Backlight unit with linearly reduced divergence having the width of an output aperture vary over the length of a light divergence reduction structure
First Claim
1. A display apparatus comprising:
- a) a light source;
b) a light guiding plate for transmitting light from the light source outward from a two-dimensional light-providing surface, one dimension of the light-providing surface defined in a width direction parallel to the path of incident light from the light source and the other dimension of the light-providing surface defined in a length direction, orthogonal to the width direction;
c) a linear divergence reduction surface for reducing the divergence of light from the light providing surface predominantly with respect to the width direction, to provide a linearly divergence-reduced illumination,whereby divergence along the width direction at full-width half-maximum is less than about 50% of divergence at full-width half-maximum along the length direction;
d) a liquid crystal display component for modulating the linearly divergence-reduced light to form a modulated light according to image data, and,e) a diffusing surface in the path of the modulated light;
wherein the linear divergence reduction surface comprises a film substrate featured with a plurality of light divergence reduction structures, wherein each light divergence reduction structure is longitudinally extended in the length direction along the light-providing surface, each light divergence reduction structure comprising;
(a) an input aperture optically coupled to the light-providing surface;
(b) an output aperture distal from said input aperture, wherein the output aperture has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of the input aperture and the width of the output aperture varies over the length of the light divergence reduction structure; and
,(c) a pair of curved side walls between the output aperture and the input aperture and extending along the length direction;
wherein, in a cross section taken orthogonally with respect to the width direction, the curved side walls approximate a parabolic curvature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to a display apparatus comprising: a) a light source; b) a light guiding plate for transmitting light from the light source outward from a two-dimensional light-providing surface, one dimension of the light-providing surface defined in a width direction orthogonal to the path of incident light from the light source defined in a width direction orthogonal to the path of incident light from the light source and the other dimension of the light-providing surface defined in a length direction, orthogonal to the width direction; c) a linear divergence reduction surface for reducing the divergence of light from the light providing surface predominantly with respect to the width direction, to provide a linearly divergence-reduced illumination, whereby divergence along the width direction at full-width half-maximum is less than about 50% of divergence at full-width half-maximum along the length direction; d) a liquid crystal display component for modulating the linearly divergence-reduced light to form a modulated light according to image data, and, e) a diffusing surface in the path of the modulated light.
33 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A display apparatus comprising:
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a) a light source; b) a light guiding plate for transmitting light from the light source outward from a two-dimensional light-providing surface, one dimension of the light-providing surface defined in a width direction parallel to the path of incident light from the light source and the other dimension of the light-providing surface defined in a length direction, orthogonal to the width direction; c) a linear divergence reduction surface for reducing the divergence of light from the light providing surface predominantly with respect to the width direction, to provide a linearly divergence-reduced illumination, whereby divergence along the width direction at full-width half-maximum is less than about 50% of divergence at full-width half-maximum along the length direction; d) a liquid crystal display component for modulating the linearly divergence-reduced light to form a modulated light according to image data, and, e) a diffusing surface in the path of the modulated light; wherein the linear divergence reduction surface comprises a film substrate featured with a plurality of light divergence reduction structures, wherein each light divergence reduction structure is longitudinally extended in the length direction along the light-providing surface, each light divergence reduction structure comprising; (a) an input aperture optically coupled to the light-providing surface; (b) an output aperture distal from said input aperture, wherein the output aperture has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of the input aperture and the width of the output aperture varies over the length of the light divergence reduction structure; and
,(c) a pair of curved side walls between the output aperture and the input aperture and extending along the length direction; wherein, in a cross section taken orthogonally with respect to the width direction, the curved side walls approximate a parabolic curvature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification