Converging sheet, surface light source unit, and transmission type display

• US 7,594,733 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2006
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Goto, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Jong-Suk (James)
• Assistant Examiner(s): Makiya; David J
• Application Number:
  US11/372,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20060227323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 362/97, 362617-620, 362/622, 362/624, 362/627, 362 971- 974, 362/612, 362/245, 362/330
• US Class Current: 362/97.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0006 Arrays G02B3/02, G02B5/188 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/005 arranged along a single direction only, e.g. lenticular sheets G02B3/0043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0062 Stacked lens arrays, i.e. refractive surfaces arranged in at least two planes, without structurally separate optical elements in-between
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/04 with continuous faces that are rotationally symmetrical but deviate from a true sphere , e.g. so called "aspheric" lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0215 the surface having a regular structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0231 the surface having microprismatic or micropyramidal shape macroscopic prism arrays G02B5/045
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0242 by means of dispersed particles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0257 creating an anisotropic diffusion characteristic, i.e. distributing output differently in two perpendicular axes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0278 used in transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133604 with lamps
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members

Abstract

A converging sheet includes a light-emerging-side lens member formed of a plurality of unit lenses of convex shape that are arranged on a light-emerging side, and a scattering layer that is formed along a surface of each unit lens and scatters light. The scattering layer includes light diffusing particles. A thickness t of the scattering layer is equal to or more than one-tenth the lens pitch p. The converging sheet satisfies the following relationships: d×((t+h+p)/φ)>50% and d×(t/φ)<50%, in which d represents a volume ratio (%) of the light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer relative to the scattering layer, φ represents an average grain diameter (mm) of the light diffusing particles, and h represents a height from the apex to a bottom of the convex shape of the unit lens.

Claims

1. A converging sheet disposed in a surface light source unit containing a light source member formed of a plurality of light sources arranged in parallel, the converging sheet having a sheet face and converging light from the light source member, the converging sheet comprising:

a lens member formed of a plurality of unit lenses of convex shape that are arranged on a light-emerging side of the converging sheet at a predetermined lens pitch; and

a scattering layer that is formed in direct contact with the plurality of unit lenses so that the scattering layer conforms to the shape of the plurality of unit lenses

wherein each unit lens and an associated portion of said scattering layer converges some of the light that enters a light-incident side of the converging sheet and diffuses the remainder of the light that enters the light-incident side of the converging sheet, thereby increasing the front luminance of the light emitted from the converging sheet.

2. The converging sheet according to claim 1, wherein

a thickness of the scattering layer is equal to or more than one-tenth the lens pitch, and equal to or less than the lens pitch.

3. The converging sheet according to claim 1, wherein

the scattering layer includes light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer so as to scatter light.

4. The converging sheet according to claim 3, wherein

the converging sheet satisfies the relationship:

d×

((t+h+p)/φ

)>

50%, in which

d represents a volume ratio (%) of the light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer relative to the scattering layer, φ

represents an average grain diameter (mm) of the light diffusing particles, t represents a thickness (mm) of the scattering layer near an apex of the convex shape of the unit lens, p represents the lens pitch at which the unit lenses are arranged, and h represents a height from the apex to a bottom of the convex shape of the unit lens.

5. The converging sheet according to claim 3, wherein

the converging sheet satisfies the relationship:

d×

(t/φ

)<

50%, in which

d represents a volume ratio (%) of the light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer relative to the scattering layer, φ

represents an average grain diameter (mm) of the light diffusing particles, and t represents a thickness (mm) of the scattering layer near an apex of the convex shape of the unit lens.

6. The converging sheet according to claim 1, wherein

each of the unit lenses is a part of an elliptic cylinder with a major axis thereof perpendicular to the sheet face, or a spheroid formed by rotating an ellipsoid with a major axis thereof perpendicular to the sheet face, the ellipsoid being rotated about the major axis.

21. The converging sheet of claim 1, wherein the plurality of unit lenses of convex shape are formed only on the light emerging side of the converging sheet.

7. A surface light source unit disposed on a rear side of a transmission type display member, comprising:

a light source member formed of a plurality of light sources arranged in parallel; and

a converging sheet having a sheet face and converging light from the light source member;

wherein

the converging sheet comprises;

a lens member formed of a plurality of unit lenses of convex shape that are arranged on a light-emerging side of the converging sheet at a predetermined lens pitch, and

a scattering layer that is formed in direct contact with the plurality of unit lenses so that the scattering layer conforms to the shape of the plurality of unit lenses,

wherein each unit lens and an associated portion of said scattering layer converges some of the light that enters a light-incident side of the converging sheet and diffuses the remainder of the light that enters the light-incident side of the converging sheet, thereby increasing the front luminance of the light emitted from the converging sheet.

