Display device, adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member, and method of manufacturing the light-diffusion member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10168569-B2
Application number	US-201515535015-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2015
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

A light-diffusion member (7) includes: a substrate (39) having light-transmitting properties; a light-diffusion portion (40) on a face of the substrate (39) facing a display medium (6); and a light-blocking layer (41) on a part of the face of the substrate (39) facing the display medium (6) other than where the light-diffusion portion (40) is provided. The light-diffusion portion (40) includes: a light-emitting end face (40a) in contact with the substrate (39); and a light-incident end face (40b) facing, and being larger in area than, the light-emitting end face (40a). The adhesive layer (42) adheres to light-incident end face (40a) and partly (42a) encroaches into a space (43) between the light-diffusion portion (40) and light-blocking layer (41).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member comprising:
a light-diffusion member on a viewing side of a display medium, the light-diffusion member receiving first light entering from the display medium and emitting second light that exhibits a wider angular distribution than the first light; and
an adhesive layer between the display medium and the light-diffusion member, wherein
the light-diffusion member comprises:
a substrate having light-transmitting properties;
at least one light-diffusion portion on a face of the substrate facing the display medium, the at least one light-diffusion portion having a predetermined height;
at least one light-blocking layer on a part of the face of the substrate other than where the at least one light-diffusion portion is provided, the at least one light-blocking layer having a thickness smaller than the predetermined height; and
a first space between the adhesive layer and the at least one light-blocking layer,

the at least one light-diffusion portion comprises:
a light-emitting end face in contact with the substrate; and
a light-incident end face facing, and being larger in area than, the light-emitting end face,

the at least one light-diffusion portion is surrounded by the first space as viewed normal to the face of the substrate,
the adhesive layer adheres to the light-incident end face and partly encroaches into the first space,
the face of the substrate is separated by a shorter distance from a surface of the adhesive layer inside the first space than from the light-incident end face, and
the first space is in contact with the adhesive layer and the at least one light-blocking layer.

2. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , the adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member further comprising one of
a surface protection sheet detachably attached to another surface of the adhesive layer, and
a polarizing plate attached to the another surface of the adhesive layer.

3. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one light-diffusion portion is a plurality of light-diffusion portions arranged randomly as viewed normal to the face of the substrate; and
the at least one light-blocking layer is contiguous where none of the plurality of light-diffusion portions are provided.

4. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one light-blocking layer is a plurality of light-blocking layers arranged randomly as viewed normal to the face of the substrate; and
the at least one light-diffusion portion is contiguous where none of the plurality of light-blocking layers are provided.

5. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , wherein the adhesive layer adhering to the light-incident end face has a thickness smaller than a distance from the at least one light-blocking layer inside the space to the light-incident end face.

6. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , wherein the light-incident end face has one of a plurality of concave portions and a plurality of convex portions.

7. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , wherein the light-incident end face is convexly curved.

8. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , wherein the light-incident end face is concavely curved.

9. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , wherein the adhesive layer comprises an adhesive that cures under radiation of activation energy.

10. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one light-diffusion portion has a side face between the light-emitting end face and the light-incident end face; and
the light-diffusion member exhibits such azimuthal anisotropy that the light-diffusion member diffuse more light in a first direction in which the side face decreases in area than in a second direction in which the side face increases in area.

11. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one light-diffusion portion comprises first and second light-diffusion portions, the first light-diffusion portion exhibiting a first azimuthal anisotropy having a first azimuthal direction, the second light-diffusion portion exhibiting a second azimuthal anisotropy having a second azimuthal direction, the first azimuthal direction being different from the second azimuthal direction.

12. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one light-diffusion portion does not comprise a second space between the adhesive layer and the at least one light-blocking layer, the second space being only in contact with one of the adhesive layer and the at least one light-blocking layer.

13. An adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member comprising:
a light-diffusion member on a viewing side of a display medium, the light-diffusion member receiving first light entering from the display medium and emitting second light that exhibits a wider angular distribution than the first light; and
an adhesive sheet between the display medium and the light-diffusion member,
wherein
the light-diffusion member comprises:
a first substrate having light-transmitting properties;
a light-diffusion portion on a face of the first substrate facing the display medium, the light-diffusion portion having a predetermined height; and
a light-blocking layer on a part of the face of the first substrate other than where the light-diffusion portion is provided, the light-blocking layer having a thickness smaller than the predetermined height,

the light-diffusion portion comprises:
a light-emitting end face in contact with the first substrate; and
a light-incident end face facing, and being larger in area than, the light-emitting end face,

the adhesive sheet comprises:
a second substrate having light-transmitting properties; and
first and second adhesive layers, the first adhesive layer being provided on one face of the second substrate, the second adhesive layer being provided on another face of the second substrate,

the first adhesive layer adheres to the light-incident end face and partly encroaches into a space between the light-diffusion portion and the light-blocking layer, and
the face of the first substrate is separated by a shorter distance from a surface of the first adhesive layer inside the space than from the light-incident end face.

14. The adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member according to claim 13 , wherein the one of the first and second adhesive layers has a smaller thickness than the other one of the first and second adhesive layers.

15. A method of manufacturing an adhesive-layer-including light-diffusion member comprising: a first substrate having light-transmitting properties; a light-diffusion portion on a face of the first substrate, the light-diffusion portion having a predetermined height; a light-blocking layer on a part of the face of the first substrate other than where the light-diffusion portion is provided, the light-blocking layer having a thickness smaller than the predetermined height; one of a first adhesive layer on a face of the light-diffusion portion opposite from the first substrate and an adhesive sheet comprising a second substrate having light-transmitting properties and second and third adhesive layers; a space between one of the first and second adhesive layers and the one light-

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Katsuta Shohei
• Asaoka Yasushi
• OCHI Sho
• Yui Hideomi
• Maeda Tsuyoshi
• Yamamoto Emi

Classifications

• G02F2202/28

  Adhesive materials or arrangements · CPC title

• G02F1/133504 Primary

  Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements (associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606) · CPC title

• G02F1/133528

  Polarisers · CPC title

• G02F2201/50

  Protective arrangements · CPC title

• G09F9/00

  Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements (in which the variable information is permanently attached to a movable support G09F11/00; abacus G06C1/00; slide-rules G06G1/00) · CPC title