Light guide plate of display apparatus

• US 8,714,805 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kim, Guk Hyun, Prudnikov, Oleg, Cheong, Byoungho, Kim, Youngchan
• Primary Examiner(s): Guharay, Karabi
• Application Number:
  US13/344,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20120294034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 362/615, 362/621, 362/606, 362/97.2, 362/97.3, 362608-611, 349/65
• US Class Current: 362/621
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0016 Grooves, prisms, gratings, scattering particles or rough surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0031 Reflecting element, sheet or layer

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a light source and a light guide plate including a light incident surface facing the light source and which receive the light, an opposite surface opposite to the light incident surface and which reflects the light and has an arc shape, connection surfaces at opposing sides of the light incident surface and which connect the light incident surface and the opposite surface, an upper surface connected to the light incident surface, the opposite surface and the connection surfaces and which outputs the light, and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface. The light incident surface of the light guide plate includes a first surface extending in a predetermined direction, and second surfaces inclined from the first surface in an area corresponding to the light source such that an optical recess having a polygonal pyramid shape is defined by the second surfaces.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

at least one light source which emits light;

a light guide plate which has a plurality of surfaces and guides the light from the at least one light source;

a display panel which receives the light from the light guide plate and displays an image,

wherein the plurality of surfaces comprises;

a light incident surface facing the at least one light source and which receives the light; and

an upper surface connected to the light incident surface and which outputs the light, and

wherein the light incident surface of the light guide plate comprises;

a first surface extending in a predetermined direction; and

a plurality of second surfaces inclined from the first surface in an area corresponding to the light source such that at least one optical recess having a polygonal pyramid shape is defined by the second surfaces on the light incident surface; and

an optical member comprising;

a third surface between the light incident surface and the light source and substantially parallel to the first surface of the light incident surface;

a fourth surface opposite to the third surface and facing the light source;

a plurality of fifth surfaces inclined from the third surface and which connects the third surface with the fourth surface; and

a plurality of sixth surfaces substantially vertical to the third surface and which connects the third surface with the fourth surface.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when an exit angle of the light emitted from the light source is θ

c and an angle between each of the second surfaces and an imaginary line parallel to the first surface is α

, an exit angle θ

t of the light passing through the optical recess satisfies the following equation;

θ

t=θ

c+α

.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the optical recess has a quadrangular pyramid shape.

4. The display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of surfaces further comprises an opposite surface opposite to the light incident surface to reflect the light and having an arc shape, and wherein the light source comprises a light emitting diode positioned at a focal length of the opposite surface.

5. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the light emitting diode has a size smaller than a size of the optical recess.

6. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the light guide plate has a thickness gradually increased from the light incident surface to the opposite surface.

7. The display apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a reverse prism sheet between the light guide plate and the display panel, wherein the reverse prism sheet includes a plurality of prism patterns on a surface thereof opposite to the upper surface of the light guide plate.

8. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of surfaces further comprises two connection surfaces disposed at both sides of the light incident surface and the opposite surface, wherein the two connection surfaces are substantially parallel to each other.

9. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sixth surfaces are substantially vertical to the light incident surface.

10. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when an exit angle of the light emitted from the light source is θ

c and an angle between each of the fifth surfaces and a normal line vertical to the third surface is γ

, an exit angle θ

m of the light reflected from each of the fifth surfaces satisfies the following equation;

θ

m=θ

c−

2γ

.