Prism sheet having wet-out property and LCD back light unit thereby

• US 8,384,847 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cheil Industries Incorporated (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Cheil Industries Incorporated (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Han, Young Soo, Jang, Seok Hoon, Choi, Jun Hyeak, Kim, Man Suk, Chung, Kyu Ha
• Primary Examiner(s): Kianni, K. Cyrus
• Application Number:
  US12/451,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20100103351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 349/61, 349/65
• US Class Current: 349/65
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/045 Prism arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members

Abstract

A prism sheet, capable of enhancing wet-out ability in a whole back light unit while maintaining center brightness, transmittance and haze in good condition, is disclosed. The prism sheet includes a base film made of a transparent material and having a flat first surface, and a light refracting part including a plurality of unit prisms unitarily formed with the base film on a second surface of the base film, opposite to the flat first surface. The unit prisms have a predetermined shape of a cross section, and are arranged with orientation. When an angle formed between a ridge of the unit prism of the light refracting part and a normal line of the flat first surface is defined as θ_n, θ_n and θ_n+1 have different values from each other, and n is an integer more than 2. An LCD back light unit using the above prism sheet is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A prism sheet, comprising:

a base film made of a transparent material, the base film having a flat first surface; and

a light refracting part including a plurality of unit prisms unitarily formed with the base film at a second surface of the base film, opposite to the flat first surface, the unit prisms having a predetermined shape of a cross section and being oriented in a same direction, wherein;

each of the unit prisms has a ridge that has an inclination changing point at which a first inclined portion of the ridge meets a second inclined portion of the ridge, the first inclined portion of the ridge is inclined at a first angle that is greater than 0° and

less than 90°

relative to a line perpendicular to the flat first surface, and

the second inclined portion of the ridge is inclined at a second angle that is greater than 0° and

less than 90°

relative a line perpendicular to the flat first surface, and

the first angle is not equal to the second angle.

2. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the ridge of each of the unit prisms has one inclination changing point,

and wherein the inclination changing points of the adjacent unit prisms are disposed at different distances from end points in a longitudinal direction of the respective unit prisms.

3. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the ridge of each of the unit prisms has one inclination changing point,

and wherein the inclination changing points of three adjacent unit prisms are arranged such that a line connecting the inclination changing points is not a straight line.

4. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the ridge of each of the unit prisms has inclination changing points more than two and less than a value of dividing a length of each of the unit prisms by a value forty times larger than a height of a starting point of each of the unit prisms,

and wherein positions of the inclination changing points are arranged irregularly without overlapping with each other in the whole of unit prisms.

5. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the ridge of each of the unit prisms is formed in a V shape or a reverse V shape.

6. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the base film is made of a transparent synthetic resin material.

7. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein each of the unit prisms has at least two optical planes capable of refracting light,

and wherein at least one pair of surfaces of the optical planes are not parallel with each other.

8. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein each of the unit prisms has a cross section of a triangle shape, a semicircle shape or a trapezoid shape.

9. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of unit prisms are formed successively without a gap therebetween.

10. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of unit prisms are arranged with a flat plane therebetween at regular intervals.

11. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein each of the unit prisms has a predetermined height from the flat first surface,

and wherein the height is in the range of 50% to 150% of a pitch of the unit prisms.

12. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein each of the unit prisms has a triangle-shaped cross section,

and wherein a vertex angle of each of the unit prisms is in the range of 30 to 120 degrees.

13. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the unit prisms are provided with light diffusing elements formed unitarily at valley portions between the adjacent unit prisms to diffuse light,

and wherein the light diffusing elements are distributed irregularly on valley surfaces of the unit prisms.

14. The prism sheet according to claim 13, wherein at least 50% of the light diffusing elements are distributed on the valley surfaces of regions under a half of a height of each of the unit prisms.

15. The prism sheet according to claim 13, wherein the light diffusing elements are formed in a circular lens shape,

and wherein the lens shape has a diameter of 0.01 to 0.9 times a pitch of the unit prisms.

16. The prism sheet according to claim 13, wherein the light diffusing elements are formed in an oval lens shape,

and wherein the lens shape has a long diameter of 0.01 to 0.9 times a pitch of the unit prisms.

17. An LCD back light unit comprising:

a light guide plate;

a light source disposed at a side surface or a rear surface of the light guide plate; and

the prism sheet according to claim 1, the prism sheet being formed on a surface of the light guide plate, from which light progresses.

18. An LCD device comprising:

a panel part including an upper substrate formed with a color filter and a lower substrate formed with a TFT; and

the back light unit according to claim 17, the back light unit being mounted under the lower substrate.