Prism sheet, and backlight unit and liquid crystal display device using prism sheet

• US 8,497,953 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2008
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DIC Corporation
• Original Assignee: DIC Corporation
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Masashi, Takashima, Masanao, Saga, Ryuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUNG, DAVID Y
• Application Number:
  US12/675,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20100245717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 349 61- 65
• US Class Current: 349/64
• 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: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side

Abstract

Provided is a prism sheet which has high effects of suppressing Moiré fringes, high front luminance and reduced number of components when it is used as a prism sheet for a backlight unit for a liquid crystal display device. The prism sheet has a prism row having ridges formed in parallel to each other at equivalent intervals on one surface and a light diffusion layer containing porous particles on the other surface. The prism sheet preferably has the prism row on one surface and the light diffusion layer on the other surface by having a light-transmissive substrate in between.

Claims

1. A prism sheet arranged on an emitting surface of a light guide plate in a backlight unit, the prism sheet comprising:

a prism row on an incident surface, side of a light-transmissive substrate; and

a light diffusion layer that contains porous particles on the emitting surface side of the light transmissive substrate;

wherein the porous particles are irregular porous silica particles, the structure of which is such that primary particles are agglomerated and form agglomerated particles in indefinite-shaped form having 1 to 10 μ

m of the particle size, and the light diffusion layer is formed by a coating material containing a resin binder and the porous silica particles, wherein the light diffusion layer has a dry thickness of 2 to 10 μ

m, wherein the content of the porous particles in the light diffusion layer is 5 to 20 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the resin binder.

2. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the dry film thickness of the light diffusion layer is 1 to 2.5 folds of a volume average particle size of the porous particles.

3. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the apex angle of the prism row is 50°

to 80°

.

4. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein a fine pore volume of the porous particles is 0.1 to 3 ml/g, and an average size of the fine pores of the porous particles is 1 to 50 nm.

5. A backlight unit for a liquid crystal display device comprising;

a light source arranged on at least one end face of a light guide plate, and

a prism sheet according to claim 1 arranged on at least one emitting surface side such that prism ridges of the prism sheet are arranged toward the emitting surface of the light guide plate.

6. A liquid crystal display device comprising a backlight unit according to claim 5.

7. The prism sheet according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the light-transmissive substrate is 10 to 100 μ

m.

8. A backlight unit for a liquid crystal display device comprising;

a light source arranged on at least one end face of a light guide plate, and

a prism sheet according to claim 1 arranged on at least one emitting surface side such that prism ridges of the prism sheet are arranged toward the emitting surface of the light guide plate.

9. A liquid crystal display device comprising the backlight unit according to claim 8.