Lightguide plate and electronic device

• US 7,932,890 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Citizen Electronics Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Citizen Electronics Company Limited
• Inventors: Kayanuma, Yasuaki, Onikiri, Akira, Okuwaki, Daisaku
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, ANABEL
• Application Number:
  US12/201,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20090059618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 345/176, 345/102, 345168-172, 36167923-67924, 36167911-67917, 362/602
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0088 of the light guide or other optical sheets in the package
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials

Abstract

An electronic device includes a casing having a display part (2) provided with an image display panel (1), a operation part (4) provided with operation keys (3), and a joint part (5) that connects together the display part and the operation part, and a lightguide plate (6) disposed in the casing. The lightguide plate is an edge-light type lightguide plate having a display illuminating part (6a) illuminating the image display panel, a key illuminating part (6b) illuminating the operation keys, and a connecting part (6c) that connects together the display illuminating part and the key illuminating part and that guides light therebetween. The lightguide plate is deformable in accordance with the deformation of the casing.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a casing having a display part provided with an image display panel, an operation part provided with operation keys, and a joint part that connects together the display part and the operation part; and

a lightguide plate having a display illuminating part disposed in the display part of the casing to illuminate the image display panel, a key illuminating part disposed in the operation part of the casing to illuminate the operation keys, and a connecting part disposed in the joint part of the casing to connect together the display illuminating part and the key illuminating part and to guide light between the display illuminating part and the key illuminating part, the lightguide plate being deformable in accordance with deformation of the casing.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display part and the operation part are hingedly connected together at the joint part.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the connecting part of the lightguide plate is in the shape of a pliable film.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the lightguide plate is in the shape of a pliable film as a whole.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the lightguide plate is disposed to receive light from at least one of opposite end edges adjacent to the display part and the operation part, and the lightguide plate guides the light from the at least one end edge toward the corresponding other opposite end edge.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a reflecting sheet at the connecting part and disposed to cover at least either one of two opposite sides of the connecting part which is disposed in the joint part of the casing.

7. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the display part and the operation part are in the shape of a flat plate, respectively.

8. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the display part has a surface provided with the image display panel;

the operation part having a surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part and the operation part being displaceable between a folded position and an unfolded position, and the surface provided with the image display panel and the surface equipped with the operation keys are adjacently disposed each other in the folded position and the surface provided with the image display panel and the surface equipped with the operation keys are disposed apart from each other in the unfolded position.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein, in the unfolded position, the surface provided with the image display panel and the surface equipped with the operation keys are substantially flush with each other.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the display part and the operation part are connected together and held with a step therebetween in the unfolded position.

11. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the display part has a curved surface provided with the image display panel;

the operation part having a curved surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part and the operation part being displaceable between a folded position at the joint part and the surface provided with the image display panel and the surface equipped with the operation keys are juxtaposed to each other, and the surface provided with the image display panel and the surface equipped with the operation keys are disposed apart from each other in the unfolded position.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the casing is a one-piece casing having at least either one of curved deformation and bent deformation;

the lightguide plate being deformed in accordance with the deformation of the casing.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operation part has a flat surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part having a surface provided with the image display panel, the surface facing in a same direction as in that the surface which is equipped with the operation keys facing, and the display part being convexly curved as seen in a side view;

the lightguide plate being transformed in accordance with configuration of the surface of the operation part and the surface of the display part.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operation part has a flat surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part having a surface provided with the image display panel, the surface facing in a same direction as in that the surface which is equipped with the operation keys facing, and the display part being concavely curved as seen in a side view;

the lightguide plate being transformed in accordance with configuration of the surface of the operation part and the surface of the display part.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operation part has a surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part having a surface provided with the image display panel;

the surface equipped with the operation keys and the surface provided with the image display panel cooperating to form a continuous surface which is convexly curved as a whole as seen in a side view;

the lightguide plate being transformed in accordance with configuration of the continuous surface including the surface of the operation part and the surface of the display part.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operation part has a surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part having a surface provided with the image display panel;

the surface equipped with the operation keys and the surface provided with the image display panel cooperating to form a continuous surface which is concavely curved as a whole as seen in a side view;

the lightguide plate being transformed in accordance with configuration of the continuous surface including the surface of the operation part and the surface of the display part.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operation part has a convexly curved surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part having a concavely curved surface provided with the image display panel;

the surface equipped with the operation keys and the surface provided with the image display panel cooperate to form a continuous surface curved in an S-shape as a whole as seen in a side view;

the lightguide plate being transformed in accordance with configuration of continuous surface including the surface of the operation part and the surface of the display part.

18. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operation part has a concavely curved surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part having a convexly curved surface provided with the image display panel;

the surface equipped with the operation keys and the surface provided with the image display panel cooperate to form a continuous surface curved in an S-shape as a whole as seen in a side view;

the lightguide plate being transformed in accordance with configuration of continuous surface including the surface of the operation part and the surface of the display part.

19. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operation part has a flat surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part having a flat surface provided with the image display panel;

the surface equipped with the operation keys and the surface provided with the image display panel being disposed with an angle of intersection therebetween;

the lightguide plate being transformed in accordance with angled configuration formed by the surface of the operation part and the surface of the display part.

20. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operation part has a substantially flat surface equipped with the operation keys;

the display part having a substantially flat surface provided with the image display panel;

the surface equipped with the operation keys and the surface provided with the image display panel being disposed with a step therebetween;

the lightguide plate being transformed in accordance with stepped configuration formed by the surface of the operation part and the surface of the display part.

21. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising:

a reflecting sheet for the connecting part and disposed to cover at least either one of two opposite sides of the connecting part in the joint part of casing.

22. A lightguide plate for use in an electronic device having a display part provided with an image display panel, an operation part provided with operation keys, and a joint part that connects together the display part and the operation part, the lightguide plate comprising:

a display illuminating part disposed in the display part to illuminate the image display panel;

a key illuminating part disposed in the operation part to illuminate the operation keys; and

a pliable connecting part disposed in the joint part to connect together the display illuminating part and the key illuminating part and to guide light between the display illuminating part and the key illuminating part.

23. A lightguide plate for use in an electronic device including a casing having a display part provided with an image display panel, an operation part provided with operation keys, and a joint part that connects together the display part and the operation part, the casing having at least either one of curved deformation and bent deformation, the lightguide plate comprising:

a display illuminating part disposed in the display part to illuminate the image display panel;

a key illuminating part disposed in the operation part to illuminate the operation keys; and

a connecting part disposed in the joint part to connect together the display illuminating part and the key illuminating part and to guide light between the display illuminating part and the key illuminating part;

the lightguide plate being deformable in accordance with the deformation of the casing.