Light guide structure and display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11269124-B2
Application number	US-201716073382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2017
Priority date	Jun 13, 2017
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A light guide structure and a display device are provided. The light guide structure includes: a first substrate including at least one first through hole; a second substrate arranged opposite to the first substrate and including at least one second through hole; and at least one fiber bundle including a first end and a second end, the first end of each of the fiber bundle fixed in one of the first through holes, and the second end of the fiber bundle is a free end; wherein a distance between the first substrate and the second substrate is adjustable; and an orthogonal projection of at least part of the first through hole on the second substrate coincides with the second through hole.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A display device, comprising a light guide structure for enabling the display device to switch from a wide viewing angle to a narrow viewing angle, wherein the light guide structure comprises:
a first substrate comprising a plurality of first through holes;
a second substrate arranged opposite to the first substrate and comprising a plurality of second through holes, wherein the aperture of each first through hole in a direction parallel to the first substrate is smaller than the aperture of a corresponding second through hole in a direction parallel to the first substrate; a vertical cross-section profile of each second through hole in the direction perpendicular to the second substrate is wedge-shaped, the second substrate includes an entrance surface facing the first substrate and an exit surface facing away from the first substrate, and the aperture of the plurality of second through holes in a direction parallel to the entrance surface to the exit surface gradually increases; and
a plurality of fiber bundles, each fiber bundle includes a plurality of light guide fibers arranged in parallel, each of the plurality of light guide fibers includes an incident end and an exit end, and the incident ends of all of the plurality of light guide fibers of the same optical fiber bundle are fixed to the same first through hole, and the exit ends of all the plurality of light guide fibers of the same fiber bundle pass through the same second hole and are scattered in a natural state; and
an opening and closing device configured to change a distance between the first substrate and the second substrate so as to change the exit states of the exit ends of the optical fiber bundles.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising a backlight source and a display panel;
wherein the light guide structure is disposed between the backlight source and the display panel, the first substrate is an incident substrate disposed facing the backlight source and the second substrate is an exit substrate disposed facing the display panel.

3. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller, wherein the controller is configured to drive the distance adjusting device.

4. The light guide structure according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first through holes are incident through holes, the plurality of second through holes are exit through holes, and an orthogonal projection of each of the first through holes on the second substrate is within a corresponding second through hole.

5. The light guide structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first substrate is opaque.

6. The light guide structure according to claim 1 , wherein a surface of the first substrate away from the second substrate is provided as a reflective surface.

7. The light guide structure according to claim 1 , wherein both the incident end and the exit end of each fiber bundle are polished.

8. The light guide structure according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first through holes have a same aperture and are regularly disposed on the first substrate.

9. The light guide structure according to claim 1 , wherein horizontal cross section profiles of the first through hole and the second through hole are circular or polygonal.

10. The light guide structure according to claim 1 , wherein a length of each fiber bundle is greater than a sum of thicknesses of the two substrates by 1 to 2 mm.

11. The light guide structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a distance adjusting device configured to change a distance between the first substrate and the second substrate so as to change a scattering state of the second ends of the plurality of fiber bundles.

12. The light guide structure according to claim 11 , wherein the distance adjusting device is an electric lifting structure.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd
• Fuzhou Boe Optoelectronics Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhao Hongyu
• Diao Kai
• Liu Jie
• Bao Zongjie
• Zhang Han

Classifications

• G02B6/04

  formed by bundles of fibres (G02B6/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/0008 Primary

  the light being emitted at the end of the fibre · CPC title

• G02B6/0005 Primary

  the light guides being of the fibre type (G02B6/0003 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/08 Primary

  with fibre bundle in form of plate · CPC title

• G02F1/1335

  Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. polarisers or reflectors · CPC title