Backlight device and liquid crystal display

• US 7,185,995 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yokota, Kazuhiro, Oku, Takashi, Hatanaka, Masato, Yamada, Sinobu, Miyamura, Seiji, Kito, Shinsuke, Maruyama, Yuichiro, Iida, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Laura K.
• Application Number:
  US10/571,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20060215386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 362/29, 362/618, 362/224, 362/223, 362/225
• US Class Current: 362/29
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0242 by means of dispersed particles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0278 used in transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133317 Intermediate frames, e.g. between backlight housing and front frame
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133606 including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133608 including particular frames or supporting means

Abstract

A light dimming dot pattern is provided for an LCD in which the diameter of dots is changed in a range from approximately 0.16 mm to approximately 0.65 mm depending on the distance of the dots from a fluorescent tube (13) in such a manner that the volume of the shielded light is increased and decreased at a location close to a position overlying the fluorescent tube (13) and at a location remote from the fluorescent tube (13), respectively. In this manner, a light dimming dot pattern with a transmittance for all light rays of approximately 62% (roughly in the vicinity of 62%), higher than the transmittance for all light rays in the conventional technique not higher than 50%, is produced. Consequently, the light of uniform high luminance may be produced without raising the luminance of the fluorescent tube (13), and hence an LCD of high luminance may be realized.

Claims

1. A backlight device comprising

a plurality of cold cathode ray tubes;

and

a light diffusing plate arranged in the direction of light radiation from said cold cathode ray tubes, and having printed thereon a light dimming dot pattern, the light diffusing plate having transmittance for all light rays of 62 to 71% and a cloud value of 90 to 99%;

wherein,

each dot of said light dimming dot pattern is arranged at a location corresponding to division by 24 to 48 of the spacing between neighboring ones of said cold cathode ray tubes, with the diameter of each dot being 0.16 to 0.7 mm depending on the distance from said cold cathode ray tubes.

2. The backlight device according to claim 1 wherein, with the transmittance for all light rays of said light diffusing plate being approximately 62% and with each dot of said light dimming dot pattern being arranged at a location corresponding to division by 24 of the spacing between neighboring ones of said cold cathode ray tubes, the diameter of each dot is 0.16 to 0.68 mm depending on the distance from said cold cathode ray tubes and assumes a value which becomes closer to 0.16 mm and to 0.68 mm the remoter and nearer the distance of each dot from said cold cathode ray tubes, respectively.

3. The backlight device according to claim 1 wherein, with the transmittance for all light rays of said light diffusing plate being approximately 66% and with each dot of said light dimming dot pattern being arranged at a location corresponding to division by 48 of the spacing between neighboring ones of said cold cathode ray tubes, the diameter of each dot is 0.16 to 0.7 mm depending on the distance from said cold cathode ray tubes and assumes a value which becomes closer to 0.16 mm and to 0.7 mm the remoter and nearer the distance of each dot from said cold cathode ray tubes, respectively.

4. The backlight device according to claim 1 wherein said cold cathode ray tube has a radiation luminance value of not less than 17000 cd/m² and a difference between the luminance value at a location on said cold cathode ray tube and that at a location partway between the neighboring cold cathode ray tubes is 700 to 1400 cd/m².

5. The backlight device according to claim 1 wherein said light diffusing plate is arranged at a distance not larger than 7 mm from a plane in which said plural cold cathode ray tubes are arranged.

6. The backlight device according to claim 1 wherein each dot of said light dimming dot pattern is printed on said light diffusing plate with an ink concocted with the concentration of the light shielding agent of 18 to 32 wt % and with the concentration of the light diffusing agent of 3.0 to 4.5 wt %.

7. The backlight device according to claim 6 wherein said ink contains an ultraviolet ray inhibitor having a concentration in the ink of 0 to 7 wt % and an anti-foaming agent in the ink of 0 to 1 wt %.

8. The backlight device according to claim 6 wherein the number of times of applying the ink in printing said light dimming dot pattern on said light diffusing plate is usually one and, if the ink is printed by overlay coating, the number of times of applying the ink is limited to two or three.

