IP Library Granted Patent US 7,570,321
Granted Patent B2
US 7,570,321 · App. 11/481,862 · Granted Aug 4, 2009

Liquid crystal display device and backlight

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,570,321
App. No.
11/481,862
Granted
Aug 4, 2009
Kind
B2
Abstract

A liquid crystal display device having includes a light guide plate having a surface thereof serving as an illuminating surface region opposite to a liquid crystal display panel, light sources mounted on a flexible printed-circuit board and provided on a side face of the light guide plate, an optical sheet member interposed between the liquid crystal display panel and the light guide plate. The side surfaces of the light guide plate with the light sources provided thereon have a ridge-like inclined surface formed thereon, when viewed from the illuminating surface, and the ridge-like inclined surfaces serve as a light-receiving surface with the light source arranged thereon.

Claims (26)

1. A liquid crystal display device having a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight system provided on a rear side of said liquid crystal display panel, said backlight system comprising:

a light guide plate having a surface thereof serving as a illuminating surface region opposite to the liquid crystal display panel;

light sources each mounted on a flexible printed-circuit board and provided on a side face of said light guide plate; and

an optical sheet member interposed between said liquid crystal display panel and said light guide plate;

wherein the side surfaces of said light guide plate with the light sources provided thereon have a ridge-like inclined surface formed thereon when viewed from the illuminating surface and each of said ridge-like inclined surfaces serves as a light-receiving surface with said light source arranged thereon; and

wherein said light guide plate has a positioning pin formed to project toward a face parallel to the illuminating surface region and said flexible printed circuit has a flexible printed circuit positioning hole engaging with said positioning pin formed on said light guide plate.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible printed circuit positioning hole of said flexible printed circuit is engaged with said positioning pin of said light guide plate so that said light sources are positioned at respective predetermined positions relative to said ridge-like inclined surfaces serving each as a light-receiving surface of said light guide plate.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said positioning pin is formed in the vicinity of a vertex of said ridge-like inclined surfaces.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said optical sheet member includes a prism sheet.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said optical sheet member includes a diffusion sheet.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said optical sheet member comprises two prism sheets held between upper and lower diffusion sheets.

7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 6 , wherein any one of said prism sheet and said diffusion sheet constituting said optical sheet member has a sheet positioning hole engaging with said positioning pin on said light guide plate.

8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 6 , wherein any one of said prism sheet and said diffusion sheet constituting said optical sheet member has a sheet positioning hole engaging with said positioning pin on said light guide plate.

9. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said light source is a point light source.

10. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said light source is a light-emitting diode.

11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said ridge-like inclined surfaces are formed on a short side of said light guide plate.

12. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the length of one of said ridge-like inclined surfaces is defined as L, one of said light sources arranged in one of said ridge-like inclined surfaces is located within 12.5% of L from a central position of one of said ridge-like inclined surfaces.

13. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the normal lines are drawn from the positions, at which said light sources of said ridge-like inclined surfaces are arranged, to said ridge-like inclined surfaces, an intersection of said two normal lines is located on a side opposite to the side on which said ridge-like inclined surfaces are formed.

14. A backlight system used in a liquid crystal display panel, comprising:

a light guide plate having a surface thereof serving as a illuminating surface region opposite to the liquid crystal display panel;

light sources each mounted on a flexible printed-circuit board and provided on a side face of said light guide plate; and

an optical sheet member interposed between said liquid crystal display panel and said light guide plate;

wherein the side surfaces of said light guide plate with the light sources provided thereon have a ridge-like inclined surface formed thereon when viewed from the illuminating surface and each of said ridge-like inclined surfaces serves as a light-receiving surface with said light source arranged thereon; and

wherein said light guide plate has a positioning pin formed to project toward a face parallel to the illuminating surface region and said flexible printed circuit has a flexible printed circuit positioning hole engaging with said positioning pin formed on said light guide plate.

15. The backlight system according to claim 14 , wherein said flexible printed circuit positioning hole in said flexible printed circuit is engaged with said positioning pin of said light guide plate so that said light sources are positioned at respective predetermined positions on said ridge-like inclined surfaces serving as light-receiving surface of said light guide plate.

16. The backlight system according to claim 14 , wherein said positioning pin is formed in the vicinity of the top portion of said ridge-like inclined surfaces.

Assignments (10)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 10, 2025
From: JAPAN DISPLAY INC
To: MAGNOLIA PURPLE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 071890/0202 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 17, 2023
From: HITACHI DISPLAYS, LTD.
To: JAPAN DISPLAY EAST, INC.
Reel/Frame 065614/0223 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 17, 2023
From: JAPAN DISPLAY EAST, INC.
To: JAPAN DISPLAY, INC.
Reel/Frame 065614/0644 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Nov 17, 2023
From: JAPAN DISPLAY, INC.
To: JAPAN DISPLAY, INC.
Reel/Frame 065654/0250 →
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Nov 17, 2023
From: PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
Reel/Frame 065615/0327 →
COMPANY SPLIT PLAN TRANSFERRING FIFTY (50) PERCENT SHARE OF PATENTS AND PATENT APPLICATIONS Recorded Dec 12, 2011
From: HITACHI DISPLAYS, LTD.
To: IPS ALPHA SUPPORT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 027362/0532 →
MERGER/CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 12, 2011
From: IPS ALPHA SUPPORT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 027363/0282 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 4, 2011
From: HITACHI DISPLAY DEVICES, LTD.
To: HITACHI DISPLAYS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 026223/0293 →
RE-RECORD TO CORRECT THE NAME OF THE SECOND ASSIGNEE, PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 018081 FRAME 0809. Recorded Sep 7, 2006
From: TAKAHASHI, YOSHIAKI; KURIHARA, MASAHIKO; MIFUNE, MASAYUKI; KAGABU, KEN
To: HITACHI DISPLAYS, LTD.; HITACHI DISPLAY DEVICES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 018282/0288 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 7, 2006
From: TAKAHASHI, YOSHIAKI; KURIHARA, MASAHIKO; MIFUNE, MASAYUKI; KAGABU, KEN
To: HITACHI DISPLAYS, LTD.; HITACHI DISPLAYS DEVICES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 018081/0809 →