Lens, light source unit, backlight apparatus, and display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11460731-B2
Application number	US-201715652590-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2017
Priority date	Feb 15, 2008
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

A lens diffusing light emitted from a light source includes a concave light-incident surface, a light guide portion, and a light-emitting surface. The light-incident surface includes a plane portion opposed to the light source and an optical function portion that is formed on the plane portion and one of scatters and diffuses the light. The light emitted from the light source enters the light-incident surface. The light that has entered the light-incident surface passes through the light guide portion. The light-emitting surface emits the light passed through the light guide portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lens configured to diffuse light emitted from a light source, the lens comprising:
a concave light-incident surface including a plane portion opposed to the light source and an optical function portion that is formed on the plane portion and scatters the light, wherein at least a portion of the light emitted from the light source enters the light-incident surface;
a light guide portion through which the light that has entered the light-incident surface passes;
a light-emitting surface configured to emit the light that passes through the light guide portion, and
a bottom surface including a print processing portion, a roughening processing portion, or a reflective film portion, wherein
the light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements that are arranged in a predetermined direction,
the lens is elongated in the predetermined direction, and
the print processing portion, the roughening processing portion, or the reflective film portion of the bottom surface contacts a side surface of a substrate of the light source along the predetermined direction, the side surface being parallel to a shortest line between the plane portion and the light source.

2. The lens according to claim 1 , wherein the optical function portion is a part that has been subjected to print processing.

3. The lens according to claim 2 , wherein the light-emitting surface includes a part opposed to the plane portion that has been subjected to the print processing.

4. The lens according to claim 1 , wherein the optical function portion is a part that has been subjected to roughening processing.

5. The lens according to claim 4 , wherein the light-emitting surface includes a part opposed to the plane portion that has been subjected to the roughening processing.

6. The lens according to claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting surface includes a part opposed to the plane portion that has been subjected to roughening processing.

7. The lens according to claim 1 , wherein the light guide portion comprises a diffusing material for diffusing the light.

8. The lens according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat flow path that is formed from the light-incident surface to the light-emitting surface and discharges heat radiated from the light source.

9. The lens according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements emit light by an EL (Electro Luminescence) phenomenon.

10. The lens according to claim 9 , wherein the lens has light distribution characteristics that are substantially the same in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction within a plane on which the plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged.

11. A light source unit, comprising:
a light source; and
a lens configured to diffuse light emitted from the light source, the lens comprising:
a concave light-incident surface including a plane portion opposed to the light source and an optical function portion that is formed on the plane portion and scatters the light, wherein at least a portion of the light emitted from the light source enters the light-incident surface,
a light guide portion through which the light that has entered the light-incident surface passes,
a light-emitting surface configured to emit the light that passes through the light guide portion, and
a bottom surface including a print processing portion, a roughening processing portion, or a reflective film portion, wherein

the light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements that are arranged in a predetermined direction,
the lens is elongated in the predetermined direction, and
the print processing portion, the roughening processing portion, or the reflective film portion of the bottom surface contacts a side surface of a substrate of the light source along the predetermined direction, the side surface being parallel to a shortest line between the plane portion and the light source.

12. The light source unit according to claim 11 , further comprising:
an optical member that is mounted on the light source and scatters the light.

13. The light source unit according to claim 12 , wherein the light-emitting elements emit light by an EL (Electro Luminescence) phenomenon, and wherein the optical member includes a sealing member to seal the light-emitting elements.

14. The light source unit according to claim 13 , wherein the optical member contains a diffusing material.

15. The light source unit according to claim 13 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements arranged on the substrate of the light source, and wherein the sealing member seals each of the plurality of light-emitting elements.

16. The light source unit according to claim 13 , wherein the shape of the sealing member is a hemisphere.

17. The light source unit according to claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the light emitted from the light source enters the sealing member, and
wherein the sealing member is configured to scatter the entered portion of the light into the light-incident surface.

18. A display apparatus, comprising:
a light source unit including a light source;
a lens to diffuse light emitted from the light source, the lens comprising:
a concave light-incident surface including a plane portion opposed to the light source and an optical function portion that is formed on the plane portion and scatters the light, wherein at least a portion of the light emitted from the light source enters the light-incident surface,
a light guide portion through which the light that has entered the light-incident surface passes,
a light-emitting surface configured to emit the light that passes through the light guide portion, and
a bottom surface including a print processing portion, a roughening processing portion, or a reflective film portion;

a supporting member to support the light source unit; and
a light transmission control panel that includes a plurality of pixels and controls transmission of the light emitted from the lens for each of the plurality of pixels, wherein
the light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements that are arranged in a predetermined direction,
the lens is elongated in the predetermined direction, and
the print processing portion, the roughening processing portion, or the reflective film portion of the bottom surface contacts a side surface of a substrate of the light source along the predetermined direction, the side surface being parallel to a shortest line between the plane portion and the light source.

19. A backlight apparatus, comprising:
a light source unit comprising a light source;
a lens to diffuse light emitted from the light source, the lens comprising:
a concave light-incident surface including a plane portion opposed to the light source and an optical function portion that is formed on the plane portion and scatters the light, wherein at least a portion of the light emitted from the light source enters the light-incident surface,
a light guide portion through which the light that has entered the light-incident surface passes,
a light-emitting surface configured to emit the light that passes through the light guide portion, and
a bottom surface including a print processing portion, a roughening processing portion, or a reflective film portion, and
a supporting member to support the light source unit, wherein

the light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements that are arranged in a predetermined direction,
the lens is elongated in the predetermined direction, and
the print processing por

Assignees

• Saturn Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Arai Takeo
• Morimoto Junji

Classifications

• G02B19/0028

  refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems · CPC title

• G02B5/0268

  characterized by the fabrication or manufacturing method · CPC title

• G02B5/0278

  used in transmission · CPC title

• G02B19/0066

  in the form of an LED array · CPC title

• F21V5/04

  of lens shape · CPC title