9. The backlight device according to claim 1 wherein the dots of said light dimming dot pattern are printed on said light diffusing plate in a staggered configuration at a distance of 1.2 to 2 mm along the longitudinal direction of said cold cathode ray tube and at a distance of 0.5 to 1 mm along the direction orthogonal to said longitudinal direction.

10. The backlight device according to claim 1 wherein said light dimming dot pattern is formed on one major surface of said light diffusing plate facing said cold cathode ray tubes or on the major surface opposite to said one major surface.

11. The backlight device according to claim 1 wherein said light dimming dot pattern is formed by depositing a transparent film, having printed thereon said light dimming dot pattern, on said one major surface or on said opposite major surface of said light diffusing plate.

12. A liquid crystal display apparatus having a light transmitting liquid crystal display panel and a backlight device for illuminating said liquid crystal display panel from the back side thereof, said backlight device comprising:

a light source, made up by a plurality of cold cathode ray tubes; and

a light diffusing plate arranged in the light radiating direction of said light source for facing said light source, said light diffusing plate having a transmittance for all light rays of 62 to 71% and a cloud value of 90 to 99% and carrying a light dimming dot pattern thereon;

said dots of said light dimming dot pattern being formed on said light diffusing plate lying at a location corresponding to division by 24 to 48 of the spacing between neighboring ones of said cold cathode ray tubes, with the diameter of said dots being 0.16 to 0.7 mm depending on the distance from said cold cathode ray tubes.

13. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 12 wherein, with the transmittance for all light rays of said light diffusing plate being approximately 62% and with dots of said light dimming dot pattern being arranged at a location corresponding to division by 24 of the spacing between neighboring ones of said cold cathode ray tubes, the diameter of each dot is 0.16 to 0.68 mm depending on the distance from said cold cathode ray tubes and assumes a value which becomes closer to 0.16 mm and to 0.68 mm the remoter and nearer the distance of each dot from said cold cathode ray tubes, respectively.

14. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 12 wherein, with the transmittance for all light rays of said light diffusing plate being approximately 66% and with each dot of said light dimming dot pattern being arranged at a location corresponding to division by 48 of the spacing between neighboring ones of said cold cathode ray tubes, the diameter of each dot is 0.16 to 0.7 mm depending on the distance from said cold cathode ray tubes and assumes a value which becomes closer to 0.16 mm and to 0.7 mm the remoter and nearer the distance of each dot from said cold cathode ray tubes, respectively.

15. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said cold cathode ray tube has a radiation luminance value of not less than 17000 cd/m² and a luminance difference between the luminance value at a location on said cold cathode ray tube and that at a location partway between the neighboring cold cathode ray tubes is 700 to 1400 cd/m².

16. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said light diffusing plate is arranged at a distance not larger than 7 mm from a plane in which said plural cold cathode ray tubes are arranged.

17. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 12 wherein each dot of said light dimming dot pattern is printed on said light diffusing plate with an ink concocted with the concentration of the light shielding agent of 18 to 32 wt % and with the concentration of the light diffusing agent of 3.0 to 4.5 wt %.

18. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said ink contains an ultraviolet ray inhibitor having a concentration in the ink of 0 to 7 wt % and an anti-foaming agent having a concentration in the ink of 0 to 1 wt %.

19. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the number of times of applying the ink in printing said light dimming dot pattern on said light diffusing plate is usually one and, if the ink is printed by overlay printing, the number of times of applying the ink is limited to two or three.

20. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the dots of said light dimming dot pattern are printed on said light diffusing plate in a staggered configuration at a distance of 1.2 to 2 mm along the longitudinal direction of said cold cathode ray tube one from another and at a distance of 0.5 to 1 mm along the direction orthogonal to said longitudinal direction one from another.

21. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said light dimming dot pattern is formed on one major surface of said light diffusing plate facing said cold cathode ray tubes or on the major surface opposite to said one major surface.

22. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said light dimming dot pattern is formed on said light diffusing light guide plate by depositing a transparent film, having printed thereon said light dimming dot pattern, on said one major surface or on said opposite major surface of said light diffusing plate.

