Optical element enclosure having contractive enclosing member with opening at corner/curvature portion, backlight, and liquid crystal display device

• US 7,683,980 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohta, Eiji, Yamakita, Shigehiro, Ishimori, Taku, Hosoya, Ken, Shinkai, Shogo, Kudo, Yasuyuki, Kakinuma, Masayasu
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHECHTER, ANDREW M
• Application Number:
  US12/212,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20090079900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 359/507, 359/513, 359/514, 349/60
• US Class Current: 349/60
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133602 Direct backlight
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133608 including particular frames or supporting means
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/54 Arrangements for reducing warping-twist

Abstract

An optical element covering member includes: at least one optical element; a support medium supporting the at least one optical element; and a shrinkable covering member covering the at least one optical element and the support medium. In the optical element covering member, among sides forming primary surfaces of the support medium, at least one set of sides facing each other is covered with the covering member, and the following equation (1) is satisfied under conditions at a temperature of 70° C.,
0≦F≦1.65×10⁴×t/L   (1)
where t indicates the thickness of the support medium, L indicates the length of the side of the support medium covered with the covering member, F indicates a tensile force of the covering member, which acts in a direction parallel to the side having the length L.

Claims

1. An optical element enclosure comprising:

one, two, or more film-shaped or sheet-shaped optical elements;

a plate-shaped supporting member supporting said one, two, or more optical elements; and

a contractive enclosing member enclosing said one, two, or more optical elements and said supporting member,

wherein said one, two, or more optical elements and said supporting member form a laminate body,

said laminate body has an incident plane in which light from a light source enters, an emitting plane from which the light entered from said incident plane is emitted, and an edge surface locating between said incident plane and said emitting plane,

said enclosing member is closely adhered to said laminate body and encloses the emitting plane, incident plane, and all edge surfaces of said laminate body,

at least one opening portion is provided for said enclosing member, wherein the opening portion of said enclosing member is provided for a corner/curvature portion of said supporting member, and

a thickness t of said supporting member, a length L of side of said supporting member, and a tension F of said enclosing member satisfy the following relational expression (1) under an environment of a temperature of 70°

C.,

0≦

F≦

1.65×

10⁴×

t/L 

 

(1)

(where, in the expression (1), t, L, and F indicate the following elements;

t;

distance between the incident plane and the emitting plane of the supporting member

L;

length of side closed by said enclosing member among the sides constructing a plane perpendicular to the thickness t

F;

tension of the enclosing member which acts on the side of the length L in the parallel direction).

2. The optical element enclosure according to claim 1, wherein

the thickness t of said supporting member, lengths L1 and L2 of sides forming the incident plane and the emitting plane of said supporting member, and tensions F1 and F2 of the enclosing member which respectively act on the sides of said lengths L1 and L2 in the parallel direction satisfy the following relational expressions (2) and (3) under the environment of the temperature of 70°

C.,

0≦

F1≦

1.65×

10⁴×

t/L2 

 

(2)

0≦

F2≦

1.65×

10⁴×

t/L1 

 

(3).

3. The optical element enclosure according to claim 1, wherein said enclosing member has heat contraction performance.

4. The optical element enclosure according to claim 1, wherein said enclosing member has contraction performance due to an extension enclosure.

5. The optical element enclosure according to claim 1, wherein

said enclosing member has a joint portion obtained by joining edge portions of said enclosing member, and

a strength of said joint portion is larger than said tension F.

6. The optical element enclosure according to claim 1, wherein

said enclosing member has a first area and a second area with which the incident plane and the emitting plane of said supporting member are respectively covered, and

an angle between orientation axes of said first and second areas and the side of said length L is equal to 80°

or less.

7. The optical element enclosure according to claim 1, wherein

said enclosing member has a first, area and a second area with which the incident plane and the emitting plane of said supporting member are respectively covered, and

an optical function layer is provided for at least either said first area or said second area.

8. A backlight having the optical element enclosure according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A liquid crystal display apparatus having the optical element enclosure according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. An optical element enclosure comprising:

a plate-shaped supporting member; and

a contractive enclosing member enclosing said supporting member,

wherein said supporting member has an incident plane in which light from a light source enters, an emitting plane from which the light entered from said incident plane is emitted, and an edge surface locating between said incident plane and said emitting plane,

said enclosing member is closely adhered to said supporting member and encloses the emitting plane, incident plane, and all edge surfaces of said supporting member,

at least one opening portion is provided for said enclosing member, wherein the opening portion of said enclosing member is provided for a corner/curvature portion of said supporting member, and

a thickness t of said supporting member, a length L of side of said supporting member, and a tension F of said enclosing member satisfy the following relational expression (1) under an environment of a temperature of 70°

C.,

0≦

F≦

1.65×

⁴×

t/L 

 

(1)

(where, in the expression (1), t, L, and F indicate the following elements;

t;

distance between the incident plane and the emitting plane of the supporting member

L;

length of side closed by said enclosing member among the sides constructing a plane perpendicular to the thickness t

F;

tension of the enclosing member which acts on the side of the length L in the parallel direction).

11. The optical element enclosure according to claim 10, wherein

the thickness t of said supporting member, lengths L1 and L2 of sides forming the incident plane and the emitting plane of said supporting member, and tensions F1 and F2 of the enclosing member which respectively act on the sides of said lengths L1 and L2 in the parallel direction satisfy the following relational expressions (2) and (3) under the environment of the temperature of 70°

C.,

0≦

F1≦

1.65×

10⁴×

t/L2 

 

(2)

0≦

F2≦

1.65×

10⁴×

t/L1 

 

(3).

12. The optical element enclosure according to claim 10, wherein said enclosing member has heat contraction performance.

13. The optical element enclosure according to claim 10, wherein said enclosing member has contraction performance due to an extension enclosure.

14. The optical element enclosure according to claim 10, wherein

said enclosing member has a joint portion obtained by joining edge portions of said enclosing member, and

a strength of said joint portion is larger than said tension F.

15. The optical element enclosure according to claim 10, wherein

said enclosing member has a first area and a second area with which the incident plane and the emitting plane of said supporting member are respectively covered, and

an angle between orientation axes of said first and second areas and the side of said length L is equal to 8°

or less.

16. The optical element enclosure according to claim 10, wherein

said enclosing member has a first area and a second area with which the incident plane and the emitting plane of said supporting member are respectively covered, and

an optical function layer is provided for at least either said first area or said second area.

17. An optical element enclosure according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein at least one of the optical elements selected from a light diffusing element, a light converging element, a reflecting type polarizer, a polarizer, and a light dividing element is included in said enclosing member.

18. A backlight having the optical element enclosure according to. any one of claims 10 to 16.

19. A liquid crystal display apparatus having the optical element enclosure according to any one of claims 10 to 16.