Surface light emitter, display apparatus and light control member

• US 7,372,079 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Akira, Kuiseko, Manami, Ohmori, Shigeto
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefer; A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson; Scott R.
• Application Number:
  US11/656,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20070176195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 257/98
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/045 Prism arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133603 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133607 the light controlling member including light directing or refracting elements, e.g. prisms or lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/858 comprising refractive means, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/879 comprising refractive means, e.g. lenses

Abstract

To improve the front brightness of the light emitted from a surface light emitter having a surface light emitting device. In the surface light emitter to which a light control sheet having depressions is provided, the surface of the light control sheet having the depressions is adhered to a light emitting side surface of a surface light emitting device, and the transparent material whose refractive index is lower than the refractive index of the light control sheet is arranged in the spaces formed between the depressions and the light emitting side surface of the surface light emitting device.

Claims

1. A surface light emitter, comprising:

a surface light emitting device which has a light emitting side surface, through which the surface light emitting device emits light; and

a light control sheet which has a surface on which a plurality of depressions and a flat portion between the depressions are provided, the light control sheet being mounted on the light emitting device, with the flat portion being bonded to the light emitting side surface,

wherein transparent material fills the depressions, and a refractive index of the transparent material is lower than a refraction index of the light control sheet.

2. The surface light emitter of claim 1, wherein a shape of a longitudinal section of the depressions is a triangle, a trapezoid or an arc.

3. The surface light emitter of claim 1, wherein a depth of the depressions is the same as a thickness of the light control sheet.

4. The surface light emitter of claim 1, wherein the transparent material is air.

5. The surface light emitter of claim 1, wherein the transparent material is ultraviolet curable resin.

6. A display apparatus, comprising:

a transmissive display device; and

a surface light emitter, the surface light emitter including;

a surface light emitting device which has a light emitting side surface, through which the surface light emitting device emits light; and

a light control sheet which has a surface on which a plurality of depressions and a flat portion between the depressions are provided, the light control sheet being mounted on the light emitting device with the flat portion being bonded to the light emitting side surface, wherein transparent material fills the depressions,

a refractive index of the transparent material being lower than a refraction index of the light control sheet, and the surface light emitter functions as a backlight.

7. A display apparatus, comprising:

a surface light emitting device which has a matrix of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plane for emitting light;

a light control sheet which has a surface on which a plurality of depressions and a flat portion between the depressions are provided, the light control sheet being mounted on the light emitting device with the flat portion being bonded to the light emitting side surface,

wherein transparent material fills the depressions, and a refractive index of the transparent material is lower than a refraction index of the light control sheet.

8. A light control member, comprising:

a light control sheet which has a surface on which a plurality of depressions and a flat portion between the depressions are provided; and

transparent material fills the depressions to make a flat surface, and a refractive index of the transparent material is lower than a refractive index of the light control sheet.

9. The light control member of claim 8, wherein a shape of a longitudinal section of the depressions is a triangle, a trapezoid or an arc.

10. The light control member of claim 8, wherein a depth of the depressions is the same as a thickness of the light control sheet.

11. The light control member of claim 8, wherein the transparent material is ultraviolet curable resin.

12. A surface light emitter, comprising:

a surface light emitting device which has a light emitting side surface, through which the surface light emitting device emits light; and

a light control member, the light control member including;

a light control sheet which has a surface on which a plurality of depressions and a flat portion between the depressions are provided, the light control sheet being mounted on the light emitting device with the flat portion bonded to the light emitting side surface; and

transparent material fills the depressions to make a flat surface, and a refractive index of the transparent material is lower than a refraction index of the light control sheet.

13. The surface light emitter of claim 12, wherein a shape of a longitudinal section of the depressions is a triangle, a trapezoid or an arc.

14. The surface light emitter of claim 12, wherein a depth of the depressions is the same as a thickness of the light control sheet.

15. The surface light emitter of claim 12, wherein the transparent material is air.

16. The surface light emitter of claim 12, wherein the transparent material is ultraviolet curable resin.