Light source module

• US 9,075,175 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
• Inventors: Tsai, Han-Wen, Kuo, Ming-Feng
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Anh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Snyder, Zachary J
• Application Number:
  US13/756,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20130201721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 362/600, 362/615, 362/616, 362/623, 362/625, 362/626, 362/628, 362/608
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0018 Redirecting means on the surface of the light guide
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces

Abstract

A light source module including a light guide plate, a light-collecting structure and a light emitting device is provided. The light guide plate has a first light emitting surface, a bottom surface, a first light incident surface connecting with the bottom surface and the first light emitting surface, and an optical microstructure unit. The optical microstructure unit includes at least two optical microstructures. Each optical microstructure has a recessing part and a protruding part on the bottom surface. The light-collecting structure has a second light emitting surface connecting with the first light incident surface, a second light incident surface and a reflecting surface connecting with the second light emitting surface and the second light incident surface. A sectional line obtained by sectioning the reflecting surface along a first reference plane includes a first parabola. The reference plane is parallel to the first light emitting surface.

Claims

1. A light source module, comprising:

a light guide plate comprising a first light emitting surface, a bottom surface opposite to the first light emitting surface, a first light incident surface connecting with the bottom surface and the first light emitting surface, and at least one optical microstructure unit, the optical microstructure unit comprising;

at least two first optical microstructures, each of the least two first optical microstructures comprising a recess portion on the bottom surface and a protrusion portion on the bottom surface, and the protrusion portion connecting with the recess portion, wherein the protrusion portion is located between the first light incident surface and the recess portion, the recess portion comprises a first micro-surface and a second micro-surface connecting with the first micro-surface, and the protrusion portion comprises a third micro-surface and a fourth micro-surface connecting with the third micro-surface, wherein the second micro-surface and the third micro-surface are connected, an extension direction of the first micro-surface and the fourth micro-surface are substantially perpendicular to the first light emitting surface, and an extension direction of the second micro-surface and the third micro-surface are inclined relative to the first light incident surface;

at least one light-collecting structure, comprising a second light emitting surface connecting with the first light incident surface, a second light incident surface, a first reflective surface connecting with the second light emitting surface and the second light incident surface, and a second reflective surface opposite to the first reflective surface and connecting with the second light emitting surface and the second light incident surface, wherein a section of the first reflective surface obtained by a first reference plane comprises a sectional line, and the sectional line comprises a first parabola, wherein the first reference plane is parallel to the first light emitting surface; and

at least one light emitting device adapted to emit light beams, the light beams sequentially passing through the second light incident surface, the first reflective surface, the second light emitting surface, the first light incident surface to enter into the light guide plate, the light beams entering the light guide plate guiding by the optical microstructure unit to the first light emitting surface.

2. The light source module of claim 1, wherein the second micro-surface and the third micro-surface are directly connected and are substantially coplanar.

3. The light source module of claim 1, wherein a portion of the light beams are reflected by one of the first optical microstructures of the optical microstructure unit to the first light emitting surface.

4. The light source module of claim 1, wherein a portion of the light beams are refracted by one of the first optical microstructures of the optical microstructure unit to another one of the first optical microstructures of the optical microstructure unit, and the portion of the light beams transmitted to the another one of the first optical microstructures of the optical microstructure unit is reflected by the another one of the first optical microstructures to the first light emitting surface.

5. The light source module of claim 1, wherein the light guide plate further comprises a plurality of the microstructure units, and a density of the plurality of the microstructure units increases as a distance of the optical microstructure units from the first light incident surface increases.

6. The light source module of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of the optical microstructure units, and the light guide plate further comprising a first side surface connecting with the first light emitting surface and the bottom surface and directly connecting with the first light incident surface, and a second side surface opposite to the first side surface and connecting with the first light emitting surface and the bottom surface, wherein a density of the plurality of the optical microstructure units increases from a center of the light guide plate to the first side surface and to the second side surface.

7. The light source module of claim 1, wherein a section of the first reflective surface obtained by a second reference plane comprises a sectional line and the sectional line comprises a curve substantially curved towards the light emitting device, wherein the second reference plane is vertical to the first light emitting surface.

8. The light source module of claim 1, wherein the section of the second reflective surface obtained by the first reference plane comprises a sectional line comprising a second parabola.

9. The light source module of claim 8, wherein shortest distances from any point on the first parabola to any point on the second parabola are substantially the same.

10. The light source module of claim 1, wherein the light emitting device is substantially disposed on a focal plane of the first parabola.

11. The light source module of claim 1, wherein the light-collecting structure further comprises a first extension surface and a second extension surface opposite to the first extension surface, and the first extension surface is connected with the first reflective surface and the second light incident surface, and the second extension surface is connected with the second reflective surface and the second light incident surface.

12. The light source module of claim 11, wherein the first extension surface and the second extension surface are substantially parallel to the bottom surface.

13. The light source module of claim 11, wherein the first extension surface and the second extension surface covers the entire bottom surface.

14. The light source module of claim 1 further comprising at least a second optical microstructure configured on a transmission path of the light beams and between the second light incident surface and the light emitting device.

15. The light source module of claim 14, wherein the second optical microstructure comprises an arc surface, a first slanted surface and a second slanted surface respectively at two opposite sides of the arc surface and connecting with the arc surface, and the first slanted surface and the second slanted surface are inclined with respect to the second light incident surface, and an inclined direction of the first slanted surface is opposite to an inclined direction of the second slanted surface.

16. The light source module of claim 15, wherein the second optical microstructure further comprises a first connection surface and a second connection surface configured at two opposite sides of the arc surface and extending towards the light emitting device, and the first connection surface is connected with the first slanted surface and the arc surface, and the second connection surface is connected with the second slanted surface and the arc surface.

17. The light source module of claim 1 further comprising a reflection sheet, configured between the bottom surface of the light guide plate and the light-collecting structure.