8. The surface light source unit according to claim 7, wherein

the converging sheet converges vertical light from a screen of the transmission type display member.

9. The surface light source unit according to claim 8, further comprising:

a second converging sheet converging light in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which light is converged by the converging sheet.

10. The surface light source unit according to claim 7, wherein

a thickness of the scattering layer is equal to or more than one-tenth the lens pitch, and equal to or less than the lens pitch.

11. The surface light source unit according to claim 7, wherein

the scattering layer includes light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer so as to scatter light.

12. The surface light source unit according to claim 11, wherein

the converging sheet satisfies the relationship:

d×

((t+h+p)/φ

)>

50%, in which

d represents a volume ratio (%) of the light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer relative to the scattering layer, φ

represents an average grain diameter (mm) of the light diffusing particles, t represents a thickness (mm) of the scattering layer near an apex of the convex shape of the unit lens, p represents the lens pitch at which the unit lenses are arranged, and h represents a height from the apex to a bottom of the convex shape of the unit lens.

13. The surface light source unit according to claim 11, wherein

the converging sheet satisfies the relationship:

d×

(t/φ

)<

50%, in which

d represents a volume ratio (%) of the light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer relative to the scattering layer, φ

represents an average grain diameter (mm) of the light diffusing particles, and t represents a thickness (mm) of the scattering layer near an apex of the convex shape of the unit lens.

14. The surface light source unit according to claim 7, wherein

each of the unit lenses is a part of an elliptic cylinder with a major axis thereof perpendicular to the sheet face, or a spheroid formed by rotating an ellipsoid with a major axis thereof perpendicular to the sheet face, the ellipsoid being rotated about the major axis.

22. The converging sheet of claim 7, wherein the plurality of unit lenses of convex shape are formed only on the light emerging side of the converging sheet.

15. A transmission type display comprising:

a transmission type display member; and

a surface light source unit disposed on a rear side of the transmission type display member, including;

a light source member formed of a plurality of light sources arranged in parallel; and

a converging sheet converging light from the light source member;

wherein

the converging sheet comprises;

a lens member formed of a plurality of unit lenses of convex shape that are arranged on a light-emerging side of the converging sheet at a predetermined lens pitch; and

a scattering layer that is formed in direct contact with the plurality of unit lenses so that the scattering layer conforms to the shape of the plurality of unit lenses,

wherein each unit lens and associated portion of said scattering layer converges some of the light that enters a light-incident side of the converging sheet and diffuses the remainder of the light that enters the light-incident side of the converging sheet, thereby increasing the front luminance of the light emitted from the converging sheet.

16. The transmission type display according to claim 15, wherein

a thickness of the scattering layer is equal to or more than one-tenth the lens pitch, and equal to or less than the lens pitch.

17. The transmission type display according to claim 15, wherein

the scattering layer includes light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer so as to scatter light.

18. The transmission type display according to claim 17, wherein

the converging sheet satisfies the relationship:

d×

((t+h+p)/φ

)>

50%, in which

d represents a volume ratio (%) of the light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer relative to the scattering layer, φ

represents an average grain diameter (mm) of the light diffusing particles, t represents a thickness (mm) of the scattering layer near an apex of the convex shape of the unit lens, p represents the lens pitch at which the unit lenses are arranged, and h represents a height from the apex to a bottom of the convex shape of the unit lens.

19. The transmission type display according to claim 17, wherein

the converging sheet satisfies the relationship:

d×

(t/φ

)<

50%, in which

d represents a volume ratio (%) of the light diffusing particles mixed in the scattering layer relative to the scattering layer, φ

represents an average grain diameter (mm) of the light diffusing particles, and t represents a thickness (mm) of the scattering layer near an apex of the convex shape of the unit lens.

20. The transmission type display according to claim 15, wherein

each of the unit lenses is a part of an elliptic cylinder with a major axis thereof perpendicular to the sheet face, or a spheroid formed by rotating an ellipsoid with a major axis thereof perpendicular to the sheet face, the ellipsoid being rotated about the major axis.

23. The converging sheet of claim 15, wherein the plurality of unit lenses of convex shape are formed only on the light emerging side of the converging sheet.