Surface illuminant equipment

• US 7,780,331 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Ohmori, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi; Jacob Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Makiya; David J
• Application Number:
  US12/104,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20080259644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 362617-620, 362/626, 359/570, 359/625
• US Class Current: 362/620
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0051 Diffusing sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer

Abstract

A plurality of convex strip portions are formed on a front surface (or a back surface) of a light guiding plate, extending in a direction from a light incidence plane to an opposite side surface. A concave portion is formed on a side surface of each convex strip portion. An inner wall of the concave portion is formed from at least two flat planes inclined with respect to three axial directions orthogonal to each other (X, Y and Z axial directions), respectively. Thereby, damage to the surface illuminant equipment such as a light guiding plate due to the interference between a back surface and units disposed on the back surface of the light guiding plate is prevented, while preventing a linear part with relatively low luminance from being viewed from the front surface of the light guiding plate.

Claims

1. A surface illuminant equipment which includes a light guiding plate for guiding a source light from a light incidence plane which is set from at least one side surface from a pair of side surfaces opposing to each other;

a prism sheet disposed opposing to a light emitting plane which is set from a front surface of the light guiding plate having a front surface and a back surface; and

a reflection sheet disposed opposing to the back surface of the light guiding plate, comprising;

a plurality of substantially parallel convex strip portions integrally formed with the light guiding plate on either one of the front surface and the back surface of the light guiding plate, fully extending in a direction from one side surface of the pair of side surfaces to the other and disposed in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction; and

a plurality of concave portions formed on a side surface of each of the plurality of convex strip portions with an interval along the extending direction of the convex strip portion, wherein an inner wall of each concave portion is formed from at least two flat planes inclined with respect to three axial directions orthogonal to each other set from the extending direction of each of the plurality of convex strip portions, a width direction of the light guiding plate, and a direction orthogonal to both the extending direction and the width direction, respectively; and

wherein in the case where two arbitrary convex strip portions adjacent mutually among the plurality of convex strip portions are set as a first convex strip portion and a second convex strip portion, respectively, the concave portion formed on the side surface of the first convex strip portion closer to the second convex strip portion and the concave portion formed on the side surface of the second convex strip portion closer to the first convex strip portion are axisymmetrical to a central axis between the first convex strip and the second convex strip when either one of the front surface and the back surface is viewed in the width direction of the light guiding plate.

2. The surface illuminant equipment according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall of each concave portion is formed from two flat planes intersected at a penetralia of the concave portion.

3. The surface illuminant equipment according to claim 1, wherein a top surface of each convex strip portion is flat.

4. The surface illuminant equipment according to claim 2, wherein a top surface of each convex strip portion is flat.