IP Library Granted Patent US 8,325,292
Granted Patent B2
US 8,325,292 · App. 13/341,551 · Granted Dec 4, 2012

Backlight unit and liquid crystal display device using the same

Assignee: Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,325,292
App. No.
13/341,551
Granted
Dec 4, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A backlight unit having a LED light source which includes a light guide plate partitioned in areas having a tapered shape formed of a thick and thin portion. The light guide plate forms a thick and thin portion repeated at certain intervals, and the repeated thick portions and the repeated thin portions gradually decrease in thickness. The LED light source is attached to a lateral side of thick portions. Grooves are formed in the light irradiation direction of the LED light source and in a direction perpendicularly intersecting the light irradiation direction. Each of the grooves is formed in an concave shape. There is a relation 0.2/30<=W/D<0.1 where D denotes the distance between the light guide plate and a light diffusion plate, and W denotes the width of each of the grooves. An inclination angle θ relative to the center of each of the grooves is between 9 and 15 degrees inclusive.

Claims (15)

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal panel; and

a backlight unit comprising:

a LED light source;

a light guide plate guiding the light emitted from the LED light source toward the liquid crystal panel; and

a light diffusion plate disposed between the light guide plate and the liquid crystal panel, and diffusing light emitted from the light guide plate and supplying the diffused light to the liquid crystal panel,

wherein the light guide plate is partitioned in a plurality of areas, and each of the plurality of areas is provided with the LED light source so as to control the light quantity for each area; and

wherein, when the LED light source corresponding to one of the plurality of areas is turned on and the LED light source corresponding to one of the plurality of areas adjacent to the turn-on area is turned off, the ratio of the luminance at the center of the turn-off area adjacent to the turned-on area to the luminance at the center of the turn-on area is set to 0.3 to 0.5.

2. A backlight unit comprising:

a LED light source; and

a light guide plate guiding the light emitted from the LED light source toward a liquid crystal panel,

wherein the light guide plate is partitioned in a plurality of areas, and each of the plurality of areas is provided with the LED light source so as to control the light quantity for each area; and

wherein, when the LED light source corresponding to one of the plurality of areas is turned on and the LED light source corresponding to one of the plurality of areas adjacent to the turn-on area is turned off, the ratio of the luminance at the center of the turn-off area adjacent to the turned-on area to the luminance at the center of the turn-on area is set to 0.3 to 0.5.

3. The backlight unit according to claim 2 ,

wherein a light diffusion plate is disposed between the light guide plate and the liquid crystal panel, and the light diffusion plate diffuses light emitted from the light guide plate and supplies the diffused light to the liquid crystal panel.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 3, 2021
From: MAXELL HOLDINGS, LTD.
To: MAXELL, LTD.
Reel/Frame 058666/0407 →
MERGER Recorded Nov 29, 2021
From: MAXELL, LTD.
To: MAXELL HOLDINGS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 058255/0579 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2018
From: HITACHI MAXELL, LTD.
To: MAXELL, LTD.
Reel/Frame 045142/0208 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 8, 2014
From: HITACHI CONSUMER ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.; HITACHI CONSUMER ELECTRONICS CO, LTD.
To: HITACHI MAXELL, LTD.
Reel/Frame 033694/0745 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2009-038094 · Feb 20, 2009 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 12684875 · Jan 8, 2010
Related Publication 20120147294A1 · Jun 14, 2012