Optical element, and lighting device, display device and electronic device that use the optical element

• US 8,149,350 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NLT Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NLT Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mimura, Koji, Sumiyoshi, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Amari, Alessandro
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kakalec, Kimberly N
• Application Number:
  US11/866,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20080088905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 359/558, 359/613, 349/66, 362/290, 362/354
• US Class Current: 349/66
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/005 provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133524 Light-guides, e.g. fibre-optic bundles, louvered or jalousie light-guides

Abstract

A micro-louver (1) includes: a transparent substrate (2); a concavoconvex shape portion (5) formed on at least one surface of the transparent substrate (2) and in a prescribed pattern for diffracting incident light to form an image; and a light controlling layer (7) including at least one transparent layer (3) and at least light-absorption layer (4) arranged alternately on said at least one surface of the transparent substrate (2), each of said at least one transparent layer (3) and said at least one transparent layer (4) extending in a direction that intersects said at least one surface of the transparent substrate (2).

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

(a) an optical element comprising;

a transparent substrate,

a concavoconvex shape portion formed on at least one surface of the transparent substrate and in a prescribed patter for diffracting incident light to form an image, and

a light controlling layer including at least one transparent portion and at least one light-absorption portion arranged alternately on said at least one surface of the transparent substrate, each of said at least one transparent portion and said at least one light-absorption portion extending perpendicular to said at least one surface; and

(b) an optical control element for forming a display image, wherein the optical element is arranged on a display surface of the optical control element such that a surface of the optical element, which is on a side opposite to a side of the transparent substrate on which the concavoconvex shape portion is formed, faces the optical control element, and

further comprising a touch panel, wherein the touch panel is arranged between the optical control element and the optical element.