Planar light source, display device, portable terminal device, and ray direction switching element

• US 7,630,026 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2008
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NLT Technologies, Ltd. (Tianma Microelectronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Okumura, Fujio, Sumiyoshi, Ken, Uehara, Shinichi, Suzuki, Teruaki
• Primary Examiner(s): HEYMAN, JOHN S
• Application Number:
  US12/010,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20080205083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 349/62, 349/65, 349/66, 362/606, 362/607, 362/608
• US Class Current: 349/66
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1323 Arrangements for providing a switchable viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133524 Light-guides, e.g. fibre-optic bundles, louvered or jalousie light-guides
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13476 in which at least one liquid crystal cell or layer assumes a scattering state

Abstract

A planar light source includes a large variable width of an irradiation angle of illumination light, a display device having a large variable width of an angle of field that uses the planar light source, a portable terminal device that uses the display device, and a ray direction switching element that is incorporated in the planar light source. A beam direction regulating element (a louver), which controls a direction of light, and a transparent and scattering switching element, which can switch the transparent state and the scattering state according to ON and OFF of an applied voltage, are provided between a backlight and a liquid crystal panel, whereby it is possible to increase a variable width of an irradiation angle of light in the planar light source and increase a variable width of an angle of field of the liquid crystal display device that uses the planar light source.

Claims

1. A planar light source comprising:

a backlight that emits light in a planar shape;

a ray direction regulating element that regulates a direction of light made incident from the backlight and emits the light, whereby a directivity of the light is improved, said ray direction regulating element comprising a transparent area for transmitting light and an absorption area for absorbing light are formed alternately in a direction parallel to a surface of the ray direction regulating element; and

a transparent and scattering switching element that is switchable between a state in which light which is transmitted by the ray direction regulating element and made incident on said switching element is transmitted and a state in which the light is scattered;

wherein light emitted by the backlight spreads radially in an elliptical shape with respect to a direction perpendicular to an emission surface of said backlight, and

wherein the transparent area and the absorption area of the ray direction regulating element are formed alternately in a direction parallel to a short diameter direction of the elliptical shape.

2. The planar light source according to claim 1, wherein, in the ray direction regulating element, the transparent area is provided in the absorption area in a matrix shape in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the ray direction regulating element.

3. The planar light source according to claim 2, wherein a shape of the transparent area comprises one of a circular shape, elliptical shape, square shape, and rectangular shape in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the ray direction regulating element.

4. The planar light source according to claim 1, wherein the ray direction regulating element has a first layer in which the transparent area and the absorption area are formed alternately and a second layer in which the transparent area and the absorption area are formed alternately in a direction perpendicular to the first layer.

5. The planar light source according to claim 1, wherein the transparent and scattering switching element and the ray direction regulating element are formed integrally.

6. The planar light source according to claim 5, wherein the transparent and scattering switching element and the ray direction regulating element have a common substrate.

7. The planar light source according to claim 6, wherein a substrate of the ray direction regulating element is only a substrate common to the ray direction regulating element and the transparent and scattering switching element.

8. The planar light source according to claim 1, wherein the transparent and scattering switching element comprises a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer formed between a pair of electrodes and is in the state in which the transparent and scattering switching element scatters incident light when a voltage is not applied between the flat electrodes, and

wherein a voltage is applied to the transparent and scattering switching element when the transparent and scattering switching element is used in the transparent state.

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

a linear light source formed on a first side of said backlight for emitting light which is incident on said first side of said backlight,

wherein said transparent area comprises plural first stripe portions and said absorption area comprises plural second stripe portions which are alternately formed and extend between said first side of said backlight and a second side of said backlight which is opposite said first side.

10. The planar light source according to claim 1, wherein said transparent and scattering switching element comprises scattering liquid crystal molecules formed in a polymer matrix.

15. A portable terminal device, comprising:

the planar light source according to claim 1,

wherein the transparent area and the absorption area of the ray direction regulating element are formed alternately in a lateral direction of the portable terminal device.

11. A display device comprising:

a backlight that emits light in a planar shape;

a ray direction regulating element that regulates a direction of light made incident from the backlight and emits the light, whereby a directivity of the light is improved, said ray direction regulating element comprising a transparent area for transmitting light and an absorption area for absorbing light which are formed alternately in a direction parallel to a surface of the ray direction regulating element;

a transparent and scattering switching element that is switchable between a state in which light which is transmitted by the ray direction regulating element and made incident on said switching element is transmitted and a state in which the light is scattered; and

a liquid crystal panel that displays an image with light made incident from the transparent and scattering switching element, and

wherein light emitted by the backlight spreads radially in an elliptical shape with respect to a direction perpendicular to an emission surface of said backlight, and

wherein in the ray direction regulating element, the transparent area and the absorption area are formed alternately in a direction parallel to a short long diameter direction of the elliptical shape.

12. The display device according to claim 11, wherein, in the ray direction regulating element, the transparent area is provided in the absorption area in a matrix shape in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the ray direction regulating element.

13. The display device according to claim 12, wherein a shape of the transparent area comprises one of a circular shape, elliptical shape, square shape, and rectangular shape in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the ray direction regulating element.

14. The display device according to claim 11, wherein the ray direction regulating element has a first layer in which the transparent area and the absorption area are formed alternately and a second layer in which the transparent area and the absorption area are formed alternately in a direction perpendicular to the first layer.

16. A ray direction switching element for a planar light source including a backlight, comprising:

a ray direction regulating element for regulating a direction of incident light and emitting light, whereby a directivity of the light is improved, said ray direction regulating element comprising a transparent area for transmitting light and an absorption area for absorbing light which are fanned alternately in a direction parallel to a surface of the ray direction regulating element; and

a transparent and scattering switching element for switching a state in which light made incident from the ray direction regulating element is transmitted and a state in which the light is scattered,

wherein said ray direction regulating element and said transparent and scattering switching element are integrally formed,

wherein the incident light spreads radially in an elliptical shape with respect to an incident surface of said backlight, and

wherein the transparent area for transmitting light and the absorption area for absorbing light are formed alternately in a direction parallel to a short diameter direction of the elliptical shape.

17. The ray direction switching element according to claim 16, wherein the transparent and scattering switching element and the ray direction regulating element are formed on a common substrate.

18. The ray direction switching element according to claim 17, wherein a substrate of the ray direction regulating element comprises a substrate common only to the ray direction regulating element and the transparent and scattering switching element.