Light-emitting module and display device having the same

• US 8,814,415 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2009
• 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, Hyoung-Joo, Yoon, Ju-Young, Kwon, Jae-Joong, Cho, Chi-O, Park, Jin-Hee, Kim, Joo-Young, Shim, Sung-Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hollweg, Thomas A
• Application Number:
  US12/766,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20100290246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 362/602, 362/612, 362/600, 362/606, 362/607, 362/617, 362/621, 362/628, 362/633
• US Class Current: 362/612
• 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 6/0021 for housing at least a part of the light source, e.g. by forming holes or recesses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0083 Details of electrical connections of light sources to drivers, circuit boards, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0091 of the light source relative to the light guide G02B6/0021 takes precedence

Abstract

A light-emitting module includes a light guide plate and a light source unit in accordance with an embodiment. The light guide plate include an upper surface, a lower surface facing the upper surface, a plurality of side surfaces connecting the upper surface and the lower surface, and a cross-sectional surface connected to at least one of the side surfaces. The light source unit includes a substrate disposed in correspondence with the cross-sectional surface and a point light source mounted on the substrate to emit light to the cross-sectional surface. Thus, light-emitting efficiency may be enhanced and the arrangement of point light sources may be optimized, so that a required amount of emitted light may be obtained using a small number of the point light sources. In addition, uniformity of luminance and heat-radiating efficiency may also be enhanced.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a light guide plate comprising an upper surface, a lower surface facing the upper surface, a plurality of side surfaces connecting the upper surface and the lower surface, and a cross-sectional surface having a plurality of light incident surfaces and a plurality of connecting surfaces connecting adjacent light incident surfaces;

a display panel assembly comprising a display panel disposed on the upper surface, and a driving substrate configured to drive the display panel; and

a light source unit comprising a first substrate having surfaces opposite each of the cross-sectional surfaces,

wherein the plurality of light incident surfaces have different light emitting angle with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces,

wherein all of the different light emitting angles are acute angles with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces, and

wherein the light incident surfaces are substantially perpendicular to light emitting directions and the light emitting directions do not intersect each other within the light guide plate.

2. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a recess surface having two recess plane formed by removing a portion of the light guide plate from one of the side surface to an interior of the light guide plate, and

wherein a plurality of point light sources are mounted on each of the two recess planes.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional surface is formed at both ends of one of the plurality of side surfaces.

4. The display device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of light incident surfaces are formed on one of the plurality of side surfaces.

5. The display device of claim 4, wherein the different light emitting angles with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces decrease according to an increase in distance from an adjacent side surface, which is close to the plurality of light incident surfaces, to one of the plurality of light incident surfaces.

6. The display device of claim 3, wherein the different light emitting angles with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces decrease according to an increase in distance from an adjacent side surface, which is close to the plurality of light incident surfaces, to one of the plurality of light incident surfaces.

7. The display device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of light incident surfaces are formed on one of the plurality of side surfaces.

8. The display device of claim 7, wherein the different light emitting angles with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces decrease according to an increase in distance from an adjacent side surface, which is close to the plurality of light incident surfaces, to one of the plurality of light incident surfaces.

9. The display device of claim 2, wherein the different light emitting angles with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces decrease according to an increase in distance from an adjacent side surface, which is close to the plurality of light incident surfaces, to one of the plurality of light incident surfaces.

10. The display device of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional surface is formed at both ends of one of the plurality of side surfaces.

11. The display device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of light incident surfaces are formed on one of the plurality of side surfaces.

12. The display device of claim 11, wherein the different light emitting angles with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces decrease according to an increase in distance from an adjacent side surface, which is close to the plurality of light incident surfaces, to one of the plurality of light incident surfaces.

13. The display device of claim 10, wherein the different light emitting angles with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces decrease according to an increase in distance from an adjacent side surface, which is close to the plurality of light incident surfaces, to one of the plurality of light incident surfaces.

14. The display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light incident surfaces are formed on one of the plurality of side surfaces.

15. The display device of claim 14, wherein the different light emitting angles with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces decrease according to an increase in distance from an adjacent side surface, which is close to the plurality of light incident surfaces, to one of the plurality of light incident surfaces.

16. The display device of claim 1, wherein the different light emitting angles with respect to one of the plurality of side surfaces decrease according to an increase in distance from an adjacent side surface, which is close to the plurality of light incident surfaces, to one of the plurality of light incident surfaces.