Lighting system and liquid crystal backlight device

• US 7,380,972 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2003
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne; Sharon E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZETTL, MARY E
• Application Number:
  US10/526,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20060072343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 362632-634, 362/232, 362/233, 362/269, 362/285, 362/371, 362/383, 362/384, 362/393, 349/59, 349/60
• US Class Current: 362/632
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0051 Diffusing sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0088 of the light guide or other optical sheets in the package
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0091 of the light source relative to the light guide G02B6/0021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133604 with lamps
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133608 including particular frames or supporting means

Abstract

Luminance irregularities caused by the weight of the optical members in a backlight apparatus are reduced. A lighting apparatus comprises optical members 1 and 2, a casing in which the optical members 1 and 2 and a lamp 4 are disposed, a first member 1a formed in optical members 1 and 2, and a second member 3a formed in the casing for attaching the optical members 1 and 2 to the casing by cooperating with the first member 1a. The first and second members 1a and 3a are provided in positions such that no upward stress is applied to the optical members due to their own weights at the bottom in a vertical direction in the plane of the display screen, both in a basic position and a first stop position of the lighting apparatus, the latter position being reached by rotation of the apparatus from the basic position in the plane of the display screen.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

an optical member; and

a plurality of locking portions, wherein,

a light emitting plane of the optical member is parallel to a vertical direction and at least one opening is provided in each of four regions of the optical member that are demarcated by a line parallel to the vertical direction that passes through the center of gravity of the light emitting plane of the optical member and a line parallel to a horizontal direction that passes through the center of gravity,

in each of the four regions, a locking portion penetrates a corresponding opening,

regardless of which two adjacent regions of the four regions are positioned vertically above with respect to the center of gravity when the lighting apparatus is set, the optical member is suspended by the locking portion penetrating the corresponding opening in a vertically upper and horizontally left region with respect to the center of gravity, and by the locking portion penetrating the corresponding opening in a vertically upper and horizontally right region with respect to the center of gravity, as an upper peripheral portion of each locking portion abuts on an upper-edge portion of the corresponding opening, and

in a vertically lower side with respect to the center of gravity of the optical member, each of the locking portions penetrates the corresponding opening such that the optical member is not subjected to the stress caused by its own weight in the vertically upward direction, nor is it subjected to the stress caused by its contact in the vertically downward direction with the locking portion.

2. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, regardless of which two adjacent regions of the four regions are located above with respect to the center of gravity when the lighting apparatus is set, in a lower side with respect to the center of gravity of the optical member, said each of the locking portions penetrates the corresponding opening in a contactless manner.

3. An LCD apparatus comprising the lighting apparatus of claim 1 and an LCD panel.

4. A lighting apparatus comprising:

an optical member having a plurality of openings; and

a plurality of locking portions,

the lighting apparatus comprising at least four sets of the opening and the locking portion that penetrates the opening, wherein,

either in a basic position of the lighting apparatus in which a light emitting plane of the optical member is parallel with a vertical direction, or in a first stop position thereof that is taken when the lighting apparatus is rotated from the basic position in the plane of the optical member while the light emitting plane of the optical member remains parallel to a vertical direction, the optical member is suspended by at least one of the sets of the opening and the locking portion that penetrates the opening, as they are engaged with one another in a vertically upper side with respect to the center of gravity of the optical member, and

in a vertically lower side with respect to the center of gravity of the optical member, each of the locking portions penetrates a corresponding opening such that the optical member is not subjected to the stress caused by its own weight in the vertically upward direction, nor is it subjected to the stress caused by its contact in the vertically downward direction with the locking portion.

5. The lighting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, either in the basic position of the lighting apparatus or in the first stop position, the optical member is disposed in a state such that the opening and the locking portion do not come into contact with one another in a vertically lower side with respect to the center of gravity of the optical member.

6. The lighting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the state such that the opening and the locking portion are not in contact with one another is a state such that, when the lighting apparatus is used in an LCD display apparatus, the optical member is given a degree of spatial freedom within the range of the expansion of the optical member that is caused by thermal expansion and/or absorption of moisture in the optical member within the normal range of use of the LCD apparatus.

7. The lighting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, either in the basic position or in the first stop position, the opening is shaped longer in the left-right direction than in the vertical direction with respect to the center of gravity in the upper side of the optical member in the vertical direction with respect to the center of gravity, wherein the locking portion that engages with the opening has its upper peripheral portion come into contact with the opening in a longitudinal direction of the opening.

8. The lighting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first stop position is a position that is taken when the lighting apparatus is rotated by 90°

from the basic position in the plane of the optical member while the light emitting plane of the optical member remains parallel with the vertical direction.

9. The lighting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first stop position is a position that is taken when the lighting apparatus is rotated by 180°

from the basic position in the plane of the optical member while the light emitting plane of the optical member remains parallel with the vertical direction.

10. The lighting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the surface of the optical member is provided with an antistatic finish.

11. The lighting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least a corner or a side of the optical member is chamfered.

12. An LCD apparatus comprising the lighting apparatus of claim 4 as a backlight apparatus, and an LCD panel as a display unit.

13. The LCD apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a rotating mechanism for rotating the display unit.

14. A lighting apparatus comprising:

an optical member having a plurality of cutout portions; and

a plurality of locking portions associated with the cutout portions, wherein,

a light emitting plane of the optical member is parallel with a vertical direction, the cutout portions are formed in the each end-sides of the optical member at the top, bottom, left, and right of the optical member with respect to the center of gravity of the light emitting plane, such that the cutout portions can be engaged with the locking portions, and

regardless of which of the top, bottom, left, and right end-sides comes at the top when the lighting apparatus is set, the optical member is supported by an upper internal edge of each of the cutout portions in the left and right end-sides of the optical member abutting on the locking portion adapted to be engaged with the cutout portion.

15. The lighting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein, in cases where the light emitting plane of the optical member is parallel with the vertical direction, at least one of the cutout portions formed in both left and right sides horizontally of the optical member is disposed in a vertically upper side with respect to the center of gravity of the optical member.

16. The lighting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein, both in a basic position of the lighting apparatus where a light emitting plane of the optical member is parallel with a vertical direction, and in a first stop position that is taken when the lighting apparatus is rotated from the basic position in the plane of the optical member while the light emitting plane of the optical member remains parallel with the vertical direction, the optical member is supported by an upper internal edge of each of the cutout portions in the both end-sides that are positioned in the horizontal direction in the optical member abutting on the locking portion adapted to be engaged with the cutout portion.

17. An LCD apparatus comprising the lighting apparatus of claim 14 and an LCD panel.