23. A backlight device comprising

a light source made up by a plurality of light emitting diodes, radiating red light, green light and blue light;

and

a light diffusing light guide plate arranged in the direction of light projection of said light source, said light diffusing light guide having a transmittance for all light rays of 50 to 93% and a cloud value of 70% to 93%, said light diffusing light guide plate carrying a light dimming dot pattern and configured for mixing the red light, green light and blue light incident thereon;

wherein

dots of said light dimming dot pattern are formed facing said light emitting diodes on said light diffusing light guide plate with one-for-one correspondence to said light emitting diodes so that the dot shape is symmetrical or non-symmetrical relative to the center of light emission of said light emitting diode, with the area of each dot being 28 to 86 mm².

24. The backlight device according to claim 23 wherein each dot of said light dimming dot pattern is printed on said light diffusing plate with an ink concocted with the concentration of a light shielding agent of 18 to 32 wt % and with the concentration of a light diffusing agent of 3.0 to 4.5 wt %.

25. The backlight device according to claim 24 wherein said ink contains an ultraviolet ray inhibitor having a concentration in the ink of 0 to 7 wt % and an anti-foaming agent in the ink of 0 to 1 wt %.

26. The backlight device according to claim 24 wherein the number of times of applying the ink in printing said light dimming dot pattern on said light diffusing plate is usually one and, if the ink is printed by overlay printing, the number of times of applying the ink is limited to two or three.

27. The backlight device according to claim 23 wherein said light dimming dot pattern is formed on one major surface of said light diffusing light guide plate facing said light source or on the opposite major surface thereof.

28. The backlight device according to claim 23 wherein said light dimming dot pattern is formed on said light diffusing light guide plate by depositing a transparent film, having printed thereon said light dimming dot pattern, on said one major surface or on said opposite major surface of said light diffusing light guide plate.

29. The backlight device according to claim 24 wherein the ink composition, dot shape and the dot area of dots of said light dimming dot pattern, printed on said light diffusing light guide plate in one-for-one correspondence to said light emitting diodes, are adjusted depending on respective color light beams radiated from said light emitting diodes.

30. A liquid crystal display apparatus including a light transmitting liquid crystal display panel and a backlight device for illuminating liquid crystal display panel from the back side thereof, said apparatus comprising

a light source made up by a plurality of light emitting diodes, radiating red light, green light and blue light;

and

a light diffusing light guide plate arranged in the direction of light projection of said light source, for facing said light source, said light diffusing guide plate having a transmittance for all light rays of 50 to 93% and a cloud value of 70% to 93%, said light diffusing light guide plate carrying a light dimming dot pattern and configured for mixing the red light, green light and blue light incident thereon;

wherein,

dots of said light dimming dot pattern are formed facing said light emitting diodes on said light diffusing light guide plate with one-for-one correspondence to said light emitting diodes so that the dot shape is symmetrical or non-symmetrical relative to the center of light emission of said light emitting diode, with the area of each dot being 28 to 86 mm².

31. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 30 wherein each dot of said light dimming dot pattern is printed on said light diffusing plate with an ink concocted with the concentration of the light shielding agent of 18 to 32 wt % and with the concentration of the light diffusing agent of 3.0 to 4.5 wt %.

32. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 31 wherein said ink contains an ultraviolet ray inhibitor having a concentration in the ink of 0 to 7 wt % and an anti-foaming agent having a concentration in the ink of 0 to 1 wt %.

33. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 31 wherein the number of times of applying the ink in printing said light dimming dot pattern on said light diffusing plate is usually one and, if the ink is printed by overlay printing, the number of times of applying the ink is limited to two or three.

34. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 30 wherein said light dimming dot pattern is formed on one major surface of said light diffusing light guide plate facing said light source or on the opposite major surface thereof.

35. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 30 wherein said light dimming dot pattern is formed on said light diffusing light guide plate by depositing a transparent film, having printed thereon said light dimming dot pattern, on said one major surface or on said opposite major surface of said light diffusing light guide plate.

36. The liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 31 wherein the ink composition, dot shape and the dot area of dots of said light dimming dot pattern, printed on said light diffusing light guide plate in one-for-one correspondence to said light emitting diodes, are adjusted depending on respective color light beams radiated from said light emitting diodes.