Light emitting device, area light source apparatus and image display apparatus

1. A light emitting device, comprising:

a light emitting diode;

an sealing resin member having an arrangement face and configured to seal said light emitting diode; and

a lens disposed on said arrangement face of said sealing resin member and formed so as to have a circular shape as viewed in the direction of an optical axis of light emitted from said light emitting diode, said lens having a concave portion formed at a central portion in such a manner as to be concave toward said sealing resin member,

wherein,

said lens is disposed on said arrangement face of said sealing resin member such that said concave portion of said lens is positioned on the optical axis of the light emitted from said light emitting diode;

the light emitted from said light emitting diode partly passes through said sealing resin member, whereafter the light is reflected inwardly by said lens and goes out from said lens;

said lens has a light path controlling projecting portion provided on an outer periphery such that said light path controlling projecting portion is positioned outside of said sealing resin member and introduces the light reflected inwardly by said lens to a predetermined direction;

said light path controlling projecting portion has a reflecting face for reflecting the light reflected inwardly by said lens inwardly again and a light outgoing face provided continuously to an outer peripheral edge of said reflecting face for allowing the light reflected inwardly by said reflecting face to go out;

said reflecting face has an inner circumferential edge positioned on the emitting direction side of the light from said light emitting diode with respect to an outer circumferential edge along the direction of the optical axis;

said reflecting face is formed as a curved face convex to the substantially opposite side to the emitting direction of the light from said light emitting diode along the direction of the optical axis; and

said light outgoing face forms an outer circumferential face of said light path controlling projecting portion while said light outgoing face is inclined so as to be displaced away from said light emitting diode as the distance to the outer circumferential edge of said reflecting face decreases in the direction of the optical axis.

2. The light emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein said lens and said sealing resin member define an air layer through which the light emitted from said light emitting diode passes.

3. The light emitting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a transparent coupling layer provided between said lens and said sealing resin member for coupling said lens and said sealing resin member to each other.

4. The light emitting device according to claim 3 , wherein said coupling layer and said sealing resin member have substantially equal refractive indices.

5. The light emitting device according to claim 3 , wherein said coupling layer is formed from a resin material in the form of a gel.

6. The light emitting device according to claim 3 , wherein said coupling layer is formed from an adhesive.

7. An area light source apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting devices each including a light emitting diode, an sealing resin member having an arrangement face and configured to seal said light emitting diode, and a lens disposed on said arrangement face of said sealing resin member and formed so as to have a circular shape as viewed in the direction of an optical axis of light emitted from said light emitting diode, said lens having a concave portion formed at a central portion in such a manner as to be concave toward said sealing resin member; and

diffusion means for diffusing the light emitted from said plural light source apparatus,

wherein,

said lens is disposed on said arrangement face of said sealing resin member such that said concave portion of said lens is positioned on the optical axis of the light emitted from said light emitting diode;

the light emitted from said light emitting diode partly passes through said sealing resin member, whereafter the light is reflected inwardly by said lens and goes out from said lens;

said lens has a light path controlling projecting portion provided on an outer periphery such that said light path controlling projecting portion is positioned outside of said sealing resin member and introduces the light reflected inwardly by said lens to a predetermined direction;

said light path controlling projecting portion has a reflecting face for reflecting the light reflected inwardly by said lens inwardly again and a light outgoing face provided continuously to an outer peripheral edge of said reflecting face for allowing the light reflected inwardly by said reflecting face to go out;

said reflecting face has an inner circumferential edge positioned on the emitting direction side of the light from said light emitting diode with respect to an outer circumferential edge along the direction of the optical axis;

said reflecting face is formed as a curved face convex to the substantially opposite side to the emitting direction of the light from said light emitting diode along the direction of the optical axis;

said light outgoing face forms an outer circumferential face of said light path controlling projecting portion while said light outgoing face is inclined so as to be displaced away from said light emitting diode as the distance to the outer circumferential edge of said reflecting face decreases in the direction of the optical axis.

8. An image display apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting devices each including a light emitting diode, an sealing resin member having an arrangement face and configured to seal said light emitting diode, and a lens disposed on said arrangement face of said sealing resin member and formed so as to have a circular shape as viewed in the direction of an optical axis of light emitted from said light emitting diode, said lens having a concave portion formed at a central portion in such a manner as to be concave toward said sealing resin member;

diffusion means for diffusing the light emitted from said plural light source apparatus; and

a display panel upon which the light emitted from said plural light emitting devices is irradiated to display an image,

wherein,

said lens is disposed on said arrangement face of said sealing resin member such that said concave portion of said lens is positioned on the optical axis of the light emitted from said light emitting diode;

the light emitted from said light emitting diode partly passes through said sealing resin member, whereafter the light is reflected inwardly by said lens and goes out from said lens;

said lens has a light path controlling projecting portion provided on an outer periphery such that said light path controlling projecting portion is positioned outside of said sealing resin member and introduces the light reflected inwardly by said lens to a predetermined direction;

said light path controlling projecting portion has a reflecting face for reflecting the light reflected inwardly by said lens inwardly again and a light outgoing face provided continuously to an outer peripheral edge of said reflecting face for allowing the light reflected inwardly by said reflecting face to go out;

said reflecting face has an inner circumferential edge positioned on the emitting direction side of the light from said light emitting diode with respect to an outer circumferential edge along the direction of the optical axis;

said reflecting face is formed as a curved face convex to the substantially opposite side to the emitting direction of the light from said light emitting diode along the direction of the optical axis; and

said light outgoing face forms an outer circumferential face of said light path controlling projecting portion while said light outgoing face is inclined so as to be displaced away from said light emitting diode as the distance to the outer circumferential edge of said reflecting face decreases in the direction of the optical axis.