IP Library Granted Patent US 12,596,220
Granted Patent B2
US 12,596,220 · App. 18/373,753 · Granted Apr 7, 2026

Light guide plate, light guide plate unit, and display device

Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama (Kyoto, JP); Ken'ichi Kasazumi (Osaka, JP); Yukihiro Chokyu (Osaka, JP); Satoshi Kuzuhara (Osaka, JP); Kazuhiro Minami (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
G02B6/0041B60K35/10B60K35/23G02B5/32G02B6/0031G02B6/0076
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,596,220
App. No.
18/373,753
Granted
Apr 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A light guide plate includes a hologram element that is a first hologram element including two or more diffraction cells, and a hologram element that is a second hologram element including a single diffraction cell.

Claims (67)

1 . A light guide plate comprising:

a first hologram element; and

a second hologram element, wherein

the first hologram element includes interference fringes having intervals larger than intervals of interference fringes included in the second hologram element,

the first hologram element is an emission-side hologram element,

the second hologram element comprises two second hologram elements which are an entrance-side hologram element and a deflecting hologram element,

the entrance-side hologram element is positioned to cause light that has entered from an outside to an inside of the light guide plate to propagate in the inside of the light guide plate by deflection through diffraction,

the deflecting hologram element is positioned to cause the light deflected in a first direction by the entrance-side hologram element to propagate in the inside of the light guide plate in a second direction, crossing the first direction, by deflection through diffraction, and

the emission-side hologram element is positioned to cause the light deflected by the deflecting hologram element to be emitted to the outside of the light guide plate by deflection through diffraction.

2 . The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein

in a plan view, an area of the first hologram element is larger than an area of the second hologram element.

3 . The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein

in a plan view, interference fringes included in the two or more diffraction cells included in the first hologram element are curved.

4 . The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein

in a plan view, interference fringes included in the single diffraction cell included in the second hologram element are straight.

5 . The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein

the first hologram element is a relief-type hologram element.

6 . The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein

the second hologram element is a volume-type hologram element.

7 . The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein

the first hologram element is positioned to cause light that has propagated in an inside of the light guide plate to be emitted to an outside of the light guide plate by deflection through diffraction.

8 . The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein

the second hologram element is positioned to cause light that has entered from an outside to an inside of the light guide plate to propagate in the inside of the light guide plate by deflection through diffraction.

9 . A display device comprising:

the light guide plate according to claim 1 ; and

an image generating device that generates light showing an image, and causes the light to enter the light guide plate.

10 . The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein

the entrance-side hologram element and the deflecting hologram element are adjacent to each other along the first direction,

the deflecting hologram element and the emission-side hologram element are adjacent to each other along the second direction, and

the intervals of the interference fringes over the whole of the emission-side hologram element are larger than the intervals of the interference fringes over the whole of the entrance-side hologram element and the deflecting hologram element.

11 . A light guide plate unit comprising:

a first light guide plate including a first hologram element and a second hologram element;

a second light guide plate including a third hologram element and a fourth hologram element;

a first deflecting element that causes light of a first wavelength component included in incoming light to enter the first light guide plate, by selectively deflecting the light of the first wavelength component; and

a second deflecting element that causes light of a second wavelength component included in the incoming light to enter the second light guide plate, by selectively deflecting the light of the second wavelength component, wherein

the first hologram element and the third hologram element include interference fringes having intervals larger than intervals of interference fringes included in the second hologram element and the fourth hologram element,

each of the first hologram element and the third hologram element is an emission-side hologram element,

the second hologram element comprises two second hologram elements and the fourth hologram element comprises two fourth hologram elements, each of the two second hologram elements and the two fourth hologram elements being an entrance-side hologram element and a deflecting hologram element,

the entrance-side hologram element is positioned to cause light that has entered from an outside to an inside of each of the first light guide plate and the second light guide plate to propagate in the inside of each of the first light guide plate and the second light guide plate by deflection through diffraction,

the deflecting hologram element is positioned to cause the light deflected in a first direction by the entrance-side hologram element to propagate in the inside of each of the first light guide plate and the second light guide plate in a second direction, crossing the first direction, by deflection through diffraction, and

the emission-side hologram element is positioned to cause the light deflected by the deflecting hologram element to be emitted to the outside of each of the first light guide plate and the second light guide plate by deflection through diffraction.

12 . The light guide plate unit according to claim 11 , wherein

the first deflecting element causes the light of the first wavelength component included in the incoming light to enter the first light guide plate by selectively reflecting the light of the first wavelength component and transmitting light of a wavelength component other than the first wavelength component included in the incoming light, and

the second deflecting element causes the light of the second wavelength component included in the incoming light to enter the second light guide plate by selectively reflecting the light of the second wavelength component and transmitting light of a wavelength component other than the second wavelength component included in the incoming light.

13 . The light guide plate unit according to claim 11 , wherein

the first wavelength component is a wavelength component corresponding to red, and

the second wavelength component comprises a wavelength component corresponding to green and a wavelength component corresponding to blue.

14 . The light guide plate unit according to claim 11 , further comprising:

a transparent component that internally includes the first deflecting element and the second deflecting element.

15 . The light guide plate unit according to claim 11 , further comprising:

a third light guide plate; and

a third deflecting element that causes light of a third wavelength component included in the incoming light to enter the third light guide plate.

16 . The light guide plate unit according to claim 15 , wherein

the third deflecting element causes the light of a third wavelength component included in the incoming light to enter the third light guide plate, by selectively deflecting the light of the third wavelength component.

17 . The light guide plate unit according to claim 11 , wherein

the first light guide plate emits light guided by the first light guide plate, from a face that is on an opposite side from a face through which the incoming light entered, and

the second light guide plate emits light guided by the second light guide plate, from a face that is on an opposite side from a face through which the incoming light entered.

18 . The light guide plate unit according to claim 11 , wherein

the first light guide plate emits light guided by the first light guide plate, from a face that is on a same side as a face through which the incoming light entered, and

the second light guide plate emits light guided by the second light guide plate, from a face that is on a same side as a face through which the incoming light entered.

19 . A display device comprising:

the light guide plate unit according to claim 11 ; and

an image generating device that generates light showing an image, and causes the light to enter the light guide plate unit.

20 . The light guide plate unit according to claim 11 , wherein

the entrance-side hologram element and the deflecting hologram element are adjacent to each other along the first direction,

the deflecting hologram element and the emission-side hologram element are adjacent to each other along the second direction, and

the intervals of the interference fringes over the whole of the emission-side hologram element are larger than the intervals of the interference fringes over the whole of the entrance-side hologram element and the deflecting hologram element.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2024
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066709/0727 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 2, 2024
From: SUGIYAMA, KEIJI; KASAZUMI, KEN'ICHI; CHOKYU, YUKIHIRO; KUZUHARA, SATOSHI; MINAMI, KAZUHIRO
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066334/0428 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2021-058956 · Mar 31, 2021 · national
JP 2021-058962 · Mar 31, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2022000017 · Jan 4, 2022
Related Publication 20240019621A1 · Jan 18, 2024
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