IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,416,363
Granted Patent B2
US 8,416,363 · App. 12/669,297 · Granted Apr 9, 2013

Liquid crystal display backlight device and liquid crystal display

Inventors: Shinichi Shikii (Nara, JP); Tetsuro Mizushima (Osaka, JP); Tatsuo Itoh (Osaka, JP); Akira Kurozuka (Osaka, JP); Takayuki Nagata (Osaka, JP); Kazuhisa Yamamoto (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,416,363
App. No.
12/669,297
Granted
Apr 9, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

It is aimed to provide an LCD backlight device and liquid crystal display that can suppress light quantity loss and ensure uniform brightness. An LCD backlight device 101 has a laser light source 1 that emits laser light, and a light guiding plate 3 that transforms the laser light from the laser light source 1 into linear laser light, and transforms the linear laser light into a planar laser light, and emits the planar laser light, and the light guiding plate 3 has a third side face 6 that transforms the linear laser light into the planar laser light by reflecting the linear laser light by a plurality of reflection surfaces that are formed along the entrance direction of the linear laser light.

Claims (90)

1. A liquid crystal display backlight device, comprising:

a laser light source that emits laser light; and

a light guiding unit that transforms the laser light from the laser light source into a linear laser light by substantially vertical reflection, and transforms the linear laser light into a planar laser light, and emits the planar laser light, wherein

the laser light enters into the light guiding unit as substantially parallel light,

the light guiding unit includes a light guiding plate that has a planar reflection surface for transforming the linear laser light into the planar laser light by reflecting substantially vertically the linear laser light by a plurality of reflection surfaces that are formed along an entrance direction of the linear laser light, and

the planar reflection surface includes a triangular prism array or trapezoidal prism array, and a sequence of points connecting at least one vertex of vertexes of each triangular prism or each trapezoidal prism of the triangular prism array or the trapezoidal prism array is expressed by a polynomial of degree 2 or more.

2. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 1 , wherein

the light guiding plate has an entrance surface where the laser light enters, a linear reflection surface that is adjacent to the entrance surface and transforms the laser light into linear laser light by reflecting the laser light which has entered from the entrance surface, the planar reflection surface, and an emission surface that emits the planar laser light transformed by the planar reflection surface, and

the planar reflection surface is adjacent to the entrance surface and the linear reflection surface, and transforms the linear laser light into planar laser light by reflecting the linear laser light transformed by the linear reflection surface, using the plurality of reflection surfaces.

3. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 2 , wherein

the linear reflection surface includes a triangular prism array or trapezoidal prism array, and a sequence of points connecting at least one vertex of vertexes of each triangular prism or each trapezoidal prism of the triangular prism array or the trapezoidal prism array is expressed by a polynomial of degree 2 or more.

4. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 3 , wherein

the pitch of the triangular prism array or trapezoidal prism array including the linear reflection surface is (0.01×L3/D) mm or more, where L3 denotes a length of the linear reflection surface in the longitudinal direction, and D denotes a diameter of the laser light that enters the entrance surface.

5. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 4 , further comprising

at least two diffusion plates that are disposed near the emission surface of the light guiding plate, wherein

the distance between a first diffusion plate that is closest to the light guiding plate and a second diffusion plate that is closest to the light guiding plate next to the first diffusion plate is {(0.01×L3/D)/tan α} mm or more, where a denotes a diffusion angle of the first diffusion plate.

6. The liquid crystal display backlight according to claim 1 , wherein

the light guiding unit further comprises:

a light guiding bar that has an entrance surface where the laser light from the laser light source enters, a linear reflection surface that is adjacent to the entrance surface and transforms the laser light which has entered from the entrance surface into linear laser light by reflecting the laser light, and an emission surface that is adjacent to the entrance surface and faces the linear reflection surface, and emits the linear laser light transformed by the linear reflection surface,

wherein the light guiding plate has an entrance surface where the linear laser light emitted from the emission surface of the light guiding bar enters, the planar reflection surface, and an emission surface that emits the planar laser light transformed by the planar reflection surface, and

the planar reflection surface is adjacent to the entrance surface, and transforms the linear laser light which has entered from the entrance surface into planar laser light by reflecting the linear laser light using the plurality of reflection surfaces.

7. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 6 , wherein

the light guiding bar further has a reflection surface for reflecting laser light that entered from the entrance surface toward the linear reflection surface or the emission surface.

8. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 6 , wherein

the linear reflection surface includes a triangular prism array or trapezoidal prism array, and

the pitch of the triangular prism array or trapezoidal prism array including the linear reflection surface is (0.01×L3/W1) mm or more, where L3 denotes a length of the linear reflection surface in the longitudinal direction, and W1 denotes a width of the entrance surface of the light guiding bar in the laser light propagation surface.

9. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 8 , wherein

the light guiding bar vibrates in the longitudinal direction with an amplitude of (0.01×L3/W1) mm or more.

10. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 8 , further comprising

at least two diffusion plates that are disposed near the emission surface of the light guiding plate, wherein

the distance between a first diffusion plate that is closest to the light guiding plate and a second diffusion plate that is closest to the light guiding plate next to the first diffusion plate is {(0.01×L3/W1)/tan α} mm or more, where a denotes a diffusion angle of the first diffusion plate.

11. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 6 , wherein

one of the emission surface of the light guiding bar and the entrance surface of the light guiding plate includes a cylindrical lens array.

12. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 1 , wherein

the light guiding plate further comprises:

an emission surface that faces the planar reflection surface and emits the planar laser light transformed by the planar reflection surface; and

a reflection surface that reflects the entered linear laser light toward the planar reflection surface or the emission surface.

13. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 1 , wherein

the laser light that enters the light guiding plate vibrates in a direction vertical to the optical axis.

14. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 1 , wherein

the light guiding plate further has an emission surface that faces the planar reflection surface and emits the planar laser light transformed by the planar reflection surface, and

the pitch of the triangular prism array or trapezoidal prism array including the planar reflection surface is (0.01×L1/L2) mm or more, where L1 denotes a length of the planar reflection surface in a propagation direction of the laser light that enters the planar reflection surface, and L2 is a length between the planar reflection surface and the emission surface.

15. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 14 , further comprising

at least two diffusion plates that are disposed near the emission surface of the light guiding plate, wherein

the distance between a first diffusion plate that is closest to the light guiding plate and a second diffusion plate that is closest to the light guiding plate next to the first diffusion plate is {(0.01×L1/L2)/tan α} mm or more, where a denotes a diffusion angle of the first diffusion plate.

16. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 15 , wherein

at least one of the two diffusion plates vibrates in the plane of the diffusion plates.

17. A liquid crystal display, comprising:

the liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 1 ; and

a two-dimensional spatial modulation element that two-dimensionally modulates the light intensity of light irradiated by the liquid crystal display backlight device.

18. A liquid crystal display backlight device, comprising:

a laser light source that emits laser light; and

a light guiding unit that transforms the laser light from the laser light source into a linear laser light, and transforms the linear laser light into a planar laser light, and emits the planar laser light, wherein

the laser light enters into the light guiding unit as substantially parallel light,

the light guiding unit includes a light guiding plate that has a planar reflection surface for transforming the linear laser light into the planar laser light by reflecting substantially vertically the linear laser light by a plurality of reflection surfaces that are formed along an entrance direction of the linear laser light,

wherein the light guiding unit further comprises a free-form surface mirror that transforms the laser light from the laser light source into linear laser light by diffuse-reflecting the laser light,

wherein the light guiding plate has an entrance surface on which a transformation optical system, by which the linear laser light transformed by the free-form surface mirror enters, and the entered linear laser light is transformed to be telecentric, is formed, the planar reflection surface, and an emission surface that emits the planar laser light transformed by the planar reflection surface, and

the planar reflection surface is adjacent to the entrance surface, and transforms the linear laser light transformed to be telecentric by the entrance surface, into planar laser light by reflecting the linear laser light using the plurality of reflection surfaces.

19. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 18 , wherein

the reflection surface of the free-form surface mirror is expressed by a polynomial of degree 8 or more.

20. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 18 , wherein

the free-form surface mirror vibrates in a direction vertical to the optical axis direction of the laser light that enters the free-form surface mirror.

21. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 18 , wherein

the transformation optical system includes a triangular prism array.

22. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 18 , wherein

the transformation optical system includes a composite of a triangular prism array and a Fresnel lens.

23. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 22 , wherein

the pitch of the triangular prism array including the transformation optical system is (0.1×L4/L5) mm or more, where L4 denotes a length of the entrance surface of the light guiding plate in the longitudinal direction, and L5 denotes a distance from the free-form surface mirror to the transformation optical system.

24. A liquid crystal display backlight device, comprising:

a laser light source that emits laser light; and

a light guiding unit that transforms the laser light from the laser light source into a linear laser light, and transforms the linear laser light into a planar laser light, and emits the planar laser light, wherein

the laser light enters into the light guiding unit as substantially parallel light,

the light guiding unit includes a light guiding plate that has a planar reflection surface for transforming the linear laser light into the planar laser light by reflecting substantially vertically the linear laser light by a plurality of reflection surfaces that are formed along an entrance direction of the linear laser light,

wherein the light guiding unit further comprises:

a free-form surface mirror that transforms the laser light from the laser light source into linear laser light by diffuse-reflecting the laser light; and

a transformation optical system that transforms the linear laser light transformed by the free-form surface mirror, to be telecentric,

wherein the light guiding plate has an entrance surface where the linear laser light transformed to be telecentric by the transformation optical system enters, the planar reflection surface, and an emission surface that emits the planar laser light transformed by the planar reflection surface, and

the planar reflection surface is adjacent to the entrance surface, and transforms the linear laser light which have entered from the entrance surface into planar laser light by reflecting the linear laser light using the plurality of reflection surfaces.

25. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 24 , wherein

the transformation optical system vibrates in the longitudinal direction of the transformation optical system.

26. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 25 , wherein

the transformation optical system vibrates in a one-dimensional longitudinal direction of the transformation optical system with a (0.1×L4/L5) mm or more amplitude, where L4 denotes a length of the entrance surface of the light guiding plate in the longitudinal direction, and L5 denotes a distance from the free-form surface mirror to the transformation optical system.

27. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 25 , further comprising

at least two diffusion plates that are disposed near the emission surface of the light guiding plate, wherein

the distance between a first diffusion plate that is closest to the light guiding plate and a second diffusion plate that is closest to the light guiding plate next to the first diffusion plate is {(0.01×L4/L5) tan α} mm or more, where a denotes a diffusion angle of the first diffusion plate.

28. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 24 , wherein

the entrance surface of the light guiding plate includes a cylindrical lens array.

29. The liquid crystal display backlight device according to claim 1 , wherein

the light guiding plate further has an emission surface that emits the planar laser light transformed by the planar reflection surface, and

the emission surface of the light guiding plate includes a cylindrical lens array or spherical lens array.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 26, 2010
From: SHIKII, SHINICHI; MIZUSHIMA, TETSURO; ITOH, TATSUO; KUROZUKA, AKIRA; NAGATA, TAKAYUKI; YAMAMOTO, KAZUHISA
To: PANASONIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 024143/0661 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2007-185792 · Jul 17, 2007 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100195022A1 · Aug 5, 2010