Divided backlight configuration of a display

• US 9,547,208 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Grip, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Briggs, Nathanael R
• Application Number:
  US14/696,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20160313593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0083 Details of electrical connections of light sources to drivers, circuit boards, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/009 of the light source in the package G02B6/0021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133311 Environmental protection, e.g. against dust or humidity
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133322 Mechanical guidance or alignment of LCD panel support components
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133331 Cover glasses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133388 with constructional differences between the display region and the peripheral region
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1336 Illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13452 Conductors connecting driver circuitry and terminals of panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/56 Substrates having a particular shape, e.g. non-rectangular
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/045 Mounting of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/06 Electric connectors, e.g. conductive elastomers

Abstract

A device may comprise a display panel; a backlight; a printed circuit board, wherein the backlight is between the display panel and the printed circuit board; one or more lights, wherein the one or more light sources are directly connected to the printed circuit board, and one or more light coupling units, wherein each light coupling unit is configured to guide light, when emitted by a corresponding light source of the one or more light sources, to the backlight, and wherein the backlight guides the light towards the display panel.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a display panel, wherein the display panel comprises two or more bonding areas;

a driver configured to drive the display panel;

a layer, wherein the driver is mounted to the layer and signals to and from the driver are propagated by conductive elements of the layer;

two or more flexible connectors, wherein the two or more flexible connectors provide communication paths between the display panel and the driver, and wherein a first end of each of the two or more flexible connectors connects to the display panel at a corresponding one of the two or more bonding areas, and wherein a second end of each of the two or more flexible connectors connects to the driver via the layer;

a backlight, wherein the backlight is located between the display panel and the layer;

one or more light sources;

one or more light coupling units, wherein each light coupling unit is configured to guide light, when emitted by a corresponding light source of the one or more light sources, to the backlight; and

a printed circuit board, wherein the one or more light sources are directly connected to the printed circuit board, and the layer and the backlight are between the printed circuit board and the display panel; and

wherein the display panel, the layer, the backlight and the printed circuit board are in stacked relationship and through each of which a longitudinal axis of the device traverses;

wherein the flexible connectors extend in a direction of the longitudinal axis adjacent a radial periphery of the backlight; and

wherein the light coupling units each guide light in the direction of the longitudinal axis adjacent a radial periphery of the layer.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a light shield for each light source of the one or more light sources, and wherein each of the two or more flexible connectors comprises one of a flexible printed circuit, a chip-on-flex, or a chip-on-foil.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more light coupling units comprises a right-angle light coupling unit that redirects light traveling in the direction of the longitudinal axis to travel within the backlight in a direction of a major plane of the backlight, and each of the two or more flexible connectors comprises one of a flexible printed circuit, a chip-on-flex, or a chip-on-foil.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources comprise two or more light-emitting diodes.

5. The device of claim 4, further comprising:

a touch panel operable in at least one of an on-touch mode or a touchless mode; and

a touch flexible connector, wherein the touch flexible connector connects the touch panel to the driver via the layer, wherein the touch flexible connector travels in a direction of the longitudinal axis adjacent a radial periphery of the backlight, and the driver is further configured to drive the touch panel, and the two or more light-emitting diodes are top firing and emit light in the direction of the longitudinal axis.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the backlight does not comprise a light source.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the layer is one of a chip-on-flex, a printed circuit board, a chip-on-glass, a glass panel, or a flexible printed circuit, and the display panel comprises a liquid crystal display.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible connectors further extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis adjacent a radial periphery of a thin-film transistor layer of the display panel.

8. A user device comprising:

a display comprising;

a display panel, wherein the display panel comprises two or more bonding areas;

a driver configured to drive the display panel;

a layer, wherein the driver is mounted to the layer and signals to and from the driver are propagated by conductive elements of the layer;

two or more flexible connectors, wherein the two or more flexible connectors provide communication paths between the display panel and the driver, and wherein a first end of each of the two or more flexible connectors connects to the display panel at a corresponding one of the two or more bonding areas, and wherein a second end of each of the two or more flexible connectors connects to the driver via the layer;

a backlight, wherein the backlight is located between the display panel and the layer;

one or more light sources;

one or more light coupling units, wherein each light coupling unit is configured to guide light, when emitted by a corresponding light source of the one or more light sources, to the backlight;

a printed circuit board, wherein the one or more light sources are directly connected to the printed circuit board, and the layer and the backlight are between the printed circuit board and the display panel; and

wherein the display panel, the layer, the backlight and the printed circuit board are in stacked relationship and through each of which a longitudinal axis of the device traverses;

wherein the flexible connectors extend in a direction of the longitudinal axis adjacent a radial periphery of the backlight;

wherein the light coupling units each guide light in the direction of the longitudinal axis adjacent a radial periphery of the layer; and

a memory, wherein the memory stores software; and

a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the software.

9. The user device of claim 8, further comprising:

a light shield for each light source of the one or more light sources, and wherein each of the two or more flexible connectors comprises one of a flexible printed circuit, a chip-on-flex, or a chip-on-foil.

10. The user device of claim 8, wherein each of the one or more light coupling units comprises a right-angle light coupling unit that redirects light traveling in the direction of the longitudinal axis to travel within the backlight in a direction of a major plane of the backlight, and each of the two or more flexible connectors comprises one of a flexible printed circuit, a chip-on-flex, or a chip-on-foil.

11. The user device of claim 10, further comprising:

a touch panel operable in at least one of an on-touch mode or a touchless mode; and

a touch flexible connector, wherein the touch flexible connector connects the touch panel to the driver via the layer, wherein the touch flexible connector travels in a direction of the longitudinal axis adjacent a radial periphery of the backlight, and

wherein the driver is further configured to drive the touch panel, and the one or more light sources comprise one or more top firing light-emitting diodes that emit light in the direction of the longitudinal axis.

12. The user device of claim 8, wherein the layer is one of a chip-on-flex, a printed circuit board, a chip-on-glass, a glass panel, or a flexible printed circuit, and the display panel comprises a liquid crystal display.

13. The user device of claim 8, wherein the display panel comprises:

a thin-film transistor layer; and

a color filter layer, and wherein the two or more bonding areas are located on the thin-film transistor layer, and wherein the thin-film transistor layer and the color filter layer have a circular configuration.

14. The user device of claim 8, wherein the backlight does not comprise a light source.

15. The user device of claim 8, wherein the user device is a wearable device or a mobile device.

20. The user device of claim 8, wherein the flexible connectors further extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis adjacent a radial periphery of a thin-film transistor layer of the display panel.

16. A device comprising:

a display panel;

a backlight;

a printed circuit board, wherein the backlight is between the display panel and the printed circuit board;

one or more light sources, wherein the one or more light sources are directly connected to the printed circuit board; and

one or more light coupling units, wherein each light coupling unit is configured to guide light, when emitted by a corresponding light source of the one or more light sources, to the backlight, and wherein the backlight guides the light in a direction of a major plane of the backlight and emits the light towards the display panel; and

wherein the display panel, the backlight and the printed circuit board are in stacked relationship and through each of which a longitudinal axis of the device traverses; and

wherein the light coupling units each guide light in the direction of the longitudinal axis and, at an end of the light coupling unit distal the respective light source, redirect light traveling in the direction of the longitudinal axis to travel within the backlight in the direction of the major plane of the backlight.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising:

a light shield for each light source of the one or more light sources.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the one or more light sources comprise two or more light-emitting diodes and the two or more light-emitting diodes are top firing and emit light in the direction of the longitudinal axis into an end of the light coupling unit proximal the respective light source.