IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,411,381
Granted Patent B2
US 12,411,381 · App. 18/729,045 · Granted Sep 9, 2025

Planar illumination device

Inventor: Yusuke Nara (Kitasaku-gun, JP)
Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
G02F1/133605G02F1/133603G02F1/133608
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,411,381
App. No.
18/729,045
Granted
Sep 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The planar illumination device includes a substrate including a plurality of light sources provided at one surface side, and a reflector disposed at the one surface side of the substrate and including a plurality of segments corresponding to the plurality of light sources, respectively, each of the segments being formed with a reflection surface surrounding each of the light sources. In an outer peripheral part segment disposed at an outer peripheral part of the reflector out of the plurality of segments, the reflection surface at an outer side and the reflection surface at an inner side are asymmetric.

Claims (27)

1. A planar illumination device comprising:

a substrate including a plurality of light sources provided at one surface side; and

a reflector disposed at the one surface side of the substrate and including a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments being corresponding to a respective light source of the plurality of light sources and being formed with a reflection surface surrounding the respective light source, wherein

in an outer peripheral part segment, of the plurality of segments, located at an outer peripheral part of the reflector, the reflection surface at an outer side and the reflection surface at an inner side are asymmetric, and

the reflection surface at the outer side and the reflection surface at the inner side each includes one or more different number of reflection surfaces, and the number of reflection surfaces is defined by difference in intersection angles to the substrate in a thickness direction.

2. The planar illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein, in the outer peripheral part segment, an intersection angle between one of the reflection surface at the outer side and the reflection surface at the inner side and the substrate is larger than an intersection angle between the other reflection surface and the substrate.

3. The planar illumination device according to claim 1 wherein a distance from one of the reflection surface at the outer side and the reflection surface at the inner side to a light source, of the plurality of light sources, disposed at the outer peripheral part segment is different than a distance from the other reflection surface to the light source at an opening of the reflector at a substrate side.

4. The planar illumination device according to claim 2 , wherein the other reflection surface includes a substrate side reflection surface formed at the substrate side and an emission surface side reflection surface formed at an emission surface side,

the intersection angle between the one reflection surface and the substrate is larger than an intersection angle between the substrate side reflection surface and the substrate, and

an intersection angle between the emission surface side reflection surface and the substrate is larger than the intersection angle between the substrate side reflection surface and the substrate.

5. The planar illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflection surface includes a substrate side reflection surface formed at the substrate side and an emission surface side reflection surface formed at an emission surface side, and

an intersection angle between the emission surface side reflection surface and the substrate is larger than an intersection angle between the substrate side reflection surface and the substrate.

6. The planar illumination device according to claim 5 , wherein the intersection angle between the emission surface side reflection surface and the substrate is 50 to 75 degrees, and

the intersection angle between the substrate side reflection surface and the substrate is 15 to 50 degrees.

7. The planar illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein the light sources exhibit a light distribution with a larger amount of light in a direction inclined from an optical axis than an amount of light in a direction of the optical axis.

8. The planar illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein in the outer peripheral part segment, one of the reflection surface at the outer side and the reflection surface at the inner side comprises a single stage while the other reflection surface comprises two stages.

9. The planar illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein in a cross section including optical axes of the plurality of light sources, a length of the emission surface side reflection surface is longer than or equal to a length of the substrate side reflection surface.

10. The planar illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein an area of an emission surface side opening of the outer peripheral part segment is smaller than an area of an emission surface side opening of an inner side segment located at an inner side of the outer peripheral part segment.

11. The planar illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein in the outer peripheral part segment, the reflection surface at the inner side comprises two stages and the reflection surface at the outer side comprises a single stage.

12. The planar illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein in the outer peripheral part segment, the reflection surface at the outer side comprises two stages and the reflection surface at the inner side comprises a single stage.

13. A planar illumination device comprising:

a substrate including a plurality of light sources provided at one surface side; and

a reflector disposed at the one surface side of the substrate and including a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments being corresponding to a respective light source of the plurality of light sources and being formed with a reflection surface surrounding the respective light sources, wherein

the plurality of segments include an outer peripheral part segment disposed at an outer peripheral part of the reflector and an inner side segment disposed at an inner side of the outer peripheral part segment,

a height of a partition wall of the reflector forming a boundary between the outer peripheral part segment and the inner side segment is lower than a height of another partition wall, and

a height of a wall forming an outer peripheral edge of the reflector is higher than the partition wall of the reflector forming the boundary between the outer peripheral part segment and the inner side segment.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2024
From: NARA, YUSUKE
To: MINEBEA MITSUMI INC.
Reel/Frame 068006/0396 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-006109 · Jan 19, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250110369A1 · Apr 3, 2025
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