Lens, light source device, backlight unit, and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11054694-B2
Application number	US-201816039049-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2018
Priority date	Jul 21, 2017
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a light diffusion characteristic and a light reflection characteristic, and a light source device, a backlight unit, and an electronic device that include the lens. By causing the light emitted from the light source of the light source device to have both light diffusibility and light directivity using the lens including a lower layer portion having a light diffusion characteristic and an upper layer portion having a light reflection characteristic, it is possible to improve a light emission characteristic of the light source device, and when an optical gap is reduced due to the thickness reduction of the backlight unit, the image quality of the backlight unit can be improved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A backlight unit comprising:
a light source;
a lens including a first concave portion defined on a bottom surface of the lens where the light source is disposed, and a second concave portion defined on a top surface of the lens,
wherein the light source emits refracted light to diffuse to outside in a region between a first point and a second point in a vertical direction and at least a part of the light emitted from the light source reflects to the outside in a region between the second point and a third point;
a diffuser plate disposed on the lens and spaced apart from the lens; and
a cover bottom accommodating the light source, the lens, and the diffuser plate,
wherein a lowest point of the second concave portion is located between the second point and the third point, and
wherein the lens includes an outer surface having a first curvature and a second curvature opposite to the first curvature, and the first curvature changes to the second curvature at a middle point of the lens.

2. The backlight unit of claim 1 , wherein the lens includes the outer surface having a convex shape between the first point and the second point and a concave shape between the second point and the third point.

3. The backlight unit of claim 1 , wherein the lens includes an outer surface having a concave portion between the first point and the second point and a concave shape between the second point and the third point, and a first curvature between the first point and the second point and a second curvature between the second point and the third point, wherein the first and second curvatures are different from each other.

4. The backlight unit of claim 1 , wherein the lens has the first curvature of the outer surface changing at the second point, and has a point where the second curvature of the outer surface changes between the second point and the third point.

5. The backlight unit of claim 4 , wherein the point where the second curvature of the outer surface changes between the second point and the third point is located higher than the lowest point of the second concave portion.

6. The backlight unit of claim 1 , wherein the second concave portion has an entire surface located lower than the third point.

7. A lens for a light source device, the lens comprising:
a lower layer portion having a light-incident portion to receive light emitted from a light source and an outer surface having a convex shape; and
an upper layer portion positioned on the lower layer portion and having an outer surface having a concave shape, wherein the upper layer portion has a reflective surface being inclined inward or concave on at least a part of a top surface,
wherein a lowest position of the reflective surface is located between the point and the top surface of the upper layer portion, and
wherein the outer surface has a first curvature and a second curvature opposite to the first curvature, and the first curvature changes to the second curvature at a middle point of the lens.

8. The lens of claim 7 , wherein the lower layer portion refracts the light incident through the light-incident portion on the outer surface and diffuses the light outward.

9. The lens of claim 7 , wherein the upper layer portion reflecting at least a part of the light incident through the light-incident portion from the reflective surface and sending out the light from the outer surface.

10. The lens of claim 7 , wherein the lens has a point where the second curvature of the outer surface of the upper layer portion changes, and the point is located higher than a lowest position of the reflective surface.

11. A lens for a light source device, the lens comprising:
a light-incident portion disposed on a bottom surface of the lens and receiving light emitted from a light source;
a reflective surface disposed on a top surface of the lens and inwardly inclined or concave; and
an outer surface emitting the light incident on the light-incident portion,
wherein the outer surface includes a first outer surface having a first curvature and a second outer surface having a second curvature, and the first and second curvatures different from each other,
wherein the light source emits refracted light to diffuse to outside in a region between a first point and a second point in a vertical direction and at least a part of the light emitted from the light source reflects to the outside in a region between the second point and a third point, and
wherein a lowest point of the reflective surface is located between the second point and the third point, and
wherein the first curvature and the second curvature are opposite to each other, and the first curvature changes to the second curvature at a middle point of the lens.

12. The lens of claim 11 , wherein a part of the light received at the light-incident portion is reflected from the reflective surface and is emitted through the second outer surface, and another part of the light received at the light-incident portion is emitted through the first outer surface.

13. The lens of claim 11 , wherein the outer surface having a convex shape between the first point and the second point and a concave shape between the second point and the third point.

14. The lens of claim 11 , wherein the outer surface having a concave portion between the first point and the second point and a concave shape between the second point and the third point, and a first curvature between the first point and the second point and a second curvature between the second point and the third point.

15. The lens of claim 11 , wherein the outer surface has the first curvature changing at the second point, and has a point where the second curvature of the outer surface changes between the second point and the third point.

16. The lens of claim 15 , wherein the point where the second curvature of the outer surface changes between the second point and the third point is located higher than a lowest point of the second concave portion.

17. The lens of claim 16 , wherein the lowest point of the second concave portion is located between the second point and the third point.

18. The lens of claim 11 , wherein the second concave portion has an entire surface located lower than the third point.

19. The lens of claim 11 , wherein the first curvature has a convex shape and the second curvature has a concave shape.

Assignees

• Lg Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Kiduck
• Kim Younghyun

Classifications

• H10H20/855

  Optical field-shaping means, e.g. lenses · CPC title

• G02F1/133606 Primary

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

• G02B19/0061

  the light source comprising a LED · CPC title

• G02F1/133614

  using photoluminescence, e.g. phosphors illuminated by UV or blue light · CPC title

• G02B19/0066

  in the form of an LED array · CPC title