LED light source device and electronic device using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10859754-B2
Application number	US-201716089411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2017
Priority date	Apr 5, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

Provided is a compact light source device that can be manufactured at a low cost and is suitable as an illumination light source for a display device of an electronic device such as an HUD or an ultra-compact projector. This light source device includes a solid-state light source, a collimating optical system that converts light having exited the solid-state light source into a substantially collimated light; and a light guide that allows the light having exited the collimating optical system to enter and allows this light to exit in a direction that differs from a direction of entry. The light source device further includes a polarization converting element that aligns polarization directions of the light exiting the light guide into one direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An LED light source device comprising:
a solid-state light source;
a collimating optical system that converts light having exited the solid-state light source into a substantially collimated light;
a polarization converting element that aligns a polarization direction of light emitted from the collimating optical system in one direction;
a light guide that enters the light in the polarization direction aligned in the one direction from the polarization converting element, and emits the incident light in a direction different from the incident direction; and
a diffuser element that defuses the light from the polarization converting element,
wherein the polarization converting element is arranged between the collimating optical system and the light guide,
wherein the polarization converting element is arranged between the collimating optical system and the diffuser element,
wherein the light guide includes:
an entrance portion that allows the light to enter;
a reflection portion that reflects the light having entered; and
an exit portion that allows the light reflected by the reflection portion to exit,

the reflection portion includes:
a plurality of reflection surfaces that reflects that light having entered; and
a plurality of connection surfaces that connect the plurality of reflection surfaces to one another,

wherein elevation angles of the reflections surfaces formed on the reflection portion of the light guide differ depending on location, and a relative angle between the reflection surface and the adjacent connection surface is greater than or equal to 90 degrees, and
wherein the relative angle between the reflection surface and the adjacent connection surface is a constant value regardless of location.

2. The LED light source device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the entrance portion has a structure that allows the light to be deflected in a direction in which an angle of entry of the light entering the reflection surfaces of the reflection portion is greater than a critical angle with respect to the reflection surfaces of the reflection portion.

3. The LED light source device according to claim 2 ,
wherein a scattering member is provided between the collimating optical system and the light guide, and
the connection surface of the reflection portion is tilted at an angle within a range of half the angle of the scattering member such that the connection surface is shadowed with respect to the light having entered.

4. The LED light source device according to claim 2 ,
wherein a deflecting structure of the entrance surface of the light guide is an inclined surface obliquely arranged with respect to the light having entered.

5. The LED light source device according to claim 2 ,
wherein Lr is a length of an inclined surface projected in a normal direction with respect to a direction of exiting the plurality of reflection surfaces of the reflection portion,
Lc is a length of an inclined surface projected in a normal direction with respect to a direction of exiting the connection surface connecting the reflection surfaces to each other at a position opposite to the entrance surface, and
a ratio Lr/Lc is varied depending on location.

6. The LED light source device according to claim 2 ,
wherein Lr is a length of an inclined surface projected in a normal direction with respect to a direction of exiting the plurality of reflection surfaces of the reflection portion,
Lc is a length of an inclined surface projected in a normal direction with respect to a direction of existing the connection surface connecting the reflection surfaces to each other at a position opposite to the entrance surface, and
a ratio Lr/Lc is the smallest in the vicinity of a center of the reflection portion.

7. The LED light source device according to claim 2 ,
wherein Lr is a length of an inclined surface projected in a normal direction with respect to a direction of exiting the plurality of reflection surfaces of the reflection portion,
Lc is a length of an inclined surface projected in a normal direction with respect to a direction of exiting the connection surface connecting the reflection surfaces to each other at a position opposite to the entrance surface, and
a sum of lengths Lr and Lc is substantially constant.

8. The LED light source device according to claim 5 ,
wherein Lr is a length of an inclined surface projected in a normal direction with respect to a direction of exiting the plurality of reflection surfaces of the reflection portion,
Lc is a length of an inclined surface projected in a normal direction with respect to a direction of exiting the connection surface connecting the reflection surface to each other at a position opposite to the entrance surface, and
the sum of lengths Lr and Lc is less than or equal to 0.6 mm and greater than or equal to 0.2 mm.

9. An electronic device that uses the LED light source device according to claim 1 as an image display device.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the electronic device is an HUD.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the electronic device is a projector.

Assignees

• Maxell Ltd

Inventors

• Sugiyama Toshinori
• Hirata Koji
• Kunii Yasuhiko

Classifications

• G03B21/208

  Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light · CPC title

• G03B21/2073

  Polarisers in the lamp house (peculiar to electronic spatial light modulators H04N9/3197) · CPC title

• G03B21/2066

  Reflectors in illumination beam (in projection beam G03B21/28) · CPC title

• G03B21/2033

  LED or laser light sources · CPC title

• G02F1/133606

  including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members · CPC title