Light guide plate, display device and game machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10401555-B2
Application number	US-201715596007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2017
Priority date	Dec 25, 2014
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A light guide plate according to one or more embodiment is formed of a panel transparent to visible light, and includes: a plurality of first prisms arranged along one surface of the light guide plate and distributed in a first pattern to reflect the visible light emitted from a first light source and entering the light guide from an input surface toward another surface of the light guide plate; and a plurality of second prisms arranged in a second pattern to reflect the visible light emitted from a second light source and entering the light guide from the input surface toward said other surface of the light guide plate. Each first prism includes a reflection surface directly facing the first light source, and each second prism includes a reflection surface directly facing the second light source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A light guide plate formed of a panel transparent to visible light, the light guide plate comprising:
an input surface configured to form a sidewall of the light guide plate that faces a first light source and a second light source aligned along the sidewall, the first light source and the second light source configured to emit visible light;
a plurality of first prisms arranged along one surface of the light guide plate and distributed in a first pattern to reflect the visible light emitted from the first light source, the visible light entering the light guide plate from the input surface toward an other surface of the light guide plate; and
a plurality of second prisms arranged along the one surface of the light guide plate and distributed in a second pattern different from the first pattern to reflect the visible light emitted from the second light source and entering the light guide plate from the input surface toward the other surface of the light guide plate, wherein
each first prism in the plurality of first prisms comprises a reflection surface directly facing the first light source, and each second prism in the plurality of second prisms comprises a reflection surface directly facing the second light source.

2. The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein a density of the plurality of first prisms increases as a distance from the first light source increases, and a density of the plurality of second prisms increases a distance from the second light source increases.

3. The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein each first prism in the plurality of first prisms is formed so that an end portion of the first prism in the plurality of first prisms closer to the second light source is narrower in a direction orthogonal to the reflection surface of the first prism in the plurality of first prisms, than a width of the first prism in the plurality of first prisms in the direction orthogonal to the reflection surface at a center of the reflection surface of the first prism in the plurality of first prisms.

4. The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein the first light source comprises two light emitting elements arranged along a length direction of the input surface with a predetermined gap therebetween; and
each first prism in the plurality of first prisms is arranged so that the reflection surface of each first prism in the plurality of first prisms directly faces between the two light emitting elements.

5. The light guide plate according to claim 1 , wherein the first light source comprises a plurality of light emitting elements arranged along a length direction of the input surface with a predetermined gap therebetween; and
each first prism in the plurality of first prisms is arranged so that the reflection surface of each first prism in the plurality of first prisms directly faces a light emitting element in the plurality of light emitting elements.

6. The light guide plate according to claim 5 , wherein each first prism in the plurality of first prisms are arranged so that the reflection surface of each first prism in the plurality of first prisms directly faces the light emitting element in the plurality of light emitting elements that provides a maximum illumination at a location of the first prism.

7. A display device comprising:
a first light source configured to emit visible light;
a second light source aligned with the first light source and configured to emit visible light;
a light guide plate formed from a panel transparent to visible light; and
a processor configured to perform operations comprising operation as a controller configured to control a turning on and off of the first light source and the second light source;
the light guide plate comprising:
an input surface configured to form one sidewall of the light guide plate facing the first light source and the second light source;
a plurality of first prisms arranged along one surface of the light guide plate and distributed in a first pattern to reflect the visible light emitted from the first light source that enters the light guide plate from the input surface toward an other surface of the light guide plate; and
a plurality of second prisms arranged along the one surface of the light guide plate and distributed in a second pattern different from the first pattern to reflect the visible light emitted from the second light source that enters the light guide plate from the input surface toward the other surface of the light guide plate, wherein

each first prism in the plurality of first prisms comprises a reflection surface directly facing the first light source, and each second prism in the plurality of second prisms comprises a reflection surface directly facing the second light source.

8. A game machine comprising:
a playfield; and
a display device provided on a surface of the playfield facing a player;
the display device comprising: a first light source configured to emit visible light;
a second light source aligned with the first light source and configured to emit visible light;
a light guide plate formed from a panel transparent to visible light; and
a processor configured to perform operations comprising operation as a controller configured to control a turning on and off of the first light source and the second light source;
the light guide plate comprising:
an input surface configured to form one sidewall of the light guide plate facing the first light source and the second light source;
a plurality of first prisms arranged along one surface of the light guide plate and distributed in a first pattern to reflect the visible light emitted from the first light source that enters the light guide plate from the input surface toward an other surface of the light guide plate provided facing the player; and
a plurality of second prisms arranged along the one surface of the light guide plate and distributed in a second pattern different from the first pattern to reflect the visible light emitted from the second light source that enters the light guide plate from the input surface toward the other surface of the light guide plate, wherein

each first prism in the plurality of first prisms comprises a reflection surface directly facing the first light source, and each second prism in the plurality of second prisms comprises a reflection surface directly facing the second light source.

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Fujita Junya
• Osumi Yoshimasa
• Takagi Yoshihiko

Classifications

• G02B6/00

  Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings · CPC title

• G09F13/005

  Illumination controller or illuminated signs including an illumination control system · CPC title

• G02B6/0036

  2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces · CPC title

• G02B6/0068

  Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources · CPC title

• G02B6/006 Primary

  to produce indicia, symbols, texts or the like · CPC title