is 50°

or less.

3. The planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein an average value of the full width at half maximum of the luminance annular distribution of light incident upon the polarization separation element in directions vertical and parallel to the travel direction of the light in the light guide is 33°

or less.

4. The planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein the light deflection element has a light incoming surface positioned facing the light emitting face of the light guide and a light outgoing surface on the opposite side, and a plurality of elongated prisms extending substantially in parallel with one another are formed at least on the light incoming surface.

5. The planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein the primary light source comprises a spotlight source, the light deflection element has a light incoming surface positioned facing the light emitting face of the light guide and a light outgoing surface on the opposite side, and a plurality of substantially arc-shape elongated prisms surrounding the primary light source are juxtaposed and formed at least on the light incoming surface.

6. The planar light source device according to claim 4, wherein each of the elongated prisms of the light deflection element comprises two prism faces, and at least one of the prism faces is a face other than a single flat face.

7. The planar light source device according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the prism faces includes at least one convex curved face.

8. The planar light source device according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the prism faces comprises at least one convex curved face, and at least one flat face, an inclination angle of the convex curved face or the flat face positioned on the side closer to the light outgoing surface is larger, and a difference between the inclination angle of the convex curved face or the flat face closest to the light outgoing surface and that of the flat face or the convex curved face most distant from the light outgoing surface is 15°

or less.

9. The planar light source device according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the prism faces comprises at least two convex curved faces having mutually different inclination angles, an inclination angle of the convex curved face positioned on the side closer to the light outgoing surface is larger, and a difference between the inclination angle of the convex curved face closest to the light outgoing surface and that of the convex curved face most distant from the light outgoing surface is 15°

or less.

10. The planar light source device according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the prism faces comprises at least two flat faces having mutually different inclination angles, an inclination angle of any one of the flat faces positioned on the side closer to the light outgoing surface is larger, and a difference between the inclination angle of a flat face closest to the light outgoing surface and that of the flat face most distant from the light outgoing surface is 15°

or less.

11. The planar light source device according to claim 7, wherein a ratio (r/P) of a curvature radius (r) of the convex curved face to a pitch (P) of the elongated prism is in a range of 2 to 50.

12. The planar light source device according to claim 8, wherein at least two flat faces and/or convex curved faces are formed in a region having a height h from a prism apex portion, and h/H is 60% or less assuming that the height of the elongated prism is H.

13. The planar light source device according to claim 8, wherein a ratio of a maximum distance (d) between the flat face and/or the convex curved face, and a virtual plane connecting a prism apex portion to a prism bottom portion with respect to the pitch (P) of the elongated prism is in a range of 0.05 to 5%.

14. The planar light source device according to claim 4, wherein an apex angle of the elongated prism is in a range of 35 to 80°

.

15. The planar light source device according to claim 4, wherein one distributing angle α

of an apex angle of the elongated prism is 40°

or less, and the other distributing angle β

of the apex angle is in a range of 25 to 50°

.

16. The planar light source device according to claim 4, wherein one distributing angle α

of an apex angle of the elongated prism is different from the other distributing angle β

.

17. The planar light source device according to claim 4, wherein each of the elongated prisms of the light deflection element comprises two prism faces, one of the prism faces comprises a flat face and/or a convex curved face, and the other prism face is a substantially flat face.

18. The planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of elongated lenses extending in a direction substantially vertical to the light incident face of the light guide and arranged substantially in parallel with one another in a plane along the light emitting face are formed on one of the light emitting face of the light guide and a back surface on the opposite side thereof.

19. The planar light source device according to claim 1, wherein the polarization separation element comprises a plurality of sheets each having double refractive properties, and a refractive index difference between the adjacent sheets in a polarization direction of a reflected polarization component is smaller than that in a polarization direction of a transmitted polarization component.

20. The planar light source device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light diffusion element disposed on the side of a light emitting surface of the polarization separation element.

21. The planar light source device according to claim 20, wherein the light diffusion element has a full width at half maximum of an emitted light luminous angular distribution with incidence of parallel light in a range of 1 to 13°

.

22. The planar light source device according to claim 20, wherein a haze value of the light diffusion element is in a range of 8 to 82%.